When he finally exited the live room and entered the lounge, Jake found Lori sitting on one of the couches. Unsure whether to hug her or sit beside her, he hovered like an anxious teenager in front of her.
“Sit down,” she said quietly, indicating he should sit across from her.
Without hesitation, he sat on the adjacent couch, not daring to take his eyes off her in case she disappeared.
“You ok?” he asked, noting to himself that his wife looked tired and pale.
Silently, she nodded, “You?”
“Been better,” confessed Jake, pulling at a loose thread on his jeans nervously. “Are the kids ok?”
“They’re fine. Annie’s watching them for me,” replied Lori with a small nervous smile. “They miss you.”
“I miss them. I miss you,” he whispered, his voice thickening with the emotion of seeing his wife.
Both of them sat engulfed in an awkward silence for a few moments before Jake found his voice.
“Lori, I don’t know how to put this mess right. I fucked up. I know that. She’s fucked us both over from what I’ve heard.” He paused, “Sorry doesn’t cut it. I’ve no excuses. Nothing to hide. That’s why I told you.”
“But you didn’t tell me straight away,” countered Lori calmly. “Would you ever have told me you’d had sex with another woman if Maddy hadn’t walked in that day?”
His face a mask of shame, Jake said, “I’m not proud of what happened. I should’ve told you the day it happened. Should’ve gone to the police then too. I thought I was handling it the right way. I was wrong. She’s a complete psycho.”
“Jake, I know she’s accused of assaulting you. I believe she did but you still cheated on me with her by your own admission.”
Hanging his head in shame, Jake whispered, “I know and I’ve no idea why. I’ve no idea how to put this right.”
“Neither have I,” she replied, wrestling with her emotions to keep them under control. “You know how strongly I feel about monogamy. You know my feelings about affairs. You know how I feel about cheating yet you still did it.”
“And I’ll regret it till the day I die,” declared Jake instantly. “She messed with my head. I was stupid. So fucking stupid. I lost control.”
“That doesn’t change the facts though,” said Lori bluntly. “Look, I didn’t come here for a fight. I don’t know how we work this out but I need some more time here.”
“How much time?”
“I have no idea. I just need my own space for a while to get my head round all of this.”
“Are you saying you want us to go our separate ways?”
The question hung suspended in the air between them.
“I don’t know,” she said softly. “Jake, you hurt me. You threw away our wedding vows. You cheated on me,”
“Lori, I know I did and I can’t find the words to say how sorry I am,” replied Jake, his eyes filling with tears. “I don’t want to lose you or the kids over this.”
“Did you or do you have any feelings for her?”
“None,” he replied instantly. “At first I felt sorry for her. Thought she was lonely. It didn’t take long to figure out she was trouble. I wish I’d taken her off the guestlist for the show but I didn’t want a scene. I forgot that I’d added her until it was too late to remove her.”
“And the sex?”
“It was once. Lasted less than a minute. It was an animal response to her unwanted attention that I am not proud of.”
“And you never once initiated anything intimate between you?”
“Never,” stated Jake honestly. “Lori, I love you. You and the kids. I’m not interested in anyone else. You guys are my world.”
“I know,” sighed Lori sadly. “I thought we were too. Now, I’m not so sure.”
“Please, Lori,” he pleaded. “Give me a chance here? One chance?”
For a moment, her resolve wavered but Lori took a deep breath and said, “Maybe in time.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I need time to get over this. I need some time alone. Time to think this through. Time to reflect. A bit more space.”
“I’ve made arrangements to stay with Garrett for a few weeks,” began Jake, “I’m heading to New York on Saturday. Said I’d stay with him until his album launch on November 7th. Is that enough time and space for you?”
Lori shrugged her shoulders, “Maybe.”
“Can I at least see the kids before I head up there?”
For a few seconds, he thought she was going to say no then she nodded, “Tomorrow after school. You can pick them up then drop them off with Grey after dinner. I’ll fetch them from Grey’s.”
“I can bring them home.”
“No,” she said firmly. “I don’t want you near the house. Take them to Grey’s.”
“Fine,” he agreed before she changed her mind. “What do they know?”
“Only that you’ve been staying out here to work on the album.”
“Ok,” he said with a sigh. “Guess I’m telling them I’m going to help Garrett in his store.”
Lori nodded, “Works for me.”
Slowly, she got to her feet, taking care to ensure that her jacket disguised her rounded stomach. Reaching for her cane, she prepared to leave. Jake too got to his feet and, for a moment, she feared he was about to reach out and hug her. He never moved.
As she reached the door, Lori paused and turned round, “Rich would’ve been proud of that last song tonight.”
“Thanks.”
With less than a minute to spare, Jake pulled up outside the school to collect Melody. He’d collected Jesse first, arriving an hour early so that he could spend some time alone with his son before
