I shake my head. “Rory—”
“No, listen,” he says as he reaches for my hands. “I’m a fool. I’ve made a lot of mistakes where you and Ruby are concerned, but I’m going to be better. I just need for you to give me a chance.”
I pull my hands away from him and press the button on my fob to unlock my door. “I don’t know, Rory. Showing up for her concert and taking her for ice cream doesn’t negate everything else.”
“I know it doesn’t. I’m going to show you that I can be the man you fell in love with.”
I half smile before disappearing behind the steering wheel of my car. I don’t give Rory a chance to talk me out of it before pulling away from him. I honk at Ruby when I pass her, and she waves.
I detour through our small town of Friendship, looking at all the lights. This time of year I always love where we live, because everything’s so festive. Sitting on one of the benches, with a cup in his hand, is Ruby’s friend. I haven’t been able to remember the words he said to me the other day at the rink. I’ve tried, but each time I draw a blank.
Pulling over, I park my car and rush to the diner and order two slices of pie and two cups of hot cocoa to go. “Hello.”
“Hi,” he says gruffly.
“Mind if I sit?”
“Not at all. I was just leaving.”
“Please, stay. I bought you some pie.” I set the boxes of pie and drinks down. Pulling one of the cups from the carrying case, I hand it to him. “I hope you like hot cocoa.”
“Is the sky blue?”
“Normally.” I laugh. I sit down next to him and open my box. Thankfully, the waitress heated everything up for us. “Do you like it?”
“I do.”
“Good. I was hoping you could repeat what you said to me the other day in the park.”
Gabe doesn’t say much as he continues to dig into the flakey crust. We sit there, both eating and me waiting for him to tell me. I’m starting to think he doesn’t remember or I imagined that he said something.
“This pie was delicious, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Did you get any of the cookies the children were handing out the other night?”
He nods. “Ruby said she decorated mine special. Ruby’s a extraordinary girl.”
Knowing this makes me smile, but as a mother, I’m also concerned. She shouldn’t take to strangers so easily. “Do you see her a lot?”
Gabe shakes his head. “Only when the children come outside. Sometimes I’ll sit and read to them while they’re on recess.” He turns and looks at me. “Don’t fret …I asked permission first, and there’s always a teacher nearby.”
“I wasn’t worried,” I tell him, even though I was and still feel like I should check with the school.
He stands and picks up his bag of belongings. “What you’re looking for, the happiness, it’s with those you love.”
Chapter Five
Rory
Deciding to go to church was a spur of the moment thing. I woke from a nightmare in a cold sweat, needing my family. I couldn’t explain it, and I still can’t, but I needed to be wherever they were.
In my dream, my wife and I weren’t anything to each other. Nothing more than strangers who would pass by without making eye contact, without saying hi. When in reality, sh
e’s everything to me. Gwen represents the best of who I am and who I desire to be. Gwen’s the nurturer of our family, the glue that holds us together. Waking with that feeling of dread weighing heavily on me is something I never want to experience again.
I know making it to Sunday service isn’t going to change anything between Gwen and me, but it’s a continuance of what I started the night of the concert. I had hoped not only for a family outing but also for the opportunity to sit next to my wife. I was late because there was traffic, which is unusual in Friendship. Add that to a packed parking lot and having to walk farther than I planned, and by the time I reached the gym, the dimmed lights left me no choice but to stand in the back.
It worked out to be the best possible spot, aside from sitting next to my wife. From where I was, I could easily see Gwen, and as soon as Ruby’s class finished, I spent the rest of the concert staring at my spouse. If the seat next to her had been empty, I would’ve slipped in, reached for her hand, and held it until it was time to go. However, luck was not on my side, not that night.