I watched as Jeff’s truck turned and headed to the barn. I pulled up and parked outside of Gram and Gramp’s house. I got out and made my way up the stairs.
Gramps stepped out the screen door and gave me one look. He shook his head. “Am I going to have to kick your ass?”
I smiled weakly. “No, sir.”
“Let’s go for a walk. I need some fresh air.”
I followed him around the porch and down the steps. We started walking in silence.
Gramps cleared his throat. “What’s going on, Drew? You look like you’ve got a heavy heart, son.”
I pushed both my hands through my hair and let out a sigh. “Besides Jeff just basically accusing me of being a shitty husband and possibly cheating on my wife, I’m not really sure what’s going on, Gramps.”
He nodded his head. “Are you?”
My heart dropped, and I froze in my place. Gramps stopped walking and turned to look at me.
“How can you even ask me that?”
&
nbsp; “Drew, I’ve had friends who loved their wives beyond belief, but they got tempted. They did things they later regretted, and most of them didn’t even have an affair. The idea that they even thought about having an affair drove a wedge between them and their wives.”
“I’m not having a fucking affair. I’ve just been busy with work. I’ve never thought about being with another woman—ever. It’s just work.”
“Work?”
I let out a deep breath. “Bill asked me to design a house. I said I’d love to. Gramps, I love designing, and honestly, I missed it.”
“I thought you loved the ranch.”
“I do love the ranch. I just needed a bit of a change. I needed something else to do, I guess.”
Gramps nodded his head and began walking again. “I’m sure the way you were feeling is probably how Ellie feels as well, considering her day is filled with the same exact thing day after day.”
Oh geesh. He’s gonna lecture me about this, too.
Gramps stopped and turned to face me. “Drew, I’m only going to say this because, to be honest with you, I don’t like the person you’ve become in the last month.”
My mouth dropped open. “What?”
He shook his head. “What bothers me the most is that you don’t even see it. You don’t see how unhappy your wife has become. You don’t see that when you miss your kids’ practices or games, you’re never going to be able to make that up. That moment in time is gone—forever.”
I swallowed hard. “I’m not cheating on Ellie. It’s never even crossed my mind, Gramps.”
“Why did you come here today, Drew?”
I tilted my head. “What do you mean? I came here because I needed to talk to someone.”
He gave me a weak smile. “The person you need to talk to isn’t me, son. It’s your wife.”
My cell phone buzzed, scaring me. I never got a signal out here. I pulled it out and read the text message.
Karen: Not happy at all with how the bathroom looks. I’m freaking out. When can you get here? I need this fixed, Drew. Now.
Me: Can it wait until tomorrow? I need to spend some time with my wife.
Karen: If you can’t handle it, I’ll call Bill. He’ll take care of it.