“Hey,” I say, stepping towards her. “Don’t.”
She wraps her arms around my waist and presses her face into my chest. I look at Bric, who shrugs as he grabs the bottle of conditioner and squeezes some into the palm of his hand.
“I didn’t want to hurt you. I swear,” Rochelle says.
“It’s OK,” Bric says, picking up Rochelle’s hair and massaging in the conditioner. “That’s over now. We’re here. Let’s just stay here for a while.”
I grab the soap and start washing her shoulders. It does feel different now. Sharing that story was good for us somehow. It brings us closer. She knows something now. Something real. Sees us as people, not players. I almost feel guilty for making Bric punish her tonight.
Almost. But not quite. It helped me, I think. Get over her betrayal. And she stayed for it. That was the apology I needed, I guess. I just wanted her to feel something. Sorry doesn’t tell me much. Letting Bric spank her tells me more. Watching her cry… well, I wasn’t going for that, but I won’t lie and say it’s not meaningful.
The three of us rinse off and step out of the shower. We take turns drying each other off. This isn’t something we normally did before. We didn’t spend the night together much. Not the three of us, anyway. Bric would usually leave. Or if it was Bric’s night, I’d leave.
But none of us are leaving now.
We all climb into bed, Rochelle between Bric and me. Arms find their places. I have one above my head, the other across Rochelle’s belly. She’s facing Bric, so he has one hand on her cheek, the other on her hip. Our legs tangle together. Rochelle pressing the soles of her feet against my shins, Bric’s knee between her legs.
And then there is one long collective sigh as things calm down and we settle.
This, I decide. This is what I’ve been waiting for.
The settling.
The bed moves, waking me up. The sliding barn doors are open and Rochelle is just slipping through them, tying a white robe around her naked body. Bric is gone. I get up, pull on yesterday’s pants, and follow Rochelle.
She’s in the baby’s room with Bric. He’s holding Adley, who is sniffling back tears. He hands her over to Rochelle, who smiles at me when she slips past, on her way to the kitchen.
“What time did you get up?” I ask Bric.
“About an hour ago. I heard Adley waking up. But Rochelle was still out, so I came in here to see what the problem was.”
“What was the problem?” I ask.
“Diaper.” He makes a face.
“You changed a diaper?” I ask.
“Yeah. I did OK. You ever change a diaper, Quin?”
“No,” I say. “I wouldn’t even know how to start that process.”
“I looked it up online, just to make sure I had it right. But I did OK.”
We laugh and follow Rochelle into the kitchen. She’s getting a bottle ready for hungry Adley. When that’s done, she takes her over to the living room and slumps down on the couch.
“I gotta go,” Bric says. “I need a suit and I didn’t bring anything over. But I will.”
“When?” Rochelle asks. “Tonight?”
“No,” Bric says over his shoulder. He’s heading back to the bedroom. Probably to find his clothes. “I have the Club this weekend, Rochelle. You know that.”
Rochelle makes a face. “What about you?” she asks me.
“I won’t be by either. You said you wanted weekends to yourself, right? Well, this is the weekend.”
She frowns, clearly unhappy with that answer. “Are you still punishing me?”
“No,” I say. I might be. “But I have a different life now. I have plans this weekend.”
“So Sunday night?”
I kinda feel bad, so I shrug instead of saying no. “We’ll see.”
“You have plans at midnight on Sundays now too?”
“No. But I do have plans on Monday morning with Smith. It’s something we just… do now. And I like it. So I’m just not sure yet.”
“OK, then.” She takes her attention back to Adley. “Last night was good, but I guess we’re back to real life.”
Bric comes out of the bedroom, tying his tie, his wrinkled suit coat over one arm. “I’m gonna be late,” he says, leaning down to kiss Rochelle. “Come by for breakfast. Or lunch, if you want. Dinner. Whatever you want, Rochelle.”
She nods, but he’s already on his way to the elevator.
“Catch you later,” I say.
The elevator must be waiting on our floor, because it opens as soon as Bric calls it. He disappears inside, saying, “Yup.”
“When do you have work?” Rochelle asks.
“Now.” I laugh. “I have a nine o’clock conference call.”
“What are you doing tonight?”
“Drinks with Robert. You remember Robert?”
“Sure.”
“We go out on Friday nights.”
“Oh,” she says. Clearly she was not expecting to be alone this weekend. But she asked for it. I guess I am still punishing her. “So breakfast in a couple hours?” she asks.
“Can’t.”
“Lunch?” She’s really annoyed with me now.
“Sorry. I’m just really busy today.”
She sighs.
I grab my suit out of the coat closet and take it back into the bedroom.
Rochelle follows a little while later. I’m standing in front of the bathroom mirror, shaving with a new disposable razor and shaving cream I found in one of the drawers. She cocks her hip against the door, Adley resting her head on her shoulder, looking at me with wide eyes.
“She doesn’t have your eyes,” I say, rinsing off my razor.
“Nope.”
“Or your lips.”
“Nope.” Rochelle sighs.
“But she does look like you.”
“I think so too. Everyone thinks so.”
“Have your parents met her?”
Rochelle shakes her head. “Nope.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“I’m estranged from my family.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Because…” She pauses to inhale. And probably think through her answer. “They hurt me.”
I just stare at her for a moment. “Like… physically beat you?”
“No, not like that.”
“Like the way you hurt me?”
She huffs loudly, like my question pisses her off. “No, not like that either.”
“Are you going to tell me about it?”
“Maybe one day.”
“But not today?”
“Not today.”
“OK,” I say, grabbing a hand towel and wiping my face. “Another time.”
I place my hands on her shoulders as I scoot her out of my way so I can get dressed. She lets me, moving aside amicably, and then watches me as I strip and start getting ready for work.
“It’s just a long story,” she adds, like we’re still having this conversation.
“I said fine, Rochelle.”
“You never asked before.”
“I figured it was something you wanted to put behind you.”
“It is. So why are you asking now?”
“Because we have a kid together now. And like it or not, we’re in this forever.” I nod my head towards Adley as I sit on the bed and start putting my shoes on.