Wine After Whiskey

Tessa had been scarily quiet ever since leaving the beach. James had tried to make small, and meaningless conversation on their fifteen-minute walk back to the cottage, but it was to no avail. Whatever Melanie had said, Tessa obviously believed and was just brewing for a storm. A hurricane, even.

She unlocked the front door of the cottage, and walked in, dragging Aubree behind her to put her in the shower in order to get off all the sand that was beginning to grind into her skin, and cause her to be “very itchy”.

James on the other hand, began to put away their belongings that Tess had packed up in their beach bag back to where they belong. By the time James was finished, Aubree was done with her bath, and dressed back in a flowery sundress. Her mother instructed her to go and watch TV, while she flagged James towards her bedroom, and closed the door behind them. Tessa had a look of both anticipation and nervousness. James assumed this would be when the fire would be lit on the ticking bomb.

“James,” she began, her voice calm and smooth as silk. She reached behind her head, and pulled her ponytail out, letting the loose hairs fall into her face before retying it up back on her head. “I’m not going to get mad, I just honestly want to know…Is there any, and I mean any possibility in this whole, entire world, that you could’ve gotten Melanie pregnant? Because that’s what she’s claiming, and that you’re the father…And while I might yell and scream a little if you say yes, I want you to be honest with me. Please.” Her blue eyes pleaded with him, hoping that he would tell the truth.

James’s stomach dropped as she wiped her nose with the sleeve of her jacket. Already Tessa was getting herself worked up over something that could turn into nothing. He dropped his face into his hands, and worked up all the courage in his body to say what he needed too.

“I don’t know, Tess. If she is pregnant, there is a chance it could be mine… I did sleep with her.” Tessa was silent for a moment before she looked up and met James’s eyes, her face was stone, and he couldn’t read what exactly her expression was.

“Okay,” she mumbled, before wiping her nose again.

What more could she say? Just about the time she was finally beginning to forgive James for all of the shit he had put them through, and now this? She wanted nothing more than her daughter to have her father in her life, permanently. And if that meant having to deal with whore-skank Melanie and potentially another illegitimate child, then so be it. She wasn’t letting him go that easy this time.

They laid in Tessa’s bed for what seemed like eternities. It was the first time- besides quick kisses- that they had physical contact. James didn’t want to move. In all honesty, he wanted to curl up in a little ball, and pull Tessa up with him, and reassure her that even though things might get tough if that was true, he was always going to be there for them. Through whatever happened.

Her breath hitched whenever she took a deep breath in after letting out a cry. She didn’t deserve this, he thought to himself. She deserved better. She didn’t deserve a boyfriend that left her high and dry with a nine-week old baby, and then four years later expected to be just taken back into their lives. She deserved a guy who treated her like a goddamn queen, and didn’t have a questionable past where he could potentially be a father again.

Sorry wouldn’t make up for the amount of remorse he felt everyday since he had left them, and neither would lying about Melanie and what might actually happen with that. He began to rub her cheek softly with the pad of his thumb, her crystal blue eyes rimmed red with pain. He wished he would be able to take back every time he had slept with Melanie, or gone out on a date with Melanie, or unintentionally hurt Tessa in any way. It took him four years to figure out how he had fucked everything up, and now that he had it almost perfect, it could be messed up all over again. Tessa smiled smally back up at him.

“I’m sorry, baby.” He mumbled, kissing her forehead. She shrugged, and pulled the blanket up close to her chest for protection.

“We just have to figure out if it’s yours, and then go on from there… That is all we can do.” She explained, being the tough one. James almost broke down right then and there. She should have been pissed, she should’ve kicked him out of the house for doing such a stupid thing, for not making sure he was completely protected.

But she didn’t.

She was sticking by him. Through thick and thin of whatever happened. There wouldn’t have been enough ‘thank you’s’ in the world to convey how much he honestly appreciated her not slapping him upside the face, and storming out of Wasaga with their daughter who he’d probably never have contact again with.

“I love you,” he finally said, pulling her close to him. A small gasp escaped Tessa’s mouth. She hadn’t been expecting this.

“I--”

“You don’t have to say it. I just wanted to let you know,” Tessa nodded. She wasn’t ready for the ‘I love you’ part yet. Everything was being taken slowly, slower than a normal relationship, and that was a total green-light times ten. “I don’t want to leave you guys, but I need to go figure this out. I need to go talk to Melanie, and see if she’s actually lying.” Tessa made a face. She didn’t want him to go into the lionesses den, she was afraid that something might happen again. Trust wasn’t high yet in her side of the relationship, but she gave in.

“Okay,” she agreed as he gave her another kiss. In actuality, she wanted to just not have James leave, but for her to pull him back on the bed and to have him ravish her until the next year. A little slip up, and she might be in the same position as Melanie though, but would that almost be revenge?