The Lies We've Told...
Chapter Fifteen
I had met my current boyfriend at the local walmart, Hope was throwing a hissy fit for no apparent reason, causing me to ram into the poor guy as I sped through the isles trying to finish my shopping so I would get out of there. After apologizing to him like there was no tomorrow, I offered to take him out to lunch to make up for it, he accepted and we exchanged phone numbers, lets just say it was all uphill from there.
Within the span of us dating for a month, he proved that he was nothing like Alex and had convinced me to move in with him. So the three of us; Caleb, Hope, and I were in Atlanta to get the things I had left there when I moved back to Maryland, and to also put the house on the market. We had gotten all but one box in the truck when a car, that I instantly recognized as Alex's, pulled up.
"Is that the last box?" Caleb asked, holding hope, as I lugged the last over packed box to the opening of the small U-Haul truck.
"Yep," I nodded, concentrated on not dropping the box and trying not to notice the approaching Alex. I placed the box inside the truck and pulled the door down, with my mad crazy strong mother skills. I hopped up and sat on the back bumper of the truck staring straight at Alex as he started to walk up to me.
"Why?" was all Alex asked, not elaborating or anything, but I knew exactly what he meant.
"I should really be asking you the same thing," I replied. Caleb knew all about he whole Alex situation, so he just walked away with Hope which I was thankful for, but he was totally fine with helping me raise Hope even though it wasn't his kid nor his responsibility.
He just looked at me confused so I took it upon myself to fill him in, so I asked, "Do you remember what you were doing the night I left?"
"I was out at the club with everyone else, lie you assured me I was allowed to do," He replied defensively.
"Do you remember leaving the club with a certain blonde girl about 5'7" maybe 5'8"?" I asked him.
"I remember walking out of the club with Taylor to try and convince her to talk to Zack, if that's what you're talking about," He replied, causing me to instantly feel guilty, but at the same time, feel like I still did the right thing in leaving.
"Come here," I whispered, he did as told and walked up to me, I hopped off the U-Haul and wrapped my arms around his neck.
"Will you come back?" Alex whispered kissing the top of my head, I pulled myself out of the hug.
"I really wish I could, but Alex; through all of this, even though it was a miss understanding, I learned that I just can't trust you like I would need to," I sighed, urging myself not to cry.
"Why can't you try? I mean really, try. What about Hope?" He asked, his eyes watering also.
"Alex! I did try, I really really did, I just can't be with someone i can't trust. And as for Hope, only time will tell, when she's old enough to decide for herself whether she wasn't to see you, then I'll let her decide," I replied tears falling over, but my voice staying strong and not cracking under my emotion. He just nodded and walked away.
"I wish it could be different," I said almost in a whisper.
"Me too, me too," I barely heard him reply before he finished his walk back to his car and got in.
"Lets go," I told Caleb, he nodded and opened his door to put Hope in the car seat that was placed in the middle of the 3 seater bench, I dried the last of my tears and stopped any new ones from falling before getting in the car myself and buckling in. Caleb finished buckling Hope in, before situating himself and starting up the truck, beginning our venture back to Dallas, and in a way, starting our life as a family, hopefully this time, for me, it would last.
Within the span of us dating for a month, he proved that he was nothing like Alex and had convinced me to move in with him. So the three of us; Caleb, Hope, and I were in Atlanta to get the things I had left there when I moved back to Maryland, and to also put the house on the market. We had gotten all but one box in the truck when a car, that I instantly recognized as Alex's, pulled up.
"Is that the last box?" Caleb asked, holding hope, as I lugged the last over packed box to the opening of the small U-Haul truck.
"Yep," I nodded, concentrated on not dropping the box and trying not to notice the approaching Alex. I placed the box inside the truck and pulled the door down, with my mad crazy strong mother skills. I hopped up and sat on the back bumper of the truck staring straight at Alex as he started to walk up to me.
"Why?" was all Alex asked, not elaborating or anything, but I knew exactly what he meant.
"I should really be asking you the same thing," I replied. Caleb knew all about he whole Alex situation, so he just walked away with Hope which I was thankful for, but he was totally fine with helping me raise Hope even though it wasn't his kid nor his responsibility.
He just looked at me confused so I took it upon myself to fill him in, so I asked, "Do you remember what you were doing the night I left?"
"I was out at the club with everyone else, lie you assured me I was allowed to do," He replied defensively.
"Do you remember leaving the club with a certain blonde girl about 5'7" maybe 5'8"?" I asked him.
"I remember walking out of the club with Taylor to try and convince her to talk to Zack, if that's what you're talking about," He replied, causing me to instantly feel guilty, but at the same time, feel like I still did the right thing in leaving.
"Come here," I whispered, he did as told and walked up to me, I hopped off the U-Haul and wrapped my arms around his neck.
"Will you come back?" Alex whispered kissing the top of my head, I pulled myself out of the hug.
"I really wish I could, but Alex; through all of this, even though it was a miss understanding, I learned that I just can't trust you like I would need to," I sighed, urging myself not to cry.
"Why can't you try? I mean really, try. What about Hope?" He asked, his eyes watering also.
"Alex! I did try, I really really did, I just can't be with someone i can't trust. And as for Hope, only time will tell, when she's old enough to decide for herself whether she wasn't to see you, then I'll let her decide," I replied tears falling over, but my voice staying strong and not cracking under my emotion. He just nodded and walked away.
"I wish it could be different," I said almost in a whisper.
"Me too, me too," I barely heard him reply before he finished his walk back to his car and got in.
"Lets go," I told Caleb, he nodded and opened his door to put Hope in the car seat that was placed in the middle of the 3 seater bench, I dried the last of my tears and stopped any new ones from falling before getting in the car myself and buckling in. Caleb finished buckling Hope in, before situating himself and starting up the truck, beginning our venture back to Dallas, and in a way, starting our life as a family, hopefully this time, for me, it would last.