CHANGES
Chapter Twenty-Five
Things, over the next two months, settled
down, though Jack was still living a lie. Every time he heard an unfamiliar
female voice call his name, he jumped, worried it might be her. It came to the
point where he didn't even speak, nor look, at any woman besides Rose, Amanda,
and his female professors. As the end of the second month drew nearer, Jack's
guilt became more and more unbearable, especially now that he and Rose had
started making wedding plans. It was a rainy November day when he made the
resolve to tell her, even if it meant losing her. He couldn't live with the
knowledge that he had betrayed her in such a way. Little did Jack know, he
wouldn't have to...
*****
When Jack came into the apartment on that
rainy day, the soft giggles of Rose and Amanda could be heard drifting through
the rooms. Shaking off his wet coat, he followed the sounds and found them in
their bedroom, tickling each other madly. In an attempt to keep the normalcy
for awhile longer, he leaned against the doorframe with a smile on his face.
"Knock, knock," he said loudly.
Amanda squealed and jumped up quickly,
launching herself into his arms. "Daddy!"
"Whoa, there, short stuff, slow down,"
Jack chuckled, kissing her head and then playfully tossing her back on the bed,
making her giggle happily.
"Hey, you're home early," Rose
greeted, getting to her feet.
Jack shrugged, pulling her closer to him,
reminding himself this might be the last time he'd be able to do so. "My
last class was canceled. How was your day?"
Rose leaned up and kissed him. "Good.
Mandy and I made cookies, didn't we?"
Amanda grinned and nodded. Squirming between
her parents, she was promptly picked up by Jack. "And I bet she ate all of
them and left none for her poor daddy, huh?" Jack teased, poking the child
in the stomach.
"Did too!" Amanda shrieked,
pointing in the general direction of the kitchen.
When he glanced over at Rose for affirmation
and she nodded, the three headed into the kitchen. Jack deposited his daughter
in an empty chair and headed to the fridge.
"Anybody call for me?" he asked,
his head buried in the depths of the refrigerator.
Rose nodded and put the phone pad on the
table. As she sat down, she gave him a weird look. "Who's Kaci?"
Whirling around, Jack nearly dropped the
plate in his hand. "W-what?"
"Kaci. Who is she? She called three or
four times for you today," Rose said, gesturing towards the paper.
Jack glanced down at it, his heart in his
throat. How had she gotten his phone number? Why was she calling him? What had
she said to Rose? All these questions and a million others raced through his
mind. Seeing Rose look at him expectantly, he realized he hadn't answered her
yet. Clearing his throat, he tried to look unaffected. "Oh, um, Kaci.
Yeah, she was the bartender I met when I went up to Canada. I wonder what she
wants." Hey, it was at least part of the truth!
"Oh," Rose said. "You gave our
number to a bartender?" she asked with a confused look on her face.
"Um, yeah. She listened to me whine
about us fighting, so I thought it was only fair to do the same for her if she
needed a friend," Jack lied. God, he was digging himself a deeper grave
each time he opened his mouth.
"Oh, okay," Rose murmured, getting
up for the milk when Amanda demanded more. Jack was just grateful for the
interruption.
*****
Sitting in bed, trying to focus on the
required reading for school, Jack was at war. At war with his heart and his
mind. Rose was in the shower, giving him a little time to think. He had to tell
her. Hadn't he made that promise to himself earlier that day? But...tonight, as
he had looked into his daughter's loving, trusting, and innocent eyes, that
promise had broken itself. It was guaranteed that if Rose left, she would take
Amanda, and he knew there was a very good chance he'd never see her
again. Rose's father was one of the most powerful attorneys in the States, and
he could definitely make that official. "Argh!" Jack bellowed,
slamming a hand down on the nightstand beside the bed.
"Are you okay?" Rose's soft,
concerned voice asked as she came out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a
towel.
Jack looked up abruptly, his eyes drinking in
the sight of her, clad only in her bathrobe. "Yeah. I just can't seem to
focus on reading tonight."
Rose tossed the towel into the laundry basket
and sat down on the bed next to him. "You're tense," she said,
running her hand along his arm. When her hand met his, their fingers
immediately intertwined.
Their eyes met and Jack found himself losing
the last bit of resolve as he stared into her green jewels. Slowly, he brought
his mouth to hers. "God, I need you," he whispered when they parted.
By the look on Rose's face, he knew the feeling was mutual. Dropping the book
on the floor, the lights went off and with a tortured heart, Jack made love to
her like never before, accepting he could never tell her what had happened.
Besides, the guilt had to fade eventually, didn't it?