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Leah

Leah and Harper were seated in a cozy corner of the wine bar, their table illuminated by a small candle flicking inside a glass holder. Plush velvet chairs in a deep-burgundy hue enveloped them as they chatted.

“I’m so glad you called. I was about to lose it,” Harper said, swirling her white wine around in the glass.

“Why? What’s going on?” Leah asked, glad to have something else to occupy her mind instead of Quinton.

“Girl, same story, different day. I’m trying to juggle work, children, homework, and housework by myself while Justin comes in and relaxes without even trying to help.

It’s aggravating and exhausting.” Harper hit the palm of her hand against the table.

“Do you know when I told him I was coming to meet you, he had the nerve to ask if I’d be back in time to bathe the twins.

” Harper rolled her eyes. “I should get a hotel room when I leave here and let him have them all night by himself.”

“You know he’d have a fit,” Leah said before taking a sip of her wine. “But you’re right. It is the same story, different day, so I have to ask, have you talked with him like I suggested?”

“Talk with him for what? I keep telling you that talking does no good. It’s not like he’s blind. He sees what I’m doing every day. He knows I need help. I shouldn’t have to beg a grown man to help out.”

Leah shook her head. “I didn’t say beg. I said talk.

And you’re assuming he knows, but he may be thinking that you have it handled since you hadn’t said anything.

All I’m saying is to sit him down and have a calm conversation with your husband,” Leah said, putting an extra dose of emphasis on the word calm .

“Otherwise, nothing will change except you growing more resentful, and we don’t need that. ”

“Fine.” Harper exhaled loudly. “I’ll talk with him, and when it doesn’t work, I want my money back for this session,” she joked.

“Deal.” Leah shook her head before taking a sip of her wine.

“Anyway, enough about that. What’s going on with you?” Harper asked.

“I wasn’t ready to go home. The thought of going back to that house alone was unbearable,” Leah admitted.

Harper was one of the few people who knew Leah’s weaknesses. She hated being alone. She hated feeling like she wasn’t good enough, and she hated with a passion not being in control. Basically, everything she hated she now had to face.

Harper narrowed her eyes. “Wait. I thought Skye had a game tonight. Why aren’t you at the game?”

Leah filled Harper in on the events of the day, starting with how good it felt to sit and talk with Nova and to finally feel like they were at least in the direction of healing.

Leah would never fool herself into thinking it would be easy and that they wouldn’t have some regression along with the progression, but she was up for the challenge, as long as the end result was that she and Nova were together again.

“That’s so good, Leah. I’m happy for both of you.” Harper pouted. “But sad for me because now you won’t have time for me since your real sister is back,” she teased.

“You need to stop it.” Leah pointed her finger at Harper. “You know no one could ever replace the one and only Harper Miller.”

“That’s good to hear. I still need you, too, you know?”

“And I still need you. Now more than ever, because I’ve only told you about the good part of my day. Now comes the drama.”

“Uh-oh. Hold on, let me refill my glass first.” Harper poured more wine into her half-full glass.

Leah filled Harper in on what had been going on between her and Quinton since last night.

Saying the words out loud was almost as hard as going through it.

One thing Leah hated to admit was that her marriage wasn’t as perfect as everyone assumed it was.

In the past, she never shared when she and Quinton had their disagreements, unlike Harper, who was always sharing everything she and her husband went through.

Leah liked when Harper would say that she wished Justin was more like Quinton.

Because of that, she made sure Harper always saw Quinton as the sweet, attentive, romantic husband that she believed him to be.

Not that any of that was a lie, but like all men .

.. like all people ... he had flaws too. Leah just didn’t talk about those.

“That doesn’t sound anything like Quinton,” Harper said. “Do you think he’s that upset over a meeting? Even if it was with Lance, that’s a lot. To not sleep in the bed with you.”

“What else could it be? He showed up with flowers, so he was fine before he found out that Lance was in my office.”

“That’s true. You have to find out what Lance did. You think he killed somebody?” Harper widened her eyes.

Leah laughed. “What’s wrong with you?”

The wine and Harper’s humor was the distraction that Leah needed. Leah placed her credit card on the table. “Tonight’s on me.”

“I won’t argue.” Harper finished the last of her wine.

Outside, Leah and Harper hugged as they always did before they parted ways.

“Go home.” Leah pointed her finger at Harper.

As soon as Leah was in her car she pulled her phone from her purse.

She had a missed voicemail from Quinton, which caused her heart rate to quicken slightly as she tapped to open the message.

Her thoughts swirled with what he might have said.

Was he calling to apologize? To offer an explanation about why he didn’t come and pick her up?

Or had something bad happened? She was about to listen when Harper tapped on her window, causing Leah to jump.

“I’m sorry,” Harper said when Leah lowered her window. “You forgot your wine.” Harper passed Leah a bottle of white wine.

“I didn’t buy any wine.”

“I know. I did. Love ya,” Harper said, then ran to her car and drove out of the parking lot.

Leah took a moment to inhale the immense gratitude she felt for having a friend like Harper who was always there when Leah needed her the most. She reached across and placed the wine on the seat, then listened to the message. It didn’t take long for her to realize he must’ve called her by mistake.

“What’s going on?” she heard Quinton ask.

Leah listened, worried that something may have happened to Skye. She pressed the phone to her ear because the voices weren’t clear. As she listened, she could make out her mom’s voice. Leah had the same question as Quinton: What’s going on?

She continued listening, trying to piece together what was happening on the other end of the phone.

There was a lot of movement from the phone, making it even harder to hear.

Then she heard Mario’s voice, and Quinton introduced Mario to Nova.

Did Nova go to the game? Leah asked herself, not that she had the answer.

If her sister did go, that was a huge step for her.

Leah was thinking about how far Nova had come in such a short time when the conversation between Quinton and Mario drew her back to the phone.

“Is that a good idea?” Mario asked.

“What? I’m taking her home. It’s no big deal,” Quinton explained.

“No big deal. You’re about to be alone with your ex-wife. The ex-wife that you’re pretty sure you’re still in love with. I’d say that’s a very big deal.”

Leah gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth. She wanted to rewind. She needed to make sure she’d heard Mario right, but her hands were shaking, and she couldn’t do anything but keep listening.

“Would you calm down? And I never said I was in love with Nova. I said I didn’t know. I still don’t.”

“But you do still love Leah, right?” Mario asked.

“Why are you asking the same questions we’ve already talked about? Yes, I love Leah.”

“And possibly Nova,” Mario added.

Quinton sighed. “And possibly Nova.”

Leah’s hand trembled as she lowered the phone, unable to listen anymore.

The echo of Quinton’s confession reverberated in her ears.

His words landed like a physical blow, draining all the color from her world.

Leah felt a cold numbness spreading through her as the realization of her deepest fears materialized before her.

Quinton was still in love with Nova. He said he wasn’t sure, but in Leah’s world that meant that he was.

Leah needed to leave the parking lot, but first, she needed to get herself together. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The image of the love story she held for her and Quinton suddenly felt like an optical illusion, and if Leah blinked, the picture she’d seen would somehow disappear.

Leah exhaled and pulled out of the parking lot. As she drove, she was accompanied by too many questions that she couldn’t answer.

Was she just a placeholder with the hopes that one day Nova would return?

Was she a Nova substitute? A replica since he couldn’t have the real thing?

Was anything about their love real to him?

Their love story never had the ending either of them wanted, and now, both Nova and Quinton were stuck in a place of uncertainty.

The more the questions came, the harder her tears flowed.

Leah pulled into the driveway, then opened the glove compartment and pulled out a napkin to wipe her eyes.

Holding the napkin made her think of Skye.

She used to always keep paper towels or napkins because it never failed that Skye was going to spill something on herself or make some kind of mess whenever they were out.

Leah rested her head on her steering wheel as she thought about Skye.

If Quinton and Nova rekindled things, then where would that leave Leah and Skye?

Yes, she would always be Skye’s aunt, but Leah was much more than that.

Losing Quinton would devastate her, but losing Skye would kill her.