Page 106 of Fair Trade

fifty-five

My Angel is aterrible liar.

And if I hear her say the words “I’m fine” one more time, I’m going to break something with my bare hands.

Divorce.

The second my attorney muttered those words, I swear I saw something in Luisa shatter.

Because she is still my wife and will forever remain that way.

After I not so politely told my attorney to shred any document that pertained to me getting a divorce and warned him to never bring the subject up to either of us again, Luisa gave me a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes and headed up to bed without another word.

I’ve pestered her all morning. She’s seemed to somewhat recover from the shock of last night, but I can tell the conversation has shaken a bit of her confidence in our marriage, in us. And that’s something I simply won’t stand for.

If I have to spend the rest of my days convincing her that my love for her is eternal, I’ll do so while on my knees and with a smile on my face.

Because she’s worth every assurance. Every reminder. She’s more than earned it, with every little bit of me that she’s made for the better, merely by allowing me to be the man to stand by her side.

So I’ll do whatever it takes to get that twinkle back in her eye. Even if I have to resort to extreme measures.

As I anticipated, Luisa makes an excuse to leave early for work.

I give her a goodbye kiss that would have been better suited for the bedroom, but knowing how easily I can put that dazed look on her face gives me way too much satisfaction.

The old version of me would probably be hung up on the fact that she’s acting distant. But I know my wife. I know she needs a minute to digest that this whole ordeal is over.

And what’s left is her and me.

Too bad a minute is all I’ll give her.

Because I have plans for us today.

And it just so happens to involve an audience of seventy thousand baseball fans.

fifty-six

Yes, I’m freaking out.

I didn’t realize how rattled I’d be by hearing the word “divorce.”

But here I am, unwilling to put on my big girl panties because I’m spooked beyond belief.

For a split second, I worried about how Nick would respond to his attorney. And I hate myself for it.

I love Nick, and I know he loves me.

But it still happened. And the feeling was sickening.

I wish I could tell my brain that it’s okay to be happy. To stop running.

But it’s easier said than done. Especially when our marriage has been anything but typical.

So here I am, a few hours early to the Valentine’s Day charity game we’re hosting at Monarchs Stadium.

Daisy decided that we should host regular charity games throughout the season, since we had such an amazing turnout and generated so many donations for the cause.

Since it’s Black History Month, we’re hosting on behalf of multiple nonprofits that help aid and elevate Black voices in our community.