Page 57 of Ripple Effect

“Sounds like a plan.” She crooks her finger at me. I lean down. Libby’s lips linger just a moment longer this time. “Thank you. Dad, are you ready to take that photo?”

“I can’t find your phone. We’ll use mine.”

“That works.” Marcus takes a picture of Libby holding the cake. “Now take this—somewhere—and bring me some of Nonna’s bread pudding, please?”

“You got it, honey.” Marcus shakes his head as he carries my ice breaker out of sight.

Libby watches as it goes, a bemused expression on her face. “Now, tell me what happened to your phone that no one could reach you?”

As I begin to tell my wife what went wrong, I notice her expression is a lot less tense even though the fierce determination is still there. I haven’t won, but I haven’t lost because of the vows that we made—vows that will cause Libby to run if she feels they’re broken.

And now I know it.

37

Present Day

Elizabeth

“Was that the first real fight in your marriage?” Dr. Powell asks me.

“It was more than a fight. A fight is when you want to buy a new couch and you disagree on the color or whether or not to get leather. I questioned who Cal was at his very core. And that scared me.”

“How?”

“Such a simple question with a million answers, Doctor.” I lean on the arm of the couch with my chin in my hand. “I was supposed to still be living in a honeymoon phase. Do you know where the term derives from? I looked it up while I was recovering.” I hold up a hand. “Yes, I know. I wasn’t supposed to look at computers.”

“I believe it means the term, not the act, relates to period following marriage meaning love and happiness. Some say the first month, some say the first year. And I’m glad I don’t have to scold you for breaking doctor’s orders.” There’s a sternness to Dr. Powell’s voice.

“Let me guess, you’re a parent?”

“A grandparent, actually.”

I grin. “Well, rest assured. My mother did when she caught me. But here’s my point: if people dating back to the Renaissance understood the significance of that delicate period of two lives merging together by documenting it when so few things were in that era of history, how could my own husband not understand the vows we took had significance?”

“You didn’t feel Cal took your vows seriously?”

“Not then, I didn’t. For the record, now, I do. But immediately after the crash? I questioned whether our love was going to make it out of the state of ecstasy and denial we’d been living in. I knew what I wanted out of marriage; I thought he was on the same page.” I let out a sigh.

“It wasn’t the same?”

“It wasn’t the same timing, something I would have understood if we’d talked about it.”

“Would you have delayed marrying your husband?”

Hmm, an interesting question. One I’ve never been asked before.

I think about it before responding. “No, but maybe I would have spent more time at home? I would have accommodated Cal’s schedule more knowing each moment we had together was precious instead of wasting any of it fighting.”

“And would that have been honoring your marriage? The marriage Cal wanted you to have?”

I laugh. “I guess not. In the end, we all have to be content with who we are, and our partners have to accept us for who that is.”

“What was life like in the years between your separation?”

“Busy! Deja Vu built a strong clientele not just in Charleston, but up to Charlotte and all the way to Atlanta. I expanded my own business when I saw Cal’s wasn’t letting up any.”

“And that didn’t bother you? The fact his work wasn’t slowing down?”