“You think I couldn’t?” he asks.
“Relax, she’s not mad anymore. That’s because, as she said, I learn from my mistakes. I already told her my Melinda plan,” I tell Charlie.
“What do you think of this plan?” he asks Wren.
“I think that he might be right. I have been wondering what was wrong with me. I get scared that Griffin might feel the same way one day. I’m not sure I agree that I need Liam to answer that question for me, but I do think that he has questions only his mom can answer. If that helps him find some peace so he can stop drinking and using opiates, then even better.”
I hold my hand out to Wren. “C’mon, Baby Bird, we should hit the road.”
Without hesitation, she takes my hand. “Yes, Daddy.”
I look over my shoulder to say one last thing to Charlie. “Remember, Parker’s schedule is on the fridge.”
“It’s on mine too, considering I’m the coach,” he shouts after me.
Wren chuckles. “How did you forget that?”
“Charlie and responsibility still doesn’t compute, I guess.”
I help her into the cab of my truck and put our bags in the bed. When I join her inside, I don’t have to ask her to slide over to sit next to me. She moves over to snuggle against my side.
I drop my arm around her shoulders. “You seem so much lighter. If I’d known tracking down my ex would fix things, I’d have done it a long time ago.”
“Ouch,” I shout, surprised when Wren pinches my side.
“I’m happy because you talked to me first, besides just acting. You didn’t make me wonder if you missed Melinda, or why you might be seeking her out. Plus, I know that you’d rather eat glass than see her again, but you’re doing it. This time it isn’t even about Liam. Yeah, you are trying to help him, but mostly so that he will be able to help me,” she says.
I’m truly a dumb bastard, just like Charlie said. “You thought I wouldn’t choose you. All this time, you’ve been asking yourself why Liam picked everyone except you, but really, you needed to know why I keep picking him. I’m sorry I’ve let you down so many times. I didn’t see that I could be both a good father and a good husband.”
Wren drops her eyes from mine, I know that this is it. Liam was never the one who needed to answer this question. I drop my hand before even sticking my key in the ignition. “You know, we don’t even need to go anymore. There aren’t any answers that she is going to be able to give Liam. None that won’t cause moreharm. He never did anything that caused his mom to leave. She is a vain and selfish person who, in the end, wanted a different life. I wish she’d have figured that out before we got married, but he had me, and that is going to have to be enough for him. I can’t be his therapist. I already did the best I knew how to protect him from her actions.”
“You are a great father. I would never have had four kids with you if you weren’t,” she says.
I kiss the top of her head. “Thank you, Baby Bird. That’s always great to hear, but I’m going to work on being a better husband.”
“You’re a good husband, too,” she reassures me.
I nod. “I could be better, and I will be. Now, we have a few days free with no kids. That’s rare for us. What do you say we work on that dirtier sex you mentioned in therapy?”
She laughs, and it is the most carefree sound I’ve heard from her in a while. “Start the truck, Daddy.”
I start the engine and then pause without putting it into gear.
“What’s the problem?” Wren asks.
“Where are we going? All my plans were for going to Playa Pacifica, but I’d understand if you don’t want to go there anymore. But, we could still go and just avoid the reunion from hell,” I babble.
Wren turns in her seat, and her face is serious. “A weekend with no kids, uninterrupted sex, the beach, and no ex? Let’s go, Daddy.”
“We never did get to have a honeymoon,” I say and put the truck in reverse.
The sun is settingover the mountains when we pull into Playa Pacifica. The sky is vibrant with reds and oranges blending to become dark purple, until it blends into the deep navy of the nighttime sky. This close to the city the stars aren’t visible. I have this thing about making love to Wren under the light of thousands of stars, but I’ll have to settle for sex on the beach. And in the hotel, probably in the ocean, and then find a spot under the stars. In fact, that’s the entire itinerary for this trip now that I don’t have to see my ex-wife.
I think somehow in the back of my mind, I’d always thought of this like our chance at a honeymoon. I’ve even got a present for Wren, something I’ve been promising for a long time.
The next morning, we hit the beach. Wren is a little annoyed with me because she thinks that after four children, she needs to wear a one-piece suit and a cover-up but, I replaced her suit with a green bikini that matches her eyes. My eyes heat when I see her in the scraps of fabric.
“You really want me to wear this in public? People will be looking at me,” she says as if that will deter me.
