leave? As I understand it, this is no longer your home, so I’d appreciate it if you’d call before coming by again.”
He gave her a defeated look and for an instant, she almost felt sorry for him. He’d made his choice, he was getting everything he wanted, but he didn’t seem all that happy about it. Before she could allow herself to remember the way she’d once loved him, she steeled herself and sat on the edge of a chair opposite him.
“I didn’t want things to turn out like this,” he said, meeting her gaze for the first time in weeks. “I really didn’t.”
Maddie sighed. “I know. Things happen.”
“If it weren’t for the baby…” His voice trailed off.
Maddie’s temper stirred. “Don’t you dare say that you’d have stayed with me if it weren’t for Noreen getting pregnant. That demeans her and me.”
He stared at her blankly. “How? I’m just trying to be honest.”
“It suggests you’re only with her because of the baby and it says you think I’d take you back after you cheated on me if there weren’t a baby to consider. You had an affair, Bill. I’m not sure I could have forgiven that.”
“Maybe not right away, but we might have fought harder to get back on track, to keep our family intact.”
“Okay,” she agreed reluctantly. “Maybe we would have, but that ship has pretty much sailed.”
“Can you at least promise me you’ll do what you can to help me fix things with the kids? I miss them, Maddie. I thought after all these months things would be better, but they’re not. I’m running out of ideas.”
“What you’re running out of is patience,” she retorted. “You wanted everything to fall neatly into place the instant you said goodbye to me, but unfortunately kids’ emotions can’t turn on a dime. They’re hurt and angry and confused. You’re going to have to work to change that. I can’t just wave a magic wand and make it okay. I agreed to let you have as much time with them as you want. What more do you expect?”
“An advocate,” he suggested.
“It’s one thing for me not to say anything negative about you to the children,” she told him. “But I’m not going to be a cheerleader for dear old dad.”
“Did you know that Tyler has flatly refused to set foot in my new place as long as Noreen is there? What am I supposed to do, ask her to leave? It’s her apartment.”
“Ty didn’t say anything to me about that,” she said, just a little pleased that her son had taken such a stand. She knew, though, that he and his father needed to mend fences. Bill had always been an important part of their oldest son’s life. Despite his busy schedule, Bill had never missed a ball game, a school conference or any other activity that meant something to Tyler. Sixteen was the worst possible age to have that kind of supportive relationship disrupted.
“I’ll talk to him,” she offered, backing off her refusal to become Bill’s advocate. She would do it for Ty’s sake. “But,” she reminded Bill, “he’s sixteen and has a mind of his own. I can’t force him to do anything. You may have to give it some time, work a little harder to win him back.”
“I’d appreciate anything you can do.” He stood up. “Well, that’s all I really wanted.”
“Okay, fine.”
“And to say one more time how sorry I am.”
She felt the sting of tears in her eyes and blinked hard to keep them from falling. Just in case one escaped, she turned away. “Me, too,” she said.
She kept waiting for him to leave, but she wasn’t prepared for the quick brush of his lips on her cheek before he strode out of the family room and out of the house.
Now the tears fell unchecked. “Well, damn you all to hell, Bill Townsend,” she muttered, hating that the quick, careless kiss had meant anything at all.
“Mom?”
Swiping at her tears, she gazed up at Tyler, who was studying her worriedly. “I’m okay,” she assured him.
“No, you’re not,” he said, then added heatedly, “I hate him for what he’s done to you. He’s such a lying hypocrite. All that talk he used to give me about how you’re supposed to treat someone you care about was just a crock.”
“Ty, he’s your dad. You don’t hate him,” she chided. “And what he told you is the way it’s supposed to be. People who care about each other should be kind and supportive and faithful. Unfortunately life doesn’t always follow the rules.”
“You can’t make me love him,” he said, his tone unyielding. “I heard what he asked you. He wants you to convince me he’s not a jerk.”
“He loves you. He came over here because he misses spending time with you.”
“I’m not the one who left,” Tyler said bitterly. “He is. Why should I go out of my way to see him, especially when she’s around all the time?”
Maddie moved to the sofa and held out her hand. “Come here.”
He hesitated, then came closer and awkwardly took her outstretched hand.
“Sit here beside me,” she said. When he was seated, she turned and met his gaze. “Ty, you’re old enough to understand that things don’t always work out with grown-ups just because we want them to. It’s not anybody’s fault.”
“Are you telling me that Dad having an affair and getting Noreen pregnant is as much your fault as it is his?”
Her lips curved in a small smile at that. “Well, no, I can’t say that, but obviously things weren’t good between your dad and me or he wouldn’t have turned to her.”
“Did you know they weren’t good?”
“No,” she told him candidly. In hindsight, the signs were there, tiny fissures so small she could be forgiven for missing them, but at the time she’d thought their marriage was as solid as anyone’s could be.
“Then it was all his fault,” Tyler concluded, still being fiercely loyal to her.
As much as she wanted to agree with him, she was determined to be fair. “Spend some time with him, Ty, just the two of you. Listen to his side of things,” she encouraged. “You’ve always been so close. Don’t lose that.”
“He’ll just make a bunch of excuses. I don’t want to hear them.” Ty regarded her warily. “Are you going to make me spend time with him?”
“I won’t force you to, no,” she said. “But I will be disappointed in you if you don’t at least try to meet him halfway.”
“Why?” he asked incredulously. “He walked out on you, Mom. On all of us. Why do we need to be fair?”
“He didn’t walk out on you, Kyle and Katie,” she said quietly. “He isn’t divorcing you. Your dad loves every one of you.”
“Man,
