Loving my fake Husband

The Truth Between Us

❀ Clark ❀

I watched as Amy busied herself making us each a cup of coffee. I could see the look of pure stress on her face, but I couldn’t help but admire her courage. When she led me into the living room, I didn’t utter a word. Of course, it had never been my intention to stay or to be dragged into whatever drama she had gotten herself into, but a part of me was already hooked.

“You deserve the truth,” she said as we sat down across from each other. I didn’t feel like she had to tell me anything, but I had a feeling she needed to get it off her chest.

“Sure,” I said with a nod as I took a sip of the scolding coffee. I put my cup on the coffee table and waited. Amy took a deep breath before she curled up in her spot and cradled her cup in her hands.

“I met Darren in high school…” she started, and I leaned in as I got ready to hear her story. “He was so charming and funny…so charismatic and…he swept me off my feet. All the girls wanted to be with him and all the boys wanted to be like him…but he chose me,” I nodded as I tried to envision what that must have been like. “Our relationship was like…something out of a fairytale and when I fell pregnant…it wasn’t like it ruined anything for us. We were in love. We were so happy and…his parents were disappointed but super supportive,”

“And yours?” I asked curiously, because I had a feeling they weren’t.

“No, they were so mad. They wanted me to make the right choice…and when I didn’t, they disowned me. They didn’t want that sort of disgrace on our family name…but Darren had a plan, and it didn’t matter how scared I was…I wanted to be with him. Darren stepped up…thankfully we were in our last year…just a few months before graduation, so we were both able to finish high school. Afterward, Darren got a job as a security guard at the casino, and I stayed at home with our baby…his parents helped us get our own apartment, and for a while, everything was pretty great. Darren and I were both taking online courses and…I mean…sure, it was tough, but eventually Eva got to an age where I was able to start working as well,”

“Oh?” I wasn’t sure why, but it was like I could see exactly where this was headed. I tried to stay positive – anything could have happened, but I had a bad feeling about this.

“At first…it was nothing big. Just small, little things that seemed insignificant at the time, but then…the more Darren stayed away, the harder it got to ignore,” she went on and I groaned softly. “His parents were still super helpful, but Darren wasn’t around anymore. Our relationship…it was over. He was consumed with winning. He started borrowing money from his coworkers and he got reckless…his parents…I mean, they knew about it, and they bailed him out so many times. When I realized what was going on, I just started putting every single paycheck into a savings account…”

“And his parents?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“They continued to support me and Eva. They…I suppose I was lucky that they never blamed me. They took Darren out of the situation and his mother suggested that I start somewhere new…I didn’t want to leave…but when Eva turned five, I realized that I didn’t really have a choice. It was time for us to leave. You see…his parents had done everything to help him, but every time he said he was good, he went right back to gambling,”

“Aw, s**t,” I muttered.

“So…I found Willow Creek and the rest as they say is history,” she chuckled as she shook her head, and I sighed softly. I couldn’t even imagine the things she had already been through in her life. She and Eva.

“And the little white lie?” I questioned her and she blushed.

“I didn’t want Eva…I didn’t want either of us to feel judged or left out,” she explained, and I nodded. “I mean…the moms at the school? The looks? The judgment? It was like high school all over again. Only this time, I had someone to protect. So, I lied,”

“And Henry was born,” I said, and she winced.

"It was stupid. It was reckless…but even afterwards, when I saw how Karen looked and talked about the single parents…the way she pulled her son away from one of the kids…I knew that my fake husband would forever be a pilot,”

“Surely at some point people would ask questions,” I pointed out, and she shrugged.

“I just figured that when that happened…it wouldn’t be important or something…I’m just…I’m sorry you got dragged into this,” she said softly, and I could tell that she truly felt bad.

“Ok…so, now Jessica is going to go around and tell everyone that she met Henry…the plumber, not the pilot. Now the question is, how do you want to do this?”

“I’m going to have to come clean and tell them the truth,” Amy said, and I could tell by the way she suddenly looked sick that she didn’t like that idea. “It’s probably for the best…”

“Or I could just pretend to be Henry,” I said, without truly thinking it through. “I mean…I’m not here to stay, Amy. I’m only helping out my brother and taking a break from my reality…but while I’m in town, I could be your Henry,” Amy stared at me in surprise, and I could literally see her battling with herself. She wanted to say yes and accept what I was offering, but she also wanted to be free of the lie she had told. “Look, like I said, I don’t know how long I am going to be in town for…but we could stage a big breakup and maybe those mothers won’t be as harsh on you,”

“Maybe,”

“How about this…think about it. My offer stands…” I said as I stood up. I glanced at the still-steaming coffee, but I felt like I needed to go.

“I’ll think about it,” Amy promised as she stood up as well.

“And I’ll be in touch with a quote on the pipes,”

“Right…the damn pipes,” she muttered as we walked to the front door. However, before she could walk me out, I stopped her.

“In case anyone is watching…let me go out alone,” I said. Amy nodded, and I hurried out before I did something stupid like kiss her. No one was waiting outside, so I made my way to the van with no issues. However, I had a feeling Amy wasn’t going to be far from my mind until I heard from her. Was it weird that I was secretly hoping she agreed to my plan?

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