The Art of Loving Lacy by Addison Cole

Author:Addison Cole [Cole, Addison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
Publisher: World Literary Press
Published: 2019-05-07T18:30:00+00:00

IN ROB’S MOTEL room, Rob stretched out on the bed with a groan. Lacy watched Dane pacing the small, tidy room. He ran his hand through his hair, glanced at Rob, and shook his head.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Dane finally asked.

“I’m sorry, Dane. It’s all this stuff with Sheila.”

“I could have helped you, taken you to AA meetings, stayed with you, given you time off, whatever it took, Rob. How could you let it go this far?” Dane’s deep voice softened, and his worried eyes washed over Rob.

“It sent me off the deep end, I guess. Those guys were talking about how they were going to go…” He glanced at Lacy, then back at Dane. “They were gonna go hook up with a few unsuspecting women, only not in a consensual sense. I lost it. I kept thinking of Katie and how I’m not there to protect her.”

“Katie? She’s four,” Dane said. “You can’t go around busting on guys. You’ve never done something like that before.”

“No, I haven’t, but I’ve never been separated before either,” Rob said.

“You know, I didn’t want to believe it when Hugh said you were hungover.” Dane crossed his arms over his chest.

Lacy watched Dane’s jaw clench as he stared down the man she knew he loved like a brother. The tension between the two multiplied in seconds; then Dane let out a sigh, and the tension deflated like a popped balloon. He sat beside Rob on the bed and reached for Rob’s arm, meeting his friend’s eyes with a softer gaze.

“Buddy, let’s get you to a meeting. Is this why Sheila left?” Dane asked. He squeezed Rob’s arm.

The harshness in his tone fell away, revealing the empathetic and genuinely caring man that Lacy had come to know. She felt a fissure in her resolve.

Rob shook his head and sat up. “I didn’t start drinking until after she left. We were arguing a lot. I guess I hadn’t realized how much. You know she’s been all over me to stop tagging. I can’t give it up. I can’t do it, but…” His eyes welled with tears. “I can’t lose her, man. She’s everything. My kids…I can’t lose them.”

Dane wrapped Rob’s burly body in his arms and placed one hand on the back of his head as he held him. “It’s going to be okay. She loves you, Rob. This’ll work out. You said you had all that stuff worked out about work. I never gave it another thought. Listen, take the week off, go to Connecticut and see her. Talk it out. She knows how much you love what you do.”

You’re holding him like you held me. She loved the way Dane and his family weren’t shy about their emotions, and as she watched him with Rob, she sensed that Rob really was family to him, which endeared Dane to her even more.

Rob pulled back. “I can’t. She said she needed space, but I’ll call her.”

“And a meeting?” Dane pulled out his phone and typed something in.

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