You Were My Sunset, Not My Forever

But Dennis still hadn't picked up the pen. Jane watched from beside him, anxiety written all over her face, looking like she wanted to sign it for him.

"Dennis, I have my prenatal check-up this afternoon."

Jane lowered her head with a wounded expression, her voice soft and coaxing.

So she was pregnant again.

The tip of Dennis's pen hovered over the paper, trembling but never touching down.

After a long silence, he tossed the pen aside. "I'm not signing today."

"I'll go with you to your appointment."

Jane hadn't expected her own words to backfire. She grabbed Dennis's arm. "I'm not in a rush. Let's take care of this first."

Dennis paused and glanced at me, then at Mick.

"I'm not signing. Period."

"Sarah, you're just waiting to divorce me so you can run back to him, aren't you?"

"Keep dreaming."

He turned and walked out without looking back.

Jane's eyes were rimmed red. She shot a glance at Mick, then hurried after Dennis.

Before I could say a word, Mick was already heading for the door. "Let me go find out what's going on."

That anxious look on his face seemed like it was for me, but I knew better. It was for Jane.

Sure enough, around the corner, Jane was pressed against Mick's chest, crying softly.

"Mick, what am I supposed to do?"

"What am I going to do?..."

Mick patted her back in slow, steady strokes, murmured a few comforting words, then asked, "You told me before that Sarah was the one refusing the divorce, but from what I saw today, it's not that simple."

"When you get a chance, find out what Dennis is really thinking."

"Jane, you know me."

"As long as you're happy, I'll take care of everything."

...

Those earnest, solemn promises drifted into my ears, and my skin prickled.

Mick had once said the same kind of things to me.

Even when we reconnected, he was still saying them.

Only now, the words grated like nails on glass.

I didn't stay to hear the rest. By the time the elevator brought me down to the lobby, the rain still hadn't stopped.

I stared at the steady drizzle beyond the doors and the Uber app spinning endlessly on my phone, and let out a long breath.

A few short honks cut through the rain. Mick's car pulled up right in front of me.

"Sarah, get in."

I looked at the rain, then canceled the ride on my phone.

"Cold?"

"There's a blanket back here."

Mick reached into a bag behind his seat and handed me a blanket. I unfolded it and recognized it immediately. Jane had the exact same one.

I'd seen this blanket before, in Dennis's car.

He'd told me then, "That's Jane's. She's from the South. Always cold. She takes a blanket everywhere she goes."

I peeled back one corner, then folded it up again.

Mick looked over, surprised. "What's wrong?"

I drew in a slow breath and watched the raindrops slide down the window, one by one.

"Mick, why did you come back to Ashford?"

"What's your relationship with Jane?"

The tires shrieked against the wet asphalt. The car lurched to a stop.

Mick stared at me, shock and something close to fear in his eyes. His throat worked, as if the words were burning on their way up.