Inferno Part 2

~121~ We're Done

Ellie's POV

I change the sheets on Luke's bed, and get him fresh blankets.

"Thanks, Ellie," he says sadly.

We get down to the kitchen and I hand him a beer. He sits at the island and starts to drink it. Taylor ignores him from where he's sitting at the island.

"Have you tried to talk to her yet?" I ask after a minute of silence.

He nods. "Yeah. She won't even open the door. I'm not using my key. I'm not going to force myself on her. I'll go over first thing in the morning and try again. I might be here for awhile."

Then he looks at Taylor. "We going to be able to work together tomorrow, or do I need to take furlough?"

Taylor glares at him. "I've always kept professional and personal separate," he spits.

Wes nods. "I'm sorry, Taylor."

Taylor says nothing.

Wes looks at him hard. "I know I messed up. What can I do?"

"Nothing," Taylor says as he gets up and goes upstairs.

Wes closes his eyes and shakes his head.

When he looks at me, he has unshed tears in his eyes.

"Did I seriously just lose my best friend and wife all in one day?" He asks, trying desperately not to cry.

I grab his hand and stare at him until he looks at me.

"No. Taylor will get over this. You guys are stronger than that."

"And Megan?" He sniffs, quickly wiping away a single tear that falls.

"That might take a little longer. I need to know what exactly was said to Katie. Normally this wouldn't be my business, but at this point, I'm the only one who is still talking to you," I say sternly.

He sniffs and nods. "It was just today. I only sat down and talked to her today. I was furious about our fight this morning. I was regretting telling him we weren't friends anymore, but I was too mad to apologize."

"Katie had heard the fight. She took advantage of the fact that I was so mad, and said that there was no reason for you guys not to trust me. That I was a man of integrity, and she would never try to break up a marriage."

"And you believed her?" I scoff. Wes is not a stupid man.

Wes rolls his eyes. "No. But it was nice to have someone on my side. Megan has had an attitude for weeks about me working with her. It was making me mad that she didn't trust me."

"It was never about not trusting you. It was about not trusting Katie."

He shakes his head. "That money was going to pay for Trace's school for next year. I was so focused on that."

"So what did you say, Wes?"

"I did say that I hate how passive she is. I said that it gets exhausting always feeling like I have to walk on eggshells so I don't overtake her. I never said that I wanted her to be like you. I just said that it would be easier if her personality would be a little stronger like yours."

I chuckle. "Wes, if you and I would have married, we would be divorced by now. I NEVER would have put up with your fits of anger, and you NEVER would have put up with me not putting up with you. You needed someone like Megan. Megan needed someone like you. You balance each other out."