The Own Goal ✔️

Part 79

Theres a gentle knock on the bedroom door.

"Yeah" I call groggily.

Jack appears, in his baggy joggers and t-shirt with a mug of tea.

He puts it down and sits on the bed.

I sit myself up.

"Thank you, what time you got to go?"

"Midday kick off, I'll leave here about half nine, I'll sort Mia out before I go if ya want?"

"Is she still asleep"

"Yeah......actually.....I have a confession to make"

"Go on" I prompt.

"So last night, I shared me bed with the most beautiful girl in the world" he smiles playfully.

"Oh, what did she look like?" I play along.

"Gorgeous dark brown curly hair.....big dark eyes, long eye lashes......dimples.....little freckles across her nose an' a smile that lights up a room.......she's only about two an' a half foot tall though...."

I laugh.

"Reckon her parents are both propa lookers" Jack smiles, before cautiously continuing, "Can I jump in? Jus' for a cuddle like?"

I nod, pushing back the duvet. He climbs in next to me and I snuggle up to his chest, savouring his warmth against me.

It's been a week and a half since our meet in the restaurant with Karen.
That had been intense and painful, but it was absolutely the push we needed.

After talking to each other, we agreed that I would stay at Jasmins, and Mia with Jack until we saw someone professional, we had both hurt each other and Karen had been right, if we just shrugged it off and moved on, it would be yet another thing bubbling away under the surface.
To be fair to Jack he had phoned the city medical team that same afternoon and got the numbers he needed and on the Friday we had had our first session with a psychologist who specialises in helping couples through trauma, because that's what it is, trauma of what happened with Mia, my trauma from my childhood.....the trauma Jack felt at not being believed by anyone.
The first session left us both feeling very raw, vulnerable and exposed.
There had been lots of anger and lots of blame.
We saw her again the monday and talked. Really talked.

After that second session we had agreed I would move back in, but in a separate room for now.
It felt right to take a step back, and we have got on really well and really talked.

We had two more sessions in the week, on Wednesday and yesterday, and we've reached a point of understanding, Jack can't help how he feels about me letting Craig into our lives, but we've unpicked it, dissected it and put it away again.
If can't be used as a weapon.

We've also done the same with my feelings about his cheating.

Monday Jack is going to see her alone for a single session.

Tuesday I'll start seeing her alone, and that will be weeks of sessions.
Then we'll probably go back jointly again.

But tonight Jasmin is having Mia overnight - this is a challenge the therapist set us, to challenge our fears about not having her close, and we are going on a date.
A proper date.

-
Jack insists I should get ready in the master bedroom and pamper myself.

"Are you seriously not telling me where we are going?"

"Nope"

"I don't know what to wear?"

"Hhhmmm, smart, nice like"