{"id":25769,"date":"2026-09-29T21:46:51","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T21:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=25769"},"modified":"2026-09-29T21:46:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T21:46:51","slug":"part-29-the-maine-trip-became-their-first-future-that-wasnt-built-around-crisis-until-an-unexpected-call-pulled-old-fear-back-into-the-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=25769","title":{"rendered":"PART 29 \u2013 The Maine Trip Became Their First Future That Wasn\u2019t Built Around Crisis, Until an Unexpected Call Pulled Old Fear Back Into the Room"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By the time October came, I had nearly convinced myself we would not actually go to Maine.<\/p>\n<p>Not because anything had gone wrong.<\/p>\n<p>That was the problem.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing had.<\/p>\n<p>For months, life had been almost offensively ordinary.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy worked.<\/p>\n<p>I worked.<\/p>\n<p>Restitution was nearly finished.<\/p>\n<p>The legal case had faded into paperwork instead of danger.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel and Rachel had developed the strange, accelerated rhythm of siblings trying to catch up without pretending they could recover thirty-eight lost years.<\/p>\n<p>Frank attended therapy.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes.<\/p>\n<p>According to Rachel, he hated it enough that it was probably helping.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy and I had continued counseling every other week.<\/p>\n<p>No explosions.<\/p>\n<p>No major revelations.<\/p>\n<p>Mostly we learned to talk about dishes, schedules, money, work stress, sex, and the hundred small things that actually make up a marriage when death and scandal are not standing in the kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>Maine felt almost too normal.<\/p>\n<p>A vacation.<\/p>\n<p>Seven days.<\/p>\n<p>One hotel room.<\/p>\n<p>No courthouse.<\/p>\n<p>No hospital.<\/p>\n<p>No attorney.<\/p>\n<p>No dead woman\u2019s instructions.<\/p>\n<p>When I packed, I kept expecting my body to remember travel as threat.<\/p>\n<p>It did, a little.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy noticed me staring at his suitcase.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was definitely something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I folded a sweater.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was thinking about all those Tuesdays.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTravel still has a smell now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA smell?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSuitcase. Truck. Leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy sat on the edge of the bed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou want to cancel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want fear deciding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen we go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We flew to Portland on a cold clear morning.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy hated flying and tried to pretend he did not.<\/p>\n<p>I enjoyed watching him grip the armrest during turbulence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is funny to you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA little.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re cruel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By noon, we were in a rental car heading north.<\/p>\n<p>The sky was gray.<\/p>\n<p>The trees looked like somebody had spilled rust and gold across the hills.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy drove.<\/p>\n<p>I navigated.<\/p>\n<p>We got lost twice.<\/p>\n<p>No one died.<\/p>\n<p>That felt like progress.<\/p>\n<p>Our first hotel sat near the water.<\/p>\n<p>Small room.<\/p>\n<p>Blue curtains.<\/p>\n<p>A balcony that looked toward the harbor.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy opened the balcony door.<\/p>\n<p>Cold wind rushed in.<\/p>\n<p>He immediately shut it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis place is ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou picked it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI expected decorative cold.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed.<\/p>\n<p>We spent the first evening walking along the waterfront.<\/p>\n<p>People moved around us carrying coffee and shopping bags.<\/p>\n<p>No one knew our story.<\/p>\n<p>That anonymity felt luxurious.<\/p>\n<p>We were not the man from the article and the wife who did not know.<\/p>\n<p>Not the couple from counseling.<\/p>\n<p>Not heirs to damaged families.<\/p>\n<p>Just two middle-aged tourists arguing about seafood.<\/p>\n<p>At dinner, Jeremy ordered steak.<\/p>\n<p>In Maine.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is offensive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t like lobster.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou chose Maine because of lobster.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI chose Maine because you wanted Maine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That answer still did something to me.<\/p>\n<p>I looked toward the window.<\/p>\n<p>Boats moved in the dark harbor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you remember the first time we talked about coming here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy thought.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour twenty-sixth birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou saw a travel show.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said you wanted to see a lighthouse before you turned thirty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat went well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnly eighteen years late.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEfficient.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Then became quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI almost booked this once.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFour years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before I knew about Lacey.<\/p>\n<p>Before the second marriage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer treatment schedule changed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The old pain arrived quickly.<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>A perfectly pleasant dinner interrupted by a fact that belonged to another life.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy watched me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI shouldn\u2019t have said that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I took a breath.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou should.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want you editing memories to protect the trip.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you want to come with me then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you cancel because of her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid I know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The familiar wound.<\/p>\n<p>Smaller now.<\/p>\n<p>Still real.<\/p>\n<p>I took a sip of wine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat work got busy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This time the phrase felt correct.<\/p>\n<p>He knew I had heard the apology before.<\/p>\n<p>He knew the fact could not be repaired.<\/p>\n<p>We let it sit.<\/p>\n<p>Then I said, \u201cWe\u2019re here now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not erasing then.<\/p>\n<p>Choosing now.<\/p>\n<p>The next morning, we drove to a lighthouse outside town.<\/p>\n<p>Wind tore across the rocks.<\/p>\n<p>I immediately regretted every romantic image I had carried for eighteen years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is horrible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy shouted over the wind.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou wanted a lighthouse!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted one with less weather!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He laughed so hard he had to bend forward.<\/p>\n<p>I hit him with my glove.<\/p>\n<p>A tourist offered to take our picture.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWant one?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That question mattered.<\/p>\n<p>Photographs had become complicated.<\/p>\n<p>Proof of happiness could be misleading.<\/p>\n<p>Our wedding picture had once been evidence in Lacey\u2019s resentment.<\/p>\n<p>Hospital pictures had hidden context.<\/p>\n<p>The article had used an old photo of Jeremy that made him look more confident than he felt.<\/p>\n<p>Still, I handed the tourist my phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy stood beside me.<\/p>\n<p>He did not automatically put his arm around my waist.<\/p>\n<p>I leaned into him first.<\/p>\n<p>Click.<\/p>\n<p>One photograph.<\/p>\n<p>Gray ocean.<\/p>\n<p>White lighthouse.<\/p>\n<p>Windblown hair.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy squinting.<\/p>\n<p>Me laughing.<\/p>\n<p>Accurate.<\/p>\n<p>That afternoon, we stopped in a small bookstore.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy disappeared into a section about architecture.<\/p>\n<p>I found a collection of essays and read the first page standing in the aisle.<\/p>\n<p>When I looked up, I noticed him watching me from across the store.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is my line.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was just thinking you look happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The sentence frightened me more than it should have.<\/p>\n<p>I closed the book.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo I?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked around.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe I did.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy immediately added, \u201cYou don\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not make happiness another thing I need permission for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I bought the book.<\/p>\n<p>He bought nothing.<\/p>\n<p>That evening, we ate takeout in the hotel room because neither of us wanted another restaurant.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy sat on the bed in socks.<\/p>\n<p>I sat on the floor against the sofa.<\/p>\n<p>The television played weather reports.<\/p>\n<p>Ordinary.<\/p>\n<p>Then his phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Frank.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy looked at the screen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you want to answer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy\u2019s expression changed immediately.<\/p>\n<p>He stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I put down my food.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy listened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, slow down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face went pale.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs Daniel there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>More silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>Hospital.<\/p>\n<p>The word still had power.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy grabbed a pen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSay it again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Then ended the call.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAva collapsed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s daughter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer autoimmune condition?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy paced once.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrank was with Daniel when it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs she conscious?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStable?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy looked torn apart already.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should go home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The old impulse.<\/p>\n<p>Crisis equals abandonment of everything else.<\/p>\n<p>I heard it instantly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Ava is in the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel\u2019s alone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrank is there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe might need me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he ask?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen call Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He did.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel answered on the second ring.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy put him on speaker only after asking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel sounded exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow is she?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStable. They think severe inflammatory episode. She\u2019s awake and mad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That sounded promising.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy exhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you need me there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then Daniel said, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cActually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need you not to blow up your vacation because something bad happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m serious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was tired humor in his voice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve spent your entire life running toward emergencies because you think showing up proves love.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>I raised my eyebrows.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel had learned fast.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want you here eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut not tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy nodded though Daniel could not see.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCall tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd tell Jill I said sorry for interrupting Maine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I leaned toward the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou did not interrupt anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel laughed softly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We ended the call.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy sat on the edge of the bed.<\/p>\n<p>His hands shook slightly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like I should.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWanting to be there is feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I sat beside him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBelieving you must leave or you\u2019re a bad brother is guilt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy stared ahead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you think Daniel is lying about not needing you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He took a breath.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe stay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The decision visibly hurt him.<\/p>\n<p>Good decisions can hurt.<\/p>\n<p>That was another thing therapy had ruined.<\/p>\n<p>We stayed.<\/p>\n<p>Not cheerfully.<\/p>\n<p>Not pretending nothing happened.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy called Daniel twice the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Ava improved.<\/p>\n<p>Doctors adjusted medication.<\/p>\n<p>She sent Jeremy a photo of her hospital meal with the message:<\/p>\n<p>This is a crime.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy laughed for the first time since the call.<\/p>\n<p>By the following afternoon, Ava was expected home within days.<\/p>\n<p>Only then did Jeremy fully return to the trip.<\/p>\n<p>We drove farther up the coast.<\/p>\n<p>Stopped at a beach where the sand was almost empty.<\/p>\n<p>Walked without talking for a while.<\/p>\n<p>Then Jeremy said, \u201cI think that might be the first emergency I didn\u2019t make about me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is harsh.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccurate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to prove I cared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd staying felt selfish.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you care less because you stayed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Daniel feel abandoned?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen maybe care does not require performance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy looked toward the ocean.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoring again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHealthy again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled.<\/p>\n<p>We reached a rocky overlook just before sunset.<\/p>\n<p>The sky turned orange near the horizon.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy stood beside me.<\/p>\n<p>No camera.<\/p>\n<p>No tourist.<\/p>\n<p>No document.<\/p>\n<p>No witness.<\/p>\n<p>He reached for my hand.<\/p>\n<p>I took it.<\/p>\n<p>After a while, he said, \u201cI want to ask something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDangerous beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you think we\u2019re reconciled?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>The question no longer frightened me.<\/p>\n<p>Still, I did not answer quickly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does reconciled mean to you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat we\u2019re not temporarily trying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I considered.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat we\u2019re choosing the marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve been choosing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDay by day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean longer than that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>Future.<\/p>\n<p>Not forever exactly.<\/p>\n<p>Something larger than today.<\/p>\n<p>I watched waves break below us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI booked Maine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI combined some long-term financial plans again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI paid part of your restitution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI moved you back into the bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I have been reconciling without using the word.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do not want reconciliation to mean the betrayal is behind us in some sealed box.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do not want people saying everything worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause some things did not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked toward the ocean.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLacey is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur parents\u2019 secrets happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou married someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI cannot make that unhappen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do want to be married to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face changed completely.<\/p>\n<p>Not joy first.<\/p>\n<p>Shock.<\/p>\n<p>Then relief.<\/p>\n<p>Then something deeper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He laughed softly through tears.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know what you mean.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned toward him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am not staying because I am undecided anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am staying because I choose you now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He covered his face briefly.<\/p>\n<p>I smiled despite myself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not turn this into a breakdown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWorking on it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He lowered his hands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI choose you too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That phrase could have sounded sentimental.<\/p>\n<p>It did not.<\/p>\n<p>Not after everything.<\/p>\n<p>It sounded specific.<\/p>\n<p>Present.<\/p>\n<p>Earned.<\/p>\n<p>We kissed in cold wind beside the ocean.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing dramatic happened afterward.<\/p>\n<p>No music.<\/p>\n<p>No sudden sunbeam.<\/p>\n<p>We walked back to the car.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy complained about his knees.<\/p>\n<p>I complained about sand in my shoes.<\/p>\n<p>Actual reconciliation, apparently, looked a lot like two middle-aged people arguing on a beach.<\/p>\n<p>That night, we changed our return flight.<\/p>\n<p>Not earlier.<\/p>\n<p>One day later.<\/p>\n<p>Because Ava was improving.<\/p>\n<p>Because work could wait.<\/p>\n<p>Because Maine was still here.<\/p>\n<p>Because our marriage no longer needed crisis to justify attention.<\/p>\n<p>Before sleep, Jeremy said, \u201cYou know tomorrow isn\u2019t guaranteed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned toward him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you just use my line against me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut today was good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday was good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For once, that was not all we had.<\/p>\n<p>But it was enough.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=25770\">Click here to continue reading: PART 30: Back Home, Jill\u2019s Decision to Fully Recommit Met Its First Real Test When Ava Asked the Family a Question Nobody Could Answer Cleanly<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By the time October came, I had nearly convinced myself we would not actually go to Maine. Not because anything had gone wrong. That was the problem. Nothing had. For &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25769"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25804,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25769\/revisions\/25804"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}