Paige deleted the voice mail without even blinking. She couldn’t talk to Whitney after Evan’s kiss, couldn’t bear to listen to her sister cajole and rationalize.
She stuffed the phone back in her pocket, metaphorically shoving her sister away too, then headed toward the guest bathroom to wait for Theresa to emerge.
When the door opened a short while later, Theresa’s face was moist and shiny, as if she’d patted herself down with cool water.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“That’s very kind.” Theresa clasped her hands tightly in front of her and studied the floor.
“I’m sure it must be a shock, seeing your son again and learning that your husband has been dead for many years,” Paige said.
“It’s a lot to take in,” Theresa agreed, her voice the same soft, timid tone in which she’d spoken most of the afternoon. “But I’m not surprised about Evan’s father.” Not her husband, but Evan’s father. “The drinking finally took its toll on him.”
And talking about the drinking was the perfect segue for Paige. “I know this isn’t my business.” She fully intended to say it, however. “But your daughter told us about Greg, and I want you to know that you don’t have to take abuse from anyone. If you ever need to talk things out, I’m a family therapist—you can call me anytime. I’ll give you my number.”
“Thank you. But it’s really not as bad as the Kelsey and Tony think. It’s not like it was with…” She paused, breathed deeply, then finally looked Paige in the eye. “With Evan’s father.”
Who was the woman trying to convince, herself or Paige?
“The bruises Greg left weren’t real?”
“They were,” Theresa admitted. She looked back down at the floor before adding, “But he didn’t mean to do it. He just got excited. And he apologized.”
Paige dipped her head, trying to meet Theresa’s gaze once more. “How many times did Evan’s father apologize?”
Theresa laughed without a single trace of humor. “He never apologized. We got married when I got pregnant, and he was mad about the baby.” Her voice dropped low. “We ruined his life.”
“Those years must have been very hard on you.” Paige sympathized with the choices a young woman had to make, feeling trapped and terrified and not knowing how to get out until the day she had to make a heart-wrenching choice.Theresa bit her lip. “It was a very difficult time.”
“I’m sure it was. But can you see how things escalate? You get a bruise, but there’s an apology, and you think it will get better.” She took a chance and reached out to squeeze Theresa’s clasped hands. “You might think that because Greg apologized the way your husband never would, that the same bad things won’t happen to you down the line.”
“It was only the one time. Don’t people deserve a second chance?”
Paige was a big believer in second chances. And forgiveness. But some things were unforgivable. Like what Whitney had done to Evan. And what Evan’s father had done to everyone. “A real man never hurts a woman or a child. Has Greg ever yelled before? Gotten angrier than the situation warranted? Even if he didn’t touch you.”
“I—” Theresa shook her head, then straightened her back a moment later, once again meeting Paige’s gaze. “He has. When he drinks too much.”
“Then do you really want this person in your life? Because you deserve a man who treats you with respect. Men who are like your sons.”
Theresa’s lips pursed a moment, as if she was holding her breath. Then she said, “Do you think Evan believes that’s what I deserve?”
“Of course he does. He would never want you to be with anyone who leaves bruises on you. What happened in the past doesn’t make any difference to that.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I’m sure because I know your son. He’s a caring, loyal man.”
“But can he ever forgive me?”
Paige felt her heart contract—actually squeeze down tight behind her rib cage—with anguish for this woman, as well as for Evan. But she never lied to her patients, and though Theresa Collins wasn’t her patient, she wouldn’t lie to her either.
“Evan and I have been friends for almost ten years, and I do believe he’s capable of forgiveness. But seeing you again has been very shocking and sudden for him. Whatever happens between the two of you, whatever hurdles you need to get past—it’s going to take some time. And as much as I wish it were so, there are no guarantees when it comes to love.”
It was something Paige knew all too well, given her decade of unrequited feelings for Evan.
“I knew it was too soon,” Theresa lamented. “We should have written first. But Kelsey and Tony insisted we come today. They were convinced he’d understand. But how can he when I did the worst thing a mother could possibly do to a child? I abandoned him to a monster.”
Paige rubbed Theresa’s arm in comfort. “Today was just the first step. You were strong enough to take this one by coming to see Evan today. Which means you’re strong enough to keep moving forward, no matter the obstacles.” She paused to let the words sink in, then added the zinger. “But you need to make a decision about Greg right away. He doesn’t sound like someone I’d want in my life, and though I don’t know you very well yet, he’s not someone I want in yours either.”