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My last serious relationship had been in college We’d hteen and divorced at twenty Relationships are hard work, and you don’t really understand that when you’re eighteen You think so long as there’s love, everything else will fall into place Things are never that si to ot to the point where ere arguing

Walking in on her and my best friend, Max, had sent me into one of the darkest times of my life How do you move past that? When the person you love most in this world betrays you in the most intimate way, how do you deal and move on?

Apparently, twenty-year-old Coop thought copious amounts of alcohol and women were the answer They didn’t really doa teer and worse than before, requiring more women and more alcohol

My ex-wife, Kara, had ended up transferring out of state With her out of rab a coffee or walk around cas rades, and pretty soon after that, ed

It’s ae, for the better or worse That was the thing about life: you never kneas waiting for you around the corner Everyone faces obstacles, and it’s how you deal with the that has happened to e that is there to help me be a better person

Then again, I’ to my family Maybe my life isn’t as perfect as I pretend it is

Chapter Two

I left the hotel just after eight

While walking to es There was one fro me to come by after work She lived just around the corner with her husband and two kids

Nic and I had a very close relationship Losing Dad at such a young age, I’ve always felt like I needed to step up and protect Mom and Nic and be the man of the family Ten-year-old Coop had taken on a paper route so he could help out with the bills Getting up at three every Sundayhad been hell, but it hadpositive for the fa in an extra twenty dollars a week

That need was even stronger now, especially with Mo reason why I pushedto do with that need to provide for my fa with my life” uilt I feel when I think about how ets to me and the worst part of that is that I do what I do for my family

Pulling up outside their house, I got out of the car and walked up to the front door I rang the bell and listened to the sound of footsteps—too heavy to be either ofopen and Nic smiled at me

“Hey you,” she said, kissing my cheek “The kids are in bed, finally! If you wake the home with you,” she joked “You want some dinner?”

“Sure,” I replied, kicking off my shoes

I followed her down to the kitchen, passing through the living room on the way I loved their house Granted, it was pretty small, especially for a family of four, but it had such a nice feel about it Toys were scattered everywhere, and every step was a potential deathtrap, but I loved that It wasn’t about having the newest furniture, or the having the nicest garden; it was all about having a comfortable home where the kids were free to play