Stay Together by Maira Dawn

Chapter 1

Please remember this is a developing story and in a rawer state than what I publish. As such, it has only been self-edited and you will see some errors. In addition, some changes may occur between now and publishing, including major storylines. I try to avoid this, but it sometimes happens. I welcome your kind feedback. :)

Stay Together

(copyright ©2024 MAIRA DAWN)

James shoved a pile of clothes into his backpack, fabric spilling over the sides as he forced the zipper closed. “I told you, nothing happened!” he hissed at his wife, Elizabeth. She continued folding shirts with jerky movements, her knuckles white. 

“Then why was she calling you so late?” Elizabeth demanded, her voice low and strained. “And why did she sound like that?”

James glanced at the children, Emily and Michael, who were bringing their suitcases into the living room just beyond the parent’s bedroom door. The children exchanged anxious glances. Emily slowed, straining to hear her parents’ hushed argument. Michael’s eyes stretched wide as his gaze bounced between his mother and father. His right hand tightened around the action figure he carried.

“She needed help with a work thing, that’s all,” James insisted. He turned back toward his suitcase, muscles tense. He wished Liz would just drop this. It wasn’t that big of a deal. Not really. “She’s just a colleague from work,” he tried to reassure her, keeping his voice steady. “We were discussing a project, and it ran late.”

“Past 11 pm? I’m not stupid, James.” Elizabeth choked back a sob, blinking fiercely. “Why didn’t you tell me about her before? She clearly has a thing for you.”

James’ heart beat harder. What was Liz picking up on? “I didn’t think it was important,” he replied, guilt creeping over him. “But you’re right. I should’ve told you.”

Emily touched her brother’s shoulder, nodding towards his half-packed backpack. “Pack some of your toys in it and some snacks too. You never know if you’re going to get food or not on a plane.”

With a worried frown, Michael returned to his task, movements uncertain as he glanced at his mother. 

James scrubbed a hand through his black hair. “Look, we don’t have time for this. We need to go.” His jaw felt tight and his dark eyes refused to hold his wife’s gaze.

Elizabeth pressed her lips together, saying nothing. With only a curt nod, she resumed packing, but each jerky movement radiated her hurt and frustration. 

The room filled with the sounds of zippers and rustling clothes, but beneath the hustle and bustle was a heavy silence of lingering conflict. 

James glanced at the children and accidentally met his daughter’s gaze. A question lingered in her eyes. The same question that swirled through his mind. What had he been thinking?

He shook his head at Emily, hoping it served as reassurance. But tension still etched his face.

Elizabeth shoved the last of her clothes into her duffel bag, not bothering to fold them neatly as she normally would. James watched her as she hurried around the bedroom, but she didn’t acknowledge him. Clearly, the implications of that late-night phone call filled her mind.

James moved closer to her. “I promise nothing ever happened. Nothing at all.”

Elizabeth stared at the dresser in front of her. “And you never wanted it to?”

His answer was a millisecond too slow. “Never.”

His wife scoffed. “I heard it all when I was in the kitchen, you know. Her voice was so . . . syrupy. She thinks whatever is happening between the two of you can go somewhere.”

“It can’t,” he said, “I would never let it.” He put a hand on her shoulder. She let it stay there. It was a good sign. He hoped.

His wife let out a sob. “You laughed.” Her voice was strained. “You laughed with her the way you used to laugh with me.”

Her words shook James to the core. He hadn’t realized he had been flirting so much. Or that he had given another woman something Liz considered special. No wonder Victoria wouldn’t leave him alone.

“We need to talk about this, Liz,” James said quietly. He reached for her arm, but she continued to rifle through her dresser drawer. 

“The plane,” she said. “We can’t miss the plane.”

“I don’t care about the plane right now. I care about this . . . problem.”

Turning toward him, her voice strained, she asked, “Okay then, who is she, James?”

James sighed. “It Victoria. You’ve met her. She’s just a friend from work. Nothing more.” 

“And when I met her, I told you she’d be trouble. Remember that?”

“I do,” he agreed. He also remembered his distaste for what seemed like an unfounded assessment of the woman. It seemed Liz had seen something he had not.

Elizabeth continued, “If it’s just an innocent work thing, why is she calling you so late? What does she need help with that couldn’t wait until a decent hour?”

“She said it was a work emergency. That’s it,” he insisted. But his eyes flickered away from hers.

Elizabeth’s lips thinned. “And was it? Would you have considered it a work emergency?” 

For some reason even he didn’t understand, he defended Victoria. “For me? No. But maybe for her, it was. But that has nothing to do with what you’re worried about. I would never...” He broke off, taking a deep breath. “I love you. You know that.”

Elizabeth searched his face, clearly looking for the man she fell in love with. The man she thought she knew. Her eyes welled with tears. “Right now, I don’t know that. The man who loved me would never have flirted with another woman into the night. And he would never have defended her clear tactics to take him from his family.”

“Please, Liz,” James implored, his voice softening. “Trust me. Nothing is more important than you and the kids.”

Looking into his earnest eyes, she almost gave in. But then a seed of doubt clouded her gaze, and she turned back to her dresser drawer.