Chapter 6

Eric answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Hello, it’s Lucy.”

“Lucy! My former bond-mate! I hope you are happy,” he said sarcastically. “Why are you bothering me?”

“I want to help you improve your life.”

“Why would you want to do that? You’re free of me.”

“Along with all the pain, I also got to know you. I sensed the man underneath who wasn’t always angry. I think you can be happier. My new bond-mate is a psychologist guy, and he cares about me and wants to help me help you. Could you meet us somewhere to talk?”

There were a few seconds of silence. “I guess ... It was quite something when you broke the bond. That massive orgasm you had sure got my attention. And then to feel his dick going into you, feeling your pleasure, and then over the course of two seconds, it faded and then. Snap! Bond broken.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Sarcasm returned. “Of course not! You’re an angel. Goody two-shoes.”

“Will you meet with us?”

“Yeah, OK, I’ll meet with you and your shrink.”

“Hi, I’m Aaron.”

“Eric, of course.”

“Lucy told me about your situation. About the strained relations with your partner and your sons, especially the older one.”

“Guess I had no secrets from Lucy, eh?”

“Lucy suggested you move out. Given what she’s told me, I think that’s a good idea too.”

“Do you now?”

“Yes. Do you have reasons why you don’t want to do that?”

Eric was quiet a moment, then sighed. “Not really. But I’m sure Fran or Thomas or both would tell me how stupid and awful I am, like for anything else I do. It would be a huge long fight.”

“But the reward is you’ll be free of that -- or most of it.”

Eric sighed. “I hate to get my hopes up. It’s never worked for me to get my hopes up.”

“What would you think if we did most of the work?”

“What?”

“We’ll help you find a place. And then Lucy and I will move you out. You never have to go back. Except maybe to pick up the boys or drop them off.”

“You going to pay the rent too?” Eric’s smile was not exactly friendly. But Lucy knew it was just one more way of not getting his hopes up.

“Lucy knows you can afford a modest place.”

“Oh, hello, you must be Aaron and Lucy.”

“Yes, we are,” said Lucy.

“Come on in ... I got Eric’s letter. Coward couldn’t tell me himself!”

As they took seats in the living room, a teenage boy appeared and leaned against the wall by the hallway, arms folded.

Aaron said, “Look at the big picture, Fran. Lucy knows a lot about the innards of this family from being Eric’s bond-mate. She knows you’ve been miserable. You’ve been through so much together, what’s a detail like whether he told you in person? None of us expected you would have said, ‘Oh, that’s a great idea, Eric. I’m so glad you thought of it!’ It would have been another sniping argument, right?”

Fran nodded glumly.

“Let’s sort over what stuff is his, and we’ll take it out to the moving truck. We thought he should get everything in the study.”

“He doesn’t deserve --”

Aaron raised his hands in an emphatic motion to break in.

“You’ve both worked for money. You’re getting the house itself, the bedroom, the kitchen, the living room. He could ask for half of everything and if he went to court he’d get it. Lucy and I think the study is fair.”