Corey had spent the first twenty years of his life in a band—never earning much, but living free. I was an investment manager at a securities firm, surrounded by money every day. If it hadn't been for that one drunken night when we crossed a line, neither of us would have given the other a second look.
Two weeks later, I showed up at his door with the ultrasound results and laid it all on the table.
Maybe it was because I looked so uncharacteristically vulnerable that day. He stared at me for a long time, then suddenly pulled me into his arms.
"Caroline, let's get married."
For a while after that, he stopped going to band practice. He came with me to every prenatal appointment, cooked meals tailored to my pregnancy cravings. The day I gave birth, he cried louder than I did, and even through the tears, he didn't forget to hold me.
From the day Noah was born until he turned three, Corey was the one doing the midnight feedings and changing diapers, present for every milestone.
Noah's very first word wasn't "mama."
It was "dada."
A man like that, falling for him was something I couldn't control. And I had my reasons.
But it turned out that when a man wanted to put on an act, he could keep it up for years.
Fine. Let him chase his dream. I'd live my own life.
"By the way," Corey rubbed his nose and lowered his voice. "We've got the National Band Championship coming up, so I'll be pretty tied up. Might not make it home some nights. Just... bear with me, okay?"
I went blank for a moment before remembering that their entry slot for the competition was something I'd begged a client to arrange, practically groveling for the favor.
With his band's actual skill level, they never would have qualified on their own.
But that entry slot? I didn't feel like giving it to them anymore.
So I nodded lightly.
"Sure. Got it."
Corey froze. Whether it was guilt or something else, he suddenly wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulling me close.
"Babe."
His voice was muffled against my hair.
"Thank you. For supporting my dream. For understanding."
In my previous life, Corey eventually found out about the investments I'd secretly funneled into his band.
Unlike what I'd expected, he was furious. He trashed the entire apartment.
"What's that supposed to mean, Caroline? You bought me a national championship with your money, is that it? I'm telling you, this is an insult!"