No Way Back?

Kristan was very pleased with her mother, and for the next three months, that's exactly what they did. Teresa came over three times a week and they worked on their classes together, they talked about school, their jobs, everything they were doing apart and, gradually, they felt that spark, dampened by Teresa's betrayal, begin to burn brightly.

They enrolled in more classes and at the end of six months, they had sex together again for the first time. It was as magical as they both remembered and they began to make love like teenagers. They had their rough spots and Scott felt as if he would never be entirely whole, but they were hanging in there, improving every day, getting better. Teresa did everything in her power to reassure him of her love and loyalty, even fighting with her parents, in front of Scott and Kristan, when they dared to criticize how slow he was to come around. After 18 months, Scott asked her to move back in with them, and they continued to build on the strength they once had.

Her first convention was a strain, but when she surprised them with plane tickets and a weeklong vacation in Las Vegas, that strain disappeared. She went alone to the second convention, but she called him twice during the day, every day, and they spend an hour doing internet video calls in the evening. The trust was being rebuilt and after five years, the weekend in Dallas was a fading bad memory.

When Teresa returned from her second trip that year, she came in and found Scott alone, watching a football game. He looked up when she came in, muted his game and she sat on his lap. "My baby have a good trip?" he asked.

"No, I didn't," she said. "It lasted forever."

"Why was it so bad?" he asked.

"I missed you every single minute," she said. "I missed Kristan, our house, everything we have. We're okay, aren't we, Scott?"

He sighed, sliding his hand up inside her blouse to cup one firm little breast. "We are now," he said.