Regrets and Consequences

Once she started cooking, she was able to pull herself together a little bit, and Chris stepped into the living room to call Steph's grandmother. He explained that he needed to have a little private time with Steph, and she responded that she'd be happy to have the kids over for a little while. She was 80, but still very active, and loved keeping an eye on the kids.

It was about 9:30 that the kids were all fed, cleaned up, dressed, loaded in the van, and arriving at Catherine's house. She greeted the kids enthusiastically, listened to their news about what they were doing in school, and then sent them into the family room to watch one of the many Disney movies she had on hand. Ashley, Emma, and Libby took off into the other room, while Daniel and Katelyn hung back.

"Kids, why don't you go watch the younger girls while I talk to your father for a few minutes."

"Actually, Grandma Kate, we want to talk about what's going on, too."

Catherine looked at Chris, and he didn't respond. She could see the sadness and anger in his eyes. "Alright, Katelyn, you go make sure they get the movie playing right, and then you can come back, but I think I may need the two of you to run interference a little, because I suspect your little sisters don't know yet what's going on, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Okay, Chris, let's go sit at the kitchen table out of earshot and you tell me what's really happening."

For the next few minutes, Chris explained pretty much everything he heard and saw the night before. Catherine didn't react too much, but then, because of the kids listening, he didn't let it get too graphic. Still, he could see the tears on Katelyn's face as he described the evening.

"So, do you have actual proof of all of this?"

"I haven't actually listened to it or watched any of it, but I did try to record their conversation in the ballroom, and I definitely took video and pictures of them in the room. How they didn't notice me, I'll never know, but it was a suite, and I never went in the bedroom. I just took the pictures through the open door."

"The next question is, what do you want to do?"

"Katelyn basically asked me the same question this morning. I'll never be able to trust her, and she pretty much said she doesn't really love me, so I guess we'll be splitting up. I just don't want to get ruined in the divorce, and I need to make sure the visitation is fair."

"Chris, did you forget that I had the two of you sign a prenup?"

He looked up with a puzzled expression.

"You're clearly the injured party here. That means you're going to have primary custody, the house, and most of the assets."

Daniel and Katelyn both sat up straighter when they heard Catherine say that.

"Does that mean we'll get to stay with Dad?"

"I don't know, Daniel. Since Chris is only your adoptive parent, I'm not sure what the courts will say. I do know that older children can sometimes have some input in terms of who they want to live with in these situations. Ashley and Emma will clearly go with you, Chris, as their biological father, and Libby will fall under the terms of the prenup. Daniel and Katelyn are where the legal questions will come up."

Daniel didn't hesitate, "I want to live with Dad, and all of my sisters."

"Me, too. I choose Dad."

"Well, when the time comes, we'll make sure the judge knows that. But that's still down the road. You may change your mind between now and then." Daniel and Katelyn were both shaking their heads no. "Well, we'll see."

There was a little more discussion about immediate plans, but then Chris decided it was time to go home and wait for Steph.

He had expected her around noon, because that would be shortly after the normal checkout time, but just after he walked in the door at 11, his phone dinged with a text from Steph. "Having a long chat with one of the girls. She's debating breaking up with her guy. Needs support. Be home by dinner time. Love, Steph."

Chris thought, "Yeah, sure, why do I think you're the girl considering the breakup." He typed, "Do what you want. We'll talk when you get home."

If she noticed he didn't sign off with 'Love, Chris,' she didn't respond. He was pretty sure they went to John's place to screw around some more. He decided that he had some time to check out his recordings to see what he caught. He uploaded them to the cloud, and then got on his laptop to listen to the recordings he made in the ballroom. The mic picked up quite a bit of background noise, but he could still hear the two lovers discussing their feelings about each other, and about him. As for the video and pictures, he only took a quick glance to make sure they recorded correctly. He really didn't want to watch it again. It hurt enough to see it live. Watching it again just made him more angry.

Since he had several hours on his hands, he decided to begin packing Steph's clothes and personal items that were clearly hers. Anything he thought he might want, he intentionally left alone. That would have to be decided in the settlement. It didn't take long to fill up the suitcase they had. He did make sure to leave the one he always used for trips. No sense giving her that one. Fortunately they also had several plastic storage containers. Many of them were already full of her clothes. She had spent the weekend before switching out her summer and winter clothes. Every time he filled up a container or suitcase, he took it out to the garage, and stacked it along the wall.

As he stood there, he realized he had a problem. Steph normally drove the Traverse, and it easily fit all of them whenever they went anywhere. He had his Silverado truck, and he a car seat for Libby and a booster seat for Emma, but if Daniel and Katelyn have their way and stay with him, then he wouldn't be able to fit him and all five kids in his cab. Maybe it was time to shop for a Tahoe. He could keep the truck to haul things in, but the SUV would be better for the family.

He checked his watch. Remarkably it was still only a little after 1. He called for a Lyft to take him to a Chevy dealership. With any luck, he could be back with a new vehicle before Steph got home.

Three hours later, he was home with a brand new Tahoe. Between the fact that he was a GM employee, and that he was willing to pay cash, he was able to get a great deal. He had moved the money out of their savings, but he figured that it didn't matter. Since he should be getting 70% of their assets, he figured the new vehicle would be counted as part of that.

He loaded Steph's stuff in the Traverse, and backed it out to park on the street in front of the house. He then pulled the new Tahoe into the garage and moved the car and booster seats from the truck to the SUV. By that time, it was just after 5, and he thought Steph would be home soon. He was a little relieved. Keeping himself busy all afternoon kept him from dwelling on the pain he felt knowing his marriage was over.

He had just poured himself a glass of iced tea, when the front door opened.

"Honey, why's my car in the street, and why is it stuffed full of boxes and bags?"

"Quite simply because you're moving out."

"What are you talking about? Why would I be moving out?"

"Well, I figured since you really want to be with John that our marriage is over and you'll be leaving. I packed up all your clothes, and most of the other things that are clearly yours, and loaded them up in your car. Anything else you want, we'll have to probably let our lawyers argue about."

"Oh, my God. How did you find out? What do you mean lawyers?"

"Well, my dear. When one gets a divorce, they usually have lawyers." He paused for a second and walked into the family room. He very quickly came back carrying his helmet. "As for how I found out, I was there."

"Oh, my God. You were right next to us. I'm so sorry you had to find out that way." She certainly didn't seem to be devastated about the fact that he was talking about divorce.

"I guess there's nothing left for us to say. You're clearly not as upset as I am about any of this, so I guess what I heard last night is true. You've never really loved me."

"Oh, Chris, I care for you, and I was drawn to you because of what happened to Sarah, but, no, I don't think I've ever really been in love with you."

"Well, that's just great. I'm a really lucky man. Maybe it's time for you to just leave."

"Wait, why do I have to leave? I love this house. When I showed it to you, I was kind of hoping that I might get to live here and keep it. Why aren't you the one moving out? I'll need it to raise the kids."

"Steph, you're forgetting two really big things. First, this is my house. I bought it before we started dating. Sure you showed it to me, and you may have hoped to live here, but it's not yours. We never changed the deed to put your name on it, so it's definitely mine alone. Second, as for the kids, did you forget that your grandmother insisted we sign a prenup. Maybe you thought it was there only to protect you. Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but it's there to protect both of us. You cheated on me, so I get the house, I get the assets, I get the kids, and YOU get to leave."

"But you don't have any proof that we cheated. You just heard us talking."

"Really. You're going to try the 'you don't have proof' card. Maybe you think you planned this out so carefully, but you really didn't. Room 812, right? Nice suite, but you really didn't pay much attention to who else was in the room. All I had to do was show my ID at the desk, and I got another key card. You want to see the video?"

Steph was starting to show some shock. "You really were in the room? That really was our door that closed?"

"That would have been when I was leaving. I came in pretty quietly, not that the two of you noticed. But when I left, I didn't really care if you heard me. I guess it didn't make too much of a difference, since you spent the night and all of today with him."

"I'm so sorry, Chris, I never meant to hurt you."

"Well, you did. It hurts a lot."

They both just stood there for a few moments. Chris stared at her. Steph couldn't look him in the eye. Her focus was on the ground.

"I think maybe it's time for you to leave. I'll be taking to a lawyer on Monday to get the process started."

Steph sadly nodded her head. As she headed for the door, Chris heard her sniff a couple of times. Any other time, he would have hugged her and comforted her. Not today. He actually found himself a little angry, like maybe he had been manipulated for all the time he had known her.

"The kids are at your grandmother's. I'm going to be heading that way in a few moments to bring them home. If you want to talk to them for a few minutes while they're there, that would probably be good."

She looked back at him, and he could clearly see her tear streaked face. She spoke in a broken voice, "Thank you."

"You might want to pull yourself together a little before you get there."

She nodded, and walked out the door.

Chris took a drink of his tea, and then called Catherine to let her know what had happened. He told her that Steph was probably on her way there to see the kids. He would give her a half-hour head start and then he would be over to bring the kids home.

Catherine sighed, "That sounds good. We did eat already. Daniel and Katelyn have been pretty subdued all day, and the younger girls are starting to pick up on it. They're all pretty quiet."

"Not a surprise there."

"So what's next?"

"I spent part of the day packing up her clothes and personal things, and loading them in her car. Where she's going to be staying, I don't know and I'm not sure I really care."

"She can stay with me for a little while if she wants."

"I don't know if she will want to do that or just move in with John. I guess she spent the day with him. She didn't get to the house until around 5. If she wants to see the kids, I rather that be done at your place. I really don't want them around him, at least not now. I guess if they end up together, the kids will have to spend time with him. Right now, I think I feel more betrayed by him than her. Sounds weird, I guess."

"I'm not sure I understand that."

"Me either, actually. I guess it's just because he spent so much time talking about and introducing us to other women that he was dating, I never expected my friend to go after my wife."

"Okay, I get that. But her betrayal really was just as deep. I mean, she spent all of these years telling you she loves you, and now you find out she didn't really mean it."

"Yeah, it hurts."

"Well, I better talk to Daniel and Katelyn before she gets here. I'll ask them to be somewhat civil, especially in front of the younger girls."

"Thank you. I hope they don't make a huge scene. That won't do anybody any good at this point."

Chris stalled for about an hour before heading to Catherine's in the new Tahoe. To say the kids were surprised was an understatement. When they got back to the house, the older kids hid in their rooms, leaving Chris to get the girls to bed on his own. He chuckled at the thought that he better get used to it. This was going to be the new normal.

Things progressed much as Chris expected. His lawyer was thrilled to have the prenup. It was written tightly enough that he didn't expect any challenges. He was a little surprised that Daniel and Katelyn wanted to remain living with Chris. As an adoptive parent, Chris had rights to visitation, but this was the first case the lawyer had ever had where the adoptive kids wanted to stay with the adoptive parent instead of the natural parent.

That part of the case is what upset Steph the most. She broke down completely when her kids told her they didn't want to live with her anymore. Her emotions were mixed. On the one hand, she was full of regrets about what her life would have been like if she hadn't become pregnant at 18. Or that she had two kids before she could legally drink a glass of wine. On the other hand, she really loved her kids, and the thought of them being with her on a part-time basis was killing her. She also regretted what she had done to Chris. She cared for him, but marrying him probably wasn't really fair to him. They were both lonely and probably looking for the missing parent for their children, but was that really a reason to marry?

Chris spent the next few days talking with the kids stressing the importance of not cutting their mom off completely. "I understand you're mad at her for doing this, but she is your mother, and until all of this, I don't think she ever considered that you might not choose to be with her. Please don't destroy her. I can't live with her anymore, but that doesn't mean I don't care about her."

"Yeah, Dad, I do get that. But it just pisses me off when I'm around her."

"Maybe I should see about getting some counseling for all of us. Maybe include your mother, too. Maybe it will help all of us get past the hurt, and adapt to the new reality that we'll be in two separate homes."

"I just wish she saw all of us kids as a whole family. I love all four of my sisters equally. It bugs me that Mom doesn't want to spend any time with Ashley and Emma. And the girls don't understand why she's so cold toward them. If she keeps that up, she's going to push Katelyn and me away, too."

"I'll try to get her to understand that. More reason for all of us to get some counseling."

The next few weeks went pretty much as one might expect. They did get counseling in lots of combinations. Chris, Daniel, and Katelyn all received individual counseling. Daniel and Katelyn were surprised about how much anger they still carried from their biological father abandoning them. Their anger at their mother grew partially out of that. Chris needed to work on his issues from losing both Sarah and Steph. To learn how to now function as two families, the four oldest kids met with the counselor and Chris one week, and with Steph the next week. Everyone pretty much believed that Libby would adjust to whatever her siblings did, plus she enjoyed the times that she got Grandma Kate all to herself.

Ultimately, the counseling helped them to see that the idea of joint custody was in the best interest of all the children. No matter what, the five kids would be go together at whichever house they stayed in. For the time being, that meant that they were staying nearly all of the time at Chris' house.

When Chris packed up her possessions, Steph initially stayed with her grandmother for a couple of days. John quickly convinced her to move into his condo. It was a nice place, and Steph was the realtor that sold it to him. Unfortunately, it only had two bedrooms, so there was no place for the children to visit.

The other problem was that once Steph and John lived together full-time, their relationship started to change. Everyone that has ever been in a relationship knows that starting out brings a lot of excitement, but once a couple really settles into living together, the warts in the relationship become more prominent. It wasn't very long before the couple started to have major disagreements about minor things. Steph really struggled with it. John was turning out to be more like Mark - almost expressing regrets about not living the single life.

A part of Steph began to realize that she may have made a mistake. Sure, life with Chris was quieter. They really were comfortable, like an older couple. With the children, there wasn't a lot of excitement like there would be if she were still single. She did get to see the kids for a few hours each weekday. Because they didn't have the space in John's condo, they agreed that Steph would get the kids from the time they finished school until 8 each weekday evening. Chris would have them overnight and on the weekends. If Steph and John got a bigger place, they planned to alternate weeks.

John and Steph had a big fight about the fact that they couldn't do anything on a weeknight because of the kids. Steph reminded him that he knew that she was a package deal with the kids, and that was an essential part of parenthood. After the second week, John found ways to "stay late" at work. Steph could smell the beer on his breath, and knew that he was avoiding the kids. More regret seeped into Steph's thoughts.

One Tuesday night, as she dropped the kids off at Chris' house, she asked to speak with him a minute. "I need a favor."

"What can I do for you?"

"This weekend, I need you and the kids to help me move back to my grandmother's house."

"Why? Is there something I should be worried about?" Is John doing okay with the kids?"

"Well, let's just say that being together full time doesn't quite live up to the fantasy I dreamed it would be. John and I are splitting up."

"I'm sorry."

"Do you think there's a chance we might start over?"

"To be honest, no. I think we can be friendly toward each other, but I don't think I could ever trust you again. Listening to you talk that night just killed that part of me. Even if we started over, I'd always wonder whether you truly felt something for me, or you were just looking for a father figure for our kids."

"I understand. I don't like it, but I do understand." She hesitated for a second. "You know, for the record, I did have some feelings for you. I'm not that good of an actress. I mean, I know what I said to John that night, and, to be honest, what I told him on many nights, but I don't think what I said was true. My therapist and I have discussed this quite a bit. We think I just got caught up in being in a new relationship, and to make myself feel less guilty, I minimized the feelings I really did have for you."

"Yeah, I can see how that could happen, but I still would have a very difficult time getting past that. Not to mention, my therapist and I believe that I really need to spend some time by myself. She thinks I was afraid of being alone with two young children, and didn't really work through my grief. I need to do that, and work on establishing my own identity. In other words, I can go out, and spend time with friends, but I need to hold off on new relationships for a while. Don't rush into anything. And with the kids keeping me busy, I don't think that's going to be a problem."