Divorced! Now what?
Chapter 111

Theo

POV

On my way home, I stop to buy a friendship ring and a bunch of flowers. I was not ready to ask her to be my wife. I was moving too fast, even for me. With all that has been happening since we met, there is more action in my life in that short time than I have had in my whole life. I wanted to give her something to show I was serious. There were so many rings, and I stood staring at them all, hoping one would stand out and say it was right. The lady behind the counter was bringing more and more out to show me, each one lovely, but she did not say Bethany. The more expensive the ring, the more I felt it needed to be the right ring; it became larger and bulkier and not the sort to put on her tiny, dainty fingers; she would have to take it off at work. She was not a person who was worried about the size and the cost; she was more concerned about the thought that counted. I found a perfect one that was cheaper, though money was not an issue. It was the ring I wanted, and the sales lady was not impressed, but it was what I wanted, and nothing she could say convinced me the more expensive one was better.

Then came the flowers. If I thought the rings were hard, finding the right flowers was as hard. I had yet to learn what her favorite flower was. She had a variety of flowers in the house. After sniffing several flowers and looking at the different arrangements, I bought a potted plant that would not die in less than a week and hoped I had chosen correctly. With the ring in my pocket and the plant in my left hand, I headed home with a spring in my step, feeling really good about what I was about to do. I thought about how I was going to give her the ring and explained what it was for.

I opened the door and hunted for Bethany, only to hear the shower running when I reached the bedroom. Perfect, I thought. I put the plant on the table, shucked my clothes, and opened the door. My good mood fell to the floor as I took in the tearful Bethany. I did not hesitate to climb into the shower and pull her sobbing mess into my chest, wrapping my arms around her, and stroked her hair and patting her gently on her back as I waited for her tears to subside and wondered what had happened to cause her to be in such pain.

At first, I thought she had another painful memory surfaced, and she was there alone dealing with it.

Then I remembered she had gone with Mum to the woman's home.

They had that beast of a man been there when they arrived? How is Mum?

Did he hurt either of them?

I was fuming.

I pulled back a little to see if she had any bruises or bleeding and looked at her all over. She had no injuries that I could see, so it was something else, and not being hit by that brute. The man I more than once felt the need to go over and give him a taste of his own medicine.

'Talk to me, sweetheart?' I murmured softly, trying to get a grip on my own emotions.

'It was horrible. She sobbed and could barely get a word out.

'What was, is the woman okay? I did not want to ask if Mother was OK. She had more experience with dealing with battered women, and maybe it was Bethany's first time at a woman's home, and how confronting it can be way worse than what Bethany was ready for. 'The injuries needed to be seen at the hospital, but the girl refused. Then, as we were leaving, the partner arrived, and he punched her with full force. He broke her jaw and knocked her out. She already had a concussion. This might be the end for her. That poor woman had so many beatings. It is amazing she is still able to function.'

'You were there for her at her darkest hour. Now, she is where she needs to be. You can do no more now if you like. What happened to the man?' I asked, hoping to get her out of crying and to get this out.

'Kitty called the police and an ambulance. He was taken away, and the two bodyguards apprehended him and gave him a statement.'

'Did Mum go in the ambulance?'

'Nope, I took her home, and Hank was there waiting for her to arrive. I think they will go together!

'Yeah, Dad will know what to do. He has done this a number of times before.

Bethany shivered. The water was still warm, so it was the shock, not the water, that made her shiver. I took her out of the shower and dried her, putting some warm pajamas on her. I led her to the kitchen and sat her down as I made hot coffee for her to drink, laced with a little whiskey. I know she does not drink, but I feel she needs that. I phoned Felicity and canceled our night. After I explained, she offered to move it to tomorrow, and I agreed.

Bethany took small sips, her face full of pain, as her mind replayed the event. She was not sure how to bring herself out of this cycle she had put herself in, and nothing I said seemed to sink. I headed to the lounge and put on the sports channel. Her team stats for the next game were on. Good timing, I thought. I turned the volume up loudly and hoped that hearing about her team would drag her out of her bad thoughts. I headed back to the kitchen, watched, and waited for her to hear it.

A reply to one of the spectacular scores was played, and the announcer's cheers and enthusiasm made her look up at me and smile. It was the most beautiful smile I had ever seen, and I was so glad to be the one on the receiving end of it. 'Thanks, I was stuck.' She admitted. I just nodded and went to the freezer. Bethany headed to the lounge to watch the television. I pulled out some pies and intended to make the evening a sports night.

We relaxed on the lounge chair and snuggled up, enjoying the relaxing night. When Bethany started to yawn, I convinced her it was time for bed. When we walked into the bedroom, Bethany saw the plant and headed over to them, picking it up and sniffing the flowers.

'You did this?' I smiled, wondering who else would have done it.

'I did. I wanted to make tonight special and was shocked when I arrived; it was not at all what I had planned,' I admitted. 'What else had you planned?'

'If you remember, we were to have dinner at Felicity's place.

'OH, no, I forgot!

'It is okay, we changed it for tomorrow night. I pulled out the ring and handed it to her. She took the box but did not open it, her face a mix of emotions.

'I was going to give you this. It is a friendship ring. I would like you to wear it, to show you accept me as your boyfriend and possibly later when all this is done, and we have a normal life again. Well, normal for us, then I would like to think about getting engaged. I did not think now was a good time for all of that, but the ring would be a reminder that it is on my mind, and when you are ready, we can head down that track. What do you think? This is not what I was going to say or how I wanted to say it, but I cannot change that now. This ring is to say that in my mind and heart, I want you in my life, and I know you are not yet ready for a commitment, and that is what an engagement ring would mean; I do not want to push you. I was all mixed up and got it all wrong.

'Engagement is a big step, and I understand waiting. We are only just back on track, so to speak, and have hardly had time together to know if we are going to make the long haul. I don't want another divorce, so yeah, it is good to wait till the court cases are over.' She opened the box and gasped, pulled it out, and slid it on her finger with no hesitation. It sat nicely on her finger, not too bulky.

Bethany threw herself at me, gave me a heated kiss, and then pulled back to admire the ring a little longer. I glanced at where she had put the plant. It was on a side table near the window. It was a perfect place for it. She yawned, and I got the signal: It was time to put her to bed.