We were just finishing up when I heard a voice behind me say, “Uh, hey, Kyle.”
Shit. I turned around and saw my sister. Her gaze flicked between Simone and me with a raised brow. “Hi, Addie…” I said, smiling wanly at her. I wasn’t sure what else to say because my brain was still trying to figure out how to explain the two of us together, and Simone’s miserable expression and puffy eyes.
Addie and Simone had talked at Jim’s party, and as far as I knew, there weren’t any hard feelings between them. It didn’t make this moment any less awkward, though.
“Hi, Simone,” Addie greeted politely, and walked closer to our booth. She was giving me a ‘you’d better explain this to me later’ look that I knew too well.
“Hi,” Simone returned, her face nearly bloodless. She looked toward me but like her, I was still at a loss for words, which was not only usual for a lawyer, but for me personally, as well.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you back at the office,” Addie said, once she realized we weren’t going to explain why we were having lunch together. She gave me another speculative look then turned back around to grab her to-go box at the register and left the restaurant.
“I’m so sorry, Kyle. I hope you helping me out won’t cause any problems between you and your sister,” Simone started, unsettled. Like we’d been caught doing something illicit.
I shook my head, knowing Addie would keep things to herself until she got the details out of me. “Don’t worry about it and I won’t tell Addie anything about you filing for divorce yet. She’s my assistant but I’ll keep your files in my office and type up all your documents myself. Please don’t worry about anything except taking care of yourself and that beautiful little girl of yours.”
She smiled at the mention of her daughter. Her smile was beautiful, and I wanted her do it more often. Living with Brad probably didn’t give her many reasons to. Simone may have made an awful choice when picking Brad, but she came out with an amazing child from that union. I knew she was determined to be the best mom ever, and from everything I had seen, she was doing a great job.
“You don’t need to keep this a secret, especially since you work with Jim, Trent, and Addie,” she said, biting on her lower lip for a second but she seemed less uncertain now. Maybe she was already beginning to accept that her divorce was going to happen. I admired her ability to roll with the punches. Sometimes life took a very wrong turn to let you know when to stand up and fight. “I’m going to talk to Brad and then his parents this afternoon so you don’t have to hide any paperwork. You’ve convinced me that it’s probably a good idea.”
We talked a bit more and then it was time for me to head back to the office. I picked up the check the waitress had dropped off at our table and we moved to the register so I could pay for our lunch. I saw Simone digging around in her purse for her wallet. No way was I was going to let her give me money.
“I’ve got this covered,” I told her.
After I paid the bill, I placed my hand on her lower back and led her out of the restaurant. I had managed to not think about pink bikinis all through lunch; however, as soon as I placed my hand on her, it was all I could think about. I really needed to stop touching her, but it felt too good and it was like my hand had a mind of its own. At her car, I said, “I’m going to need you to come into the office in order to draft the divorce filing. I’ll also need you to sign a disclosure agreement acknowledging my connection to Brad.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and handed it to her. “Here, program your number then I can text you so we have each other’s numbers,” I said. “You can text or call me when you want to take care of the paperwork.”
I didn’t give my personal cell phone number to my clients, but I felt better knowing that she would be able to get ahold of me if she needed anything.
I texted her number to test it, and heard her notification alert go off. “You can call me, for anything, day or night,” I offered, the words out before I could stop them. She stared up at me, and then she hugged me again. She squeezed me tight around the middle, hard. I wanted to return it, let this moment linger, but she pulled back and got her keys out of her purse.
“You’re wonderful,” she said, eyes tearing up. “I feel so much better knowing you’re on my side. Thank you.”
Her emotions got to me; a simple ‘thank you’ was never more powerful to me than hers. I opened the car door for her and then watched her drive away, disappearing into the busy afternoon traffic.
While driving back to the office, I thought of all she had shared with me and I hoped she would be okay. I knew she was worried and scared about a lot of things. It was obvious to me she didn’t know she had people in her corner. I’d do what I could to prove that to her, and I would protect her, like I should have done for Addie. Brad still needed to learn a lesson, and I had no problem teaching it to him.
*****
I had just sat down at my desk when Addie came in and closed the door behind her.
She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the door. “So what in the world did I walk in on back at the diner?” she asked, sounding genuinely curious.
There was no point in keeping this from her since it would come out soon enough. Plus, I trusted Addie explicitly. “Simone called me this morning, asking to meet so we could discuss her filing for divorce,” I answered, matter of fact.
Addie just stood there silently contemplating. I could see the wheels spinning in her head. She was probably thinking some not so nice things and a lot of ‘could have seen that coming’ comments, too. I also saw sympathy in her expression. Addie wasn’t heartless, and while she was probably still bitter about Brad, she knew she’d come out of that deal rather well. And Simone did not deserve what she got; we both knew that without question.
“What happened?” she finally asked.
“She caught him cheating on her,” I stated, shrugging.
Addie could have taken some joy in the fact that Brad had cheated on the woman that he had cheated on her with, but she wasn’t that kind of person. Instead, I saw the frown form on her face as she nodded her head, showing she wasn’t surprised by his actions.
“You and I know he’s a total douche. I had really hoped he’d changed his ways for Simone and Stella.” Addie sighed, shaking her head. “She must be heartbroken.”
“Honestly, I don’t think Simone is upset about her relationship with Brad not working out. She is, however, worried about of losing Jim and Marla, and possibly the relationship they have with Stella. She shared with me some things from her past—like the fact that she had it rough like we did except she wasn’t lucky to have people like the Thompsons or Grandma stepping in to help her out when she was younger. She wanted better for her daughter and now she feels like a failure.”
“She’s not a failure,” Addie said adamantly. Her expression went a little hard. “That title belongs to Brad.”
“And I wish I had done better by you in making you realize that before he hurt you,” I said softly.
She smiled a little, but it was slightly strained. “Brad could charm a nun out of her habit,” she said grimly. “I fell for it, and so did Simone. Regardless of what she thought or was hoping for when she married Brad, her reasons were genuine. Brad’s weren’t.” She paused, narrowing her gaze me. “You are going to help her, right?” she asked, although her tone made it clear she expected me to.
“That’s the plan,” I informed her. “Pro bono.”
She visibly relaxed. “Good. I’d be mad at you if you didn’t. And if you need help, of any kind, count me in.”
I smiled at that, glad my sister was on board. Then I frowned somewhat, thinking about how the rest of this day might unfold. “I’m just hoping it won’t make things awkward with Trent,” I said, meeting Addie’s gaze. “Simone is telling Brad that she’s filing for divorce and then she plans on talking to Jim and Marla afterwards. I’m going to need to sit down with Trent this afternoon before we leave for the d
ay.”
“Hopefully, there won’t be any problems there. And, again, please let me know if you need me for anything. I’m serious, Kyle,” Addie repeated, pointing a finger at me. “Don’t leave me out. Even if it’s to babysit Stella or hold Simone’s hand or buy Kleenex, I’ll do it.”
I grinned. “Okay, I get it, now go file some papers already,” I teased.
She stuck her tongue out at me but then opened the door and went back to her workspace. I scrubbed my face hard, wanting to get things squared away quickly. I didn’t want to give Brad too much time to weasel his way out of this if he felt that staying married to Simone would benefit him in the long run.
In regards to Trent, I didn’t think I’d get much resistance from him. Since he wasn’t a fan of his brother, I knew he wouldn’t harbor any ill will toward Simone. But I also wasn’t sure how he would feel about me representing her, or our law firm getting involved in something this close to home. She didn’t have the resources to pay for an attorney and I didn’t want her to risk missing out on anything she was entitled to by filing for divorce on her own or getting preyed upon by some sham lawyer. I knew I couldn’t leave her to deal with this alone, and I wasn’t going to walk away from Simone until I saw her smile again. And damn it, some selfish part of my brain wanted me to be the reason she never stopped smiling.
Chapter 7
Simone
Having lunch with Kyle had been extremely confusing. I wasn’t confused about my decision to divorce Brad; that was a long time coming. The confusion came when Kyle wrapped me in his arms when I was upset… again.
And, I didn’t pull away. That was twice now that Kyle had made me feel safe. His body had felt warm and solid, and fit with mine like a puzzle; it’d been comforting. The impulse to keep feeling that way was why I’d given him another hug before I’d left. It was foolish of me and he’d probably thought it was strange, but I didn’t care. Even though I knew he was just a nice guy and doing his job, I’d liked the way his hand felt on my back, how firmly he’d held me against his body, and the way he looked at me. If he hadn’t released me—I blushed again at what I might have done. I’d wanted to burrow in further, and never let go. And that, I knew, was crazy thinking.
I knew he watched me leave the lot and pull into traffic. He even wanted to make sure I got on the road safely. I mean, was that something most men did? Or just Kyle? He was so thoughtful, and despite having awful parents, he was the epitome of a gentleman. He was caring and he listened, never mocking me or making me feel stupid for anything I said. He believed me, and vowed to help in any way he could. And I knew I could trust him.
I’d never had that before. Trusting someone and knowing they would stand by their word. Again, it reminded me of what Brad wasn’t and never would be.
I wasn’t blind. I had always noticed how good-looking Kyle was. His short, brown hair was cut to maintain an air of professionalism but didn’t look pretentious. He had beautiful green eyes that were bright and when he looked at you, there was a kindness in them. Today, those eyes had been hidden behind thin, metal-framed glasses. I hadn’t ever seen him wear glasses before, but they made him that much more handsome.
And while I had always noticed him before, I had never allowed myself to focus on how attractive he was. First, I was married. Second, his sister had been engaged to my husband and the only reason they broke up was because of me. And last, he was best friends with my brother-in-law.
But now, I was having a very hard time focusing on anything other than how hot he was. It was completely wrong for me to have thoughts like that about Kyle and I really needed to get my shit together.
As I drove away from the diner, I decided to go home first. I wanted to speak with Brad before going over to Jim and Marla’s. I had no idea how Brad would react to my news, but I had a feeling he’d welcome it. You don’t stage what I’d walked in on without the intention of ending something. I was hoping he would go with me to his parents’ house so we could break the news to them together. I felt like it’d be less of a blow for them that way and also prove that Brad and I could handle this like adults, and that the divorce could be a clean break. I wanted this process to be as pain-free for everyone as possible. At the next red light, I decided to text him and make sure he was going to be home.
Me: I’m on my way to the apartment. Can you meet me there so we can talk?
Brad: Already here.
Me: Ok. Be there soon.
I tried to plan how I’d word everything during the rest of my drive home. Once I parked and headed up the stairs, I still wasn’t sure exactly what to say. I could hear the video game playing on the television as I slipped my key in the door to unlock it. When I walked through the door and closed it behind me I saw Brad on the couch with the controller in his hands. It was the same spot I usually found him any time we were home together.
I didn’t say hello and neither did he. Not acknowledging my presence was also quite normal for him. I placed my purse and keys on the small table next to the door and made my way to the couch. Getting comfortable, I sunk down onto the soft cushion, kicked off my shoes so I could put my feet up, and faced Brad.
“So what did you want to talk about?” he asked, without taking his eyes of the screen where he was currently shooting up some building.
“Do you think you could stop playing for a minute and actually listen to what I have to say?” I asked. I didn’t hide the annoyance in my voice, though he didn’t seem to notice. He never noticed anything that mattered.
“Simone, I’m fucking listening to you, just say whatever you need to say,” he demanded.
The fact that something monumental had happened in our relationship last night and he couldn’t even spare me a few minutes of his undivided attention pissed me off. I wanted to handle our divorce in a mature manner. It was now clear that would not happen.
Realizing he was going to continue to ignore me, I grabbed the remote control from the cushion next to me and turned the television off. “Maybe now you’ll actually listen to me,” I said as I tossed the remote back on the couch.
“Seriously?” he asked, laughing at me. But it wasn’t a humorous laugh. No, Brad was completely furious with me. And that scared me a little bit, but I wasn’t going to back down, not now. I needed to have this conversation with him so I could move on.
“I met with an attorney today,” I informed him, of course not disclosing that it was Kyle. That was a discussion we could save for later, if needed. “I’ll be filing for divorce as soon as possible. It will take about six months for everything to be finalized if we can agree on custody of Stella and the division of the few assets we have.”
I stopped, waiting for any sort of response from him. Instead he picked up his phone and started typing on the screen.
“Really? You have nothing to say? You’re just going to start texting?” I snapped, my hands fisting in my lap. I could hear the anger in my voice and I’m sure my face was red at this point.
He stood up and started to move into the kitchen. “What do you want me to say? When you caught Tiffany giving me a blowjob, I kind of figured that was the end of things,” he retorted over his shoulder. I swear I saw a smirk on his face when he said that.
“I know you aren’t upset about our marriage ending, but we will have to eventually talk about custody of Stella…” I let those words hang out there, expecting some sort of acknowledgment from Brad. Instead, he took a drink of water and shrugged his shoulders.
His lack of response broke my heart. Not for me, but for my daughter. She deserved to have a father who would do anything in his power to spend time with her. Someone who would be upset at the thought of not seeing her every day.
I looked at the clock and noticed it was time for me to go pick her up. “I’m heading over to your parents’ to get our daughter. Do you want to come with me so we can tell them together about the divorce?” I asked, hopeful he wouldn’t make me do this on my own.
“Nope. If you want to tell
them that’s your business. I have no desire to have a conversation with them about this,” he replied. Of course, his answer didn’t surprise me.
“Fine,” I said, getting more frustrated with him by the minute. I got up to gather my things so I could leave. “I guess I will see you when I get back.”
“Wait a minute!” he said, stopping me in my tracks. “You aren’t planning on coming back here tonight, are you?” he asked.
“What?” I stared at him, jaw dropping. Did he really think I would have another place to live lined up already? “Where would you expect me and Stella to go?” I fired back.
“I don’t give a fuck where you two go, but you aren’t coming back here. I told you last night you needed to find a new place to live. This is my apartment,” he sneered.
I couldn’t stop the tears from falling down my cheeks. Was he really kicking his daughter and me out of the apartment? It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours yet. While I didn’t want to share a bed with him ever again, I thought I would be able to stay on the couch until I could come up with a plan for Stella and me.
“Besides, Tiffany is coming over tonight. I’m guessing you don’t want to be here for that. Things might get a little awkward if I’m fucking her and you’re hanging out in the living room,” he said with an evil grin.
The visual Brad just provided had my stomach churning. Not wanting to risk losing my lunch, I grabbed my purse and flung the door open. “You’re such a fucking asshole!” I shouted back toward him before slamming the door behind me.
I stood on our third floor landing, leaning on the railing for a couple minutes, trying to collect myself. I was shaking so hard and breathing so fast I thought I might pass out. Brad had always been careless and selfish, but this crossed over to cruel and heartless. I was so mad at myself for letting my silly childhood fantasies convince me to enter into a marriage where love wasn’t the foundation. This was going to be a painful lesson for me to learn, but I was determined to be strong for my daughter. I pushed off the railing and numbly made my way back to my car. I’d do the best I could for Stella all on my own, which I finally understood had always been the only option.
Falling for the Unexpected (Life Unexpected Book 1) Page 10
