While I was waiting for Kyle, I saw Addie walk through the office. She stopped when she saw me and abandoned whatever she had been doing and headed my way.
“Hi, Simone,” she said with a smile on her face.
I smiled in return. “Hey…”
“I hope you don’t mind but Kyle told me why the two of you met for lunch yesterday. I’m really sorry you are going through this,” Addie said, heartfelt.
When we had talked a week and a half ago, I’d believed her when she said she didn’t have any bad feelings toward me. Seeing her today just reinforced that she meant every word. I didn’t know how she managed to be so nice, but she was. I’m not sure I would be so kind to the woman that my fiancé had cheated on me with.
“It’s fine,” I told her, squeezing her hand. She squeezed back. “And thank you, for your words…”
“Simone?” I heard Kyle call from next to the reception desk.
I stood up, Addie taking her leave as I stared at my lawyer. Kyle had been in nice slacks and a plain white button-down shirt when we’d met at the diner yesterday; but today, he was in a suit, with a tie, the shirt underneath was light blue with thin, white pinstripes. He looked like a powerful and well-to-do businessman—or something out of a fashion magazine. His bright green eyes, his captivating smile, and focused gaze had me a little flustered. I hated that I couldn’t get my mouth to work and say something as basic as ‘hello’ but I couldn’t. I about died when Linda smiled, eyeing her boss then me.
Linda covered for me and cleared her throat, drawing Kyle’s intense gaze away from me so I could actually breathe. “I’ll be sure to hold all calls until further notice,” she said, smiling at me, “or direct them to Trent.”
Kyle nodded, then looked back at me. “Why don’t you come on back so we can get started.”
I nodded, gave him a brief smile, and silently followed him into his office. Those dreaded butterflies fluttered in my stomach and I tried to ease my anxieties by smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles from my blouse.
For the next hour he explained the whole divorce process for California residents in detail. Brad and I didn’t have much in the way of assets so division of property wasn’t going to be difficult. He told me that based on the length of our marriage and our income, I probably wouldn’t receive spousal support.
“We need to figure out what you want to ask for in relation to custody of Stella. Is there any reason you and Brad might not have joint custody?” Kyle asked. He had his glasses on, and was writing things down on his legal pad. His professional demeanor helped set the tone of the meeting and aided in me focusing on the discussion and not the man sitting in front of me.
I had to think of what I wanted to say before I could answer him. Honestly, Brad was not a very hands-on father. He didn’t spend much time with our daughter unless I nagged him about it. Sure, he was with her while I was at work on occasion, but that’s all he did. He didn’t interact with her. If those had been my only complaints I may have been open to the idea of joint custody. However, the events from two nights ago kept playing through my mind. There had been cocaine on my nightstand. If Brad was using drugs there was no way I was okay with sharing custody with him. And since he never seemed to have money, despite learning that Marla and Jim assisted him with the rent, God only knew how much he spent on drugs or other vices I didn’t know about. I didn’t even want to think about the possibility of him wasting money on his girlfriends.
“Um…” I started, biting my lip. “The other night when I caught Brad with Tiffany, there was something I didn’t tell you.” I was hesitant to voice these details out loud, even though I knew it was the right thing to do. I hadn’t shared this with anyone yet. “They had been using cocaine together. He said it was a one-time thing, but I’m not sure he was telling the truth. Stella was there in the apartment with him.”
The fact that Brad and I had experimented together one night a couple years ago made me feel hypocritical using this against him. At the same time, Stella had not been in the picture and I couldn’t get past the fact that he had been using while he was responsible for our daughter.
“What?” Kyle asked, exasperated and his face getting red with anger. I was a bit surprised to see his intense reaction.
“I’m not sure how long he’s being doing drugs, or if it’s a recent thing…” I trailed off, trying to be as fair as I could. Brad didn’t deserve my consideration but I was, however, trying to avoid any prolonged battle and I knew Brad well enough that not upsetting him was key to getting his cooperation. I knew I’d have to concede some things, even if my lawyer said otherwise. I had never been this decisive in my life, but for once, I knew what I wanted and how to do it. I only thought of Stella and that gave me a lot of strength.
I heard Kyle mutter something under his breath that sounded a lot like “motherfucker.” He leaned back and ran a hand through his hair, musing it up. “We can ask that he submit to a drug test before determining custody. He could also agree to supervised visits, which could mean Jim or Marla being with him when he has Stella. Do you think he will fight you on full custody?” he asked.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” I said, shifting in my seat. “He isn’t an active father, but I could see him doing something just to be vindictive. He isn’t the nicest person to deal with when he feels attacked.”
Kyle placed his glasses on the desk and rubbed his temples with his fingers. “Simone, has he ever been abusive towards you, or Stella?” he asked again, bluntly. “I know I asked you yesterday if he’s ever hurt you, but that isn’t the only way someone can be abusive. I heard the way he was talking to you at Jim’s birthday party. Does he do that a lot?”
Not able to answer him with words, I looked down and just nodded my head. I was embarrassed that a man who seemed to have his shit together saw me in such a vulnerable position. That he might think I was weak, that he might really believe I was to blame for this whole mess but was too kind to say otherwise. If I entertained thoughts like that, I knew others had too.
“I don’t want to overstep, but talking with someone, a professional, might be beneficial. You’ve been through a lot. I could give you a recommendation.”
Kyle was right. Talking to someone probably wasn’t a bad idea. “I think I’d like that,” I responded, grateful for his continued concern.
He reached over and handed me a business card. “Well, I believe we have enough to get started,” Kyle said, smiling encouragingly at me. “Based on what we’ve discussed, I don’t think the judge is going to have a problem with requesting a drug test and he’ll probably require some parenting classes for Brad.”
“Thank you again for all your help,” I said, knowing I sounded like a broken record at this point. It was all so overwhelming and I was still waiting for something to go screwy. I got up and gathered my purse. Kyle got up as well and walked around his desk. Before he opened the door for me, I looked up at him, placing a hand on his chest. “There is no way I could’ve figured this all out on my own, Kyle. You have no idea just how grateful I am that you’re on my side.”
He smiled, placing his hand over mine and pressing it into his chest. “It’s no trouble at all.” He paused, his eyes searching my face. “I’m going to be with you every step of the way,” Kyle promised. “You can count on me, I swear it.”
I nodded, slowly removing my hand. His fingers flexed around mine before he dropped his hand and opened the door. When I walked to my car my step was a little lighter, less burdened. I knew Kyle would keep his promises, and that, too, gave me strength.
Chapter 8
Kyle
May flew by. Simone had served Brad with the divorce papers without incident and things seemed to be moving forward quickly.
From what we could tell, Brad had moved in with Tiffany, who Erik had fired immediately when he found out about the affair. Erik had kept Brad on at his shop, knowing that he would be forced to pay child support. Erik didn’t want to hurt Simone by firing him but i
t was clear that it was not going to last. Erik no longer hid his contempt for the bastard and Brad rarely even showed up for his shifts.
Simone and I had spent a majority of the last month focusing on what she wanted to ask for in regards to custody. We usually met in my office, or her apartment if she couldn’t get away because of Stella.
So far, Brad wasn’t asking for anything. Maybe he’d felt relieved that he no longer needed to go through the motions of pretending to be a husband and father. He probably thought he had held up his end of the bargain, and if Simone wanted a divorce, that was on her. For Simone’s sake, I hoped that things would continue to remain peaceful. However, knowing Brad the way I did, I wasn’t holding my breath.
By mid-June, Simone seemed more than comfortable with the idea of no longer being married to Brad. In fact, I could see she walked a little lighter and smiled more. Not to say it was smooth sailing or going to be. She still worried about Stella’s adjustment, but there seemed to be no obvious or outward damage done. Stella was perfectly content and never asked for Brad. That would change, as she got older, but we were all glad she was coping.
The true test would come when we all met next Monday to discuss the Marital Settlement Agreement. Brad was representing himself instead of hiring a lawyer. While I preferred to discuss this matter with another attorney and a mediator present, Brad had indicated he just wanted to get it done. I’d asked Jim to sit in on the meeting as a witness to the discussion and to act as a buffer in case things got heated.
As I was going over my calendar for the next few weeks, my eyes landed on tomorrow’s date. I had spent the entire week throwing myself into my work so it’d snuck up on me. While I normally took my work seriously and did a damn good job, I also knew how to balance it with other aspects of my life. I made time for the things that I enjoyed: working out, spending time with friends and family, and doing small things that helped me unwind and relax. But tomorrow was a day I dreaded every year.
June seventeenth always brought up horrible memories, things I would rather shove to the dark corners of my mind where I didn’t have to think about it or deal with them. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one with those memories and I knew Addie would want to talk about it. It was easy to ignore the day while she had been living in San Francisco. Sure, she called me and tried to talk, but I was able to distract myself with other things. I just needed to throw a couple “yeahs” and “okays” into the conversation till she was done. But now that she was here it was going to be harder to avoid.
But what was there really to say on the anniversary of your mother’s fatal overdose? I had been there. Hell, I was the one who had found her. Why did we need to talk about it? It was the final way for her to show us that she chose drugs over her own children. I stared out my office window reliving that moment…
We were staying with our mom for a couple days in the small, one-bedroom apartment she had recently moved into. Being a typical sixteen-year-old boy, I got bored quickly. That morning, I begged her to let Addie and me go to Trent’s house so we could go swimming. It was an unusually hot summer and a morning spent swimming in the Thompsons’ pool sounded like a lot of fun.
On our way home, Addie and I had decided to race each other for the last few blocks and I was a bit ahead of her. I pushed the door open and slammed it closed behind me.
“Hey, mom, we’re home,” I yelled in the direction of her bedroom. I was met with silence, which I thought was odd since I’d passed her car on the way in. “Mom?” I called out again as I walked down the small hallway toward her bedroom. I could hear a soap opera playing on the television in her room and I almost turned back around to go to the kitchen, but something on the floor caught my eye. My mom’s foot was poking out from beside her bed.
I heard the front door open, Addie finally making her way in. “One day, I’m going to beat you,” she shouted from the living room.
Her words didn’t register with me as I walked slowly to the other side of my mom’s bed. My legs felt like lead and I could hardly get one foot in front of the other. I knew what I was going to find but my body was rebelling against me, hindering my attempt to reach her. When I finally rounded the corner of her bed, I saw my mother, lying face down on the floor.
“Kyle? Where are you?” Addie shouted, still in the living room.
“Addie, call 9-1-1!” I instructed. I sounded totally calm but I was freaking out on the inside.
“What?! Why?!” she screamed and I could hear her footsteps coming down the hall.
“Don’t come in here! Just go call. Tell them Mom’s unconscious.”
“Oh, my God,” she whimpered.
“Do it now!” I had never yelled at Addie before, but I needed her to listen to me. I reached out to roll my mom onto her back but when my hands touched her body, she felt ice-cold. I knew in that moment we had lost her. She had promised me just the night before that she was clean and I’d believed her wholeheartedly. I was so stupid to have trusted her.
The next couple of hours were filled with law enforcement and the coroner coming and going from the apartment. Our grandmother had rushed right over to get us.
Grandma and Addie spent the rest of the night comforting each other. One having lost a mother, the other having lost a daughter. They were both so distraught. Me? I was pissed. How many times had we asked Mom to get some help? Every time we found her with drugs she would always have an excuse; they weren’t hers, it was just a one-time thing, she would get help. It went on and on. And now she was gone—
Unlike Addie, who wanted to reflect on the day, every year, by talking about it, I preferred to ignore it.
I turned back around and saw Addie standing in my office doorway, staring at me. It was like she knew what I had been thinking about. Her eyes looked sad. I didn’t want her pity. She could spend tomorrow doing whatever she wanted to memorialize our mom, but I was over it.
“What do you want, Addie?” I huffed not making any attempt to disguise my irritation. Not one to ever be deterred by my bad mood, she walked around my desk and planted herself on the corner, crossing her legs and arms.
“Hey, no need to be testy with me. I just wanted to invite you out for lunch tomorrow.” She tried to make her invitation sound innocent. I knew what she was up to, though.
“I have plans,” I stated dryly, and turned my attention back to my computer. I was determined to treat tomorrow like any other day.
“You know, pretending that Mom’s death didn’t have an impact on you doesn’t mean that it didn’t. You tell everyone you’re fine, but every year at this time you act like a surly asshole,” she stated.
“Stop!” I said, putting my hand up. “I act like an asshole because everyone expects me to be sad or talk about what happened. If it makes you or other people feel better—great. Really. But it doesn’t help me. The facts remain the same.” I paused, taking a breath. I wasn’t mad at Addie, I just didn’t want to do this anymore. “She died, it sucked. It sucked even more that I was the one who found her, but it’s done. I don’t need to talk about it or deal with it every year. Nothing I do now will ever change what happened back then,” I groaned. Rubbing my temples, I finally looked up and met my sister’s gaze. She looked pissed.
“You may think it’s done but it’s not and it won’t be until you finally deal with it. You don’t come out of a childhood like ours completely unscathed,” she said, placing her hand on my shoulder. “Mom and Dad were poor examples of a healthy relationship, and the way they forgot about us has closed you off to certain things. We’ve both worked hard at not being anything like either one of our parents. I think we’ve done a great job, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect how we see and interact with other people. I know how you are, and you can’t live a life where Trent, Erik, Ian, and I are the only people you trust.”
“I trust Jim and Marla, too,” I joked, hoping to distract myself from the truth my baby sister was throwing at me.
“You know what I mean,” she
said, not letting it go. “I just want you to live life happily, without worrying about when things will go wrong.”
I sighed, throwing my glasses on my desk. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, trying to not sound annoyed but Addie was making that tough. “Live life happily? Who says I’m unhappy?” I didn’t feel like I was at all. I had a great life. Wonderful friends, a great sister —most of the time, and a job I loved. What more could I ask for? I was getting more irritated by the second. “And I don’t ‘worry about when things will go wrong’, or whatever you meant by that.”
It was Addie’s turn to sigh loudly. “Outside of your small circle of trust, you’ve kept yourself insolated. You don’t attempt to make new relationships,” she said, almost accusingly.
“And your point?” I drawled, bemused.
“When’s the last time you had an actual relationship with a woman?”
I rolled my eyes. “You, Marla, and now Simone and Stella.”
“I mean, romantically, smartass,” she interrupted and poked me in the arm. “Before anything meaningful can develop, you bail.”
“Are you dating?” I asked, turning the tables on her.
She wagged a finger at me. “Nice try, but my situation is different from yours. My trust issues aren’t rooted in my childhood, or even Brad’s betrayal—”
“What if I want to be a bachelor for the rest of my life?” I scoffed, shaking my head.
Falling for the Unexpected (Life Unexpected Book 1) Page 12
