“I’ve never seen this before,” I slurred, holding the frame over my shoulder so Mason knew what I was talking about.
“My dad took that picture right before he told us it was time to head inside. I asked my mom to print off a copy a while back,” he told me. He took the simple black frame out of my hands and stared at it. In my drunken fog, I rested my chin on his shoulder because I wasn’t ready to stop looking myself. “I never told you, but I was so pissed while we were out there. The first few times I went to throw it to you, I had to remind myself that, as much as she didn’t like you, Teresa would have kicked my ass if you’d had a black eye for the rest of the pictures.”
“I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had thrown one right at my face,” I admitted to him. “Whether I felt it or not, I should have kept my mouth shut. It was your day and I was a jerk.”
Mason turned his head to place a tender kiss on my forehead. “No, you were looking out for me. I know that now.”
“Still wasn’t right. I hated her because she had you. I’d never wanted a relationship, but there was something about you that drove me crazy, even back then,” I confessed.
Mason slid away from me and pulled back the sheets. “Come on, babe. We both need to sleep,” he reminded me. “There will be plenty of time for both of us to apologize tomorrow.”
Chapter 15
I stood in front of the mirror in my bedroom, making sure I looked decent for this meeting. Teresa left no fewer than ten messages on my phone last night, pleading with me to rethink following through on the divorce. I saved every one, on the off chance we needed it for the proceedings, but there was no way I was taking her back. The only conclusion I could draw from her desperation and eleventh-hour groveling session when I hadn’t heard from her in months was that her man on the side realized the type of woman she is quicker than I did and dropped her.
“You look fine,” Sean told me as he stepped out of the bathroom. I turned to face him, wishing I hadn’t as rivulets of water trickled down his bare chest. The only good thing about today was that I knew I’d get to see him tonight when the game was over. If everything went well, I planned on driving to his house, kicking Abi out with instructions not to come back until I told her to, and finally taking that final step with Sean.
But before that happened, we needed to talk. When I walked in yesterday and saw him in my living room, I’d wanted to run to him and toss him to the floor so I could show how much I missed him. The only thing that stopped me was Teresa’s presence. As much as I wanted to apologize to him and see if we could make our relationship work, I wasn’t about to give her any ammunition to use against me today.
I’d hoped to talk to him last night, but for the second time since we got together, his insecurities had driven him to getting drunk out of his mind. I knew alcohol was like a truth serum to him, causing him to say shit he’d never admit to while sober, but I couldn’t use that to my advantage. I wouldn’t put myself in a position where I was left wondering whether it was his heart or the beer talking when he said whatever he’d come to say.
“I so don’t want to do this,” I grumbled as I struggled to tie my tie. Sean came to stand in front of me, his legs straddling mine as he snatched the tie out of my hands. “Babe, you’re not helping here. Now, all I can think about it how bad I want to yank off that towel and see what’s hiding beneath.”
“Hold it together today, don’t say anything you can’t take back and it’ll be fine,” Sean reminded me as he smoothed the front of my shirt. “And when it gets to be too much, remember that I’ll wait until I get home to shower, and then you can see what’s under the towel.”
“Not. Helping,” I growled. I pulled him to me, not giving a shit if he got my jacket wet. We were sliding back into that easy, innuendo-laced banter we’d relied on back at his place. I pushed him away, unwilling to go down this road with him again. If we were going to make anything work, it was going to be because we worked together, both in and out of the bedroom. “Walk me to the door and lock me out before I freak the fuck out and refuse to leave.”
Sean did as I requested, wrapping his arms around me when we reached the door. He held me tight, tighter than normal as he nibbled at my neck. Even though I needed to get going, he didn’t release me. The pressure of his teeth on my neck and his arms around my torso grounded me to him, reminded me that this was what mattered now. He mattered and would be there for me in a way I’d never experienced before.
“I really do have to go,” I protested, wriggling to get free from his grip on me. It’d be so much more pleasant to stay holed up at home until Sean had to leave, but I was ready to get this bullshit with Teresa over with.
I turned in Sean’s arm for what I thought would be a quick kiss goodbye. He had other plans. The kiss started slowly enough as he traced his tongue across the seam of my lips, but when I sighed in contentment, he took advantage of the opening and pressed his tongue deeper. It was passionate and filled with so much promise for the future that my knees nearly buckled. “I missed you, Mace. Don’t do that to us again, okay?” he pleaded.
“I missed you, too. And believe me, it wasn’t my idea of fun, either,” I confessed. I’d much rather stay here so we could get the talking out of the way and make tonight all about making up, but we both had places to be. “Leave me your keys and I’ll have the service drop me off at your car after my meeting. You can take the Jeep to drop Jason off at his car.”
Despite my protests, my attorney sent a car to pick me up so I didn’t have to battle parking downtown. The driver from the service greeted me cheerfully at the curb in front of my building. I knew he was only doing his job, but I wanted to snap at him and tell him that some of us were having anything but a good morning. I hated Teresa for having this sort of power over me. Just the thought of having to sit across the conference table from her in a room filled with lawyers was enough to make every bit of peace I felt when I was with Sean seep out of my body. This divorce couldn’t happen fast enough.
Every step I took through the lobby of the building where Thom’s offices were located echoed off the high ceilings. The steady rhythm unsettled me because it reminded me just how empty I felt about what was about to happen. I’d had my time to grieve for what I thought I would have with Teresa, I’d had my angry outbursts at her audacity, and I was dull to it all at this point.
“Mr. Atley, it’s good to see you again,” the receptionist greeted when I walked through the double glass doors. “Give me a moment to get some papers together and I’ll take you to the conference room. Everyone’s waiting for you.”
I looked down at my watch to make sure I wasn’t running behind. Nope, eight minutes early, which meant Teresa was doing everything in her power to prove to her lawyers that she was the perfect wife, and would do whatever it took to get me back. It was a shame that the only piece of me she really wanted was my bank account.
I followed the maternal looking receptionist down the hall, ignoring the hushed whispers as I passed. Although Thom was a consummate professional, it was apparent that some of his staff weren’t as capable of ignoring the slightest bit of celebrity. I’d be concerned that one of them would show up in the rags tomorrow as the anonymous source spilling the details of my divorce if not for Thom’s reassurances that everyone within the firm understands how seriously he takes client confidentiality.
“Mason, it’s good to see you,” Thom greeted as he rose from his seat on the opposite side of the table. Why couldn’t we be close to the door? The last thing I wanted was to feel Teresa’s eyes boring into my back as I walked around to join my legal team. “As soon as you’re ready, we’ll get this underway.”
“Thanks.” I tried to keep my tone level and use few words, so Teresa couldn’t read anything into what I did or didn’t say. I sat between Thom and his assistant, a sweet girl named Maria, and focused on the way she sorted the paperwork into different stacks.
Thom started the meeting by reading the petition aloud. By the tim
e he reached the third page, I was beginning to wonder if Teresa was going to leave fingernail marks in the edge of the hardwood conference table. The few times she tried to say anything, her lawyer placed his hand over hers and shook his head. The subtle movement made me chuckle, because it seemed even he knew how likely it was that she’d say something stupid before the meeting was adjourned.
I had to give her credit, she lasted almost until Thom was finished reading the laughable proposal for alimony and support filed by her attorneys before she could no longer hold back. “As I’ve already told Mason, this was all a huge misunderstanding! Why won’t anyone listen to me?” she pleaded, slamming her hands on the table. When she stood, everyone could see how nervous she was by the way her legs shook on her indecently high heels.
I looked to Thom to see if he was going to answer for me, but he merely nodded that it was fine for me to address her. I took a few deep breaths before responding to her. “Teresa, I don’t think it was a mistake at all. We hadn’t been living as a couple for a long time and now we all know why.”
“That’s because you were always on the road,” she protested. “But now, I know we can spend more time together and work through our problems. I know you think it was clear what you saw in that one article, but you don’t. No matter how many times I’ve begged you to hear me out, you refuse. We can make things right, I know we can!”
I almost pitied her. Not only was she about to be completely alone, but I got the impression she truly thought my schedule was the reason we didn’t have a healthy relationship. “No, we can’t,” I told her bluntly. “We’re two very different people and it’s apparent to me that we have different goals in life.”
She stammered and sputtered for a painfully long time, trying to come up with her next argument. “Mason, we are good together!”
I was quickly losing patience. I wanted to reach for Maria’s folder and throw the pictures in Teresa’s face. After all, that was what would quickly put an end to this meeting. “Mrs. Atley, while I understand that this is an emotional time for you, I would ask that you respect what your husband has said,” Thom interjected, quickly shutting her down. “The fact remains, Mason has stated his wishes and has made it clear that he’s not willing to change his mind.”
Thom slowly and methodically reached across my body, smirking as he reached for my file. The man truly seemed to be getting a kick out of knowing he was about to further crush Teresa. All eyes were on Thom as the held up the folder while searching for the first stapled packet of papers. “Mason would prefer this matter be settled as quickly and amicably as possible. What I have here is an offer that I think you will find quite generous for your client,” he said, directing his attention fully on Teresa’s attorney.
The lawyer, who looked more suited for the pages of a magazine than the courtroom, scanned the pages, tossing them across the table with a huff. “Absolutely not! As I’m sure you’re all aware, Mr. and Mrs. Atley had a prenuptial agreement which stated she would be entitled to a fair portion of the marital assets plus monthly maintenance in the event of divorce.”
“That is very true,” Thom agreed, steepling his fingers under his chin. “However, there was also a stipulation that she would be entitled to nothing in the event of infidelity, which is why this is more than fair to her.”
“Infidelity?” Teresa screeched, once again lurching from her seat. She leaned over the table, as if she was debating wrapping her hands around my neck. “It was one incident, and I’ve tried explaining that. If anyone has been unfaithful, it’s him, with that little fairy he calls a best friend.”
“Mrs. Atley, I will remind you again that this is a conference room, not a third grade playground. Everyone here is over the age of eighteen, and it would be appreciated if you would act like it,” Thom chastised.
“No! I will not calm down until I know what in the hell he’s trying to pull!” She continued staring me down, ignoring the advice of her lawyer that she sit. “He’s the one who had that queer in his house when I showed up to try to reconcile! And when he tried to leave, Mason’s the one who wouldn’t let him.”
“Mrs. Atley!” Thom nearly shouted. This time, he caught her attention. “Before we continue any sort of discussion, you will sit down.” He paused, giving her time to realize he was serious. “Now, if you have any proof of Mr. Atley’s alleged infidelity, I would urge you to share that with your attorney, but please remember that the proof must be from before the petition for divorce was filed.”
“Mr. Barrino, would it be possible to have a few moments alone with my client?” her lawyer asked, his face red with what I assumed was either embarrassment or anger that she was being such a child. Thom motioned for Maria and me to follow him into the hall.
I watched through the plate glass as Teresa ranted about the same shit she’d done over the course of our marriage. Every few sentences, she’d turn and point at me, glaring the entire time. After a few minutes, her lawyer grew tired of her antics and motioned for her to sit. She did, and seemed to shrink as he lectured her before opening the door to inform us they were ready to continue.
“Thank you. I think the rest of the meeting will go much more smoothly,” he told us as we returned to our seats. “Now, since you were so keen to point out the need for evidence to my client, I’m assuming you have something you need to share with me?”
Thom nodded, pulling the stack of pictures out of the folder. Teresa leaned over as her attorney flipped through them, her face blanching with every image she looked at. When he was through, her lawyer pursed his lips and turned the pictures face down on the table. Everyone looked to Teresa when she spoke. “Is this even legal? He can’t take pictures of me in my own home, can he?” she demanded, not once denying what we all knew to be true.
“As you can see, the majority of those images were taken while you were outside your home, which invalidates your argument,” Thom informed her. “If you would prefer, we could certainly spend the next month or two fighting over the terms of the proposed settlement, but keep in mind that it is my client’s prerogative to rescind this offer at any time. He is making this gesture to you out of the kindness of his heart.”
The noises coming out of my almost-ex were amusing and far from ladylike. She was snorting and huffing and seemed ready to go postal at any moment. “Yeah, more like a desire to save his own ass.”
“Teresa,” her attorney warned before turning to Thom. “We’ll need a few days to discuss the terms of your proposal, but I believe we’ll be able to take care of this in a timely manner.”
“I assumed as much,” Thom responded with that cocky tone of his. “Now, before we leave, there is one other matter to be discussed. Mr. Atley feels, and I agree with him, that it is in the best interest of everyone involved if the details of this proceeding remain confidential. As such, the offer he has made is contingent upon Mrs. Atley’s signature on this non-disclosure agreement. If, at any time, the details are made public, Mrs. Atley agrees not only that the settlement will be null and void, but that she will also be subject to the penalties mentioned within.”
The flicker of mischief in Teresa’s gaze dimmed, confirming my assumption that she wasn’t above selling her story to the highest bidder. As she listened to her attorney explain everything in terms she’d understand, I pitied her. I wanted to be hurt or angry for what she’d done to me, but I truly felt sorry that her life was so empty that she thought she had nothing of value without drama in her life.
Luckily, she wasn’t so out of her mind that she couldn’t listen to reason. It seemed her attorney made her understand that it was likely this offer or walk away empty handed. It sounded so cold when put that way, but it was the truth. Had she not cheated on me, so fully and blatantly in the home I paid for, I probably would have handed her whatever she wanted just to be rid of her. An hour after stepping into the conference room, I was walking out, one step closer to freedom.
Chapter 16
I was only about a block from
the park when my cellphone rang. I didn’t bother looking at the caller ID before answering, which wound up being a colossal mistake. “Sean, it’s your mother.” I loved when she greeted me that way, as if I wouldn’t know the clipped cadence of her voice if she didn’t announce herself.
“Hi Mom, how’re you?” She never called without a purpose, so I turned off the car and got comfortable in my seat, gearing up for whatever it was she wanted this time.
“I’d be better if it didn’t seem that two of my children have been avoiding me. How am I supposed to plan for Fourth of July if I have no clue who will be in attendance?” Lovely, she was on a fishing expedition. I wanted to ask her why she bothered badgering me about this every year since I hadn’t been to her annual party at the cabin since college.
“Sorry, I’ll be out of town,” I informed her. Mason beeped in on the other line and while I would have loved to cut the call short so I could talk to him, I figured it’d be for the best if I didn’t do anything to upset her. Just knowing that he’d called let me know the meeting was over was enough for me to stop worrying for a while.
“What about your sister?” she pressed.
“Have you called her?”
My mother let out a dramatic sigh. “Of course I’ve called her, but she can’t be bothered to answer her phone. You need to talk to her, because her behavior lately makes you look respectful, and that’s saying something. I’m starting to worry that she may have herself mixed up with the wrong crowd.”
Abi and I weren’t quite black sheep in our family, but we were definitely a dark shade of gray. The two of us broke free from the idyllic dream our parents had for their children, and I’d learned there was no accomplishment that could overcome their disappointment. I’d grown so used to her jabs over the years that they no longer bothered me.
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