Cheaters Anonymous

by Lacey Silks

  While my mom never knew the extent of my past issues, she was well aware that I hadn’t had a boyfriend in years. But she let it go. Mom looked from me to Zoey and back. Her eyes glistened, and I had a feeling she was having one of her maternal moments again.

  “I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget you’re all grown up.”

  “It’s okay. It’s nice to be cared for.” Zoey finally spoke up.

  “You know, I could probably help you girls with relationship stuff. They say that a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but that’s a lie.”

  I was afraid of where she was going with this.

  “It’s actually through his penis. You take care of his needs, and he’ll be yours forever.”

  “Oh, Mom!” we both whined at the same time.

  “What? The least I can do is share my life’s experiences with you. And believe me, there are plenty to share. Another thing they like is if you cup...”

  “... Mom, stop! Please. Or I’ll have to tell you some of our experiences.”

  Her face sobered. “You’re right. I better keep those to myself.”

  “So, why did you kiss Ace? I mean, it takes two, right?” I asked, my gaze going from Zoey to my mom.

  “I had an argument with Sid. I was angry, and I made a mistake, and it’s a long story. Don’t change the subject, Julia. I’m worried about you. This guy who tried to hurt you... men like that don’t give up so easily.”

  “I’m worried too, Jules. Ace said he’s a psycho.” Zoey removed container after container from the bags. The smell of Italian food, Mom’s favorite, filled the room.

  “I wouldn’t necessarily argue with that.” I felt chills sweep through my body.

  CHAPTER 19

  Mom and Zoey went home after a couple of hours, which meant that I was left behind on my own with a guard who reminded me of a gorilla. And now he was waiting behind me at the bottom of the staircase leading to the Wagner’s front door. I bet he could squash Brad in one grip. The thought made me feel happy. I imagined Brad as a small bug under a thumb, becoming a blob on a concrete sidewalk.

  Four white pillars rose from the front porch up to the second floor balcony, making the entrance look grand. The Wagner residence was just as overwhelming as it had been when I knew Scar in high school. Expecting Roland, the Wagner’s butler, to open the door I was a little surprised to see Beth. She still had the same kind smile I remembered.

  “Julia, it’s so good to see you. Come in, please.”

  We left the gorilla behind the door. It felt nice to be at the Wagner residence – sort of like old times when I was younger and I would visit. Beth was always baking something fresh. Her kitchen was one of the best-smelling ones ever. For a woman who had all the money in the world and a talented butler, Beth always seemed to be more caring than many other mothers I’d known. Not that mine wasn’t; she was, just in a different way.

  “I meant to stop by the first day to thank you for letting me stay here, but plans sort of changed.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Are you feeling any better? Come with me, I’m pruning in the garden.”

  “Thank you for the roses. They’re gorgeous.”

  “I find flowers always lift my spirit.”

  As we crossed the hallway, we passed a gorgeous bouquet on the center table.

  “Are those from your garden as well?” I asked.

  “No, Frank orders a fresh bouquet every weekend for me.” There was a hint of humbleness behind her voice. “He shouldn’t, since we have the garden, but he insists.”

  I got the feeling that while Beth loved her own fresh-cut flowers, these from Mr. Wagner were just as special, if not more. On the side wall there was a gigantic paining of a rose garden I didn’t remember from when I was younger. It was beautiful.

  “Thank you for letting us stay at the guest house. I hope we’re not a nuisance.”

  “Don’t be silly, Julia. I’ve know you for so long, it’s my pleasure to have you here. I’m glad you’re staying with us. From what I heard, this man stalking you is dangerous.”

  “I can’t say it doesn’t scare me, and Scar insisted.”

  “I think it will be good for Scar to be back home too. I’ve missed him. He’s been working so much. Here,” she pulled out a chair on the patio pointing to it. “You sit and talk while I cut.”

  At that moment, Roland brought out a pitcher of iced tea and a plate full of fruit. The flower garden beyond the porch was full of opened blossoms. The air was thick with the floral scent of roses, hydrangeas, wild daisies, and petunias, the blend as sweet as honey.

  “I hear a lot has happened since you two ran into each other.” She gave me one of the sweetest smiles in the world. Her voice held so much happiness, it lifted my own heart.

  “Scar told you?”

  I wondered how much he confided in his mother.

  “He did. And I’m glad you’re better. But I really want to know how you and Scar are doing. I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time, so I’m assuming it’s good. I always knew you belonged together.”

  “I think we’re good. There’s a lot going on right now.”

  “Obstacles make you stronger. And you two have known each other for so long. I always hoped you’d find your way back to each other.”

  “I don’t know, Beth. It’s complicated.”

  She cut a stem and stood up, looking at me. “Are you fond of my son?”

  “Yes.”

  “And he’s very fond of you. So, there’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Are you two all right?” I asked. “He hasn’t mentioned much, other than you’re working through things.”

  Knowing I’d switched the subject from me and Scar to him and his mom, I felt a bit of guilt.

  “We are. Some children take a decade to be raised, other two or three,” she chuckled. “We’ll get there eventually.”

  “You know he’s told me about, well, his father and all.”

  Scar had never hid the fact that he was a “bastard” child. I cringed each time he referred to himself that way. He might have been a product of his father’s affair, but he’d had so much love in this house, it always surprised me that he remained so mad at his parents, and so rude to Beth.

  “That Frank had an affair? And that Scar is not my child? Yes, well, my stretch marks say otherwise.”

  She laughed as if it were an old family joke, but the spark of pain in her eyes didn’t escape me. If Beth had given birth to him, why had Scar gone on most of his life believing the opposite?

  “You are his mother, aren’t you?”

  “Of course I am, sweetheart. It doesn’t change the fact that Frank did have an affair, but Scar is ours.”

  “I know it may sound rude to ask, because a child should never have to prove who his parents are, but have you ever thought about taking a DNA test for him?”

  She chuckled. “It’s not rude. And Scar beat you to it. In fact, he had a DNA test done when he was sixteen, without telling us.”

  I should have figured that from Scar. “So why is he still questioning it?”

  “It’s not that simple, Julia. While I carried him and raised him and love him as if his life had begun inside me on day one of conception, genetically Scar isn’t mine. My life would have been much simpler if that was a lie, but it’s not.”

  “What?”

  “Scar used to think we hadn’t told him the truth to cover up Frank’s affair and his whereabouts. You know, because of his other illicit businesses. But that’s not the case.” She pulled up another chair to the table and set the bunch of roses she’d cut into a basket.

  “We should have given him the details sooner. I’m not even sure how he found out on his own. Yes, Frank had an affair, but it had nothing to do with Scar. In fact, that was before we even had any children. Scar was our fourth child. We both always wanted to have a big family, and I guess for me, after having three boys, I wanted a girl. My husband was beginning to build his career, and I had high
hopes for the boys. If I’d known then he’d be pulling them into his businesses, maybe I would have done things differently. But my boys are smart. Ever since Scar and Cash, his brother, cleaned up the business, our family’s been healthier than ever. But it doesn’t change the past and all the questions Scar had about his biological mother. Questions we couldn’t answer set him on a path of destruction.” She paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued. “Since I wanted a girl, we opted for IVF. It was the only way to guarantee it, but I guess nothing, except for plenty of surprises, can be guaranteed in life. A mistake was made at the fertility clinic. Not only was Frank’s sperm used to fertilize someone else’s egg, but they also used the Y chromosome sperm, instead of the X. I think God really wanted us to have Scar. Whatever plan he had for my son, it had to be important. We didn’t find out until our second ultrasound at four months.”

  “So you thought you were carrying a girl.”

  “Yes, imagine our surprise. I couldn’t find myself for days. I didn’t understand it, and when I was at my lowest, I felt Scar’s first kick in my tummy. That’s when I knew that no matter what, he was mine and I would love him forever.”

  “What happened to your egg?”

  “It’s possible that I have another baby somewhere out there.” The sadness in her eyes overwhelmed me. “There’s no way to know.”

  “Does Scar know this?”

  “He does now. The nurse who made the mistake destroyed all the records. They didn’t want to be sued, especially by a very successful lawyer. Frank went ballistic, but I didn’t want the stress and asked him to drop it. I think it was part of the reason he began doing businesses on the side. I think I pushed him into it. He wanted to practice law and get the truth, and I stopped his claim against the clinic. I just wanted to focus on the innocent baby I had growing inside me.”

  “You blame yourself for Mr. Wagner’s choices.”

  “Sometimes I do. I guess I’ll never know. But now that the family is together, we try not to dwell on the past and concentrate on the present and the future. One way or another, there’s no proof that the IVF even happened.”

  “Was it the Huntington Fertility Clinic?”

  “Yes, the one beside the hospital.”

  “It had all the records moved when the storm flooded the clinic.”

  “I know, but there were no records. They were destroyed.”

  I wondered if that were true. I knew from experience that three copies of paperwork were always made at the hospital. One was for the parents, one for the tending staff, and one was sent to the general practitioner and later filed with the hospital. That was in the old days, before computers and tablets.

  “He should believe you. You’re his mother,” I said under my breath.

  “He does now. How else could he explain having his father’s DNA but not mine? He even used to think we bribed Frank’s mistress to give Scar up. Whatever demons Scar was fighting when he was younger were deep. He used Frank’s affairs as an excuse. But he’s a good man, with a big heart. I know that light bulb will flash in his mind one day, and he’ll conquer those fears he has about relationships.”

  “You know about those?”

  “Of course I do. I also know that he’s very fond of you, Julia. And I’m glad he has a friend like you. There’s no one else in this world I’d rather see as my daughter-in-law.”

  “Oh, wait. That’s way too far. There’s no way... I mean... No, I could never...”

  She laughed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It’s just that when I see you two together, I can’t imagine anyone else who’s a better fit. You two would make the most beautiful grandchildren ever.”

  “We’re just starting out to see whether we can cross over the friendship line.”

  “Friends don’t look at each other the way you two do. If you want my advice, don’t be afraid to open your heart. After all, a heart that’s not beating because of love is a heart that will die quickly. And life has too many surprises lined up for us not to take in those moments we are sure about, and savor them.” She picked up the bunch of roses she’d cut and set them into an empty vase on the table, adjusting the stems into another perfect bouquet.

  Was she right? Could I possibly love? Could Scar? Would he be able to move past his ideals and stay with one woman? He said he would try for me. Could I stay with one man?

  “Do you think Scar would want to know who his biological mother was?”

  “You’d have to ask him, Julia. It’s not a door that I’ll ever close for him, but it’s definitely one I don’t want to step through. Scar is my son. He always was and always will be.”

  I picked watermelon with my fork. “Why did you stay with Mr. Wagner after he cheated?”

  “My parents divorced when I was young. All I ever wanted was to create the family I never had. Frank is a ruthless man in business, but he’s also a loving man, and despite what many think, he absolutely loves his family and his children. All of them. I’ve made mistakes in the past as well. I tried to keep Grace away from her father, for good reasons back then, and stayed in the marriage to protect my kids, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t love him. He’s changed. He has grown tired in the past few years, and I think he’s slowly beginning to own up to his mistakes, ones that his sons are desperate to help him fix.”

  “You’re a special woman, Beth. It couldn’t have been easy to trust again.”

  “It never is. But time has a way of healing wounds. It was a long time ago, before we even had children. Forgiveness is a powerful thing, Julia. While I don’t wish anyone to have to go through what I did, unless they walk in other people’s shoes, no one has the right to throw stones, including me.”

  I’d always known that Scar’s mother was a smart and a beautiful woman, but I hadn’t realized how strong she was. She held every loose strand of her family and tied it back to its one central spot: her heart.

  “Was Grace an in vitro baby?”

  “No, honey, Grace was another surprise.”

  “You must have been ecstatic.”

  “We were happy and blessed with the birth of each of our children, but yes, you do develop a different kind of bond with each of them.”

  I spent the rest of the afternoon soaking up the sun on the porch and laughing with Beth as if no time had passed. Before Scar returned home, I unpacked my new phone which was delivered earlier that day, and texted Chris to ask her to check on some files for me in the hospital’s storage. She looked, but couldn’t find anything on Scar Wagner. Worried about Trish, I felt relief when I called her and she told me she was staying with Axel. He hadn’t let her out of his sight since Brad had attacked me, and I was glad that she had someone to take care of her. There was no further word about Brad’s whereabouts, and I was afraid he was preparing for a battle I couldn’t win.

  CHAPTER 20

  “Rise and shine, Jules.” Morning sun hit my eyes as Scar kissed me on my cheek.

  I smelled caffeine.

  “It’s too early.” And it definitely felt like I’d just gone to bed. Zoey came back to see me in the evening and hadn’t left until after midnight. We stayed up and watched a James Bond marathon until I passed out on the couch. Soon after, I remembered Scar coming back from work and Ace picking up my sister.

  “You gotta get up. We’re leaving in an hour.”

  “Leaving? Where to?”

  “On our date.”

  “What?”

  “Jules, if we don’t have a proper date, we won’t be able to make this relationship work.”

  “Have you been reading a dating manual?” I lifted my body up and leaned back on my elbows.

  “No, but I read on the Internet that a woman likes certain things before she puts out.”

  “I can definitely confirm that you telling a woman you’re planning for her to put out is not a way to get into her panties.”

  “Then would this do?” He jumped into the bed and crushed his lips to mine. I pulled aw
ay and covered my mouth, turning away.

  “Was that not good?” he asked.

  “Morning breath!” I rolled out on the other side and ran for the bathroom. Actually I hopped. Running still wasn’t on my abilities chart. When I turned around to check whether he was following me and saw him eat me alive with his gaze, an image of me as his breakfast flashed in my mind. And there was that dripping sensation in my panties again.

  “Jules, I almost fucked you up against that wall yesterday. I’m not making that mistake again.”

  Feeling my nipples pebble at the memory, I lifted my arms to cover myself and leaned my head to the side, wondering what he was getting at.

  “You didn’t like it?”

  “Jules, I had morning wood all night. Of course I liked it, but I’m not used to stopping half way and carrying blue balls in my shorts.”

  I chuckled. “You could have done something about it.”

  While I meant that he could have eased the pressure in the shower, he took it differently.

  “If I’d come into your bedroom last night, I would have. And then I’d be an asshole.”

  “Why so harsh?”

  “What kind of a man fucks a woman he cares about before they even go out on a date? No fucking way. I’m doing this right, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  He was moving around the room like the Tasmanian devil – the cartoon one. His pace made my head spin.

  “Now pack up so that I can feed you, spoil you, dazzle you, and whatever else there is to do on a date so that I can honorably take you.”

  Honorably? I chuckled.

  “Is there something funny?” he growled.

  “No, sir!” This time I laughed and regretted it as soon as I saw his eyes. When he started heading, my way I jumped inside the bathroom and locked the door.

  “You have fifteen minutes, Jules.” I could hear a smile behind his words.

  * * *

  “When you said you were taking me out on a date, flying in a jet wasn’t exactly on my radar.”

  The engines roared in my ears, and I felt the pressure of the start glue me to my seat. I gripped the seat rests as the sound of the engine’s whirl increased. We were sitting in his father’s private jet, and my stomach felt queasy before the lift off.