“Nate...”
“I don’t have any homework, I did it yesterday.”
“No, no sweetheart. Can you come into our room for a minute? We want to talk to you about something.”
“Sure.” He slowly and with uncertainty made his way into our room. I sat down on the bed next to him and put my arm on his shoulder. Rick stood opposite him, leaning up against the wall, then before Rick spoke he smiled at me. That’s right Rick, smile, like we said.
“Mate, your Mum and I have something we need to tell both you and your sister. We thought that seeing as you are the oldest and more mature, we would tell you first. But also, because your little sister might need you to help her understand.” Rick ran his hand along his chin.
“You’re breaking up, aren’t you?” It came out so matter of fact, yet his head was down and his shoulders had slumped. I squeezed him tighter.
“Yes, Nate, we are. We just don’t love each other like a husband and wife should anymore, but we still love each other as friends, and we still love you and Charli just as much as we ever have.”
“Is that because you now love Mr. Clark?” Oh Holy Fuck, he is so tuned in sometimes.
“No, that’s not the reason...But yes, I do love, Mr. Clark.” I kissed the top of his head, and Rick shot me a dirty look. “Rick, he deserves to know the truth, he is obviously mature enough to hear it.” Rick’s eyes widened and I think he thought I was going to tell Nate about Claire, I shook my head as if to say ‘good on you, as if I would do that’. “Nate, your Dad and I stopped loving each other years ago, it’s just taken us a long time to realise it and move on.”
“So, what does that mean?”
“It means that you will now have two homes, and you can choose when you want to stay at either of them.”
“Are you going to live in that big apartment with Mr. Clark?”
“Sweetheart, you can call him Bryce, and yes, eventually I will, but not straight away. We can go and have sleepovers a few times a week until you decide you want to stay there more often.” He didn’t say anything and shrugged his shoulders. Charli called out to Rick, so he left the room to see what she wanted. As soon as the door closed, Nate looked up at me.
“Mum, why don’t you love Dad like a husband anymore?” He searched my face for a truth he knew was there but was not being given to him. I knew that if I didn’t give him just a part of it, he would feel hurt, and I didn’t want him to feel any more hurt than what he was feeling at that moment.
“Nate, sometimes husbands and wives do things that hurt each other, and when they do hurt each other it’s hard to forgive them and love them as much as you used to.”
“Did Dad do something to hurt you.”
He was going to find out soon enough, so I guess preparing him just a little would not hurt. “Yes. he did, darling. A long time ago, but he was sorry and he didn’t mean it. Then, I did something to hurt him back. You see, it’s not good doing things to hurt each other, and that’s why we need to move on.” He nodded and pressed his lips together as if to give me the impression he understood. “Not much is really going to change, Nate. You will still go to the same school every day, you will still go to the footy with Dad. Hey I might still go with you too. Someone has to cheer the Mighty Bombers on louder than Charli, don’t they?”
“I don’t think you are louder than Charli.”
“I can be.” He smiled. “Do you have anything else you want to ask me?”
“Are you going to marry Mr. Cl...I mean Bryce one day?”
“Maybe, but that’s a long way off. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“I’m not worried about that, Mum, I was just wondering.” I gave him a huge hug; he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tightly.
“I love you, my little man.”
“I’m not little.”
“No, you’re not, and you know what? You’ve just proven that. Maybe I should call you my ‘big man’ or my ‘incredibly brave mature man’?” he rolled his eyes. “Can you do me a favour?”
“Yeah?”
“Help Charli understand if she needs it. I have a feeling it might be hard for her.”
“Yeah, I know, Mum.”
***
We sat Charli down after dinner and explained it to her. Of course she didn’t understand how Rick and I didn’t love each other like that anymore. She cried when I said I would not live here eventually, because she thought she would have to leave all of her things behind. Nate had cuddled her and said that she would now have two lots of everything, which brightened her eyes. He also told her she could have a pony, which made me nearly pass out. I had to explain that ‘no, she could not have a pony, unless it had the words ‘my little’ in front of it, was approximately ten centimetres high, purple and smelled like grapes.
When I tucked Charli into bed that night, she begged me to love Daddy again. It destroyed me internally because it was just something I could not do, not in the way she wanted me to, anyway. I told her that everything was going to be okay, although, I knew it wouldn’t be for her, not for a long time, especially after RJ was introduced. I decided I would call Claire when Rick was in the shower and tell her that the time wasn’t right to tell Rick at the moment. I dialled the number Lucy gave me.
“Hello.”
“Claire, it’s Alexis.”
“Oh. Hi.”
“Listen, I think we should wait to tell Rick.”
“You’ve decided you don’t want to help me, haven’t you?”
“No. It’s not that at all. I just don’t think it’s the right time to tell him. A lot is happening at the moment, and we need to sort it out first, before he is told about RJ.”
“Yeah, I get it. It’s been five years. What’s a few more months?”
“Claire, you were the one who wanted to keep it from him, remember? Look, just let us sort out what we have to first, then I’ll ring you. Probably in a few weeks.”
“I have a feeling you might not ring me.”
“Claire, I promise you when I’ve settled my children into this new chapter of their lives, I will help you tell Rick about RJ. I said I’d help, even though it killed me to say that, and I’m true to my word. So, I’ll help. Just sit tight for now, please. The least you can do for me is wait a little longer.”
“Okay, Alexis. I’ll wait until I hear from you.”
I hung up the phone then sunk on the bed. Fuck, my head just cannot take anymore.
“Alexis?” Rick was at my door. “Who’s RJ?” Oh, shit!
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
If there was ever a time I wanted the earth to just open up and swallow me whole, it would have been then. The crazy emotional series of weeks that have led me to that point could have been a top rated episode on Jerry Springer. Jerry, Jerry, Jerry, thank you, thank you, today on the show we are talking to Alexis. She has been told by her husband that he’s had an affair. Ooooooo. So, she went and fell in love with a billionaire, only to find out that her husband lied. Oooooooo, I know. But Alexis found out it wasn’t a lie, and today she has brought him here to the show to tell him that the woman he had an affair with has a five-year-old son to him. Jerry, Jerry, Jerry.
“Alexis?”
“Yes.”
“Who is RJ, and why were you talking to Claire?” He took a few steps closer, looking like he was ready to lose his shit at me.
“Sit down, Rick.” He ignored me, so I said it again, harshly. “Sit down, Rick.” This time he did. “Now, before I even start with who RJ is, you need to understand I only found out myself on Monday. I wanted to wait a few days to tell you, only because so much has happened in the last few days let alone in the past few weeks. I thought it was best to let things settle a bit before this particular shit hit the fan again.”
“Alexis, who that fuck is RJ?”
“RJ, is Rick Junior. He’s yours and Claire’s five-year-old son.” I watched the colour completely drain from his face until he was practically transparent. His mouth
was agape, and any fight or fury he had in him had completely vanished, what was left was a man who’s entire inner core had been torn from him and only an empty shell was left. I touched his hand which was limp on his lap. He slowly met my gaze with his own, and his eyes filled with tears. “Claire found out she was pregnant shortly after you told her you had made a mistake and she wanted to end it. She didn’t want to cause any more trouble than she already had, so she decided to raise him on her own.”
“How?”
“How what, Rick?”
“How did you find out?”
“Lucy.”
“Oh.” He didn’t question how Lucy found out; he just accepted it and dropped his head back down.
“I’ve met him, Rick.” His eyes darted back up to mine. He looked so confused, it was heartbreaking. “He looks just like you, he has your eyes.”
“My eyes?” I could see the colour return to his face with a red flush of anger as the realisation of what he had missed started to sink in. “I have a five-year-old son, who has my eyes?” He stood up and punched the wall, leaving a mighty big hole in the plaster and bloody cuts on his knuckles. “Fuck!” He stormed out of the room and grabbed his car keys.
“No, Rick.” I ran after him and snatched them back. I pushed him outside to the pergola area. “Shit, I know this is a terrible shock, trust me I know, but there is no use in driving to Claire’s and hurling anger at her in front of your son. You need to calm down. Sit, I’ll get you a drink and some ice for that hand.” I walked back inside, my heart pumping in my chest. I fixed him a bourbon and Coke and grabbed some ice and a tea towel for his hand. I went to sit down when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and there was a text from Bryce.
How did it go with kids?
I miss u like fucking crazy xo - Bryce
“Excuse me, Rick I won’t be a second.” I walked back inside and typed a response.
Hey, I miss u 2. But now is not a good time.
Rick found out bout RJ, trying to explain it to him xo - Alexis
Do u need me 2 come over there, I’ll take the chopper. - Bryce
Oh Fuck no.
No, thank u. I’ve got this. It’s fine.
I’ll ring you later. I love u xo - Alexis
Ok, but if u do, just let me know.
I love u more xo - Bryce
I walked back outside. Rick didn’t ask who the text was from, but he knew, I could see it in his face. He had wrapped his fist in the ice and tea towel, so I walked over to take a look.
“Give me your hand.” He offered it to me, so I unfolded the towel to look at his knuckles. They were cut, but nothing that a bit of ice, pain killer medication, and rest wouldn’t fix. “Lucky for you, the wall came out second best.” I sat back down. “Rick, I understand you are angry, but from what Claire explained to me the other day, she was young, scared, and ashamed of what she did, and she did not want to ruin our family. That’s why she chose not to tell you. Listen, I am not making excuses for her, trust me that’s the last thing I would do. But you have to put that little boy first. He is innocent in all of this and does not deserve his father, a father he has never known, going over there and yelling at his mother. You need to keep calm around him, Rick.”
“I know, Alexis, I’m not stupid.”
I raised my eyebrows at him. Yeah, well I beg to differ. If you weren’t stupid we would not be sitting here having this conversation.
“If I were you, which I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be, I would drink that drink slowly, then give Claire a call and speak with her calmly.” I’m going to have a bath. “Are you good?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“Good.” The camera pans up close to Jerry Springer’s face, ‘take care of yourselves, aaaannd each other’.
***
Rick had decided to call Claire the next day, and they arranged to meet for coffee that morning which apparently had gone well as Rick was now set to meet RJ for the first time the next day. I decided that seeing as Rick was about to meet his son for the first time, I would give him the space, and have the kids stay with me at the apartment that evening.
I’m not sure who was more nervous about the whole sleepover though, because when I had rang Bryce that afternoon, he had been asking all sorts of questions like, ‘what’s their favourite food?’, and ‘what Wii games does Nate like?’, ‘does Charli need any specific ‘girly’ type accessories?’. I had laughed at him and asked if his ‘creepy research’ abilities had diminished, then hoped he hadn’t taken it literally because he said he would be calling Lucy after he hung up. He better not have!
***
Nate seemed quite calm about the idea, although I could tell he was a little nervous as he had been fidgeting in the front seat of the car. Charli had been asking questions the whole drive, wanting to know everything about the apartment, like where was the toilet, where would she be sleeping, and where would I be sleeping. I seemed to be the only one who was relaxed and looking forward to it, I knew the kids would love it there and it was all about to start right now.
“Nate, I have a little surprise for you.”
“What?”
“Well, when I turn this corner and pull into Bryce’s private garage, you are going to have a fit. Are you ready?” He looked at me anxiously, half expecting something to fall from the sky and land on his head, but also half expecting the fallen object to be something amazing. I turned the corner, and as I expected, Nate went into awed nine-year-old boy mode, pressing up against the window of the car as we drove past Bryce’s extensive car collection.
“Sick! This Sick! Totally the Sickest!” he babbled.
“Wow, they are so pretty. Lots of different colours like a rainbow.” Charli was also pressed up against the window. I parked the Charger and Nate was out of the car like a rocket.
“Don’t touch!” I yelled out after him.
“Of course he can touch.” Bryce had been waiting for us in the garage, and if my eyes didn’t deceive me, I would definitely say he was as nervous as hell. “Hi Charli, how are you?”
“I’m good and bad.” At least she’s being honest, good girl Charli bear. She looked at me and I gave her a reassuring smile. “I like your cars. They remind me of a rainbow.”
“Do you like rainbows?” Bryce quickly asked. Oh God, what’s he going to do, try and buy her a freaking rainbow?
“Yes, they are my favourite. Mum, can I go and have a look at the gold one?”
“Yes, just be careful.” She ran off.
“So, Mr. Clark, how are you coping?”
“Coping? I’m coping just fine, Ms. Summers.” He lowered his voice. “Although, I desperately want to taste those lips of yours right now.” We had discussed no public displays of affection in front of the kids during their first visit. I didn’t want to upset them, and I believed baby steps were the key.
“You’re just going to have to control yourself, Mr. Clark.”
He groaned and grabbed Nate and Charlie’s little suitcases from the car.
“Awww, Sick! I love this one!” Nate had stopped at the McLaren alongside Charli.
“We can go for a ride in it, if you like?” Bryce was quick to offer.
“Yeah?”
“Let’s go up to the apartment first. Then we’ll talk about joyrides, Okay.” I said firmly, before the three of them went driving around town.
We all stepped into the elevator and headed directly to the apartment. Bryce stopped us on the 2nd floor of the private residence. I stepped out after him curious as to why we would stop on level two first.
“Now, I didn’t know where you would want to sleep. So I organised a few different options for you.” He opened a bedroom door. Inside was a room decked out in greys, red and blacks, with a single bed and desk. There were signed pictures of the Essendon Football Team on the wall, together with a large mounted TV. My eyes nearly bulged out of my head.
“Sick! I bags this room.” Bags? Is this his new word of the month?
/> “What the hell is ‘bags’?” I asked my son.
He rolled his eyes at my apparent lack of modern-day lingo. “It means I’m having it, you know...” No, I don’t know, obviously. Nate walked in and flopped on the bed, then shot back up and scrutinized one of the pictures. “Hey, Mum, this Bombers picture is signed and it has my name on it.” I walked into the room to take a closer inspection of the picture, and sure enough it was personally signed for Nate. I turned back round with my mouth wide open. Bryce just shrugged his shoulders.
“You didn’t tell me your football team was the ‘Bombers’.” I said with a smile on my face.
“I don’t.” Bryce said as he smirked and crossed his arms.
“Oh, well what team do you support?” I asked inquisitively “Please don’t say Collingwood, I think I will have to leave if you say Collingwood.”
He laughed. “The Cats, I support the Cats.”
I looked at Nate, then to Charli. “What do we think of that?”
“It’s better than Collingwood or Carlton, Mum.” Nate said in Bryce’s defence.
Charli turned to Bryce and gave him the thumbs down, and he laughed. We walked out of the room and made our way down the hallway.
“When did you organise this?” I asked him in a quiet tone.
“Yesterday, and last night.”
“You are amazing, Mr. Clark.” I quickly pinched him on the arse, before he opened the next door.
“Charli, if you’d like, you can sleep in here, or with your Mum. It’s up to you.” He opened the door for her, and we were hit with what could only be described a princess’s paradise, a princess who was obsessed with 4Life. That reminds me, the video Bryce recorded for her, and the napkin!
She screamed. “Mum, there is 4Life stuff everywhere and it has my name on it.”
“No way!” chimed in Nate.
“That’s not all, Charli. I’ve got a surprise for you.” Bryce switched on the TV which like in Nate’s room, was mounted to the wall. Instantly the scene from backstage at the Tel V Awards came up on the screen. Oh, shit! Quick! Record it, Alexis.
Satisfaction (The Temptation Series #2) Page 31