by Mia Madison
I backed away, horrified, but Lydia advanced. “All those people tonight. My old friends. Some of them were people I hadn’t seen in years. And what will they remember tonight? Not that I have my own career now. Not that I look good for my age. Just that my ex-husband dumped me and is showing off his big-breasted… groupie.”
I straightened up, adrenaline suddenly coursing through me. “You’re drunk. I’m no threat to you, and neither is Ian. You both love your son, so that makes you on the same team. On the same side. I’m with Ian, and I’m not your enemy. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to my date.”
Trying not to show how much I was trembling, I swept past her to the door. But before I could open it, she spoke again.
“I’ll take Cole.”
She’d spoken so softly I’d barely heard her. “What?”
“I’ll take him. I’ve been offered a job in Riverside—three hours from here. I’ll get custody and we’ll leave. Ian will only be able to see him on the odd weekends and the summers.”
I turned to face her, stunned. “You can’t do that. You know he’s a good father. You know how much Cole loves him.”
“I’m not doing it, you are.”
“Me?”
“Yes.” Lydia advanced on me, and now her gait was steady. “I’m not facing this kind of humiliation among my peers again. Break up with Ian, and I’ll stay.”
Panic set in. “Please… please don’t do this to us. I—I won’t attend anything else like this again. You won’t have to see me after this. But don’t split us up. Please, it would break my heart.”
“They’re not yours. They never were. Cole is my son, and I know what’s best for him. And Ian—well, sad to say, he’s always had a taste for trashy women like yourself. Watch him sometime when you’re out together. A woman with a big chest walks by and his jaw drops to the ground. You’re his current infatuation, but it won’t last.”
Taking a deep breath, I tried to center myself. She was just a hateful woman saying hateful things. It was hard, but I set aside what she was saying to me. The only person whose opinion mattered was Ian.
Ian.
If Lydia took Cole away from him, he’d be devastated. “He’ll sue for full custody,” I informed Lydia. “You know he will.”
“Let him. Do you really think a judge will side with him? I’ve got a good job lined up in Riverside. A career. Ian’s been goofing off, playing handyman at that apartment complex. That’s not a career—it’s a hobby. No judge is going to side with him.”
“Yes, they will,” I said, my voice shaky even to my own ears. “The judge will see how good Ian is with Cole. And I’ll tell him about all the horrible things you’ve said to me tonight. How you’re going to take a son away from a loving father for spite.”
“Try it, dear.” Lydia’s smile was nasty. “Try it and see how far you get. Oh, and I hope you and Ian know a good lawyer. By the way, did Ian ever tell you what my new career is?”
“No.” Why on earth did she think I cared?
“I manage a law office. I’m surrounded every day by some of the best lawyers in the state. So you can give up that fantasy of Ian suing for custody. He wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Lydia stormed toward me, and I stepped aside, devastated. As she passed by, she fired her parting shot. “One week, dear. Break up with him in one week or I’ll start making arrangements for the move.”
Nikki
Two days later, I was still trying to figure out what to do. Besides cry. I was doing a lot of that. After Lydia had dropped that bombshell on me Friday night, I’d eventually made my way back to the table. Ian had seen how devastated I looked, so I lied and told him I’d gotten sick from drinking too much champagne.
If only that were the case. The situation was pretty messed up when a hangover was a better option than reality.
I knew Ian had been disappointed that we didn’t spend the night together, but he’d been a perfect gentleman, seeing me back to my apartment, even offering to stay until I was ready for bed. But I’d turned him down, wanting to get him out of there as soon as possible so I could think.
But there didn’t seem to be anything I could do. I wouldn’t let that evil witch take Cole away from his father. Losing me would be hard on Ian, too. I trusted in our relationship enough to know that. But it wouldn’t be anywhere near as hard as having his son taken away from him. Cole was the most important thing in Ian’s life. I couldn’t let them be separated. Not because of me.
From time to time, I wondered if Lydia had really meant it. She’s sounded like she did, but maybe it was the champagne. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but I still didn’t see how a woman like that, a beautiful, polished career woman could be threatened by me. I worked at a front desk in an apartment complex. And at the world’s least busy general store. Except for that dress, my wardrobe consisted of shorts and t-shirts. I wasn’t a threat to her. Ian and I being together wasn’t a personal affront to her. I wished she would see that.
On Tuesday, though, even those hopes were dashed. Barb kept me busy since it was time for residents to renew their leases. Consequently, I hadn’t gotten to spend any time with Cole or Ian after I finished my shift at Morgan’s. I’d seen them out there, though, playing catch. Practicing back handsprings and some new gymnastics trick I didn’t know the name of.
It was getting dark when the door opened and I looked up.
Lydia.
“Good evening, my dear. Glad to see that you found something to wear that your breasts aren’t spilling out of.”
I flushed. “Get out.”
“Manners!” she exclaimed. “Clearly, my husband’s not with you because of your winning personality.”
“Ex-husband.”
“Yes.” Lydia nodded. “And he’ll be an ex-father, too, unless you break up with him by Friday. Everything’s all arranged. My law firm has a branch out in Riverside and they’re more than happy to have me there. And hey, I’ll be generous. No matter what the revised custody agreement says, I’ll let Ian come visit for Cole’s birthday. Or Father’s Day. One or the other—but not both.”
My resolve disintegrated. “Please don’t do this.”
“I’m not doing this, you are. I don’t care to talk with you any further about this, but I wanted to make sure you understood the consequences. Look at them out there.” She turned to the window and I followed her gaze. It was pretty dark out, but I could make out the silhouette of Ian standing in front of the glittering lake. I couldn’t see Cole, though—maybe he was sitting on one of the benches?
“Three days.”
She swept out of the office and into the night.
I finished my shift. Somehow I did. I even stayed late, knowing that Ian was waiting for me outside. We always ended the evening like that, holding hands. Sitting by the water. Kissing. Touching. Loving each other.
But not tonight.
When I’d done everything I could possibly do to help Barb out, I cleaned up the desk area. Found my purse. Shut off the lights and locked up.
And then I walked slowly toward the lake. Toward the amazing man who waited for me there. A man who loved me—I was sure of it. But he loved his son more as he should. He’d be devastated to lose Cole.
He sensed me as I neared, reaching his hand out to me. Pulling me close, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. For a while, I stood there next to him, resting my head on his chest. Taking comfort in being in his arms.
But love meant putting the other person’s well-being first.
I sighed.
“We need to talk.”
Ian
“She broke up with me,” I said when Barb suddenly appeared at my side.
“I know.”
“How’d you find me?” I was in a pub that reminded me of the ones when I’d been stationed in Europe. An anonymous place where a guy could go to get plastered. Except if Barb was here, it wasn’t very anonymous after all.
“Mr. Jones from Building 3 mentioned that he’
d seen you here a few evenings this week. He also said something about you playing darts with the bartender with the promise that if you won, he wouldn’t cut you off.” Barb leaned over and sniffed at me before recoiling and fanning the air between us. “Evidently you won.”
I had—but I wasn’t drunk. Well… not completely drunk. Just fucking miserable. “She said it wasn’t right for her. That she wasn’t ready for a serious relationship—especially not with a single dad.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“I know. She knew that I was a single dad when she met me.”
“No, I mean it’s bullshit as in untrue. She loves Cole.”
“I thought she did.”
“She did. Does. She quit yesterday.”
I blinked at Barb until the two images of her melded into one. “She did? Why?”
“I guess so she doesn’t have to run into you or Cole.”
“She was too good for that job.”
“Thanks a lot, pal.” Barb didn’t sound seriously offended though. Especially not when the bartender arrived with the drink I’d ordered for her.
“No, I just meant the front desk part. You should’ve given her more responsibility.”
“That was the position that was open,” Barb protested.
“And she never should’ve been at that other place. That fucking fire hazard disguised as a store. And that gym. She’s better than all that. She’s too good for this world.”
“Jesus, Ian, she broke up with you, she didn’t die.”
“She’s in a better place.”
“A cluttered store and a crappy gym?”
“It doesn’t have to be crappy,” I said, momentarily losing sight of the bigger picture. “If they’d just replace the machines that are falling apart. And hire someone who knows what they’re doing. Hell, they’ve got all the space in the back. They could build one of those special gyms with all those cool obstacles. Like on TV. A special gym for those—those—what are they called? Those little guys who sneak around.”
Barb set down her drink and stared at me. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You know. They’re tiny and they wear black and they sneak around and throw stars at people.”
“Ninjas?”
“Yes!”
“Why the hell are you talking about ninjas?”
I drained my beer and thought about it for a moment. “I have no fucking clue.”
“Jesus,” she said again, throwing her arm around my shoulder. “You need to get your shit together. It’s been less than a week and you’ve already become the town drunk. Get yourself together, man. You have a son. You have a future. There’ll be other girls.”
But there wouldn’t be. Not like Nikki. Even in my inebriated state, that was the one thing I was sure of.
The next day, I had one hell of a hangover. So much for my mistaken notion that I hadn’t been completely drunk yesterday. But I had to keep it together—at least until after dark. Cole was coming over today. He’d caught a cold and hadn’t gone to school the last few days. I’d offered to take care of him, but Lydia had refused. Which, given the state I’d been in last night, was probably a good thing.
But he’d be here this afternoon, and if he was feeling up to it, I was going to help him with his pitching. So far, he was proving to have a fairly good arm for a kid his age.
When he arrived, though, he seemed pretty tired. And down. So we holed up by the pool, sitting on deck chairs. It was a little too cold for swimming, so we were mostly undisturbed.
Cole read one of his school books, and I nodded off a time or two—further proof that I shouldn’t have let myself get so soused last night.
After an hour, I suggested we go out for pizza, but Cole said he wasn’t hungry. That was strange, but he was probably still recovering from being sick.
Instead, I got us some sodas and crackers from the vending machine. Cole took his but didn’t open it. Instead, he stared off into space.
Just when I was about to offer to take him home early, he turned to me.
Suddenly, he looked older—or maybe it was just the adult look in his eyes.
“Dad… there’s something I need to tell you. About Nikki… and mom.”
Nikki
It hurt. So much. Knowing that Ian and Cole were so close by but I couldn’t see them. Probably I should’ve moved. Out of sight, out of mind, right? But there was no way I’d forget either of them—ever.
Besides, I’d barely been able to afford this place. Now that I wasn’t working at the front desk, I wasn’t sure I could afford it anymore.
Since breaking up with Ian, I’d thrown myself into my job search, applying for anything that was even remotely related to my business degree. But there were so many applicants for each position. It was the same old story everywhere—they wanted you to have experience. But you couldn’t get experienced without a job. And you couldn’t get a job without experience. Like the chicken and the egg only more frustrating. Stupid poultry.
Barb had come by my place once after I got back from Morgan’s. Asked me about Ian. But I just repeated the lies I’d told him about not being ready for a serious relationship. She hadn’t bought it, though, possibly because I’d been crying when I said it.
That was a week ago, and I hadn’t heard from her since. But maybe she was ready for Round #2, because someone was knocking on my door.
I ignored it. If it was Barb, she’d understand. If it was anyone else, I didn’t want to talk to them. Unless they were selling cookies. I could sure as hell use some thin mints. And those ones with the caramel and cocoanut.
The pounding on the door continued, aggravating the headache I’d had for pretty much a week now. I always got a headache when I cried, and I’d been doing a lot of that.
The knocking on the door stopped, and I was grateful that I didn’t have to deal with whoever it was right now. I could just stay here on my couch, wearing my pajamas and huddling under a blanket, a box of tissues on one side and a bowl of popcorn on the other.
Then the door opened.
“Hey!” My voice came out as a shriek. Was someone breaking in?
Ian stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.
I stared at him for a long moment, trying to figure out if he was real or if I’d thought about him so much that I was hallucinating. Finally, I decided on the former. “That was locked.”
He held up a ring of keys. “I’m the landlord, remember?”
I remembered. But what I hadn’t remembered was how big he was. So tall with such broad shoulders. So much power, yet he could be gentle. He could be kind. Except not now. He probably hated me now. I knew when I broke up with him it would hurt him. But I’d also known that losing Cole would hurt him more.
Ian tossed his keys on my coffee table and kicked off his shoes. Then he sat down beside me, plucking the blanket off me.
“Hey!” I said again. Suddenly I felt cold—at least until he scooped me up in his arms and placed me sideways on his lap. He maneuvered me around until I was resting my head against his shoulder, his arms cradling me. Then he pulled the blanket back over my body.
Throughout it all, I was still. Waiting. Wondering. It felt so damn amazing to be in his arms, but I knew it couldn’t last. If Lydia knew he was here, she’d have Cole in the car heading for Riverside by tomorrow morning. We couldn’t do this. But when I tried to get up, Ian held me in place.
“Shh,” he said, using his most soothing voice. He kissed my forehead. “Everything’s okay now.”
I froze. What did that mean? Did he know what Lydia was planning to do?”
“Just don’t ever do anything like that again.”
I blinked up at him in surprise. What did he mean?
Ian sighed. “Cole overheard Lydia. Last week when she came by the office, he’d come in the back door of the office to put away our gloves. He heard the way that she spoke to you, and the things she said. He told me about it, and I put two and two together. I’m so so
rry. I’m so sorry she put you through that, baby.”
He kissed my cheek this time, but I pulled my head away. “If you know, then you know you shouldn’t be here. She wasn’t kidding, Ian. I don’t know what she used to be like, but she’s turned into a very vindictive woman. And a very determined woman.”
“That she is. Though she wasn’t always like that. Whenever a marriage dissolves, there’s usually blame on both parties.”
“That doesn’t excuse what she did.”
“No, it doesn’t. But she won’t succeed, Nikki.”
I shifted in his arms, trying to pull away. “She will. She’s got this whole thing planned out. She works with all these lawyers, and they’re going to make sure she gets full custody of Cole.”
“I know lawyers, too. Good ones who helped me with my father’s estate while I was abroad. And the situation has changed a little since the night of the charity dinner. Did Lydia tell me how a judge would rule that she was more serious about her career than mine?”
I nodded. “She said this place was a hobby for you.”
“She was right—partly. It was also a way for me to ease back into the civilian world. But now I’m back. I’m acculturated. And I want more.” He held me close against his chest when he said that. “I’m only thirty-eight. That’s too young to retire. So I’ve officially un-retired.”
I blinked up at him. “What do you mean?”
“I bought Lou’s gym. That’s what I’ve been doing these last few days, working with the bank, drawing up the paperwork. It’s mine now. I’m the new owner.”
“Really?” That was definitely a real job. If he spent as much time and energy fixing up that place as I thought he would, no judge could say that it was just hobby.