Mila is delighted. “This is lovely. Thank you.”
“Do you need help hanging your clothes?” I say, not that I know much about hanging women’s delicate dresses.
Mila laughs, knowing it’s a polite offer. “No thanks. Go and make us a cup of coffee. I’ll join you shortly.”
When I’m in the hallway, I look at the time. A whole other hour to go.
Chapter 19
Brad
I’m out the door before Brenda brings the car to a complete stop. I stride to the car just as Isaac opens the back door. He runs to me. We cling to each other. Emotions flood my chest as I hold my boy. It feels so good to have him back home. I inspect him without being obvious about it. “Did you have a good time?”
Isaac looks up. He’s all smiles, and that makes me happy. “Yes! We went to the park and fed the ducks. And then we went for ice cream.”
“I’m glad you had fun,” I tell him.
He turns. “Bye, Mom.” And then runs to the house.
I expect Brenda to say goodbye and go. Instead, she kills the engine and gets out. I see her face then. Her eyes are bulging out of her face, and she’s shaking slightly. She plants her legs apart and crosses her arms over her chest. “How dare you? Isaac told me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tell her, not overly concerned. My only worry was Isaac, and now that he’s back home, nothing else worries me.
Brenda sees this, and it seems to ignite her anger further. “You married his fucking nanny, Brad. I didn’t know you could stoop so low.”
“What’s wrong with that?” I ask her perplexed. “Mila and I fell in love.”
“Bullshit!” she shouts. “What do you take me for? A fool? I know you married her for the custody case.”
“I really don’t care what you think, Brenda.”
“Maybe not, but the judge will care. You’ve made a huge mistake. A fake marriage so you can win custody? Really, Brad?”
I glare at her. “It took a stranger for you to see your mistakes as a mother. I didn’t need to be told. I know all my mistakes, and the biggest one was marrying you.”
She steps forward and quick as a flash, she slaps my cheek. “They will all know about this. You wait and see. You’ve just signed Isaac away with that stupid move.”
Her threats don’t bother me. My own lawyer is well versed in custody cases, and he tells me that my chances of keeping Isaac are a lot better now. Brenda is just angry that I have one over her. She stalks back to her car. The engine roars to life, and the tires screech as she drives off. Sadness envelopes me when the car disappears.
Brenda and I have been reduced to this. Fighting over a son we both love. And she’s right. I got fake-married to increase my chances of keeping him. Not that I regret marrying Mila. She’s beautiful and kind and easy to be with. But neither of us was looking for a long-term relationship. I don’t want to think about how this whole thing will end up.
I trudge back to the house and find Mila and Isaac in the kitchen. Mila is cooking, and Isaac is at the table coloring. Mila shoots me a worried glance, and I smile to reassure her.
Later, after dinner and Isaac has gone to bed, I tell Mila about it. She looks worried.
“What if she does have a point?” Mila asks as she sits next to me in front of the television.
I shrug. “We’ll have to wait and see. Anyway, all Brenda has is accusations. No one can prove that our marriage is fake. Hell, I even have a hard time believing that myself.” We lean into each other and watch the evening news.
“Let’s go to bed, wifey,” I tell her half an hour later.
I’m beat, and my emotions feel as if they’ve been put through a washing machine. Mila goes into the bathroom first, and when she’s done, I take my turn. Afterward, I strip down until I’m stark naked, and then I get in bed.
“So, you sleep naked?” Mila asks.
“Most of the time,” I tell her. “What about you?”
“In a nightshirt, but I can try your way too. It’s a bit hot,” she says, and I feed my eyes on her as she removes her clothes.
She gets in bed; I switch off the bedside light and hold her close. We don’t make love and fall asleep holding each other tight.
Sometime in the night, I wake up to a soft body and immediately start caressing Mila. She moans softly and flips to her back, an invitation if I ever saw one. I suck on her tits, and with the other hand, I tease her pussy until she’s dripping wetness.