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"I don’t mind. Do you want to talk about Bella's mom?" I asked, feeling shy for some reason. I wanted to know more about him, his past, his life.
"There isn’t a lot to say. We got married on a whim. We'd been dating for a while, so it wasn't hurried or anything, but looking back, we'd always been far too different to actually be able to last. We were already heading down the divorce lane during our first year of marriage, and then we found out she was pregnant with Bella."
I gasped. "Oh."
"We both decided to try our best, and well, it wasn't enough." He sounded frustrated.
"I'm sorry."
"I was determined to give it my all. I grew up in a huge family, and we’ve always been loyal to each other, and that was very important to me."
"Of course."
"Not to her."
I stilled, folding my hands in my lap. "I'm sorry." I didn't ask for more details, not wanting to rub salt in a wound.
“She thought our life would be attending one party after another. She’s a socialite and somehow expected me to drop work and do the same. When we realized that we truly couldn't save our relationship, I suggested that we simply try our best to be Bella's parents and see if therapy could help. During the first therapy session, she nonchalantly mentioned that she'd been sleeping with someone else. That she'd taken our agreement to mean that we could lead separate private lives. I was shocked. Even the therapist told us there was no point in trying to save our marriage and that it would be in Bella’s best interest if we went our separate ways. I filed for divorce the next day. I started by thinking it would be amicable, but it still took a long time. We're in a much better place now. We don't actually interactmuch, just when I pick up and drop off Bella. We’re civil, but we’ll never be friends."
“Civil is good, Chad.”
He nodded, taking out his phone. “Now, let me order that Uber.”
During the ride, we spoke about the Marigny and several other neighborhoods in New Orleans. Chad’s home was a few blocks away from Frenchmen Street. His house had three stories, and there were no balcony railings, at least on the side facing the street, but I suspected there was something facing the inner courtyard.
"Welcome to my lair," he said, opening the door. He gestured for me to walk in first. I knew this was a defining moment for both of us.
"Thank you for the invitation" was all I said, putting a little extra sway in my hips as I walked in front of Chad. I felt his eyes on me the entire time.
And I liked it.
Chapter Sixteen
Chad
"Your house is gorgeous,” she said as we stepped into the living room. Three out of the four walls had huge sliding floor-to-ceiling glass doors that looked into the garden. “And the yard... I can't believe it. Are those twinkle lights?"
I laughed. "Yes. Bella insists on having them all the way from Thanksgiving until Mardi Gras. Actually, last year, she talked me into leaving them on for even longer. That's why I decided not to go through the trouble of taking them down."
She sighed, looking at them lovingly.
"You want me to turn them on, don't you?" I asked.
"How could you tell?"
"You lit up—pun intended."
She smiled. "They look cute. I've never seen a magnolia tree lit up."
"Say no more.” I took out my phone. Two clicks later, the lights were on.
"A smart home—love it."
"The first thing I told my architect when I bought this place was that I wanted it to be a smart home.”
She smiled dreamily at the tree.
"Do you want a drink?" I asked.
