“No one said I was perfect—”
“Of course you’re not. If you were, maybe your husband wouldn’t have been fucking his paralegal.”
Admittedly, the first time she brought up Andrew’s infidelity, it stung a little. Being reminded I wasn’t enough for him was a slap in the face. But this time, her words fall flat. Valerie is lashing out. And the only ammunition she has against me is Andrew. If she really wanted a reason to be angry, I could tell her how her ex-husband is eating me off the bone every chance he gets. But I won’t stoop to her level or allow her to upset me.
Mitch moves around me to face off with his ex-wife. “I won’t even comment on that bullshit you just said because it has shit to do with what’s going on. I’m keeping Jacob with me for a while. When he comes back, that motherfucker better be long gone.” He points down to the unconscious man lying on the floor.
A man who should really probably be taken to the hospital.
“I’m giving you a pass because you’re his mother. But let me explain something to you. If you can’t protect my son, I’ll take him from you.”
Whew! It’s just something about seeing a man stand up and protect his child that gets to me. I swear it’s probably for the best Mitch and I didn’t get together when we were younger. I’d probably have a busload of kids for this man. We’d have our own TLC special.
“Don’t you ever—”
The way he steps up to Valerie so quickly, I gasp.
“Mitchell?” I warn. I knew he wouldn’t hit her, but I wasn’t sure he wouldn’t jack her ass up.
Even Valerie looked scared.
“I let you get away with a lot because I’m the one who picked your ass to have a child with. But don’t test me here. I have the money and the means to take you to court for years, and it would never put a fucking dent in my pockets. And if I thought I’d lose, I promise you, they’d never find your gotdamn body.”
Valerie swallows and takes a step back. Hell, even I step back.
“Let’s go, Ella.” Mitch turns and walks out of the home just as fast as he walked into it.
I turn to follow but stop when Valerie speaks,
“You won’t keep him.”
“Excuse me?” I turn to face her.
“You don’t think I see the way you look at him,” she sneers. “Mitch has a knack for wanting things he didn’t think he could have. Like the sexy server at the bar all the men wanted but couldn’t have, or his best friend’s ex-wife. But let me warn you, Ella Marie. The moment the newness wears off, and the fun is over, he pulls away. Leaving you so emotionally lonely, you’d rather he cheated. Instead, he’ll leave you in limbo until you will do anything to get some kind of reaction from him. Enjoy his interest while it lasts.”
The stuff she said about Andrew and Kiely rolled off my back effortlessly, but this one settles. It hits me so hard that my chesthurts. I try to remind myself she’s speaking from a place of anger and hate, but for some reason those words won’t seem to quiet.
“Ella?” Mitch reappears at the door.
Finally, I turn away from Valerie and head to the truck. However, for the entire ride home and all that night, I thought of Valerie’s words. Even at 2 am, when Mitch is pushing into me so deep and hungrily from behind that I can feel him in my stomach. Her warning remains.
Poker
Chapter Twenty-One
Mitchell
Standing at the side door that leads to the basement at Devon’s house, I think about taking my ass back home. Something in my stomach is telling me I shouldn't be here. But he was right that day on the phone. I owe him after having that dentist's car towed. Plus, I needed something to take my mind off James.
It’s been two weeks since the day I almost killed him. Valerie has called multiple times, assuring me that James is out of herhouse and out of her life. I still haven’t sent Jacob back to her yet. I don’t trust her with my son anymore.
Ringing the doorbell, I sit back and wait for it to swing open. It takes only seconds before Devon is there to greet me.
“Damn, I thought for a minute you were going to stand me up,” he jokes.
Devon and I were around the same height, but he was about fifty pounds lighter than me. Considering he was a running back in college, he was always smaller than me.
Holding up the brown paper bag with our favorite bourbon inside, I smiled.
