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Still, Mari stares at me.
“Okay, I get it. But the divorce is over now. Done. Kaput. So why are you still hiding Harmon?”
I sigh again, my shoulders slumping.
“Because the divorceisn’tover,” I say in a low voice. “We haven’t signed the papers yet.”
Mari stares at me with disbelief in her eyes.
“It’s beenyears! Are you kidding me? Jeanette is still stringing you along?”
I shrug, looking down at the table.
“Yeah. These things can take years to resolve, and as you know, I’m a wealthy man so there are a lot of assets in play. We’ve been negotiating on and off for a while now, but I think we’ve finally found terms that will work for both of us.”
Mari is still taken aback.
“So the entire time I was living in your house, you were in the process of divorcing Jeanette. You and my mom arenotactually divorced yet. In fact, at this very moment, you are separated but still not divorced.”
“That’s right,” I affirm in a low voice. “But like I said, we’re almost at the finish line. I expect that we’ll wrap things up in a month or two, God willing.”
Mari’s mouth snaps shut as she stares at me with betrayal in her eyes. My heart sinks because this situation is the opposite of what I’d hoped for. In my heart of hearts, I was hoping that somehow, I could reveal the situation in a graceful way, and that it wouldn’t come as a shock out of the blue. But again, we don’t always get to choose the time and setting for how life unfolds, and clearly, this situation has gotten away from me.
“But why didn’t you tell me?” the curvy brunette asks again, her lips trembling now. “Why did you hide Harmon from me?”
I shrug helplessly.
“Again, it was the divorce. That, and the fact that Ines moved Harmon out of state for a while. They went to live in Montana for a couple years, but I finally convinced them to return, and now I’m going to see Harmon on weekends. My son needs a father,” I add in a low tone. “And I’m ready to be one.”
Mari merely blinks because this is not what she expected. The curvy girl looks as if she’s been doused in a bucket of cold water, and I don’t blame her. After all, she’s a sassy college co-ed carrying on a sordid affair with her stepfather. But the truth is that men in their 40’s often have baggage, and I’m no exception.
“Please, Mari,” I state in a low tone. “I know this has come as a surprise, and I don’t expect you to understand.”
“But youwantme to understand, don’t you?”
I shrug helplessly.
“I do,” I acknowledge in a rumble. “Would that be so terrible, sweetheart? If I were a single dad?”
She narrows her eyes at me, her brown eyes suspicious.
“Being a single dad is fine, Harris,” she says. “But lying to me about it for years? Even if was by omission? And for what purpose? Maybe you could have gotten abetterdivorce settlement if you’d revealed that you have a child to support.”
“Trust me, that’s occurred to me,” I say in a dry tone. “As the years dragged on, that thought has definitely crossed my mind. But I don’t want this to be a problem between us,” I say. “I want us to keep pursuing what we’ve begun.”
Mari stares at me.
“Yeah, but now you’re a father,” she says. “That changes everything.”
“I am a parent,” I agree in a calm tone. “But I’ve been a parent almost since the moment I met you. I didn’t tell you, Mari, in part because you were a child yourself when Harmon was born. I didn’t want to drag you into the painful divorce process, nor subject you to the depression and melancholy that I was suffering. You deserve better than that.”
The pretty brunette fixes me with a look.
“Do I? Well, it definitely doesn’t feel like it given all the secrecy.”
I look down at my feet, realizing that defeat is on the horizon.
“Yes, I know,” is my low tone. “It’s fine, honey. You’re young, and I get it if you don’t understand.”
