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I had rushed to wear the skimpiest bikini I owned and then hurried next door. Brad’s eyes had followed hungrily as I entered the pool, and he followed me in shortly after. We had proceeded to make out like horny teenagers. That was the craziest place Brad and I had fucked. The pool. In broad daylight, but of course, there had been no one to see us. My pussy twitches at the memory.
“Brad tells me you were married before?” Mrs. Bennet says, jerking me back to the present.
Her question feels like cold water has been poured over me. Divorce is not something that a person ever wants to talk about. It’s an admission of failure. It’s saying that you failed at something whereas so many other people excel.
“Yes,” I say in a flat voice. “His name is Clay. He was a bully, and I desperately wanted to be loved.”
“I know what you mean,” Mrs. Bennet says. “I was married before I met Brad’s father. He was a bully as well, and like you, I really just wanted a family to love me. Looking back now, it doesn’t seem like me. I don’t understand how I let him lie to me for so long.”
I stare at her in surprise but recover soon. I touch her arm. “Now I know that such people are very good at what they do. They charm you in one moment and then bully you in the next.”
“I’m glad you and my son have found each other,” she says.
For a second, I think my ears must be deceiving me, and then she continues talking.
“It’s taken me a while to admit that Brad and Brenda were never happy together. I didn’t want to admit that my son had an unhappy marriage.”
I think over my next words carefully. “I suppose no parent wants to see their child unhappy.”
She sighs heavily. “I did more than shut my eyes to what was going on. I believed Brenda over my own son. Even over my own eyes. I believed her when she accused Brad of neglecting her.”
“Have you told Brad any of this?” I ask gently. It seems to me that mother and son need to have a serious heart to heart.
She shakes her head. “I’m frightened of losing him again.”
“You won’t. He loves you too much.”
She turns her gaze to me. Her eyes are wet with tears. “Thank you for saying that. I’ll leave you now to continue working on those masterpieces. I can’t wait for Brad and Isaac to see them.”
“Me too,” I say happily.
She contemplates me for a few seconds without saying a word until I become fidgety.
“I’m glad my son found you,” she finally says. “I’ve never seen him so happy. You’re just perfect for him.”
The guilt comes then. Bucketfuls of it. It washes over me and renders me unable to speak. Mrs. Bennet is just a mother who wants to protect her son and grandson. She doesn’t deserve to be lied to. What will happen when the custody case is over, and Brad and I divorce?
It’ll break her heart to think that her son can never find happiness with a woman. I hate to imagine what that will do to her. I wrestle with myself. Brad will help her recover. She’ll get over it. But I can’t push away the guilt. I can’t live with myself knowing an innocent person will be hurt by our fake marriage.
I inhale deeply and turn to her. “Mrs. Bennet, there’s something I need to tell you.” My voice is shaky.
“Yes dear?” she says.
I brace myself by closing my eyes for a few seconds. When I open them, I can’t look into her eyes. Shame washes over me. Suddenly the decision, which had seemed so smart, now seems so evil.
“Brad and I are not genuinely married. We got married to give Brad a chance at keeping Isaac with him.” I drop my head and stare at the ground.
The silence between us stretches on. My breath comes out haltingly. I can’t bear to see the disgust in her face. A finger touches my chin and lifts up my face so that I’m looking into her eyes. I see compassion and understanding instead of the condemnation I expected. I inhale sharply.
“I don’t care what you call it. All I know is what I see. And I have never seen two people more in love with each other,” she says. She smiles, drops her finger from my chin, and leaves the room.
Brad and I in love with each other? The words keep playing in my mind. I desperately wish it was true. I know Brad is attracted to me. Okay, more than attracted to me, and the feeling is mutual. I know that when Brad sees me, all the blood in his body goes south. But attraction is not equal to love. On my part, I can’t deny my feelings for him. I’m in love with Brad Bennet. He makes me happy. I love his son like he was my very own.
