Chapter 34
Thirty-Four
I fucking hate Florida.
If there’s anything I hate more than the predicament I’m in right now, it’s Florida.
The heat. The sticky humidity. The entitled women sitting at home nursing their daiquiris and having affairs with their pool boys while their husbands fuck their secretaries at work—and yes, I understand the irony of that statement.
I also know the latter can be found anywhere, but it seems to be extra prevalent in the little suburban Boca neighborhood, which is probably why Charlotte feels more at home here than she ever did in Chicago.
Neighbors I’ve never met watch my car creep by slowly while they water their lawns—wondering who the new guy on the block is.
Not new. I just hate it here.
As I park in the driveway, I take in the pristine appearance of the house. The bright cream stucco and red- shingled roof look like they’ve been recently pressure-washed, and the hedges that line the yard are freshly trimmed.
There’s a fluttering of the ivory lace curtains at the front window, and I catch a glimpse of Charlotte’s blonde hair as she pulls away. She greets me at the door with a wary grimace, her eyes darting to the manila envelope under my arm.
“Lawson, this is a surprise. What are you doing here?” None of her usual sarcasm fills her voice. Instead, she almost sounds scared, like she knows exactly what I’m doing here and is afraid of what’s about to happen.
“You gonna let me in?” I ignore her question and press forward, not waiting for her to invite me into the home I pay for. “Where is Rhys?”
“I don’t know,” she lies.
The stale stench of alcohol permeates the house, and the liquor cart in the dining room is stocked to the brim with various bottles and mixers, all of which are nearly empty.
“He’s distraught, and can you blame him? Jesus, Lawson, what were you thinking?”
Huffing a laugh, I turn to face her. Charlotte’s cheeks are gaunt, and hair hangs limp around her face even though it looks clean. There’s a hollowness in her frame like she’s living off drinking and the misery she inflicts upon herself.
She looks like shit, so I tell her as much.
“Fuck you,” she spits, her bright cerulean eyes flickering with hatred. “What, Law? You think that because you managed to talk some young, dumb pussy into bed, you’re hot shit? Newsflash, you’ve seen better days. Lucy’s more stupid than I thought if she thinks you’re a catch. ”
For some reason, her words hurt. Most likely because I know Lucy deserves better, but my rainbow chose me. She’s been choosing me since day one, and it’s about damn time she knows I choose her, too.
Slapping the envelope on the kitchen table, I pull out a seat as Charlotte pours herself a drink.
“This will go as easy as you want it to.” I unfasten the metal clasp and dump the stack of divorce papers on the imported walnut.
“It doesn’t have to be messy. You can stay here, and I will continue paying the bills for this house.
I get full custody of River. He only has a few years left in school, anyway.
If he wants to visit, I won’t stop him, but when he’s here, you’ll clean your act up, or I’ll put an end to any visitation rights. Do you understand me?”
Charlotte keeps her back to me, but I don’t miss the shiver that racks her frame. “Clean my act up?” she scoffs. “Are you implying I have a problem, Lawson?”
I cross my legs as I lean back in the chair.
“Not implying. It’s clear you do. This place smells like a distillery.
You look like an addict, and our son has even mentioned that all you do is drink when he’s here.
I’m putting my foot down like I should have a long time ago.
Charlotte, you have a problem. And I take responsibility for my part in it. ”
She turns to lean against the cart and looks at me in surprise. I motion for her to sit, and when she does, she leaves her drink on the table.
“I let our family break a long time ago. And I know it’s too late to fix it, but it isn’t too late to start making things right.” I slide the papers over to her. “Starting with this.”
Charlotte eyes them, nostrils flaring as she shakes her head.
“You think I’m just going to settle for the house?
You think I don’t know what you’re worth?
You owe me, Lawson. It’s why you haven’t bothered to leave me yet.
You should be asking yourself if she’s really worth it because I won’t sit idly by and let you?—”
“If you’d read the damn papers, you’ll see that you’re getting more than your fair share,” I interrupt. “And Lucy is worth all of it and more. But a judge won’t grant you a dime more than I’m offering. You’ll likely get less if you try to fight it.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. Because I know what the papers say. If you want a lawyer to look it over, you’re welcome to do so. But I’m expecting them to be signed within the week.” I think I hear the sound of a car door outside, but a huff from Charlotte covers it.
“Why now? Why not just let your little fantasy play out until Lucy figures out you’re not what she wants?” She smirks, but when I don’t answer her, the corners of her lips pull down. Our eyes remain locked as she realizes my intentions. “Are you serious, Lawson? Rhys will hate you forever.”
“I will deal with Rhys. Starting with him taking responsibility for what he’s done.” Bile rises in my throat as I think about the inevitable discussion I came here for.
Serving Charlotte with the divorce papers is just a bonus, but as soon as River let it slip that Rhys had run off to hide with their mother, I knew what I had to do.
“Like hell, you will! You can take the blame for it!” Charlotte snarls, her once pretty features twisting into a grotesque mask that only I have the displeasure of viewing.
“I almost lost my job. What the hell do you think that means? I did take the blame for it!” My palm slams on the table to emphasize my ire.
“And Lucy quit, which means she’s out of a job.
Her parents are talking about pressing charges.
This is a serious fucking matter! This isn’t something that we can sweep under the rug.
It’s a severe offense that could mean jail time.
And that cushy new job he just landed at U of C? He can kiss it goodbye.”
“So rein in your little girlfriend and make sure she doesn’t press charges!” Charlotte screams, tears filling her eyes at the possibility of her little boy getting locked up.
“I’m not going to do that. Lucy’s been humiliated in the worst way possible. She’s within her right to go after him for what he did.” It kills me to say it, but it’s true. And I will stand by them both through it all if it’s what Lucy decides.
“What kind of a father are you?” Charlotte grabs her drink roughly and liquor spills over the rim.
I start to argue, but a throat clearing makes me pause. Rhys is standing in the doorway, looking guilty as fuck. “He’s right, Mom.”
I blink.
“You don’t know what you’re saying, honey,” Charlotte sputters as she gets up and wraps her hands around his shoulders. “Let’s not speak nonsense, alright?”
Rhys gently removes her hands, folding them between his own as he stares directly into her eyes. “What I did wasn’t okay. Lucy deserves an apology.”
She deserves a hell of a lot more than that.
But hearing my son acknowledge he’s in the wrong stays my hand .
“Rhys, you don’t know what you’re saying,” his mother whimpers. “Don’t let him talk you into this.”
“I’m not, Mom. It’s what needs to happen. I was in the wrong.” Rhys finally looks at me, his eyes flashing with thinly veiled hatred. “I am still so unbelievably pissed at you, Dad. But I’m ready to take responsibility for my actions.”
Shock ripples through me. I wasn’t expecting him to agree .
My son gently maneuvers his mother to the side as he cocks his head toward the backyard. “We should probably talk.”
Charlotte releases a dramatic sob and flees down the hall to her bedroom. Both Rhys and I wince as she slams the door.
“Okay, I guess we’ll just talk here then.” He takes his mother’s seat, eyes darting to the divorce papers. “You’re really going through with it, huh?”
I don’t know what to say, so I remain quiet.
He blows out a breath as he scratches the back of his neck. “So, what? Are you going to ask her to marry you?” His words are full of grit and malice, striking me directly in the center of my chest.
“Rhys—”
He raises a hand to stop me, shaking his head. “You know, never mind. I don’t think I’m ready to hear it.”
A heavy silence falls between us. The clock ticking on the wall is loud as the seconds stretch on, barely concealing Charlotte’s muffled cries.
Finally, I ask, “Why’d you do it?”
Rhys sighs before scrubbing his hands over his face. “ Honestly, I didn’t know it was Lucy. I was drunk and pissed off, and I wanted to hurt you as badly as you hurt me. I thought it was a random woman. Never in a million years would I have thought it would have been her.”
“I know I hurt you. I will never be able to express how sorry I am for that.”
“I know.” His eyes flicker to the papers again. “You really care about her, don’t you?”
“I do.” I don’t elaborate. He doesn’t need to hear me wax poetic on all the ways I’m in love with his ex-girlfriend. He loved her once. He knows.
“Is she really going to press charges?” he asks, eyes glued to the table.
“I don’t know. To be honest, we haven’t spoken all week.”
My mind drifts to last night, thinking about how angry I was when she walked into the restaurant with Cameron. It literally hurt to see her—to see her beautiful face smiling at him, lips painted in a shade she knows I love, dressed to impress another man.
I still haven’t replied to his you’re welcome text. Seriously, fuck him and Jules for staging that shit.
Even if it kicked my ass into gear.
I’m ashamed of how I handled Lucy last night—even if we both wanted it. To leave her crying in her apartment after I fucked her was a dick move. But I had to get out of there and continue moving pieces around the board like I had been all week. Otherwise, I would have gotten lost in her.
And I don’t want to wait any longer .
“I could lie and say I’m sorry, but I’m not,” my son mutters.
“But you are sorry for what you did, and that’s what matters.”
“It’s going to… take time… to be okay with this. But I want to be… okay with it.” Rhys’ admission surprises me. “I just… I don’t know how I’m ever going to get there.”
“Take as much time as you need. I’m not going to push you to accept it.
I am, however, going to push you to apologize and face whatever consequences are necessary.
” I round the table to sit in the chair next to him.
“Son, I’ve done you a great disservice all your life.
I let your mother get in your head, allowing you to believe that I thought you were a burden, even though I did everything in my power to show you that you weren’t.
I assumed you’d see my actions and understand that I didn’t feel that way.
But I realize now that I never really said it. Not enough.”
Rhys raises his gaze to meet mine, tears lining his lashes.
“And that is my biggest regret. That I didn’t tell you enough how much I love you.
I wouldn’t trade you for the world, Rhys.
You’re my son, and I failed you. I can never apologize enough for raising you the way we did.
I let the money get to me, thinking that if I could just provide as much as possible, you’d know how much I love you.
But I should have been home more. Should have paid you more attention. ”
“Dad, stop.” He roughly wipes at his eyes. “You’re a good dad. I just… I fucked up. That isn’t on you. Nothing you did excuses what I did.”
“Well, that’s… a very mature way of looking at it.” I run my hand through his shaggy, dark hair. “When did you get so grown up?”
He huffs a laugh, shrugging my hand away. “It’s funny. When your parents or someone you know is saying you fucked up, you don’t want to believe it. But all it takes is a stranger listening to your sob story and still telling you you’re in the wrong for you to finally get it.”
My brows dip together. “What do you mean?”
Rhys leans back in his chair, and a smile stretches across his face, as though he’s remembering what happened.
“On the flight down here, I sat next to this guy who could tell I was going through something. When I left the house, I didn’t bother packing or showering, so I stank like whiskey and puke.
Honestly, I’m so fucking embarrassed now that I think of it.
” He shakes his head in disbelief. “The guy asked me what was wrong, and I just word-vomited everything. And you know what he said when I finished telling him my sob story?”
I shake my head.
“He told me his own story about how he once followed his wife to New York and asked her husband at the time how his dick tasted.” Rhys smirks, a short laugh escaping his lips as he shakes his head.
“Said he ended up getting his ass beat by her husband’s cronies, and she even broke up with him for a while.
He said sometimes people do stupid things that result in bad decisions, but it’s important to take responsibility for those actions and make amends for the wrong you’ve done or the harm you caused.
And I don’t know why his words resonated with me, but I knew immediately that I will take whatever punishment Lucy wants to give me. ”
I silently thank whoever took the time to talk to Rhys on the plane instead of writing him off as a drunken disturbance. “Whatever she decides, you know I’ll be there for you. I’m going to be there for you both if she’ll still have me.”
Rhys scrutinizes every inch of my face with a neutral stare. “If she won't, maybe those are the consequences of your actions. What will you do to make amends?”