Chapter 30
Jason
My ex-wife’s name flashes across my phone screen for the fifth time today, and just like the last four calls, I hit decline without a single care in the world.
I don’t need to answer to know why she’s calling.
Ever since I told her that Mila and I were seeing each other, she’s felt this sudden need to voice her unsolicited opinions every chance she gets.
Which is exactly why I’m doing everything I can to avoid speaking to her.
If it doesn’t concern our son, I don’t want to hear it.
After dropping Jake off to her place yesterday, I sat her down in her living room and confessed to her about my situation with Mila, which I suspect she already knew was coming.
She didn’t interrupt, just sat there with a sour expression the whole time, while she allowed me to get everything out in the open.
But as soon as I was done, she didn’t hold back.
Elena launched into a full-blown tirade about how inappropriate my relationship with the babysitter was, especially with Jake being around most of the time.
It took a draining forty minutes just to get her to stop yelling.
No matter how clearly or calmly I tried to explain that my relationship with Mila wouldn’t affect Jake at all, she refused to listen.
Even after I tried reassuring her that our son adores Mila and would be thrilled to have her in our lives, it only infuriated her even more.
That’s when I realised, she wasn’t upset because of our son.
She was jealous. Maybe even a little hurt.
She never imagined I’d develop real feelings for someone else, let alone fall in love again.
In her mind, she thought she’d broken me, convinced herself I’d be too mistrustful, too scarred to want to be in another relationship.
But she was wrong. My heart still had so much more to give.
I was just waiting for the right person to come along.
I knew there was no getting her to see things from my perspective, and to be honest, I’ve stopped caring about what she thought.
A part of me hated how tense things have become, especially with Jake caught in the middle.
But I couldn’t keep living my life to appease her.
I’m not putting my life on hold anymore.
So I told her plainly: she could either accept my relationship with Mila or continue being bitter and miserable, because no matter what, my girl wasn’t going anywhere. Then I walked out, leaving her stewing on the couch.
Since then, she’s been blowing up my phone with calls and texts, and like always, I’ve been ignoring her.
It’s exhausting, but I’m done letting the guilt or her jealousy dictate my choices.
I finally have something good, something real.
And there’s nothing that’s going to get in the way of that; least of all a controlling, manipulative ex-wife.
It’s been three weeks since that steamy night in my spa, and I still can’t get it out of my head.
I mean, how could I? Everything about that night felt so raw, so electric.
The way she looked at me, how her body moved against mine, the sounds she made, the taste of her on my lips.
I’ve replayed it all a hundred times. She’s seared into me in a way no one else ever has.
Unforgettable doesn’t even begin to describe her.
We haven’t been intimate again since, but somehow, we’ve grown even closer. I’ve taken her out on a few dates, each one better than the last, and they always end the same way: me walking her to her door, kissing her goodnight, and quietly wishing I could stay just a little longer.
As much as my body craves to feel hers again, I know she needs a bit more to time to adjust to the idea of us, especially after she just got out of a relationship, and I respect that completely.
The truth is, I’m not in any rush. Not when it comes to Mila.
Not when every part of me wants to get this right.
She’s not just someone I’m falling for—she’s it for me.
The one I never thought I’d find. And yet, somehow, I did.
That alone is enough to make the wait worth it.
My phone buzzes again on the desk, alerting me of another text.
I groan, dragging a hand down my face, feeling equal parts exhausted and irritated.
When is Elena ever going to quit? Doesn’t she realise that these constant, pointless attempts to meddle in my personal life only make her look desperate, and honestly, a little pathetic?
But when I glance down and see Mila’s name pop up on the screen, I swipe my phone off the desk like it’s a winning lottery ticket and quickly open her message.
She’s sent me a photo of her, Jake, and Sofia in matching cow onesies, and I completely lose it.
I burst out laughing, shaking my head at how chaotic and ridiculous they all look.
Mila and Sofia are side by side on all fours, while Jake’s perched on top of them, like he’s the king of the herd, and its hands down the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.
“Why are you grinning like an idiot?” Chris’s voice interrupts my little moment. I look up to find him leaning against the doorframe, arms folded, an amused smirk spreading across his face. How the hell did I not hear him arrive?
I turn my phone towards him, wordlessly showing him what had me smiling. He strolls over, takes one look at the photo and barks out a laugh. “That’s fucking gold!” he manages between chuckles.
“It’s cute, huh?”
He drops into the chair across from me, leaning back with one arm slung lazily over the backrest. “Let’s ditch this place and head to yours,” he says with a teasing grin. “Looks like that’s where all the fun is.”
I chuckle softly. “You have no idea how tempting that sounds. Unfortunately, I have too much work to do and you have a bar to manage. Which leads to my next question—what are you doing here?”
He waves a hand at me dismissively. “Gemma and the new kid, Travis, have everything under control. It’s pretty quiet out there tonight anyway. I just wanted to catch up, since, you know, you’ve suddenly ditched me for a young, hot brunette who seems to be keeping you nice and warm these days.”
I sigh and shoot him a glare. “I regret telling you all about the spa.”
I hadn’t planned on ever telling Chris what happened that night between Mila and me, but after a few too many beers at his place, the truth just slipped out. I’m not the type to brag about my sex life, not even to my closest mates. So the second the words left my mouth, I instantly regretted it.
“Oh, come on. None of that shit. You and I both know how insanely hot that was and I wasn’t even there to witness any of it.”
“And you never will,” I quip.
“Honestly, I envy you bro. She’s a fucking stunner.”
“She’s so much more than that.”
“I bet she is,” he says, waggling his eyebrows.
“Want your nutsack stapled to my desk?”
“Why would I want that?”
“Because your stupid comments make me think you’re asking for it.”
His deep chuckle is the last thing I hear before another all-too-familiar voice slices through the room.
“So, this is what you get up to all day at work, huh?”
Chris and I both snap our heads towards the door at the same time. My ex-wife stands there, a hand on her hip, one eyebrow arched in question, looking every bit as elegant and composed as always.
Without waiting for an invitation, she saunters into my office like she owns the place and gracefully plants herself onto the leather sofa, making herself right at home.
Chris, suddenly looking uncomfortable from all the tension Elena dragged in with her, quickly rises to his feet.
“I should probably go see if Travis is actually working or just hitting on Gemma again.” As he leans in close, his voice drops so only I can hear.
“Good luck with dragon lady over there,” he whispers, giving my ex a curt nod.
Then he bolts out of my office like his arse is on fire.
If there’s one woman in this entire universe who terrifies Chris, it’s my ex-wife.
Once he’s out the door, it’s just me and Elena alone in the room. One look at her face: tight-lipped, eyes sharp, and ready for battle, I already know it’s going to be a long and exhausting night.
“Didn’t I tell you never to bother me at work?” I hiss at her.
She scoffs, brushing an invisible speck of lint from the sleeve of her coat. “I wanted to discuss something important, but clearly there’s something wrong with your phone.”
“Oh, my phone is perfectly fine. I’ve just been ignoring you.”
“Well, that’s not very nice of you, Jason. What are we, ten?” she chides.
Before I can respond, she stands and walks over to me, perching herself on the edge of my desk, so close her leg brushes against my thigh. I roll my eyes and push my chair back, putting as much space between us as possible.
“What’s so important you couldn’t wait until I finished work to tell me?”
“I wanted to talk to you about Jake’s sixth birthday party that’s in a few weeks,” she says, slowly unbuttoning her coat to reveal a tight, short red dress that clings to her petite frame and shows off her long, lean legs.
If this was a few years ago, that one move alone would’ve had her bent over my desk in seconds. Back then, just the sight of her was enough to drive me wild. She was always hard to resist, impossible to control myself around.
But now, after everything that’s happened between us, and everything I’ve experienced with Mila, all I feel towards Elena is cold, unwavering resentment.
That intense spark she used to ignite in me is long gone.
No desire, no lust, not even the faintest flicker of heat remains.
When I look at my ex-wife, there’s not a trace of attraction left. Just emptiness.
I fix her with a bored look and power my computer screen back on, forcing myself to focus on anything but her. “What about his birthday? I thought we already agreed it’d be at my place.”
“Oh, it still is. My concern is about who’ll be on the guestlist.”
“And who, exactly, are you concerned about?” I raise an eyebrow, waiting for her to say the name we both know she’s hinting at.
She clears her throat, and from the corner of my eye, I catch her adjusting the hem of her dress. I don’t look up or pay her any attention. Instead, I just keep typing out this month’s staff meeting agenda, like she’s not even in the room.
“Look, Jase,” she begins, “I didn’t want to bring this up while you’re still at work, but since you’ve been ignoring all my calls and texts, I need to remind you of your moral obligation to our son, especially if you’re planning to bring your new girlfriend to the party.”
She pauses, waiting for me to argue, but when I don’t she presses on. “I just want you to think about how it’s going to look to everyone, seeing you all touchy-feely with Jake’s young babysitter.”
I stop typing and lean back on my chair, angling myself so I’m now facing her.
“If you’re implying that I can’t control myself around Mila while at my own son’s birthday party, then you obviously don’t know me at all.
I have never acted irresponsibly or inappropriately around Jake, and I’m not about to start now.
Mila is a respectable woman and would never do anything to embarrass our family.
So you don’t have to worry about a thing. We’ll both be on our best behaviour.”
Elena leans in and places a hand on my knee, and the contact makes my skin crawl.
“I didn’t mean anything ill by it,” she says sweetly.
‘I’m just looking out for our son, making sure there aren’t any awkward surprises on his big day.
I just want everything to go smoothly. You understand that, right? ”
I nod once, then calmly peel her hand off my knee. She leans back, her expression unreadable—stone-cold and composed, like always.
“I understand perfectly. Which is why Mila and I will keep our relationship tightly under wraps on the day. But make no mistake, Elena, when people eventually find out we’re together, I won’t be hiding it.”
I rise to my feet and step closer to her, forcing her to tilt her head to meet my gaze.
“And just so we’re clear, I wouldn’t underestimate how others will react to Mila and me. Because given my history with you, I have a feeling most people will be relieved I finally got it right this time. Now, if there’s nothing else, I’d like to kindly ask you to leave. I have some work to do.”
Her lips part, and for a moment there I know I’ve hit a nerve.
But, true to form, she recovers quickly—spine straightening, chin lifting, every inch the picture of elegance and grace, even with her wounded pride.
She snatches her purse from the sofa and storms out of my office in a flurry of clicking heels and dramatic huffs, not sparing me so much as a glance.
Chris walks in just as she exits the room, nearly getting shoulder-checked into the wall by my angry ex-wife. He watches her disappear down the hall, then turns to me with a smirk. “Things went well then?”
I flash him a wicked grin. “Better than I expected.”
He lets out a low chuckle and produces a bottle of whisky from behind his back.
“Bar’s dead tonight, so I’m closing up early. Figured you might need something to take the edge off before heading home.”
“See, that’s why you and I are best mates.”
“Because I complete you?”
“Because you always seem to know exactly what I need, right when I need it.”
“Aw, baby, I’m so touched.”
“Just bring me the fucking bottle, idiot!” I say with a smirk.
Chris hands me the whisky, and for the next hour we share a few glasses between us.
We talk footy, his new flavour of the week, and yes, Mila, though I try not to dwell on that too much.
But even as we joke and laugh, I can’t shake the nagging feeling in my gut that tonight’s conversation with Elena has only made things worse.
It’s like I’ve poked the grizzly bear, and now she’s getting warmed up.
I can only hope that whatever she’s plotting, she doesn’t do something drastic, like turn on my girl, or worse, try to tear down everything we’ve just begun to build.