Chapter 35
Ex-wife – the woman who’s out to destroy your happiness but can’t because her aim sucks
Chloe
“H ere you go.” I hand Addy the bottle of wine for her table.
She studies me. “You’re smiling.”
It’s true. I am. But why does she sound surprised? I smile more often. “And?”
“I’ve never seen you this happy.”
“I’ve never been this happy before.”
“You deserve it, Chloe.” She squeezes my hand before leaving to serve her table.
“You got everything covered?” I ask the bartender. He nods and I start down the hallway toward my office.
The door to the restaurant bangs open. “Where is she? Where is the bitch who stole my husband and daughter?”
Uh oh. The ex has come a calling. I shoot off a message to Lucas to let him know Holly is at the brewery causing trouble. Technically, she hasn’t caused any trouble yet, but I know her type. It’s only a matter of time.
I retrace my steps to the bar. Holly is standing at the entrance swaying on her feet. Drunk as well. This should be fun.
Sophia, Nova, and Maya rush downstairs from the offices above the restaurant.
“What’s going on?” Sophia asks.
Holly points at me and loses her balance. She manages to grab a chair before falling on her face. Bummer. I would love to watch her flail on the floor. I’m not going to push her but if she falls of her own accord? Not my fault.
“This b-b-bitch. She stole my husband and daughter.”
“The ex-wife, I presume?” Paisley asks as she steps into the restaurant behind Holly.
“Lucas is mine.” Holly pounds her chest with her free hand.
“They are legally divorced, aren’t they?” Paisley asks as she passes Holly on her way to us.
“Divorced don’t mean shit. Lucas is mine. All those years we were married and he never cheated on me once. He didn’t have another girlfriend until you came along and stole him.”
What Lucas did or didn’t do during their marriage is no one’s business. I motion toward a private room. “Why don’t we continue this discussion in private?”
“Boo!” Addy shouts and the rest of the diners join in.
“I’m not your afternoon entertainment.”
“Disagree,” Judge Clara says.
Crap. The judge is here.
Sophia squeezes my hand. “It’s good she’s here. She’ll witness how Holly acts for herself.”
“But what if I can’t control myself? What if I end up smacking Holly?”
“You won’t.” Maya squeezes my free hand. “You’ll do whatever you need to do for love.”
For once, I don’t make fun of her obsession with romance. Because she’s right. Maybe she’s been right all along.
“Plus,” Nova adds as she glares at Holly. “I’ll punch her if she gets out of control.”
“Are you feeling okay? My sunshiny, always looks on the bright side of life, friend does not punch people.”
“Things have changed. This woman doesn’t deserve to be a mother.” Her hand dips to her stomach.
What is going on with her? I open my mouth to ask but the door opens and my personal nightmare steps inside. Is this my penance for saying I’ve never been happier?
“Well, well, well. I’m not surprised Chloe is causing problems. She does enjoy being troublesome.”
My hands fist and I inhale a deep breath before I punch my mother in her perfect nose she needed two surgeries to perfect.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here with my friend.”
“Holly is your friend? You don’t have female friends.”
“Friend. Associate. Same thing.”
It’s not. Your friends deserve loyalty. A trait my mother doesn’t find worthy of her attention.
“She’s the one who told me your marriage is fake,” Holly spits out.
I glance at the judge who is now scribbling notes on a napkin. Damnit.
“My marriage to Lucas isn’t fake.”
Mom snorts. “Oh, please. You marry a man with a daughter? You promised you’d never have children.”
Because I didn’t want to become her. I rake my gaze over my mother. She’s wearing form fitting red pants and matching red high heels with a white sheer blouse. Her hair – the same shade as mine – is pulled into a French twist and her lips are painted the same shade of red as her pants.
She’s made up to perfection. I glance down at my simple black pants and Five Fathoms Brewery polo shirt. We’re nothing alike.
“How much did Holly pay you for inside information on your daughter?”
Mom doesn’t answer but Holly doesn’t hesitate. “Five-thousand dollars and it was worth every penny.”
Why did I ever worry about becoming my mother? I would never sell secrets of a friend or family for my own benefit. But Mom didn’t hesitate.
“You wasted your money. You can’t have Natalia, Holly.”
“Natalia is my daughter!” she shrieks. “You’re the one who can’t have her.”
“I won’t let you steal her away from her father.”
“It’s not stealing when the judge gives me custody after he finds out your marriage to Lucas is fake.”
I peek at Judge Clara. She can’t find out my marriage to Lucas started out as an arrangement. She can’t give custody of Natalia to Holly. I won’t allow it.
“I love Lucas. He’s mine now. Go find your own man.”
“Lucas is my man!” Holly picks up the chair she was using to balance herself and throws it in my direction. It lands on the floor and breaks into pieces.
But Holly isn’t deterred. She picks up another chair and hurls it.
“I am done with this shit,” Sophia mutters before stomping forward.
I shackle her wrist. “Don’t. She’ll hurt you.”
The door flies open and Lucas and Weston burst inside. Weston rushes to Holly.
“Don’t touch me! I wasn’t doing anything wrong!” Holly fights him but he doesn’t have any trouble cuffing her. He leads her toward the door as he reads her, her rights.
Lucas prowls toward me. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you?” He growls. “Did she touch you?”
“I’m okay. She was a bitch, but she didn’t hurt me.”
He glances at the broken chairs on the floor. “What happened here?”
“She threw them at me.”
His gaze sharpens. “You certain you aren’t hurt?” He pinches my chin and tilts my head back. “She didn’t hit you?”
I grasp his hand. “I promise she didn’t hurt me.”
“Thank fuck.” He wraps his arms around me and I fall into him.
“No wonder there’s all this fuss,” Mom says.
I groan. “I guess I better introduce you to my mom.”
“Not interested. She’s nothing to you or us.”
“Don’t you worry,” Mom purrs. “I promise you’ll enjoy me more than my hand me downs.”
I groan. I knew it. I knew my mother would hit on him.
“Not interested.” Lucas smiles down at me. “I have all I need in my arms.”
“Pardon me?” Mom screeches.
“I got this.” Sophia grasps her hand and starts to drag her away. “I’ve been waiting forever to give Chloe’s mother a piece of my mind.”
I sigh. I don’t want to speak to my mom but I can’t let my friends handle this. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
Sophia halts. “No, you won’t. You’ve dealt with this bitch long enough.”
Mom tries to pull out of Sophia’s hold. “I’m not a bitch.”
Nova snorts. “Even I think you’re a bitch.”
“Let’s go.” Sophia hauls Mom away.
“No physical violence,” Lucas hollers after her.
“We’ll make certain,” Nova says as she hurries after Sophia with Maya and Paisley on her heels.
“Ahem.” Judge Clara clears her throat.
I pull away from Lucas but he wraps an arm around me to keep me close. “I’m sorry, Judge Clara. I should have insisted Holly leave the establishment. You shouldn’t have been forced to witness the whole scene.”
“Judge Clara?” Lucas asks. “This is the judge for our custody case?” I nod and he smiles before offering her a hand. “My wife told me about you.”
“The sports day incident?” She frowns. “Will no one forget I threw a bedpan at my parents at the hospital?”
“I didn’t tell him that part,” I say.
Her cheeks darken. “Ah, well. Someone was bound to eventually.”
“What can we do for you, your honor?” Lucas asks.
“I shouldn’t be speaking to you about the case,” she begins. “But between the three of us, I wouldn’t worry about your fake marriage thing. It’s clear you love each other.”
“How could I not love this woman?” Lucas smiles down at me. “My wife is easy to love.”
I snort. “Not really but this big guy is easy to love. Especially in this uniform.”
Judge Clara rakes her gaze over Lucas. “I understand the attraction.” Attorney Ezra motions her over to their table. “I must be going. I’ll see you in court.”
“Thank you for speaking to us,” I say before she can leave.
“I can’t remember what we spoke about.” She winks before walking away.
Weston enters the bar and waves to Lucas. “I need to go. Are you sure you’re okay?”
I push him away. “I’m fine. No, I’m more than fine. The judge is on our side and your ex is cuffed in the back of a police vehicle. Christmas came early this year.”
“You’re crazy, wildcat.”
I push up on my toes to kiss him. “Love you, too, hubby. Get to work. I’ll see you at home tonight.”
I watch him leave with a smile on my face. I’m the luckiest woman alive. The man I love, loves me back and his ex-wife is no longer a problem.
I should plan a celebration. Just as soon as I take care of my mother.