Chapter 36
Despite her good intentions, Marissa arrived at the apartment late because she hit traffic on the highway. Theo and Chet were sitting on the bottom stair waiting.
She left her weekend bag on the car seat because she didn’t want Chet to question her whereabouts. Though they weren’t a couple, she didn’t want to deal with his jealousy, which sprouted its ugly head whenever the idea of her seriously dating someone else came up. If he found out she’d spent the weekend with another man, she’d never hear the end of his ranting.
As soon as her son saw her approaching, he perked up and a grin spread across his face.
“Mommy!” He popped up from the stair.
“Hey, honey!” She gave him a quick squeeze and cheek kiss before turning her attention to Chet, who took his time standing. “Sorry I’m late. I hit traffic on the highway. There was an accident.”
“You knew I was dropping him off.”
“I hit traffic,” Marissa repeated, struggling to keep the annoyance out of her voice. She didn’t need this crap from Chet, and not in front of Theo.
She extended her hand for her son’s bag, ready for him to leave.
“I got it. I need to talk to you about something.”
His frowning face gave her pause. She thought he was upset about her tardiness, but there seemed to be an additional underlying reason for his anger.
Without another word, she started up the stairs.
Inside the apartment, Chet took the bag to Theo’s room while Marissa waited in the living room. A few minutes later, her ex came out. What could possibly be on his mind? He hadn’t stopped frowning since she saw him.
He faced her with blatant antagonism. “Who’s Bruno?”
Marissa sighed. “I was going to tell you about him.”
“When exactly?”
“What’s the problem?”
“I deserve to know who the man is that my child is spending time with.”
Here we go, Marissa thought wearily. Truth be told, she’d avoided having the conversation with Chet because of his jealous streak. “I agree you deserve the courtesy, but Bruno has never been alone with Theo. He’s a friend.”
“A friend? Or a friend?”
“What’s the difference?” Marissa asked, annoyed.
“Are you fucking him? That’s the difference.”
She flashed to their sexy interlude in the shower earlier, and her skin heated from the memory.
“For the record, I don’t owe you an explanation about any of my sexual partners, and I don’t care who you’re sleeping with. Bruno has never been alone with Theo, but—” She was about to explain about their planned trip to see the Atlanta Braves when Chet whipped a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded a drawing.
She immediately recognized that her son had sketched a picture of her, Bruno, and himself at the wedding and included colorful fireworks above their heads.
“I didn’t have a problem with him going to the wedding on my weekend, but then my son draws this picture, and he keeps talking about Bruno this and Bruno that. ‘Bruno’s taking me to a baseball game.’ I need to know who this man is that you have around my son. Is he safe? Is he?—”
“Yes, he’s safe. Of course he’s safe. I would never jeopardize our son’s safety. You know that.”
“No, I don’t. Because I don’t know you right now.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” Marissa muttered, turning away from him and folding her arms over her chest.
“Who the hell is this guy, Marissa? Unless you can prove to me that he’s okay for my son to be around, I forbid you to see him.”
A burst of laughter escaped her throat, and she spun to face him. “Forbid me? Are you serious right now?”
“Yes, I am. Until I can look into the situation.”
“Well, you don’t have to look into anything. I’ve already done a background check on him, and he’s safe.”
Chet’s eyebrows snapped together. “You did a background check?”
“Yes! I did.”
“When? What for?”
Darn, she had said too much, but she’d simply wanted Chet to shut up and drop the topic. “He’s—was—one… one of my clients.”
His eyes narrowed. “I thought there was a rule about dating your clients.”
She couldn’t take back the words now. “There is, but…”
“You’re not supposed to shit where you eat, but you’re doing it anyway.” He shook his head. “Breaking the rules, Marissa? That’s not like you.”
“Oh, give me a break.”
“You give me a break. You’re the one breaking the rules for some guy you met at work. So, what… I guess he’s wealthy or something since those are the kind of men you all focus on now?”
“Are you done?”
“Oh, he’s so rich you can’t tell me about it? Did he give you that?” He shot daggers at the necklace around her neck.
Marissa pulled up the collar of her shirt to hide the jewelry. Shit. She’d forgotten to take it off.
“You’re a rich man’s side piece now?” Chet sneered.
“You ass.” One hand fisted at her side.
“Hit too close to home? You’ve changed and not for the better. You’re not behaving like the woman I wanted to marry. How long have you been sleeping with him?”
“None of your business, and for the record, he’s no longer a client.”
“But he was, and there’s an ethics clause in your contract with Executive Match, isn’t there?”
Apprehension tightened her stomach. “Chet?—”
“While I watch our kid on the weekends, you use that time to let a client screw you. Do I have that correct?”
“You know I also work on weekends. I set up mixers for my clients. And by the way, you weren’t watching our son, you were spending time with him, like you always do—which you should do because you’re his father. What’s going on between me and Bruno is a completely separate issue.”
“I won’t be replaced in my kid’s life, Marissa.”
“I’m not trying to replace you. Why are you doing this? Please tell me that you’re not still jealous.”
He ran a hand down his face. “You and I were supposed to get married, and we can get married if you open your mind and be a little forgiving. I made a mistake. That was it. The sex meant nothing.”
“You slept with her—” Marissa broke off and lowered her voice. “You slept with her for months while I was pregnant. That’s not nothing.”
“And you think this rich guy is going to be better than me? He can have his pick of any woman. Why would he pick a single mom with a kid?”
The rhetorical question hit at her insecurities. She’d wondered that herself, especially since Bruno had been clear from the beginning that he was not interested in women who had kids.
She hadn’t seen anything to suggest he would harm Theo, but she couldn’t help but think her relationship with him probably wouldn’t progress much further.
“You can leave now.”
Chet looked contrite. “You know I’m right,” he said quietly. “I don’t want my son caught in the crossfire of your relationship, and from the looks of this”—he held the paper aloft—“he might already be attached to this guy. I know I messed up, Marissa, but I still wanted to marry you. I’d marry you now. I’d forgive all of this, and you and Theo and I can be a family. The way we should have been.”
“You’ll forgive me? For what? For moving on? For meeting someone who treats me well? I don’t need or want your forgiveness. Our relationship is over and has been over for more than eight years. There’s no point in bringing up what could have been.”
“If that’s how you feel, I guess there’s nothing else to say,” Chet said quietly.
Marissa walked away and opened the door. “Goodbye.”
Crushing the drawing in his fist, Chet tossed the paper on the sofa and stalked past her without another word.
Marissa closed the door and rested her head against it, feeling completely lifeless. After a great weekend with Bruno, she hated that Chet’s words put doubt in her mind.
“Mommy?”
She lifted her head. Theo stared back at her with large, concerned eyes. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked.
“No, baby, you didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Daddy doesn’t like me talking about Bruno.”
She lowered to her haunches in front of him. “He’s your dad, and he loves you, and he wants to make sure you’re always safe. That’s what parents do. Since Bruno is going to be spending time with you, he wants to make sure he’s a good guy.”
“He is a good guy,” Theo said with confidence.
“Yes, he is, but Daddy has to be sure, that’s all.”
“Are you and Bruno in trouble?”
“No, not at all.”
“Will I still get to go to the baseball game with him and my new friends?”
Marissa cupped his round cheek. “Yes, you will. Bruno is out of town for a while, but you’re definitely going to the baseball game, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Did you put all your dirty clothes in the hamper?”
He nodded.
“Good boy.”
“Can I play Roblox?”
“Yes, you can, and I’ll get dinner started.”
“Cool!” He ran off, the raised voices he overheard no longer a concern.
How she wished she could be as carefree as her son.