Chapter 21
Matthias
By the time I get back home, it’s nearly five o’clock because of the traffic from the airport to outside the city.
I race up the Taconic once I can get some speed after leaving the bottlenecks behind me, eager to see Ava and the kids again.
I can’t tell her why I had to go on my trip, but at least I know the wedding can go on as planned.
Three times I tried to call Ava, but each time her phone sent me to voicemail. That’s strange. She has to know I’d be calling her this afternoon. Then I think to myself that she may have forgotten about the time change and thinks I’ll be home later tonight.
That’s good, though. I’ll be able to surprise her.
I walk into my house and find no one around. Even Eleanor isn’t there. That’s definitely odd.
“Hello? Is anyone here?” I call out, wondering where the hell my family has gone.
When I don’t get an answer, I do it again, only louder, and finally, Eleanor walks into the kitchen. “Sorry, Matthias. I didn’t hear you. I was in my room since Ava gave me the day off.”
Okay, that’s strange too.
“Where is she?”
Shaking her head, the woman who’s been in my life for what seems like forever answers, “I’m not sure. She gave me and the nanny the day off and left a few hours ago.”
Instantly, I know something’s wrong. Ava wouldn’t leave without telling Eleanor where she’s going. She always does, even if she’s just running down the road to the store.
Unsure of what’s happened but not worried too much yet, I pick up my suitcase and start walking upstairs.
My mind goes to the worst case scenario by the time I reach the second floor, but I quickly dismiss that.
She’d tell Eleanor if something happened and one of the kids needed to go to the doctor’s office, or worse, the emergency room.
And if she was the one who’s sick, Eleanor would absolutely know.
Satisfied nobody is in danger, at least I don’t think they are, I unpack my suitcase and put everything away. It takes only a few minutes, and then I’m left alone in our room looking around for some explanation as to where Ava and the kids are.
A thought comes to me after a few minutes. If Eleanor doesn’t know, then Eden has to know. The probability that both women have no idea about where Ava has gone to is infinitesimal. I’d bet money Eden knows.
I call my brother’s number and lie back on the bed, exhausted after the flights to and from London and the ride back from the airport.
As I wait for him to answer, I think to myself I’m too damn old for that shit.
Yes, I’m in my mid-thirties, but that doesn’t mean all that damn traveling is anything I want to have in my life.
A twinge of guilt pinches at me when I remember the reason why I had to do all that flying in the first place. I had it coming for the way I acted. In fact, I likely got off easily. I shouldn’t forget that.
Finally, Marius answers, and he barely gets the words out of his mouth before I know something’s up. “Hey, big brother. Did you forget Kellen works in the same place as you do?”
Jesus Christ. I went away for one damn day. What did he do?
“No, I didn’t forget. What are you talking about?” I ask as stress begins to fill my body.
“If you’re going to lie, trust a pro. You want to cover all your bases. If you don’t, people find out and get cranky.”
I have no idea what he’s talking about, so I take a deep breath and let it out before saying, “Could we try not being the fucking Riddler today? I just got back from a round trip to London. My family is nowhere to be found, and I get the feeling Kellen did something to the business in the twenty-four or so hours I’ve been gone.
So enough of the cryptic bullshit, okay?
I’m just calling to see if your wife knows where my wife and kids are. ”
He doesn’t say anything for a long moment, and I get the sense he’s walking in the silence.
Finally, he answers, “Your wife and kids have taken up residence with my wife and Lily. Seems Kellen blew your cover, big brother. All I want to know is why you lied to your wife about what you were doing and who you were doing it with.”
How the hell did Kellen know what was happening with Cynthia and me? I didn’t tell him, and I made sure to instruct Donna not to tell a soul at the company what I was up to.
At least now I know where Ava and the kids are and that they’re safe. Unfortunately, now I know why they aren’t here too.
“I’m coming over. Don’t tell anyone.”
He doesn’t get the chance to say another word before I end the call and get up off the bed.
Taking the stairs by two, I run out to my car and floor it.
Thankfully, Marius and Eden only live a short ways from my house, so even if he opens his big mouth, Ava won’t have time to drive away since getting two boys and a newborn into the car is nothing short of a fifteen to twenty minute process on the best of days.
By the time I pull into their driveway, I’m furious with Kellen, but I’ll have to deal with him later. In the meantime, I need to come clean with my wife, who I anticipate is none too happy with me.
Marius stands in the doorway smiling at me when I walk up to the front door. “Welcome to the house of angry women and loud children. I’m blaming you for both problems.”
“Sorry. If you let me in, I’ll fix both and you can have your house back.”
He laughs and steps aside to let me in. “The only thing I’m mad about is all these people in my house has made getting Lily to sleep next to impossible today. Your family is loud as fuck, dude.”
“You forget how boys are, huh?” I say as I walk past him.
“It was your wife sobbing in my kitchen that kept her up.”
Damn. I hate to hear Ava was crying, especially when I’m the reason for her sadness.
“Sorry. Point me in her direction, and I’ll clear this up ASAP.”
My brother points toward the back of the house and not the kitchen, so I hurry out to the backyard to find Ava and Eden sitting on the patio while my sons run around chasing each other.
Both the babies lie in a playpen in the shade, and if I didn’t know something upset both women, I’d say it was a nice, happy scene.
One glance at Eden and Ava tells me it’s anything but.
“Nice to see you again, Matthias,” Eden says as she stands to leave.
“Same. I thought I’d come over and get my family,” I say with a chuckle, but nobody laughs with me.
She lifts Lily out of the playpen and turns to look at Ava. “I’m going to go inside for a little while so you guys can talk. If you need me, just holler.”
Eden shoots me a look of utter judgment before walking past me into the house, leaving me with Ava and the kids. Theo and Matty run up to me the moment they realize I’m standing there, throwing their arms around my waist and telling me they miss me.
“I missed you guys too. How about you let me talk to your mom for a little while? I’m sure Uncle Marius has some popsicles inside you can have.”
That’s all they have to hear to run inside the house. My brother’s going to be thrilled I volunteered him to be the babysitter for the next few minutes. He’ll be fine. It’ll give him a preview of what his life will be like if he has any sons.
Ava won’t even look at me, so I walk around her chair and crouch down in front of her. I see by the redness around her eyes that she’s been crying. Fuck. I never wanted this to be her problem.
“I hear my brother gave up my secret.”
She looks down at me and shakes her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Donna told me the truth of what you were up to. Taking trips with your ex-girlfriend? No wonder you didn’t tell me the truth.”
“I’m sorry.”
Jesus, that feels like the only thing I’ve been saying to people for the past day.
“Sorry isn’t good enough, Matthias,” she says with tears in her eyes. “You lied to me. What did you think I’d think when I found out that you weren’t with a bunch of old men going to a business meeting out of town but your old girlfriend from college who has no connection to your business at all?”
I hang my head and sigh. “I didn’t think. I just needed to get to London with Cynthia because I had to clear up a problem. I’m sorry I lied to you. I just couldn’t tell you.”
“Why?”
Looking up at her, I finally admit the truth. “Because if you knew why I was going to London, you’d be angry. I fucked up, Ava. I needed to get to London to get Jillian to sign the divorce papers. If I didn’t do it today, then we wouldn’t be able to get married in eleven days.”
All the sadness drains out of her expression, replaced by confusion. “Divorced? What are you talking about? You and Jillian got divorced years ago.”
I shake my head, hating the story I now have to tell her.
“No, I dropped the ball on that. I never filed and she never filed, so all this time, we’ve still been married.
My attorney, Cynthia, sent the papers to her attorney weeks ago, but she wouldn’t sign.
Finally, yesterday I found out she wanted to talk to me in person, so I quickly arranged for us to fly there hoping she would sign the papers and they could be filed as soon as possible so we can get married two weekends from now. ”
Ava’s expression brightens. “Oh, so that’s why you’ve been so miserable these past few weeks. Why didn’t you tell me? I would have understood.”
“I didn’t want you to worry. I wanted to handle things so you never had to hear about it. I’m sorry. I should have told you.”
She opens her arms to hug me, and I lean forward, loving the feel her against my body.
“I didn’t know what to think. I was so upset.
I heard you and some woman you used to date in college flew off to some meeting after you lied about going with the company’s lawyers.
I was so hurt that you’d lie to me that I was sure something was up. ”
“Nothing but me facing some hard-to-hear music. That’s all.”
I lean back to see her shaking her head. “What do you mean?”
“My soon-to-be ex-wife had some choice things to say to me, and if I’m being honest, I deserved them and probably more.
I should have never married her. I knew that.
I was in love with you. That wasn’t fair to her.
What she told me today I had coming. It made me feel like shit, but I deserved it.
She signed the papers, though, so assuming my attorney has that judge to help like she thinks she does, we’re on for the wedding. ”
Ava stands up and I follow her. As we walk over to the playpen to get Elizabeth, she says, “You could have told me. I would have understood. I would have been angry you waited until the last minute, but I wouldn’t have been upset with you for that long.”
She leans over and lifts Elizabeth up for me to hold. Looking at my daughter, I think about how pissed I’d be if some guy married her when he still loved someone else. I did a shitty thing to Jillian. She had every right to say all that when we met.
“I know I messed up, but I promise I’ll do better, Ava.”
Taking a deep breath, she smiles as she lets it out in a rush. “Good because I don’t want to feel like I did this morning ever again. It seems like you’ve had a full day of women being angry with you.”
We walk toward the back door of Marius and Eden’s house with Elizabeth in my arms. “At least this little lady wasn’t angry at me.”
Ava turns to look at me and shakes her head. “She will be when she gets older if you keep doing stupid things.”
“Fair enough.” Looking down at my daughter, I whisper to her, “Your father is going to work on not being a moron when it comes to women. Maybe by the time you’re older, I’ll have mastered it.”
Let’s hope twenty years or so is enough.