Chapter Twenty-Six
“S o, you really don’t know why I called you?”
“No, and I left Raegan in bed, so this better be some sort of an emergency,” Wes says as he looks at his phone before setting it down on the table.
“Well, I also reluctantly left a woman in bed and I would like to get back to her, so we can make this quick.”
“I assume you slept with Marissa?” he asks.
I nod. “Not for the first time.”
“You’ve slept with her before?” His eyes are wide. “And you didn’t tell me? Also, is that why you haven’t been going out as much as usual?” He takes a sip of his water before pulling a strip of bacon off of his plate. “Before you and Holly divorced? After?” he asks rattling off a series of questions.
“Before and I didn’t tell you because it just got out of control so fast and there’s a lot of layers to this story.”
“Was this before she went to Paris?”
I nod again. “Marissa is the woman I slept with at Owen’s wedding.”
Wes drops the piece of bacon he’s holding and his eyes widen in shock. “No fucking way.” He scratches his jaw before he narrows his eyes at me. “Wait…is that why we hired her?”
I shoot him an incredulous look. “No, dick! That was a very strange coincidence that she did not appreciate.”
“Holy fuck. So, you’ve…”
“Been in love with her ever since? Pretty much.” I lean back in my chair and let out an exhausted sigh of relief to finally be telling Beck about this. “It’s been an interesting three years.”
“Did Holly ever figure it out?”
“Yeah, and that was a mess. I eventually learned that Holly had me followed which is how she initially found out about Marissa. Then, she managed to tap my apartment by slipping something into one of my bags that I took from the house when I moved out. So, Holly learned I was still talking to her and she flew to Paris and confronted her.”
“Wait what? This sounds like a soap opera. What the fuck, man? So were you guys still together while she was in Paris and you were in—”
“No, she ended it and all contact and I went fucking crazy not talking to her at all, but Holly confronting her freaked her out and she told me I had to be completely divorced before we continued and I understood that even though it drove me insane. Then, when she came back, we were going to try again because I was divorced and I went to Marissa’s sister’s engagement party with her, and guess who showed up.”
“Fuck. Are you kidding?” He lets out a laugh and shakes his head. “I’m not laughing because it’s funny, I’m laughing because this is insane.”
“You think? What are the chances? So, naturally, Holly exploded all over Marissa’s mother. So…she doesn’t exactly love me.”
“Wow.” He whistles. “She aired all of your business?”
“That I cheated. Cheated with Marissa. With other women. I did not come out of that party looking good.” I scrub my face thinking about how I’m going to make things right with her parents.
“Oh shit. I’m sorry.”
“But I don’t care. I stayed away these past six months because her parents didn’t believe that I’m good for her given my past, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win them over. They can’t hate me forever. I’ve done shitty things for sure, but I’ve never done anything shitty to Marissa.”
“Except bail on her the morning after Owen’s wedding,” he says matter of factly before taking a sip of his coffee and I give him my middle finger.
“Fuck you very much.”
“Man, what are the odds? I can’t believe Marissa is the girl from the wedding.”
“I can’t believe Raegan didn’t tell you last night.” I was shocked when I asked if he wanted to get breakfast so we could talk about what happened last night and he didn’t know exactly what I meant. “I guess she can keep a secret.”I laugh, which earns me a glare from him.
“Is she why you left Holly?”
“A big part, yes.”
“So, this is…real.”
“Very fucking real.” I lean across the table. “Is it real with you and Raegan?”
“Yeah.” He smiles. “But I told you about her months ago. This isn’t new! I certainly haven’t been keeping it from you for years. You guys don’t have a kid somewhere, do you?” He shakes his head and the thought of having a baby with Marissa sends that familiar spark to my dick.
“I love her.”
“I’m happy for you. You pining after this girl as long as you have…yeah, I bet it’s real.”
“Now I just have to talk to her parents.” I let out a breath. “They are not a fan of me.”
“You’ll win them over.”
A week later, I’m sitting outside of Marissa’s parents’ house wondering if it was the worst idea to not tell Marissa my plan. I knew she’d want to be here and I don’t want her parents to think I need her to protect me. It’s the middle of the workday, so Marissa is at work and she just assumes I’m out in the field. Only Wes—and maybe Raegan—knows that I’m here. I also didn’t want Marissa to know I have a ring and I plan on telling her parents that. I turn off the car and get out, and just like before, Marissa’s mother is standing next to my car with her hands on her hips and sunglasses over her eyes.
“Nothing ever gets by you, ma’am,” I say, trying to break the tension.
She lowers her sunglasses to her nose. “Come on in,” she says and I follow behind her into the house.
“Hon!” she calls.
“Yes, baby!” I hear.
“You may want to come down here! That one boy that can’t seem to stay away from our daughter is here.”
“Which one?” I hear.
“You mean which daughter?” She gasps. “It’s not Eric!”
He appears in the living room and when his eyes meet mine, they narrow behind his round wire frames. “I was hoping it wasn’t you.” He crosses his arms over his chest and stares me down. “What can we help you with?
“I know I am not your favorite person and certainly not your favorite person for your daughter.” I swallow nervously as they both continue to stare at me. “But…I should be. I love you daughter more than anything in the world. I’ve made a ton of mistakes; I won’t deny that, but I’ve always tried to do right by her, even when the circumstances may not have looked that way. I know I should have stayed away from her while I was married. I know that. I assume you know Alexis, her roommate from college. We met at her wedding.”
Marissa’s mom nods in realization and I watch as her hands fall from across her chest and she sits down on the couch. She looks at her husband and pats the space next to her. Though he’s still glaring at me, I can see his hardness softening a little when he takes the seat next to her.
“Owen has been my friend since we were kids, and all I kept thinking about that entire wedding was why am I married when all I want to do is talk to the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.” I slide my hand into my pocket and play with the ring box, my heart pounding at the thought of bringing it out and having her parents tell me something along the lines of over our dead bodies .
“I shouldn’t have approached her or tried to court her but…” I pause before continuing, “I knew I was getting divorced at some point. Not an excuse,” I add. “But I knew from the moment I laid eyes on her, that not only should I not be married, but I should be married to her. I didn’t know what love at first sight felt like until I saw your daughter for the first time, and…” I trail off. “That’s all I have. I’m just asking you for a chance. Now, I think at this point Marissa is ready to be with me without your blessing, but…she’s going to want you around while she plans a wedding.”
Marissa’s mom gasps and looks at Marissa’s father and then back to me. “Marriage?”
“I went into my last one with the wrong person…I know now what I want and what I need and I’ve never been as sure about anything as I am about Marissa and I think she feels the same way about me. I’m not planning to ask her tomorrow. We need some time as a couple with no drama, but…” I pull the box out of my pocket and set it on the coffee table in front of them. “I do have a ring.”
Her mother looks down at the red velvet box and then back up at me. “Has she seen it?”
“No.” I shake my head.
“Does she know it exists?”
I shake my head again. “No, I keep it in a safe at work because she’s nosy.”
“What about where you two work?” Her father chimes in, speaking for the first time.
“We are in the process of changing our policy. The CEO fell in love with his assistant.” I chuckle. “So, Marissa won’t report directly to me anymore but she can still work for the company and get promoted and thrive. I just don’t have a say in her salary anymore, which is good, because I would just…give her everything.”
Her mother reaches forward and picks up the ring box. She gasps when she opens it. “Oh, of course you have good taste.” She shakes her head. “You really had the potential to be perfect, you know?”
I chuckle nervously because I’m not sure if they’re giving me their blessing or telling me that none of this is good enough and I’m still the man who made their daughter my mistress for far too long. “I am sorry for everything. For what happened at Autumn’s shower and just putting Marissa in a position like that. I was being selfish and not thinking about how everything would affect her.”
Her father crosses his arms across his chest. “I had Eric pull your file so I could read some of the notes and the transcripts. I am not denying that you had a tough few years and that you got taken for a lot for not having a prenuptial agreement. It does seem that your ex-wife had some ulterior motives. This does not give you a pass, but you gave her whatever she wanted and you owned up to your mistakes. Not just with her, but in court and with your job and Marissa and now with us and I suppose I admire that, a little. ” He sighs. “And if you’re really serious about marrying her…well, I guess I have to get on board with that. I’m not missing out on walking my favorite child down the aisle.”
Marissa’s mother gasps and smacks his arm. “Do not tell her he said that. You know Shane and Autumn already think we favor her.”
“They’ll be alright,” he says as he stands up and puts his hand out for me to shake, and when I reach for it, he squeezes it hard. “I will have my eye on you though. All my eyes and believe me, I have eyes everywhere. If you step a toe out of line in regards to my daughter, I will have you thrown in jail,” he says.
“Oh, he will not. Don’t worry about that.” Marissa’s mom smiles as she comes to stand beside him. “He’ll just kill you.”