Page 48 of The Homewrecker's Fate

“Nonsense. We didn’t realize you were with child, or we would have made this dinner an earlier one.”

“It’s okay. Mr. Sanderson, Brenda, this is my boyfriend, Braxton Halford.”

“Are you excited to be a dad?” Brenda asked him.

“Beyond,” Brax insisted quickly as Rich once again fumed from his seat. I waited to see if he would correct them, but quickly realized why that wasn’t the case.

“Where is the lovely Mel tonight, Rich?”

“She’s home with the kids,” he stated, as if he knew that to be true. The man couldn’t help himself as he sat there and lied about how well she was doing and gave a rundown on the kids that he had to be making up because none of it was true.

“How did they do with the move out here?” Mr. Sanderson asked as he eyed me skeptically once more.

“I think they’re adjusting well,” Rich stated.

“We just came back from vacation at Juniper Lake with them a few weeks ago and the kids had a blast,” Braxton added.

“Oh, you all went together?” Mitch seemed taken aback by that and it let me know that he was already aware of the circumstances of my pregnancy even if he didn’t want to point it out in front of his wife.

“Braxton is Mel’s life-long best friend and she’s like a sister to me. We loved hanging out at the lake with her and the kids.”

“And Rich, of course,” Brenda tacked on.

I shook my head. “He was only there briefly for one day. The rest of the time it was just the five of us. My mother was there for most of the week with her nurse as well.”

Rich looked ready to stab me with his fork but fuck him. He might prefer to lie about literally everything, but I would not do it to make him feel comfortable.

“Oh, well, why weren’t you there with your family, Rich?” Brenda asked. I waited patiently as Rich tried to scramble for a new lie.

“Mel and I are separated,” he finally admitted.

“Oh, too bad, dear.” Brenda insisted as she patted him on the arm. “I had heard something, but when you were talking about the family, I thought maybe you had remedied that situation.” She tutted and then turned to look him in the eye. “Your mother is beside herself about the whole affair.” Brenda’s eyes came back to me then.

Oh yeah, they knew.

“I wish I had been so clued in about Rich’s life when we started working on your campaign,” I hinted. Rich had the audacity to kick me in the shin. He did it lightly, but it was a warning to keep my mouth shut and we both knew it.

“You hadn’t met Mel and the kids then?”

I shook my head. “I had no clue they existed until Rich transferred to my office permanently. It was a shock for all of us, to say the least.”

“I just bet it was,” Brenda stated as she hid her amusement behind the glass of wine she picked up.

“We spoke to James about what an amazing job you both did on the campaign,” Mr. Sanderson said by way of changing the subject. “He assured me that you would be taking over any future endeavors.” That was directed at me and caused Rich to bristle even further.

“We worked on it together.”

“I am well aware of what you worked on Richard.” Mr. Sanderson stated in a cool manner that made it clear he did not take kindly to being interrupted. The man turned his attention back toward me. “I believe it was your influence that elevated my company beyond just being a small-time hobby shop for men. You made it a place where women felt welcome, too.” He sighed as his eyes tracked to his wife. “Brenda told me over the years that I was missing out, but I honestly didn’t think there were that many women out there who are outdoor enthusiasts.”

“I believe there are far more than you can fathom. Most of what stops women from truly diving into the outdoor life is that they have too much going on at home and no one was catering to their needs when they did plan excursions. Between your added line for women and the additions we discussed that catered to families of all shapes and sizes, I think you pulled your company out of a niche market and made it more mainstream. Those company choices were what expanded your reach.”

“Humble to the last, Ms. Acker?” Mr. Sanderson teased. I shrugged my shoulders as I took a sip of my water.

“You gave me the platform to springboard off of. Rich was instrumental in helping with the family side of things. I suppose I now know how he was so knowledgeable about what would pique the interest of families who were searching for outdoor gear for their next adventure.”

Brenda was unable to hold back her chuckling at my backhanded compliment to the lying bastard we were unfortunate enough to have to share a meal with. Braxton’s hand landed firmly on my thigh and gave a quick squeeze to let me know he appreciated that little dig, too.

Our food was delivered shortly after that and thankfully conversation took a back seat to any other business talk or cleverly skirting the scandal that we were immersed in. Once everyone was finished, Mr. Sanderson took a moment to catch the eye of everyone at the table. “We look forward to working with you more in the future, Aviva. Best of luck with the pregnancy. We don’t want to hold you up, as I imagine you need all the rest you can get right now.”

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