Page 62 of The Homewrecker's Fate

“I’m getting a good picture. He’s not here because he’s back at my place clearing his things out.”

“Probably moving in with the next sucker,” I mumbled, and Mel laughed.

“That’s the damn truth.”

“Sorry to have bothered you both,” Mel stated and turned on her heel to head out. Neither of us bothered with platitudes. Her situation was different than the one that started a friendship between Mel and me.

“Where did Brax run off to?” Mel asked once Melinda was gone.

“He went to go get my mom, so she could come meet her granddaughter.”

“That’s so sweet. You have a good one there,” Melinda reminded me.

“I know. I’m going to marry him one day.”

“Told you I would hold you to that,” Brax called out as he came through the door strolling my mom in a wheelchair.

“Mom, come see your granddaughter,” I insisted as I popped Janine off my breast and tucked her up to my shoulder to burp her. “Sorry, give me one more minute to get her situated first.”

“Take your time, my girl. I remember what it was like.”

As Mel helped my mother hold Janine and the two most important women in my life cooed over my beautiful baby girl, Brax came around and slid on the bed beside me. “We saw that nurse leaving your room when we came off the elevator. Is everything all right?”

“Yeah, just had to hand her some truths. Can you believe Rich has been dating her since April?”

“Seriously?” Brax asked.

“Yeah, and moved in with her in May, most likely after that incident at work.”

“I wonder if he was dating her longer,” Brax questioned out loud.

“I wondered the same thing. She was lying about something. I just couldn’t tell if it was because she knew he was trying to get back with Mel, or if he was seeing her at the same time as me and Mel.” I shivered. “Thankfully, I had myself tested for everything as soon as I found out he was a cheating piece of shit.” No offense, Mel. I don’t think you’d give me anything, but who knows who else he was really with.”

“I still can’t believe him.”

I didn’t bother bringing up the fact that Mel had considered taking him back again. That was news that she would have to share with Brax on her own.

“How’s Trent?” I asked.

Mel blushed. “He had to go back to Colorado for some launch, but he’s coming back to stay in a week, so that he can be here when the baby is born.” She smiled sweetly. “Best thing that happened while we were at Juniper Lake was Rich reminding us all exactly who he was again just before I met Trent.” I nodded because that was most likely true. Had he not made an ass of himself and run off to be with his little girlfriend again, Mel might have had an emotional lapse in judgment that would have cost her. At least, even if Trent didn’t work out, he was someone new and it was a big boost to Mel’s spirit.

It was more than an hour later when everyone left. As if he had been waiting for such an opportunity, Rich came shuffling in the room.

“I wanted to talk to you privately, so I waited for everyone to leave.” His smug face made me want to punch him. “So much for your new boy toy sticking around, huh?”

“You mean the man who went to take my mother home? The same man who went out of his way to bring her here after I gave birth, so she could meet her granddaughter?” I asked. “That boy toy?”

“Yeah,” he muttered, clearly disappointed that he was unable to make Brax out to be the bad guy. “He’s planning on sticking around, then?”

“He is.”

“What if I told you that I’ve thought about it, and I think your daughter would be better off not knowing me.”

I stayed silent and waited for him to finish. “I don’t know what happened, Avi. I’m honestly not sure how I turned a corner one day and suddenly I couldn’t stop myself from cheating with you.”

“Don’t pretend I was someone special, Rich. Your girlfriend stopped by to talk earlier. You were seeing her a long time, too.”

He nodded. “You’re right. You were the first, though.” I notice he didn’t say Melinda was the last. “I’m not fit to be a father to another child, especially when I haven’t been doing a good enough job with the ones I already have.”

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