Page 116 of Engulfing Emma

“Why would you be nervous?”

She runs a finger from her neck to her cleavage. “Leo and I have bonded this week. I was hoping you and I could bond, too.”

“Bond?” I shake my head. “You meanfuck?”

She gets up and comes over to me, placing a hand seductively on my chest. “We were good together once. We can be again.”

I step back. “You pushed me so far away over the past two years, there is no turning back. Not to mention you’ve ignored Leo.”

“I was depressed,” she says, stepping forward and taking my hand. “I’m not anymore.”

She tries to kiss me, but I move my head aside, avoiding her lips. I look over at the wine, thinking about what Bonnie and Bria said and pry my hand away from hers. “I think you’re still depressed. You need to see someone. Work your shit out.”

“I don’t have any shit to work out,” she says. “I just want my family back. I can transfer back to New York and we can be together.”

“Funny how that never occurred to you until Emma came into my life.”

She makes a rude noise. “Her again?”

“Yes, her. I’m with Emma now, and you and I will never be together again. I love her, Amanda. You’ll always be Leo’s mom, but we’ll never be a family.”

“Youloveher?” she says in disgust. “Are you kidding? We’ve only been divorced a few months.”

“But you haven’t been my wife for two years.” I pick up some of her things and shove them into her arms. “Get out of my bedroom. I don’t want you here.”

She stomps her way to the door and then turns around. “You have no idea what you’re missing. Plenty of men want me in their beds. They’ve wanted me for years.”

“Years? Is that why you quit sleeping with me? So you could fuck other men?”

“Why do you think I moved to California?” she says smugly.

“Wow,” I say with a shake of my head. I sit on the bed and laugh. “Thank you, Amanda. Up until today, I actually felt sorry for you. I thought that somehow becoming a mom had messed up your hormones or something. I even bought into the post-partum depression thing for a long time. But you’ve opened my eyes. The alcohol. The other men.” I glance at a picture of Leo on my nightstand. “I’ll never keep you from seeing him, but you are no longer welcome as an overnight guest in this house. I’m calling you a cab and making you a hotel reservation. You can come back tomorrow to say goodbye to Leo.”

Her mouth hangs open in surprise. “You’re kicking me out? But I live here.”

I pick up another piece of her clothing and walk it over to her. “Youlivedhere, Amanda. Past tense. The townhouse belongs to me now, or did you forget that part of our divorce agreement? Go back to California and whoever’s bed you’ve been sleeping in.”

Anger emanates from her and she shoves me. “You think you’re so special. You think you’re some kind of hero. You’re not. You’re just a public fucking servant who can’t even make enough money to keep a woman happy. You want your pitiful little teacher? Fine. She can have you. I promise you there are men lined up to get into my bed. Men who like to buy me nice things.”

“My ex—the whore. How proud you must be.”

She pushes me aside and makes a beeline for the wine. “Fuck off, Brett,” she says, throwing the wine in my face before getting her suitcase from the closet.

I dry off with my T-shirt as she packs her clothes and makeup.

She zips up her suitcase and heads for the door. “And tell your sister and the nanny to fuck off, too. You think you’re so much better than everyone. You can all go to hell.”

She storms down the stairs, and I hear the front door slam.

When I walk into the living room, Bonnie and Bria stare at my wine-soaked shirt and try not to laugh.

I smile wryly. “If I were a betting man, I’d say we won’t be seeing much of her anymore.”

“She wasn’t here for Leo,” Bonnie says. “She was here for you. That woman barely paid him any mind. She was on the phone half the time. And the other half she was drinking and watching television. She went out several nights, only to stumble home in the wee hours of the morning. One night she didn’t tell me she was leaving. I found Leo playing by himself on the kitchen floor. It’s like she forgot she was responsible for him.”

I shake my head in disbelief. Bonnie was right. She doesn’t want Leo. “Thank you for being here and watching over him.”

“You know I love that boy like a grandson.”

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