Page 24 of Taken By the Ex-Boyfriend

“Are you cold?” I ask. It’s summer but there’s a chill in the air lately. Tonight, it looks like it might even rain.

“No, I’m fine. Just thinking about this whole thing with your son. It— it seems cruel.”

“Yep, that describes it pretty well.”

It took me a long time to see through Jane’s façade. The first year of marriage was okay. Not loving by any means, but we were getting along. The fact that I went to my father had her really pumped up and it became clear she expected an upgrade in lifestyle—parties, lavish trips, clothes, jewelry—not something I was interested in participating in or providing for her. But what really damaged our relationship was that she didn’t seem to care about Daniel. He was just there, like another piece of furniture. That’s still how she sees him—an inconvenience that is sometimes cute to flash around.

Carol taps her hand on the window, playing a familiar tune. I want to tell her so many things, but we are both too distracted—we don’t exchange a single word until we arrive at my apartment.

“Where is he?” I ask Mary.

She looks years older from all the crying. “My little boy, he was so upset. I couldn’t calm him down, Brian, I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”

I give her a quick, reassuring hug and rush to his room. Daniel’s head jerks up from his desk when he hears the door open.

“Hey, Buddy.” I sit on the floor beside him and kiss his forehead. “What are you doing?”

Daniel wipes the snot with his elbow and motions at his drawing. I rub his back as he gets back to work. This week he’s been fascinated by the ocean, so every drawing includes another animal with light blue hues surrounding it. The city he had previously drawn is hanging in a neat collage on the right side of the wall.

His hand presses the paper with a rage I’ve never seen him express before, but that I know only too well. He’s not going to talk about it.

“We have—” No, that’s a bad way to start, I don’t want to get his hopes up. “I was out with a friend—”

“This date went bad too?” Daniel interrupts without looking up.

“Actually, she wants to meet you. She’s waiting in the living room,” I say. His hand freezes and those big watery eyes look at me surprised. Then, he glances around the room to make sure it’s presentable—it is, he always has it perfectly tidy when Jane comes to visit—and walks to the door.

“Remember what we said about the house,” I whisper before we head out. Daniel has adjusted to the new apartment very well and enjoys spending the day here, at his art studio as we call it. He also knows that if anyone asks, this is the only house we have.

In the living room, we find Carol sitting on the couch, a hand over her mouth, while Mary is talking to her in a hushed tone. This is not how I expected this night to unfold.

I clear my throat to end that conversation—no need to risk Daniel hearing more than he already has—and they both jump to their feet.

“Allow me to introduce you. Daniel, this is Carol, a good friend of mine.” I lightly push Daniel’s back. “Carol, this is my son.”

Carol walks around the couch and lowers herself to his level, her face wearing the same expression as yesterday.

“It’s nice to meet you, Daniel. Your father’s told me all about you. Are you really that good at drawing?” she asks.

Daniel beams and announces that he’ll just show her. He runs back to his room to fetch his artwork and I take the opportunity to ask Mary for details. She looks at me, then at Carol before whispering about her conversation with Jane.

“I told her that Danny was waiting for her, and that he was asking where she was. Jane said she was still busy, but I could hear people talking and laughing, and music, and…I snapped.” Mary stops and takes a deep breath. “I told her that she shouldn’t act like this, making promises she has no intention of keeping; playing with her son’s feelings. She started yelling that I had no right to tell her how to be a mother. She had other things to do, she had a life—”

She stops abruptly and lowers her head.

Jane has a life to live, and her son becomes an inconvenience when better options appear. That’s how it’s always been. But that stops now.

“Don’t worry, Mary, I’d have done the same. Just go rest. I’ll handle it from here,” I assure her and lead her to the door. This is not her fault by any means, but she still feels guilty. I close the door softly and lean on it for a second before I turn to Carol. “It’s okay if you want to leave too.”

“Are you kidding me? And miss the art exhibition?” she jokes. Without thinking, I reach for her, placing my arm on the small of her back, and rubbing it lightly. She shivers and her face turns a lovely rose color, but she doesn’t move away. I could just kiss her right now, but this is not the moment to make a move. The rustling noise coming from Daniel’s room, followed by his thumping footsteps confirms it.

“I’ll make us something to eat, then,” I tell her and move away.

Daniel releases the bundle of papers on the coffee table and turns to Carol expectantly. She chuckles and sits next to him on the sofa, every bit of her attention dedicated to him.

I observe them for a few seconds. They feel right together. More than my desire to have her again.

Chapter Eleven

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