It's Only Make Believe (24 page)

The doorbell rang, and she heard Anna speaking to someone.

Suddenly Ruby stood framed in the doorway. A defiant sneer on her face, anger blazed from her eyes. “I suppose you know by now that Brad didn’t come home last night.” She raised her hand to silence any response from Michele.

Not that Michele had a response. Just seeing Ruby here in her bedroom shocked her. She looked at the slender woman dressed in a stunning red suit. Such an air about her, but her icy blue eyes sent daggers into Michele. She could almost feel them piercing her heart. Attractive, but not beautiful. What did Brad see in her? She definitely wasn’t the type of women he usually dated. But maybe that was just it. The women he usually dated were women his parents, at least Myra, expected him to date. Women with the right background. Not necessarily Brad’s type. Maybe Ruby was Brad’s type.

“Brad loves me, I told you that before. I’m telling you again. But he’s going to suggest you stay married for the baby’s sake.”

Ruby’s words brought Michele back to awareness. What did she mean stay married for the baby’s sake?

“He’s afraid you won’t let him see the baby otherwise. It’s not going to work. He won’t stop seeing me. He’ll just spend more time away from you. There’s no point to this, you know.” Ruby moved around the room while she talked, picking up things off the dresser and setting them back down. Finally she turned back to Michele. “Why don’t you just give him up? He’s even going to suggest you build a new house. But he doesn’t want you, Michele. Don’t ruin his life this way. You don’t want a husband who cheats on you.”

Michele stared at Ruby. She wasn’t about to tell her she’d already come to the same conclusion. At least not without talking to Brad first. All hope that it was her imagination died in her. She was right all along. She had fooled herself for a while, especially on her honeymoon. She thought back to all the small things that led her to believe Brad might care about her. Most of it led to their physical attraction. Even now, she remembered how his hand felt on her forehead when he brushed the hair from her eyes. And the gentleness he showed when she fell down the steps. But he would have acted that way with anyone, even a stranger. She wanted Ruby out of here. Out of her bedroom, out of her house. And it was her house, at least for the time being. It didn’t matter that she hated it. She stood up and came face to face with Ruby.

“Get out of my house.”  She spoke in a quiet firm voice. What she really wanted was to scream at Ruby. Wanted to lash out at her. And worse she wanted to push her out of the room, down the steps, out the door. Out of her life. She wanted to hurt her like she hurt. Somehow, she maintained her composure even though her legs shook so badly she had no idea how they held her up.

Ruby backed her way out the door, turned, and ran down the steps. Michele almost laughed. Ruby ran so fast she never stopped to look back. Maybe she’d been more menacing than she realized. But she didn’t care. The gall of that witch coming into her home and.... Michele squeezed her fists together. She couldn’t hold back the tears. Her heart wanted to bust through her chest. She picked up a sculpture off the dresser and threw it across the room. Damn them! Damn Brad for lying to her. She wanted to smash everything in sight.

Anna raced up the stairs. “Is Missy all right?”

Michele looked at Anna. The poor woman tried to catch her breath as she stood in the doorway, worry and concern lined her face. “I’m sorry Anna, I’m fine. I ...” Michele crumpled and sat on the bed her legs no longer strong enough to hold her up. She never remembered being so angry.

Anna came into the room and sat on the bed next to Michele. She put her arms around her and rocked her. “It’s okay. Shush... it’s okay now. You just have a good cry. Anna’s here. Anna gonna take care you.”

Her rich thick accent soothed Michele. “I’m sorry, Anna. I don’t know what came over me.”

“I do. What that woman say to you, got you so upset?”

Michele didn’t want to talk about it. She wanted the whole incident to just go away. But the words flowed out of her mouth, and she related the whole incident to Anna.

“Well that woman run out of here like the devil hisself was after her. You scared her real good.” Anna patted Michele’s back. “Come on now, I fix you a cup of tea.”

“Will you bring it up here, Anna? I want to rest and my legs are still so wobbly I’m not sure I can walk down the steps.” Besides she needed to mull this over. Figure out what to do. And where was Brad? He wasn’t with Ruby.

Suddenly he was there, standing  in the doorway. Michele looked away. She must look a fright. She didn’t want to talk to him yet. Didn’t trust her voice.

“Michele, what’s wrong?” He came in the room and sat next to her on the bed.

Michele glanced in the mirror. Her eyes were red and swollen. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She got up and went into the bathroom without answering. Think...what did she want to say to him? How did she want to approach this? Oh Lord, right now she didn’t even want to deal with it. Wanted it to all just go away.

Brad was here, and she needed to confront him. Bring this marriage to an end. She didn’t want the marriage to end. She loved Brad. But she wouldn’t play second fiddle to Ruby or anyone else. She wanted a husband who loved her. Not one who stayed with her because of the baby. That wasn’t any kind of life to bring a child into. No the marriage had to end. Now. Today. She washed her face and took a deep breath.

CHAPTER FORTY FIVE

Michele walked back into the bedroom. She looked at Brad sitting on the bed, a worried look on his face. Did he know he was found out? Had he sent Ruby here to confront her? She crossed the room and sat in the chair. She needed to stay far away from him. If he touched her she’d melt.

“Brad...we need to talk.” She put her hands in her lap to steady them, but she couldn’t keep them still. She pulled at her tissue, crumpled it, opened it, and crumpled it again. She focused on it as if it were the most important thing in the world.

Brad stood, walked around the other side of the bed and sat down in the chair opposite her.

“I think we should get a divorce now. I don’t want to wait the rest of the year.” There she said it. She let out the breath she’d been holding and held back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She wasn’t going to cry. She refused to cry. All she wanted now was to get this over with.

Brad’s mouth dropped open. “A divorce? What are you talking about?” He rubbed his chin and looked at her as if she told him she wanted to go to the moon.

“We had a deal, Michele. The year’s not up.”

Michele stood, went to the bathroom and washed her face again. She couldn’t just sit there. She had to move around. The look on Brad’s face registered what? Surprise? Shock? Rejection? He didn’t look pleased. Still she had to confront him.

***

She came back in the room, stopped at the window and looked out.

“There’s no point in going on with this charade. It won’t be good for the baby. We’ll work out visitation.”

“Visitation? I’m not visiting my kid. No way, Michele, we had a deal. You’re sticking out the year. You can’t just walk out like that.” No way was he letting her out of it. Not with a baby on the way. He’d make her stick to the deal. He’d change her mind somehow. Crap he just told his father he was done with the Edgehurst deal. Handed it over to Ruby. He’d be home every day. No more traveling, and she wanted a divorce. What the heck brought this on?

  His stomach turned inside out. He clenched his fists. What made her think he’d give in so easy? “What brought this on anyway? We talked about building a house. You designed a nursery.” He got up and went to stand next to her. He wanted to put his arms around her, wanted to kiss her. Relight the spark in her. Damn it, they had something special. He felt it every time he touched her. She responded. He reached up and touched her face, rubbed her cheek. Those were tears in her eyes. She stiffened beneath his hand and turned her face away. What the hell was going on? She pulled away and hurried back to the bathroom. What came over her? He didn’t understand. Usually, she melted from his touch. He sat down on the bed. Something happened. But what?

***

Michele couldn’t look at him. Couldn’t let him see the tears that burned her eyes. Darn it why was he making this so hard. She thought he’d be elated at the idea of ending this marriage. He’d be free to go to Ruby. Unless...dared she hope Ruby made it all up? No, she had seen them together. But what had she seen. Think about it – had she imagined there was something between them because of Ruby’s words? She wanted to believe in Brad. Wanted to think he felt something for her. She knew he enjoyed her physically. Knew she lit some kind of spark in him. She felt it a moment ago in the way he touched her face. A tenderness, almost loving. If he loved Ruby would he desire her? Would he make passionate love to her? A man didn’t desire or make love to another woman if he loved someone else. Did he?

Brad opened the door and stood there. He walked to her, wiped the tears.  She looked away.

“Talk to me, Michele.” He turned her face toward him. “I want to know what’s going on. Why are you suddenly insisting on a divorce? Damn it, come out of the bathroom. Let’s sit down and talk about this.” He took her arm and led her back to the bedroom. “A bathroom is no place to discuss something this serious.”

Michele followed him. Was that hurt reflected in his eyes? She had to level with him. Get it all out in the open. Tell him about Ruby. If there was any hope of salvaging this marriage she had to be honest with him. And prayed he’d be honest with her. She should have talked to him about Ruby a long time ago. She took a deep breath. “Ruby came to see me today....”

“Ruby! What the hell has
she got to do with this?”

Michele sat down.. She looked at Brad’s face while she spoke. She needed to see the reaction. “She said you and she...” The words stuck in her throat. She didn’t want to repeat them. What if he said it was true? That he only wanted to stay with her for the baby? “She said you and she...” The tears broke. She couldn’t hold them back any more. Brad’s expression went from one of hurt and rejection to one of something else. Disbelief? Horror. She wasn’t sure what. Anger maybe. But at who?

“Ruby said what?” Brad stood and paced the room. “Don’t tell me Ruby led you to believe there was something between us?”

“Ruby said...” Say it get it over with. Get it out in the open. Let him deny it. “Ruby said you were only staying with me for the baby. That you were afraid I wouldn’t let you see it. She said you loved her. That you wouldn’t stop seeing her.” Michele stood up again. Too restless to sit. She went to the dresser, picked up the sculpture she had thrown earlier. She wanted to throw it now. Wanted to scream. “We had an agreement that we’d remain faithful for the year.” She felt Brad’s hand on her shoulders. Looked in the mirror and saw tears reflected in his eyes. A look of tenderness on his face. What did it mean? The heat from his hands seared into her. Sent sparks igniting in the pit of her stomach. Even now he excited her. Even now she wanted him. Loved him.

He turned her toward him. “There’s nothing between me and Ruby. Never really was. I can’t believe she came here and told you that. Ruby manipulated Edgehurst and me. She was the one responsible for all those trips. I’m not staying with you for the baby.” He brushed his lips across her lips. “I’m staying with you because I love you. I want this marriage for more than a year. That’s why I suggested building a house.” He lifted her chin. “Michele, look at me. Tell me you don’t feel something for me. I want us to build a life together.”

Michele couldn’t answer. Couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. Dare she believe him? Did he really love her?

“I quit my job, took a promotion. I was going to wait until I finished the Edgehurst campaign. But when you ended up in the hospital I realized my place was here with you. I took a month’s vacation. When you’re able I want us to finish that honeymoon. Only this time I want us to go someplace we both like.” He rubbed his thumb across her cheek, wiped away the tears.

Was it true? Had Ruby fabricated the story? No wonder he wasn’t with Ruby this morning. Quit his job? A honeymoon? But where was he last night? Why hadn’t he come home? Did she really need to know? Was it really important? He loved her, wanted to make a life with her. Wasn’t that enough? If she agreed to stay married to him, didn’t she have to trust him? She reached up and brushed her lips across his.

“I love you, Brad Lawson.”

That was answer enough for him. He took her in his arms and kissed her. “I love you too, Michele Lawson.”

CHAPTER FORTY SIX

Sarah hurried into the office. Late again. One of these days Michele was going to fire her sorry butt. Sarah suppressed a giggle. Even that wouldn’t ruin her good mood. She opened the cabinet, threw her purse inside and hurried to make coffee. She peeked into Michele’s office. Phew beat the boss again. She made a quick pot of coffee and prayed it was done before Michele came in.

Funny, now that Brad and Michele ironed out their problems, Michele came in later and later. Must be those late morning trysts. Lucky girl. If things went the way she wanted, maybe she’d be the one getting out of bed late. This time she let the giggle escape just as the door opened.