“But it wasn’t your fault, sweetheart,” Jess pointed out. “Max shares a whopping eight percent of the blame. He didn’t wear a condom. He allowed himself to get carried away.”
“Doesn’t matter much right now, anyway,” I shrugged, sniffling. “I went to the interview with high hopes because I knew the pay would help me afford the rent in the coming months, and also take care of Finn’s education. When he walked in and introduced himself, the room began to spin. I was too shocked. Too excited. Too angry to even think straight. So, I did what first came to mind. I denied ever knowing him.”
Their eyes widened the more, and Jess slapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, my God, Elaine. That was…”
“Ridiculous? Yeah, I thought so too. But what would you have me do, huh? He was so happy to see me again, and me… I just felt like a fool. I still felt betrayed by what happened last time at the club, and afraid that I might fall in love with him. I wanted a simple life for me and Finn, and so I thought it’d be better if no one knew I had a child. So that was why I lied on all of my forms that I had none.”
Ryan shook his head, sighing heavily. “This is as interesting as it is both sad.”
“Yeah. And by the way, he wouldn’t have taken me seriously anyway. It was five years past, and we didn’t part ways amicably before. He’d assume to come back to pin him with a child because I found out he’s rich and influential. I was never after his money, and even now, I’m not.”
Jess rubbed my left wrist sympathetically. “I understand you. I went through the same thing when Samson took me home to see his parents and brother, Blake – Max’s father. Everyone thought I didn’t love Samson genuinely and was only after his money.”
“How did you convince them?” I asked, puzzled.
She shrugged. “I did nothing. Samson didn’t even bother trading words to convince them, and after a while, thankfully, they came around and became much more tolerable.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah,” she made a waving motion with her hand as though to push the topic aside. “So, tell us. What happened next?”
“Well,” I trailed off. “While I was still in shock and constantly loathing myself for lying, he started treating me badly. I didn’t know what his intention was, and I tried not to care but it was hard. I’d already tucked a portion of my heart already in his pocket, and seeing him constantly bring it out and stomp on it repeatedly was devastating and painful. I couldn’t stand his sudden hate. But, after a while though, something changed in him. I don’t still know what, and I was shocked because, one week he was treating me like a slave, and the next he was getting all nice.”
“Do you suppose someone talked to him?” Jess queried, glancing between Ryan and me.
I shrugged. “Perhaps. Ryan?”
“Ah, no. I didn’t know that you two had gotten back together until last week when he told Samson on the phone that he wanted to bring you over.”
“Who else could’ve done it, then?”
I sighed. “Manny Salazar.”
Ryan gasped, cocking his head to the side. “No. Fucking. Way. How are you so sure?”
“Manny is the manager of the bank my best friend works. At first, from the way she talked about him, I thought she had a crush, and therefore, I prodded her to invite him over for dinner. She did, and you two can’t imagine the shock on my face when I pulled open the door to see that it was him. And he recognized me as Cherry, from the club. I was shaken to the core.”
“Did he see Finn?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Fuck.”
“After dinner, Cora offered to warn him not to say a word about Finn. He agreed, then we had a personal encounter a few days later at the parking lot at the office. He knew that Finn was Max’s, and wanted me to tell the truth. I explained that Max wouldn’t care either way and left him standing there in embarrassment. What got into me that day, I don’t know.”
“Bold,” Ryan gave a small clap. “Well, so, from this narrative, I’d say it’s possible that Manny talked to him to stop mistreating you. Tell us what later happened.”
I adjusted my butt on the wooden chair, taking a swing of my coke once more. “I had this little afternoon date with a couple of friends from the office, and he got invited. I didn’t think that he was going to show up, but he did. And I was pleased. Before the afternoon was over, we all exchanged our social media handles and then in the evening, a new, private profile called Sky Walker chatted me up and I thought it was him, operating under a guise since we weren’t allowed to see or sext each other.”
Jess frowned. “Why is that?”
“Max was facing bad publicity at that time,” Ryan leaned back in his seat. “The whole group thought it was best he stayed low, so he wasn’t allowed to get involved in short flings.”
“To be honest, I was all for a short fling. And that’s why when Sky Walker who I thought was Max, asked me to meet him at Dreams, a popular club downtown, I didn’t hesitate. But when I got there, and it turned out to be a different person entirely, guess who walks in and sees us?”
“Who?”
“Max,” Ryan sighed. “That’s our usual hangout spot though. You go there a lot?”
“Not at all. He was the only reason I went there because I thought he was Sky.”
“What did he say when he saw you with the other guy?”
“He did something typical. He lost his shit, and I ended up riding him real good on the backseat of his car.”
“Holy cow.”
“It was hot and intense. I hadn’t had sex for three years and a half, so I was so thrilled. But then, he got angry that he found me in a club with a guy and Cora’s father was admitted to the hospital, so she had to go home to take care of him along with her mother and siblings. I had to hire a nanny to take care of Finn when Max eventually came around and we began having hot sex sessions at his house.”
They were both patient, as they waited for me to continue.
“I was in turmoil because I couldn’t keep the truth about our child a secret anymore. Each time, I tried telling him, something else stopped me. The next morning he persuades me to go on a weekend vacation with him back in Ohio. He wanted to make amends for what happened between us five years ago.”
“Aw,” Jess beamed and Ryan blushed. “It beats me sometimes how the Sturm men are undercover romantics.”
“I was surprised, though. So, I decided to enjoy the weekend with him and tell him the truth, first thing when we get back to New York. In Ohio, we bumped into my ex, Alessandro, and the whole subject of Finn sprang up and I… I denied him. I denied my son.”
“Oh, God.”
“Yeah. I still hate myself for it now, but before that, I’d asked him if he could date a single mom. I wanted to know if I had a future with him.”
“What was his response?”
“He said he hates single moms.”
Jess’s jaw dropped. “Shit, Elaine. That’s…”
“I know, I know, Jess. Hearing him pronounce his hate for single moms was even harder than sitting there, denying our son’s existence. I withheld the truth and enjoyed the weekend with him. He was so sweet and affectionate, and I lost myself to him completely. We visited places he’d gone to look for me five years ago. It was the best experience of my life. I didn’t want it to end one bit, and when it did, I couldn’t still bring myself to tell him.”
We all stayed silent, the atmosphere heavy with silence. My shoulders slumped and I placed a hand over my chest, my heartbeat erratic against my palm. “When I eventually told him about Finn, he was mortified, and angry. He didn’t even let me tell him that the child was his, and not Alessandro’s, as he thought.”
“Damn,”
“He somehow found out that Finn is his later on, and came back again, angrier than ever.”
“Blake told him. He said he met you at the park with Finn when he was out with the kids,” Jess said.
“How typical. Last night, stressed, I went over to the club again to lose myself in drinking and dancing. Max found me there again, and it was chaos all over again.”
Jess’s brows furrowed. “What a fucking hypocrite.”
“I know right? I was drunk and hurt because of him, and then I find out he’d come to have a good time with sluts. I couldn’t handle my emotions at that moment, and so I did something really stupid.”
“What?”
“I rode his shaft in the club.”
“This whole mess is getting interesting, that’s for sure.”
“You haven’t even heard half of it,” I giggled. “He threw his usual tantrum and demanded I leave with him. When I refused to do as he said, he kicked the side of his Aston Martini and twisted his ankle.”
Ryan’s eyes bulged out of their sockets. “What the actual fuck? He twisted his ankle?”
“Yes. And this morning, I went over to his office to straighten things out and he said a lot of hurtful things to me. He’s starting to get very possessive about Finn and I don’t like it one bit. He has no idea what being a father is all about.”
“This is a lot to take on, Elaine,” Ryan exhaled after a moment’s pause. “But I want you to know… it only gets better from here. I know Max. He has a big heart, and I’m glad he’s finally trying to take up his responsibilities. You have to give him a little more time. Trust me, you won’t regret it.”