Page 21 of Falling for the Unexpected

Her eyes softened a bit but they were absolutely determined. No doubt at all, and I would never question that again. “Yes, I’m sure I want to file for divorce. I should have done it a while ago.” She said that last sentence under her breath but I was still able to hear her.

I paused for a second, wording my next question carefully. “Simone… has Brad ever hurt you?” I asked quietly, watching her body language as much as listening to her words. “Physically, I mean?”

Her eyes widened a bit, and had a lost, faraway look as she recalled something, but then she slowly shook her head negatively. I moved on from that question since it appeared I wasn’t going to get any more of an answer from her on that topic, but I knew I’d have to revisit it.

“What about Stella?” I asked, watching her closely.

I didn’t like what was registering on her face but again; she shook her head in the negative. I swear to God, if I found out that Brad had ever harmed Stella, I’d crucify him.

As a lawyer, a family law lawyer at that, learning to read people was essential. And Simone was an open book. It didn’t take much to see it on her face or in her body language. She had no idea what I was gleaning from her silences alone. It’s why I knew there was a history of some sort of abuse, never mind the emotional and psychological abuse Brad inflicted upon her and I’d witnessed myself. I still remembered the way Brad had gripped her arm back at the Thompson house and the way she always flinched whenever anyone but her daughter touched her. I did have a basic understanding of her past from what Trent had relayed to me a long time ago. I knew she never talked about it in depth and I wasn’t sure if anyone had really pressed for that info. Whether she liked it or not, that too would be a topic we’d be discussing at length.

“Has he cheated on you before?” We lived in California, which was a no-fault state, so it didn’t really matter for filing purposes if he had cheated multiple times. I was just curious if she was aware of any other indiscretions.

“I suspect he has, but I never really thought about it before nor did I go out looking for evidence of it. You know how our marriage started, and he was never completely on board with it. He told me as much last night when he said he was basically forced into marrying me.”

I winced a little at that. My own involvement lingered in my mind even though I’d had nothing to do with forcing Brad to marry Simone, I stillknew. “I have to ask, and this is as a friend, not as an attorney, why did you stay with him so long?” This was something I had wanted an answer to but I wasn’t sure she would open up to me.

She was quiet for a moment and I figured she wasn’t going to answer. “It sounds so stupid now that I know he never cared about me or Stella. But I really wanted Stella to grow up in a loving, stable family. My parents were horrible, so bad, in fact, that I was removed from their home and placed in foster care. I wanted better for my daughter.”

So maybe that was the reason for her silence when I asked about abuse. “It doesn’t sound stupid at all; it makes perfect sense,” I stated firmly. I leaned over, making sure she was looking me in the eyes. “You probably don’t know this but… Addie and I had pretty shitty parents, too. Our father left early on and our mother was in and out of our lives before she died. I understand the desire to have a perfect family. That doesn’t mean you should feel bad for picking the wrong person, and you shouldn’t feel bad for getting yourself out of that situation. The fact that you realize you deserve better, that you and Stella deserve so much more, is a brave step. I hope you realize that.”

I could see the tears welling up in her eyes again and it broke my heart. I’m not sure what possessed me but I got up and moved over to her side of the table. I sat down next to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders and just let her cry. It wasn’t a professional move, but I felt an overwhelming desire to comfort her. I knew she didn’t have very many people to support her but if I could help her in any way, I was going to.

Again, she surprised me when she returned my gesture and wrapped her arms around my middle. She let me hold her as she cried softly in to my shoulder. I propped my chin on the top of her head, and rubbed her back, letting her cry it out. It was odd how natural my actions came, but Simone felt oddly familiar in this position, like holding her was something I did often. It reminded me of our moment during Jim’s birthday.

After a few minutes she was able to pull herself together. She disengaged, almost reluctantly, and looked up at me. “Thank you,” she whispered, eyes still tearing up but not as much. “You’re really sweet, Kyle…”

I didn’t know what to say because I couldn’t stop staring at her. Our faces were so close that I could feel her breath against my lips and I could see my reflection in her dark brown eyes. The expression on my own face unnerved me. I smelled the scent of her shampoo or whatever she was wearing, and breathed it in. When she licked her lips, which seemed to be another nervous tic of hers, my eyes darted to the curve of her mouth. For a split second, I swear she moved closer to me. Or maybe it was the other way around. I swallowed hard, looked away, and pulled back.

“Better?” I asked, but my voice was a little hoarse and I could feel the pulse at my temples thudding against my skull. What the hell? Back at Jim’s birthday party, I’d felt drawn to her and her sadness, but at that time, my intentions had been… mostly… innocent. But here, this was something different, a little bit dangerous. I felt it in my body, the way I reacted to her, the turn of my thoughts from friendly to something akin to lust. When I looked back at her, I wasn’t sure if she’d felt what I’d felt. Probably not. She had bigger problems to deal with than me being irresponsible.

I handed her the napkin from my side of the table so she could wipe her eyes although she was no longer crying. I had to force myself to move back to my seat, needing the distance to compose myself and get back into my lawyer mode. The worst possible thing I could do was to start thinking about Simone in any way other than a client. No more touching, even though it felt instinctual for me when it came to her. She was vulnerable, afraid, and probably felt all alone. She had come to me for help, to find a safe haven from the shit storm she was about to go through. I wanted—no, needed—to be that stable force for her in a way that wasn’t just about being a damn good lawyer, but something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Something I didn’t want to focus on right now. So I forced myself to think about the next steps she would need to take.

“So I can get the paperwork started as soon as you’re ready,” I informed her, clearing my throat and taking a long drink of my water to cool off. I still felt overheated and my heart was still doing jumping jacks in my chest. Jesus, what the hell was wrong with me? “You said Jim and Marla don’t know you are doing this, correct?”

She shook her head. “I doubt it. I kicked Brad out last night but I don’t think he went over there. They’re watching Stella right now and they didn’t say anything to me when I dropped her off.”

“You should consider telling them,” I advised. “They’re going to find out eventually and they love you. I’m sure they would want to hear it from you first, and I wouldn’t trust Brad to come clean with them any time soon.”

She didn’t respond, just began fidgeting again, but this time with her glass of lemonade. She had long, slender fingers, and short nails. I glanced at the simple gold band on her left ring finger and noticed that it was a size too big. Either Brad hadn’t made an effort when buying it or she’d lost some weight from all the stress she was under. Both were possible.

“I’m scared,” she said quietly.

Nodding, I could see it on her face, too. I considered my next words thoughtfully. “About what, exactly, Simone?”

She took a deep breath. “Jim and Marla have been so accepting of me even though I came into their life unexpectedly. Brad is their son; it’s only natural that they’ll continue to support and even side with him,” she said, her voice wavering again. “I refuse to put them in the middle of our mess, and if they end up in that position I’m afraid I’m going to lose the only people I ever thought of as family.”

I felt bad that she believed she’d actually lose Marla and Jim. That her only connection to them was through Brad, or her daughter. She had no idea how much they adored her. “Simone, I have known the Thompsons for twenty years. Trust me when I say they’re coming to terms with the fact that they have to let Brad stand on his own instead always fighting his battles. You and Stella mean so much to them, don’t ever doubt that,” I told her, trying to allay her fears. “Things may be a little uncomfortable, but they won’t abandon you. In fact, I think they might help you more than you expect.”

For the next half hour, we ate our lunch while we continued to talk about the process of filing for divorce. Simone had asked for a piece of paper to write some of the details down for her own notes while I continued to take mine. I explained to her that I was willing to take her case pro bono. She tried to argue but I absolutely refused. Then she broke out in tears again. She explained that Brad told her she was going to need to move out of their apartment since he was the one on the lease. She wasn’t sure how she was going to afford rent, lawyer fees, and any other expenses that would probably come up, especially for Stella.

I was surprised by Brad’s statement since I was pretty sure Jim and Marla were on the lease for the apartment—not Brad. It was another reason for her to speak with them. I didn’t believe they would make their only grandchild and her mother move out. Especially since they had a room at their house for Brad if he needed a place to live.

We were just finishing up when I heard a voice behind me say, “Uh, hey, Kyle.”

Shit. I turned around and saw my sister. Her gaze flicked between Simone and me with a raised brow. “Hi, Addie…” I said, smiling wanly at her. I wasn’t sure what else to say because my brain was still trying to figure out how to explain the two of us together, and Simone’s miserable expression and puffy eyes.

Addie and Simone had talked at Jim’s party, and as far as I knew, there weren’t any hard feelings between them. It didn’t make this moment any less awkward, though.