Page 47 of Frosty Felicity
“No, you’re not. You know this is the one thing you can do to hurt me. It’s the only power you have over me. I bet if ya asked Andrew if he wanted to move to California, he would prefer to stay right here in Cincinnati.” She blinked a few times but remained quiet. “How fucking dare you, Liza? You know how close Andrew and I are! It was me who taught him to ride a bike! It was me who stayed home with him when he was sick, took him to the dentist, doctor’s appointments, baseball practice, while you worked that important Jacobson case! It was me who assured him that he was loved and wanted, when he asked why his biological dad was never around, and you’d just walk out the room, not knowing how to handle it!
“It was me, Liza, who helped him with his homework, took him around to my parents to get additional love and get spoiled, because your family barely even came to visit, and he became a true member of my family, blood be damned! My niece and nephews, Tim’s kids, are Andrew’s cousins, and there’s nothin’ that is going to happen to ever change that. My mother, up to her last week on this planet, asked about Andrew, and had bought tickets for the Cincinnati Zoo for her and my dad to take him. She adored that boy! We were a family. Divorce doesn’t kill a family. It just moves the goal posts.”
Liza shook her head, and her eyes glossed over.
“Your family was the only family I had, and you know it, Brett. My son is my only family now, okay? You removed yourself. I am on the outs with my mom, and things are a mess! That’s why I was still here at Christmas. You left. I get it! I understand why, but Andrew—”
“Did you not hear what I said?! This isn’t the courtroom! I am tired of the games, the micro-aggressions, like that shit you said to Felicity at the party, which by the way, better not ever happen again. And now you stand here, waving Andrew around like some carrot. You know me better than this.” He seethed. “You know damn well this isn’t okay, and I am not going to ever think it is okay. I held that boy when he skinned his knee and cried! I potty trained him! I was a father to that kid when you were climbing the corporate ladder, with my blessing, and I even purposefully missed out on a promotion, so YOU could flourish in your career. The time I spent with him was precious.”
“When they offered you that position of lieutenant, you could have taken it, Brett. I told you that.”
“I wasn’t going to accept another position, become a lieutenant, because it would have taken me away from my son too much. When I met you, and you had a baby, I took on both you and him. PROUDLY. With that comes responsibility!”
“Then why did you bust up our home if he was your top priority then, huh?!”
“Because I can’t be a good father if I mistrusted and despised his mother!” Something flashed in her eyes—something beyond shock. “What type of man would I be to harbor that resentment, and think he was stupid enough to not see it, feel it, be in the midst of it?! That’s not healthy! We were not getting along. We didn’t even like each other during that time! We were fighting all the time, in front of a child! That’s abusive! That is why, when we were together, Liza, I wanted you to follow your dreams, while I slowed my own career down. He needed a solid foundation, and the ending of our marriage was inevitable. I could see what was to come. If we were going to part ways, I at least wanted you to be financially okay. It was bad enough that we both had crazy schedules. I wasn’t going to let that get any worse by workin’ even more hours. I figured I could be promoted later. It’s called sacrifice. It’s called being a parent! And you know what? You’re right, I’m not his father. I am his damn dad!”
She dropped her head and crossed her arms.
“I know you love Andrew, Brett. In fact, I know you love him more than me, and that’s fine. I—”
“Oh, for God’s sake!” He ran his hand through his hair. “I can’t love someone more or less than someone else, when love, to me, isn’t on a scale! He’s a child, Liza! You’re a full-grown adult. We met. We became friends. We fell in love. We got married. We were not compatible, but we kept trying to make it work! Attraction and love are not enough to make a marriage work!”
“You made me feel safe!” Tears streamed down her cheeks. She dropped the box to the floor.
Silence reigned between them.
“I don’t feel safe anymore, Brett. I no longer have that protection around me, and I don’t mean just physically. There’s something about you… you have a way about you. I’ve told you this…” He swallowed, then sat down on the nearby couch. She followed suit, sitting across from him. “You walk into a room, this tall, beautiful man with black hair and eyes so blue, they look like the Indian Ocean at the Maldives.” She dabbed at her eyes, and continued. “You’re such a damn good person. I’ve never met anyone like you, before or after. Yeah, it sucks that we didn’t work out. I have so many regrets… I wanted to show you that I’ve grown. Changed. I wanted you to give us a chance again, so I could prove it to you, but I never got the opportunity. And then, after we got to your aunt’s on Christmas, and I saw your girlfriend come into the house… I knew…” She dropped her gaze and shook her head. “I knew it was truly over.”
“Okay, you’ve said a lot, so let’s unpack this.” He leaned forward and clasped his hands. “You said I made you feel safe. Why do you feel unsafe?”
She shrugged. “I’m uncertain about so many things right now. Like what you said, we were friends. Not just lovers. I knew you’d never do anything to purposefully hurt me, and you were funny and kind… strong. I remember when that kid came to school with a gun, and you were one of the first on the scene. You were so brave. It was all over the news, ya know? Everyone was watching, talking about what a hero you were. You managed to get him out of there, and no one lost their life that day. You risked it all to protect those teachers and students. Over the years, you’ve been my rock. Even after the divorce.” She paused, and sniffled. He got up, grabbed some tissue, and handed it to her. “You give great advice, too. On a different note,” her cheeks flushed as she smiled, “you’re amazing in bed.”
He smiled at that, but it was fleeting. His heart was still broken at the thought of Andrew being snatched away from him, but he put his worries to the side.
“Here’s the thing. We can still be friends. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the mother of my son, but I need to make something perfectly clear. I know you’re this high-powered lawyer and all, but please don’t underestimate me, Liza.” He clasped his hands. “I will fight to keep Andrew here.”
Her jaw dropped, and a flash of anger reared its head again within him.
“You would take me to court over this? Are you serious?”
“I’m serious as hell.”
“You’d lose. There would be—”
“Liza, I don’t do well with manipulation. Lies. Lack of trust. I don’t do well with selfishness, either. It is cowardly for you to up and leave with him because of what’s going on between us, and you can sit there and lie and say it’s not that, but it is, and we both know it.”
“Oh, so now I’m selfish, manipulative, and a liar?” She rolled her eyes. “You’re not perfect, Brett! You’ve messed up, too!”
“You’re damn straight I have. I have never pretended to be perfect. I have many faults and shortcomings. I don’t trust easily once trust is broken. I take that out on others sometimes. I am a little possessive, but cover it well when I’m in love. Nevertheless, I imagine it makes some women I’ve dated feel smothered. It’s just my nature. I’m a worry wart when it comes to women and safety. I know it seems misogynistic, but I know what’s out there, and women and children are the most vulnerable targets. It makes me sick knowin’ that you, my girlfriend, aunts, and the like, are out here walking amongst predators. I arrest these people. Although I’m fairly optimistic, some of the guys I’ve arrested are pure evil. You know what’s out here, too, you’ve sat across from them in court. I want you to be safe. Anyway, I am not always good with telling people how I feel before something bad happens. That’s a major flaw of mine. When I get mad, though it doesn’t happen often, I blow up big time.
“These are deficiencies. Some bigger than others, but regardless of that, I’m a good person, just like you said. I became a cop to help people. I was intending to go into engineering, a far more lucrative field. I really want the best for others, and I’m not going to apologize for wanting the best for myself, too. I’m done sacrificing my needs and wants for others unless it has to do with Andrew.
“Now, here’s the deal. Yup. You better believe I will take your ass to court. I will get an attorney if you go through with this relocation. You’re not talking about moving to Indiana, or somewhere in Kentucky. You’d be across the country. I have rights. Secondly, and I think you already know this, women’s intuition I guess, I’m quite serious about Felicity. She’s my girlfriend, and she’s going to be around for a long time. Hopefully forever.”
“I figured already you are serious about her. You’ve never gotten so upset about another woman before. You and I may have only slept together that one time after our divorce, but we’ve always flirted with one another, for years. Since she’s been in the picture, all of that stopped. That’s how I knew you were serious before you even said it. You’re in love. You look at her the way you used to look at me.” She blew her nose.
“You and I were for a season, Liza. That season is over, but again, you are a part of my life, and I care about you. You will always have me as a friend, but boundaries have to be set. You and I are never going to sleep together again or get back together. You’re an intelligent, beautiful woman with—”
