Alex tenses up beside me, but he also gives me a comforting squeeze. “Babe, my mother’s the one who helped get me out. She got me one of the best lawyers in the country. Within hours the charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence.”
If he’s trying to help me warm up to his mother, that will never happen. I cannot forgive or forget all the things she did to me and my family.
As soon as my father, their handyman and gardener, was sent to prison, my mother was also relieved from her role as housekeeper.
“I didn’t know you were in touch with your mother,” I say to Alex. I don’t bother to lower my voice. Respect is a two-way street.
“My son needed me,” Marcy cuts in. “He’s innocent and I stepped in to handle the situation.” She stretches to her full height until she’s towering over me. “It doesn’t take long for a good lawyer to bring the truth to the light.”
“The evidence they found didn’t hold up,” Alex continues. “There’s suspicion that I was framed by dirty cops.”
“Unfortunately, that’s something that happens quite often to the poor,” Marcy adds, looking pointedly at me. “If I didn’t step in, the court would have appointed him some low-rent lawyer who would have failed him. My son would have faced life in prison or worse for a crime he didn’t commit.”
“Thanks for your help,” I say flatly. Massaging my aching lower back, I turn to Alex. “I’m tired. I need to lie down.”
“You’re right, you should get some rest,” Alex says to me and turns to his mother. “See you at dinner, Mother. I need to rest as well.” The tension in his voice is unmistakable.
As he escorts me away from his mother, sadness squeezes my heart. Marcy didn’t congratulate me for the pregnancy, even after looking down at my stomach.
She’d rejected her first unborn grandchild and she’s rejecting this baby as well. I shouldn’t care, but I do, on Alex’s behalf. Even if he doesn’t show it, it must be painful for him.
As soon as we enter the luxurious suite that’s reserved for us, I fling my arms around his neck. “I’m so happy you’re out.” I pull back and put a hand on his clean-shaven cheek. “But–”
“My mother?” He lays his hand on top of mine.
“She still hates me, Alex. Maybe even more than she did years ago.” I drop my hand and sink onto a nearby chaise lounge. “So many years have passed and she still hates me. She doesn’t even bother to hide it.”
“Darling, don’t let her get to you. She’s a bitter old woman. But it doesn’t matter anyway.” Alex falls to his knees in front of me and kisses my belly. “What matters is that she helped free me. Now we’re together again, and I’ll be there when our baby is born.”
I nod. “You didn’t tell me you contacted her, or were you in touch all along?”
He had always made it look like he hated his parents and never wanted anything to do with them. When he found out two years ago that his father died from a heart attack, he didn’t even grieve him.
“She was my last resort. You really don’t have to worry about her. She won’t stay in our lives for long. As far as I’m concerned, you and the baby are all I need. You are my family.”
“What do you mean she won’t stay in our lives for long?”
He gets to his feet and pulls me into his arms. “What I mean is, once we get what we want, she’s out.” Breaking the embrace, he grins at me. “I did a lot of thinking in jail, and I decided that it’s time for us to live well. If she wants to help, let her. We need a better life for our baby. I hate my mother. I hate her for what she did to you, and how she turned her back on me, but I want what’s rightfully mine. It was wrong of me to walk away without a penny. I only contacted her because I want her to pay for what she did to us. All the money she inherited from my father is not hers alone. Some of it belongs to me.”
“Do we really need her money? I mean, we struggled financially, but we didn’t suffer as much as some people do. Once we pay off some of our debts, we’ll be fine… I think.”
“I thought you’d understand.” Alex takes a step away from me, his jaw tight.
I’m grateful for what Marcy did for him, but having the woman back in our lives scares me. I’m pretty sure she will make my life hell.
“Baby, your mother is not stupid. She probably knows what you’re up to. I don’t think we’ll be able to fool her.”
“What you don’t get is that she’s lonely. She will do anything to keep me in her life. When I asked her for help, she didn’t even hesitate.”
“Fine,” I say, even though I’m still not convinced.
When it’s all said and done, MarcyisAlex’s mother, and she did get him out of jail. Maybe I don’t have a choice. Maybe I just have to tolerate her like she’s tolerating me. But if she thinks she can treat me like crap, she’d better brace herself. I’m not going to make it easy for her this time. I’m no longer the scared child I used to be.
I heard somewhere that we often encounter the same problems until we learn the life lessons they bring with them. Maybe the reason Marcy came back into my life is so I can learn to stand up for myself and get back my power.
Chapter 13
I’m both relieved and hurt that Marcy doesn’t want me to join them for dinner. She only wants to have dinner with her son. I’m close enough to Alex to hear her words over the phone.
