Paper Marriage Proposition

Twelve

The weeks passed, each day loaded with a strange mix of companionship and charged pauses, growing friendship and stolen touches, talk of revenge and looks that were heated with longing.

    This morning Lisa had a strange hole inside her. She couldn't take his kindness any longer—it made her feel weak and hopeful and besotted, when all she wanted was to feel angry and abused again and concentrate on what most mattered to her.

    "Where are we going?" she asked, tearing her eyes away from the scenery and meeting his sharp silver gaze.

    Frederic lounged in the backseat of the Navigator this Saturday morning, carefree and relaxed in tan slacks and a white polo, but his gaze shone with interesting secrets. One corner of his lips kicked up a notch. "I've arranged for you to see Leo."

    Lisa's every muscle jerked at that, and her heart went bonkers in her chest. "You have? How? When?"

    "I spoke to a mother of one of his school friends. He's over for a play date today and I thought—"

    "You did not!" she gasped, then covered her mouth with trembling hands. "Ohmigod!"

    "Breathe, Lisa," he said, leaning forward in his seat, his eyes crinkling at the sides. "It's a bit risky. We're violating the custody arrangement, but we're compensating your friend with a generous amount in exchange for her silence—and nobody will know as long as Leo understands he needs to keep quiet. Do you think we can pull this off?"

    Her chest moved. "Yes, God, yes! Leo and I have been keeping secrets from his father for forever—he'll never tell!"

    It depressed her to think that Leo was too old for his years, but it was true. Ever since he was three, he'd seemed to notice how easily his father angered. He'd loathed the fact that every time his dad felt displeased he'd issue a silent treatment that made both Leo and Lisa want to hide.

    But how had Frederic managed to set this up? Her mind whizzed with questions, but they all ended with one simple fact, one unerring truth: no matter why, or where, or how Frederic had managed to schedule a meeting with her son, the only important thing was that he had.

    She would see her son today.

    She felt so big all of a sudden it was a wonder she fit inside the car.

    As they rounded a corner, Lisa's attention became riveted on a familiar redbrick house. The fenced front lawn was green and trimmed, and a set of bicycles were tossed over on their sides in the driveway. She spotted two kids playing by the rosebushes and her heart soared at the sight of the blond little boy— her little boy. She almost heard music in the background, could practically see his aura shine like an angel's.

    Barely a second after the car halted, Lisa shoved the door open and ran across the asphalt to the fence. "Leo!" she shouted, as she entered the yard and closed the gate behind her.

    He pivoted instantly, a baseball in his hand. "Mom?"

    His fingers tightened around the ball, but he didn't run to her. He stayed frozen in place, in loose jeans and a striped T-shirt. He eyed his good friend Jonas first, as if asking for his permission, but all Jonas did was stick his hand out for the ball.

    "Sweetie, oh, darling baby," Lisa choked as she dropped to her knees and stretched out her arms. "I've missed you so much."

    He crashed into her and Lisa's eyes welled up as they clutched each other. He smelled of shampoo and grass and little boy, and for a moment Beth inhaled as much as she could.