Chapter 2

“You son of a bitch!” Peter Larson curse at me.

“Me? I haven’t been screwing your wife,” I replied, standing my ground.

“I haven’t been screwing yours!”

He lied, so I straightened him out.

“Would you like to hear the recording that you left on my home answering machine on Saturday morning when you set up your date to have sex with my wife in the hot tub in room 433 of the Hilton?” Peter stood there not knowing what to say. “Your wife recognized your voice as soon as I played the recording for her.”

“You bastard!” he said as he was turning red in the face.

“Peter, if it weren’t for your wife and kids being here, you and I would be having a real intense conversation right here and now.”

“Pussy! Using a woman and kids to hide behind,” he said, his voice dripping with contempt.

“Larissa, please take your kids upstairs and pack what you need. I’m going to stay down here and give Peter a chance to show me how brave he is,” I never took my eyes off of him.

“Larissa! You aren’t going anywhere!” Peter demanded as Larissa took her children by the hands and began to leave the living room.

I turned to watch her and the kids leave the room before I turned back to Peter and spoke quietly, but firmly.

“Who’s hiding now, Lover? You can hide, you can put it off, but at some point I’m going to personally give you the consequences of having sex with my wife and destroying my marriage. You can bet your kids lives on that. Would you like to have some of it now?” He seemed to deflate a little and backed away from me.

“Now, Larissa is coming with me, and the kids are coming with her. She can stay with me until she decides what to do with you. And just like I had no say in you fucking my wife, you have no say in where Larissa is going to live for the time being.”

“You know that you are going to lose your ass over this, right?”

“I already lost it, lost my home, my wife, and according to security at the office today, my job. But I’ve already gotten a job with XYZ. And tomorrow, I will be seeing my lawyer about a divorce, and filing a lawsuit against you for alienation of affection and against you and the company for violating the companies non-fraternization policy. Your admission on the recording is going to hang you.”

“Bullshit. Your wife doesn’t work for me. So I’m not her supervisor. Besides, she came on to me. She begged me to give you extra hours so we could fuck. She said you couldn’t get the job done.”

“Maybe. Maybe, the policy manual really states that committing adultery with the spouse of another employee is against the rules. Maybe, you piling on the hours so you could fuck Deb is abuse of your position. Maybe you should read the company employment manual!”

Peter looked a little shaken now, so I continued to educate him.

“In the end, it doesn’t matter. As soon as she spread for you, we were done. As soon as you fucked her, you were done. I’m going to supply Larissa with everything I can in order for her to take you to the cleaners. When she gets all she can get from you, I’m going to file the other suits and get the rest. Then, when you least expect it, I’m going to take an extra portion out of your hide.”

Just then Larissa appeared with a big shoulder bag and a roller suitcase. She looked at me and smiled.

“Is this everything that you need right now?” I asked her quietly.

“Yes.”

“Larissa, you can’t take the kids,” Peter declared.

“Peter, you gave them away when you cheated on me again. When you took Paul’s wife, you left us behind.”

“Peter? Do you want to do anything?” I asked him, hoping that he would make a move.

“Get out of MY house,” he spat at Larissa and turned to walk away.

“Daddy?” The little boy said and that froze Peter in his place.

Larissa picked him up and took him to his father. Peter refused to turn around or acknowledge the boy. The little girl stood there wondering what was going on. I knelt next to her.

“Would you like me to carry you to your mom’s car?”

She looked at me as the stranger I was and reached out for her mom. Larissa bent over and picked up the little girl. I took the luggage and left for the car. In a few seconds Larissa followed and I helped her put the kids in their car seats.

“Come on and follow me,” I said, then I had a thought. “Wait, Larissa, have you or the kids had supper?”

“I haven’t. Marky, Tasha? Have you had supper?”

“No mommy,” Marky answered.

“Larissa, I don’t have any food at my place. I was going to order a pizza before you called. What would you like to do?”

“God! This is all going so fast. I don’t know what to do.”

“We can stop at the grocery or at a restaurant. I think the grocery would be best. I’ll order pizza for tonight, but is milk and cereal OK for the morning for them?”

“Yes,” she smiled as Marky perked up at the mention of the cereal. “They like Fruit-Loops.”

“OK, follow me. Oh! What do the kids like on their pizza?”

“Cheese and olives.”

“Olives?”

“I know. Crazy right?”

“No problem. Follow me.”

I got in my car and when she turned on her car’s headlights I slowly pulled away from her former home. I drove about a block past my new home and pulled into the lot of the grocery store. I parked and she pulled in next to me.

“Do you want to come in or wait? It shouldn’t take very long for me to run in and get done.”

“We’ll wait,” Larissa answered, and I took off trotting to the stores doors, my cell phone in my hand.

A few minutes later I reappeared with a couple of bags, put them in my trunk and got in the car. Once again, I waited until she turned on the headlights before I pulled out with Larissa right behind me. I turned right, and drove down the block, pulling into my space. I quickly jumped out of the car and pointed to my second space, which she pulled into and turned off the car. I went to the back of her car and she popped the trunk. I took out the two bags she had brought and then went to my car and grabbed the two plastic bags of groceries.

“This way,” I called to them and headed for my door. My place was on the ground floor so there were no stairs to worry about. I set down her bags and with the groceries in one hand, I unlocked the door, opening it as wide and inviting as I could. Larissa and the kids walked in and I followed, setting their luggage next to the recliner, before taking the groceries to the kitchen.

I put the milk in the refrigerator and the cereal in one of the cabinets. Then I very proudly put away the bowls, dishes, drinking glasses and silverware I had purchased when I remembered that the kids would have nothing to eat their cereal from or with.

When I returned to the living room, I was greeted by a worried looking Larissa.

“Paul, you only have one bed.”

“So far. Another bed should be delivered in a little while.”

“What are your plans for sleeping arrangements?” She looked worried again.

“I figured that the kids would share a bed and you would sleep in mine and I would sleep in the recliner.” I said.

She looked at first satisfied, but then concerned.

“Paul, can you sleep in the recliner?”

“Larissa! I’m a guy. We are genetically predisposed to be able to sleep in a recliner. I’ll be fine.”

I turned on the TV and put in “Minions” for the kids. It took all of ten minutes and there was a knock on my door. Larissa jumped and looked at me with a lot of concern on her face. I walked to the door and opened it, welcoming the pizza delivery guy. I signed the ticket and tipped the driver before taking the two pizzas and the two liter of soda.

In the kitchen, I set the pizza boxes on the counter and took out the plates and glasses (all of which matched thank you very much!). I poured the soda in glasses and put a big slice of pizza on each of the plates before serving the kids as they sat on the living room floor. Larissa and I sat on my bar stools and watched the kids eat and laugh.

We talked about the next step for us. I told her I was going to find a lawyer and that she could share if she wanted. In any case, I would share my evidence with her. I also told her that I was probably starting a new job on Monday.

“Paul, I hate to ask, but how long can we stay?”

“Larissa, you can stay as long as you need to. You know your situation better than I do. I got you into this mess by telling you about Deb and Peter, so the least I can do is support you until you can take care of yourself and your kids.”

“Thank you. I can’t believe you are doing this.”

“Well, I am, so don’t worry.”

She sat there quietly for a few minutes.

“Paul, I’m sorry about your wife and my husband.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for Larissa.”

“If I had been a better wife, maybe he would not have strayed.”

I looked at her. She was pretty and for the first time, I stopped to examine what I could of her without being a pig. How can a guy walk away from an attractive woman that he has kids with, and has made a commitment to, for another one that is married? I mean I thought that Deb was a beautiful woman, up until I caught her cheating. She was somewhat less attractive now. For the first time, I looked at Larissa as a bed partner. Could I? Would she? Should we?

No. I couldn’t and shouldn’t. That’s two out of three, so not messing with Larissa wins.

“Larissa, you and I did nothing wrong. Deb chose to fuck Peter and vice versa. I might be the worst lover in the world, but Deb and I are still married and those vows mean something to me. By the way, I hope you’re feeling better about me. But just in case, just because Deb broke her vows doesn’t mean that mine are broken.”

Tears began to run down Larissa’s face and without even thinking, I grabbed a paper towel and handed it to her. I think she was surprised that I didn’t wipe her tears myself. Just then there was a knock on the door. I got up and greeted the guys from the rental store.

“Hi guys. Come with me and I’ll show you to the bedroom. It was an easy delivery for the first crew today, so this should be easy for you.”

I walked them down the hall and they took note of the width of the hall and the turn into the bedroom.

“Please put it with the head against that wall.”

“Will do.”

We walked back to the front door and the guys went back to their truck. I went to the kids.

“Marky, Tasha, these men are delivering your bed. I want you to know that it’s really big. OK?”

They both nodded with bites of pizza still in their mouths. I turned to look at Larissa again, she still had a look of caution on her face.

“Larissa, the bed is big enough that the three of you can sleep together if you want. I really have no designs on you.”

The delivery guys came in, one carrying the bed frame and the other with the foundation. They both smiled at the kids. The sound of them setting up the frame came from the bedroom and that got the kids attention. After a few minutes the guys came out. The head guy stopped next to me.

“Do you want to check if the bed is in the right place?” he asked me.

“It’s not my bed. Larissa, why don’t you take the kids and let them know before they bring in the mattress and stuff.”

“Stuff?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t just get a bed. There is a small dresser, two night stands and a lamp. Go ahead and check so the nice men can finish up.”

Larissa held out her hands and two munchkins ran to her. They disappeared for a few minutes and when they returned the kids eyes were much larger than before. Larissa’s eyes were getting moist again.

“It’s fine,” she said softly.

“OK, we’ll be right back.”

The leader left and I was surprised at how fast they returned. The leader was carrying the mattress by himself. Remind me not to get into a fight with a delivery guy. The other man had a two wheeler with four boxes on it.

The kids returned to their pizza, talking about having the big bed to themselves, while Larissa and I sat and finished eating. Soon the noise in the bedroom stopped and the two men came out, the leader with the two wheeler and the other carrying the now empty boxes.

“We’ll get the last piece and then I’ll need you to sign the delivery forms and we will be on our way.”

“No problem.”

“You know that they will start taking the weekly rental fee out of your account for the next six months.”

“And then all this stuff will be mine.”

“Right. Thanks for your business.”

“Thanks for being so fast, even at this hour. I appreciate it.”

The guys left and were back a few minutes later with the couch. It seemed to be a lot heavier and the two men struggled with it. I pointed to a spot and the men set the couch down. The leader lifted the cushions and removed the plastic and then he took out a knife and cut something inside the frame.

Larissa and I shook hands with both men and they left. I closed the door and that was it. I was now the head of a household with a woman and two children. I cleaned up our plates and glasses while Larissa took care of the kids stuff. As we were cleaning up Larissa looked at me.

“A couch? I thought men were genetically design to sleep in recliners.”

“Yeah, well the more I thought about it, the more I thought that a bed would be better. It’s a sleeper sofa. I’m not that tough a guy,” I chuckled.

We all sat on the sofa and watched the rest of the movie while the kids beginning to nod off. Larissa stood and picked up Tasha, looking at me, I took the hint and picked up Marky and we walked to the bedroom. Larissa was surprised to see the bed all made up with sheets, pillows and a blanket.

“It was a part of the rental deal,” I said quietly.

I left the room as Larissa got her children ready for bed. After several minutes she stuck her head out of the room, her eyes running with tears.

“Paul, please come here.”

I walked into the bedroom to see the two pajama clad children in bed and looking at me.

“Please talk to them,” Larissa said.

I sat on the bed and looked at the two little ones. I didn’t know what to do next until Marky finally spoke up.

“Are you our daddy now?”

KABOOM! That lightning strike hit me really hard. I looked at Larissa and she had her hands buried in her lap. I looked at the kids and smiled the best I could.

“Marky, Tasha, I’m not your daddy. If it’s OK with your mother, you can call me Uncle Paul. Your mother and I are just friends and we are helping each other. Your daddy did something bad and he doesn’t love your mom any more. I’m sure he still loves you a whole bunch, but your mom can’t stand to be without you, so you are going to live with her.”

“OK, Uncle Paul,” Marky said.

“Uncle Paul?” Tasha asked.

“Yes, Tasha.”

“Can I kiss you good night?”

I smiled and leaned over towards her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a kiss on the cheek. She laid back in the bed and I covered her and her brother up.

“Good night kids. I’ll see you in the morning. Sweet dreams.”

I left the room, wiping the tears from my eyes once I was outside. A few minutes later, Larissa walked out, turning the light out and closing the door. She walked straight to me and gave me a powerful hug. I felt her sob as she pressed her face into my shoulder.

“Come on, Larissa. It would appear that we need to talk.”

I led her to the living room, where I sat her on the couch. I sat next to her, leaving a comfortable space between us.

“Paul, I didn’t know what to say when Marky asked me about you being his daddy now. It broke my heart.”

“I can guess that to would. Look, I’ve always wanted kids, but I’m not going to try to take Peter’s children from him, even though he ended my chance to have them with Deb. Make sure he knows that when you talk to him about what you are going to do as a family and as a couple. I will always refer to him as the kids daddy. Please make sure he knows that as well. My dealings with him concern he and my wife, no one else.”