Serenity (Inevitable #5)(10)

Ian looked dubiously at Matthew's expensive Italian suit, silk tie, and expertly cut hair. "You look nothing like any geek I've ever known."

Matthew grinned. "You should have seen me in college - skinny, awkward, wire-rimmed glasses that had probably gone out of style a dozen years earlier. And I'm pretty sure my jeans were always a few inches too short. I've undergone something of a makeover during the last decade or so, I guess. Though I still prefer wearing jeans and a T-shirt to a Brioni suit any day of the week."

"So there's no chance then of a reconciliation?" inquired Ian.

"Not as far as I'm concerned," declared Matthew. "I filed for a legal separation within a week after moving out, and my attorney sent the divorce papers to Lindsey's a few days ago. But even though the terms call for giving her half of everything, plus continuing to contribute to the trust funds we have set up for the kids, I know she'll balk and try to hold out for even more."

"Half?" asked Ian incredulously. "Good Lord, that's a bloody fortune, Matthew! I take it you didn't have a pre-nup in place?"

Matthew gave a hoot of laughter. "Considering that when we got married I had less than four thousand dollars in the bank, drove a ten-year old Toyota, and about the only thing of value I owned were my three computers, a pre-nup would have been a moot point, don't you think? And while I certainly had plans to become successful, I would have never imagined getting to this level. Not to mention the fact that I naively thought our marriage would last forever. I assume Tessa signed a pre-nup?"

"No." Ian gave a firm shake of his dark head. "She offered to, practically insisted, but I was the one who refused to even consider the idea. I know that she'll always be the only one for me, Matthew, and that our marriage will last a lifetime. Some things you just know, and I've always had very good instincts about people. Besides, Tessa is the least greedy person I've ever known, has never asked me for a thing, and rarely spends any money."



       
         
       
        

Matthew grimaced. "The polar opposite of Lindsey, in other words. In a lot of ways. For one thing, as crazy as the two of you are about each other, there's just no way I could ever see Tessa flirting with another man."

"You're damned right she wouldn't," retorted Ian fiercely. "And not just because I'd break a few of the bastard's bones. Tessa is too fine of a woman to even think of doing something like that, too good a person. She's kind and considerate and hates the very thought of hurting someone's feelings. The fact that she's also madly in love with me helps, too, of course."

"Yeah, that's for sure." Matthew finished off his pie. "I know Lindsey tried like hell to flirt with you over the years, Ian. She'd come right out and tell me to my face that she thought you were hot stuff. And I'm also well aware that you went out of your way to discourage her, all while continuing to act like the gentleman you are."

"Married women have always been off-limits to me," declared Ian. "That's why I had to keep my feelings for Tessa such a carefully guarded secret for over two years, until she told me she and her husband had split up. And I definitely wouldn't have flirted with the wife of one of my closest friends, no matter how persistent she might have been. Plus, overly-aggressive women are a huge turn-off for me."

"Well, Lindsey certainly fits that description to a tee," acknowledged Matthew. "But now that we're divorcing she can flirt with - and fuck - anyone she wants to. Just as long as it doesn't involve the kids, of course. At least she's always had the decency - if one can think of serial cheating as something decent - to have her little flings outside of the house. According to her credit card bills, which she evidently thought I never bothered to check, she certainly made the rounds of most of the hotels here in the city. Including yours, I'm afraid."

Ian winced. "Sorry about that. I'm happy to call the manager there, ask him to flag Lindsey's name so they won't let her stay there in the future."

"Nah." Matthew waved a hand in dismissal. "As long as she leaves my children out of it, I don't especially give a damn who she screws - or where - any longer."

"Speaking of the children, how are they dealing with this whole situation?"

Matthew gave a small shrug. "Better than I expected, actually. Casey is a pretty cool kid, not much rattles him, you know? He's not even fourteen yet but he's so mature for his age that it freaks me out sometimes. He told me that he understands, that he just wants Lindsey and me to be happy. And frankly he and I probably talk and text and Facetime more often now then when I was living at home. As for my daughter - well, she's a typical sixteen year old girl. Too caught up in herself and her own little world to show much emotion about anything else. Overall, the kids are far more accepting of the idea than their mother has been so far. Getting Lindsey to sign those divorce papers is not going to be an easy feat."