I have no idea where Damien’s taking me, right up to the point where he turns off the highway. I’ve learned to love going along for the ride though.
I can’t believe he just fucked me in his office during the work day. We really have taken things to a whole new level. In more ways than one, considering how he called me his “girlfriend.”
Girlfriend. I can’t believe it. Now he’s my boss and my boyfriend.
“What is this?” I ask, as he pulls up to a park.
“You’ll see,” he says, and then he shuts off the car and comes around to my side of the car to open the door for me.
The first thing I see is a sign. “The Play Place.”
I look around at a kids’ playground, full of toddlers and children running around and playing on equipment. As I look closer, I can see that it’s not the kind of playground equipment I’m used to seeing at parks. It’s more like trampolines and climbing gyms and little rides that spin or jump. Giant drum and pipe- shaped instruments for them to bang on and play.
Underneath that sign is another that says, “For kids of all abilities.”
“Was this park your idea?” I guess, knowing that he has the toy company for kids with disabilities.
He nods his head and we sit down on giant bench-like swings that can be used by kids in wheelchairs.
“I helped design and built it,” he says. “My company funded all of it. That’s why we don’t have a ton of money for Asher’s and Ron’s legal bills.”
He chuckles.
I just stare at him.
“This is amazing,” I tell him. “It’s so very nice.”
He takes my hand in his own.
“I wanted to show you this because it’s my favorite place and because I have a hard decision to make,” he tells me. I nod, encouraging him to continue.
“I’ve been offered a settlement in my case.”
“That’s good,” I say right away. “It means they don’t think their patent infringement claims against you are very good.”
“I know that in the legal world it’s viewed as a good thing. A sure bet. But I’ve always been someone who will take a risk to get what I truly want.”
I nod.
“That’s true,” I tell him. “You are that type of person and that’s part of what I love about you.”
Holy crap. I just said I love him. Kind of.
But he just smiles, as if he already knew it was true. And I guess it’s been true for some time now. Not that I’m any expert on what love is. But I think it feels something a lot like this.
“The monetary part of the settlement is very favorable,” he says.
“That’s good,” I say again.
“But it’s because the main thing they want is for me to stop making toys.”
I look at him.
“That’s not good at all.”
“Ron doesn’t fucking get it,” he shakes his head. “He says I’ve made lots of money off of what started as a humble hobby. He says the bulk of my money comes from my other companies. He’s right about that. But he doesn’t know what this means to me.”
I wait, knowing that he wants to tell me more.
“My mom has a rare form of autism and mental illness,” he tells me. “Her brain functions differently than a lot of other peoples’.”
I nod.
“She’s very smart at numbers and certain mental activities but she’s not at communicating with people or having social skills. She’s actually not very functional, at least not anymore.”
“I’m so sorry,” I tell him.
“I know it’s not my fault, but I’ve always felt a little responsible,” he says. “I started making these toys because they help her. And because I think that if she could have had toys like this— and a place like this— when she was a kid, then she would have been a lot better off today.”
“That’s not your fault,” I tell him. “You couldn’t have possibly helped back then. And you do everything you can now.”
“I know,” he says. “But it wasn’t always like that.”
He sighs, and then continues.
“When I was younger— it was many years ago now— I went to college out of state because my girlfriend at the time went there. My mom couldn’t really handle it. I had always been her support. She got even worse.”
“That really sucks,” I tell him, knots forming in my stomach. “I can only imagine the weight of the responsibility of that.”
“Yeah,” he sighs. “And the relationship didn’t work out. She left me, actually. Looking back, it was a good thing. We weren’t even a good match. But at the time, it made me feel I had left my mom for nothing. That I couldn’t count on anyone.”
“And that’s why you don’t believe in love,” I tell him.
It all makes sense now.
“It’s why I didn’t believe in love.”
He looks straight at me now. I feel compelled to share as well.
“I don’t believe in love because my mom and dad hate each other but just stay married for appearances,” I tell him. “My dad’s a pastor and for religious reasons they had to stay together and we all have to act like everything is fine when it’s not.”
“I figured it was something like that,” he says.
“Yeah, but it’s more embarrassing than that. And it causes my anxiety to flare up just thinking about it. But you should know. Because we’re together now.”
He squeezes my hand, which gives me the strength to continue.
“When I was sixteen, I had my first job helping out the church secretary,” I tell him. “She told me that we’d go together to the rectory and she’d show me where the books are kept and how to do them. So, we walked over there together and when we walked in, my dad had this… woman… sitting on his lap.”
“Oh, my god,” he says. “That’s horrible. For you to have to discover that.”
“Yeah and she was the associate youth pastor. Not too much older than I was. Fresh out of youth group and high school herself. So, I’m such a hypocrite to have… fallen for you like this.”
He puts his arm around me.
“You are not,” he reassures me. “I’m not married. I’m not a pastor pretending to be one thing but actually being another.”
“That’s true,” I tell him, leaning up against his broad shoulder. “With you, what you see is what you get.”
“Whether people like it or fucking not,” he says, and we both start laughing.
I’m amazed that he can make me laugh about something that once seemed so awful and depressing. He and I are definitely great together.
“So, what happened, with your dad and the associate youth pastor?” he asks.
I look at him and shrug.
“I don’t know. He convinced the church secretary that it was all a big mistake. That she had just, like, fallen into his lap or whatever.”
He laughs a sarcastic laugh.
“And she promised not to tell anyone as long as they stopped. So, the youth pastor went away to college. And my dad continued living a miserable life with my mom.”
“She never found out?” he asks me.
“Not about her,” I tell him. “And at first I felt really guilty about that. Unsure of whether I should tell her or not.”
“I’m sure,” he says. “That would be a hard decision.”
“But then one day he had had a bit to drink and he was texting someone right in front of me, and I saw that it said XO in the text. And it wasn’t to my mom. He doesn’t talk like that to her.”
“Oh no,” he says. “More lies and deceit.”
“Exactly.”
“So, what did you do?”
He eventually passed out on the couch and I picked up his phone and looked at it. I thought the messages were with the same girl— the associate youth pastor. But they were from another girl.”
“Oh wow.”
“Yeah, exactly. And one of the text said, ‘I can’t text you as much anymore now that my wife knows. We have to have a cooling off period until she calms back down.’”
“So, she did know,” he says.
“Yeah, at least about that one.”
I shrug.
“I guess for whatever reason, the marriage works enough for her to stay in it,” I tell him. “And that’s why I started to think, fuck it. Marriage sucks.”
“I can understand,” he says, taking my chin and lifting it up so that I’m looking into his eyes. “It makes perfect sense why you would think that. I’ve been quite the cynic myself. But I love you, Katie Finnegan. And I won’t let you down. Our relationship won’t suck.”
Oh, my god.
I feel like crying. But instead I smile.
“I love you too, Damien Hudson. Boss.”
“That’s boss and boyfriend to you,” he says, and then he kisses me.
“Oh, by the way,” he says, the look on his face turning proud. “I heard you moved out of your parents’ house. And now that I know the full story, I definitely think that was the right decision.”
“It was time for me to move out anyway,” I tell him.
I can read Faulkner books anywhere, but at least I don’t have to put up with my dad yelling at me or my mom first. And maybe it’s time to move on to something lighter and more fun. Maybe I’ll give romance books a try, now that I’m starting to believe that they can come true.
“But you’re right, it was definitely overdue.”
He kisses me again.
“So, what are you going to do about the settlement?” I ask him, when he lets go of my tongue with his own. “Take it, or not?”
“What do you think?” he asks me, with a grin on his face.
I’m glad that his mood has turned around. And so has mine.
“I think hell no you’re not going to take it,” I tell him. “Because you’re Damien Hudson. You’re going to fight and win, and keep making toys for your mom.”
“And for kids and adults like her,” he adds.
“Yes, exactly.”
“No one can stop me,” he says. “I’m not going to agree not to make them anymore. And I just needed to come talk to you to figure all of that out.”
“Talk to me? You mean fuck me in your office.”
“And that,” he says, as he raises his eyebrows mischievously, a sparkle appearing in his handsome brown eyes.
We head back to the office, for him to tell Ron his decision. And I have never felt happier about anything in my life as I do about our relationship.