Page 31 of Contentious

HAHA! We’re still talking booze, right?

Girl, I haven’t been the other kind of wet since the Civil War.

Marlene always made her laugh with the way she said things. After her divorce, she’d steered clear of men for the last few years. Her goal had been to fall in love with herself, so she’d be ready the next time she entered into a relationship. Her husband, David, had shattered her with his infidelity and ruthless gaslighting that had her thinking she was the problem in their marriage. If anything, she’d been the glue that held it all together while he built a monster career as a top Hollywood producer.

Now she was a single mom to two teenage boys and living her best life, or so she’d have you believe. Marlene said she’d never been happier and was relieved to be free of David and the nonstop battles that had worn her down until she was a shell of her former self.

Cresley had stood by her through it all and was proud of the progress Marlene had made in putting her life back together. It didn’t hurt that the judge had ordered a massive settlement that made it so Marlene didn’t have to work, unless she wanted to, which she did. She’d returned to her old job at a Hollywood publicity firm and was back to hobnobbing with the stars, which made her happy.

She liked to say she’d found her groove again after a long dark winter.

Cresley had always thought David was an asshole, and he’d proven her right too many times to count. Marlene was better off without him, and so were the boys, who saw him once or twice a month for dinner, which was enough for them. They’d been old enough to see how their father treated their mother and saw him only because the court required it.

Naturally, David blamed Marlene for their apathy toward him, because he lacked the self-awareness to understand it was his own fault. As soon as they turned eighteen, they’d probably have nothing to do with him.

Thinking about the thermonuclear end to the Powers marriage was sobering, and it was a reminder of why Carson was determined to avoid that fate for himself. Hell, she was, too. She’d already had her thermonuclear breakup with Marlon and had no desire whatsoever to be involved in something like that ever again. Almost eight years after they split, she was still dealing with him, and not as a co-parent, but as an adversary.

He’d gone to the trouble of following her or figuring out what she’d been up to at Club Quantum and waited until he needed money to hold that threat over her head. The thought of him making that information public could nearly bring her to her knees. How would she ever explain such a thing to Ty? And he’d certainly hear about it at school.

Julian had said Carson planned to track down Marlon and get him to the table to resolve this situation once and for all. She wasn’t above paying him off to make him go away as long as he understood that’d be the last of it—and signed something to that effect. Whatever it took to protect Ty and her reputation, which was critical to her livelihood.

Her stomach turned at the thought of giving that reptile her hard-earned money when he’d never paid a cent toward the care of his son, but if that’s what it took to be rid of him, she’d do it.

A few minutes later, she got into her Lexus SUV to pick up Ty from school. He might not be happy about another night without her, but she’d make it up to him this weekend with a trip to the beach or whatever he wanted to do.

He was the nicest, sweetest, kindest, cutest, funniest kid ever, and that she got to spend every day with him was such a gift. She tried to limit work travel to a day or two at a time unless she could take him with her. Her whole world revolved around him, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sometimes she felt sorry for Marlon for what he was missing out on by being a money-grubbing douchebag. One thing she’d say for the man was that he’d given her a spectacular son, and for that, she’d always be grateful.

She’d thought she might’ve found someone new by now and maybe had a few more kids, but that hadn’t happened. Thanks to Ty, she rarely ever felt lonely, but after spending one evening with Carson, meeting his family and finding out what it was like to kiss him, she was oddly lonely for more of him.

Whatever he was willing to give would be enough for her, and she’d tell him that as soon as she got the chance. Her only condition would be that Ty couldn’t get attached to him unless he intended to keep showing up for her son, no matter what happened—or didn’t happen— between them.

She could live with that plan.

The question was, could Carson?

* * *

Even though Spencer lived in the nicest assisted living facility Beverly Hills had to offer, the place depressed Carson every time he stepped through the door. The effort to project cheerful hominess missed the mark, in his opinion, as the institutional smell of the place told the true story.

People came here to live out the rest of their lives. Most of them would leave in ambulances or hearses.

Now that was a depressing thought.

He nodded to the staff as he made his way to his grandfather’s suite, which consisted of a bedroom, a living/dining room combination and a handicap-accessible bathroom. It’d taken Spence some time to get used to going from six thousand square feet to six hundred, but after a couple of falls and a broken hip that resulted in hip-replacement surgery, he was in the safest place for his needs.

Not that he wanted to hear that, because he wasn’t convinced he couldn’t still live independently. Every time he saw any of them, Spence told them how he was getting straight A’s in PT and would be home soon. They played along with the charade, because Spencer needed to believe he’d one day return to his home.

Carson knocked on the door to Suite 42 and heard his grandfather call out to come in. “Hey, hey, hey, ready to get your ass beat, old man?”

“Is that any way to speak to your elders?”

Their usual greeting made Carson laugh the way it always did, no matter how many times they said the same thing to each other. Spencer’s face was almost always tanned from being outside as much as possible, and his white hair was as thick as ever. But it was his twinkling blue eyes, mischievous smile and formidable charm that everyone loved best about him.

“It’s the only way I know how to talk to you.” Carson leaned in to drop a kiss on his grandfather’s forehead, handing him his favorite vanilla shake from In-N-Out that Carson had driven six extra miles to procure. “How’s it hanging?”

“Lower than ever.”