Page 86 of XX Love Affair
“Between being a naïve kid sucked in by an older person, to a grown adult who decided to stay with him through better and worse.”
Did she have Emma’s interest now? I might be the first person, let alone in my family, to earnestly talk to her about this. What a turn of events. If Lemon or their mother could see Delia now… They’d disown me. I’m not supposed to be friends with Dad’s new wife.
“Probably when the repercussions hit me,” Emma candidly said. “When everything blew open and it wasn’t fun anymore. He was getting divorced. I had ruined a family, never mind your parents’ marriage was never great from what I understand. I was a pariah. Everyone was calling me all sorts of terrible names and making assumptions about my motives and my history. Look, I’ll tell you the truth. I come from a ‘good family.’ Upper-middle class. Chevy Chase, Maryland. Money was not my main draw to your father.”
Delia whistled. “I didn’t know that about you.”
“Yeah, well, most people assume. They don’t talk to me.”
“Aren’t I talking to you?”
“Ha! After years of being a bitch?”
“Touche. Guess I’m recently maturing for myself.”
“The point is,” Emma continued, “I could have left. Your father even told me to leave before it got worse and this was the scarlet letter on my arm for the rest of my life. He tried to protect me. It made me realize that he did care about me. I wasn’t only a young piece of ass for him to play with while his marriage fizzled out and he faced getting older. It wouldn’t be easy, but I could be with him. I already liked him, so why not? The only thing I made him promise was to marry me as soon as the divorce was finalized. And instead of merely accepting words, my mother suggested I get a contract drawn. Obviously, the only thing enforceable was taking it to the media or suing him in small claims court if he went back on it, but it was the fact he signed it without hesitation that made me go through with it all.”
“I see…”
“I won’t lie, there’s also a generous prenup in my favor. Especially if he cheats.” Emma grinned. “Your father is very amiable. Very easy to take advantage of. Which is one of the reasons I don’t do that. He doesn’t deserve it.”
“You’re right. For all his faults, my dad doesn’t deserve to be taken advantage of. And not just because that’s my inheritance in there.”
“Oh, Delia, your family has so many trusts set up for you. Some you don’t even know about. Your parents are super sensible about that. Besides… you’re the younger child, I’m his wife… there is a chain of inheritance command here.”
“I can’t tell if you’re being a snarky bitch or refreshingly honest.”
“Isn’t it fun?”
When Emma picked up her phone and responded to a text, Delia traced the aluminum rim of her can of sparkling water. As condensation passed to her fingers, Delia said, “I hope it’s okay if I still don’t like the fact my father dated someone still in high school.”
“I get it. I’d be pissed if some old fart tried to date my teen daughter.”
“Isn’t that hypocritical?”
“And hypothetical. I don’t want kids anyway.”
Delia choked on the laughter she didn’t dare let loose.
“That’s the thing about all of this,” Emma said. “Nobody is a saint. Some people are bigger sinners than others, but perfection? It doesn’t exist. Your father has a lot of qualities that I would probably tell my hypothetical kids to stay away from, but at the end of the day, it’s their decision once they’re old enough. Maybe I like the idea of saying, ‘okay, at this age, you can stop listening to your parents and do what you want,’ otherwise my parents would have kept me under their thumb until they married me off to someone they chose. I wouldn’t put it past them.”
“But your mother didn’t mind helping you marry my dad.”
“Well, yeah, your dad is way wealthier than anyone they knew. They come around for money. Me, I’d like to think I’d want my kids to be happy.” She cocked her head, a ruthful grin slowly spreading across her face. “You’re kinda like my kid, Delia! My kid who is five years older than me!”
“Stop.”
“Come on. You can tell me anything. I’m your stepmother! Let’s be friends!”
“Stop.”
“I want you to be happy, okay?” Although the performative tone should have driven Delia up the wall, there she was, sipping her La Croix and wishing she didn’t find Emma more endearing than before. There is some weird alternate dimension where we’re friends hanging out in the club or by the pool. Sharing dating and marriage woes while also high-fiving each other for landing the perfect match. Didn’t Delia have some old pals who went on to marry men way older than them? They called it “securing the bag,” and I called it “too much like my father.”
Emma tapped her finger on the table, garnering Delia’s attention again.
“If there’s something you ever need me to smooth over with your father, let me know. Like that girl you were dating. Helena, right?”
“How do you know her name?”