Tied Up In Knots

 
“You look like shit!” Claire declared as she walked into my office.
 
“Thanks.” I replied solemnly knowing she was right.
 
“Honey , don’t look so sad. This is supposed to be a great day. You’re finally going to get on with the rest of your life.”
 
“I don’t know. I’m just…I love him Claire. I love him, and this is it. It’s over. After today there’s no more Patrick and Lydie,”
 
“So are you changing your mind?” She paused and looked at her watch. “Cuz you have all of 60 minutes to decide.” Claire did not like Patrick, and she had good reason. She was there for me when it happened, the night he broke my heart and the first few weeks after. It was her shoulder I had cried on and her sex life I ruined because I crashed on her couch. She knew how devastated I was, but despite that she was also my friend and she would support me no matter what I decided to do. “Do you think you can trust him Lyd? Do you?” She was proving a point with the question. If love were enough we would have still been together. Without trust there is no relationship.
 
“No, yes…I don’t know Claire. It just hurts so much to know this is it.  That Patrick will be out of my life after today. To make matters worse I went home last night, I mean to his home, Patrick’s, and he kissed me.”
 
“He kissed you? Patrick? That slimy son of a bitch.”
 
“It was one of those kisses that makes you lose yourself.  It made me doubt every decision I’ve made since I found out he cheated.”
 
 “What about Duncan? Does he know about the kiss? Does he know how you’re feeling?”
 
“No. No. I couldn’t tell him. He’d want to inflict physical harm on Patrick. I think he’s had about all he can take of him. I stayed there last night though and Duncan was amazing. He knew it was going to be rough for me. He handled me with kit glove and said all the right things. The kind of things that make me melt.”
 
“But did he do all the right things?” She asked raising her eyebrows suggestively. “Did he keep those kit gloves on when he made you melt? Cuz that’s what I want to hear about.”
 
“Claire! This is serious.”
 
“Look, I know. I know you’re torn between two men. I know you love Patrick, but that doesn’t mean he’s right for you. That doesn’t mean he’s the answer. It will stop hurting eventually, and Duncan is going to help you with that. He deserves this too Lydia. He deserves to have all of you, not you and this piece of you that is reserved for your soon to be ex husband. That’s not fair to him. Of course this decision is yours sweetheart. It’s about you, but it seems to me what you have with Duncan is worth a shot. A real shot, not the half hearted effort you’ve given it up until now.”
 
She was absolutely right and I hated that she knew me so well. She knew exactly what to say. And she seemed to have the most perfect timing. The speaker on my phone crackled and the receptionist’s voice filled the room. “Lydia, there’s a Mr. Keith here to see you. A Duncan Keith.”
 
I gave Claire a nervous look. “Can you please show him to my office,” I said into the phone. It crackled again, and I knew he was on his way back.
 
“What?” Claire asked wanting to know why I’d be nervous to see Duncan.
 
“I snuck out on him this morning. I couldn’t face him. I thought he’d see right through me and my doubts, so I left before he woke up.”
 
She didn’t have a chance to respond before Duncan walked through my door. He wore a gray suit and looked stunning with his hair tucked behind his ears. I immediately wondered why he was so dressed up. In one hand he held a small bag and the other a cup of coffee. His eyes met mine and I could see the worried look they held. I walked around the desk and kissed him softly on the corner of his mouth. “Duncan, you remember my friend Claire.”
 
“Sure. Hi Claire. Good to see you again.”
 
She grabbed his outstretched hand and gave it a good shake. “Likewise, but you don’t have to be so formal with me baby cakes.” She reached up and squeezed his right cheek. “I know how happy you’ve made our girl and that makes me your best friend.”  A smile appeared on Duncan’s face. He obviously liked hearing that he made me happy. “Now I’m gonna give you two some privacy. She walked through the door, and just as it was about to close she popped her head back in. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
 
“That gives us a lot of leeway Claire.” I giggled, and the door shut behind her.
 
He was a sight for sore eyes. He was exactly who I needed to see after all my doubts, and I instantly regretted leaving like I had this morning. I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a proper kiss.
 
“This is for you,” he said handing me the bag and the coffee. “It’s a blueberry scone. It’s still warm from the bakery down the street. I wanted to make sure you ate something. Why did you leave this morning without saying anything?” I looked down at my toes that peeked out of my pumps.  “Lydia, what’s going on?” His voice was stern, but nervous. I hadn’t meant to do that to him.
 
I looked up and met the soft baby blue of his eyes. “I’m not myself Duncan. This is a hard day for me.”
 
He pulled me in to him again. The heat from his body and his strong arms wrapped around me were the perfect medicine. If staying like that forever were an option, I would have taken it. I could feel his gaze at the top of my head, so I looked up to meet his eyes. “That’s exactly why you should have woken me. I wanted to make you breakfast, talk to you and make sure you were Ok. Lydie, I wanted to convince you to let me come with you today.” It dawned on me that was why he was so dressed up.
 
“So is this for me?” I played with the lapel of his Jacket. “Did you get dressed up for me? To come to with me to the proceeding?”
 
“When are you going to it figure out?” He stroked my hair and tucked my short bob behind my ears. “When are you going to realize that you don’t have to do everything yourself.” He held on to both sides of my face and tilted my head up toward him. "I want to be there for you. I love you Lyd.”
 
How could I refuse that man? Standing there in his suit, like he could see right into my soul, he was offering me exactly what I needed. Only minutes ago I didn’t know if I could even make it through the proceeding let alone sign the papers and come out divorced. Now I had Duncan with me, to remind me that there was something else for me, someone else other than Patrick that could love me. That I deserved better than what I’d been given in my marriage. “Yes. I would love it if you would come with me.” I stood up on my toes to kiss him. He met me half way and kissed me with a passion that I’m not sure I felt before, at least not out of the bedroom. He kissed me like he could eat me alive, and I wanted to let him.
 
**** Patrick’s POV
 
I sat on the bench across from the elevator. There was only ten minutes until we were scheduled to start.  It wasn’t like Lydie not to be here yet. She was always ungodly early for everything. I’d been here for an hour pacing outside the elevator hoping to come up with something that would fix this. If all else failed and I couldn’t come up with a miracle, I decided I’d beg. I’d get on my knees and beg her to take me back. Lydia was my life and I didn’t care if I caused the biggest scene in Chicago and ended up on the front page of the Trib, I was not going to let her make this colossal mistake.
 
Every time the elevator opened, my eyes would spring up hoping to see the tall woman with the short black hair and the incredibly large brown eyes, the eyes that I could read like a book. Of course on this day they’d be sad, devastated, because she could deny it all she wanted to, but she loved me, and she did not want our life together to end. That kiss the night before made it perfectly clear. There was now five minutes left and there was no sign of her. I actually started feeling hopeful, that maybe she’d changed her mind. Maybe I’d walk in to the room and her lawyer would give me the good news, that Lydia wasn’t present today because she’d decided to revoke her petition for divorce. Just when my hopes had reached their highest points and I was imagining having my wife back in my arms again. Making love to her and promising her that I’d work for the rest of my life to make this up to her, the elevator dinged. Out stepped the woman I’d been waiting for, only her eyes weren’t downtrodden and sad, and she wasn’t alone. I felt the life being sucked right out of me.
 
There he was Duncan Keith with his arm wrapped around the tiny waist that belonged to my wife. MY WIFE! My blood boiled, and I never wanted to hurt someone so bad in my life. They didn’t see me sitting there. I guess they were too caught up in each other, but I wasn’t going to be ignored, not after the way she kissed me last night, not when this was my last chance.  I moved quickly through the crowds that were headed in and out of the elevator, just before she was ready to go into her lawyer’s office I caught her elbow and pulled her backward, and away from Dunc’s grasp. I didn’t intend for my movements to be so quick and so rough, but I had no choice. It couldn’t wait. Both Lydie and Duncan looked at me almost in horror.
 
“Get your fucking hands off of her,” he said softly through gritted teeth, an obvious attempt to be forceful without causing a scene.
 
I completely ignored him, and turned my eyes to Lydia who looked shocked and nervous. “Why did you do this? Why did you bring him here.”
 
Duncan tried to step in, and I took a huge amount of pleasure in watching her stop him. “It’s Ok Duncan.”  She looked up into my eyes and shook her head slightly. “He’s here for me Patrick. Duncan is here because he cares about me,” and again I was deflated.
 
He cared about her all right. He cared about stripping his teammate’s wife naked and fucking her to spite me. He was a no good son of bitch who was preying on Lydia’s weaknesses on her vulnerability. I’d be damned if I was going to let that continue. “We need to talk,” I spat out.
 
“We can Patrick, in front of our lawyers.”
 
“We need to talk alone!”
 
“She’s not going anywhere with you Sharpe,” Duncan added.
 
“Why don’t you let her answer for herself Duncs? Or are you afraid she’s going to hear what I have to say and know that I’m right. Are you afraid you’re going to lose your little fuck buddy!”
 
“Patrick!” Lydia scolded and all eyes in the hallway fell on us.
 
Duncan stepped closer to me. His tone was low and threatening. “I swear to God Sharpie, you disrespect her like that again and I’m going to rip your fucking head off.”
 
I’d like to say that I kept my composure, but I didn’t. He was coming between me and the woman I loved more than life itself. I gave him a push backward, more to get him out of my face then anything, but I was fully prepared that he might take a swing and this time he wasn’t going to walk away unscathed. Just as he was coming back toward me, his eye burning red with hate, Lydia stepped in between us. She faced him and pressed right up against him. My hands balled into fists. She looked up at him and rubbed his chest soothingly under his jacket. “It’s not worth it Duncan,” was all she said and she seemed to crumble and soften under her touch. Her touch that belonged to me, not him.
 
Once she was sure Duncan was calm she turned toward me, but remained pressed up against the long haired bastard. “That’s enough Patrick. This is over. We are over. Now I’m going to talk to my lawyer.” Duncan snaked his arm around her and they headed into her lawyers office.
 
“Fuck, Fuck,” I mumbled to myself tugging at my hair. And that’s when I figured it out. I figured out exactly what I wanted to do. I headed toward the conference room to discuss it with my lawyer.
 
****Lydia POV
 
I had a minute alone with Duncan while my lawyer went to retrieve some paperwork.  We stood in his office and I turned toward Duncan. I reached my hand inside his jacket and rubbed his hard chest. “I’m sorry Duncan. I’m sorry you had to fight my battle out there.”
 
He pulled my hand from his chest cupping it softly, brought it to his mouth and kissed it. “I’m here for you Lyd. I don’t trust Patrick, and I’d do anything I had to to keep him away from you.”
 
I leaned up and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, and he held me there against him. “Thank you. It means a lot that you are here with me.”
 
It was only a matter of minutes until we were in the conference room. Patrick sat on one side of the table with his attorney. They were quietly discussing something, and whatever it was, seemed to fluster the lawyer. Robert and I sat across the table and Duncan took a seat behind us, which we all agreed was best since he had no formal part in the proceeding and it would only serve to aggravate Patrick to have him sitting next to me.  The court appointed moderator sat at the head of the table. In cases like ours where both the divorce and the division of assets are agreed upon ahead of time, the judge sends a court appointed mediator to finalize and sign the paperwork, essentially granting the divorce. It was a much kinder and gentler way to go then standing in front of a judge rehashing personal issues that were both painful and water under the bridge.
 
The mediator turned on a digital recorder and spoke both to those of us in the room and to the recorder listing the date, his name and the judge he worked for. He listed the participants in the meeting and listed Duncan as an observer and directed him not to speak during the proceeding.  What should have been simple, cut and dry, fell apart very quickly.
 
“We would first like to request the removal of Mr. Keith from the room.” Patrick’s lawyer announced.
 
“What?” I let out and Robert put his hand on my arm silently reminding me that I knew better then to let my emotions get the best of me.
 
“On what grounds do you request his dismissal?” The moderator asked.
 
“My client feels like it would be in the best interest of all parties in attendance if Mr. Keith were not present.”
 
My eyes locked on Patrick’s in a contest of wills. I was thankful that Robert stepped in. “My client is well within her rights to have someone in attendance with her.” The mediator agreed but what came next caught me completely off guard.
 
“Very well,” Patrick’s lawyer said, “My client, Mr. Sharp has decided to contest the divorce. He is no longer willing to sign the papers to end the marriage between himself and Mrs. Lydia Sharp.”
 
“What!” I demanded. “Patrick!” Duncan reached forward and put his hand on my shoulder, while Robert took control of the situation.
 
“I’d like to ask that we go off the record,” Robert announced and the recorder was paused. “Herb, would you like to tell me what’s going on here?” He was addressing Patrick’s attorney. “We had a done deal. All we need are signatures and this is done.”
 
Before his attorney could answer Patrick stood up. “It’s not done. No way this is done.”
 
“Patrick please take your seat,” his attorney politely requested.
 
“No. No, I’m done taking this sitting down.” His focus turned toward me. “You still love me, and no matter what that Neanderthal behind you says about it, you are my wife and I’m not letting you go without a fight.”
 
The attorneys had lost all control, and Duncan and Patrick started yelling at each other across the table. Profanities and death threats were tossed around like a beach ball.  When some semblance of order had finally been attained, it was my turn to speak. “I loved you Patrick. I loved you and you cheated. That was our deal, no other women. You promised me and you broke that promise, and now you’re doing this. I have a new life and Duncan is part of that and you are going to have to accept it. What we had is over.” Duncan who sat beside me now and held my hand on top of the table, gave it a good squeeze, silently showing his support.
 
Patrick was angry, outrageously angry. His hands were balled into fists and his knuckles were white. He almost shook when he spoke. “Oh No! We’re not over. You know how I know we’re not over? I know because you kissed me last night. You kissed me and no woman kisses a man that way if it’s over.”
 
I closed my eyes tightly for a moment. Fuck, FUCK!!!!! Now it was my turn to scream. “I didn’t kiss you. You kissed me!”
 
“Deny it all you want but we both know what went down last night.” Patrick stood up. “Herb, give me a call so we can talk about next steps.” He turned toward me.  “We’re not over Lyd. Not by a long shot.” I didn’t reply and he left the room.
 
I pulled my hand away from Duncan’s and put my head down on the table in my arms. I couldn’t hold back the tears and I cried right there in front of everyone.  The emotion of everything was just too much and on top of it all I was crying in front of people who were my colleagues. The embarrassment just made it worse.  Duncan rubbed my back, a gesture I didn’t deserve since he just heard the news of the kiss the night before. The moderator excused himself and told the attorney’s to get in contact with his office. 
 
“Herb, why don’t you meet me in my office,” Robert asked, and he obliged. I was alone with just my attorney and my lover, but I didn’t feel better. “Lydia,” Robert spoke. “Let me hash this out with Herb. Take all the time you need in here. I’ll be in touch later tonight.” He grasped my arm in show of support. He grabbed a box of tissues setting them down beside me before exiting the room.
 
“Come here,” Ducan said and literally lifted me on to his lap. I flung my arms around him crying into his neck. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on inside that beautiful head of yours.”
 
I looked up at him, my eyes red and my make-up streaked down my face. “This was supposed to be it Duncan. I wasn’t supposed to have to go through any more. He wasn’t supposed to act like that. You weren’t supposed to find out about the kiss that way. And now I’ve ruined your beautiful suit.” My head went back to the crook of his neck and the tears continued.
 
He let out a little laugh. I supposed it was about the suit comment, because everything else was rather serious. He pulled my face back up and looked down at me holding my chin. “First of all the suit can be dry cleaned. And baby, did you really think Patrick was going to give up on you without a fight. Why would he?” He tucked my hair behind his ear. “You’re an amazing woman Lydia. You’re beautiful and smart and fun. You are so real not like other women we meet. He knows what he had and he’s having trouble letting go. This time around, whatever you have to go through, it’s going to be different. I’m going to be there with you, the whole way.” He leaned down and kissed my lips softly keeping me cradled in his arms. “What do you say I take you home. I think there’s this little matter of a kiss we need to discuss.”