Confrontation Ch. 05

Rhea jumped, startled and turned around, her hand clutching her chest to still her rapidly beating heart, "Jared, you scared me." She gasped.

"I'm sorry." He began as he approached her, "Just finished tucking Jonas in, you need some help?"

She shook her head no, "I'm good. Thanks for the gift, you spoil him too much." She smiled. She did appreciate all of Jonas' gifts, but she feared Jonas would get used to them and ask her to get him things she couldn't afford long after Jared was gone.

Jared smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "It's the least I can do, it was partly my fault he felt unwell yesterday." He replied.

"True that."

An awkward silence reigned between them as Jared thought of a way to broach his next subject, coming up with nothing, he chose to just come out with it, "Rhea, I was wondering, if you're free on Saturday, there's this really nice restaurant that was recently opened in Austin, maybe we could check it out." He suggested. He knew it was far from smooth, he had heard better lines from ninth graders, it was times like this he wished he had Mitchell's gift of the garb.

Rhea grinned, "Are you asking me out on a date?" He said it in such an adorable fashion, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to refuse him.

"Not like a date-date, just two friends hanging out, no pressure." He rushed, only to feel an extreme need to slap himself once the words were out, what the hell was he saying?! Of course it was a date-date, that was what he wanted to experience with her, not just a hang-out date.

She quirked a brow, " No pressure?"

His mind screamed, "yes pressure, lots of pressure!' But his lips spoke, "No pressure."

She smiled, "It's a date then."

*****

"No pressure indeed." Lynn scoffed as she watched Rhea get ready for she and Jared's 'no pressure' date, she might be naive in a lot of things, but she knew there was nothing 'no pressure' as far as this date was concerned. Even without knowing the history Jared and Rhea shared, she knew he wanted more between them than what they currently had. Where Rhea stood with that, she wasn't really sure though, Rhea was one of the most difficult people to read.

"Why are you being so cynical about this Lynn? The man just wants us to have a friendly date." Rhea defended Jared's intentions for the sixth time in half an hour. She was trying to convince Lynn and to some extent, herself.

"There's no such thing as a 'friendly date' Rhea, even you don't believe all that fuckery you're spewing. Neither of you are teenagers, grown adults don't have 'friendly dates' there's always more." Lynn insisted.

Rhea turned to Lynn, "And what's so wrong if he wants more?"

"Do you want more?"

A longing sigh escaped Rhea's lips, "Should I?"

Lynn creased her brows, "Wow, are you asking ME for relationship advice?" She asked, her voice filled with disbeleif.

"You're the one who's happily married with a lovely daughter. I'm a single mother with a disaster of a love life, so which of us should be giving the advice here?"

"Your love life isn't a disaster Rhea, you're just going through a phase right now, besides you'll always have Jonas if nothing else."

At this point, Rhea wasn't even sure how true that was, would she always have Jonas? Or would Mitchell make good his threats some day? If ever he did, she was going to crawl back to her father and beg for his assistance like no man's business, they may not be as rich or influential as the Montgomery family was, but she would pull all the stops to make sure Jonas wasn't taken away from her.

She approached Lynn with a sigh of regret and sat next to her, she took her hand in hers while Lynn gave her a perplexed look, "I know I never got to say this to you in person Lynette, so I'll say it now. I'm sorry. I...I know I did you wrong, it wasn't my intention, but that doesn't change the fact that I did it and if I could take it all back, I would, I would have taken your advice and not gone to Mitch's place, I'm just...I'm really sorry," she completed sincerely.

Lynn smiled in appreciation, somewhere within her, she knew she had been waiting for this- a direct apology. Sure, she repeatedly told herself she had gotten over it, but it was far from the truth. It still hurt her everytime she thought of the betrayal. She hadn't expected anything less from Mitch, but Rhea had disappointed and crushed her more than she cared to accept. But as she now heard this apology, relief washed over her, especially as Rhea was not one to directly apologise, "Well, if you take it all back, you wouldn't have Jonas anymore, would you?"

Rhea smiled, "He's the only good thing that's come out of this mess. Me and Mitch..." She let out an exasperated sigh.

Lynn smiled with understanding, "I know Mitch can be too much atimes." Funny enough, she was grateful she and Mitch never became permanent. She would lose her mind trying to put him in check, she liked the tranquility she experienced with Ron in their marriage, Rhea has always beeen the only female she knew who could break Mitch down, but even she wasn't having things easy with him.

Rhea stared incredulously, "Atimes? He's a handful ALL the time. Jared seems more stable than he is, I prefer to be around him, at least I don't require an aspirin when he leaves." She joked.

Lynn quirked a brow, "Oh, so you like Jared huh?"

Rhea blushed, "Not like that Lynn, I mean..." She sighed, "...I mean, Jared is good for me, he's good for us. He loves Jonas like his own, Jonas loves him too and he's been nothing but nice to us since we met. I'm attracted to him- who wouldn't be? He's hot, but not the way I'm attracted to Mitch..." She paused and laughed almost sadly, "Listen to me talking about my attraction to Mitch, so selfish." She sighed. Lynn was the last person she should be talking about Mitch to, she was his ex.

Lynn smiled but said nothing to that, it really was somewhat selfish.

Rhea returned her smile, "Thanks for listening to me. I never want to lose your friendship." She said sincerely. Her biggest fear had been losing Lynn as a friend after what she had done to her, they were practically sisters, losing her would be like losing her only sibling.

"You were the only one that ever listened to my whining back then." Lynn joked, both women broke into laughter. After the spell, Lynn turned serious again, "I can't tell you who to choose between Mitch and Jared, I'm not you so I can't say who would make you happier in the long run, but I do agree that Jared is much more stable compared to Mitch and Jonas loves him, but it's you who'll be spending the rest of your life with whoever you choose, not me and not even Jonas, follow your heart, but keep your head up."

Rhea pulled Lynn into a warm hug, "I love you." She muttered.

"Love you too Rhe."

A knock on the door brought an end to their bonding moment, it was followed by Jonas' voice, "Mama, someone's at the door." He shouted.

Amy's tinier voice parroted his words, causing Lynn and Rhea to laugh.

"I guess that's your date."

"Friendly date." Rhea corrected.

"Whatever. Just have fun." Lynn replied. She wanted Rhea and Jared to become a couple, and it wasn't just so Mitch would be hurt though that was an added advantage. She did genuinely feel Jared was the better and safer choice, but like she had said, only Rhea could choose what or who was best for her.

*****

"This place is really nice." Rhea was aware she was starting to sound like a broken record having made that comment over four times since they got here. She was that enthralled with the place. It was classy, but not so much it looked stuck-up. She particularly loved the serenity of the place and it's ambience. There was a band set up by a corner that played some blues, it was quite a romantic setting, but Rhea felt more conflicted than romantic.

All she had thought of was her conversation with Lynn, Jared's niceness really hadn't made her decision any easier. She found herself thinking of what a family with him would be like, how great a father he would be, and then comparing him to Mitch- the unstable, aggressive Mitch and just when she was about to dismiss Mitch, that contrite Mitch popped into her head. The one who wanted a chance to be in Jonas' like, the one who bothered to visit the grocery store in the wee hours of the morning just so he could prepare blueberry pancakes for his little boy, surely there was some redeeming factor in him. That thought sent her back to square one.

Jared smiled, "I know. Once I found out about it, I knew you'd love it." He replied, genuinely glad he was right, there was nothing he loved more than seeing those stunning grey eyes light up and those beautiful lips upturned in a smile. The joy that sight brought him was indescribable.

"I do. Thanks again for bringing me here, I needed it." She really did. After all the drama that had taken place the past two weeks, she needed a breather and this was just the place for that.

He reached for her hand across the table, "You're welcome. I'm not sure how you'll take this Rhea, but I really, really like you." He began. Telling her how he felt had been on his mind the entire day, it was the purpose of this date, but he had been having cold feet the entire evening and it was only now he had gathered the courage.

Rhea felt a clog in her throat, somehow she had been hoping they would skip this discussion tonight and just have a nice time. No such luck., "Jared I..."

"No, just lemme finish what I have to say, then you'll have your turn." If he was going to be rejected , he planned to stall it just so he could raise his hopes, or if he had any luck, he would be able to change her mind.

He took her silence as a go-ahead, "I should have told you this years ago, but the comppany's policies concerning employees dating didn't let me. I wanted to approach you the first day you came in seeking for a job, I had even wished you weren't qualified just so there would be nothing stopping me from asking you out, but you were, highly even. I don't want to bore you with tales of how much I wished we were in different circumstances, but when you came into my office months ago and informed me of your resignation, I was happy I'd finally get my chance , then you said you would move and...." He paused momentarily, thinking of some way to describe how he had felt at that news, "...I didn't want to lose you or Jonas even, I had grown to love you guys, I hope you forgive me, but I kinda followed you down here." He chuckled, "I just didn't want to lose the opportunity to tell you how I felt, or risk some other man getting you. I think I....I think I may even love you.'

No, no, no! He should have just kept that bit of information to himself, why make things more difficult?, "Jared, there's smoething you need to know." She began suddenly feeling nervous.

He narrowed his eyes, "What is that?"

"Jonas, Jonas is Mitch's son." She completed.

Jared didn't speak for a while. He wasn't shocked, somehow he had known, the resemblance was uncanny and the eyes were a dead give-away, rather he was...regretful, jealous. He loved Jonas like he was his own, but he wanted that with Rhea- a child, he had always dreamt of having kids with her and it was just a little annoying that someone else- no, Mitchell of all people, beat him to it. He just always had to get what he didn't deserve the lucky bastard, "You two were a couple?" He asked calmly.

That was not what she expected. She knew for a fact Mitchell would have flipped at that- but Jared was not Mitchell, "No, it was...complicated." She replied for lack of a better word.

"How so?" He cocked a brow, his interest peaked.

With a deep sigh, Rhea began telling him of the events of what led to Jonas' conception, watching his features for any signs of his emotions, he managed to not show much the entire time so he was hard to read. She did well to not make Mitchell seem as terrible as she had thought him that day, it was bad ebough she was telling Jared this.

"So he took advantage of you?" Jared said once she was finished. He definitely had never thought Mitchell desperate enough to go to the extremes he was currently told he did. Who would've figured? Rhea must have been one bad bitch to have sent him to that all-time low.

"It's not exactly so. I feel I was partly responsible for what took place, it's not wholly his fault." She defended Mitch, though she wasn't sure why.

Jared heard her, but that comment barely changed his conclusion- Mitchell had used her when she was vulnerable, "Do you love him?"

"No," Rhea replied a bit too quickly. She didn't love that Mitch that more or less molested her years ago, but this Mitch now...

"So there's hope for us?" He asked.

Mitch's words came to her at that question. She didn't want to lead Jared on, she loved him too much to hurt him- just not in the way he expected, " Jared..."

"So there's hope for us." He stated with a firmness that brooked no arguments.

Rhea could only stare into his sea blue eyes that held within them a lot of hope. What kind of person would she be if she crushed all of that hope? Was she really willing to hold out until Mitch got his act together? Was Jared just the second choice? Did he deserve that? She took back her earlier thoughts, this wasn't a breather from the drama, this was just another Act.

*****

Mitchell hummed the tune to 'the wheels on the bus' as he prepared some lunch that consisted of macaroni and cheese and muffin for desert, just like Jonas requested. He had gotten to it once he returned from dropping off Amy and Jonas at school. He had gotten up pretty early so he could drop Jonas off on his first day and driven straight to Rhea's barely after 6:00am. He smiled remembering how surprised she looked when she opened the door and found him there.

He had ended up being the one to bathe and dress Jonas up while Rhea prepared his food- not that he was complaining, he loved every minute of it, just listening to Jonas' incessant chattering on how awesome school would be had made the stress worth it. They had stopped by Lynn's house to pick Amy though she was supposed to take the bus, Jonas insisted they pick her up instead- he needed someone he could go to school with on his first day.

A knock at the door brought Mitch back to the present, it repeated it's self as he made his way to go see who it could be, he wasn't expecting anyone, plus it was a little too early for visitors.

He opened the door to see Jared looking a little vexed. He smiled, "'red, to what do I..." The words got stuck in his throat as Jared punched him square in the jaw causing him to stagger back at the impact, he stared at him like he had lost his mind, "What the...?"

"I told you to stay away from her, stay the fuck away from her, from both of them!' Jared raved, anger seeping from every pore of his skin. He was done giving Mitch the benefit of doubt, it was obvious he did plan on going after Rhea. He had seen him drop off Jonas at school this morning and the sight angered him, that coupled with his knowledge of how he had used Rhea just set him off.

Realisation dawned on Mitch, his green eyes turned an angry jade, who the fuck did Jared think he was barging into his house, assaulting him and making demands he had no right to make?, "I can't stay away from what is rightfully mine."

"Like hell you can't! You don't own shit Mitchell, Rhea was never yours, you just used her like a dirty scumbag." Jared shot back, that jab earned him a punch.

Mitchell was pissed as fuck, how dare he? How dare she? Why would Rhea tell anyone about what took place between them? Of all people Jared? So he could throw it in his face like he didn't regret it enough? Like he didn't wish he could change that every single day he saw his son? It was too much to take, "Don't you EVER call me a scumbag, never again!"

In an angry haze, Jared charged at Mitch, knocking him off his feet. Mitch had some guts trying to fight him for what wasn't his, "You will stay away from her, you get that?" He shouted.

Mitch pushed himself off the ground and stood to his full height, "As long as Rhea remains single, she's game for anyone." He replied more calmly than he currently felt.

Jared snickered, "Well she isn't single. She's with me now, so you can take your hunt somewhere else."

Mitch stared at him in disbeleief, no, it couldn't be, Rhea would never..., "You're lying." He said in a barely audible voice.

"Did you really think a woman as beautiful as Rhea, with all of that sultry fire in her would be sitting and waiting for you to get your shit together?"

Mitch gritted his teeth hearing Jared speak of Rhea in words only he was allowed to use to refer to her, he had no damn right, "You're just going to play daddy to another man's son, aren't you?" He knew it was a low-blow, but dammit he was running out of options!

Jared laughed, "I've been playing daddy to him for four years. I got him his first toy car, I took him to his first carnival, I drove him to his first day in kindergarten, I even took him to a sports center when he wanted to learn baseball, where have you been 'real daddy'?" He teased.

Every word Jared spoke was like a stab at Mitch's heart. He had missed all of this, some other lucky bastard who just happened to be his friend and now, rival, had gotten privileges he wanted. It hurt. "I have waited five years for Rhea Jared, and I won't let you take her from me." He ground out.

"You've waited?" Jared asked, "That's it? You waited? You just sat on your royal butt and waited five years for Rhea to waltz into your arms, huh?" He scoffed, "I have worked to earn her trust, I gave up a social life just so I could spend time with her and Jonas, I fucking put my business on hold to fly all the way to Texas just so there would be no room for scum like you to snatch what I've worked too damn hard for and all you did was WAIT? You don't even deserve them." He spat. He straightened his shirt, "Keep your dirty, arrogant, rapist self away from MY woman and MY son Mitchell or God help me, I will kill you with my bare hands." On that note, he was out the door.

Mitchell slammed the door shut in anger and punched it so hard he heard a bone crack in his knuckles. He staggered to a close-by couch and crashed into it, he shoved his fingers into his hair and growled. All he could think of was how fucked he was. Jared was right, he didn't deserve them, if he felt as strongly as he did for Rhea, he should have done more than wait- he should have searched for her, for both of them. He didn't want to lose them, no, he had gotten too attached to just step away like nothing happened. He loved both of them. He loved Jonas and he loved Rhea....he loved Rhea!

*thanks to all those who have kept reading despite my slow posting. I posted this weeks ago but had to re-edit it. Sorry for the wait, please keep commenting, your comments and ratings keep me going.L.S*