Made

Blair took her hands into his and said, "You will never be alone, with a child or without."

[Six months later...]

The ping of his cell phone just as he brought the club head in contact with his ball created two problems for Stuart Haberman.

First was the errant tee shot that sent his golf ball into the water hazard on the approach to the green. This was a par three hole, and one that Stuart had mastered years ago, consistently birdieing it, and once getting a hole in one. Now he would need to take the foul and he would probably be lucky to get a bogey on the hole.

The looks of undisguised embarrassment on the face of his boss and shock on the face of their client, Alan Dostaler over the foul expletives that Stuart had shouted was his other problem. Dostaler was extremely conservative and prudish. He expected his examples of proper behavior and high ethical standards to be emulated by those that his company did business with. The language that Stuart had used would undoubtedly be viewed as moral turpitude by Dostaler.

Stuart decided to step away from the other men, to not only allow his boss an opportunity to mend some fences, but to also check to see who had dared to text him. His assistant knew that he was never to be interrupted while meeting with a client, whether in the office, over drinks, or on the links. His wife knew better than to ever text him. She would either have to call him and leave a voicemail or wait for him to come home if she needed to talk to him.

Examining his phone, he saw that the number that the text came from was not in his contacts, which meant that it was most likely spam. Glancing over at his boss and Dostaler, and seeing that the men were still in an animated conversation, Stuart decided to take the time to read the message before deleting it to decide if he wanted to block the number so that future texts would not come through.

656-511-4896: Stuart -- This is a friend of Riley's. We need to talk about your problem with Riley. I will call you at 4 this afternoon, so when you see this number on your caller ID, you will know that it is me.

"Is everything alright?" his boss asked when Stuart had rejoined them.

Stuart nodded and said to Dostaler, "I want to apologize to you both for the inexcusable outburst. I assure you that those words are not part of my normal vocabulary, and I deeply regret my lack of control that allowed them to escape my mouth."

"A man should have better control of his emotions," Dostaler said. "However, none of us are perfect and that sudden distraction obviously startled you. We have decided to allow you a mulligan on that shot since it was unduly influenced."

"On one condition," his boss added.

Stuart looked at him and asked, "What's that?"

"That you turn your cell phone off until we're at the nineteenth hole."

That was a small price to pay, especially since Stuart had planned to do just that. He didn't want any further interruptions or distractions to his game. He would gladly accept the gift of the mulligan and use it to achieve a score that would beat both his boss and Dostaler. Soundly beating a client at golf might not be the smartest career move, but Stuart would quit a job before playing the wimp for anyone.

~~~

Riley sat at her desk, staring at her calendar on the computer screen in front of her. The pop-up reminder of her lunch appointment was still overlaid in the center of the screen since she hadn't closed it before rushing out to make the meeting in time. She had been apprehensive, but also excited about the meeting and anxious to say the things that she had wanted to say. Now, she questioned whether she hadn't been too hasty.

Blair hadn't said no. That was a positive. She knew that she had surprised him, but she also knew that he was the type of person who would quickly recover and consider her words calmly, intelligently, and compassionately. There was absolutely no one that Riley trusted as much as him. It was a trust built on years of friendship.

That realization wasn't new to her. In fact, it was a major factor in her decision to tell Blair her feelings and share her hopes. Things that she should be able to share with Stuart, but knew that she couldn't. He wouldn't listen, and he wouldn't care. In their three years of marriage, Stuart had made it clear that he didn't do "feelings" where other people, including his wife, were concerned. He didn't share his and he didn't want anyone sharing theirs with him.

She reflected upon the apprehension that she had felt before her lunch meeting. Snorting, she thought, "what lunch?" She hadn't had any appetite all morning, and it didn't get better when she was watching Blair's face to try and read what her words meant to him. It was not lost on her that she had felt more apprehension in anticipation of her lunch meeting than she felt now as she pondered the words that she needed to write to Stuart.

Her initial plan had been to send Stuart an email, but remembering that he would be playing golf this afternoon, and likely not check his e-mail again until tomorrow morning, she decided to write him a note and print it out so that she could leave it for him to find when he got home. That would require her to stop by their apartment one more time, but she felt that she owed Stuart an explanation, for her own self-respect if nothing else. It certainly wouldn't be due to any respect that she still held for her husband.

~~~

"Hello?" Stuart checked the caller ID and the time. It was the same number as the text, and it was now 4:01 PM.

"Good afternoon, Stuart. Thanks for taking my call."

Stuart had been expecting a woman's voice, not a man's. He said, "I know all of Riley's friends. Have we met?"

"Just that one time at the airport when you were dropping Riley off for our flight to San Jose. My cab was right behind your car at the curb and Riley introduced us."

Stuart hadn't been paying attention and didn't remember the introduction. He had been irritated that Riley wanted him to drive her to the airport instead of taking a shuttle. He said, "If you say so. What is this problem that you mentioned? You implied that it has something to do with Riley."

There was a brief pause before the man replied, "Listen, I don't know you personally, but if my wife was planning to leave me and file for a divorce, I would consider that a problem. You may think otherwise, but I thought that you should have some of the facts so you can decide for yourself."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Stuart angrily asked. "There's nothing wrong between me and Riley!"

"Stuart... Do you mind if I call you Stuart?"

When there was no answer, the man continued, "I had lunch with Riley today. We no longer work on the same team or even in the same department, but we still try to get together for lunch at least once a week and chat at some point almost every day."

"Listen, cocksucker, if you're trying to seduce my wife..."

"I would never do that," the man interrupted. "Why would I reach out to you like this if I intended to steal Riley away from you? I'm trying to warn you of your situation so that you can start trying to reconcile with her if that is what you want to do."

"You're damn straight I do. I don't know what ideas you or some other people have been trying to plant in Riley's head, but she's my wife and will remain my wife until I decide otherwise. If she's been fucking around on me there will be hell to pay for anyone involved."

The man's words remained calm as he said, "Riley has never cheated on you."

"And you know this how?"

"Because she tells me everything," he explained. "Riley and I are best friends and have been since shortly after you two got married and she came to work with my team. I know without question that for the past three years, I have spent considerably more time with your wife than you have. There has never been anything more than friendship between us -- until today."

Stuart considered this and asked, "What happened today?"

"She told me that she is in love with me. She informed me that she had left you today and would be seeking the dissolution of your marriage. She expressed her hopes that she and I will have a future together after that, but not before."

A noticeably stunned Stuart softly asked, "What did she say about me?"

"Today? Not much, but she has been sharing her unhappiness in your relationship with me for quite some time. Look, you will find her note to you when you get home and maybe that will explain things to you better than I could do. I need you to know and understand one other thing..."

"What?"

"You need to understand that there is nothing in this world that I treasure more than Riley. Not even a member of my family. I respect that she is your wife, and I have kept our relationship completely above board. I do love her, but I will not allow myself to fall in love with a married woman. That, Stuart, is the thing that you need to understand. She has already left you with every intention of never seeing you again. I doubt that you have any chance, but if you let Riley get away, I will snatch her up before anyone else gets the chance. I will not interfere with your efforts to reclaim her, but if you fail, I will step in."

The call ended.

Blair's statements to Stuart had been honest and sincere. No matter how much he loved Riley, and he knew that he loved her more than life itself, his moral compass would never allow him to play the interloper in another man's marriage. He would provide Riley with safe shelter, all the support he could offer, and whatever other assistance she might require, but do nothing that couldn't pass the 'husband test'.

He would endeavor not to influence her decisions where her marriage and its future were concerned, and he would protect her from anyone else trying to unduly influence her decisions. Friendship and respect dictated that he do no less.

~~~

Stuart,

I know that you will be furious that I chose this method of informing you of my plans, but over the past three and a half years of living with you, I came to realize that you leave me no other option. You would never sit and let me explain things or say the things that I needed to say. So now, unless you want to tear up this note at this point, you will finally hear me.

I never should have married you. Months before our wedding, I saw what you were becoming and ignored it, hoping that it was just a phase brought on by your career success. I was wrong to do so. The kind and caring man that I had fallen in love with was becoming a selfish, overbearing, narcissist who placed his own wants, needs, and pleasures above mine and everyone else's. I'm sorry, but that is the truth.

I can't claim that you ever abused me, but you did so much worse. You abused US. You took the happy and intimate partnership that our marriage began as and stomped it into the ground for your own selfish purposes. Ignoring the fact that I have not achieved an orgasm with you since our honeymoon, I can't ignore the complete lack of respect that you have continued to display towards me for practically our entire marriage.

Needless to say, this is my farewell message to you. On the advice of my attorney, I will be filing for a legal dissolution of our marriage, seeking a 50/50 split of our assets. You can remain in the apartment if you want but you will be required to sign a new lease with my name removed. I have already removed all of my personal belongings and anything else that I want from the apartment. The rest is yours to do with as you wish. You will be served at your office tomorrow.

Based on the way that you have treated me as a wife, lover, and partner, I cannot fathom any scenario where you would desire to seek a continuation of our relationship. However, if such thoughts do enter your mind, know that I have fallen in love with someone else and I have every intention of making a future with him. He did not influence my decision to leave you, but having him in my life has given me the strength and confidence to do so. I have not, and will not violate the vows that I took on our wedding day until our marriage is dissolved. He wouldn't let me if I tried. You see, he is the type of man who values character, morality, and responsibility towards those he loves, and practices it in his daily life.

Please do not attempt to contact me directly. I am leaving you my attorney's business card and you or your attorney can communicate through him. If you cannot honor this request, my attorney is prepared to seek a restraining order from the court that would compel your compliance.

I wish you much success in your career. I don't expect you to find happiness anywhere else in your life.

Goodbye,

Riley Mason

~~~

"Riley Mason", huh?" Stuart thought. So, she has already started using her maiden name.

Three hours of contemplation and only two cocktails during that time had allowed Stuart to reflect on several things. His initial anger at the guy who had warned him about Riley's plans had abated. He had been right. Any guy intending to seduce another guy's wife certainly wouldn't telegraph his intentions to said husband. If the guy was to be believed, he seemed to be a stand-up type of guy.

Stuart then considered the letter from Riley. How much truth was there to her claims that his actions are what drove her away rather than some other guy's efforts to pull her towards him? Sure, he had placed a priority on his career, but she hadn't left him too much choice once she started going on those extended business trips. What did she expect him to do, sit around an empty apartment twiddling his thumbs waiting for her to come home?

The more he worked, the more opportunities opened up for him to work even more. Riley didn't seem to understand that the seeds he planted when she was away often needed to be harvested when she finally got home. Could he have scheduled a few things differently? Sure, but why alter his schedule for her when she would never alter hers for him? How many times had she been upset that he couldn't go to some event with her because he had a golf outing planned with a client? How many times had he suggested that she not schedule things like concerts, plays, or other events on Saturdays since that was his best day to schmooze with clients?

Riley stated that she was already in love with someone else. How should he deal with that? The guy on the phone had implied that he was the person that Riley was now in love with, but he said that he wouldn't interfere if Stuart attempted to win Riley back, even though he admitted also loving her. How much competition could the guy be if he wasn't going to put any effort into winning?

But Stuart had to consider the reality that maybe the guy had already won and the game was over. Riley had made it pretty clear that she wanted no contact from Stuart, which effectively closed the door on most avenues for launching any attempt to win her back. Could he afford the time and effort to court his own wife without impacting his career at this time?

The final question was, did he want her back?

~~~

"Eagle calling Columbia. Come in Columbia"

"Columbia reading Eagle loud and clear."

"You two are nuts," Riley laughed. "I don't know what I'm getting myself into."

Blair had been demonstrating how to use the intercom system between the main house and the cottage in the back. The routine that he and Allie had used over the years mimicking the Apollo Eleven mission to the moon had always gotten a laugh from anyone who heard it.

"You're going to love it, and you know it," Blair assured her. "Okay, so you have the code to the driveway gate, the access code for the electronic deadbolt, the alarm code... am I missing anything?"

Riley smacked his arm and said, "How would I know? It's your house."

Blair pulled her into a hug and said, "It's our house as long as you're here."

Riley tilted her head to gaze up at him and asked, "Even though I'm in love with you, you're okay with me staying here?"

Kissing her forehead, Blair said, "For at least six months..."

He paused when his cell phone pinged indicating a text message. He glanced at the message and then turned the screen so that Riley could read it.

656-777-0987: She's all yours

Confused, Riley said, "That's Stuart's number. Why is he texting you and what does 'She's all yours' mean?"

Blair hadn't intended to tell Riley about his conversation with her husband but now felt that he should, if for no other reason than for her to understand the statement that would follow. He summarized the conversation that the two men had and waited for her reaction.

"That arrogant piece of crap," Riley huffed. "Gifting me to you like I'm his property or something..."

Blair led her to the sofa and pulled her down to sit beside him. He said, "I don't read it that way. I see it as his acceptance of a situation that he can't or won't attempt to influence. The proof will be when he signs the divorce papers that get served on him, but his message indicates that he will do that without delay."

Riley considered this and asked, "So, you think that your conversation made him accept that he and I are really over?"

"No, I won't take credit for that. I think that whatever you wrote in your letter to him was more than likely what motivated him. I think that our conversation just provided him with someone to admit his defeat to. You did block him after all."

Riley snuggled against Blair and said, "I really expected his ego to get the better of him and for him to fight the divorce from start to finish."

"Like I said, let's wait to see what happens when he gets served, but I expect that he will sign without hesitation. I have to tell you; I am surprised that he never called me on the lie I told him."

Riley looked up at Blair in concern, "What lie was that?

"I told him that I could never allow myself to be in love with a married woman when I have been head-over-heels in love with you since the day that we met."

[Eight months later...]

"Damn! Call Gianna. Find out what the Italian word is for 'pregnant'"

Blair was laughing too hard to dial his phone. He had advised Riley not to buy the pregnancy self-tests when they were in Italy on their honeymoon, but she was confident that they had made love during her likely fertile cycle and wanted to be prepared to use the tests as soon as she had the slightest suspicion that they might have conceived a child.

Rather than tease Riley, Blair used his cell phone to get the correct translation. "It's 'incita', he told her."

He heard a scream from the bathroom, "It's positive!" That was followed within seconds by a knock on the bedroom door. Blair yelled, "Come in."

Riley ran from the bathroom and jumped onto the bed beside Blair as Allie stood in the doorway laughing. "My God, I didn't know whether all the yelling was due to pain or pleasure. Now I know. What's going on?"

Riley waved the self-test stick and exclaimed, "We're going to have an Italian baby!"

Blair choked on the drink of coffee he had just swallowed, He had to lean forward off the pillows as he coughed. Allie started laughing so hard that she had to take a seat on the foot of the king-sized bed. Riley's head swiveled back and forth as she alternately checked on a coughing husband and hysterically laughing sister-in-law. Both saw the impish smile and mischievous gleam in Riley's eyes as she looked at them in turn.

She showed them no mercy as she asked, "I assume that we all have to convert to Catholicism when the baby is born?"

Blair was turning red, and coffee was spilling from his cup onto the bed so Riley took the cup from his hand and began patting him on the back. Allie had fallen off the bed from her laughter.