The Fake Wife

Miles Away From Her League

Jake

The girl cleared her throat, returning to reality after realising I was miles away from her league. "I think baby Jamie needs a diaper change. There isn't a changing table in the bathroom, but I am happy to change him inside the break room. It's clean, I promised. I cleaned it myself today."

Her voice sounded way more comfortable when she talked to Tommy than when she had to address me. She had not stuttered once, but her face screamed I am nervous. My job on Wall Street was to read people and situations, and I had become pretty good at it over the years.

I stared at her face. She was way shorter than me, skinny, and wearing black flats. The purple waitress' uniform was ugly but spotless. The girl's eyes and hair were dark brown, and her face was free of any makeup. Her nose was small, and her lips full. Her complexion was not much darker than my fair skin, and her hair was tightly back in a neat bun. I could not tell how long or short it was or if it was curly or straight.

I would not have given her a second look if I was alone there or desperately needed to get laid. Things have changed since the boy's arrival. I used to be a fuck boy in high school and college. I fucked anything and everything every time Gracie decided we should take a break.

A few months after Tommy came into my life and Gracie left me for good, the desperation to take her out of my head and heart was great. I started again with casual sex, the pickups at a bar, everything very discreet and out of the Wall Street scene or with the hedge fund party boys. They understood I had two boys, but as I never talked about my personal life, they did not know the mother was not in the picture, and I preferred keeping it to myself.

I would go out only with my brother, Olly, or my best friend, Matt. They were family and aware of my history with Gracie since high school. But If I were alone there, I would have loved at least to mess a little with the situation because the girl appeared to be tense, and the circumstances called for it. But I was running behind my Monday schedule with my two boys and could not do it today. Besides, a diaper change for Jamie was what he deserved now after I took care of Tommy's needs.

Looking at her red face, I put her out of her misery. "I will get his changing bag in the car."

"Tommy, sit there and don't go anywhere, OK, buddy? I will be back in two minutes." He obediently climbed the booth with my help and sat with his million-dollar smile back, already thinking he would get something out of it.

I walked out and heard the girl asking him about school. The school was something that I would push until I no longer could. I was not keen on putting him in pre-school. Up to this point, we had been the only ones teaching Tommy. He did not know what the word mother meant. He noticed I called his granny, Mother, but we never explained to him the reason. I said she is Mother to me and Granny to you.

Once he was in school, he would see countless mothers picking up the other children, and in class, he would learn that if you had a straight, complete family, you would have a mother and father. He would also learn from his projects in school that he should make a secret gift in class for Mother's Day and Christmas to give to his mum. He would be required to bring pictures of family members to do a family tree, and he would always have a space where he would glue his mother's picture.

Kids are mean to others till they are told right from wrong, and Tommy's friends would ask him questions. Questions that would hurt him when he would come to me for answers. We were from Riverside, the poshest part of Greenwich, living in a closed community that, once he was in school, would have countless school activities, and every time, we would be asked questions about his mother. Once it was out there, those questions would hurt not only the boys but me, too, and for now, they did not need to be answered.