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I do not own Glee or the characters, neither do I own Wishing For us.
Sam knew it was cowardly, but instead of driving to Melanie's house to talk, he'd asked her to meet him at the country club for lunch.
Personally, he hated most of the pompous crowd that gravitated towards the place, but he also knew, that she was less likely to cause a scene among the people whose admiration she so coveted.
'Know thy enemy.'
Not a terribly nice thought about the mother of his child, but experience has taught him a tough lesson there.
Melanie was a born drama queen on her best days, and this wasn't likely to be one of those.
He pulled into the parking lot and glanced around until he located her car. Then he took an available spot a few spaces down and slid out of his truck.
She'd obviously decided to head on inside, since her vehicle was empty. And he was pathetically grateful for the small reprieve, before facing her.
To say she was going to be livid would be an understatement. And judging by her reaction to meeting Mercedes at his house on Sunday, she would probably go postal over the wedding news.
A big part of him still wondered, if he should be going forward with this deception.
Because that's what it was.
Mercedes, out of the goodness of her heart, has agreed to help him, and even though he'd put up some token protests, he'd still jumped at the opportunity.
He'd lain awake most of last night thinking about her.
He hadn't been able to get the last time he'd touched her in Vegas out of his head. It made him wondered what her reaction would be, if she knew he'd jacked off to the memory of going down on her for the first time.
The sounds of her moans still filled his head. What he wouldn't give to taste her again...
"You're late," said an annoyed voice. To Sam's chagrin, he jumped, as Melanie glared down at her watch.
"Sorry," he offered, not really meaning it. He'd probably wasted what amounted to a year of his life by now, waiting for her, when she was late dropping Cassidy off, so he didn't feel any remorse for keeping her waiting.
The hostess led them to a relatively quiet table in the corner, and Sam, ever the gentleman, automatically held out Melanie's chair for her.
But they both remained quiet until they had ordered.
He had a burger and she had some kind of salad with the dressing on the side. And it reminded him of dinner with Mercedes and his daughter at Johnny Rockets.
He'd been thrilled to see a woman actually eating a hearty meal and not worrying about her figure.
And to be honest, he loved Mercedes' soft curves and womanly figure.
Melanie, on the other hand, was even thinner than she'd been the first time they'd met, and even then, she'd been too skinny.
Most men would certainly consider her attractive, and apparently, he'd been one of them, since he slept with her. But if you looked below the surface, it was all superficial.
She was the type that never left the house without being perfectly dressed, coupled with flawless makeup. And there was no way she would've been lying on her stomach at an aquarium, petting stingrays with her daughter.
Sam caught Melanie giving him a calculating look, before she carefully schooled her expression.
"So what's the occasion?" she asked casually. "We don't normally meet alone for a meal."
And right at that moment, he saw it.
She thought she had him.
She figured this whole lunch was about him throwing in the towel and caving to her demands.
'You're in for such a disappointment, sweetheart.'
He took a drink of his water and wished belatedly that he'd ordered a beer. Something to be said for liquid courage.
Clearing his throat, he began,
"I wanted to talk to you today, while Cassidy is in school. She's seen you and me argue far too much, and I refuse to keep doing it."
He could see by the frown on her face, that the importance of his words was sinking in.
And now she knew, he wouldn't have said what he had, if he'd been planning to marry her.
"Get to the point," Melanie bit out stiffly, looking as if she wouldn't mind an alcoholic beverage herself.
'Here goes. Brace for impact,' Sam thought.
"The woman you met at my home yesterday is actually my wife. Mercedes and I were married..."
"What!" she barked, all color draining from her face. "Your wife? How is that even possible?"
Sam winced as she ground her teeth together. She appeared to be approaching apocalyptic levels, a lot faster than he'd imagined.
People at nearby tables were already darting curious glances their way. So it was possible, that this public meeting hadn't been a good idea after all.
"Mercedes is my wife," he inserted calmly. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't refer to her as a tramp again, because I can assure you that she isn't. I also must insist that you not say things like that around my daughter. You do realize, that she's likely repeating that garbage at school, right?"
"Your wife!" Melanie screeched, bringing the conversations around them to a halt.
"Melanie, lower your voice," Sam instructed. "You're making a spectacle of yourself."
"I could give a fuck!" she snapped. "How dare you bring me here and unload something like this on me!"
She leaned so far into the table, her chest was sitting in her salad plate.
And Sam certainly didn't have the nerve to point that out, because she'd probably throw the damn thing if he brought it to her attention.
"You know what, Sam, I don't believe you," she taunted. "I think you're lying your ass off to get me off your back. What did you think...I'd just say, 'Well, hey, congratulations to you both. I wish you all the best'?"
"A guy could hope," he joked, then wiped the smile quickly off his face, when her left eye began twitching.
'Wow!' Sam thought. He'd always known she was tightly strung, but he was ready to call for an exorcist.
And he was afraid she'd climb on the table at any moment and attempt to stab him with her salad fork.
And the profanity, that was another shocker. Obviously, she was fond of the word 'tramp', but the string of curse words she was muttering under her breath, were new.
As were the threats and insults she was now heaping upon his mother.
'Holy hell!'
As he looked around to see the entire place riveted on them, he closed his eyes and took a breath. He had to get her out of here before they called the cops.
"Melanie!" Sam said harshly. Thankfully, the tone of his voice instantly cut through her tirade, and she paused long enough for him to continue. "If you'll stop for one moment, you'll notice that anyone and everyone that you've ever wanted to impress, are staring at you as if you've lost your mind. Now, I'm leaving before we are hauled out of here in handcuffs. I suggest that you do the same."
He saw the moment humiliation hit her.
Her cheeks turned a vivid shade of red, and she dropped her eyes to the linen tablecloth.
"You bastard!" she whispered. "This is all your fault. I've put six years into you and you go and marry some piece of trash off the street? We could've been a family. But nooo, you had to ruin everything."
Getting to her feet, she glared down at him, as she attempted to brush the stain from the mixed greens from her silk top.
"You'll pay for this," she threatened, before turning to stalk off.
Their waitress came hurrying over, as if she'd been waiting for a break in the action.
She efficiently picked up the mess that Melanie had made without comment. Then she turned to Sam and raised a brow.
"Can I get you anything else, sir?"
With a snort, he said,
"How about a Jack and Coke?"
She broke her polite expression long enough to smile at him, before saying,
"That sounds like an excellent idea, sir."
A few short moments later, Sam sat sipping his drink and waiting for the calm it would hopefully bring.
If he was an optimistic man, he'd say it was over and he'd gotten the hard part out of the way. But with Melanie, he was dearly afraid that he hadn't really seen anything yet.
Tonight, he needed to warn Mercedes to beware, not only of things that go bump in the night, but also of ex-flings who lose their shit during the daylight hours.
Never sleep with anyone crazier than you are.
Those were words he had definitely come to regret, not living by.
This chapter is sort of a filler, so I decided to do the double by posting the next chapter along with this.
Stay safe!