Adultery Life After We by xleglover-COMPLETED

[Ramesh_Rocky]

Clint knew Mike was with Anna now. That had to stop. His relationship and contact with Anna and Jen (especially Jen) needed to end. "Your old nanny is here right?" he said gently. "Maggie? We can ask her to watch Anna a few days."

"Maybe," Jen said giving Clint a tight smile. She'd stopped crying. "I need to get going, my meetings start soon." She wiped away the tears on her cheek. "We'll talk later okay?" she said kissing him.

A few hours later Clint walked over to the ballroom where Jen's meetings were taking place. They were at a break and people were mingling around drinking coffee. "Have you seen Maggie, Jen's assistant?" he asked a group of young girls (they looked like interns).

"Oh yeah, Maggie's over there," a plump brunette intern said, pointing across the room.

Clint smiled appreciative and walked over. "Maggie?" he said. He extended his hand. "I'm Clint, Jen's boyfriend."

"Oh yeah, hi," Maggie said taking Clint's hand. She knew of Clint of course, and had seen him with Jen. She knew Mike too, having crossed paths a few times about Anna. She thought Mike was really nice and good with Anna (although terribly shy). She knew Jen's relationship with her ex-husband Mike was complicated.

Clint gave Maggie his most charming smile. "You're flying back to New York today, right?" he said. "Jen's staying with me here in Vegas for a few days. Would you mind taking care of Anna until she gets home?"

"Oh sure, I love the little rug rat," Maggie said affectionately. "When's Jen gonna be home?"

"Probably not until the weekend," Clint said confidently. Still smiling he said "Mike is there now with Anna. No need to take up his time. So when you get there he can go."

"Got it," Maggie said.

Jen was distracted all through the meetings. When the meetings broke, people headed to their rooms to pack to go home. Jen started towards her room when Mr. Winters pulled her aside. Mr. Winters was the oldest and most powerful partner of her advertising firm.

"Jennifer, we have a lead on a new account," Mr. Winters said his eyes sparkling. "Bigger than Memphis and Google."

"Oh ... who?" she asked.

Mr. Winters grinned excitedly. "Disney."

"Oh my god," Jen said her eyes going wide. Disney was the holy grail of marketing.

"They asked for you personally," Mr. Winters said beaming at her. "Exploratory meetings start tomorrow in San Francisco. Their EVP is at a trade show at the Moscone Center. Take Allie, Scott, whoever else you need." He squeezed Jen's arm encouragingly. "Make us shine Jennifer."

Jen hurriedly talked to Allie, Scott and Calvin, her main lieutenants. They excitedly agreed to meet later at McCarron to fly to San Francisco together.

Then she searched for Maggie. "Mags, can you take care of Anna for me?" she asked her young prodigy.

"You got it Jen," Maggie said immediately, having already talked to Clint about it.

"Oh ah okay," Jen said surprised at Maggie's immediate agreement without any questions. "Mike is there now. He thought I'd be home tonight."

"Ok, I understand," Maggie said having already gotten Clint's instructions about Mike going home after she got there.

After speaking to Maggie, Jen went to her room. "I've got to go to San Francisco, we're pitching Disney," she told Clint, grabbing her suitcase to pack.

"That's wonderful!" Clint gushed. "You can stay with me at my place." Clint's brownstone was in Nob Hill close to Chinatown.

"Yeah ..." Jen said. She looked at Clint for a moment, then kept packing.

Clint put his hand on Jen's arm, stopping her. He asked "I know you're rushing, but can we talk a minute?"

"Sure, of course," Jen said. They both sat down on the edge of the bed.

Clint took her hands. "Have you thought about what I said?"

"Um, yeah," Jen said with a nervous laugh. All day she'd thought of nothing but his marriage proposal.

"I don't want to rush you, take as much time as you need," he assured her, squeezing her hands. "But I didn't get a chance to show you this."

Jen's breath caught when Clint took out a small box. He opened it. Her eyes went wide. Inside was the most amazing ring she'd ever seen. The diamond was incredibly big, and it sparkled like a million suns.

"Your engagement ring," Clint said hugging her. "Let's try it on, to see how it looks."

Jen offered the ring finger of her left hand. Her hand was shaking. First Clint took off his Jacob ring. Then he slipped on the engagement ring. It fit perfectly. Then he put the Jacob ring on Jen's right hand, and she let him.

Jen looked at the engagement ring on her finger. It was so freaking amazing! It was meant for a queen, a goddess, not her.

"Goddess." That was what Mike used to call her. She immediately started crying.

"What's wrong?" Clint said taking her into his arms. She was sobbing.

"Nothing, it's just ... I thought of something Mike used to say," Jen said, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"It's okay, I know you were with him a long time," Clint said, trying to be understanding. He kissed the top of her head and stroked her back.

"We were young," Jen said, as if trying to explain why this was so hard for her. "I was just a sophomore in college. He helped me so much. I treated him like shit. But he was always there, helping me." Tears continued flowing down Jen's cheeks.

"I know, I know," Clint said trying to comfort her. "I know it's hard. Take as much time as you need."

Jen took his hands. She kissed his hands, then pressed them against her cheek. She kissed his hands again, as if never wanting to let him go. Then she looked into his eyes. She said, "I don't need more time, I know what I want."

Later at McCarron airport, Allie boarded the plane to San Francisco. Jen was already there, and Allie sat next to her.

Allie looked at Jen. Her eyes were red, she'd clearly been crying. Then Allie looked at Jen's left hand. Her eyes went wide. "So you did it?" Allie asked staring at Jen's wedding ring finger.

Jen nodded, looking like she was going to cry again. "Allie I'm so scared," she said, sounding like a little girl. Then the tears came.

Allie pulled her best friend into her arms. "It's okay honey, it'll work out," she said soothingly.

That evening in the loft apartment, Mike had just put Anna down when Maggie arrived. "Oh hi," Mike said, surprised to see Maggie. He'd been expecting to see Jen. All weekend he'd rehearsed what to say, how he still loved her, how he regretted leaving her, how he wanted them to be together again.

Mike looked passed Maggie's shoulder. "Where's Jen?" he asked.

"She's with Clint," Maggie said. "I think in San Francisco."

"She's with Clint?" Mike repeated dumbly, his heart sinking.

"I think so," Maggie said gently. She liked Mike, and it was clear he was still head over heels in love with Jen, no matter what he was doing with Jasmine Kelly. Anyone could see that (except maybe Jen). She'd seen Jen and Clint ride in a stretch limo to the airport. Rumor was, Jen was staying with Clint at his San Francisco home while the team pitched Disney.

"You don't need to stay, I can look after Anna," Maggie told him.

"Did Jen say that?" Mike asked.

"Well ... Clint and Jen sorta said it," Maggie said feeling sorry for Mike.

Mike nodded slowly, taking it all in. Jen was with Clint, and now they wanted to end his relationship with Anna. He sat down, not able to stand. He felt empty inside. Is this what it felt like to lose everything?

"I'd like to spend time with Anna," he finally said to Maggie. "The mornings maybe. Until Jen gets home."

"Sure, that works for me," Maggie said with a shrug. That actually would help her out, so she wouldn't miss all her classes at NYU (she was back in school again, part time). After all, Jen hadn't said Mike couldn't see Anna at all.

The next afternoon, after leaving Anna with Maggie, Mike went looking for an apartment. It took time but he found a 1 bedroom in an old but well maintained 4 story walkup. He picked the apartment because it was clean, it came furnished, and because there was a used bookstore right next door.

Inside his new apartment he took stock of his life. He analyzed it like a math equation, and this equation had 3 variables. He went from easy to hardest.

First, money. He still had the $100,000 from Mr. Winters, plus his remaining savings from Apple. He'd get half the money from selling the loft apartment. He also had the teaching job at Beekman High School lined up. So financially he was okay. And if he worked the deal with the government to invest in the stock market again, he'd be even better. Mike checked off that box.

Second, Anna. He wanted a relationship with Anna, at least like an uncle or good family friend. Jen was reasonable. She certainly wasn't cruel. Surely she'd let him see Anna a few times a month, stop by on holidays, maybe take her to Disney World or something like that when she got older. Clint, Mike had to admit, seemed like a reasonable person, not an ass like Colin or Scott. He needed to convince Clint he wasn't a threat, but they were adults, he thought he could do that. So Mike checked off the Anna box.