They still sounded miserable when they got off the phone, and for the first time in two months, Jessica told him she loved him. But he knew it was only because at the moment she hated her mother. Eventually, the furor would die down, and they might even like Adam once they got to know him. Janet said he was a wonderful man. But in his heart of hearts, Mark still hoped they would hate Adam, out of loyalty to him. Given what Janet had done, it was hard not to feel that way.
Mark lay in bed thinking after he hung up, and wondering what he should do. For the moment, nothing, he decided. He was going to sit tight and see what happened. He rolled over in bed and tried to get to sleep again, but his head was pounding, and he was worried about them. It was six o'clock when he finally gave in to his own anxieties, and called their mother. She sounded nearly as unhappy as the children had earlier that morning.
“I'm glad you called,” she said, surprised to hear him. “The kids met Adam last night, and they were awful to him.”
“I'm not surprised. Are you? It's too soon for them to accept the idea that you're dating. And maybe they suspect you've known him for a while.”
“That's what Jessica accused me of. You didn't tell her, did you?” she asked, sounding panicked.
“No, but I think you should, eventually. Otherwise, one of you will slip sometime, and they'll figure it out. They already suspect it, from things he said.”
“How do you know?” She sounded startled, and he decided to be honest with her.
“They called me. They were pretty unhappy.”
“Jessie slammed into her room and locked the door halfway through dinner, and Jason wouldn't even talk to him, or me. Jessie says she hates me.” Mark could hear tears in Janet's voice.
“She doesn't hate you. She's hurt and angry, and she's suspicious of you. And she's right. We both know that.”
“That's none of her business,” Janet said hotly, feeling guilty.
“Maybe not, but she thinks it is. Maybe you should have waited to bring him around.” She didn't want to tell Mark that Adam had been putting pressure on her to introduce him to the children, and she had acceded to his wishes. She didn't think they were ready either, but he said he refused to stay hidden any longer. If she was serious about him, he wanted to meet them. And it had been a disaster. She and Adam had had a huge fight afterwards, and he had stormed off, slamming the door behind him. It had been a nightmarish evening.
“What am I going to do?” Janet asked, sounding worried and anxious.
“Wait. Go easy on them. Give them time.” She didn't want to tell him that Adam wanted to move in immediately, he didn't want to wait until they got married, and she wasn't sure she could stall him. She didn't want to lose him. Or her children. She felt pulled in all directions.
“This isn't as easy as you think, Mark,” she said in a plaintive tone that made her sound like the victim, and they both knew she wasn't.
“Just don't screw our kids up in the process,” he warned her. “I don't know how you can expect me to be sympathetic about this, or the kids for that matter. The truth is you did break up our marriage for him, and sooner or later, the kids are going to know that. That's a lot for them to swallow.” It had been a lot for him to swallow, except that he had loved her, and still did. “They have a right to be angry. At both of you.” It was the fairest thing he could say. He hated the fact that he was always the peacemaker, but he always seemed to be able to see all sides of a problem, not just his own. It was one of his great strengths, and failings, vis-à-vis her.
“Yeah. Maybe so. But I'm not sure he understands that. He doesn't have children, and he doesn't understand a lot about them.”
“Then maybe you should have found another guy. Like me, for instance.” She didn't answer, and he felt foolish for having said it. The wine and the port and the brandy weren't helping, nor was his headache. His hangover was already in full swing and he hadn't even gotten up yet. It had been a busy morning for him so far.
“I guess they'll calm down eventually,” Janet said hopefully, but Adam wasn't going to tolerate it if they didn't. He wanted them to like him, and he was insulted by the way they'd behaved, and threatened her about it.
“Stay in touch,” Mark said, and then hung up. He lay in bed for another two hours after that, unable to sleep, with his head pounding. It was nearly nine when he got up, and after ten when he got to the office. And the kids were back on the phone with him at lunchtime. They had just gotten home from school, and they were insistent that they wanted to come and live with him, but he told them he wasn't going to do anything hasty. He wanted them to calm down and at least try to be fair to their mother. But all Jessica could say was that she hated her, and she'd never speak to her again if she married Adam.
“We want to come and live with you, Dad,” Jessica insisted. She was relentless.
