Chapter 34
Fool – Worse than an idiot
Fender
Islam the door behind me and the window in the living room rattles. I pick up the first thing I can find – a set of keys – and throw them across the room.
Jett ducks out of the way. “What the fuck, Fender?”
“What’s wrong, grumpapottamus?”
At Gibson’s question, I start for him. He squeaks and ducks behind the couch to hide.
Jett stands in my way. “What’s wrong with you?”
What’s wrong with me? I could tell him what’s wrong but I’m too pissed to speak. I grunt and grab the TV remote. I throw it across the room and it hits the refrigerator before falling to the floor where it smashes into pieces.
Jett gathers the remote controls for the PlayStation and hugs them to his chest. “Maybe you should go outside and let off some steam.”
Gibson peers over the couch at me. “And where there’s no one to injure with your wrath.”
They think they’ve seen my wrath? They haven’t seen shit yet.
I scan the room for something else I can throw. There isn’t much here. This isn’t a home. Not the way Leia’s house is. Leia. How dare she try to use me?
I pick up one end of the coffee table and flip it over. The glasses on the table shatter on the floor. The sound is satisfying. What next?
The door bangs against the wall behind me but I ignore it. I march to the kitchen and whip open a cabinet. It’s filled with pots and pans. Not interesting. I move to the next one.
I’m reaching for the glasses when arms wrap around my middle and try to drag me away. I plant my feet. I’m not going anywhere.
“Get away from the kitchen,” Cash orders.
“I can’t hold him,” Dylan mutters as he strains against me.
Cash steps in front of me and together with Dylan they herd me out of the kitchen to the living room where they push me onto the sofa.
“What the hell is going on?” Gibson asks.
“Someone’s a fucking idiot,” Cash says.
Jett snorts. “Tell us something we don’t know.”
I surge from the couch but Dylan sits on me to stop me from attacking Jett.
“I’m going to kill him.”
“No one’s killing anyone,” Dylan says.
Gibson raises his hand. “Can someone explain for the kids in the back of the class?”
Cash points to me and I growl at him. “I’m assuming Fender found out Leia took a pregnancy test and promptly lost his mind.”
“Leia’s pregnant?” Gibson grins. “Congrats, big man.”
“Not pregnant,” I growl.
“She took a bunch of tests because she was late but she’s not pregnant,” Cash explains.
“Poor Leia. How is she?” Jett asks.
I grunt. “She’s a liar.”
Jett’s brow wrinkles. “Liar? What did she lie about?”
My nostrils flare. “She’s just like Vicki.”
Gibson gasps. “Did she say she was pregnant when she wasn’t?”
“No.”
Jett glares at me. “Did you accuse Leia of being Vicki?”
“She is just like Vicki.”
He stomps toward me. “I’m going to kick your ass.”
Gibson is right behind him. “I’m in.”
I look to Dylan. He’s usually the one who calms everyone down, but he doesn’t move. “You made your bed. Time to lie in it.”
“Fender,” Cash begins. “Leia is nothing like Vicki. Why would you accuse her of being Vicki?”
“Because she is. She’s trying to trap me.”
Jett fists his hands. “Seriously. Let me kick his ass.”
I snort. “You can try.”
He motions to Gibson standing behind him, Cash next to him, and Dylan beside me. “It’s four against one. The odds are in my favor.”
I scan the faces of my bandmates, my friends, my family. They’re all looking at me with disappointment. What the fuck? They’re supposed to be on my side.
Gibson points at me. “He’s confused. How can he be confused?”
Dylan sighs. “You hurt one of us. Of course, we’re on her side.”
“Leia isn’t one of us.”
Cash growls. “Leia is Indigo’s best friend. Don’t you dare say she isn’t one of us.”
“And Isla is my favorite eleven-year-old,” Jett adds. “That girl is the shit.”
“Too bad her mother is a bitch,” I mutter.
Dylan has me in a headlock before I realize what’s happening. “Leia is Virginia’s friend, too, dipshit. You don’t talk about Ginny’s friends this way.”
I dig my fingers into his arms until he yelps and pulls away. “It’s true.”
“Did you actually call Leia a bitch to her face?” Cash asks. “What kind of dumbass are you?”
“The kind who fell in love with a woman who doesn’t exist.”
“Can I smack him?” Jett asks. “Smack some sense right into him?”
Cash pretends to study me. “Not sure you can smack sense into his dumb head right now.”
I explode from the sofa. “Why are you on her side? She’s the one who’s trying to trap me into marrying her. She’s the one who made me fall in love with a vision of a woman who doesn’t exist. She’s the one who has the daughter I want for my own. I’m not at fault here.”
“Oh boy. Where do we start?” Dylan asks.
“I know where to start.” Cash approaches me until he’s up in my face. He’s several inches shorter than me so I have to glance down at him.
“Why the hell did you assume she’s trying to trap you?”
“She didn’t tell me she thought she was pregnant.”
“And?”
“And she lied.”
“She lied? Did she tell you she was pregnant?”
“No.”
“Did she tell you she’s on birth control and she’s not?”
I scowl. “No.” I’ve seen her take her pill in the morning.
“Did she say she wants to marry you?”
“No.”
“Dude.” Cash sighs. “You made it all about you.”
“Does she know about your mom?” Dylan asks.
I glance away.
“That’s a no.” He sighs. “What about Vicki? Does she know about her?”
I nod.
“She was probably worried and wanted to make sure she wasn’t pregnant before she told you about the scare,” he says.
“But she didn’t tell me. I found the pregnancy tests.”
“Where?” Cash asks. “Where did you find them?”
“In her trash.”
Dylan widens his eyes. “You dug threw her trash?”
“She was being cagey. Said she needed a moment.”
“She said she needed a moment and instead of giving her a moment, you dug threw her trash?” Dylan shakes his head. “Do you even have a clue how a possible pregnancy would scare a single mom who had no support from her family?”
I rub a hand down my face. He’s got a point.
Cash points to Leia’s house. “And now she’s over there crying her eyes out because she’s heartbroken.”
My heart squeezes in my chest. “Heartbroken?”
“Yeah, dumbass.” Gibson rolls his eyes. “Even I can tell how much Leia loves you.”
I rub my chest. “Loves me?”
“Yeah, it’s confusing to think someone as sweet as Leia would love your grumpy ass.”
I snarl at him and he chuckles.
“Now.” Cash rubs his hands together. “How are you going to get her back?”
“Get her back?”
“Duh. You love her. She loves you. You fucked up.”
Is he right? Did I overreact? I think back to my conversation with Leia. Not once did she bat her eyelashes at me and claim it was all a mistake. No, not my firecracker. She told me exactly how it was before she kicked me out.
Fuck. I screwed up and let the woman I love slip from my fingers. I saw those pregnancy tests and my mind flashed back to Vicki and my mom and I lost it. My mouth started spouting a bunch of bullshit.
I’m worse than an idiot. I’m a fool.
“What do I do?”
Cash smiles. “Easy. You make it up to her.”
“You should listen to him,” Dylan says. “He knows all about fucking up with the woman you love.”
Cash glares at Dylan. “And you’ve never fucked up with Virginia?”
“I certainly didn’t break up with her because I was a scared little bitch.”
“I wasn’t scared.”
“Do you prefer the word scaredy-cat?” Dylan taunts. “Since you do have a cat now.”
“I hate cats.”
“Guys!” Gibson claps his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Can we focus on Fender’s problem now? And why am I being the adult here?”
“I was about to ask the same question,” Jett mumbles.
“What if Leia won’t take me back?”
Fear races through my body. My hands shake and I feel nauseous. I can’t lose Leia. I want to spend the rest of my life with her and Isla. I want to build a family with her.
Dylan squeezes my shoulder. “She will.”
“After you apologize and admit what a tool you were,” Cash adds.
I can apologize. I start to stand.
Dylan pushes me back down. “You can’t rush over there now. You need a plan.”
“And Leia needs to calm down.”
I can’t help the smile from forming on my face. My Leia is a force to be reckoned with. “She’s a firecracker.”
“Now, let’s figure out a plan,” Cash says.
I can do this. I can grovel. For Leia, I can do anything. And I think I have the perfect way to prove my love to her.