Twenty-Two #3
“Listen,” he began slowly, his voice low. “You understand this is not the choice I would make for my son, but that’s only because I want him to have children.”
I nodded.
“But that’s not for me to say. What is important is that I have never seen him the way he is when you’re with him. I want to be his friend, Jory, as well as his father. I can’t have what I want and not give to him in return.”
I couldn’t stop staring at him. Sam’s parents were amazing. I understood what unconditional love looked like at that moment.
“The fact that you came when Jen called you…that says a lot too. Family’s important, Jory. They have to love you no matter what.”
I was all choked up; it was hard to speak.
“Yes?”
“Yessir.”
He patted my shoulder. “Good boy. Go ahead.” He gestured to the couch. I glanced over at Michael, and he gave me the head tip.
“Jory.”
“Michael.”
“Good to see you. We missed you for the holidays.” He sighed, eyes back on the TV. “Boy, did we.”
“Yes, we did.” Rachel smiled up at me, then reached for my hand as she stood to give me a hug. “Sammy was such an ass… I felt so sorry for that poor girl, Maggie.”
“Yeah.” Jen snorted, smiling through her tears. “He was so obviously not into her.”
“She was clingy and needy.” Rachel shivered, giving me a final squeeze before she let me go. “I offered her a Valium.”
Jen laughed before burying her face in her hands. When I sat down beside her, she turned into me, and I wrapped her in my arms, holding her tight as she sobbed.
“What happened?”
“She told Mitch about her and Kurt.” Rachel spoke for her sister, patting Jen’s back gently. “And guess what?” She looked me in the eye. “He’s been banging his accountant for the last six months.”
“No.” I was stunned.
“Yes,” Jen announced, lifting her head, wiping her eyes. “His accountant!”
“What’d—what else did he say?”
“He said he was so relieved that he’s giving me everything I want in the divorce. He just wants out.”
“And your kids?”
“He wants joint custody, but that shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Then…” I drew out the word, making it a question, turning to Rachel. “Why all this?”
“Kurt,” Rachel said softly. “He’s going to stay with Rita. She forgave him, and they’re going to give it another chance.”
“But I thought Kurt loved Jen?”
“Apparently he loves his social class more.”
“I don’t understand,” I said, my focus back on Jen.
“Jory, Kurt was poor when he married Rita. He works at her father’s company.
He’s the vice president and his father-in-law is the president.
The cars and the boat and the membership at the goddamn country club are all through her.
She owns him, and I forgot about that. He likes traveling and expensive clothes and his gadgets and everything else that her money buys. ”
“Oh, sweetie.” I kissed her forehead, easing her back into my arms. “I’m so sorry.”
“When push came to shove, he wanted to be rich more than he wanted to be in love.”
“He was probably thinking of his kids,” I assured her. “If she’s that rich, I’m sure she could afford to—”
“Please, Jory.” She sniffled. “His kids are away in boarding school. He doesn’t even see them,” she wheezed out, her tears nearly choking her. “No, it’s just the money. He likes his status, and he’s not going back to being just like the rest of us.”
“I’m so sorry, honey.”
She clutched me tight.
“Jennifer.”
We both looked up at Sam.
“Fuck them all. You’ll find the guy for you. Just focus on your kids right now, and we’ll all be here for you.” He motioned for her to get up. “C’mere.”
And I was so proud of him, watching him hug the life out of his sister.
The sigh that came up out of her spoke to the importance of his words.
For whatever reason, what he thought and said was the mirror she saw her reflection in.
That he loved her and believed in her helped more than any other comfort.
“Thank you for coming, Jory,” Rachel whispered, leaning across the small space that separated us. “It means so much.”
“It’s Sam she needed.” I gestured to the brother and sister hugging tight.
“Yes.” She nodded, looking me in the eye. “But when you’re not around, he isn’t this guy. My mom says that’s what happens when you’re in love. The other person brings out the very best in you.”
I stared back at her.
“When you’re with him, Sammy is amazing. I never had much use for him until you came with him that one Sunday. I finally got what the big deal was…and then you disappeared. Don’t disappear again, Jory.”
“No, I won’t.”
She nodded, leaning back. “Good.”
It was a nice couple of hours, and Sam’s family treated me like I belonged.
He and Michael talked football, and Thomas joined in, at ease with his sons.
I promised Jen that on those weekends the girls spent with their dad, she could come and sleep over at my place.
Rachel said she had big plans for her sister, and I said we could go dancing.
I wanted her to meet Dylan and Chris. She said she was looking forward to it.
Sam took a call, and afterward he said we had to go.
All the women hugged me and the men ignored me, which I took as a good sign since they were completely engrossed with what the Packers and the Broncos were doing.
They grunted a goodbye to Sam, and he promised his mother that we’d be there for Sunday dinner.
“I’ll bring my brother,” I told her.
“Oh!” She was thrilled. “I would love that, Jory. Please do bring him.” I swore I would, even as I wondered how I would accomplish that.
“Who was on the phone?” I asked Sam when we were back in the SUV.
“Christ, we left those sandwiches in here,” he grumbled, rolling down the window.
“Sam, who—”
“It smells like sauerkraut. How can you even—”
“Who was on the phone?”
He sighed heavily. “Maggie.”
“Okay. What does she want?”
“She wants to talk to me.”
“And so you’re going to go talk to her?”
“I owe her that much, J.”
“Do you?”
“I think so, yeah.”
I nodded, turning to look at the street.
“Don’t you think so?”
“No.”
“Don’t be an ass.”
“I’m not.”
“I’ll drop you at home.”
“Fine.”
We didn’t talk the entire way to his place, and I got out of the car the second he stopped it. I didn’t even bother closing the door. I was moving as fast as I could to the front of the building when a heavy hand clamped down on my shoulder.
“Just go already.”
He turned me around to face him. “Listen, Maggie’s just lookin’ for some closure, and I’m sure an explanation. She deserves that, J.”
“Sure.”
His hand went to my chin, tipping it up so he could look down into my eyes. “I’m coming home to you.”
I nodded.
“Knock it off. Quit bein’ a brat.”
I exhaled deeply as he smiled into my eyes.
“Gimme a kiss.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss that I wanted him to remember while he was talking to his ex-girlfriend.
“Maybe I should come up first,” he said when I finally pulled back, his voice gravelly. The way his fingers were digging into my back, the way his lips were sliding down the side of my neck let me know that I’d got the reaction I’d been looking for.
“No,” I said, looking up at him. “Go and see Maggie. Just get back as soon as you can.”
He nodded, staring at my mouth. “I’ll be back soon. Don’t go to sleep.”
I chuckled. “I won’t. I’m starving anyway. Bring me food.”
“Oh yeah, I have to throw away those sandwiches, and I’ll stop and get—”
“Throw them away at Maggie’s house,” I said, smiling.
“Mean. You’re just mean.”
I pulled him to me, and he gave me a final kiss on the forehead before he darted back to the car.
I smiled when he peeled out. I was almost to the door when I heard my name called.
Dominic Kairov was the last person I expected to see, but there he was, stepping out of the shadows by the side of the building.
“Dom? What are you doing here?” I asked, standing my ground. The last time I’d seen him, he was very angry with me and my relationship with Sam.
He smiled sheepishly. “I wanted to talk to Sam and tell him I was sorry about everything. I wanna see if he can forgive me.”
“Of course he can,” I assured him, gesturing for him to follow me inside. “C’mon, it’s freezing out here. We can wait for him together.”
“What’d you do to your ankle?”
I chuckled. “Racquetball with Dane.”
He grunted behind me. “I guess you’re not so lucky after all, huh, Jory?”
“No, I think my luck only runs to evading contract killers.”
“Maybe not.”
And I had a sudden chill, as I understood that maybe being alone with Dominic Kairov was really stupid.
“I think your luck’s done, Jory.”
When I looked over my shoulder, he grabbed the back of my coat, and he covered my face with a cloth. I couldn’t breathe, and the smell was awful, and then there was nothing but darkness as I felt my body turn liquid.