Chapter 4
Lucy
Heart shattering, I walk into my dad’s office. When he sees me, he wordlessly stands and walks toward me. Cupping my face, he raises it until we meet eyes. After a moment, he releases my face, then wraps his arms around me, and pulls me to his chest. I wrap my arms around him and finally allow the tears to fall. Resting his cheek on the top of my head, he gently rocks us back and forth while weathering the storm. When the tears start to slow, my dad speaks for the first time since my arrival.
“I know Chubs is the cause of this because nothing else can knock down your barriers. So, here is my father’s plan for how we’re going to handle it. Tonight, we get drunk. Off our asses drunk. Tomorrow, we find a quiet, peaceful place to bury his body while I come up with a plan as to how he’s going to suffer before death claims him.”
I can’t stop the small, wet giggle that escapes as my dad gives me another hard hug before letting go and stepping back. He reaches down and grabs a tissue off an end table before handing it to me. I wipe the tears off my face before blowing my nose. Tossing the tissue into a garbage can, I turn back to my father.
“I don’t want him dead, Daddy.”
“You have a kind heart, Lucy, but I must insist. He hurt my daughter, and he had been warned about the consequences if he ever did that,” he answers with a small smile.
“I walked out on him tonight. I never thought I’d ever do that,” I say with a small sniffle.
“Out of anger or to protect your heart?” my dad, the governor of Colorado, asks.
“Both. Angry because he’s not being truthful with me. Angry because he’s my whole world, but I no longer feel like I’m the same for him. Trying to protect my heart by leaving him before he leaves me, I guess,” I answer, being as truthful as I can.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with him, Lucy, and that man loves you like a father hopes his daughter is loved.”
“He loves me, Daddy. I know that. Maybe just not enough to make me his first priority like I’ve made him mine. Maybe I’m just being too demanding. Maybe I need more from him than is fair. I don’t know, Dad. I’m hoping this time apart will help us figure out how to go forward.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Just be my dad,” I answer sincerely.
“Always, my little Lucy. Now, let’s take a break from thinking and go get our drunk on. We have plenty of time to figure everything else out later.”
Walking into the kitchen, I see my mom sitting at the island, wine glass in hand. My sister Lisa is pulling a pan out of the oven and then turns toward Dad and me. Spotting us, she drops the pan, and I watch as tater tots fly everywhere. Assuming the Lucy curse has just struck again, I open my mouth to apologize, but Lisa cuts me off.
“I’m helping Dad bury him. I swear to God!” she shouts as she charges toward me.
“Lisa, I…” I start to explain just as she reaches me.
Lisa grabs both of my arms and hauls me in for a tight hug. I accept the hug, knowing Lisa has my best interests at heart. When she pulls back, she smooths one thumb under my eye before bumping our foreheads together gently.
“Your face gives away that you’re hurting. You’ve been crying, and I hate that. I love Chubs. He’s family, but he’s not you. Dad and I can do the planning while you hang out with Mom if that makes it easier for you,” she says adamantly.
“No one is burying Chubs,” I tell her with a small smile. “Not yet, anyway.”
“I’m a patient person. I can wait,” she retorts while using my arm to pull me to a stool next to Mom’s. Taking a seat, I turn to my mom.
“Sorry to bust in causing a ruckus,” I say to the woman who’s always had my back.
Before speaking, Mom gently tucks a chunk of my hair behind one ear, then cups my chin.
“You’re not busting in; this is your home too and always will be. As for the ruckus, that sounds more like your dad and sister planning murder and mayhem than you. Before I ask you what you’d like to drink and if there’s anything I can do to wipe that sadness out of your eyes, I need to ask them one thing. When and where? Okay, now that they know I’m joining their plans for mayhem, do you want wine, my darling girl?”
Have I ever mentioned how lucky I am for being born into this family?
Leaning forward, I brush a light kiss on her cheek. Mom puts her hand against the back of my head and holds me there for a few extra beats before letting go. Leaning back, I answer her with a nod. I’ll start with wine, but this night may call for stronger stuff before it ends.
Waking up the next morning in my childhood room, I slowly stretch. Relaxing back into my pillows, I realize I don’t have a hangover. Since I seldom drink, I usually end up with a headache but not today. I can probably thank my dad for that since I’m sure he mixed my drinks with very little alcohol as he’s done in the past. He also insisted that Lisa and I each take two ibuprofen with a complete bottle of water before bed. I’m also grateful that no one pushed for details last night because they know I’ll talk when I’m ready.
I’m startled into sitting upright when my bedroom door suddenly flies open. My heart rate settles back to normal when I realize it’s only Lisa being Lisa again. In pajamas covered in llamas, she runs full speed at me before jumping high to land on the bed next to me. The bed bounces, and I’m nearly tossed out of it, but Lisa grabs my arm before that happens. Flopping onto her back next to me, she tosses a sassy grin at me.
“How old are you?” I ask dryly.
“I’ll never be so old that I stop tormenting my little sister,” she replies with a snort.
“Pain in the ass,” I state with a sigh.
“You love me anyway,” she insists.
“Only because Mom and Dad make me,” I fib but say it in a serious voice.
“You keep lying to me, I’m going to pin you down. You won’t like me doing that,” she threatens.
As kids, she would pin me by sitting on my stomach with her knees holding my arms tight to my sides. Then she would lean over my face, spitball threatening to fall, and I’d squeal in terror. I’d promise whatever it was she wanted me to agree with, and she’d suck the spitball back into her mouth with a grin. She was a demon child. She always won, and I always hated that she wasn’t as tiny as me. I’m still way smaller than her, but now I have a secret weapon she’s unaware of. My secret weapon is named Cash.
Rolling quickly, I put her into a headlock, then wrapped my legs around hers, immobilizing her.
Surprised, Lisa tries to get free but doesn’t succeed. After a minute of struggling and making no progress, she relaxes. I grin and then whisper-shout in her ear, “Mom and Dad adopted you but couldn’t take you back because the pound had a policy of no takebacks, no returns. You bought it, you keep it! Then they had me and insisted that I at least pretend to love you! It’s been horrible, and I’m glad the truth is finally out there!”
Leaning my head down slightly, I swipe my tongue across her cheek while she squeals in disgust. Years of being tormented, and I finally get some revenge. Thank you, Cash.
“Girls! What in the world?” Mom chides as she enters my room.
“Mom! She licked my face!” Lisa shouts as she tattles like a third-grader. I guess that pretty much answers my question about how old she is.
“I’m guessing payback for all the times you sat on her,” Mom replies as she sits on the edge of my bed.
Mom stares at me with one raised eyebrow. I stare back for several seconds before asking in disgust, “Do I have to let her up?”
Before Mom can answer, the entire bed drops to the floor with a crash. Stunned, my hold on Lisa releases, and she scrambles away. Mom simply repositions herself a little further from the edge and smiles serenely.
Leaning over the edge of the bed, I see the broken slats of wood that used to support the bed springs and mattress.
“I should have had this bed replaced years ago. We’ll order a new one today. Get moving, ladies. Breakfast will be ready in five minutes,” Mom announces before squeezing my kneecap, knowing it will make me squeal then she leaves the room.
“Brat,” Lisa tosses over her shoulder as she heads for my door.
“Snitch,” I holler back as I climb off the broken bed.
Me: Sorry Pips but I won’t be in today.
Pippa: No worries. Thanks for all the help this week. Hope you have a fun trip.
Me: You’re welcome. Remind Craig that him and I have a lunch date when I get back. I haven’t forgotten.
Pippa: I will but there’s no way he’ll forget. He loves his lunch dates with you!
I tuck my phone into my back pocket as Mom comes into the room. Walking straight to me, she looks my face over carefully. I know she notices the slight swelling around my eyes from the crying jag I had, but she doesn’t mention it. Instead, she gives my forehead a brief kiss before taking a seat in her favorite chair. With far less grace, I flop down on a loveseat and sigh.
“Where’s Lisa?” I ask.
“She’s in the kitchen on the phone and pouring iced tea for us. Said she’ll bring them in when she’s off the phone.”
“That sounds good,” I murmur while staring out the nearest window.
“Things will work out how they’re supposed to, Lucy. Might be how you want them to, might not be, but either way, you’ll get through it. You’re a fighter, a survivor. You always have your family to lean on, but you also have that club. Chubs might be the club member, but you have earned their loyalty and respect just as much as he has. Bailey loves you like a sister. Axel, that overgrown man-child, feels the same way. I don’t always understand his type of craziness, but I know his loyalty to you runs deep. As your mother, that means way more to me than his quirks. The kids see you as their aunt, especially little Alex and Craig. If things don’t work out for you and Chubs, you’re not losing them too. They won’t allow it. I promise you that,” Mom says with firmness in her tone.
I nod slowly then meet her eyes.
“I’m not afraid of them cutting me out. I’m afraid that I’ll pull away from them.”
“Because it would be painful to be around them if Chubs is there too,” she states knowingly.
“Yeah, but then I think of not having Bailey as my best friend anymore. How that would gut me too. Or spending time with Craig and the rest of the kids. How much I’d miss working with Pippa or laughing over Tessie’s latest driving lesson and who it traumatized.”
“You’re getting way ahead of yourself. Quit thinking about all of it as one big crisis and take things one day, one problem, at a time. This may be just a bump in the road, honey. All couples have them, and maybe it’s just your turn,” Mom advises.
I nod in agreement, even though I know it’s more than a bump.
Lisa walks into the room, carefully carrying three glasses, and I hold my breath until she sets them down on the coffee table. Grinning, she throws up the victory sign.
“What is it Mac calls the weird things that happen when you’re around?” Lisa questions while taking a seat next to me.
“Being Lucy’d,” I answer while Lisa hoots in laughter.
“You’re a force of nature, Lucy. That’s something to be proud of,” Dad says as he enters the room and takes a seat near Mom.
“Dad! Will you ever admit that the universe revolts—” Lisa starts her old joke before Dad cuts her off.
“Coincidences. Force of nature. Magnetic pull. No idea why things seem to happen near Lucy, but I do know she’s not to blame for any of it,” he insists for the thousandth time.
“Jinxed. Cursed. Snakebitten. Catastrophic,” Lisa counters with a saucy grin at Dad’s sigh.
Having heard enough, I pull the throw pillow from behind my back and smack Lisa in the face with it. Lisa grabs for the pillow, but Dad snatches it away from me first.
“Is this the behavior we can expect for the whole trip?” Mom asks in a resigned tone.
“Yes,” Dad, Lisa, and I answer at the same time.
The universe might revolt around me sometimes, but fate was kind when she granted me this family.