Chapter Forty-Eight #2
He was a fuckuva lot better at that than I was. Than any of my siblings were. I guess that came with the responsibility of the feelings of a bunch of people you were in charge of.
“I get the feeling that… that AJ didn’t have it easy before she came to Navesink Bank. I have no concrete reason to say that. It’s just… a feeling I get based on how she’s reacted to some shit since she moved in.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Kind of put that together myself too.”
“Maybe she just needs some reassurance?”
“Of what?”
“That you’re not just trying to fuck her and leave her?” he said, then exhaling, “But that is what you’re going to do, isn’t it?” he asked. “So maybe you should just let her have her space.”
“Gee, thanks, bro,” I said.
“I love you, Atlas. But I care about that girl, too. You want to go out there and chase a different woman every night, that’s your prerogative.
But those women know what they’re getting into, knows the deal.
That’s probably not how things are with AJ.
You’re playing house. It… complicates things.
She’s probably confused. And trying not to catch feelings. ”
“Yeah,” I agreed, seeing his point.
“And unless you intend to be more serious about her, leave her alone.”
With that, he pulled the car away from the curb, and leaving me to think on what he said.
Kingston was good with that. Giving advice with tact and thought, but that didn’t always mean it was an easy truth to try to choke down.
By the time Kingston helped me up over the hump leading into the Mallick house in my electric chair, I was swarmed by people.
The kids, always eager to say hi, to demand I let them scribble on my cast some more, were first. Then the sisters-in-law, asking me how I was doing, if I wanted to go here or there with them over the coming week.
Then, finally, my brothers.
“Still look like shit,” Nixon said, shooting me a smirk.
“Charming as always, isn’t he?” Reagan, his woman, asked from his side, rolling her eyes at him. “You actually look a lot better,” she said. “No more sling, huh?”
“Nah. I still have to baby the shoulder, but it’s alright. If I could just get this fucking thing off,” I said, gesturing toward my leg, “I’d be happy.”
“What’d the doc say on that?” Shane Mallick asked as he walked up, holding a beer that looked like a child’s toy in his giant hand.
Shane was a wall of a man. He owned a gym, and it was clear he spent a decent amount of time there when he wasn’t out busting kneecaps.
“He’s optimistic that I might have one or two more weeks in the cast before I go into a boot,” I told him.
“Full weight-bearing?” Shane asked.
“Yeah. Said I heal fast. Thank fuck, because I’m tired of not being able to move around.”
“Yeah, been there,” Shane agreed, nodding.
Being an active guy himself, he had to understand how much it was killing me to be so sedentary. I wanted to at least be able to walk around, even if I had weeks, or even months, of therapy ahead of me before I’m back to a hundred percent. Or as close to that as I could be after such a bad break.
“What’s all this?” a woman’s voice asked, pushing through the crowd.
And there she was.
The formidable matriarch of the Mallick family. A woman who raised five unruly, dangerous boys, but somehow made them into good men.
Helen was on the tall side, fit, with dark hair and light eyes.
“Well well well,” she said, brows raising as she looked at me. “It’s about time you showed your face at my table.”
“Heya, Helen,” I said, shooting her my best boyish smile.
“Oh, those smiles don’t work on me. I raised five boys who tried to get away with a lot of shit,” she told me.
“Just happy to see you, Helen,” I insisted, laying it on thick.
“Oh, horse shit,” she said, but she was smiling as she leaned over to press a kiss to my cheek. “How’s the leg feeling?”
“It’s healing up. I’m hoping to be in a boot soon.”
“With even less of an excuse not to show up at my table,” she said, glancing past me, looking around.
“Who’re you lookin’ for, Ma?” Shane asked, following her gaze.
“That girl.”
“What girl?” Shane asked, looking as confused as I felt.
Until, little by little, the reality occurred to me.
She was looking for AJ.
Why, I had no idea.
But sometimes Helen got ideas up in her head. Shit that no one else but her knew about. But we somehow needed to answer for even if we didn’t know about it in the first place.
“The girl he has been living with for over a month now,” Helen said, waving at me.
“AJ?” Kingston asked, head tipped to the side. “Were we supposed to invite her?”
That was the wrong thing to say.
Helen’s brows rose.
“No. I wanted you all to talk about getting together, have her watch him get all dressed up, then have you show up to pick him up,” she said, looking at King, “and then just leave her there all alone.”
Kingston looked stricken at that. He was likely thinking of how rude it was not to invite her, considering all she’d done for me, and how easily she’d forgiven him for not mentioning that I might drop in at some point.
I went ahead and saved him.
“AJ had to work tonight,” I told her. “She’s covering for the single mom who has a sick kid.”
“Oh,” Helen said, softening. “That’s sweet of her. I keep hearing everyone talking about her. I’d like to meet her,” she said, giving me and Kingston a pointed look.
The thing was, I knew that AJ would love coming to the Mallick’s for Sunday dinner.
This was exactly what she said she was envious of.
A big, loud, loving family. And after being so alone for so long, I could understand the desire to experience just once what I so clearly took for granted all the time.
“I’ll invite her next week,” I told Helen.
“You better,” she said before making her way back to the kitchen where most of the women were likely gathered, trying to get everything ready at the same time.
The rest of the night went about as expected. Lots of talking, laughing, eating, and teasing.
As I sat there, looking around at literally everyone at the table who had a significant other aside from me, and I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have someone there. To share smiles and knowing looks with. To lean into. To go home with and discuss the evening.
And, inevitably, the person who materialized in the fantasy was AJ.
The cynical side of me wanted to say it was simply because she was the only woman I’d been around lately who wasn’t my family.
The other part, though, knew it was because I just… liked the woman.
“So, I’ll take your silence as evidence that you’re not going to leave the girl alone,” Kingston said as we parked in the driveway of my place.
I took a second, staring at the dark backyard.
Then I sighed, glancing over at my brother.
“I like her, King.”
There was a beat of complete silence before Kingston let out a loud laugh. Head back, eyes crinkling, having a good old time.
“Ohh,” he sighed after, still grinning. “This must be so uncomfortable for you,” he said, shaking his head.
“Thanks, man,” I said.
“Look, I get it. She’s gorgeous. She’s sweet as hell.
I’m just worried that she’s gonna fall for you, you’re gonna get well, and then you’ll leave her.
Crushed. But if you think there’s a chance that you might want to hang around to be with her…
” he trailed off, choosing his words, “Then I’m really happy for you, Atlas. ”
With that, we dropped it.
I got inside.
And overthought that shit until, eventually, I passed out.