CHAPTER THREE #2
“She’s right. You’re behaving like a child,” said Jimmy. “Davie, let me go. Now. I won’t ask again.”
They didn’t even seem to realize they had an audience as they pushed and shoved at each other.
Then Jimmy pulled back an arm, formed a fist, and let it fly. Straight at his brother’s face. David’s head snapped back from the impact, and his hold released. He stumbled back against the wall, hands covering his eye.
“Oh, no,” I said.
Jimmy turned to me and frowned. “Ev… shit.”
The elevator dinged, and the doors opened, Bon stepping out.
He took in the scene with a practiced eye and managed to keep a neutral face.
Which I appreciated. Then he knelt down in front of David and coaxed him into showing off his nice, fresh black eye.
Jesus. I always hated violence. I focused on taking deep, even breaths because hyperventilating wouldn’t help.
David got into a fight shortly after we got together, but nothing since.
He was a lover, not a fighter. He wasn’t angry like this.
Not normally. We didn’t really live a rock ’n’ roll lifestyle.
No drugs apart from the occasional joint.
No craziness apart from Mal. And definitely no trashing places and shouting the house down.
Sure, there was the occasional party or get-together or a drink after a show when the guys were on tour. But nothing like this.
“I’m sorry, Ev,” said Jimmy.
“I know.” I nodded. “It’s probably best if you go for now.”
With a sad smile, he disappeared into the elevator and left.
“How badly is he hurt, Bon?” I asked.
“Nothing a pack of ice won’t fix. But I can get a doctor over if you’d like to be sure.”
“David?”
“I’m fine.” He didn’t look up. “Don’t need a doctor.”
“Are you drunk again?” I asked in my calmest possible voice.
“No,” he growled.
What the hell else was I supposed to think when he started brawling with his brother? Give me strength.
“I need you to calm down, please,” I said, face set.
My husband looked at me and sighed. Slowly but surely, his shoulders fell back to a more normal level. All of that rage was leaving his body. “Okay.”
“I think we’re okay now, Bon. Right, David?”
“Yeah,” said David, staring at the floor with his one good eye.
“Thank you, Bon.”
The bodyguard looked between us, then nodded and pushed the button for the elevator.
“Let’s go get that ice.” I headed back into the apartment, making for the kitchen. Heavy footsteps followed behind me. My hands shook, but I could ignore that. I grabbed a kitchen towel and filled it with the cold stuff before handing it to him.
“Got another lecture for me?” he asked sullenly.
“Nope.”
He scoffed. “That’d be a change. Jimmy’s been going off on me for the last fucking hour.”
I kept my mouth shut.
With half of his face covered, he looked at me. “Say something.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “You always know what to say. It’s like your specialty.”
“Okay,” I said. “How about, I don’t know what to say that won’t set you off again. And I see no point in having another argument or…I don’t know. Guess I already said everything I had to say this morning. Not that it helped.”
Hurt filled his gaze, but he said nothing.
From the monitor came a tiny wail. The baby was awake.
David flinched.
“I hate this. You and Jimmy fighting. You and me being all messed up.” A sob caught in my throat, and I wrapped my arms tight around myself. Tears streamed down my face. There was nothing I could do to stop them. I didn’t even try.
A stark expression crossed his face. “Ev.”
As much as I wanted to reach out and touch him, it didn’t feel safe. Not that I thought he’d physically hurt me. But there was a wall between us now. One I didn’t know how to begin to take down.
“Ev,” he said, voice tortured. “Please don’t cry.”
“I need you to fix it, David. Because you’re mine and I love you and you’re the only one who can fix it, all right?”
After a moment, he nodded. “All right.”
“Good. Okay. I’m gonna go check on our son.” And I got the hell out of there.
When I came back out, he was gone. Again.
Lizzy arrived an hour later holding a cake. “Am I the first to arrive?”
“Huh?” I kept on burping the baby on my shoulder. “What’s going on?”
“You didn’t think we’d actually respect your privacy and leave you alone during this difficult time, did you?” She bustled on into the kitchen. “You know us better than that.”
“Jimmy told Lena,” I said, making the connection.
“He sure did. And then she told all of us.”
My shoulders sagged. “I’m not sure I’m very good company right now.”
She held out her hands. “Give me the baby.”
I handed him over.
“Hey there, little one,” said Lizzy. “Aren’t you just the cutest?”
I followed behind her as she strode on out to the living room and made herself at home.
With my small child in tow. She stood over by the windows, rocking back and forth.
And he gurgled happily. What a traitor. He’d screamed at me for the past half an hour for reasons known only to himself.
Maybe in reaction to my bad mood. Parenthood was no joke.
“Did I ever tell you about the time I kicked Ben out of the house?” she asked, still making kissy faces at my son.
I settled into the corner of the sofa with an emotional support cushion in my lap. “No.”
“Oh, yeah. It was about…a year ago. Give or take.”
My eyebrows shot up.
She laughed quietly. “Did you think you were the only one experiencing the occasional relationship hiccup?”
“But you’re basically a qualified therapist.”
“Nearly,” she agreed. “And I still kick that man out on his ass when he is being an ass.”
I just blinked.
“It’s one of the reasons I made sure our place had a pool house, actually.” She smiled wistfully. “So Ben wouldn’t have far to go.”
“What did he do?” I asked. “Or shouldn’t I ask?”
She shrugged. “He gets fixated on the music and needs a reminder about priorities occasionally. Work is great. But family and a healthy relationship is important. So yeah… I tend to kick him out about once a year just to make sure everything’s going smoothly.
Give us a chance to air grievances and clear up misunderstandings.
We whisper yell at each other so Gibby doesn’t hear.
Then Ben spends a night in the pool house.
Or about half a night. He usually creeps in around two or three in the morning to grovel and have make-up sex. ”
My eyebrows felt about halfway up my forehead. “Wow.”
“Everyone’s relationship works differently.”
There came another knock at the door, and I rushed to open it. Anne and Lena stood there loaded down with takeout and bottles of wine.
“Oh, that smell.” I breathed deep with relish. “I know that smell. I love that smell.”
“We got Chinese,” said Anne. “I hope that was the right call.”
And I didn’t burst into tears. One little bastard just happened to escape, is all. Hormones. It had been one of hell of a day. “Thank you. I love pizza, but I’ve eaten a lot of it lately. Chinese sounds wonderful.”
Lena smacked a kiss on my cheek. “C’mon, Evelyn. Don’t cry over takeout. We’ve got you. You’re all good, lady.”
I sniffled.
“I was just telling her about kicking out Ben,” said Lizzy.
Anne snorted. “Well…it works or you wouldn’t do it. I tried to kick Mal out once and he staged a sit-in. He had a protest banner saying love me and everything.”
Lena headed into the kitchen.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“After he groveled for a suitable amount of time I forgave him.” She shrugged. Then she fetched wine glasses out of the wooden bar cabinet. “He learned his lesson. At least, I think he did. With him it can be hard to tell. But he doesn’t tend to make the same mistake twice.”
“Not to be annoying, but honestly, David and I don’t usually fight.
So this has kind of thrown me. I don’t even know where he is right now.
I sent him a text, asking if he was okay, and nothing.
” I arranged the Chinese takeout containers on the coffee table.
My mouth was watering. Misery loves dumplings, apparently.
“I’ve got an update,” said Lena, emerging from the kitchen with plates and silverware. “Jimmy just texted me. David is at our place.”
“He is?”
Lena nodded. “And he is apparently very subdued. They’re talking things through.”
“Thank God.”
“They’re brothers.” Anne smiled. “They’ll work it out.”
“It’s true. The sibling bond is tight but occasionally fractious,” said Lizzy. “For example, Anne used to pull my hair.”
“I did not!”
“Oh you did so. Be honest.”
Anne frowned. “Fine. But it was only that one time when you gave my favorite doll a haircut.”
“And she looked amazing with a fauxhawk.”
Anne just sighed and started serving herself some crispy duck.
“I can’t talk,” said Lena. “My sister stole my loser boyfriend and married him. Though that only lasted two years. Not a surprise. She’s happy with an older man now.
He indulges her every whim. I could have told her she was narcissistic and needed a sugar daddy.
Pretty sure I did, actually. But the point I’m making is, families are weird. ”
“I hear you.” I loaded up a plate. “My dad still likes to name drop divorce lawyers during family dinners sometimes. Just to keep David on his toes, apparently.”
“Yikes,” said Lizzy, rocking the baby.
“I’m not hungry.” Anne held out her arms to him. “I’ll take him while you eat.”
“Why aren’t you hungry?”
“Just feeling a bit off. No big deal.”
Lizzy narrowed her eyes on her sister as she handed the infant over. “Anne, is there something you’d like to share with the group?”
“No.”
“How about a glass of wine?”
“Not right now. Maybe later.” Anne settled the baby over her shoulder. “Thank you.”
Her sister did not look pacified. “Hmm.”
Lena and I exchanged a glance, but said not a word.
Whatever was going on with Anne was her own business.
Though why we gave her privacy when they were all up in my business, I don’t know.
Not that I wasn’t glad to have them all there.
Being surrounded by my friends made things instantly better.
Along with knowing David and Jimmy were talking things through.
Guess respecting a friend’s privacy had a lot to do with giving that friend what they needed in that particular moment. And cross your fingers you didn’t get it wrong. Every relationship was tricky. They all took work.
“Thank you for being here, you guys,” I said to one and all.
“I really mean it. This would have been so much more difficult to handle alone. I feel like David is just opting out of our life together. Like the idea of being a family doesn’t appeal.
He hardly talks to me. Won’t discuss a name for the baby. He just…I don’t know.”
Anne frowned. “That sounds really hard.”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “I’m worried this is going to be the end of us. And I don’t know what to do.”
Lena moved to my side and slipped an arm around my shoulders. “One thing at a time, Ev. Eat now. You have to look after yourself so you can look after the baby. Then we’ll come up with a plan for dealing with your fool of a husband.”
“Okay.” I sniffed. “Thank you.”
She smiled. “Anytime.”