Chapter 25 #2
“He gave her a shower?” he asked Bennie slowly.
“Yes,” she said. “That’s why he slept in her bed last night because he needed to watch her. He told me he was going to sleep on the chair, so I brought her my cat plushie to make her feel better. But Daddy was in the bed with her and it looked too crowded, so I kept it.”
I glanced over at Stella, her face as pale and frozen as I was sure mine was. I hadn’t thought to lock Stella’s bedroom door like I had the bathroom. That was something I had to make sure of if Bennie was going on night walks upstairs now.
“I woke up early because I had a lot of water last night and I really had to pee, and the bathroom door was locked. Daddy let me in even though he was still wet and said Stella needed help in case she got dizzy. Can I play in my room now?”
“Yes,” Stella and I both answered.
A charged silence fell over the table as my daughter stomped up the stairs. Mrs. Parker looked between us with a concerned frown pulling at her mouth, while Gary glared at me as if he wanted to rip me apart.
“Outside.” The chair screeched on the kitchen tile as he stood. “Now.”
“Gary, stop,” Stella said, pushing off the chair and stepping in front of him. “This is Lee, not some random guy you think you have to scare off. I’m not in high school anymore and don’t need your protection. What I do and with whom is none of your business.”
“Yes. It’s Lee,” was all he replied, his voice low and angry.
“It’s fine, Stell,” I said, holding Gary’s furious gaze over her shoulder. “We can go in the yard,” I said, walking to the back door and sliding it open.
Gary stormed past me, not looking at me until he leaned against the side of the house.
“Sit,” I told him, motioning to the lawn chairs.
“No, I’ll stand.” He stalked up to me, shaking his head as a humorless laugh rumbled out of his chest.
“Do you want to punch me now and get it over with?”
His gaze drifted inside before coming back to me.
“I love you like a brother, but that’s my sister in there.”
“I know that. Believe me.”
“She deserves better than being a fucking cliché.”
I flinched back.
“A cliché? What the hell do you mean by that?”
“A fling with your live-in babysitter. I worried about this, but I thought she was safe with you.”
“Of course she is. This is not a fling or a cliché, Gary. Jesus, you know me better than that.”
He exhaled a groan and dropped his head back.
“Stella has been through a lot. She’s vulnerable. And this may be a way to pass the time for you, but I don’t want her hurt. You won’t do it on purpose, but I’m afraid it’s heading that way.”
“I fell in love with your sister. I’ve always loved her like I love you, but it’s different now.”
“Different. Yeah, that’s one way to look at it.” He barked out a laugh. “What about all those times you told me that you’d sleep with a woman but could never marry or love another one after Katie. That’s all different now too?”
“Yes,” I said, unsure how else to answer. “That’s how I felt, but not anymore. Not with Stella.”
He glanced back at the window, clenching his eyes shut.
“I think I have about a minute before my mother or sister comes out here and tells me to back off. I’ll say one more thing, and then I’ll let it be.” He stepped up to me, his nostrils flaring. I’d seen this side of Gary before, but this was the first time it had been directed at me.
“If you do this with my sister, you better make sure that you’re all in. That this isn’t just because you’re playing house and got too into it.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“That because she’s here, taking care of your daughter and living in your house, you aren’t making her a pinch hitter for Katie.”
Stella had used that term as a joke, and hearing Gary use it that way turned my stomach.
“I am all in. She’s not a stand-in for Katie, and if you ever say that again or even hint at it, I may be the one to punch you.”
“Knock, knock.”
Our heads swiveled to Mrs. Parker, setting her cane on the other side of the threshold and gingerly stepping over.
“Stella has a headache, so I told her to lie down on her bed. Not sure if it’s from yesterday or you two now.” She pursed her lips. “I thought I’d come out here before a punch was thrown and you both made her feel worse.”
“Sorry, Mom,” Gary grumbled.
“I know you’re used to a bunch of men doing whatever you tell them to do without question, but it doesn’t work on your sister, and it never did.” She arched a brow and patted his cheek. “You’re a good brother, so stop being a stupid one.”
Gary let go of a real laugh and nodded.
“Noted, Mom.”
She smiled as she came up to me.
“I have always loved you. You were a good kid and are a wonderful man who had the worst luck anyone could ever imagine. But be careful with my Stella,” she whispered, wrapping her thin fingers around my wrist. “Please.”
“Of course, Mrs. Parker. I love her as much as you both do.”
“Paula. If you’re taking showers with my daughter, I think you can finally start calling me by my first name.”
“Jesus,” Gary muttered, scrubbing a hand down his face.
“Oh, grow up, son. We’re all adults. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back inside to finish my lovely breakfast, and I expect you both to follow. I’m slow, so say what you need to say, then come back inside.”
“Are we okay?” I asked Gary as Mrs. Parker headed to the door.
“We are. As long as Stella is.” He nodded inside. “Like my mother just told you, be careful, okay?”
“Of course,” I said, nodding as Gary caught up with his mother.
Stella wasn’t made of glass. She was strong, tough, and wiser than her family gave her credit for, but maybe there was something I didn’t know.
I’d understood and mostly had expected Gary’s reaction, but her mother’s request to be careful with her alarmed me enough to want to question her for the first time.
What wasn’t she telling me?