Sleeping With The Enemy

by Parker, Ali

  “Mae, you said I couldn’t let you be late. I’m trying to stick to that promise. Why does it take so long to get ready?”

  She frowned. “She’s thirteen. There are at least four wardrobe changes that have to happen and then there is hair and makeup.”

  “Makeup? What the hell is she doing wearing makeup?”

  Mae gave me a kiss on the cheek. “She wears very little makeup. She asked if it was okay and I said yes.”

  I felt like an overprotective father. Or an overprotective brother. I was turning into Patrick. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have butted in.”

  “No, don’t be sorry. You should butt in. You have done a lot for her and she looks up to you. I would never tell her it was okay to wear a lot of makeup, but she likes to feel pretty, and she is mature enough to wear it.”

  “I agree.”

  “I’ll go tell her to get a move on. Are you sure you are okay driving? You don’t drive often. I don’t want you to kill us.”

  I stuck my tongue out at her. “Ha. Ha. I drive just fine. Besides, I want to take the new car for a spin. It’s been too long since I’ve driven. I feel like Miss Daisy with you chauffeuring me around all the time.”

  “You had a chauffeur that drove you around all the time. What’s the difference?”

  “Because he was my driver, not my chauffer.”

  She rolled her eyes before walking away. It made perfect sense to me. I grabbed the keys to the new Audi out of the little bowl in the entryway. It was the little changes like these that I liked.

  Mae and Hayden had moved in a month ago. The energy in the house felt different. It was more alive and yet softer. There were little things that made it feel like a home, rather than a house. Like the bowl in the entryway for our keys and what not. Something so simple made such a huge difference. I felt like I belonged in the house, like I truly lived there. Before, it always kind of felt like I was staying at an Airbnb.

  I heard footsteps on the stairs and turned to see both ladies coming down. “Ready?”

  “Yes,” Hayden answered with exasperation. “It doesn’t take that long to get there.”

  “But traffic,” I replied. “We don’t want to get stuck in traffic.”

  We walked to the garage and climbed into the car. The new-car smell was still very strong. I started the engine and carefully backed out before heading down the road. I wasn’t nervous for myself. I was nervous for the two ladies in my life that I cared a great deal for. This was a big day for them. I prayed it all went well.

  We stepped inside the large rec room of the rehab facility their mother was in. We took three seats near the back and quietly listened as one of the patients gave her testimony. I listened to the woman’s tale of near-death experiences and losing everything she owned. It was heartbreaking.

  A few minutes later, their mother stood and walked to the small platform with a podium. Mae reached for my hand and squeezed. I knew she was nervous as hell. She was putting on a brave face, but this was important to her. Last night, she had tossed and turned. She was terrified we would get there only to discover her mother had checked out of the facility and returned to her old ways.

  “She’s here,” she whispered.

  I nodded and turned my focus on the woman that looked so different from the woman I had dropped off at the front doors three months earlier. It had taken two months before Hayden, Mae, and Patrick convinced their mother to get help. After the death of her husband, she went off the rails in every way. It had taken a team of private detectives I insisted on hiring to find her. She was living on the streets and in rough shape. She refused to meet with her children face to face but did talk with them on the phone.

  It was agreed I would personally deliver her to the rehab facility. I was proud they trusted me and happy I could be of just a little help to their fractured family. It was a connection I had longed for. I would have preferred it to be under less dire circumstances, but it was what it was.

  “Thank you,” she began, her voice so soft everyone stopped talking and subtly leaned forward to hear her better. “This journey has been long and hard. I know I haven’t reached my goal yet, but I want to. For a long time, I felt lost. I wandered aimlessly through life. I rejected my children and my husband. I’ve hated myself for doing that. I have hated the pills and hated everything in the world to the point I wanted to die. When my husband died, I was so furious with him for leaving me behind. He took the easy way out and left me alone.”

  Mae dug in her purse and handed a tissue to Hayden, who was openly weeping. My heart hurt for the girl. I let go of Mae’s hand and wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her against me to offer the only comfort I knew to give.

  “It took a long time for me to see I had been alone long before he died. I made the decision to be alone because I was ashamed of the person I was. My children, God bless them, they didn’t give up. They fought long and hard and finally brought me into the light. I want to tell them thank you. Thank you for not giving up on me when I gave up on all of you a long time ago. I have been working the steps, but I don’t think I will ever truly be able to make amends for the horrible, shameful things I said and did. I want to be better. Every day, I wake up and I remind myself why I’m sober. I am looking forward to a future with them.”

  She stepped away from the podium amid a round of applause. She took her seat and the next patient took his turn. We sat quietly, listening to one story after another until it was finally over.

  “Do you want to stay?” I asked Mae.

  She bit her lower lip. We’d made no plans. There was a reception of sorts for the family, but Mae did not want to commit to stay. She was still on the fence about her mother’s recovery. She was more pragmatic than her younger sister.

  “I want to see Mom,” Hayden chimed in.

  Mae sighed with resignation. “We’ll stay, but I might wait outside.”

  “You can’t leave me alone,” Hayden hissed.

  “I’ll be here,” a male voice said.

  The three of us spun around to find Patrick standing directly behind us. “I didn’t think you were coming!” Mae exclaimed before throwing her arms around him. “I’m so glad you did.”

  “I thought I better,” he said, giving me a hard look.

  We had yet to speak. He did help move Hayden and Mae in, but we said no more than a few words to each other. Mae and Patrick were still trying to find a new normal for their relationship. I was doing my best to stay out of it and avoid making the matter worse.

  “Mom’s coming over,” Hayden hissed.

  Mae’s face paled. I immediately reached for her hand. “It will be okay. We can wait outside if you want.”

  “I can do this,” she answered. “I have to do this.”

  The three siblings stood side by side with Hayden sandwiched between them and me on Mae’s other side.

  “Hi,” their mother greeted them. She looked terrified. I didn’t blame her. Her children were a force to be reckoned with.

  Hayden was the first to react. She threw her arms around the woman. Both of them sobbed. Patrick looked away and Mae turned to rest her face against my shoulder as she shed her own tears. Hayden stepped away from her mother and studied her face. “You look good, Mom.”

  “Thank you, sweetie. You look so pretty.” She turned to Mae. “Thank you for taking such good care of her.”

  Mae nodded. “Of course.”

  “Patrick, thank you for coming.”

  Patrick shrugged. “You’re welcome.”

  “I’ll grab everyone a bottle of water,” I said, extracting myself from the private moment.

  Mae grabbed for my hand. I gave her a look, letting her know she would be okay. She relaxed and let go. I caught Patrick’s stare as I walked away. I probably shouldn’t have come. I wasn’t going to, but Hayden and Mae insisted I did. I was doing it for them.

  I grabbed five of the little mini bottles of water and was just about to grab some of the offered c
ookies when Patrick approached. “Can we talk?”

  “Here? Right now?”

  “Yes.”

  I turned to check on Mae. She was actually smiling as Hayden was animatedly telling a story to her mother. I figured she would be okay for a few minutes. Patrick and I moved to a quiet corner of the room where I could keep my eye on Hayden and Mae. If I saw the first sign of distress, Patrick was going to have to wait.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  “I’m sorry for being such a dick these past few months.”

  That was unexpected. “I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you from the beginning.”

  “Yeah, that was kind of a fucked-up move.”

  “I know. I knew how you felt about your sister and I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. Just for the record, I never stepped out on her. I was always faithful to your sister. I’m a changed man, mostly because of her. I’m going to do right by her.”

  He nodded. “I can see that. You take really good care of them both. I appreciate it. They needed the stability and you have given it to them. I’ve never seen Mae so happy.”

  “We do love each other,” I told him. “I have always loved her. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t deny it. She’s always been my one.”

  “I get it. It’s fine. I wouldn’t want her with anyone else. She needs someone strong to lean on and someone that can push back when she needs it as well.”

  I smiled. “She is a very stubborn but capable woman.”

  “How is it going with the business?”

  “Good. I will admit I was anxious about signing it over, but it’s Mae. We both know how capable she is. The woman is smart, sassy, and she takes no prisoners when she wants to.”

  Patrick laughed. “You’ve got that right.”

  “How about you? Still spending a lot of time golfing?”

  “Little chilly now. I’m thinking about buying a house outside of town. I’m ready for a quiet life.”

  “No shit?”

  He shrugged. “I see how happy Mae is. I want that as well.”

  I noticed Mae looking at me. I offered her a smile, letting her know everything was okay. “We should get back over there. I would love to catch up. Maybe we can grab a beer sometime?”

  “I’d like that.”

  We walked back to join the ladies. I handed out the waters and listened to them chat and catch up. When the one hour of family time was over, I felt like there had been a lot of healing. We all walked away from that room feeling a lot better than when we walked in.

  “We’ll talk later,” Mae said to me after Hayden got in the car.

  “It’s all good,” I told her, knowing she was asking about the Patrick situation.

  “How are you feeling?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m afraid to be to hopeful. I’ve seen her get sober before. When she started using again, it was much worse than the first time. I’m worried about what happens when she leaves here. What if she starts up again?”

  “Let’s worry about that when or if it happens. For now, like they said in there. It’s one day at a time.”

  Epilogue

  Mae

  Two months later

  I looked around the bright kitchen and smiled. It was a cold winter day but that wasn’t stopping us from barbecuing out on the covered patio. There were several patio heaters set up to ward off the bulk of the chill, but we would be eating in the attached sunroom. Life was good. My mom was healthy and was going to be spending Christmas with us.

  Today’s barbecue was another celebration of her recovery. Five months sober was a big deal. I was trying to stay positive. She was different this time around. She was actually trying. She was getting intensive therapy, and instead of moving home alone, she moved into a house that would support her staying clean.

  It was made clear from the very beginning that neither I, nor Patrick would have her living with us. There was still way too much baggage for us to do that. It was too risky in my opinion. She needed to learn to stand on her own two feet without either of us propping her up.

  “How is school, dear?” my mom asked Hayden.

  “It’s all right,” she answered. “The classes are a little harder, and there are a lot more kids, but it’s okay.”

  “Do you have a boyfriend?”

  Hayden blushed. “Yes.”

  “The same boy?” my mother asked with surprise.

  I laughed. “Jared is long gone. We are onto Malachi now.”

  Hayden blushed. “Malachi is different.”

  “They always are,” I murmured.

  “He really is.”

  “He’s older,” I informed our mother. “He’s in the tenth grade.”

  “Oh, Hayden, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  Hayden rolled her eyes. “It’s fine. We don’t even see each other that much. He plays basketball and I’m always at cheerleading practice, it feels like.”

  My mom and I exchanged a look. We both knew it was for the best they didn’t get a lot of time alone. I encouraged her to stay busy with friends and other activities. I wasn’t ready for teenage-boy drama. The breakup with Jared had been enough for me.

  “Can you slice the tomatoes for the salad?” I asked Hayden.

  “Sure,” she said. She slid off the barstool where she was perched and chatting with my mom, who was making a bean dip for us to snack on.

  “This really is a beautiful kitchen,” my mother commented. “Do you do a lot of cooking in here?”

  Hayden and I both laughed. “We try. I hate to say this, but Tyson is the better cook in the house.”

  “What?” she said with a small laugh. “How did you get so lucky to get a handsome man that is rich, kind, and cooks?”

  I shrugged as I looked out the massive glass doors to where him and Patrick were laughing about something. “I guess I have Patrick to thank. Although I’m not sure he appreciates the fact he is the one that got us together.”

  “I think it’s fate.”

  “Maybe,” I agreed.

  “I wish I would have taught both you girls how to cook. I guess it’s another one of my mom fails.”

  It was true. She did fail us, but that was in the past. As part of her recovery, we were moving forward and not looking back. There was no point in dwelling on what we couldn’t change. I didn’t want the upbeat atmosphere to change.

  “How is your new roommate?” I asked her.

  “She is okay. She has eight months being sober. She was living on her own for a few months but didn’t think she could handle the temptation quite yet. She only plans on being at the clean-living facility for a month or so.”

  I nodded. “That’s probably a good idea. What about you? Are you feeling stronger?”

  She blew out a breath. “Some days, yes. Other days, not so much. I want to go home.”

  “Mom,” I started. “The doctors and your therapist told you that wasn’t a good idea. I think you really need to think about selling the house. Start fresh. Get a small apartment and ease back into life.”

  “But all of our things are there,” she protested.

  “No, all of our history is there. Hayden has what she wants and needs. Patrick cleared out the family albums and other treasures. I certainly don’t want anything. That house holds a lot of bad memories for you. You said it yourself. It’s time to make a clean break from the past.”

  “You’re right. I probably will but I’m not ready to do it yet.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. “When you are, we will all help you.”

  I heard raucous laughter and looked out the door to see the men laughing again. I was glad they were getting along so well. It warmed my heart to have my entire family back together. It wasn’t perfect, but we were getting there.

  “He is a good man,” I heard my mother say.

  I pulled my eyes away from Tyson. “What?”

  “Tyson is a good man. I am so glad you have someone like him. He’s good to Hayden as well. I like him. I r
espect him.”

  “Yes, he is a very good man,” I agreed.

  “He is a little bossy,” Hayden chimed in.

  I laughed along with her. “That, he is. We’re wearing him down though. He is outnumbered in this house.”

  Patrick came inside, the cool air clinging to him. “Tyson needs you outside.”

  “Right now?” I said with a grimace. “It’s so cold.”

  “It’s not cold. Stand next to one of the heaters.”

  I walked out and was surprised by the warmth the heaters did provide. “What’s up?”

  “I missed you,” he said with a grin.

  “Tyson Helms, you did not just get me out of that warm house to come out here for you to tell me you missed me. You could have walked inside!”

  “Can you hand me my special seasoning blend?” he asked and completely ignored my scolding.

  I frowned and turned around to the shelf above his outdoor kitchen barbecue. I knew exactly what seasoning it was. It was his secret sauce so to speak. It was so secret he refused to tell me what was in it. Instead of the black container he kept it in sitting in the usual spot, there was a small, black ring box.

  I turned back around to ask what was going on and found Tyson on one knee. “What are you doing?”

  “Can you grab the box? This will go much better if you have that in your hand.”

  I reached for the box and held it in my shaking hands. “Tyson?” I wasn’t shaking because it was cold. I was suddenly very nervous and excited.

  “Mae Kendell, you drive me absolutely crazy. Crazy in love, crazy in all things. I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my days with you. I figure this is one way for me to have proper ownership over my company. Community property and all that.”

  I burst into laughter. “What exactly are you doing right now? If you are proposing, you suck at it.”

  He chuckled. “That’s not nice.”

  “You are being silly. Come on. Get up.”

  He shook his head, his smile fading as he got very serious. “I’m asking you to marry me. I love you. I love you with all my heart and never want to be apart from you. I know I tease you a lot and I know we are rarely serious, but I am about this. I am so serious. Will you please marry me?”