All the Lies We Tell

by M. Skye

  Things were awkwardly quiet among them for the next few minutes, and Mia stood there until she felt she needed a break. “I’m sorry, you guys. I need some time to myself.” She backed away, and Tyree followed her.

  “You okay?”

  “No, Ty, I’m not okay. That boy was good and decent. Just this morning he was at our breakfast table worried about us. He had his whole life to live, and just like that, he’s gone. He was disposable to whoever did this. It was like his life didn’t even matter.”

  “He mattered. We all loved him.”

  “Did we, or did we get him killed? If he weren’t here, he would still be alive. I don’t know if you can live with that, but we promised that boy’s parents he would be okay. We promised to take him under our wing, to be there for him.”

  She trembled with each word. “Why do we even try? Our families are destined to be unhappy. We will never have peace.”

  “Kitten, you can’t—”

  “Can’t what? Blame myself? Well, it’s too late for that. I knew us getting comfortable was a bad idea. We will never be happy.”

  Mia walked off, and this time he didn’t follow her. She knew he was giving her time to cool off, and she found herself walking down the driveway. The night was a bit chilly and the wind a little brisk, but there was a full moon out. She felt like crying, but the tears were all cried out. She felt like she had been doing so much crying lately and was tired of it.

  Looking at her hand, she studied her wedding ring. She still had the one from the first time they got married, but Tyree added to it after the second ceremony. He tried to get her a whole new set, but she refused, telling him that the first one meant something to her. Glancing across the yard, she saw that Asha and Terence had arrived and were standing, talking to the others. She wanted to say something to them, but something told her she needed this time alone.

  With everything going through her mind, she needed to figure some things out. Suddenly, her problems with Jake seemed so small. If her father was back to his murderous ways, she had other things to worry about, like her son. He was just a kid, but it was already shown once before that he would be collateral damage if he got in the way.

  Walking farther, she found herself approaching Jude’s car. It was hard for her to believe he had just driven it a few hours earlier, or that he had just sat at her table. When she thought about what headspace he was in when he saw her earlier, the tears she couldn’t cry flowed freely. He was miserable the last time she saw him. He felt like his life was falling apart, and now it was over.

  Mia felt like she was on the verge of a real breakdown. She hadn’t felt this depressed and helpless in years. Her legs felt like they were about to give out, and when she started to feel them shake, she opened Jude’s car door and climbed in. She felt a smile creep on her lips when she smelled his cologne still present in the fabric of the seats. Making herself comfortable, she laid her head back on the seat, closing her eyes.

  She held her eyes closed for a few minutes and then stared up at the ceiling. She had no idea what she was going to do once she got out. She just knew she needed this. She was grateful Tyree was being understanding right now. They had been arguing so much in the past month, but as soon as he heard about Jude, he was right there. She knew it was probably killing him being away from her right now, and she figured it was time she headed back.

  She opened the door, but before she could get out of the car, something caught her eye. There was something in the car with her name on it. Reaching up to the sun visor, she pulled the small envelope down and was just about to open it when she heard someone approach the car. Out of habit, she stuffed the envelope into her purse, and then she looked up to see Whitney walking over. Mia had the driver-side door still open when Whitney opened the passenger door and sat down.

  “You know, I was so mad at him earlier, and you. Now, I just want him back,” said Whitney.

  Mia turned to stay in the car, but Whitney put her hand up, halting her. “Look, I’m sorry. I never meant to snap at you. You’re not even who I’m mad at, but do you think I can have a minute here?”

  Mia grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Anything you need.” She got out and headed toward the house. Whitney called out to her, and Mia responded, “Yeah, baby?”

  “Do you think I could bunk with you guys for the night? I love my parents, you know I do, but my mom is going to smother me. I don’t need that tonight. I just need some sleep.”

  Nodding, Mia smiled at her. “Sure. Pack a bag or a few bags and stay as long as you need.”

  “Thank you.”

  Walking back to the others, Mia turned back to see Whitney looking around in Jude’s car. She wanted to go back and ask if she needed help with anything but was distracted when she looked up and saw Tyree heading her way. With outstretched arms, he approached her.

  “Are you ready to get out of here? There’s nothing more we can do, and I really just want to get you in bed and hold you.”

  “We can do that.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a light kiss. “But let me check on Whit first.”

  “Tell her we will see her tomorrow.” He kissed the side of her mouth.

  “Actually, she’s going to be staying with us for a while.”

  She watched as Tyree’s expression changed drastically. “Are you sure about that? Why wouldn’t she want to stay with her parents? Cassie is going to be upset.”

  “Cassie goes overboard sometimes, babe, and she needs us. Maybe it will give me time to show her she is just as much a part of this family as anyone else.”

  “Babe, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  Mia didn’t know what to make of his attitude. It was completely out of left field. “I already told her it was okay. I didn’t think you would mind.”

  As if flipping a switch, he was wearing a smile. “It’s fine. Just check on her and let’s go. I’m so tired.” He kissed her again and walked away, and Mia stood with a baffled expression.

  “What the hell was that?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Mia.”

  She cringed upon hearing her name called out and was disappointed by who stood behind her. She knew she would see him eventually, but she never thought he would be crazy enough to come to their building.

  Scanning her office, he leaned against the wall, waiting for her to face him. “Your office is nice, Dimples. I’m glad you’re doing well.”

  She really had no energy to fight. It had been a few days since Jude’s service, and she was drained physically and emotionally. Whitney had been with them for a few days, and she was like a zombie. She hadn’t eaten much, and from what Mia gathered, she hadn’t slept either. What was strange was that Tyree hadn’t said much to Whitney the whole time she was there. Mia expected him to support Whitney as much as, if not more than, she was. He and Whitney had always been so close. Now he just stayed his distance, showering all his attention on Mia.

  Things had gotten better between her and Tyree, and she felt like maybe he had truly let go of the past and moved past it. He was so attentive, he was gentle, he was everything he promised to be and more, but she couldn’t expect it to stay that way with Jake popping up as he wished. She had to put an end to this.

  Turning slowly to face him, Mia found her courage and looked him over. He didn’t look as bad as he had the last time she saw him, but he still wasn’t the Jake she knew. He used to be so confident, so handsome. Now, bags rested under his bright eyes, and frown lines littered his handsome face. He looked stressed. Placing her hands on the desk in front of her, she let out a deep breath, ready to engage in this long-overdue conversation.

  “Jake, sit.” She motioned for him to take a seat, and he did without pause. “I’m sorry I hadn’t been in touch. We had a lot going on.”

  “Yeah,” he sighed. “I heard about your nephew. I wanted to tell you how sorry I was, but then again, you haven’t been answering my phone calls.”

  “It wasn’t
a good time. We had things to deal with as a family, and truth be told, I wasn’t sure how appropriate it would be for me to be talking to you.”

  Mia saw that the comment stung him, and he tried not to let it show on his face, but he couldn’t hide it. She could always read him like a book. “I’m not going to say I’m not upset to hear that, but I understand. You have a life here, and you have your husband. I hate that son of a bitch, and I think he doesn’t deserve you, but if he makes you happy . . . You deserve to be happy. Even if it’s not with me.”

  Mia watched the pain flash over his face and felt awful. “Why did you come here? Why torture yourself by being around us?”

  “You’re all I have. In this whole world, all I had were you and Vincent, and now you’re all I have. I had nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to. I know it sounds pathetic, but I needed a friend.”

  She wasn’t sure what to say. He looked like he was really going through something, and a part of her wanted to be the friend he was to her. “What happened to you? Why are you so upset?”

  He was fiddling with his hands and wouldn’t look her in the eye. She waited patiently for his answer when she saw his head sink lower. “I was wrong to come here. I can’t rely on you when you have your own life to lead. I have to figure this out on my own. I shouldn’t have come here.”

  She knew she should have let him go, but her nerves took over and she reached for his hand. He was shaking when she placed her hand on top of his, and she knew something was terribly wrong. “What is it? You can talk to me.”

  “Vincent, he met a woman a few months back. He swore she was the one, he swore he was in love, and I was happy for him. At least one of us deserved to get the woman of his dreams. Things were going well, and they seemed to be happy. I never met this woman, he kept her under wraps, but I could see the love when he spoke about her. She was everything to him.”

  “Where did he meet this woman?” Mia didn’t know why, but her chest tightened talking about this. For some reason, she already felt like she knew where this was going.

  “You know Vincent. He likes to travel, he likes to go all over the world. There is no telling where they met, but I know he would follow her anywhere.”

  “Okay. So, he’s happy. What’s wrong? Why do you look like you lost your best friend?”

  He stood and turned away from her. Mia was sitting quietly, waiting for his response when she saw him drop to his knees on her floor. She really didn’t know what to do, how to handle her ex breaking down before her. A part of her wanted to pick him up and hug him, because no one deserved to be in the pain she was witnessing. The other side of her knew it would be inappropriate. Tyree had seemed like he was better about the whole ordeal, but she didn’t want to push it. As much as she wanted to be a friend to Jake, she wanted to be with Tyree so much more.

  She watched from her position behind her desk until she couldn’t bear the sight any longer. He hadn’t moved from his place on the floor, and when she walked over and bent down, he reached up and grabbed her hand. Allowing him a moment to gather himself, she pulled him from the floor, helping him to the couch behind them. He was still crying when she stepped back behind her desk, attempting to create distance.

  “I’m sorry.” He sniffled. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I had nowhere else to go. I have nothing, Mia.”

  “Jake—”

  “I know I lost you. Truth be told, I knew I never had you, but I was hoping one day you could love me like you love him. With you, I had it all. I had a beautiful woman, and I had Kyan. I know he’s not mine, but I loved him.”

  “Kyan was crazy about you, but—”

  “He wasn’t mine.”

  “His dad is important to him.”

  “I would have never tried to replace him.”

  “I know.”

  “I tried to think of the time where I was the happiest, and all those moments include you.”

  “You can’t do this. Don’t make this harder for yourself. Just tell me what happened. Where is Vincent?”

  Shaking his head, Jake wouldn’t look her in the eye. She could tell he wasn’t himself, and she could tell he was under some kind of influence. She couldn’t stand to see him like this, so crossing the room, she headed toward the door. She wasn’t sure who she was going to get, because everyone in the building besides her hated him, but she needed someone. The scene was breaking her heart.

  As soon as she reached the door, she felt his hand on top of hers. “Don’t go. I know I’m scaring you, but don’t go. Nobody understands me like you do.”

  “You have to stop this. Let me get some help for you.” She turned and saw his eyes were bloodshot. She took a deep breath. “Are you high? You haven’t smoked since college, or at least that’s what you told me.”

  “I need you, Mia.” He pressed her up against the wall, and her breath caught in her chest. “I just need to be with you.”

  Putting her hands on his chest, she felt like the room was spinning. She felt dizzy, and when she looked back to the door, she saw Tyree standing with his fist balled. It was as if they were both frozen until Jake hissed, and then all hell broke loose. The punch Tyree threw was loud, and she felt a gust of air whoosh past her face as Jake slid down in front of her. The hit missed her face by only a few inches, and she saw Tyree’s eyes widen when he realized how close he came to hitting her.

  Stumbling, Jake lifted himself from the floor and rushed at Tyree. The rage in Tyree’s eyes frightened Mia, and all she could do was scream at the top of her lungs. Shortly afterward, Miguel came barreling down the hall and pulled them apart. Mia had gotten her bearings together just as Asha walked in, scanning the room. Before Asha could reach her, she walked over, drawing back to slap Jake in the face. Mia felt her body going into overdrive as she kept swinging. She felt the frustration boiling out into her hits, and after a few swings, it was Tyree who was restraining her.

  “Let me go!”

  Tyree had her arms, but she was still trying to get back to Jake. “Mia, baby, calm down.” He wrapped his arms around her, and she felt her body relaxing. She didn’t know why she snapped, maybe it was the weight of all the secrets, maybe it was the constant threat to her marriage, but she just lost it. She felt like she was outside her body just then, and when she blinked, she finally saw the situation for what it was: a complete mess.

  “Take me home,” she demanded, finally having had enough. Now she was ready. She had to get everything off her chest before it made her crazy.

  “Baby, are you okay?” Tyree looked worried. She’d been afraid he had seen them and thought she was encouraging it, but the look in his eyes only showed the concern he felt. Shaking her head, she let him pull her into his arms. “Come on, let’s go.” He kissed the side of her head while Miguel pulled Jake from the floor.

  On the way out, Jake became hysterical and was yelling as loud as he could, “Just kill me. I don’t have a reason to go on.”

  “Get him out of here,” Tyree growled. “Get him out before I give him what he’s asking for. I want security to know that he never makes it in this building again.”

  Jake wasn’t fighting Miguel, but he was screaming, and Mia turned to see the tears falling. She was confused. She couldn’t understand why he would be making such a scene. It wasn’t like him. “Just make it stop.”

  “The only thing that’s stopping is all this drama you got going. You’re lucky I’m not into kicking a man while he’s down.” Miguel tightened his hold on Jake and jerked him out the door.

  Mia walked over to the door, and she could still hear him yelling. “He’s dead, Mia. So I might as well let him kill me because I’m dead inside anyway.”

  Through all the madness, his actions finally made sense. Telling Miguel to stop, Mia ran down the hall and stood in front of Jake. Turning back to Tyree and seeing him nod that it was okay, she touched her hand to Jake’s cheek. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I know he meant a lot to you.”

  Jake began to
sob loudly. “He was all I had left. I’m all alone, and I just needed to see you.”

  She let her hand linger on his cheek and pulled back when she thought about her husband standing behind her. She turned and saw him with his hands in his pockets, trying to stay composed. Walking backward, she touched him, and he looked at her with more love than she had ever seen.

  “It’s okay, kitten. Do what you need to do. I’m not going anywhere.”

  At that moment, she felt like she didn’t deserve him. She didn’t deserve either of them. Things had gotten out of hand, and she knew what she needed to do. It was time to get her life back on track. Kissing Tyree on the cheek, she walked back toward Jake and grabbed his arm. Miguel looked hesitant to let go, but when she gave him an encouraging nod, he loosened his grip and walked to Tyree. Standing shoulder to shoulder with his brother, Miguel leaned close enough to have a quiet conversation, which Mia overheard.

  “You okay with this?”

  Tyree cleared his throat before responding, “Not really, but even I won’t shit on dude when he is obviously going through something. He had to be to come in here like that.”

  “You’re going to let her be alone with him again?”

  “No.” He took a step forward. “I’m going too. I guess I’m giving her a minute.”

  “You’re better than me. I’d still be beating that ass.”

  “Maybe I should be, but I don’t know, she surprised me. I thought I would be the one who had to be restrained, but Mia went crazy. I’m a little worried about her.”

  “She’s stressed.”

  “There’s more. I know that woman, and I’ve never seen her act like that.”

  Tyree and Mia took Jake to his hotel after that, and though she could feel his eyes on her, she tried not to look at him. She felt like if she did, she might break. She needed to hold it together at least until they made it home. She needed to keep her head straight at least until she figured out what to do next. She felt her world slowly unraveling, and if she wasn’t careful, she could lose it all and end up just like Jake. He was so broken. She didn’t want that for herself. She didn’t want that for Tyree.