Mark just looked at him for a second. “Are you done?”
“Her marrying you was certainly taking sleeping to the top, to new heights,” he said as he tried punching Mark in the ribs again. This time he winced and started rubbing his fist with his other hand before taking another swing. The third time he ended up mumbling, “Ow,” and doing a little pain dance.
That comment about Jenny was enough to set Mark off. Before he knew what had come over him, he had punched the creep in the nose. The guy went down hard. It looked like he might have hit his head on one of the tables behind him. He wasn’t sure. He just stood there for a few minutes waiting to see if the guy was going to get up. After a while, when it started to look like he wasn’t going to be moving any time soon, Mark turned around and sat back down on the bar stool.
When he looked up, Joe had an almost terrified look on his face. The guy walked over, and looked over the bar to the floor, “Did you kill him?”
“I doubt it. I couldn’t get that lucky.”
When Joe was certain the guy was still breathing, he waved over at the other bartender. “Go pick him up and see if you can bring him around.”
“Sure thing. Can I dump a pitcher of ice water over his head?”
“I don’t care how you do it. Just one question though.”
“What’s that?”
“You don’t sound like you care for the guy much, either. Why is that?”
“He’s a creep. He’s the one that broke my sister’s heart. He dated her for three months, until she slept with him, then dumped her. I found out she was dating him too late to put a stop to it.”
“Not a very nice guy, I guess.”
“No, he’s not,” Mark grumbled.
Joe turned back to the bar in front of him. “Well, that may be the case, but Jeff Campbell and another officer are coming to take you home. I want your keys. Now.”
“I’m not that drunk, Joe.”
“Mark, you’re more drunk than you realize. Give me your keys.”
“I’ll take care of it, Joe,” Mark heard coming from his right side. “Mark, let me have your keys. It’s time to go.”
Mark turned and looked the other man in the eyes. He was obviously off duty right now, and he didn’t have his uniform on. The guy with him, on the other hand, did. He was wondering how much trouble he would get in, if he punched an off-duty cop. Jeff wouldn’t be likely to press charges. He would be more likely to fight it out with him. But he wasn’t sure he really wanted to do that. Jeff really was a good guy, and he would probably only hurt him as much as he absolutely had to. It was just that, he was pretty sure, despite the size difference, Jeff could take him in a fair fight. Possibly even in an unfair one.
“I can see what you’re thinking, Mark. Don’t.”
“Take it easy on him, Jeff,” Joe said. “Jenny left him. He’s not himself right now.”
“What? Jenny left him? That’s crazy,” he said looking back at Mark with a confused look. “Why?”
Mark shrugged, feeling the pain building in his chest and having to fight back the tears. He needed more alcohol. “She said she had never wanted to be married to start with. That’s all she told me.”
“Okay, I’m sure she’ll work it out. There’s no question she loves you. But this isn’t what you need to be doing right now. Let me have your keys, and we’ll take you home.”
Mark sat there for a few minutes longer, back to thinking about punching Jeff right in the kisser. It’s not like he really understood. The guy was nuts about Hannah and wouldn’t ask her out. It’s not like he ever took a chance. When Mark took a step forward, he must have telegraphed his intentions, because Jeff side stepped him and had slammed him up against the bar with his hands behind his back before he knew what was happening. But when the uniformed officer went to get his handcuffs out, Jeff stopped him. “No, I’m not going to do that. I can handle him. We’re just going to take him home.”
Chapter 22
Sunday, October 6
Jenny had spent the last couple of nights at her parents, not sure what she was going to do after breaking things off with Mark Friday night. She wasn’t even sure she would be able to keep doing her job at the hardware store. She knew he probably wouldn’t ask her to resign, but she wasn’t sure she would be able to keep working with him. If she had to continue working as closely with him as she had been before, she knew she would never be able to get over him. It would just keep the memories she had of their too short marriage fresh.
When she got up this morning, she hadn’t been feeling well, and had stayed home from church. Her nerves were shot, and she figured that was all it had been. Her mother, however, had obviously known different. Before walking out of the house with the rest of her family, she had handed her a pregnancy test she had apparently went to the store to get while Jenny was still in the bathroom with her head hung over the toilet. She should have realized immediately her mom was right. She just had an eerie way of knowing things, besides the fact that she had been through morning sickness a few times herself. She knew what it looked like.
That’s why she was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, staring at the pregnancy test in her hand when she heard a loud banging on the front door. “Great. Who could that be?”
She was the only one there. Everyone else had gone to church, and it wasn’t quite time for them to be back yet. She was going to have to go answer the door herself. She made her way out of the bathroom, and down the hall. Whoever it was banged on the door again, making it sound like they were trying to break the door down. “Hang on. I’m coming,” she snapped, starting to lose her patience.
She opened the door and stood there for a second with her mouth hanging open. She wasn’t sure if she was more shocked at who was standing on the other side of the door, or the condition he was in. Someone had busted Mike’s face all to pieces, but she really didn’t care enough to ask. When she recovered, she snapped, “What do you want? Why would you even come here?”
“I just wanted to see if you were okay. Your parents had requested the church pray for you and Mark,” he added with a smirk, sounding way too happy for her ears. “Did you really leave him? The first time I heard that, I figured it was just wishful thinking on my part.”
“No, I did not leave him,” she snarled, realizing instantly that was the truth. She also realized she might have to do quite a lot of begging to get Mark to take her back.
She took a step forward, trying to push him backwards, off the porch. When he didn’t seem like he was going to budge even an inch, she stepped back in the house to put space between them. “I just got a little over emotional. And you need to leave.”
“Oh, come on.” When Jenny went to shut the door in his face, Mike slammed his hand against it. “We can pick up where we left off. I know he tricked you into marrying him, and I’m willing to let it go.”
“You need to leave,” she hissed, slamming her hand into his chest, managing to make him take a step backwards.
“Sugar, don’t be that way,” he grinned, just laughing it off despite how red in the face he got. “I know you want me. Your just being difficult out of some misguided sense of loyalty.”
Jenny heard what sounded like a motorcycle coming down the road. She was hoping it was her brother. In this area, it just about had to be. Zane would be able to get rid of her unwanted guest for her. She would just need to keep him on the front porch until he got here. “Mike, I don’t want anything to do with you. I’m sorry you don’t seem to understand that.”
Just then Zane pulled up on his motorcycle and came to a stop right next to the porch. He pulled his helmet off and looked up at her. She could see the fear in her eyes had registered with him. Because all of the sudden he looked really furious. “What are you doing here, Mike?”
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” he huffed, glaring over his shoulder.
Zane chuckled, shaking his head. “Let’s see. That’s my sister. This is my parents’ house.
She’s married to one of my best friends. And I’m just really bad to stick my nose in where others think it doesn’t belong.” He pasted a thoughtful look across his handsome face, as if truly giving the matter serious thought. “Yeah, it’s my business.”
“She left Mark,” he said, reminding Jenny of a sulking five-year-old. The only thing missing was his pouting lip.
“I’ve not heard her say that. Until I do, I won’t believe it.” By this time Zane had gotten off the bike and walked up the porch steps and stood looking down at him. “You need to leave.”
“What if Jenny doesn’t want me to?”
He turned to Jenny, only going through the motions. “Jenny, would you like for Mike to leave, or do you need to talk to him more?”
“No,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “I haven’t left Mark. And he needs to leave. I have nothing else to say to him.”
Her brother stepped over in front of her, turning to face Mike. “You heard her. If you don’t leave, your face is going to look worse than it already does,” he growled, leaning close. “Who did you get in a fight with, anyway? Anyone I know?” With a little chuckle, he added, “I’d like to go thank them.”
Mike took a step back, looking like he was going to be sick. “None of your business. You’re as bad as he is.”
“Well, the way I see it, it’s my place to step in while he’s absent. Whatever the reason for his absence.”
Mike finally just shook his head and walked back to his car. Zane waited till he left to turn back to his sister. “So, what’s up with the pregnancy test, Sis?”
Jenny looked down. She had forgotten she was even holding it. “Oh God. You can’t say anything. To anyone. I have to be able to tell Mark first.”
He nodded his head with a serious look. “I take that to mean it’s positive.”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t sound very happy. I know how much you love kids. What’s wrong?”
“I want the baby. It’s just, I’m an idiot. I love him more than I can ever hope to explain, and I left him for some really stupid reasons. What am I supposed to do?”
“Try going back and asking for forgiveness,” Zane said, wrapping his arms around his sister. “He loves you. He’ll forgive you.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am. You just might have to grovel a little bit. But knowing Mark, not much.”
Chapter 23
Monday, October 7
That Monday, leaving her parents’ house for the hardware store, she was hoping to get a chance to see how he was holding up once she got to work. She was planning on telling him she was sorry for leaving and praying he would forgive her for her moment of panic. She was feeling really panicky. Luke had told her he went by that weekend to check on him and had been unable to raise him. Jeff had told him he had taken him home Friday night from the bar. No one, except Jeff, had seen or talked to him since he had walked out of her mom and dad’s kitchen Friday when she had told him it was over. She had tried calling him yesterday, but he hadn’t answered. All twenty-five times. She didn’t know whether he hadn’t heard her, or if he was just ignoring her. Under normal circumstances, she would say he would never ignore someone trying to get a hold of him, but with the way things were when she last saw him, she wasn’t sure that would hold true for her, right now.
She was so anxious to see him, she got to work that morning forty-five minutes earlier than her usual time, only to discover he hadn’t made it in. Before they got married, he was always there an hour before her. Even after they got back from Vegas, he continued to come in an hour ahead of her most of the time. There had been times when he had waited and came in with her, but most of the time he wanted to go in and go over paperwork while the store was still pretty quiet.
The store’s three other office girls always took turns coming in early enough to be there with him, in case he needed anything before she and the others got there. When she asked Lucy, she just shook her head and said he hadn’t called in to let her know he wouldn’t be there that day. He really wasn’t acting like himself and it was making her more nervous by the second.
By noon she was freaked out enough, she knew she wasn’t coming back from lunch. She let Jane, the senior employee of the three, know she was planning on going over to check on him. She hadn’t given her key back yet, so she would be able to let herself in.
When she got to his house, she found his dad’s truck sitting in the driveway, and the poor guy was pounding on the door like a deranged fool. He was so intent on trying to raise his son, he didn’t even realize when she walked up behind him.
“Joe.” She had spoken so softly it was a miracle he had heard her. It might have been the absolute strangling terror in her voice that he heard. Because when he looked at her, his expression went from terrified to concern in an instant. “Oh, Honey. I’m sure he’s fine.” Then after a second of thought, “I thought you left him.”
“Yeah, I thought I did, too,” she mumbled, dropping her head. “Here, I still have my key.”
“Oh, thank God,” His reaction was as much for the first half of her statement as the second. He was sure at this point Mark would never be able to get over her. He stepped back and let her unlock the door. When she opened the door, they both curled their noses up in disgust.
“It smells like a brewery in here.” She stepped into the living room and gasped. There were empty beer bottles and even some whiskey bottles, all over the place. She looked over at Joe, and asked, “Do you think you can start getting rid of the evidence? I’m going to go look for him. And could you open some windows, as well. We need to air this place out. I feel like I’m about to be sick.” When she mumbled, “That could be more morning sickness, than the smell though,” she didn’t realize he had heard her, and she didn’t see the look on his face.
“Yeah, I can do that. It’s you he needs to see right now. Not me,” he said, trying to hide his grin.
By the time he had finished answering her she had already made it to the bedroom door. She hesitated just a moment afraid of what she might find when she got in there. She tapped on the door, and when she didn’t get a response she knocked harder. Her fear causing her to bang a lot harder than she meant to. When she heard him groan unintelligibly, she flung the door open making sure to slam it against the wall as hard as she could, not worrying about the possible hole she could create in the sheetrock. Mark owned a hardware and building supply store. He could fix it.
She saw him sit straight up in bed and almost fall out of it when he went to grab his head. “Hey, come on. My head hurts.” When he realized who was standing in his bedroom door, he actually looked embarrassed for about two seconds. Until he decided he had to still be drunk and having hallucinations. “Well, since I’m dreaming, do I get what I want?”
He was thinking out loud, and when he flung the covers back to get out of bed, she gasped and ran across the room, and pushed him back down. “Don’t move. What did you do?” His ribs were covered in bruises.
“Wow. I don’t know,” Mark said, looking down at himself.
“You’re going to have to have them checked out.”
Just then Joe walked in, causing Mark to turn his way and give his dad a befuddled look. “Strange. I know why she’s in my dream, but, no offense, why are you here?”
She sighed, rubbing her temples. “Mark, you’re not dreaming. I’m really here, and so is your dad.”
Just then his dad noticed the bruises on his ribs. “We have to get him to the ER.”
Jenny shook her head. “I don’t think he’s in any immediate danger. Let’s see if we can get him in to see Dr. Roberts. He probably won’t have to sit and wait as long.”
“I’ll call.” With that, the older man left the room in a hurry.
She stood there giving Mark a dirty look. She had to resist the temptation to tap her foot. “What were you doing?”
He gave her a belligerent look, grunting out, “Getting drunk.” After another second, his ex
pression turned to one of confusion. “Wait. He’s calling the doctor’s office? Isn’t it Saturday?”
She crossed her arms in front of her, tipping her head back and took a long deep breath to try and cool her temper. “You think it’s Saturday? Were you really drunk for almost three days?”
“What do you mean?” he asked rubbing his head. “Man, my head hurts.”
“It’s Monday,” she nearly growled, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Oh crap,” he exclaimed, jumping up, then plopping right back down when he lost his balance. “What time is it?”
She gave him a disapproving look, doing her best to remember this was partly her fault. But only partly. No matter what she had done, he was still an adult and presumably in control of his own actions. “Almost one,” she pushed out between her clinched teeth. “You’re already late.”
“Well, that explains why you’re here. Did you not tell them you had left me?” he snarled, trying to cover up his embarrassment. He sounded like he wanted to start an argument. She wasn’t going to take the bait. No matter how aggravated she was at him for trying to drink himself into a coma, she was still upset and just wanted to take care of him.
“Come on. Let’s start with a shower. That should make you feel better.” When he stood up, his head started swimming, and he almost collapsed on her. “Come on, Mark, work at it.” She managed to get him through the bathroom door and helped him sit down on the edge of the tub. She went to turn the water on in the shower, and when she came back out of the walk-in shower, Joe was standing in the bathroom door.
“Jenny, do you need any help?” he asked, rubbing his hands in obvious agitation.
“No, this is my job. I got it.”
Mark didn’t seem to appreciate her statement and he told her as much. “I’m not a job you can do,” he snarled at her.
Still not willing to take the bait, she explained what she had meant. “Where I come from, it’s a wife’s responsibility to take care of her husband,” she said unable to look him in the face. “Even when he’s been being a complete idiot. Come on. Try to stand up again.” He stood up, still a little wobbly on his feet. “I think you may still be a little drunk.”
Married in Vegas (The Townsends Book 3) Page 21
