Turning I walk up the drive back to Kristen’s house. She answers before my knuckles land on the wooden frame.
“Hey, girl. Come on in. I picked up a pizza on the way home so I hope you’re hungry. Wine?”
“Yes, please.” A small smile quirks her lips.
“I thought we might need a little liquid courage tonight.” She pours the dark red liquid into the glass before handing it to me. “Do you want to eat first or talk?” she asks before taking a sip.
“I don’t think I can eat right now.”
“Talking it is. Have a seat and get comfortable.” She wanders over to the brown microfiber sofa, sitting down with her long legs curled underneath her. I sit in the chair across from her. “What has Brett told you?”
“Not a lot. Just that you were engaged. He assumed that I knew already. Obviously, it didn’t work out since you’re married to Derek.”
“Let’s start at the beginning. I met Brett seven, nearly eight years ago at the bar his uncle owns. Mallory, Camryn and I went out that night to celebrate finishing up our finals. Brett and the guys hadn’t hit it big yet, and they played that night. So here I am making my way across the dance floor to grab a table when some drunk guy manhandles me. Out of nowhere, there’s this tall, dark, tattooed guy pulling him off me. Talk about lust at first sight,” she fans herself while giving me a wink. “Anyway, we met up that night after they were through playing their set and things moved on from there. Brian, the guy’s manager, discovered them one night, and it started them on the road to becoming what they are now.”
“Was it hard?”
“What?”
“Him leaving to go on tour and stuff.”
“It made things challenging to say the least. He wanted me to travel with them, but I still needed to finish up my master’s degree to get my nurse practitioner license. And I wasn’t giving up my dream to chase his.”
“So what happened?”
“How do I say this without making him sound like a complete dick?”
“Did he cheat?” My worst fear. Her silence speaks volumes as she stares down into her wineglass.
“Before I answer that question I need to say a little more. The groupies were always my greatest concern on the road. These women are nuts and will do anything for a claim to fame. I can’t tell you how many times someone told their fake story to a gossip magazine. It put a strain on our relationship. It boiled down to whether I trusted him. He gave me the ultimatum to either trust him that he wouldn’t cheat on me or we needed to end it. I didn’t want to lose him and stopped bugging him about it. It finally got to where I could laugh at the ridiculousness of the stuff these girls were saying and posting.”
“That’s not answering the question, Kris.”
“I’m getting there. We’d been together about five years. We’d bought a house and were living together, all that good stuff. Brian and I decided to surprised Brett before the band left for their first European tour. The last place they were playing was in Minneapolis and they only had two days before they flew out and weren’t getting to come home. I flew up there and missed the concert so I waited in the hotel room. Imagine my surprise when he walked in the door with not one but two women.” She downs what’s left in her glass and pours another.
“Holy shit.” I breathe out.
“Let’s just say I saw way more than I wanted. I got the hell out and headed back home.”
“Wait, what happened? He let you walk out? No explanation or defending himself?”
“That’s the thing. He was completely out of it. The guys drink but they don’t get trashed, and they never used drugs. But that night I swear he was on something. He looked straight at me and it was as if he looked straight through me.”
“If he’s a cheater, I want nothing to do with him.” Promise me, Skylar.
“I’m not defending him or anything, but that night wasn’t right. I don’t know how to explain it. It wasn’t Brett. Not the Brett I know.”
“But y’all broke up because of it right?”
“Yeah, I broke it off.”
“If it wasn’t him like you said, why didn’t you give him another chance?” I ask, confused.
“Every time I closed my eyes all I could see was him and those two women. It was burned into my brain. And knowing me, I could forgive but I’d never forget. It would have made us both miserable. That decision was probably the hardest thing I have ever made. The point I’m trying to make is Brett isn’t a serial cheater and I don’t want you to see him that way. He’s a good guy. And the way he is with Colby? He’s going to be a great dad.”
11
Brett
“Did you purposely leave her name out when you were telling me about Skylar?” Derek asks as he sips on his longneck. We never made it to the gym opting to head to the local bar. The game playing on the television drone in the background.
“Not intentionally. Before last week, I didn’t even know she was on your radar. It shocked the hell out of me when Kris led me and Colby into her room.”
“You know they're friends, right?” I shoot him a look that says duh. “I know that it’s a touchy subject. Kris plans on bringing her into the three-musketeer group. She fits in well with all the girls.”
“Good, it'll make it easier for her to feel comfortable.” I nod taking a drink of my beer.
“Are you serious right now?” He slams the bottle onto the scarred wooden bar top. “Did you see the same girl I did standing in the driveway? She was as nervous as a long tail cat in a roomful of rocking chairs.”
“She said she told Kristen about us going out. She’s worried that Kris won't be okay with it and it'll hurt their friendship.” I peel part of the silver label off before rolling it into a little ball.
“At least it's all out in the open and no one is being left in the dark.”
“Because that hurts.” I push back the pain of finding out after everyone else that Derek and Kristen were together after she and I broke up. It nearly destroyed mine and Derek’s friendship.
“Damn man, I didn't mean…” He apologizes, but I knew it wasn't meant to bring up the past or reopen any wounds.
“I know you didn't. It's all water under the bridge,” I reassure him. “How's the house hunting going?”
“I think we will end up buying land and building a house. There are about fifty acres for sale on the same road that Isaac and Camryn live on. Kris is kinda excited to live that close to Camryn. Her dream is that we'd all live out there in our own little commune.” He laughs at the thought, but it doesn't seem like a bad idea.
“How many acres did you say it was?”
“A little over fifty I believe.”
“That would be plenty for all of us to build a place and we wouldn’t be on top of each other.”
“You serious?” he asks, bottle poised at his lips.
“Why not? We are family. I'd love for our kids to grow up together.”
“If we didn’t kill each other living in the same house in high school, I guess we can live next door to each other.” He chuckles. “We going to run this by Jason and Mallory too?”
“They’re family too. And Jason has mentioned that Mallory wants to move out of their apartment.”
After stuffing ourselves full of atomic hot wings, we drive back to Derek's place. Disappointment hits when Skylar's car is no longer parked in the driveway.
“Do you want to ask Kristen about it?” Derek asks.
“No, I’m sure she told her the truth. That's all I can ask. Kris isn’t the type to embellish the truth. Skylar promised that she'd talk to me first before deciding anything.”
“You want to come in for a little while?”
“No, I think I will grab Colby and head home.”
“If Mom will give him up,” he chuckles.
“Very true. She needs other grandkids to spoil.”
“Good grief, not you too. Mom’s already given me hell.” Laughter escapes me at his disgruntled tone. “Fuck you,
man. At least you’ve bought me some time. She started in about a month after the wedding but with touring I wanted to wait. I don’t want to miss my kid growing up.”
“Maybe it’s time to cut back then. I have Colby to think about. Isaac has Delaney, and he’s been dreading going back on tour.”
“But if we want to keep relevant we have to be out there promoting. I’m not ready to give up the music.”
“There has to be a way we can have both.”
“I don’t know. We can hit Brian up and see if he has any ideas. Speaking of which, we’re scheduled to be back in the studio next week. Are you going to have Mom watch Colby?”
“Damn, I haven’t even thought about that. We’ve just gotten into a routine. Those long hours will fuck that all up.”
“What about getting a nanny?”
“Some stranger helping to raise my kid? I don’t know.” The thought of all the psychos in the world makes me sick. All the background checks in the world aren’t one hundred percent foolproof.
“What about Nelda? Would she be willing?” Nelda, my housekeeper, has been with me for years but she’s not a live-in. She comes in twice a week to keep me in line otherwise my house would probably be a pigsty. Adding a toddler to the mix has just upped the ante.
“It’s a thought. I may run it past her and see what she thinks. We’d have to set hours though. Her husband and kids wouldn’t appreciate her being out all hours of the night.”
“We’ll have a meeting next week and see what we can work out. The girls wouldn’t mind knowing what hours we’ll be there.”
“Happy wife, happy life, right?”
“You’ll understand that all too well one day,” he murmurs turning off the engine and getting out.
Inside, I see Vi walking down the hallway looking exhausted.
“What did you feed that boy before you brought him over? Spoonfuls of sugar? He went nonstop the whole time until he wore out.”
I smirk at her. “No, just a cup of Jack Daniels,” I laugh as she glares at me exasperated. “Was he too much trouble?”
“Heavens no. I’m just not as young as I used to be.” She walks down the hall toward the living room, her feet silent on the hardwood floor. As we round the corner, Kristen is in the recliner with my son snuggled against her chest, his eyelashes a dark crescent on his chubby cheeks. Beside me, Derek's breath hitches as he watches his wife patting him lovingly on the back.
“Now you’re getting ideas,” I whisper not wanting to intrude on the moment.
“Been having them,” he replies. “Not sure if it’s the right time.”
“If that's what you’re waiting for, it'll never happen. There's never a right time to have a kid.”
“Oh, hey guys, I didn’t hear you come in,” Kristen says over the top of Colby’s head.
“You looked comfortable, and we didn’t want to disturb you two,” Derek replies as he walks over and gives her a kiss. He smiles down at my son and rubs his hand over his downy soft hair. I have a feeling it won’t be much longer before we’ll be adding another kiddo to the mix. “I love you, Kristen.”
“I love you too, you big lug. Okay, I think my arms are falling asleep. Can someone take him?” I move closer to relieve her of her burden but realize there isn’t a delicate way to do it without touching her boobs.
“Derek, would you mind grabbing him for me?” The look of horror that crosses his face makes Kristen laugh.
“Babe, if Brett gets him he’ll more than likely get a handful.” Understanding dawns and his face hardens at the thought. With a deep breath, he runs his hands in between their bodies, his hands splayed underneath Colby. I hold my laughter in as Derek sticks his tongue out in concentration as he lifts him up. Colby makes a little grunt before settling against Derek’s chest. The look of wonderment as he stares at my son, his nephew, makes my heart feel light. Family. That’s what matters. None of this other bullshit in life.
“Brett,” Kristen interrupts my thought. “Skylar came by to talk today.” She glances up at me, her blue eyes full of worry.
“I know, Kris. She told me she would have to make sure you were okay with everything.”
“She wanted to know…”
“Why we broke up?” She bites her lip, nodding at me. “And you told her everything?” Tears well in her eyes.
“I couldn’t lie to her.”
“Kris, I wouldn’t have expected anything less from you.”
“I’m sorry if I made it worse.”
“I made her promise to talk with me before she decided anything. Hopefully, she’ll keep her word. If not,” I shrug, “it's not meant to be.” The words leave my lips and a pain pierces my chest.
“If it’s worth anything, I’m fine with you two. She’s a wonderful person and you deserve to have someone who will make you happy.” I lean down and give her a kiss on the cheek earning a grunt from Derek.
“That means more than you’ll ever know,” I whisper. “Now hand over my son so we can go home.”
Derek leads us out the front door, still carrying Colby and places him in the car seat. Colby blinks open his sleepy eyes before looking around in confusion.
“Hey, little man. Ready to go?” I ask as he breaks into a grin when he sees me. That right there makes everything right in my world. Once secures in his seat, we head home.
Later that night, I can’t stand it anymore. Giving her space is killing me. My thumb hovers over the talk button.
“Man up, Brett.” I press it down and stare at the word dialing. Ring after ring, my heart palpates in my chest. Fuck is she not going to…
“Hey,” she murmurs, and I jerk upright off the bed.
“Hey,” I repeat. “How are you?”
“I’m not sure.”
“At least you’re being honest.”
“Brett, I…”
“Look I know that she told you everything,” I rush out. “But there’s a whole other side to the story.”
“Either you cheated, or you didn’t, Brett. I’m not sure how you can justify it.”
“That night, I don’t remember shit about it. Everything I know is secondhand.”
“How can you not remember?” she scoffs.
“They drugged me.”
“What?!” she blurts.
“I know it sounds like I’m lying but I’m not. I can prove it.”
“Brett,” she hedges.
“Please, Skylar,” I beg willing to go down on my knees.
“Okay, I’ll let you prove it. I’m not sure how you'll do that.”
“Can I come over tomorrow night?”
“I guess,” she responds her voice laced with uncertainty. “I need to get ready for bed.”
“Sweet dreams, sweets.” The phone makes a noise as she disconnects, and I jump up and pull Amanda’s diary from the closet.
“Maybe you’ll be my salvation, Amanda Lexington.” I open the book and mark the pages I want Skylar to read. The ones that hold my absolution.
12
Skylar
Bleary-eyed I stare in the direction of the ceiling. The only illumination in the room comes from the old digital clock sitting on my bedside table. The whirring of the fan breaks the silence. Sleep has been a long time coming. Well, it never came. My alarm will to go off in another twenty minutes. My mind wouldn’t turn off last night with all the emotions swirling around after Kristen’s confession and Brett’s emboldened plea. Coffee. I need coffee stat. My head pounds from all the crying I did last night, my nose is raw, and my eyes feel like I’ve been rubbing them with sandpaper. Shuffling to the kitchen, I drag out the coffee from the cabinet and make a pot robotically. Wonder if I could get by with a shot of whiskey in the cup? Nah, the bosses would frown on that. Get your ass in gear, Skylar.
My morning run does nothing to clear my head as my feet pound on the pavement, Disturbed booming through my earbuds.
Why couldn’t it be anything but cheating?
Once a cheater, always a cheater.
>
He’ll be out on the road and I’ll be staying up late at night wondering who he’s with.
The word cheater repeats in my head with each footfall, keeping in rhythm, driving me bat shit crazy. My chest burns with the exertion. Enough is enough. I drop to my knees screaming out my frustration, which scares the hell out of the old lady up the road watering her plants.
“Are you okay, dear?” her voices waivers.
“Yes, ma'am. I’m sorry I startled you,” I pant out.
“Man trouble?”
“How did you know?”
“I've been around the block a time or two,” she states. “Only a man can make you lose control like that.”
“I feel like an idiot,” I confess.
“Come now, let me get you something cool to drink. And you can tell me what's going on. Sometimes all you need is advice from a wise old woman.” With shuffled steps, she leads me to the porch and has me sit in one of the rocking chairs while she goes inside. The tap of her cane on the floor fades the further away she moves. The chirping of the birds and the crunch of the chair on the wooden porch as I rock back and forth are the only sounds. It’s too early in the morning for most of the neighborhood.
The screen door creaks open and I hurry over to help hold it open. She’s switched out the cane for a rolling walker with a seat she uses as a table for the tray of tea and glasses she has precariously perched on the padded seat.
“Thank you, dear. It’s too damn hot for coffee so I brought sweet tea instead. Hurry now, the reason I’m out this morning is about to appear.” As fast as she can, she pours us two glasses and sits down.
“This is good,” I compliment as I sip the overly sweet liquid. Lord, I thought my mom’s tea was sweet, but it has nothing on this lady’s.
“I’m Skylar. I live in the duplex down on the left.” Reaching my hand out, she grasps mine in a strong grip.
“Lillie. Lillie Chambliss. Hush now. I think I see him.” She squints her eyes down the road. A tiny figure appears, growing larger as he nears us.
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