Happily Ever Never

by Jennifer Foor

  She spun around, seemingly surprised. “You didn’t tell me you were doing the room. I would have helped.”

  “It’s okay. I kind of decided abruptly. I’m running out of time. This little guy will be here soon. I want everything to be perfect.”

  I took her upstairs to show her the room, praying Vince was hidden away.

  She walked in the nursery and seemed impressed with my color choice. She checked out the window and then the closet. “We need to get you some organizers. Tony Jr. put them in his kid’s closets and they’re very nice.”

  “I’m having something installed this week.”

  “Oh okay. You should have just asked one of the boys. They would have been happy to help out. I’m sure whoever you got is charging you a ton.”

  “Vicki, it’s for the baby. I’m not concerned with how much it costs.” I could tell she wasn’t pleased with my answer. The frugal woman was always trying to stretch a dollar. If she only knew the work was being done for free, maybe she’d have a different opinion.

  “I just want to make sure you’re taken care of, sweetie. You don’t have to do this on your own. We’re all here for you.”

  I hugged Vicki. “Thank you, Mom. I appreciate that.” It still felt really good to call her that. I’d forever consider her my mother-in-law. She was a wonderful woman with a heart of gold. I thought nothing could misconstrue the way she felt about me too, but as a loud sneeze came from the direction of my bedroom I watched her push me out of her arms and curiously begin to follow where it derived from. She threw open my bedroom door to find Vince sitting on my bed. He looked up and came face to face with the woman he’d considered family for a long while.

  Of course, Vicki got the wrong impression. Her eyes widened as she turned to see what I had to say for myself. “What the hell is going on?”

  “It’s not what you think,” I tried to assure her.

  She was obviously not seeing how much he’d changed. All the woman was noticing was there was another man in her son’s bed, his best friend, the player. “Vicki, I can explain,” he said as he stood and approached her.

  “One of you better start explaining right this minute.”

  “She’s just helping me out.”

  “How long have you been back in town, Vince? Why haven’t you called? Are you involved? What did I walk in on?” She covered her mouth and started to cry. “Is that even my son’s baby in your stomach?”

  Her question made me feel sick. How could she think that about me? She’d seen firsthand how Major’s death had destroyed me. “What? No! We’re not together.”

  “Why is he in your bed?”

  I opened my mouth to explain how sick he’d been, but Vince cut me off. “Just tell her the truth about us, Bails. Tell her we’re together now.” I wanted to argue, but his eyes were pleading with me to keep his secret. I was extremely torn. I didn’t want this woman to hate me, even if it were temporary, but I also knew how important it was for Vince to tell her about his health when he was ready. “Vicki, I came back a few days ago. The baby belongs to Major, as does Bailey’s heart.”

  She waved her hand around and turned to leave the room. “I can’t be here right now.”

  I followed her downstairs, contemplating on telling her the truth against Vince’s wishes. “Mom, please don’t leave like this. It’s not …”

  “Bailey, I can’t do this right now. I need to leave before I say something to you I’ll probably regret. I need time to be able to come to grips with this. I’ll be in touch.”

  She slammed the door when she left, leaving me to sulk down onto the couch in tears. When Vince came downstairs I wanted to give him the third degree, scream profanities and tell him where to go, but his face was worse than an apology. He kneeled in front of me and took my hands. “I’m so sorry, Bails. She saw what she wanted.”

  Vince was right. He’d lost a good thirty pounds. His head was a close buzz, opposed to his usual thick dark hair. He was very different, but all she’d seen was him in my room. Vicki assumed the worst without giving us the benefit of the doubt. It was best if I let her calm down before going to her to smooth things over.

  “I know.”

  “If you want me to go after her and tell her the truth I will.”

  “No,” I shook my head. “I promised you I’d keep it a secret until you were ready. If I have to miss a couple Sunday dinners it’s fine. I’m sure you can keep me company.”

  I tried to make light of the situation, even though my heart was being pulled in two different directions. Major would have been loyal to Vince, so it’s what I had to do as well. I’d given him my word, and in my heart he and I both knew there was nothing going on between us. Vince and I were becoming closer. He’d changed completely, and it was like getting to know a stranger for the first time. When I felt lonely or especially missing Major, Vince was there to tell me a funny story between the two of them. He’s seemed to be there for me every single time I felt like I was falling apart. I hoped that he felt the same way about me too. Since he’d been back in my life I had a reason to keep pushing forward. He helped me keep the memory of Major alive, and I felt comfortable knowing we could share that part of ourselves with each other. We hadn’t been romantic like Vicki assumed. Our relationship was undefined. At the end of the day I knew in my heart that Major would approve of the relationship, and whatever it was turning into.

  Chapter 20

  It was a Friday morning.

  I’d gotten off work to be able to take Vince to his next appointment. We hadn’t heard anything from Vicki in six days and I was beginning to wonder if she’d told the whole family I was involved in a heated affair with Vince. If she only knew how sick he’d been, maybe she could grasp what it was like for me to reach out and be there for him. I never meant to be his rock, but it was apparent, I’d become just that.

  “What do you think the doctor is going to say?” I asked to break up the silence in the car.

  “He’s going to say I have hours left to live and I need to go out and hook up with as many hotties as possible.”

  “I’d laugh, but it wasn’t that funny. Seriously, Vince. Do you feel any better?”

  He looked out the window as he answered. “To be honest, I do feel better, but it’s not because my health. I think being out of that hospital and staying with you has made a world of difference. I mean, I know I was reluctant at first, but I get the idea you like having me around. Just think, for months you’ve been needing help to reach things and get around. Now you just call me and I’m there.”

  “You make it sound like I have you around to wait on me. You know it’s not like that.”

  “I know. I’m only teasing you. Seriously though, it’s great being able to wake up without nurses barging in at every hour. Sponge baths are overrated. No matter how many times I got one, I never seemed to get a nurse under the age of fifty, and I’m not even going to tell you how much they weighed. Let’s just say they could pick me up with no problem.”

  I almost choked on my own saliva. “I don’t need the visual.”

  “Just thought I’d share.”

  “You’re worried aren’t you?” I’d been around Vince enough recently to know when he felt uncomfortable about something. Being that we were driving to get more results, I understood how he was trying to stay positive.

  “How can I not be? I’d rather fear the worse than assume the best and be let down.”

  “Whatever they say this time will be different.”

  “Why is that?” he asked curiously.

  “Because you aren’t alone, Vince. I know you prefer it that way, but I’m not going to let you go through that by yourself again.”

  He reached over and took my hand, causing me to look at him briefly and smile. I didn’t feel like he was hitting on me, or assumed we were closer than we were. Vince and I had a special bond. We’d somehow become a team. “I appreciate you being with me, Bails. For what it’s worth, I would have told Major to let you in o
n the secret. I hate that he took it to the grave, and if you wouldn’t have gotten that letter I’d probably be dead by now.”

  “Don’t say that.”

  “It’s true. I’d given up. Hell, I gave up after Major died. That day when we attended the reading of the will tore me up inside.”

  “Can I ask what was in your envelope? Oden says his was a letter.” I didn’t know if Vince would tell me, and I wouldn’t have been upset if he decided he never wanted me to know.

  “I don’t know when he wrote it. It was obviously after you started dating. He must have gone in and added you to everything early on. I suppose they encourage people to do that when they have major life changes. Anyway, his letter talked about us being brothers for the most part. Then, at the end, he told me to take care of you. I don’t think he meant for it to be the opposite way around, but whatever. It was the only time where I felt like I’d let him down. I knew you hated me and I wasn’t about to push myself on you, especially after knowing what my fate was going to be. I didn’t want people feeling sorry for me. It’s pretty clear he wrote the letter before he found out I was sick. I’m sure he would have given me shit about it being a secret.”

  “I can’t believe he asked you to take care of me.”

  “Yeah. It’s just a guy thing I guess. I don’t think he meant we should hook up.”

  “Obviously.” I didn’t mean it in a rude way.

  “Besides, I know he wouldn’t want me showing you how a real man can give it to you.”

  I slapped him in the side as he began chuckling. It was so like him to respond with a bigger joke. “You’re ridiculous,” I said as we pulled into the hospital parking lot.

  Then the car was quiet. In a little while we’d have new results. We’d find out if he was getting better, or we had to prepare for the worst.

  “Did you want me to wait outside?” I asked Vince when the doctor came in.

  “No. I’d like it if you stayed.”

  I sat down in the chair next to him, facing the desk in the personal office of his oncologist. He displayed the images from the newest scan and the one before it, pointing to the similar areas. “As you can see the mass hasn’t spread further, but unfortunately it hasn’t gone down in size like I would have liked it to.”

  “What does that mean,” I interrupted.

  “Well, we still have some choices as far as treatment. I’d recommend another bout of chemotherapy. We can do a higher dose hoping it minimizes the mass. Like I said before, it hasn’t spread to any other areas, which is the biggest positive. If we can keep it maintained in this one area and focus on shrinking that mass we have a good chance at recovery.”

  Vince hadn’t said anything yet. “When can he start?”

  Vince looked at me like I was overstepping. I widened my eyes as if I was threating him to let me continue.

  “I’d say we get started on it next week. We can admit Mr. Gallo on Monday and keep him until the session is over provided his side effects aren’t too severe.” He looked down at his chart. “I see that you got sick last time. This new treatment will be stronger. I’ll administer you some antinausea meds and put you on a restricted diet to keep it under better control. Of course, you’ll probably experience more hair loss and some of the other symptoms associated with it.”

  “I understand,” Vince finally replied. “I want to beat this, doc. I’m not in the same place I was before.“

  The doctor looked from me to Vince. I knew what he was thinking, and I wasn’t about to correct him. If they thought Vince was expecting a child they’d feel obligated to assure he’d be around for a while. I reached over and put my hand over Vince’s. He gave me a questionable look before understanding I was there to support him, no matter how the doctor was misconstruing our relationship. “So the treatment, do you think his symptoms will be over within two months? I’d like him to be home when the baby is born.”

  “I’d say he’ll be in good shape by then.”

  “And what happens if this new treatment doesn’t work? What then?” Vince wasn’t content with the doctor’s answers. He wanted to know what would come next. I didn’t blame him. It was his life.

  “How about we cross that bridge when we come to it? We’ve managed to keep it from spreading. That was the biggest concern with your last treatment. Let’s see if this dose is strong enough to clear it out.”

  “I was only asking because I want to know if there’s a chance I can beat this.”

  “There’s always a chance. I’m not allowed to give guarantees. Your young, and aside from the cancer, you were in good health. The odds are good. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Vince nodded, accepting what the doctor could give him. “I appreciate that.”

  They spoke about the details of the chemotherapy and when Vince would have to return to get started. I sat there silently thinking about him actually being able to go into remission. If Vince could beat this, I would be ecstatic. Our past may have been rocky, but he’d gotten me through so much. I don’t even think he realized how much I’d leaned on him for support since he’d been staying with me. I wanted him to be around when Trey was born, and for a long time after that.

  While he and the doctor continued their conversation, my phone began to ring. I stepped outside the room to answer. “Hello?”

  “It’s Vicki. I was wondering if we could have dinner tonight.”

  “I’m actually out of town today. Can we meet up tomorrow? You could come over.”

  The line was quiet. “Will he be there?”

  “Vicki, Vince is staying with me. We aren’t together.”

  “I know what I saw. He was in your bed.”

  I started to explain how he was hiding out, but she’d only want more answers. There was no way to explain it over the phone. “He’s staying with me. I let him sleep in there because it’s too hard for me. I’d rather be on the couch.”

  “So you’re not sleeping together?”

  “God no!”

  “I’ll come over tomorrow. Make sure Vince is there. He needs to explain why he’s hiding out at your house. Do you know why he’s avoiding all of us?”

  “We don’t really talk about personal things. I’d be happy to ask him when I get home.”

  “I’ll see you both tomorrow. We can clear things up then.”

  Vince was walking out as I placed my phone back in my purse. He put his arm on my shoulder as we were leaving. “I need to be back here on Monday. Let’s get out of this place. I’ve got three days to feel good before I get sick again. Let’s get this party started.”

  It was obvious he wasn’t implying we were going on some drunken binge. Neither one of us could drink alcohol. I was content to think of fun things we could do while Vince was feeling good. Truth be told, I’d miss him when he went in for treatment this time.

  Chapter 21

  After the long journey home that evening, Vince insisted on cooking us dinner.

  He sang some silly Italian song I remembered from an old cartoon, while chopping up onions and vegetables to put in, what he called, his special sauce. To be honest I was sort of afraid of how it would taste. It wasn’t like I’d ever eaten anything that came from his kitchen before. He’d helped out since he’d been at my house, but never made anything homemade.

  After an hour the aroma in the house smelled fantastic. I had hopes that I wasn’t going to keel over from just one taste.

  It was another surprise when the doorbell rang. I hurried to get it, only to discover some of the nursery furniture had been delivered. I had to call Vince to help me carry them inside. He told me after dinner we could work together on assembling them. It was just another reason I felt grateful for having him in my life.

  When we went back into the kitchen I watched him maneuvering his way around. He seemed comfortable, happy even. It was such a change from the long nights we’d spent staying up all hours talking about Major and how much both of us missed him.

  Then my mind went to Vick
i. Right away she’d assumed I was having an affair with Vince. His reputation had been the reason, but I wasn’t sure he was that same guy they all knew before. He’d changed, not only in appearance, but also the way he acted and treated other people. Day after day he’d become someone I counted on; someone I valued. I sat at the kitchen counter watching him, seeing a person I’d just begun to get to know, and I liked him. It was a shocker, but I really did.

  When I’d agreed to let him stay with me it had been on a whim. I felt sorry for him and wanted him to know I’d help him out in his time of need. Now I looked back and wondered why I’d kept it a secret. Surely I could have told Shawna or even my father, but I hadn’t. Vince was my little or big secret. If Vicki was going to ask me to kick him out she was going to be disappointed. I liked having him in my life. He still made me feel close to Major. Was I using him? Absolutely not. No one would believe it, but I’d miss him if he was gone.

  Vince turned around and caught me staring. He raised his brows and laughed a little. “See something you like?”

  “Keep dreaming.”

  He brought a spoon over toward my mouth. “Taste this. You might change your mind.”

  I took a taste, and while the delicious flavors filled my senses, I noticed he was still intently watching me. “It’s delicious,” I responded, not taking my eyes from his.

  “I told you it would be.”

  Just like that he turned back around. Since I felt comfortable being near him in this setting I started asking questions that I’d always wondered about. “So, tell me why you always hooked up with younger women? Do you have something against age?”

  He shook his head and mocked my question while laughing. “No. I’ve got nothing against older women except for the fact that they scare the shit out of me.”

  “How so?”

  He spun around and faced me, leaning on the counter as he answered. “Older women know what they want. They’re great at what they do, and they don’t appreciate bullshit. I hooked up with the young ones because I knew I could always walk away. For a while it was fun. I liked bragging about it. Then it became redundant. I was the old dog, and they lacked experience. The only thing fun about them was the way they looked. I swear the older I got the stupider the women became.”