Delaney looked at me with her brow furrowed.
“He started working for this man, Dennis. He paid Julian a lot of money, and everything was great. We got married, my mother got better, and Julian paid for her housing in an assisted living home. Dennis bought my mother’s house in cash, and we bought a townhouse in the heart of Chicago. Then Julian changed. There were nights he came home with blood on his hands. He grew angry over the years, and he took his frustration out on me.” I bowed my head in shame. “I don't know why I waited so long to ask for help.”
“Oh, my.” Delaney reached for a tissue and wiped her own tears.
“When he gets really angry, I become his punching bag. Julian was a wonderful husband until he started working for Dennis. “I sobbed.
Delaney hugged me. “Why did you stay? Why did you wait so long?”
I shook my head and looked at their fireplace. “Because I’m my mother’s daughter, and when you’re in, you’re in.” Her eyebrows pinched together. “I gave him ten years. I signed a piece of paper and vowed for better or worse. I can’t turn on him now. If he’s willing to make this marriage work, I am too. I owe everything I am to Julian.”
“You just told me you were his punching bag.”
“Not all marriages are perfect.” I glared at a picture of her and Nate. “I can't live with the fear of knowing my husband might be killing someone in order to make a living for us.”
Delaney heaved a deep sighed. Her manicured nails ran through her hair. “I’ll talk to Nate. In the meantime, you'll stay with us.”
“No.” I shook my head.
“Yes. You’re family, Brie, and there's no way I'll let you go back to him until we have it all figured out.”
“I don't want to impose.”
“You're not imposing.” Delaney held my hand. “You're my sister. I can't let you go through this alone.” A kind smile grew on her face. “So much time has passed. I think you need us now more than ever.”
I wasn’t their charity case. I was here for Julian, not myself. “Really, Del, I don't want to barge into your life. There’s no need to stay here with all my drama.”
“I won’t take no for answer.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “And I know Nate won’t have it any other way.”
“I’ll get a hotel room and then we can figure it all out.”
“Don't be silly. You can stay in the apartment above the garage.”
“Apartment?”
“When we found out I was pregnant with Caleb, my parents disowned me. Daddy hated the fact I had thrown my career down the drain. But Louisa took us in. Nate and Warren built an apartment over the garage so we had our own space.”
“Thank you.” It was all I could say.
A beeping sound startled me. I glanced at Delaney. “That's the oven. I was making dinner. Give me just a few minutes.” She held my hand. “Or you can come with me and we can continue our conversation. We have so much to catch up on.”
“No,” I said sharply. The last thing I wanted was to hear more about her wonderful life with the man I loved. I looked down at my purse. “I probably should turn my phone on and face the world.”
Delaney nodded sympathetically. “I’ll give you some privacy.”
She walked down the hallway, and I tiptoed out of the house to check my cell. Thirty missed messages and twelve new voicemails. Ignoring all of Julian's, I read the messages from Yve, my only friend in Chicago. She was a cashier at the paint store where I worked, but she was also my therapist, my shoulder to cry on, and the only person who had kept me sane for the past year.
Yve: Hey. Are you coming in today?
Yve: Julian just called the store looking for you. Are you okay?
Yve: Now I'm freaking out. Where are you?
Yve: Julian came and yelled at me! He said you left. Seriously, Brielle, if you’re not dead in a ditch, can you please call me!
I moved past the text messages and on to her first voicemail.
“Hey B. I'm only having the world’s biggest panic attack. What the fuck happened? Please call me. Dickwad came by the store three times today. I'm freaking the fuck out!”
Sitting on the Adirondack chair near the front door, I pulled my phone away from my ear and hit the call back button. It only rang once before she answered it.
“Sweet baby Jesus. Looks who's calling. Tell me you're okay,” she said in one rushed breath.
It was the first time I smiled. “I'm fine, Yve.”
“Are you sure? Because you've never missed work and your husband has gone ape shit looking for you.”
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I couldn't take it anymore. I'm so tired. Last night was the last straw.”
“I know, babe.” Her voice dropped the exaggerated tone. “Why don't you come by? I'll make some margaritas and we can bash the asshole.”
“I can't.”
“You're turning down tequila and Julian bashing?”
I chuckled. “I can't because I'm in . . . Charlotte.” I closed my eyes, anticipating her response.
“You're. . . . Oh, shit . . . Oh, motherfucking shit. You left one asshole to go see Satan?” I heard Yve bang something against a hard surface. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”
She was the only person who knew everything that had happened between Nate and me. She had been at the hospital visiting her ailing grandmother while I was there with my mother. She caught me crying in the bathroom a few days after I found out about Nate and Delaney’s pregnancy. I was standing near the sink, my hands covering my face as I wept. She walked out of the stall with her pink tipped platinum blonde hair and said, “Who’s the bastard? I’ll kill him.” She always knew what to say to make me laugh, and from that moment on, we were friends.
“He's the only one who can help Julian,” I said weakly.
“What the fuck is there to help, Brielle?”
“Yve, please. He's my husband.”
“I know. I know. He was there for you when your world was falling apart, blah, blah, blah. But, Brie, how many times do we have to go over this? That was ten years ago. You don’t owe him shit. Well, technically, you owe him a kick in the balls.”
From the corner of my eye, I spotted Nate walking toward me. Alone. “Listen, Yve, I have to go.”
“Okay, call me when you can, and please try not to fall for Satan's words. He chose her.” Never had Yve said anything more accurate. Nate had chosen Del.
“Thanks for the reminder.” I rushed to get the words out before hitting the power button.
Nate came near in long strides. The conversation we were about to have had been ten years in the making.
Chapter 23
Nathaniel
I was dumbfounded.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine Brielle would knock on my door asking for help.
I had so many things to say to her. I needed to apologize, explain myself, yet my words were lost. Beauty radiated from the woman in front of me, and I desperately wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her.
But I wasn’t twenty-one.
And her last words to me were Fuck. You.
I was certain she hated me more than she ever loved me, for I left her when she desperately needed me. I knew the man her father was, and she had to face him alone. I gripped the steering wheel firmly and let my mind drift.
“All right, your time is up,” Professor Johnson stated. I shoved my pencil in my book bag and dashed out of my seat. I had a plane to catch. Handing my calculus final in, I left the room and headed straight home. Stu had offered to give me a ride to the airport.
When I pulled in the driveway I spotted Delaney sitting on the front steps. Her head was buried in her knees.
“Delaney?” I said as I approached her. When she lifted her head I noticed her face was covered with tears. “What’s the matter?” I rushed to her side. My mind instantly thought of Brielle.
“Can . . . can . . . we talk?” she muttered.
“Of course.” I g
ave her my hand and ushered her into the house. “What’s up?”
Her eyes swelled with unshed tears. “I’m pregnant.” She huffed.
My body went cold with fear.
Delaney pulled out a positive pregnancy test stick and handed it to me.
I shook my head in shock. “We . . . I . . . I couldn’t remember much of the night we spent together. “That was four weeks ago. Are you sure?”
“I’m late, Nate, I’m never late.” She sat back on the couch and cried. “What am I going to do?”
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I didn’t need to check the text message to know it was Brielle.
With a heavy heart I walked over to Delaney and kneeled in front of her. My future had been chosen for me. I wouldn’t be going to Chicago. I’d be a man and accept the consequences of my actions. “You don’t have to do this alone.” I took Delaney’s hand in mine. “I’ll be here throughout it all.”
“Yeah?” She looked up at me.
“We’ll figure it out.”
I couldn’t turn away from my responsibilities, even if it meant going back on my word to Brielle. I had fathered a child and I refused to abandon a helpless infant the way my parents had. So I sent Julian after her. He loved her almost as much as I did. I hoped he’d bring her back once everything was better. I never expected her to marry him. And every time I sent her an email, it went unanswered.
I craved her touch, her laughter. Being around her made my life better.
Delaney had ushered her into the living room and then asked me to keep Caleb occupied while they talked. But I wanted to be the one to talk to her. She looked tired when I first saw her, and the spark in her eyes had dimmed.
Caleb bounced the basketball up and down the driveway as I watched him, but my mind was elsewhere. What the hell had my brother gotten into?
“Dad, that was a three point shot, right?”
I nodded and pulled out my cell phone. If Delaney wanted to talk to Brielle first, I needed to talk to Julian.
“Hello?” he answered. He sounded agitated, and I knew why he was angry.
“She’s here,” I assured him.
“What?”
“Your wife.” I shook my head slowly, hating that small fact. “She arrived here a little while ago. You want to tell me what going on, little brother?”
“She’s okay? She’s there?” I heard his voice break and I knew he was crying. What had happened between these two?
“Julian, what the hell is going on?”
“It’s all my fault. Last night I was drunk, and I did things I will regret for the rest of my life.” He cleared his throat. “She was in bed this morning when I left, and when I got back from work her clothes were gone. She didn’t call, didn’t leave a note.”
“What did you two fight about?”
“I don’t remember, bro. She painted a wall red and then accused me of cheating.”
I exhaled. “Did you cheat?”
“I don’t ask you about your fucking marriage. Why are you so concerned about mine?” The temper Julian had as a child had returned.
“I ask because your wife drove twelve hours to tell me you need help.”
“Fuck! I can’t lose her, Moose.”
Holding the phone to my ear, I bowed my head. “Get your shit packed, sober the fuck up, and get on a plane tomorrow morning.”
“I need to see her now,” Julian barked.
“I doubt that the girl who drove twelve hours to knock on my door and ask for help is ready to forgive you. She’s talking to Del now. I’ll make sure she’s safe. Let her calm down, sleep it off, and tomorrow you two can talk.”
Julian was quiet for a few seconds. “Okay. Moose. Tell her I love her.”
“Will do.” I sighed and hung up the phone.
Glancing back at the house I noticed Delaney in the kitchen window. “Where is she?” I mouthed to her. Del raised her hand like a telephone and brought it close to her ear. I nodded. “Caleb?” I turned back to the basketball hoop. “Dinner’s almost ready, so wash up and help your mother set the table.”
Caleb bounced the basketball in my direction. “Is Aunt Brielle staying for dinner?”
“Yes. Now go before your mother comes looking for you.”
Caleb ran across the deck and into the house. I put the basketball away and went to search for Brielle. I didn’t know what to say to her, or if she even wanted to talk to me, but there was no other way.
When my mother gave us this home, I first refused it. It didn’t seem right that I inherit it. My entire life I was the foster kid no one wanted. Louisa was the only one who took me in. She had done enough for me; giving me a house free of charge was too much. She and Warren had decided to fellowship with the church and would be living in Ecuador. I offered to buy it from them for the market price but Louisa wouldn’t accept it. We ended up agreeing that I would buy it for the same price they purchased it for.
Once they left, I began to work on it, customizing it to suit my wife’s desires. The house was perfect for me, but Delaney insisted on a new kitchen, updated bathrooms, and new hardwood floors.
I’d walked into the hardware store, clueless. I had a list of things I wanted to do and no idea how to accomplish any of it. I asked an employee for help, and soon realized the projects Delaney wanted would cost thousands of dollars. I didn’t know what to say to my wife, so I sat on the Adirondack chair the store had for sale and contemplated it. That chair was the first thing I bought for the house. Every Sunday afternoon, I’d crack open a beer, sit on the chair, and think of Brielle.
As I rounded the corner of the house, there she was sitting on the chair and talking on the phone. She noticed me approaching and slid the phone into her back pocket. She straightened, her hands crossed at her thighs. Clearing my throat, I sat next to her. The wind blew in my direction and her scent flew my way. I’d missed her.
“How are things?” I said after an awkward silence lingered between us.
“You don’t have to do this.” Her gaze was glued to the grass.
“Do what?”
“Make pretend you care.” She snapped her head in my direction. She tried to keep her composure, but there was hurt in her eyes. Years of pain and suffering. “I’m here for Julian. I only need your help with him. There’s no need for you to ask how I’m doing.” She hated me, and there was nothing I could do to change that.
“I spoke to Julian.” Her tensed shoulders dropped. “He’ll be here tomorrow morning.” Brielle pursed her lips, lowered her eyes and looked away. Her body shook slowly and I knew she was crying. “Brie…”
Shaking her head, she wiped the tears from under her eyes. “I’m fine.”
I wondered how many times she had lied to herself with those words. “Talk to me.” I rested my elbows on my knees.
“There’s nothing to say.”
“You drove all the way here and there’s nothing you want to say?”
“I’ve told Delaney everything that’s going on with Julian. She’ll fill you in.”
“I’m your friend, too. You can talk to me.”
Her head snapped in my direction. “Friend? It hurts to even look at you, Nate. We will never be friends. I must’ve been out of my mind thinking it was smart to come here and ask you for help.” She sighed. “All I need is for you to help Julian, get him on the right track, and make him quit working for Dennis. That’s it.”
I nodded. I deserved that.
Caleb came running through the front door and in our direction. “Mom said dinner’s ready.” Brielle stood and walked toward Caleb. “Aunt Brielle, can I sit next to you?” His eyes were wide when he looked up at her. Brielle nodded and then placed her arm around his shoulders.
It pained me to see them together. It was a sight that had burned in my mind years ago when I desperately wanted her to be the mother of my children.
Chapter 24
Brielle
After dinner, Caleb retrieved my suitcase from of my car and carried it up the s
tairs to the garage apartment. He was a bright and charming young boy. Throughout dinner, I grew fonder of him with each passing second. He seemed eager to know everything about me, and unlike other nine-year-old boys who only wanted to watch TV or play video games, Caleb wanted to show me where I’d be staying.
Opening the door, he turned on the light and smiled. “Welcome to your new home.” He waved his hand as he showcased the one-bedroom apartment. It was small, with only one entrance that led into the kitchen and no wall between that space and the living room.
Delaney walked me through the fully furnished apartment. She pointed out the linen closet and assured me the towels were fresh. Her voice faded when my gaze landed on the one blood red wall in the living room. I stopped dead in my tracks, unable to look away.
“Yeah, sorry about the obvious red,” Delaney said. “It was the first thing Nate painted.” She turned away from me and looked back at him. “You were so adamant about this stupid red wall.”
“It’s important to me,” he said from the kitchen in a husky voice.
Inhaling slowly, I reminded myself that one red wall didn’t mean shit. He still chose her.
“Well, if you need anything, call.” Delaney walked over to me and gave me a hug.
“Can I sleep with Aunt B?” Caleb jumped in place.
“No.” Delaney shook her head. “You have school first thing in the morning, and your Aunt Brie needs to rest.”
I thanked Delaney again as I closed the door behind them. Strolling back to the couch, I sat back and stared at the red wall.
Just like we had painted in my dorm room on Christmas Eve . . .
Just like I had painted in my home the night before.
I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “What the hell are you doing, Brielle?” When I couldn’t answer my own question, I stood and decided I desperately needed a shower.
Delaney kept the apartment ready for guests at all times. I dug through my bag until I found my pajamas and toiletries. To my surprise, the bathroom was stocked with soap, shampoo and conditioner. The medicine cabinet even had new toothbrushes.
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