Hurricane

by Laramie Briscoe

  Friday night can’t get here fucking fast enough for me. This girl holds a piece of my heart I’m never getting back, and I want a piece of hers, too.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Tatum

  “Bout time you brought your lazy ass home.”

  I smile to myself as I hear Addie start in on me. We’d seen each other for a quick wave before we’d both left for our respective jobs.

  “I knew this would happen as soon as you saw me today.” The grin doesn’t leave my face as I continue taking my laundry out of the dryer.

  “Why are you doing laundry on a Wednesday? You’re typically a weekend washer.” The arch of her brow is suspicious.

  “I’m not going to be here this weekend,” I carefully speak the words, preparing for the onslaught of questions I know will come.

  “And where in the hell will you be, Tatum Walker?”

  Continuing to fold the laundry, I turn to face her fully, almost cracking up at the pose she’s struck. Her hand is on her hip, eyes drawn in question, and she’s pointing her free hand at me. “Need I remind you, that you aren’t my mother, Addie? Even when sometimes you’re worse than my mother. For your information, I’m going to spend the weekend with Remy.”

  She relaxes slightly, breathing deeply. “Is that who you were with last night?”

  “Who else would I be with?”

  “I saw his hoodie on the couch,” she says, her voice soft, almost whispering in the hallway of our apartment. “Tate, be careful. Watching you withdraw into yourself wasn’t fun last time, not in the least. I worried about you, I worried about him, and it put me in a bad situation as a person who cares about both of you.”

  “I get it.” I finish folding and carry the pile into my room, opening up the bag I’m taking with me. “Believe me, if anyone gets it, it’s me. I’m not sure I can go back to how I was. You think it was scary for you? I’d never dealt with a disappointment or a heartbreak like that before. I’m going into this with my eyes wide open, though, I promise. I’m grabbing hold of the opportunity, but I’m fully aware of the potential we have for things to go down the drain. I hope they don’t of course, but I’m a realist.”

  She looks like she wants to say more, but tightens her lips into a firm line, holding onto the words she would normally speak freely. “You’re right, you’re a grown up, and I have no right to judge you for whatever choices you make. Just be careful and let me know where you are going.”

  A part of me had wanted to keep Remy’s little house a secret, and have it just be ours, but it’s smart to tell her where I’m going. What if someone needs me and Remy hasn’t told anybody where we are? It’s safety, simple as that. “Remy’s got a small house in Richardsville.”

  “A house?” her voice is pitched higher with excitement.

  “Yeah.” I smile thinking of the cozy haven that he’s built for himself. “Apparently it used to be Cash’s when he was younger – although he was kind of squatting in it. Remy found the real owner, bought it, and has been fixing it up. It’s super small. Like smaller than this apartment.”

  Addie’s eyes widen. Our apartment is pretty small for a two-bedroom, but we love it. “I guess that’s all he needs.”

  “He told me he’d never brought anyone else to it.” I twist the hem of my shirt through my fingers.

  “You believe him?” Her tone says she doesn’t.

  The tone pisses me off, but I have to remember she’s my friend. She went through everything with me and doesn’t want me to get hurt again. “I have no reason not to. Please be happy for me, please know this is what I want.”

  “If he hurts you again, Tate, I’m not keeping quiet about it. He will feel the wrath I inherited from my dad, no bullshit.”

  I can’t help the giggle that escapes from my throat. If people call me a tornado, Addie’s an avalanche. She learned how to drop the boom from her dad, and not many people mess with her. Hell, I don’t even want to mess with her. “I’ll give you my full permission if it comes to that.” I hold my arms open, giving her a huge hug. Everyone needs a friend like Addie in his or her life.

  “Are you telling your dad you’re spending the weekend with Remy?” she asks, grabbing hold of a bag on my bed. “Or that you went to Victoria’s Secret and bought a few things?”

  My face burns, not because I’m embarrassed, but because I’m not used to situations like this. “Should I tell him I’m spending time with Rem? Is that club protocol?” I worry, not wanting to step between anything they’ve got going on.

  “You’re asking the girl who’s never had a relationship? I have no idea. Why don’t you text Drew and ask him?”

  “Are you crazy? I text Drew, then he’s going to have a ton of questions about what’s going on.”

  “This is my deal,” Addie explains. “If your family finds out from someone besides you, they’re gonna be pissed. I think you should be honest, Tate, and if you want to know what protocol is and you don’t want to ask your dad, you need to ask your sister, brother, or mom. What’s the least amount of stress for you?”

  I think about it, Mandy already knows about Remy and me, but she doesn’t know about me hanging out with him like I have. Mom is a complete no-go; she’ll tell Dad as soon as I leave the house. The only person who’s directly related to the club is Drew. We’ve always been close, sometimes closer than me and Mandy, and I respect him with everything I have. He’s never treated me like I don’t know my own mind. I know without a doubt he won’t do it this time, either. But I also know I need to do it in another way besides a text. If I’m going to ask his honest opinion, I need to do it in person. Sighing, I grab for my shoes.

  “Where are you going?” Addie asks, hopping up off the bed as she sees me gathering my shoes and a jacket.

  “To talk to Drew. You and I both know if I text him, it’ll end up with me going over there anyway. I might as well do it right.”

  She nods her agreement.

  “I’ll be back whenever he decides he’s had a long enough talk with me.” I throw her a look over my shoulder as I put my jacket on.

  “Good luck with that.”

  Yeah, I’m gonna need all the luck I can get.

  *

  I don’t call Drew to tell him I’m on my way over, he’ll have questions and I’ll be annoyed that he’s asking them before I even get there. But as I pull into the driveway of Drew and Charity’s home, I wonder if maybe I should have called. It’s seven at night, which means they’ll be putting the twins down soon, and I know they value the time they get to spend together.

  Sitting in my Tahoe, I almost talk myself out of going in there and starting this conversation, but the porchlight comes on before I can turn the vehicle back on. Drew’s head pops out the front door, and when he sees that it is me, he fully comes out on the porch, shutting the door, and walks toward where I’m parked.

  He’s not wearing a jacket and I worry about him being cold, but he doesn’t look affected by the low temps. “Tate, you okay?” he asks as I open the driver’s side door when he gets closer.

  “Yeah, just have something I wanna talk to you about.”

  He puts his hands in his pockets and hunches his body to ward off the cold. I’ve never been scared of Drew, he’s always treated me with the utmost respect, and even though he’s in his early thirties now, he doesn’t look it. I don’t know why that thought crosses my mind, but it does.

  “Then c’mon inside, Bug, and we’ll have a talk.”

  Bug. He hasn’t called me that in years, not since I berated him the last time he did. I’d been sixteen and he’d said it in front of some friends. They’d snickered, and I’d gotten embarrassed, telling him I was too old for nicknames like that. Tonight, though, that nickname grounds me and makes me feel safer than ever.

  Grabbing my purse, I slip from the driver’s seat and follow him into the house, ducking under his arm as he holds the door open for me.

  “Tee!” I hear squeals of delight as my nieces see me. Harley and
Justice are the spitting images of the parents they’re named for, and they have enough energy in their pinky fingers to power an atom bomb.

  “Hey girls!” I lean down giving them both kisses and hugs. I notice they’re in their PJs and make it a point to tell them goodnight. “I promise I’ll come back so we can play together soon.”

  They both pout in a way that tells me they’re unhappy with that answer, but Charity gets them moving in the direction they need to go. I watch them leave, dreading being left alone with Drew, but knowing it’s something I have to do.

  “Take your coat off and tell me why you’re here, other than to see your handsome big brother.” He cracks a smile.

  Carefully I take my jacket off, trying to figure out how I want to start this. “You know I respect your opinion a lot,” I mumble as we have a seat on the couch.

  “You haven’t always, but I think the older you get the more you realize I don’t blow smoke up your ass.”

  “That’s true.” I push my hair back from my face. “I’ve been spending time with Remy, and I know he talked to Dad about it, but should I talk to Dad about it, too? I don’t know what the protocol is for this…I’ve never been in this situation before.”

  He gets up, pacing as he runs his hands through his hair. “This shit gives me as much anxiety as if one of them were dating someone.” He points above his head to where my nieces sleep. “You have to know I’ve always kind of thought of you as mine. When you were little, you always gravitated toward me, and when it stormed, nine times out of ten I’d find you curled up in bed with me in the morning.”

  I remember. Drew has always been my safe place, always been the person I went to when things went to shit. He always held my hand and mopped up my messes. “I know, which is why I came to you about this.”

  “There’s absolutely no protocol for you, because no one is you, Bug, but I’ll say if I were Dad, I’d appreciate you giving me a heads up. Remy’s done his part, talking to him and laying out his intentions, even when he didn’t have to. It’s your turn now.”

  “I thought so, but I didn’t want to open myself up to a lecture.”

  He cuts me off. “Oh, you’re gonna get a damn lecture, you’re about to get one from me. So put them big girl panties on and deal.”

  I fight not to roll my eyes. He’s going to be so good at this when the girls get to be teenagers. “I’m listening.”

  “Don’t be a shit.” He points a finger at me. “I’m telling you, don’t fuck around, don’t get pregnant, and don’t get stubborn again. I’m well aware of what you did the first time, and if Remy’s willing to forgive it, then so am I. Nobody raised you to play games with people, Tate. Be honest, be straight, and be in the moment. Games never get anybody anywhere. Remember that shit. Love isn’t a game, and when you start playing with it, people start getting hurt, and that’s the last thing I want for either of you.”

  “I hear you, and I’ll talk to Dad.”

  Charity peaks in. “If you’re done playing Dad with her, can we eat our cake and ice cream? I got plenty for you too, Tate.”

  “Oh hell yes!” I jump up from my seat. “I need something after he gave me a stern talking to.”

  “He does that well.” Charity’s voice is dry. “I think he likes to hear himself talk.”

  She squeals as I hear the slap of his palm against her ass. “You like to hear me talk too, and if you keep running that mouth, you’re gonna be calling me Daddy later.”

  I freeze. “I’m not staying for cake and ice cream if I hear another word like that come out of either one of your mouths. Oh my God.”

  Drew slings his arm around his wife’s neck. “You decided to come to the house after the girls went to bed. This is what happens when they go down in this house. There’s only so much Mickey Mouse Clubhouse a man can take. Gotta keep my card somehow.”

  I can’t help the laugh-snort that comes out of my mouth. Nobody would believe this conversation, even if I told them. “Thanks for letting me interrupt your time together.”

  “Always got time for you, Bug.” He leans over, giving me a kiss on the forehead. “You just gotta tell me when you need it.”

  As we sit down to dessert, I realize how much I’ve missed the people in my life over the last year, how much I truly cut everyone off trying to protect myself. I wonder if Remy did the same thing, I wonder if he was as lonely as I’ve been. Sitting at the kitchen table with my brother and sister-in-law, I have the best time I’ve had in a while. I love listening to the two of them giving each other shit, especially as they look at one another with love in their eyes.

  “Did you sleep on the couch last night?” I put a piece of cake in my mouth as I look at Drew.

  “No, for some reason both of the girls decided to stay in their own beds. I think we’re turning a corner,” he says hopefully. “Which is good, because I’m not sure how much more my back can take. Gettin’ fuckin’ too old for that shit.”

  “At least you don’t have bruised ribs from flailing feet,” Charity quips.

  “After the last crick in my neck I had, those might be preferable.”

  “Then why don’t you let me go to the couch and you take the bed?” she challenges.

  He’s silent for a few moments. “What can I say? When it comes to sleep, it’s every adult for themselves.”

  “You might be on that couch tonight, even if the girls stay in their own beds.” I shoot him a look as I eye Charity.

  “Keep talking and you will be,” she affirms.

  Wisely, my brother shuts his mouth.

  After eating the cake and ice cream, I put my jacket back on before giving Drew a hug. “Thanks for listening to me, and thanks for the dessert.” I give Charity a sleepy smile.

  “No problem, let me know how it goes with Dad.”

  “Will do. Love you, Drew.”

  “Love you too, Bug. Be safe and text me when you get home.”

  They watch from the door as I get into my Tahoe, the porchlight not going out until I get onto the main road, and I realize just how lucky I am to have the family I do. And I desperately want Remy to be a part of it, too.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Remy

  “Why are you looking like something the cat dragged in?” Harper asks me, eyeing me up and down when I meet her in the morning for our daily breakfast.

  “Out late with Tate,” I admit, a huge smile on my face. I didn’t have time to shave, barely had time to shower, but it was totally worth it.

  “What?” she squeals as she brings our normal sausage biscuits and OJ out to the table.

  “Yeah, took her out to the house last night.”

  Her eyes bug. “Rem, you’ve never taken anyone out there before, like we hardly go out there.”

  “I took a chance.” I shrug, hoping to force a nonchalance I don’t really feel.

  “How did that chance go?”

  On the way over here I wondered what I wanted to tell her. Most of my life I’ve shared everything with both Harper and Cash because I trust them in ways I’ve never trusted any other two people in my life. But in the same way, I want to keep what Tate and I have away from everyone else. It almost feels as if I let other people in, I’m opening us up for judgement on our relationship. But I love Harper, I want her opinion on everything.

  “It went well. We hung out, cooked dinner, she gave me shit about only having one set of utensils and dishware.”

  She chokes slightly on the drink of orange juice. “I told you one day you’d meet someone you wanted to share that place with and you’d need to be prepared. Did you not believe me?”

  “We’re spending the weekend out there. So after we get off work on Friday, I plan to take her out shopping to get what we need.”

  I feel her gaze on me, it’s soft and probing at the same time, penetrating the shield I typically have in place. “Happiness looks good on you, Rem.”

  “I am happy.” I polish off my food. “But I’m scared, Harp. Scared to fucking death,�
� I whisper. I’m afraid that admitting the words will give them power.

  “Why?”

  I finish the OJ, wishing I had something stronger. “Happy and me, we don’t tend to mix. You and I both know as soon as I get truly happy, something happens.”

  “Rem, your parents have been gone a long time.” She reaches across the table and wraps her fingers around mine.

  “You say gone like they’re dead, Harp. They ain’t dead. They’re waiting. You and I both know that.”

  Even with the happiness I feel, there’s this cloud that hangs over me, waiting for the people who gave me life to come back and ruin it all.

  “You think like that, and you’re asking for trouble. You haven’t seen them in what…four years?”

  I try not to lose my temper with her. She’s trying to help, but it’s also proving my point. “Right? When I graduated college. They didn’t deserve to be there, and I still don’t know how in the fuck they found out about it. Which brings me to another point – where do they get their info?”

  She gives me a smile, the one she uses to calm Maddie down when she’s starting to freak out. “Don’t borrow trouble, honey. It does nothing but get you upset.”

  She’s right, and I know it. Back when asthma ruled my life, this would be when I’d be reaching for my inhaler. Sometimes I still do, a habit ingrained into me that I’m not sure I’ll ever get rid of. Needing to change the subject, I force a smile on my face.

  “Did you and Cash have a good talk the other night? Figure out what you’re going to do?”

  Her face flushes, and while she’s nosey about my life, she’s embarrassed discussing hers. That’s fine, I like having a little something over her sometimes.

  “We’re not going to try anymore,” she says, a finality to it. “But we’re not going to prevent it either. Whatever happens, will happen. Basically we’re letting nature truly take its course. It’s what we did with Maddie.”