Tempest Torn

by Nicole Andrews Moore

  Ecstatic, Joey stood and shook Duke’s hand. “Thank you, doctor.”

  “Duke,” the man reminded him.

  “Thank you, Duke. Come on, Marti,” he urged, anxious to leave.

  “What’s the rush? Hoping to sneak in a quickie in the parking lot?” she asked sarcastically.

  Joey just grinned the entire ride home. His mind was racing. He was dying to plan this trip. He had so many potential ideas he had put on hold because he wanted to get medical clearance first. Now, with a big bright green light, he was eager to run errands, leave the house, and privately plan their first Valentine’s Day weekend together.

  As they pulled into the driveway, Marti’s phone rang. When he looked over, he realized it was Reagan calling. “You can answer it if you need to,” he told her. “I don’t mind.”

  “Nah. I’ll wait until we get home. Girl talk,” she explained.

  They slipped out of the truck and started toward the door. Marti studied the sky and inhaled the fresh air. “It always smells so nice after a rain,” she commented. “And I can’t get over the change from Saturday. It’s actually nice enough to open the windows and air out the house.”

  “That’s a great idea. I’ll help you before I leave to run some errands. I need to check on the guys anyway. The upstairs is nearly done.”

  Once inside, they went around the house opening windows. Joey headed upstairs and talked to the guys. Sure enough, they could potentially be done on Friday, if the last few bathroom pieces arrived. Walking back down the stairs, he noticed the mail truck pulling up. “I’ll go get the mail before I leave,” he called, unsure if she heard or not as he headed out the front door. Seconds later he was standing at the mailbox, pulling out the envelopes.

  There was a big stack now that there were three adults living in the house. He sorted through while he walked back to the house. With his muddy shoes, he decided to come in through the back. To his delight, he discovered the check for his house was in the pile. He couldn’t wait to tell Marti. As he passed the kitchen window, he could hear her on the phone.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. The doctor gave us the go-ahead for a trip. And sex.” Marti chuckled.

  “Joey is hot. I can’t believe you aren’t sleeping with him every chance you get!” Reagan cried.

  Well, this is awkward. She has the call on speakerphone. On the bright side, I’m hot. Joey sat on the porch and waited for a lull in the conversation to enter the house.

  “So where is he taking you?” Reagan asked.

  “It’s a surprise,” Marti announced flatly.

  Laughing, Reagan announced, “You sound thrilled.”

  “I fear surprises. My ex, the last surprise I received was the divorce. So, yeah, that. Anyway, I’ll probably only be able to go shopping on say...Wednesday this week, okay?”

  “Of course. Hey! Who’s watching the house?” Suddenly Reagan sounded a lot perkier.

  “Brantley. Joey suggested you come stay too. I thought it was silly for you to pack up Jack for the weekend.”

  “I’d love to.” Reagan squealed.

  “Wait. You want to stay here?”

  “I love your house. And it would give me a chance to get out of my parents’ house. Please let me stay. I’m not above begging,” Reagan joked.

  “Well...okay, I guess.” Marti was silent a moment.

  “So, Valentine’s weekend and a getaway with Joey. Sounds super romantic.”

  “Eh, he’s not like that,” Marti sounded almost sad.

  “You’re leaving town together. That’s romantic. He’s a keeper,” Reagan asserted.

  Marti laughed. “Oh, no, he’s not the keeping type. He has made that abundantly clear. Still, I’m looking forward to it. Going away sounds just perfect.”

  “It will be.” Reagan sighed. “I have a call on the other line. Let me talk to you later,” she grumbled.

  “Okay, bye!” Marti sounded like she was trying very hard to be cheerful.

  After listening to her assessment of him and their relationship, Joey was struggling with being cheerful too. What had he done to make her think he wasn’t the keeping kind? He thought for a moment. Of course, what had he done to make her think he was? Sighing, he knew what he had to do. This weekend, this trip, their time together meant everything.

  Walking into the house, he pulled his boots off and made his way through the mudroom to the kitchen. “Mail call,” he explained as he set the pile on the island.

  Marti smiled at him. “Thank you.” Then she started sorting the envelopes.

  “So, I need to run to the bank. Would you believe my check for the house finally came?” He beamed at her and waved it in the air proudly.

  “If it wasn’t for you holding it in front of my face, I’d probably call bullshit,” she joked.

  “I’ll be back soon. Anything you need while I’m out?” he asked casually.

  Shaking her head and engrossed once again in the mail, she murmured, “Not that I can think of.”

  “See you soon.” Saying goodbye wasn’t enough. He had to kiss her. Things had to change between them. Walking up behind her, he wrapped his free arm around her waist then leaned down and kissed her neck, pausing an extra moment to inhale her scent. This was a forever kind of woman. And he was a keeper, dammit.

  “What was that for?” she asked with a smile.

  “I just wanted to. Things are changing,” Joey warned.

  “Yeah. We’ll see about that,” she teased.

  Giving her a pat on the behind, he walked back to the mudroom and pulled on his Lugz. While he walked to the truck, he found the contact he needed to call. Once secreted in the cab, he made his calls. The bank wasn’t far away. He didn’t have much time. The phone was busy. Dammit. He’d call after the bank then.

  After parking out front, he walked in and signed the check before standing in line to deposit it. The young teller smiled at him in such a way as to suggest she might be open to flirting. He paid her no attention. He had Marti. After the deposit, he walked over to the man who had opened his account years before.

  “Hey, Pete!” he called. “Can I get in my safety deposit box?”

  Nodding the man pulled out his key. Together, they walked to the back, and Joey pulled out his key so they could open his drawer. Then, with a nod, Pete left him alone to inspect the contents. There was little in the box. A few important documents, mostly related to the house. His birth certificate and social security card. Shifting the box some, he waited until the tiny velvet box slid forward. Reaching in, he took a deep breath and pulled it out. Forcing back the lid, he looked at the ring for the first time in many years.

  Though it wasn’t much by today’s standards, it was the best he could do at the moment and it came with history, having been worn by a loving, happy couple. He had once toyed with asking Finn to marry him. That was how the family heirloom ended up in here to begin with. It was his grandmother’s ring. He was afraid he’d do something stupid and impulsive. Instead, he was finally ready to ask the right woman to share the rest of her life with him. If Doug ever answered his call, they’d be doing it in one of the prettiest places on earth.

 

  It had been a long and painful week. For a man who had been so certain when he went to the bank, Joey was now riddled with doubts. Really, Keely and Laurel were to blame. although technically he was the one who had made the mistake of going to the cafe after the bank. Though he knew it was Keely’s habit to hang out and have a late lunch with Laurel after two every afternoon, when he was struggling to get in touch with Doug and schedule his surprise trip, he hid at the cafe.

  They were sitting at the coveted table nearest the door, which was fine with him. At the moment, he preferred to sit at the back out of earshot. After yet another try, Doug finally answered. Joey was minutes into the conversation when he realized the cafe had grown uncomfortably quiet, and when he looked up from the velvet box he was playing with on the table, both Keely and Laurel were staring at him.

&nb
sp; The look of shock on their faces would be forever seared into his memory. As quickly as possible, he ended the call with Doug and tried to tuck the ring back in the box and shove it into his coat pocket, but Joey just wasn’t quick enough. Laurel had walked over to the table and snatched the velvet box from his shaking hands.

  “Whatcha got here?” she asked seriously as she opened it. Her eyes widened and her face grew serious. Already Keely was peeking over her shoulder.

  “Gimme gimme gimme,” she urged, grabbing for the box.

  “Here! Geesh!” Laurel complained as she passed the ring to her friend. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she stared down at him silently.

  While Keely studied the ring, Laurel frowned. It was as though she was waiting for Keely to say something before she offered her final judgment. Joey shifted uncomfortably while he waited. Suddenly he was the runt on the playground all over again, while the schoolyard bullies lorded over him. There was no escape until they were ready.

  “Looks like a half carat, round cut in a square setting.” Keely held the ring up to the light. “Clarity is good.” Then she glanced about the room. “Hey, pass me the menu. I need to check the color.”

  Rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably, Joey cleared his throat to try and distract the women. “So, can I get the ring back?” he asked while cautiously reaching for it.

  Slapping his hand away, Laurel warned, “You can see it when Keely’s done.” Then she gave her friend all her attention. “How’s it measure up?” Her eyes gleamed with interest.

  Pushing the solitaire back into the holder, Keely passed it back to Joey who clutched it protectively in his hand. “Better than the man,” she announced with a smirk.

  Joey groaned and sank into his seat. He knew this was just the beginning. They were nowhere near done with him yet.

  “So you’re gonna ask Marti to marry you?” Laurel sneered. “Why would she agree to that?” Stiffening, Laurel added, “Wait. It is Marti, right? Not that horrible witch, Finn.”

  Nodding, Joey smiled. “Of course it’s Marti.” His shoulders sank some as he happily imagined being with her forever. “How could it be anyone but Marti?”

  A snort, escaped Laurel’s mouth. Slapping a hand over it, she muttered, “Seriously? Because you messed up with Finn again. And now you’ve knocked up Marti, so it seems like the kinda thing you’d do.” She stared at him angrily.

  Sitting up, Joey’s anger matched hers. “Now wait just a minute,” he snapped.

  “Calm down,” Keely asserted as she stepped in between them. “You,” she addressed Laurel, “stop baiting him.” Then she turned to Joey. “And you stop getting so defensive. You brought this on yourself.” She looked back and forth between them. Finally she spoke again. “Joey, you don’t need to go getting married just because Marti’s pregnant, you know.”

  His mouth gaped open. “It’s not about the baby,” he argued. “Why would you say such a thing?”

  “If she wasn’t pregnant, would you be rushing to make it legal right now? I mean, hell, she isn’t even divorced yet,” Keely argued. With a sigh, she glanced at Laurel. “This may take a while. We might as well have a seat.”

  Without waiting for an invitation, Laurel pulled out the seat across from him while Keely pulled a chair over from another table to sit on the end. As soon as everyone was settled in at the table, Laurel slapped the laminate top. “Answer the question,” she ordered.

  Jumping at the sound, Joey raised his eyes from the tabletop. “I don’t know what to tell you. Hell, now you have me second-guessing myself. Why would you do that?”

  Hands folded demurely in her lap, Keely crossed her legs and smiled reassuringly at him. “Well, you do have a tendency to be a bit impulsive. And we’re not just giving you a hard time because we love Marti.”

  “Oh but we do love Marti!” Laurel chimed in.

  His eyes rolled to the skies and his head dropped back in dismay. “Don’t I know it.”

  “We’re doing this for you too!” Keely explained. “Marti is a forever kind of woman. The first time was bad luck. If she chooses to marry again, she’s going to be picky, gonna want to do it right.” Keely leaned forward to look him in the eyes. “Joey, doll baby, you aren’t so good under pressure.” She reached out and gave his hand a gentle pat to soften the blow.

  Swallowing hard, he stared back at her. “I know.” Joey hung his head. “I know I’ve messed up in the past. I know I don’t deserve her. I know that I have crumbled under the weight of challenges before.” Lifting his eyes to meet Laurel, he reminded her, “But I’m better now. I’ll always be better...because of Marti.” He seemed more certain now. “She is an amazing woman. She makes me want to be more than I am. For once, I want to take care of someone, instead of being taken care of. To her, I want to give, instead of take.” Reaching out, Joey grabbed Keely’s hand and squeezed it. “This is right. I believe it with everything in me. We...were meant to be.” Releasing her from his grip, he settled back in his seat, smiling.

  The women exchanged looks. “What do you think?” Laurel asked her. “Should we help him?”

  “Please. He’s going to need all the help he can get,” Keely reminded her.

  With a shrug, Laurel sighed and faced him. “So where are we proposing?”

  Stiffening, Joey frowned. “We’re not proposing. I am. And I’m doing it in Key West on Valentine’s weekend.” He crossed his arms over his chest to show there was no discussing it.

  “Why would you leave town for a moment this important?” she complained.

  Arms raised, he cried, “Seriously? Why do you think?” The women looked at each other again. “Yeah. You. Both of you.” Pushing his chair back, he stood. “This is the most important day of our lives to date. Did it ever occur to you we might want it to be a nice, private, intimate experience?”

  “Right. So why not here?” Keely asked sarcastically. Her eyes sparkled playfully.

  “Gah!” he grumbled as he started to walk towards the door.

  “Well, we get to help plan the wedding at least, right?” Laurel hollered as he strode past. When he didn’t respond, she shouted even louder. “Right!”

  “You’ll have to take that up with Marti,” he groaned just before pushing on the door.

  Keely just chuckled. “Bye, doll baby! Good luck!”

  Before the door had closed completely, he thought he heard Laurel say, “He’s gonna need it.” Frozen in place, it occurred to him she might just be right. That feeling was what he held onto for the rest of the week. The doubt was eating at him.

  It had shaped the productivity of his days, and deconstructed the potential for happiness every night. As much as he wanted to crawl into bed with Marti, curl around her, and sleep with his palm covering their child, Joey stayed on the couch. She seemed surprised.

  “You can stay,” she whispered each night when he tucked her in.

  Each night it had grown more difficult to leave her. “Tomorrow night,” he reminded her Thursday at bedtime. “Tomorrow night I’ll stay with you in the hotel room.” Then he gently pried her hand off the lapel of his shirt, laid it on her stomach, and patted it before slipping off the bed and heading toward the door.

  Propping herself up on her elbows, Marti stared at him with teary eyes. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand you.” She sniffled. “I thought for sure you’d want to start spending the night in here with me, especially after the questions you asked at the doctor’s appointment. Really, I even expected you’d try to get me to sleep with you again.” She wiped at her eyes with the corner of the sheet. “I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it, if I’d even agree.” Shaking her head, she hiccupped. “Now I wonder what’s wrong with me. Why don’t you want me?” Then she rolled over and away from him so he couldn’t see her face any longer.

  It tore his heart out. His head dropped to his chest as he lingered in the doorway. Marti was the reason he knew he had a heart. For a long time after Finn, he thought he was dead insid
e. Months had passed without him feeling anything at all. Then Marti came crashing down the stairs into him and turned him from stone to this gooey emotional mess. Suddenly, there were panic attacks, and this insatiable ache. All he wanted to do was climb into bed with her and show her how much he loved her in every way possible. Joey wanted to murmur those words which would not only reassure her of her beauty and how desirable she was but, but of what an amazing woman she was. Soon. Then every day for the rest of their lives. Never would she doubt her worth or attractiveness again. First, they just had to survive one more night.

  Still, he couldn’t let her fall asleep feeling so low. Walking back into the room, he carefully let the door shut behind him. Marti didn’t even flinch, although her shoulders seemed to heave more. Carefully, Joey set one knee on the mattress behind her. “Hey,” he murmured gently. One arm snaked under her head. As he cradled her against him, the other hand brushed the damp tendrils of hair away from her face. “My sweet cupcake,” he teased as he nudged the side of her face with his nose. “No tears. Let me hold you while you fall asleep. We need you calm, for our baby,” Joey reminded her. “Relax, love. Rest. I’ve got you.”