by Skye, M.
“I had my back slap ready just in case you needed it, but I knew you would come around. Now, you think about your decision.”
“I know what I have to do. My decision stands, I’m going through with the divorce, but I’m sorry to you. Matt still deserves my anger, but I was wrong to lash out at you.”
“But, Melia...”
“Maddie,” she held up her hand. “The discussion is over. Now go check on our brother and call me later. I want to know everything.”
Maddie left the room and found Nathan waiting for her with a genuine smile. He wrapped his arms around her and walked her out to the car. As they ventured off to Gio’s, he reached over and rubbed her thigh. He had heard everything, and knew she needed silence for a while. He was content with that as long as he was able to be the one next to her. He was determined to prove Melia wrong, he would always be the man Maddie needed because he wasn’t going to take one second with her for granted.
***
“Alex, I need you to get the helium tank before you come home today,” Meg called out from the bedroom.
“I got it, babe, anything else you need?”
“Nothing I can think of.”
The days following the incident with Allison had started off good, but when Meg arrived to pick her up after a week of good behavior, she was back in her quiet mood, completely ignoring Meg. When they got home, she ran to Alex and showered all her affections on him, leaving Meg and Jordan out. Alex noticed the tension and was about to give Allison a piece of his mind, when Meg stopped him. She was hoping to have a one on one with Allison, but Jordan got fussy before she could accomplish it. The better part of her night was spent tending to him, and Allison fell asleep without her.
Alex had tried several times to see where all the resistance was coming from, but she had no answers for him. The only thing he could get out of her was that she was sad. He had grown increasingly tired of her little fits, and with everything going on with Matt, he needed some peace. Things were starting to get to him, and he wanted to find the root of all the problems.
“I can’t believe we’re still doing this. The way she has been showing her ass this past week should have canceled her party.”
Meg sighed and settled her hands in her lap. “I thought about it, but it’s her first birthday with us. I didn’t want her to remember it in a bad way.”
“Honestly, I’m not too concerned with how she remembers it right now. She has been acting out, and it’s taking everything in me not to spank her little ass. I don’t know what’s gotten into that child. She was fine after our last talk, but it seems like every time she comes home from school she gets worse.”
“I know,” Meg huffed. “Do you think it’s me? It seems like the anger is mostly for me and Jordan.”
“Baby, you’re good to her. Better than I would be right now, considering the major attitude you’ve been getting. I really think we should reconsider our stance on spankings because I have a belt with her name on it.”
“We are going to figure this out. Until then, we need to keep a cool head. Her appointment with Dr. Steinfeld is next week, and maybe she can help us make some sense of all this.”
“She better be able to because if Allison doesn’t straighten up soon, I’m whooping her ass. I can’t have this kind of behavior going on around here. We work too hard to make sure that she and Jordan have the best, and for her to disrespect us is not acceptable. She is old enough to know when she is doing something wrong.”
“I know, I just hoped we wouldn’t have to go there with her. She was always such a good child before now.”
“We knew this could happen once the baby was born, but it’s still no excuse. I’m not having it.”
“I know it’s a problem. I just want to try and focus on other things for now. Once we get to the appointment, we will have a better idea of what we’re dealing with.”
“That’s if she makes it until then,” he huffed. “Are you sure you have to go into the office today? I thought we could both work from home.”
Meg sighed and sat down next to him. “We wouldn’t get anything done being here together, and plus with Gio working from home, we are a little behind. I know it’s a holiday for everyone else, but I need to play catch up.”
“Well, what am I going to do all day without you? Jordan’s with mom and Allison is over at Aiden’s.”
“Spend some time with your brother. Someone needs to try and reel him in.”
“What am I going to say? I was just like him last year when you left. I was so messed up and Aiden had to babysit me. I don’t think my advice would be the best.”
“You at least have to try. For whatever reason, Aiden can’t seem to offer him the right words, but maybe something you say will stick.”
“How can you be so nice to him when he hurt your sister?”
Meg stood and leaned on the dresser in front of them. “I despise what he said, but as far as the girl, we all know how wrong you can be in those cases. I don’t agree with surrounding yourself with temptation, but perhaps he didn’t see her as temptation. When I thought you cheated on me, I flew off the handle only to find that it was all a part of some sick plan. Not talking to you first was the biggest mistake I ever made, and I don’t want Melia to do the same thing.”
“He was still dead ass wrong for telling her he regretted getting married so young.”
“You know Matt, he has always had the world handed to him. He doesn’t like limitations and kids limit you. Look at us, we were used to having sex multiple times a day, and now we’re limited to a few times a week. It’s hard and he isn’t used to hard. You guys and your parents spoiled him, he just needs to grow up.”
“About those few times a week, I think I’m going to start sneaking in on your lunch and breaking you off. I already have to share breasts with Jordan, I’ll be damned if I don’t get the rest.”
Meg huffed and pushed him down on the bed. “I knew you would find a way to make this about you.”
“No baby, it’s about the both of us. I know if I’m hungry, then you’re starving. I need you.”
“I’ll never turn down the chance, you know that, but before I agree to that, you have to promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?” he sighed.
“You have to talk to your brother.”
“Really, Meg? You’re withholding sex until I talk to him?”
“Yep.”
“You’re awful.” He jumped off the bed.
“Where are you going?” she asked as he fled the room.
“To talk to Matt,” he yelled back. “After I finish this, I’ll be in your office naked. See you at noon, baby.”
“Oh, hell,” Meg laughed. “What did I get myself into?”
“Heaven, baby, pure heaven,” Alex yelled, and Meg laughed hard. She didn’t think he had heard her. Hurriedly, she got herself dressed and headed down the stairs. On her way down the hall, she peeped in and saw Alex and Matt engaged in deep discussion. She was glad she had forced them to talk, even if she had to trade sexual favors to get it done. She was convinced Alex could get through to him, he had to.
***
Alex shifted to the side in his chair while Matt was talking. They had been involved in a heavy conversation for the past thirty minutes, and through all the ranting, Alex had listened to enough. He was at his wits end with Matt’s pity me attitude. “Are you done now?” he asked. He hadn’t spoken a word in the past five minutes, and his reemergence in the conversation wasn’t the most pleasant.
“What?” Matt asked, looking confused.
“Are you done now?”
“Done with what?”
“All this self-wallowing? I mean the way you talk about it, it seems like you don’t have any fault in the situation, and I can assure you that you do.”
Matt looked at Alex like he wanted to kill him. He had been waiting for Alex’s self-righteous attitude to show up, and here it was right on schedule. Just because everything he had been
accused of was a lie didn’t mean he could go around trying to trample everyone else. “I know I did this. Unlike you, I messed this up. I know the great Alexander can’t understand how someone could just want a little escape from the life they forged just to see what freedom feels like.”
“Freedom?” Alex huffed. “Are you saving that you don’t feel free in your marriage?”
“I feel fine. I sometimes just want to be able to drop it all and say hey, I wanna take my girl shopping in Paris, or I want to whisk her away for a night alone. I want the romance back, it feels like too much of a job now. I can’t remember the last time I had sex with my wife and held her afterwards. Everything we do is so programmed. I feel like I’m forty-five not twenty-five. I just want to get our spark back. I was trying to tell her that, but stupidly I communicated it all wrong. I don’t want a divorce, I want my family, but I want her to let go and give me the girl who used to come in and surprise me in the shower. I want the one who used to wait for me in my office wearing nothing but a smile; I just want us to cherish each other again. I understand that she wants to be an excellent mother, but she sometimes forgets that I need her too.”
Alex understood where he was coming from, he was trying to avoid the same fate in his marriage. He knew the importance of keeping things interesting and keeping just enough romance and responsibility in their relationship. He now knew exactly what to say to Matt, it was as if he was staring in a mirror.
“If you want to pick up and go you can, you have the resources and you have family. We would gladly take your daughter when you need a break. I understand that children are hard work. I haven’t had my daughter and son nearly as long as you’ve had Cici and I still get overwhelmed. It’s okay to ask for help, but what you can’t do is tell your wife that you regret the way your life turned out. Did you ever stop to think that she has made the same sacrifices as you? I’m sure she would like to be able to do what Emily and Maddie can do, but she never complains. You married a super hero, man, appreciate it. What you have to do is learn how to tell her what you feel without being offensive.”
“I know I did, and I didn’t mean for what I said to come off that way. By the time it came out, it was too late to fix it, and now she won’t look at me. Every time I see her now, and see the coldness in her eyes, I want to die, man. I never meant to hurt her, she is the most important woman in the world, and my daughter is the light of my life. I need them both to go on, but I feel like it’s too late. She has her lawyer, and they won’t back down. She wants this divorce like yesterday, I don’t know, maybe I should just give her what she wants.”
Alex shifted and bucked his eyes in outrage. “You can’t give her what she wants. What she says she wants is you gone for good. You can’t give up on your family. You have to fight for them.”
“How? How can I prove to her that I’m serious and I want her and my daughter back when she won’t talk to me?”
“She has to talk to you,” Alex laughed.
“The mediation?” Matt sighed.
“Yes,” Alex grinned. “The mediation is where you will strike.”
“That sounds good and everything, but it won’t be the best environment to discuss staying together with that bulldog she calls a lawyer present.”
Alex sat back and laughed lightly. “Little brother, you are truly a breath of fresh air, so naive. I’ll handle everything, leave it to me.”
“What are you going to do, Alex?”
“You will see. Just remember, when your opportunity presents itself, take it. You have to do this right. It’s all or nothing. Are you in?”
Matt smiled deviously and crossed his arms over his chest. “For my family, hell yes. I’ll do anything to get them back.”
“Good,” Alex stood. “I’ll call Aiden.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to go see my wife at work,” he smirked.
“Tell Meg I said hey, and thank you. I know she pepped you up to come in here. You’ve been avoiding this like the plague.”
“Um hum, there won’t be any talking. You can tell her when I bring her home because we are about to be a little occupied,” Alex replied and disappeared down the hall.
“Lucky bastard,” Matt huffed, and fell back down on the bed.
***
Maddie rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. She had never been so nervous to be at Gio’s, but today was different. She knew there was something to be learned there, and she was intent on finding it. When Marco answered the door, he looked stunned to see her and Nathan, but he flung the door open and hugged them nonetheless. “Hey, pretty girl, what are you guys doing here?”
“We haven’t had the pleasure of your company in so long, we decided to drop in, and we both have the day off.”
“Right,” Marco sighed. “I almost forgot about labor day. Well, don’t just stand there, come on in.”
Maddie looked around and smiled. She had so many good memories growing up there, and it still felt like home. When she saw the big portrait of her mother and father hanging over the mantle, she got nostalgic. Those really were happy times before all the madness struck. When Gio appeared and descended the stairs, she felt the air leave her lungs. Meg was right, he was noticeably a few sizes slimmer, which didn’t leave much. When he approached her, she froze.
Nathan picked up on her aversion to touching him, and he stepped between them, offering his hand for Gio to shake. “So lovebirds, what brings you by so suddenly and unannounced?” he asked sarcastically.
“You and your disappearing act,” Maddie retorted as she focused back into the conversation.
“There is no disappearing act, dear, I’ve just been under the weather. Just a little virus. I’ll be good as new in no time.”
“Oh, come off it,” she replied and took a seat. They all followed her lead and Marco strutted off to provide them with drinks. “You can lie to Meg and Emily, but this is me. I’ve always been the one to see through your bull. Tell me, please.”
Gio stroked her cheek and sighed. “Do you remember when I came to live here?”
“Yeah,” she laughed. “How could I forget, Meg brought home some random guy she met on the street and said he was going to stay with us. Melia was freaked out.”
“Yeah, she was, but what did you do that same night?”
She put her hand in her lap and laughed hysterically. “I gave you one of my nightgowns and said you would be more comfortable in it than dad’s robe. With all due fairness, I was only twelve.”
“You see, you knew me without even having to ask, and you accepted me; you loved me.”
“Accepted? Loved? What does that mean? I love you, and I accept you, there is no past tense. It will never end. You’re stuck with me.”
Gio tried to hold it in, but the harder he tried, the steadier the stream of tears flowing down his cheeks became. Maddie drew him to her and pressed his head against her chest. She wasn’t sure what to make of it, in all the years they had been around each other, she had never seen him cry. When he broke down in her arms, she knew he was in deep.
“What’s going on? Tell me, and we can help you.”
“I’m on a list, I need new kidneys. I have been doing dialysis, but both of my kidneys are shutting down. If I don’t get a transplant soon, I won’t make it.”
Maddie gasped and then she felt tears burning her cheeks. “How long have you known?”
“A few months, but it’s getting critical. My last appointment showed a drastic decrease in function.”
“Can I give you one of mine? How does this all work?”
“You would have to be tested to see if you’re a match, but I can’t ask you to do this.”
“I’m getting that test. You’re my family, and I won’t let you die. I’ll make them all get tested.”
“I’ll get tested as well,” Nathan chimed in.
“I won’t let you do this. This is precisely why I didn’t tell any of you. It’s a big deal.”
&
nbsp; “Your life is a big deal, and we’re doing it. Sit down and shut up,” Maddie hissed.
Gio chuckled at her determination and knew that it was pointless to argue. Maddie was the female equivalent of him, stubborn and unbreakable. “You know I hated your inflexibility then, and I hate it now. You’re so stubborn. I wonder where you got that from.”
“You. You were one of the biggest influences on my teenage years, you taught me to never give up, to never back down, and always look fierce when you’re doing anything.”
“Well, Baby girl you sure passed those lessons, because those heels are in!”
Maddie flopped down, and she and Gio shared stories and laughter for the next few hours. Neither of them was thinking about his illness or the tough road ahead, they were just living in the moment. For the first time in several months, he had hope. He knew the chances of either of them being a match was slim, but at least they would try. That was what he always wanted in a family. He couldn’t have found a better set of siblings.
“Maddie, I will allow you to tell everyone, but on one condition,” he took her hands in his.
“What is it?”
“I need you to keep quiet until after Allison’s party. I don’t need all the looks of pity on our niece’s birthday.”
Maddie looked as if she wanted to say no, and then she smiled brilliantly. “You got it, I’ll keep my mouth shut until then.” Gio swallowed her in an embrace and closed his eyes. He felt peace with his little sister in his arms. She had always been such a huge support to him, and now that she knew, he knew he had a fighting chance. Her determination could defy any odds, and with his other sisters on board, he knew he would be okay. They sat there quietly laughing until they heard the doorbell ring. When Marco appeared with Lexie close behind him, Gio almost broke his neck trying to vacate the couch to give her a piece of his mind.
“What are you doing here? I thought I told you to leave and never return.”
Maddie looked at him confused as ever. She studied Gio and then studied the woman before them, and it didn’t take her long to see the resemblance. “Gio, is she related to you?”
Lexie huffed and walked over to stand right before Maddie. “You would be correct. I am his sister, his real sister.”
