Lou laughed. “She said you suck at golf as badly as you do at baseball.”
“BC would never say that. Nice try.” Joey stretched over the counter, pushing on Lou’s chest. “Let’s get this ass whooping over so we can go see Maddie.” He swiped two clubs off the rack and a couple balls out of the basket.
Getting to the first hole, Joe moved to the side. “Ladies first.”
“Are you sure?” He nodded, so I set the purple ball he had given me on the rubber mat and glanced down the course to see the obstacles. The first hole usually wasn’t very complicated. It was pretty much a straight shot with a small hill in front of the cup. “Remember the first time we came here?” I wondered, lining up my shot.
He frowned. “Do I remember the first time a girl kicked my ass? Unfortunately, the answer to that question is yes.”
“Maybe you should’ve made more of an attempt.”
“That was me trying, B, but it’s hard as hell to concentrate on anything else when you’re around.”
“Oh, please!” I argued, laughing. “No one is that bad!”
“Shut up and hit the damn ball,” he sarcastically groaned.
Being a smartass, I struck the ball without realigning the shot. It sped down the green a little faster than I intended, jumped over the hill, and hit the brick along the back edge. The angle at which it ricocheted sent the ball directly into the hole. Joey let his club fall on the ground and threw his hands in the air.
“Son of a bitch!” he yelled as I celebrated my hole-in-one. “It’s going to be a long fucking game.”
I hated the Saturdays Vince went to visit his grandparents. They lived two hours away, so the trip was an all-day event. The morning flew by because of an extended baseball practice, but the afternoon sucked. Most of my teammates headed to the theater to check out the newest action flick, but Vince and I had gone the previous night. It wasn’t entertaining enough to see a second time. My parents went to the shore to clean the house, and Jack was still sleeping since he worked overnight. After taking a quick shower, I flopped on the couch in front of the TV and passed out.
Sometime later, I awoke to the sound of Jack tearing apart the kitchen, searching for food. Apparently, he wasn’t happy with his options because he yelled for me to get dressed, then we went out to get something to eat. Once his stomach was full, his mood changed dramatically and he reverted back to being somewhat tolerable again.
“Feel like stopping at the batting cages?” he asked, holding the door for me to exit the pizza place.
“Sure.” Why not? There wasn’t anything else going on. As I yanked the car door open, my phone buzzed.
BC: Hi.
Me: Hey. What’s up?
I was pleasantly surprised. We had missed each other after practice earlier in the day. Since we finished our group project for English, I didn’t have an excuse to text her.
BC: Not much. Busy?
“That must be Brielle.” Jack smirked.
“Why?”
“Because you have a stupid ass look on your face.”
“Fuck you.” Did all big brothers break their younger siblings’ balls as often as he broke mine?
Me: Going to the batting cages with Jack.
BC: Have fun :).
Me: What are you doing?
BC: Not much. If you’re bored, text me later.
Me: Come with us.
BC: Nah. That’s OK. Hang out with your brother. TTYL.
“Can you stop by her house really quick?”
“Is she coming with us?”
“Yeah.” He wouldn’t mind. Jack liked BC.
Me: Be there in 5.
He shook his head. “The two of you still ‘just friends’?”
“Shut up, asshole.”
“Why am I the asshole? I only asked a simple question.”
“Because you are.”
BC: Just come over when you guys finish. I’ll be home all night.
My brother laughed. “I’m not the one letting the cute girl I have a crush on walk around available for the next schmuck who happens to pass by. Anybody could swoop in and steal her right out from under you.”
“See, you’re an asshole.”
Me: Too late. Almost there.
BC: JOEY!!!!!
Jack pulled to a stop at the end of the Watson’s driveway and shut off the engine. The garage door was up, which meant Mr. W. was working on the car. My brother went to check it out while I went to find BC. Alexa opened the door before I knocked.
“Brie’s in her room.”
“Thanks, kiddo.” I yanked on her ponytail and she waved her arms, swatting me away. She was too cute not to torture whenever an opportunity presented itself.
Skipping every other step, I quickly made it to BC’s bedroom door. We’d done homework in there many times and never once was anything out of place. She was kneeling, rummaging through the closet, throwing stuff over her head and into the middle of the room. A duffle bag. An old softball glove. A slipper. A stuffed animal.
“Looking for something?” I asked, startling her.
“Damn it, Joey! You know you need to give me more than five minutes to get ready.” The girl was out of her mind. She was the only person I’d ever met who looked perfect all the time. One time, she had the flu and missed a few days of school. Her mom asked me to bring her homework over. Even sick as a dog with a fever of a hundred and three, BC was beautiful.
Her running shoes were beside the dresser. Assuming they were what the search was all about, I trudged through the forming mountain of stuff and picked them up. “Here.”
Leaning back on her heels, she sighed. “How’d you know?”
“Just a lucky guess,” I teased, helping her stand. She thanked me and shoved her feet into them. We were out the front door in less than two minutes.
Jack was bent over the front end of the car in the garage. “Ready?” At the sound of my voice, he looked up and smiled at BC. He and Mr. W. finished discussing something about power steering, then we were on our way. Since I sat in the back, my asshole brother watched me in the rearview mirror. I refused to make eye contact and kept listening to BC talk about her softball practice that morning. The girls’ team was shaping up to be pretty decent. If everybody stayed healthy, they had the potential of making it to the post-season, which would be a first for them.
The three of us walked to the clubhouse, Jack a few steps ahead. “Want to play golf?” I suggested to BC since we both had enough of swinging a bat for one day.
“We can. I suck, so you can’t make fun of me.”
“I’ll try not to.” She punched my arm. “Okay. Fine.” I rubbed the spot. “I won’t tease you…much.”
“Jerk,” she grumbled. We parted ways with Jack, but not before he commented about watching out for schmucks. BC asked what he meant and I shrugged, pretending not to know.
There were a few people on the course in front of us, but we didn’t have to wait long. BC opted to go second, which was a bit of a surprise. She stole the scorecard and small pencil out of my hand, then signaled for me to go. Not wanting to argue, I dropped the ball down and settled it with my foot. The first hole seemed simple enough, but knowing BC was standing two feet away messed up my concentration. I could see the green in front of me, but I sensed her presence. The breeze was gently blowing and the scent of her shampoo consumed me. My thoughts jumbled and I couldn’t think straight. How the hell could one female screw with my head so badly? She cleared her throat, reminding me she was waiting, so I just swung the stupid club to get the ball to move. It only traveled part of the way, leaving me in a terrible position for the next shot.
BC didn’t say a word, just put her ball down and lined up her shot. She had much better luck, her ball ending up mere inches from the hole. She glanced at me, smiled, then said, “Hmm… I guess I’m not as bad as I thought.” The remaining seventeen holes went pretty much the same way. Being unable to concentrate or take my eyes off her lasted not only the whole game, but
also the ride home. Something told me if I couldn’t convince her we should be more than friends, I’d be lost for the rest of my life.
I couldn’t get that look out of my head. BC made the same face when we were at Vince’s house as she did at dinner. Something haunted her and I hated it. I’d do anything to change whatever the hell it was, but the best I could come up with was providing a distraction. Thankfully, it worked and we had a pretty fun night, considering she kicked my ass…again. I didn’t know how she did it but, every damn time, the girl got the upper hand. Even after the six years we were together and the nearly seven we weren’t, Brielle Watson still owned every ounce of me and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Maddie must’ve heard my truck pull up because I could see her pacing between the door and the window. From the walkway, we could see her tail whipping back and forth so hard, her entire body shook. The moment BC walked in, Maddie went ballistic, her paws barely staying on the floor. I had never seen such craziness from her. When either Jack or I got home, she always came running to greet us, even running into our legs, but the way she acted with BC was nothing short of insane.
“Hey, sweet girl,” BC said, dropping to her knees. “I told him we should’ve taken you with us.” Maddie kissed her face. “Want to go outside?” BC stood and jogged to the back of the house, Maddie trailing closely behind.
“You do realize you may not be getting your dog back, right?” Rich paused at the living room entryway.
Exhaling, I ran a hand over my chin. I suddenly no longer gave a shit who thought what about me. The feelings I had for BC may have been irrational, but they were real. “It’s not the dog I want back.”
Once the words were out, I anticipated a lecture on how BC and the doctor were together and that she and I were merely a thing of the past. I fully expected Rich to tell me how great the guy was for her and how much more he could give her. If she were my daughter, I’d prefer she be with someone whose salary was higher than a cop’s. I’d need to know she was taken care of and safe every single day. I got that, but there was no way anyone could give her the respect, devotion, attention, and love I’d have for her until the day I died. Would he listen to me if I tried to explain that to him? Turns out, I didn’t need to.
“Not only do I understand, Sullivan, but I want the same.” He must have sensed my confusion. “Nobody’s ever made my little girl as happy as you.” Before I responded, the back door slid open and my two favorite girls came inside. Maddie was still vigorously bouncing, and BC was smiling as she spoke to her. They both disappeared into the kitchen.
“What the hell are you giving her now?” I called out.
“Nothing,” she quickly replied.
“You’d better go check on that,” Rich whispered, smiling.
He retreated into the living room as I made my way to the end of the hall. When I reached them, BC was pretending she was innocently standing at the refrigerator, whispering for Maddie not to tell me what she had given her.
“Are you in a hurry to get out of here?” Her facial expression was blank, leaving me unsure how to answer.
“I don’t know. What do you think, Maddie?”
“If it’s up to Maddie, you’re staying. She told me she likes it here.”
“She did?”
“Yup. As a matter of fact, she thinks it’s much better than your place.”
“Liar. Maddie loves where we live.”
“Maybe she just tells you that because she doesn’t want to hurt your feelings.”
“You’re not keeping my dog, Buttercup.”
“Damn it!” Her cheeks flushed and she smiled, as if she’d been caught red-handed…or maybe it was the use of her nickname. “How about a movie? My dad won’t give up the TV because the baseball game is on, but we can watch in my room. I’ll even let you bring a snack.”
“You’ve never let me eat in your room.” She opened a cabinet and started pulling out bags of junk food for me to choose.
“Just this once. Honestly, it’s only because my reasoning is pretty selfish.”
“Do I even want to know?” Did I?
“Probably not.” Her back was to the counter and she looked away.
I walked over, then lifted her chin. “Tell me anyway.” It was probably because of how uncomfortable she seemed, but I needed to hear the answer.
“I’m not ready for you to leave,” she whispered.
“Then I’m not going anywhere.” Her eyes closed when I ran my thumb over her cheek. The sound of Maddie’s tail wagging and hitting the chair had BC stepping away.
She cleared her throat. “What were you thinking? Potato chips? No, too many crumbs. Pretzels? They’d work if you popped the whole thing in your mouth. Mom may have other stuff in the cabinet behind you.”
“Ice cream with hot fudge,” I clarified.
“Uh…” It wasn’t what she had in mind. “We could eat that before we go upstairs.”
“Nope. I want to have it while we watch the movie.” I yanked on the freezer door, grabbing the container of chocolate ice cream. Trying to keep her composure, I could tell BC was trying to devise an alternate plan. “Don’t worry. I won’t spill any of it.”
“Promise?” I winked. “Joey, promise me you won’t make a mess on my bed.”
I grinned. She set herself up for that. “I don’t know… I’m pretty damn good at messing up a bed.” Her face paled, her mouth falling open. Ignoring her, I set about making the sundaes. Barb never moved stuff in the kitchen, so I easily found the bowls. BC was still in shock. I enjoyed knowing her thoughts were about me being in her bed. She could ponder it for a while. It would do her good.
It took until the ice cream was scooped before she snapped out of her daze. She didn’t say much, getting spoons from the drawer, then heating up the hot fudge in the microwave. I was sure she’d say they didn’t have any as an excuse not to use it.
“So what are you doing while we get our nails done tomorrow?”
A change of subject? Okay, Buttercup. I’ll go with it. “Sleeping in.”
“It’s really not fair how little guys have to do to get ready for a wedding.”
“How little we have to do?” My eyebrows shot up. “You haven’t been here over the last month as I’ve been reminded daily of my best man duties.”
Her giggle melted me every…damn…time. “I think they use it as an excuse to drive you crazy. No other best man has ever had to do as much as you have.” She only poured a drop of fudge into my bowl, then saturated hers.
“Give me that,” I snapped, taking the jar out of her hand. She feigned innocence, shrugging. “Do you really think they did that shit on purpose?”
“Yes.”
“Those bitches!”
“Just get them back when it’s your turn to get married.” Clearly, the words were out before she had thought about them. Her motionless body told me as much. I could easily make the situation a lot worse by reminding her how the only girl for me ran away a long time ago, but decided against it.
“I’ll think of something.”
“Sure, you will.” She grabbed her bowl and started to head upstairs, calling for Maddie to follow.
Inside her room, BC folded down the blankets and almost climbed into the spot closest to the door, but walked to the other side at the last second, remembering which side of the bed I preferred. Maddie hopped up, curling into a ball beside BC’s legs. “You better not get anything in this bed or you’re cleaning it up.”
“Fair enough.” There was no better feeling than lying next to her in a familiar place. She hadn’t been back all that long, yet the pillows still smelled of her.
When BC asked for the television remote from the nightstand, I didn’t give it to her. She knew better. It wasn’t in me to tolerate someone else having control of the TV, not even when I lived with my parents. Maybe it had something to do with being the baby of the family. Before I switched it on, she informed me the movie was already in and to just hit play. Of course, sh
e got the last laugh. The most boring girlie movie ever began playing.
It wasn’t a total loss, though. When it ended, Maddie hadn’t budged, and BC was sound asleep on my chest. I kept telling myself not to get used to the sense of overwhelming happiness, but it was too late. I already had.
It was closing in on seven years since my five-day stay at the hospital. There were moments it felt like yesterday, but there were also times it could’ve been decades ago. The pain of losing so much in such a short period never went away. Sometimes, it vaguely tinkered around the edges of my memory; other times, the full-blown vivid details flashed in front of my eyes. However, when Joey kept me company, it seemed a little more tolerable.
Asking him to stay was completely selfish. The right thing would’ve been to thank him for a nice night and send Joey and Maddie on their way. Having the two of them snuggled in my bed crossed the line. The situation certainly shouldn’t have felt as pleasant as it did, but I didn’t care. A temporary break from the pain would do me good.
Falling asleep wasn’t intentional. One minute, I was laughing at Joey for sighing over the dramatics of the actress; the next, I found myself dreaming the sweetest dream I had in some time.
Joey and I were at the park, enjoying an afternoon with our toddler, Maddie following along. She kept a watchful eye, making sure the little one was out of harm’s way. The sun glistened in the sky, which was the most beautiful shade of blue. Bordering the open space, the trees painted the horizon in reds, yellows, and oranges. There had never been a more perfect autumn day. As Joey lifted our baby off the ground, the sound of them laughing filled the air, warming my heart. A joyful tear snuck out and ran down my cheek. I couldn’t keep the secret from him any longer.
“How will you manage things like that when there are two of them and only one of you?”
Securing the squirming child to his chest, Joey turned to me, a smile across his handsome face. “Two?” He didn’t miss the meaning in my words. I nodded. “Don’t mess with me.”
“I’d never do that to you.” He pulled my body to his, capturing my lips. We were elated our little family would be expanding. Our plans were falling into place.
Subtle Reminders Page 27
