Running Away

by Jen Andrews

  “You know you’re my favorite sister, right Z?” I asked as she set the dish on top of the stove. I pretended to wipe the drool off my chin from the sight of the mac and cheese . . . with jalapeños.

  She glared at me then threw a potholder at me. “I’m your only sister, dipshit.”

  I saw through the French doors that Andy was out on the patio taking something off the grill. Hannah started crying from another room. I found her in the guest bedroom in her playpen, so I picked her up and took her back into the kitchen.

  “You need to quit putting my Sweet Pea in that playpen thing, Z. She probably feels like a zoo animal.”

  She smiled and tickled Hannah’s bare foot, causing her to giggle and bury her face in the crook of my neck. “I know, but you were in the shower, Andy had to get the lemon chicken off the grill, and I was making the salad. We didn’t really have a choice.”

  Andy came through the door and we sat down for dinner in my new dining room. I settled Sweet Pea in the high chair I’d bought for her, and Z set some baby food in front of her. It was hard to believe she was six months old now and eating solid foods.

  Halfway through dinner, my phone rang. When I looked at the screen, I was surprised to see Shannen’s name. I panicked. She finally had news, and I was scared shitless as to what it might be.

  “Shannen, is everything okay?” My heart was racing.

  “I’m not sure,” she said. “Depending on what your answers are to the next few questions, I’ll let you know.”

  I walked to the living room for some privacy. “I’m ready.”

  “I finally know what happened, Jeremy. Teagan confided in Nat and Jackie and I forced them to tell me what happened since she wouldn’t.”

  “Please, I’ll tell you anything you need to know.” I needed to fix this. I would do anything I needed to. Anything.

  “Jeremy, are you married?” she asked bluntly.

  What the hell? “No, why would you think that?”

  “Teagan went to your house and there was a woman and a baby there. She thought it was your wife and baby. When she talked to Nat and Jackie about it, that Cammie chick or one of her friends overheard the conversation, so Cammie told Teagan it was true.”

  Fuck me. “Shannen, the woman who was at my house is my sister. This is insane. Where’s your sister? I need to see her. This has gone on long enough.” I was pissed at Teagan for not talking to me and running away without an explanation. And I was furious with Cammie for lying to her.

  “She’s here with us at Dub’s. She allowed Nat and Jackie to drag her ass down here after I told her you wouldn’t be here. You need to make this right, Jeremy. I’ll do whatever I can to help you. I can’t stand to see her thinking she is a part of you cheating on someone who is actually not your wife.”

  “Alright, thank you. I’m coming to get her. Make sure she stays there, please.” We ended our call and I went and told Zoey and Andy I was going to get Teagan. “Can you both stay here? I’m going to need your help with this. I can’t let her see you’re here until the time is right. Can you park your Tahoe in the garage, Z?”

  Zoey jumped up and snatched her keys from the kitchen counter. “Yes. I’ll do anything, Jer. We need to fix this.” She hurried out the door.

  When she said ‘we need to fix this,’ I knew she was still feeling guilty about the day Teagan left crying.

  “Good luck, mate,” Andy said as I gathered my keys and wallet then slipped on my shoes.

  “Thanks, man. I’m gonna need it.” Then I realized I had no idea how to handle the situation. “Wait, what am I supposed to say to her? Every time I see her she disappears on me and she has made it abundantly clear she doesn’t trust me at all.”

  “You just have to be honest with her. That’s all you can do. Put her needs before your own because she’s the one who’s been hurt the most with all the lying and stories.”

  Zoey came back in as Andy finished his sentence. “Jer, he’s right. But most of all, she needs to know she’s who you want and no matter what, you’ll do anything to prove that to her,” she said.

  With a nod of understanding, I jogged out to my car and hauled ass over to Dub’s. I found my three friends, and the four girls hanging out at our usual couch. If Teagan decided to hate me forever, this could get awkward.

  Teagan was perched on the very edge of the couch. I knew by the look on her face that she did not want to be there. She looked like she was ready to run. In fact, when she looked over and saw me, she did run.

  My heart sank. She hated me. She’d made it into the other room by the time I caught her. She refused to face me, so I slipped my arm around her waist and rested my hand across her flat stomach.

  “Teagan, please, stop running away from me. Can we talk?” I pleaded with her.

  She turned to face me. “I have nothing to say to you, Jeremy. After everything that’s happened, I can’t even stand to look at you.” Her eyes filled with tears—her words crushed me.

  “Please,” I begged. “What you think you know, and what Cammie told you is wrong. Please come with me so we can talk. It will all make sense if you’ll let me explain. It’s not what you think, I swear.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me. She was so freaking adorable when she was infuriated, and I couldn’t help but smile at her. I knew I was getting to her when her expression softened.

  “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, but it needs to be done. You decide,” I said, challenging her.

  “None of this has been the easy way, Jeremy. Why start now?” she countered. She was being a smartass, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

  Thank fuck. We’re making progress here, people.

  “Fine, then. Don’t say I didn’t give you a choice, though. The hard way it is.”

  I bent at the knees, picked her up, and tossed her over my shoulder.

  She squirmed and yelled, “Put me down you freaking caveman!”

  “Hell no.” I walked to the other room where our friends sat on the couch. “We’re leaving. Have a good night, guys.”

  Everyone on our couch laughed and cheered, which in turn, pissed Red off even more. She jabbed me in the ribs several times with her fingers. When that did nothing to deter me, she slapped me on the ass repeatedly.

  Shaking my head, I made my way to the front door of the bar. She begged me to put her down and smacked me the entire way.

  “Knock it off, Teagan, or you’re gonna regret it,” I warned.

  My ass was stinging from her spankings, but all it did was turn me on. I was about to smack her on the ass when she stopped struggling and started laughing. I knew right then I was in trouble.

  She stuck both hands down the back of my shorts and twisted the waistband of my boxers.

  Abruptly, I stopped. “You wouldn’t dare,” I muttered. That little shit was playing dirty.

  “Oh yes, Jeremy. I definitely would.” She twisted the waistband tighter to prove her point.

  Fine, two can play this game. I slid my hand up her bare thigh and beneath her skirt to clutch the top of her panties. “Teagan, if you pull mine up, yours are coming down. The choice is all yours.”

  “Well, since we seem to be doing everything the hard way . . .”

  She tugged on my boxers.

  I pulled her panties down an inch.

  We were at a stalemate, and people were watching our exchange. Actually, it was kind of amusing.

  “On the count of three, we both let go,” she finally said.

  I turned to face the bar full of people, in case she tried to trick me. She wouldn’t want her bare ass shown to everyone in the bar. “Okay,” I agreed.

  “One, two, three, go!” she said.

  Neither one of us let go.

  I turned and left the bar with her hands still down the back of my shorts. I let go of her panties and wrapped one arm around the back of her legs to keep her steady as I hit the button on my key fob to unlock my car. I stopped at the
passenger door. “Let go of my boxers and I promise I’ll put you down.”

  She gave them a slight tug then let go. I carefully set her down and as soon as her feet hit the ground, she tried to walk off. I grabbed her hand and pulled her back to my side.

  “Teagan, I swear if you run away from me again, I will tackle you and drag your ass back. So don’t even think about it.”

  She sighed loudly and dropped onto the seat after I’d opened her door. I belted her in so it would be harder for her to get out and run while I walked around to my side of the car. To be on the safe side, I locked the doors, too.

  I kept my eyes on her as I walked around the front of the car. She was quick and feisty, and I didn’t trust her for shit right now. I grinned and she crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at me.

  When I reached my door, I hit the unlock button. As I went for the handle, the locks clicked again. I bent over and eyed her through the window. She was staring straight ahead. I gripped the handle and hit the button again. This time she let me in. I got in and started my car.

  “You’re a feisty little shit, you know that?” I asked her as I pushed in the clutch and shifted to first gear. When she ignored me, I drove to my house without saying another word to her.

  At my house, she sat in the car until I came around to open her door for her. She took off her own seatbelt, and when I reached my hand in to help her out, she smacked it away.

  When she stepped out of the car, I took her hand again. This time, I laced my fingers through hers, and couldn’t help but grin when her small fingers closed around mine.

  Once in my living room I said, “Wait here, Teagan. Please don’t leave. Everything will be okay, I promise.” I was ecstatic when she agreed and sat on the couch.

  Andy and Zoey were at the dining room table eating dessert.

  “Where’s Hannah?” I asked quietly.

  “She’s asleep on your bed since she’s not a zoo animal. Is Teagan here, Jer?” Zoey asked.

  “Yeah, I’ll bring her in here in a few minutes.” I wanted her to meet Sweet Pea first.

  Zoey clapped quietly and danced in her freaking seat.

  Laughing at my dork of a sister, I left the dining room and was relieved to see Teagan still sitting where I’d left her on the couch. I offered her my hand and reluctantly, she took it, following me to my bedroom door. “Teagan, I need you to meet two people tonight. They’re very important to me,” I said, before pushing the door open.

  She nodded and swallowed hard.

  I brushed the back of my fingers across her cheek to assure her. “You can trust me,” I said softly. She could trust me because I would never lie to her.

  We entered the room and Hannah was sound asleep in the center of the bed, surrounded by pillows so she couldn’t roll toward the edge. I held my breath and watched Teagan’s reaction.

  “Is she your daughter?” she asked softly as she stared down at Hannah. She turned and looked up at me, waiting for my answer.

  I shook my head. “Not in the way you think she is. She’s my goddaughter, and my niece. The woman who was here with her the day you came over is my sister, Zoey.”

  Her eyes filled with tears so I took her hand in mine again.

  “I’m so sorry. I just assumed . . . you don’t look anything like your sister. She was wearing a wedding ring, and was talking on the phone about a man doing something bad to her,” she said quietly. She looked back down at Hannah. “She’s beautiful.”

  “She is, isn’t she? Her name is Hannah, but she’s my Sweet Pea. I’d do anything for her.”

  Teagan squeezed my hand, and it gave me hope.

  “Is your sister here too? I’d like to meet her and apologize for my behavior.”

  I nodded. “She’s here with her husband, who you already met at the hospital. They’re in the dining room.”

  We left Hannah sleeping on my bed and went to the dining room. I reintroduced her to Andy and then to my sister.

  “Teagan, it’s wonderful to meet you, officially,” Zoey said.

  “Hello, Zoey,” Teagan offered her trembling hand to my sister in greeting. “Um, I’d like to apologize for the way I acted the day I came over here. I misunderstood the situation. I’m very sorry.”

  And because Z is the way she is, she hugged Teagan. “It’s okay. I was being rude for staying on the phone, please accept my apologies.”

  After a bit of small talk with us, Zoey and Andy packed up Hannah, and went home. Teagan and I still needed to talk and I hoped she would stay. At least neither of us had been drinking this time and our heads were clear.

  “We have a lot to talk about Teagan,” I said. “I have an odd proposition for you, but I hope you’ll say yes.” God, please let her say yes.

  She waited for me to continue. “Will you go back to your place and pack a bag and come back here for the weekend? You can stay in my room or the guest bedroom, by yourself obviously. I really want to get all this crap Cammie has done out in the open, so you’ll know what’s true and what isn’t.”

  I honestly couldn’t tell what she was thinking from the expression on her face. I only knew she was upset and overwhelmed. I had seen that look on my sister’s face too many times not to recognize it.

  “We can talk, hang out, and do whatever you want. I have a pool in the backyard—we can barbecue, and get to know each other. Take things slow. I’ll give you a few minutes to decide. Here are the keys to my car. You can drive it to your place to get some clothes and anything else you want to bring over.”

  I set the keys on the table next to her. She looked down at them then back up at me. The ball was in her court and I had to live with her decision this time.

  If this was the last time I was going to see her, I at least wanted a chance to say goodbye. I stepped over to her and wrapped my arms around her.

  “Please . . . come back,” I said softly into her ear and then I left her standing there because I couldn’t stomach watching her walk out my door. I went to my bedroom and sat on my bed. I waited until I heard my front door close then went back and found my keys were still on the table.

  She’d made her decision, and she wasn’t coming back. I’d really lost her for good this time.

  After flipping on the TV, I sat on the couch and channel surfed in a daze for two fucking hours before I finally shut it off. When I stood to get the tequila and a shot glass from the kitchen, I heard a soft knock at the front door.

  I jogged over and pulled it open. Teagan was standing on my porch with a small suitcase in her hand.

  She hadn’t run away again. This time she’d come back to me.

  I’d been standing on Jeremy’s doorstep for fifteen minutes trying to gather the nerve to knock. The last time I’d knocked on his door an unpleasant series of events, which held absolutely no truth, had happened. Cammie and her friend had told me so many lies about Jeremy, I hadn’t known what, or who to believe.

  I hadn’t wanted to leave the bar with him, but I was glad I did. Granted, he hadn’t given me much of a choice. My lips parted in a soft smile at the memory. But I’d felt like I was being stupid and stubborn at not giving him a chance to explain. Although not everything I had been told about Jeremy could be ignored, he had shown his honesty by bringing me to meet his niece and his sister. Now was the time for me to give him the benefit of the doubt. Through his window, I saw his flat-screen TV shut off, and figured he was getting ready to go to bed. It was now or never.

  Within seconds of knocking, the door swung open, and Jeremy stood in front of me. His surprised expression told me he hadn’t thought I was coming back.

  “Teagan, you came back,” he said. He let out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “Please, come in.” He reached down and took my small suitcase from my hand as I stepped through the door.

  A ton of questions needed to be answered, but one needed to be answered before I could accept his proposition. “Jeremy, what is the purpose of me staying here with you for the weekend wh
en I’m not exactly your type of woman?”

  His brows furrowed in confusion and he motioned for me to sit on the couch. “I want you here to talk about what’s been going on without interference from anyone. I want you to get to know me, by talking to me, not other people.” He took a seat next to me. “As for you not being my type of woman, you’re wrong about that. You are exactly my type of woman.” He breathed in then out slowly before he asked, “So can you stay and give us time to talk, really talk?”

  Can I take the risk? Could I give him the chance he wanted? Even through all the lies, I was attracted to him and we had a connection I couldn’t deny even if I’d wanted to.

  Believing the girls at work without giving him his say wasn’t fair to him. I knew Cammie and Jeremy had been in a relationship at one point. The truth about Zoey and Hannah had been revealed. I didn’t know what to think about anything else that I’d been told, but by accepting his proposal, I could make up my own mind based on his actions and his explanations. “Okay, Jeremy. I’m in. I don’t know what’s going to happen after the weekend is over, but I do agree with everything you’ve said so far.”

  He smiled anxiously, but his shoulders noticeably relaxed. “Look, this is all new for me. I’m going to screw up, but I am trying to make this right. I swear I will never lie to you. I’ll answer any question you have, even if I know you won’t like the answer. I’d never intentionally hurt you, and I’m sorry for everything you’ve already been through because of me.”

  Straightening in my seat, I took a deep breath and let it out, hoping this was the right decision. “Alright, let’s do this. What do we have to lose?” Just myself . . .”Where’s my bedroom?”

  He grinned then stood and held his hand out to help me off the couch. After I slipped my hand into his, Jeremy grabbed my suitcase and escorted me down the hallway past the bedroom I knew was his. He flipped the light on in another bedroom.

  When we stepped in, my heart sank when I saw the room. It looked very familiar, and I didn’t want to stay in there. “Um, can I stay in your room instead?”

  “Sure, but what’s wrong?”