“Oh. Wow. That’s…well, it’s fucked up. So what are you going to do?” I ask, because if she says she’s going up there, I’m not going to let her. She doesn’t need the stress.
“Chelsea and I are going over to pack up her crap at Gibbs’ house. He’s started, but it’s not right for him to have to do that all alone. It’s mostly just clothes.” I can hear her rustling around in the background.
“Yeah, just drop Krista off here and I’ll watch her until you guys get finished.”
“You sure?” she asks. “You sound tired.”
“Yeah, I’ve been busy, but it’s okay. I always have time for my niece.”
“All right, we’ll be over in about thirty minutes.”
I smile. “Okay, I’ll get the popcorn ready.”
Krista loves to come over and watch movies and eat popcorn. She tells everyone it’s ‘dirls wight’.
“Right on time,” I say as I hear a knock at my door. Swinging it open, I find Gavin. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“Ah, I decided to ignore what you wanted.” He laughs. He has a pizza in his hand. “I brought food.”
I smile. “Well, if you brought food I guess I’ll let you in.” I step back and let him in.
As I’m about to shut the door, I hear, “My Jade!” as the door is shoved back open by a two-and-a-half-foot tall powerhouse.
“Sorry, she just bolted up here. It’s hard for me to keep up.” She laughs and then notices I have company. “Oh shit. You didn’t say he was coming over.”
I feel him behind me. “I surprised her. I didn’t know she was having such cute company.” He hugs my sister. “Are you keeping an eye on your levels?’
She nods as she pulls back. “Yes. Jade was just going to watch Krista for me. So I can go help Gibbs pack up that crazy b-i-t-c-h’s stuff.”
He nods understandingly. “Well, did they get her checked into the facility and everything okay?”
She nods. “Yes. It is a place the guys had taken their mom before. Thanks for writing the letter. Without it, I’m not sure they would’ve had it that easy.”
He smiles. “It was no problem. She has some serious battles ahead of her if it does turn out to be bi-polar disorder.”
I chuckle at Krista looking through my movies like she can read the titles. “You picking a movie, Princess?”
She holds up a copy of Cinderella that has been watched a million times. “Dirls wight.”
I laugh. “Well, is it okay if Mr. Gavin joins us for girls’ night?”
She puts a hand on her little hip. “I duess.”
Kara laughs. “Okay, well I shouldn’t be too long.”
I hug her. “Take your time.”
After I shut the door, I see Gavin has already gotten Krista situated on the floor with her popcorn and the movie going. He motions for me to sit on the couch, pulling me into his side as the movie starts.
A realization hits me. I’ll probably never have this. A child on the floor watching a movie while Dad and I snuggle on the couch.
CHAPTER 17
GIBBS
A knock at my door brings me from my slightly inebriated spot on the couch. I swing open the door to find Chelsea and Kara. “Hey, girls. What’s up?”
Kara looks at me sideways. “What’s up? Are you drunk, Gibbs?”
I frown my lips. “Eh, a little. It’s been a kinda rough day.”
They come in after I step back. “So really, what’s going on? What brings you two by?”
Chelsea leans against the archway leading to my living room. “We came to pack up Gia’s stuff, you don’t need to have to do that.”
“Good,” I say, walking back to the living room to grab my beer. “I want that bitch’s stuff out of my house.”
Chelsea heads down the hallway to the room Gia was staying in while Kara steps into my living room with tears in her eyes. “I know it’s a crazy situation and the guys are really sorry about all of this.”
I feel bad that everyone is in this situation. They’re torn between family and me. I pull her into a hug. “It’s okay, sweets. I know this is all stressful for everyone. I’m sorry. If I hadn’t started messing around with her, we wouldn’t be dealing with this at all. Now it has made a mess of the relationship between the guys and their sister. Not to mention I don’t think your sister can stand the sight of me.”
She pulls me back into a hug. “Hey, Jade still cares about you. She was just trying to move on with her life.”
“I don’t want her to, though,” I say just above a whisper.
“It’s going to be okay. This is all going to get worked out.”
“I saw her leaving Dr. Jennings office as we were going in. She’d been crying. What’s going on with her? I stopped her and she wouldn’t tell me. I’ve text her and she won’t return it.” I know I’m sounding like some damn pathetic high school kid now.
Kara looks at me curiously. “I don’t know any reason she would be crying but I intend to find out. Krista is over there now, watching movies with her and-.” She stops herself.
“Dr. Jennings, right?” I shake my head. “I’ve missed it, I know I have.” Something hits me. “Is she? Do you know if she’s pregnant?” I know Jade. With everything I’m going through, she’d try to protect me. She’d want to be a martyr. Her sister looks at me stunned and I just shake my head. “I’m going to bed, will you guys lock up when you leave? If you need help with anything, let me know.”
As I lie down, I’m thinking about this entire fucked up mess with Gia. I should’ve made her take a test sooner. Like as soon as she made the damn claim. I should’ve went and bought a test and sat with her while she took it. As gross as that sounds, I wouldn’t fucking be here. I just never suspected that she would act like this. Why would she do this to me? To anyone really? I wonder if she is bi-polar? Maybe that would explain some things about her. I finally doze off an hour or so later after I hear the girls leave.
~*~*~
The next morning, I wake to the sound of my phone ringing. Fumbling for it, I don’t recognize the number. “Hello.” I try to sound more awake than I am considering it’s ten in the morning.
“Mr. Clayton Gibbs?” a young sounding feminine voice says on the other end of the line.
“Yes? Speaking,” I say cautiously.
“This is Regina from Davis and Spires Law Office in Ft. Walton Beach. Mr. Jerry Davis asked that I call you. He needs for you to set up a time when you can come in and talk with him.” Is she smacking gum in the phone or something?
“Why? I settled everything with that part of my life years ago,” I bark out.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Gibbs, I was just told to please set up an appointment with you regarding your twenty-fifth birthday and your estate.” She sighs, sounding like some college-aged girl who got dumped.
“Fine,” I grunt out and set about making my appointment.
I’m pissed I have to go deal with this, but maybe this is what I need. A few days away, I can hang out in Destin, have a few drinks by the beach and leave all of this shit behind. I won’t have to think about Gia or Jade. I can get my damn head on straight.
Grabbing my phone, I call Huck. He answers on the second ring.
“Hey, man, what’s up?” he says, sounding like he’s moving some stuff around.
“I didn’t catch you at a bad time, did I?”
“No, man, I’m shuffling some stuff around in the laundry room to store Gia’s crap for a little bit.”
“Oh, do you need some help?”
“Nah, man. You need a break from this shit. Trust me, if some bitch had pulled that on me, I’d have probably decked her ass or well, I’d have had Liz or Sloan do it. I’d ask one of the other two but they get a little carried away.” He chuckles a little.
“Hey, do you think you can cover the classes for a few days? I need to go up to the panhandle and take care of some legal stuff from years ago. I also thought I might take a little sabbatical from this place.”
�
��Yeah, man. We can manage. Everything okay up there?”
I sigh. “Yeah, I guess there’s some unfinished stuff from my parents’ estate or something. I have to go meet with some lawyer.” Everyone knows my parents died, they just don’t know all of the details. I don’t plan on sharing it with them either.
“All right, no problem. When are you heading out?”
“I may head on up there today. We have a fight next week so I figured I’d go ahead and get it all out of the way.”
“Okay, Gibbs. Well, be safe. Call me if you need anything.”
“Sure. Thanks, Huck.”
After hanging up the phone, I throw some clothes in a bag, lock up the house and head out in my truck. Gulf Coast, here I come.
CHAPTER 18
JADE
My sister was holding something back last night when she picked up Krista. She just seemed off. I wonder what happened while she was at Clay’s?
Once I’m at my desk in the pharmacy, drinking a wonderful cup of coffee that Gavin brought me, I give her a call.
“Hello.”
“Hey, sister. What’s going on?”
She sighs. “Not much, just enjoying this super healthy, good for you, tastes like shit breakfast.” I hear her arguing with Sly. “Because it does taste like shit, that’s why I said that. Krista isn’t even awake so she’s not going to repeat it. If she hasn’t repeated the crap you’ve said then she’s not going to repeat what I say while she’s sleeping.” I hear the phone shuffle around. “Okay, so what’s up this morning?”
I laugh. “You were acting weird last night. What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?” I can hear her getting up and moving. I can tell she’s in another room. “What’s going on with you?” she whispers.
“Nothing. Not something that’s anyone’s business anyway,” I grind out.
“I’m just going to ask then. Are you pregnant? Gibbs is worried that you’re pregnant,” she mumbles quickly.
“Excuse me? What fucking business is it of his or anyone else’s? I can answer that for you. Not one fucking bit,” I bark out, louder than I expected as I slam the phone down.
~*~*~
I’ve quit answering my phone this week and I’m doing my best to avoid my apartment. I’ve actually had a couple of sleepovers at Gavin’s. The sex was decent. I have to be honest with myself and realize I’ll never have sex with anyone like the sex I had with Clay, so I might as well stop comparing people.
My phone buzzes on my desk. “Ms. Chambers, you have a visitor.”
Today I’m at County General Hospital, so I know it can’t be Gavin bringing me coffee. I’m not as close to this lady as I am Lucille so she doesn’t know I’m avoiding most of the people in my life.
Opening the pharmacy door, I see a man standing at the desk. “Can I help you?”
“Yes. I need to deliver a message to someone,” he says coolly.
I’m guessing that it’s for the other pharmacist, so I grab a pen and the notepad. I smile and look up at him. “Okay, who is it for?”
“Clayton Gibbs.” I look up at him confused.
“Okay. I’m not sure I’m the best person to leave it with,” I say, tapping the pen on the paper. “Maybe you should try the gy-.” He puts up his hand for me to stop.
Stepping closer to me, he says, “No, you will give him the message.” I nod as he continues. “Tell him Mike from the gym in Pensacola needs for him to get in touch. Tell him it’s urgent.” He steps closer to me and whispers in my ear. “Tell him it’s life or death.”
I nod, biting my bottom lip, trying not to alert the desk worker and appear casual. “Is there a number I can give him?”
He shakes his head. “No. He knows it.”
I nod as he turns and walks away. I quickly punch the numbers into the pharmacy door and lock myself in.
I call Clay’s phone and it goes straight to voicemail.
What the fuck is Clay into? Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Grabbing my phone, I call Sly. It rings once before he picks up. “Well, little sister has decided to come back to the land of the living…”
“Hey um, yeah, sorry. I’ve just been really busy at work. Then I’ve had a few dates with Gavin.” I hear him chuckle. “Is Clay around? I tried calling his phone but it goes straight to voicemail.”
“He’s up in the panhandle taking care of some old family estate or something. He was planning to go off the grid for a few days, but he should be in tomorrow, I think. We have some fights this weekend so he said he’d be back a few days before. What’s up?”
I try to sound casual. “Oh, I just wanted to talk to him about some stuff.”
“Okay, well if I see him today, I’ll let him know you’re trying to get ahold of him.”
“Thanks, Sly.”
“Hey, call your sister. She’s freaking out and if I tell her I’ve talked to you before she did, she’ll be uber pissed. Which means no ass for me. That means grumpy Sly.”
I laugh, even with my nervousness. “Ha. Okay, I’ll catch up with her.”
Okay, now what the fuck do I do?
So I dial Clay again and again, until his phone finally rings. He picks it up. “Firecracker?”
“Yeah, um, hey. Are you on your way back to town?”
“I should be in tomorrow around noon. What’s up?”
“I, um, need to talk to you about something. I’ll swing by your place tomorrow.”
“Okay. You sure you don’t wanna talk about it now? I’m pretty sure I know what it is.”
“Uh, no. I don’t wanna talk about it on the phone. I wanna talk in person.” I keep looking around the pharmacy like someone is listening or something.
“Are you working tomorrow?” he asks me cautiously.
“No. I get off tonight and then I don’t go back to work until Saturday. So I’ll see you tomorrow,” I nervously rattle.
“Okay. See you then,” he says cautiously.
He hangs up and I lay my head on my desk to keep from having a panic attack.
CHAPTER 19
GIBBS
I don’t know what’s going on with Firecracker, but it has me worried. I look around the hotel room and decide fuck it. I’m going on home. I stopped in Tallahassee and was going to catch a game but nah, I need to find out if I’m going to be a father. I have a feeling that’s what she needs to talk about. I’m just going to show up at her apartment tonight. Rip the band-aid off!
Looking at the clock on the radio in my truck, I see she should’ve gotten off about an hour ago, so she should be home from either hospital by now. I pull into her apartment complex, I’ve driven by here numerous times since she’s moved in but I couldn’t bring myself to stop. Should I be considered a stalker that I’ve found out which apartment she lives in by eavesdropping? Probably, but at this point, I don’t care.
Standing outside her door, I hesitate before I knock. What if Dr. Wonderful is here? She better not plan on that guy raising my kid. He’s probably a nice guy and all but nope, not happening. You stupid fuck, you won’t have a choice. Finally swallowing my pride, I knock on the door.
A minute or so later, she swings open the door. “Clay, I thought you weren’t coming in until tomorrow.”
“Well, your call got me curious and I need to know now,” I rattle.
She nods nervously. “Okay, come in.”
She motions for me to have a seat on her couch. I motion around the room. “This is a nice place. Good neighborhood, too.”
She smiles. “Thank you, I like it. Most of my neighbors are all older so it’s pretty quiet. That helps on the days I have to be at the hospital at five or six in the morning.”
We are both so nervous with each other, it’s insane. “Fire-.” “Clay.” We start at the same time.
We both laugh a little and then there is a knock at her door. She puts her finger up. “Hold on just a second, I’ll be right back.”
She opens the door and I hear her. “Hey,” she says softly.
I hear a deep reply of “hey” back.
“Right now just really isn’t a good time, Gavin.”
Ha ha, fucker. One point for me.
“I don’t know,” she says. “I’ve got a friend over and we need to talk.” A friend? FUCK!
I hear him mumble something and see her hand go on her hip. “Well, I’m sorry. It was a surprise visit. I also remember telling you today on the phone that I was tired and coming home. Nowhere in that conversation did you mention coming over. So I’ll call you in the morning, or later tonight if I feel up to it.”
She leans out the door and gives him a quick kiss. That really turns my stomach. I can’t stand seeing her kiss another guy. She shuts the door and returns to the couch.
“I was sorry to hear about everything with Gia,” she says. “I can’t fathom doing that to someone.”
“Is that what you need to tell me? Are you going to come clean now?” I say, sounding a little shorter than I intended to.
She looks at me confused. “What are you talking about?”
“My baby, Jade. You’re carrying my baby, aren’t you? That’s what this is about.”
Her eyes get huge. “What the fuck? First my sister, now you?” She glares at me. “What in the hell makes all of you people experts on my life?”
I shrug. “You were crying the day I saw you at the doctor’s office. I was worried that you were trying to be a martyr or something.”
She looks at me like I’m retarded. “No, jackass. I was crying over some private issues that everyone seems to feel is their business.”
I feel about two inches tall. “Sorry.” Damn, that’s twice now I thought I’d be a dad. The idea that I was going to have a family again, especially with Jade, was almost exciting. A real family tied to me by blood. I haven’t had that in a long time.
“I needed to talk to you about something else.”
I sigh. “Okay, shoot,” I say like a scolded four-year-old.
“I was working at County General today and a man stopped by and asked me to deliver a message to you,” she says, her voice starting to shake.
Gaining Gibbs (Marco's MMA Boys #4) Page 8
