Desire Had A Name: The Bad Baker Boys: Matt's Story

by Tonya Brooks

  Who threw the first punch remained a mystery as they went at each other in the middle of the room, knocking over tables, bottles flying while the two men pounded on each other. Or rather, while Matt pounded on Charlie. With his training and skill, Matt could have easily taken his adversary out in a matter of seconds, but sometimes a man just needed to beat the hell out of something and get it out of his system.

  This was one of those times.

  When it became obvious that Charlie was no match for his opponent, one of his friends decided to help him out, and Mark tackled him. Within a matter of minutes, a free for all had ensued among the rest of the patrons. Luke and John walked in, saw their brothers fighting anyone within reach, and dove into the melee without needing an explanation. The brothers might fight among themselves, but they had each other’s backs and stood together against an outsider every time.

  ~~~~

  The slamming door was a sure indicator that the meeting had not gone as Harley had hoped, and one look at her face assured Claire that she was furious. “What happened?” She asked in resignation.

  “Arrogant bastard hasn't changed a bit.” Harley fumed as she threw her purse on the sofa and began to pace the room. “Matthew refused to sign the divorce papers!”

  Claire had to bite the inside of her cheek to prevent a smile. It would seem Matt wasn't as eager to end their marriage as her daughter was. “Really?” She asked in amusement as she laid the book she'd been reading on the end table. “Did he say why?”

  “He wants custody of Jed!” She practically shouted and picked up a throw pillow to sling it at the sofa as well. “I never would have believed Matthew capable of something this heartless. My God, how can he expect me to give up my son? How could he think I'd even consider such a thing?”

  Claire didn't doubt that her son-in-law would love nothing better than to have custody of their son, but she knew he'd never push the issue. She'd be willing to bet Matt had said it because they were arguing again. “Tell me you two didn't get in a fight,” she pleaded.

  “It's all his fault,” Harley growled as she flopped down on the sofa and pounded a throw pillow in frustrated fury. “Why does he always have to be so damn disagreeable?”

  “What did Matt disagree with?”

  “He doesn't want another man taking his place in Jed's life.” She announced as she stood and began to pace again. “Donald could never replace Matthew. Jed adores him.”

  “Of course he does. Matt is a wonderful father and he loves that boy more than anything.” Claire agreed. “But, I can see why he wouldn't want another man spending more time with his son than he can.”

  “Well, I can't.”

  “Oh? You wouldn't mind it if Matt got married and Jed called another woman mom?”

  “What?” Harley frowned and did not like the idea at all. Either one of them, dammit.

  “No one wants to be replaced in their child's affections, honey. And since Jed would be spending more time with Donald than with him, I'm sure Matt isn't happy with the idea. I know I wouldn't be,” she confessed.

  “He's not going to replace him, dammit.” Harley fumed. “Donald's just going to fill in when Matthew can't be there.”

  “Which is most of the time,” she reiterated. “The man has a right to be upset, Harley. First he finds out you're getting married again and Jed will have a step-father, and then you tell him that you're still married. That's a lot to take in all at once. I'm sure Matt will be more reasonable once he's had time to think about it.” And his temper had cooled down.

  “He'd better hope so,” she said as she sat down again. “I didn't come back here for nothing and I'm not leaving until he signs those damn papers.”

  Claire smiled again. Whether Harley liked it or not, she could be here for quite some time.

  ~~~~

  Back at the bar, the Baker brothers had cleaned house. In more ways than one. Three of them were almost finished cleaning up the destruction while the fourth sat alone at the bar with an empty bottle of whiskey.

  “That's as good as it's gonna get.” Luke said as he shook the table he had just repaired to make sure it was steady, and aggravated his bruised knuckles.

  “It'll do.” Mark said as he flexed his aching shoulder. The old injury rarely hurt unless he overexerted his arm. A fight was guaranteed to do that every time. He was getting too damn old for this kind of behavior and so was Matt. His hoped like hell his brother realized that tomorrow when he sobered up. And paid for the damages.

  “You wanna tell me what we were fighting about?” John griped as he swept up the last of the glass and ignored what felt like a pulled tendon in his wrist.

  “Doesn't matter,” Mark said with a stern look. The last thing he wanted to do was mention Harley and get Matt riled up again. The eldest might be drunk, but he was still in a piss poor mood and just as dangerous to deal with.

  “I'm assuming it’s because Harley's back.” Luke commented sagely.

  Mark cursed fluently because just the mention of her name had roused the dragon.

  “Damn her.” Matt growled angrily and slammed his fists on top of the bar, rattling the empty bottle and glass. “Jed's got a father. Don't need another one.”

  “Have another drink, bro.” Mark offered as he sat a fresh bottle in front of him. He wasn't trying to promote drunkenness, he was just trying to knock his brother out before he decided to go find Harley and wring her neck.

  “Damn woman. Can't keep her, can't get rid of her,” he complained. When Matt folded his arms atop the bar and laid his head on them, the brothers breathed a sigh of relief because he was out for the night.

  “What the hell is going on?” Luke demanded quietly.

  “I only caught the parts they were shouting about.” Mark explained tiredly. “But from what I could gather, they're still married.” The two younger brothers stared at him in open mouth shock. “And Harley wants a divorce so she can marry some lawyer and give Jed a full time father.”

  “How'd that idea work out for her?” John asked facetiously. It wasn't hard to gauge what his brother’s reaction had been since the evidence of it was passed out in front of him.

  “Matt refused to sign the divorce papers unless she gives him custody of Jed.” Mark informed them bluntly.

  “Oh, hell,” Luke sighed and knew that would never happen. “No wonder he was spoiling for a fight.”

  “Luckily, Harley got out alive, but Charlie didn't have enough sense to keep his mouth shut and it was on from there.” He explained and shook his head in dismay at the whole situation. “Let's get him home.”

  “He's gonna have a hell of a hangover tomorrow.” John groused.

  “I hope Harley has enough sense to steer clear of him.” Luke said hopefully even though he doubted it. He loved his sister-in-law dearly, but she and his oldest brother were like gasoline and an open flame, too damn combustible to be put together for any reason.

  He couldn't get over the fact that they were still married. Judge Daniels had handled their annulment and he knew the older man wouldn't have made a mistake like that. Maybe he should have a talk with him and find out what was going on. Had it been anyone but Harley making such a claim, Luke would have been suspicious of the motive behind it. But he knew his sister-in-law well enough to know that she had no reason to lie about still being married to Matt.

  Hell, everybody knew she couldn't get out of their farce of a marriage fast enough to begin with, and it seemed she was just as anxious to end it now. Even so, the whole thing just didn't sit right with him. Maybe the judge would be able to shed some light on the situation.

  Chapter Eight

  Friday, May 24, 2013

  Luke discovered that Judge Daniels had left town that morning for a weekend fishing trip with the district attorney. Not about to let that deter him, he went down to the hall of records and pulled a copy of Matt and Harley's annulment. Everything seemed to be in order and that confused the hell out of him as well as confirmed his suspicions th
at something wasn't right. He'd have to wait until Monday and talk to the judge about it. Hopefully by then, Matt would have calmed down enough that he could discuss it with him as well.

  He was shocked to discover that Matt had been the one to file for the dissolution of their marriage. After the way his brother had fallen apart when Harley had left, he couldn't imagine why he would have petitioned for the annulment since he obviously hadn't wanted one. Then again, his older brother hadn't been in the best frame of mind back then. Apparently, he'd had the same problem last night. But Harley had always had the ability to make Matt behave like a damn fool. Some things never changed.

  ~~~~

  Matt woke to a pounding in his head and realized some damn fool with a death wish was knocking on his bedroom door. Opening his eyes to mere slits, he saw sunlight and pulled the cover over his aching head. “Go 'way,” he muttered roughly.

  “Dad, you awake?” Jed asked as he entered the room.

  Jed. Jed was there. “Yeah, Champ,” he said hoarsely and peered at his son through bleary eyes.

  “Mom's coming to get me so I can spend some time with grandma,” the boy explained. “Is that okay?”

  “Go. Have fun.” Matt managed to say.

  The boy frowned and looked him over carefully. “You okay, Dad?”

  “Fine,” he muttered.

  “Okay. Bye, Dad.”

  “Bye, Champ.”

  Matt was asleep again before the boy left the room. The next time he woke it was almost ten and he still felt like hell. He hadn't been drunk in a long time. The last time had been Harley's fault too, he thought irritably and recalled the binge he had gone on when she moved to Florida. Matt had consumed so much alcohol that week it was a miracle he hadn't died. Truth be told, he probably would have been better off if he had. Losing her had damn near killed him anyway.

  'But she's back now,' that imp from hell reminded him. 'And she's still your wife.'

  Matt could not get over the fact that they were still married. That Harley was still his wife whether she liked it or not. It was more than obvious that she didn't, he thought with a scowl as he headed to the shower and stood there with hot water cascading over his aching head. The question plaguing him was, what the hell was he supposed to do now? He had lived up to his part of the deal twelve years ago when he signed the annulment and let her go.

  'And you've regretted it every day since,' the imp pointed out.

  Hell, he knew that. Matt hadn't wanted a divorce to begin with. He'd wanted his wife and son with him where they belonged. If he'd had a clue that Harley had been willing to stay with him, he would have begged her not to go. But, fool that he was, he'd let her leave him and he'd suffered through hell all these years because of it.

  His head came up and a grim look of determination filled the obsidian eyes. Matt was tired of suffering. He wanted his wife and son back and dammit, he'd been given a second chance to make it happen. Although he had absolutely no idea how to accomplish it. Especially since Harley still seemed to despise him as much as she ever had. Not to mention the fact that she wanted to marry another man.

  His eyes narrowed dangerously at the thought and the familiar sensation of jealousy filled him. Harley was still his wife and he'd be dammed if he'd give her up without a fight. Not this time. Losing her again was not an option. Matt showered, shaved and dressed before he went down to the kitchen to face the old man.

  “You want somethin' to eat?” Jedidiah asked when his eldest finally came downstairs.

  “No.” Matt moaned as he poured himself a cup of coffee. The mere thought of food was nauseating.

  Jedidiah looked him over and sighed in regret. Matt didn't have a scratch on him from the bar brawl, but a blind man could tell he was hung over. “You look like hell.”

  Matt sat at the table and glared at him through bloodshot eyes. “You knew,” he accused and understood what his father had meant about keeping Harley with him this time. The old man had known they were still married and he hadn't said a damn thing.

  Jedidiah didn't even pretend not to understand. “Hell, yeah, I knew.”

  “Why the hell didn't you tell me?” He demanded and winced when his head began to throb again.

  “I promised her I wouldn't.” Jedidiah replied and handed him a bottle of aspirin. “I tried to tell you as best I could, but you didn't listen, did ya? You just had to get in a fight with her, didn't ya?” When all he received in reply was a stony glare, Jedidiah said seriously, “Matt, you gotta stop fightin' with that woman and start lovin' her if you want to keep her.”

  Matt had already come to that conclusion on his own, but he still had no idea how to go about it. “How the hell am I supposed to do that?” He demanded in disgust as he opened the bottle and shook the tablets into his hand. “Harley despises me.”

  “Hell, you ain't never had a problem seducing a woman,” his father insisted. “Turn on that bad boy charm and claim your wife.”

  Matt swallowed the aspirin and wished like hell it was that easy.

  ~~~~

  Later on that afternoon, Jedidiah saw his grandson walk through the door with his shoulders stooped and asked in concern, “What's wrong, Son?” The boy looked up at him and he whistled in appreciation at the black eye he sported. “That's quite a shiner,” he opined as he led the boy to the kitchen and pulled a pack of frozen peas out of the freezer. “Hold this on it and tell me what happened.”

  The boy placed the bag on his face and winced because it was tender. “Aunt Stella wasn't feelin' good, so grandma took me and Candi to the park so she could rest.” He began to explain and then commented, “I think she had a hangover.”

  “What do you know about hangovers?” The older man interrupted with a frown.

  “Just what I've seen from the uncles,” he shrugged and then added thoughtfully. “Dad kinda looked like he had one this morning.”

  Ah, hell. The boy didn't need to know about that. Changing the subject quickly, Jedidiah prompted, “So you went to the park.”

  “Yeah. Candi likes the swings, but she's only six,” he explained to excuse her childish behavior. “Then Eddie Simms and some of his friends came over and started saying stuff he shouldn't have said.”

  “Like what?”

  “Stuff about my mom and dad,” Jed evaded answering directly. “I told him he'd better shut his mouth or I'd do it for him. He laughed and said he'd kick my as... uh, rear end, just like his dad kicked my dad's last night. So I shut him up.”

  Jedidiah had to fight a grin of pure pride. The boy was a chip off the old block alright. “Ya don't say.”

  “Then some of his buddies butted in and Candi jumped on 'em, kickin' and clawin' like a little wildcat. You should've seen her, Grandpa. They went runnin' in every direction,” he said with genuine excitement in his voice.

  “I'll bet it was a sight to behold,” the older man laughed. Like her aunt Harley, little Candi Abbot was already a hell of a scrapper who didn't take junk from nobody.

  “Grandma didn't think so,” he sighed and laid the peas on the table. “She took us home and mom had a fit when grandma told her about it. I don't think I've ever seen her as mad as she was when she dropped me off.”

  Uh, oh. That didn't sound good. “Where's your mom now?” Jedidiah asked with a worried frown.

  “She was gonna go have a talk with dad.”

  Ah, hell. Those two were gonna keep right on fighting until they really did hate each other. “Come on, little Jed,” he said as he headed for the door.

  “Where we goin', Grandpa?”

  “To stop world war three,” the older man assured him. Matt and Harley didn't care who they fought in front of, but Jedidiah knew they would never do it around the boy. They loved their son too much to ever subject him to that.

  ~~~~

  Since Claire had left the decorating up to her, Harley had spent an enjoyable morning picking out new bedding for her room and choosing paint for the walls. Deciding to keep the chocolate color scheme
flowing, she had found a lovely comforter set in an ice blue, champagne and brown fluer de lis pattern. Its simple understated elegance added a more sophisticated look to the formerly bland room and would make a wonderful guest room that her mother could enjoy for years to come.

  She moved all of the furniture to the center of the room, covered everything with plastic and had just opened the paint when her mother and son arrived home from the park to inform her about the fight. Harley had been furious after she checked Jed over for injuries and knew exactly who was to blame.

  Despite her mother’s protestations, she had taken Jed to his grandfather before she went to confront his father. Harley pulled into the parking lot and slammed the door when she got out of the car. She stomped into the garage and kicked a creeper out of her way as she advanced on her husband. “You,” she hissed venomously. “How dare you.”

  Matt still had a headache and he felt slightly nauseous. The last thing he needed was a fight with Harley and her expression assured him that she was furious. “Go. Away,” he said succinctly even as his eyes roved appreciatively over the well worn jeans and sequined tank top she wore. She looked and sounded more like the Harley he remembered, and that wasn't necessarily a good thing right then.

  “You've done some pretty low things in your life, Matthew, but this time you've gone too far.” Ignoring his words as if he hadn't spoken, she marched right up to him and poked her finger in his chest. “Jed's been hurt, dammit, and it's all your fault!”

  Matt's heart nearly stopped at that announcement. The wrench fell from his hand unnoticed as he paled to ash. Grasping her upper arms, he demanded in a voice harsh with fear, “Jed's hurt? How bad? Where is he?”

  Harley stared at him as if she'd never seen him before. This was the father that Jed adored, the man who loved his son above all things, and right now he was terrified. Fear was not an emotion that she had ever attributed to Matthew Baker and it cooled her ire instantly. “Jed's fine,” she assured him in a much calmer tone, placing her palms against his chest in reassurance and felt his heart pounding wildly. “He's got a black eye, but he's alright.”