Enforcer

by Ryleigh Rhodes

  "Not that I know of. What's in it?" I answered, leaning against the island.

  "Just herbs, comfrey and sage mostly. Assuming I made this correctly it's going to burn. When it stops burning or stinging that's when we'll take it off. From what I've read it can take an hour or up to twenty-four. Drink a glass of water, and I'll start putting it on."

  I filled, then chugged a glass of water, and set the glass on the counter. Claire pulled my shirt out of the way, and applied the herb mixture. After applying the gauze pads, she wrapped the Ace bandage around my chest, securing it snugly. She tossed the trash away while I adjusted my shirt.

  "Assuming this works, when it starts burning drink another glass of water. You need to stay hydrated."

  I pulled her towards me, gently kissing her. It was closed mouth, but still sweet.

  "Mommy, I'm thirsty," Tara-Lynn commented oblivious about the kiss she walked in on.

  ######

  Claire

  My cheeks flushed. Scrunching down, I hid my face in Clay's chest away from Tara-Lynn's view. I need to get over my insecurities about kissing Clay in front of my kids. It still felt weird.

  "Okay. I'll make some juice," I promised, and Tara-Lynn left. Standing up on my toes, I lean into Clay. His hand went to my ass, pulling me deeper into him. I kiss him once more. "Go watch the game. Take the fruit tray with you."

  "It's cute you get embarrassed so easily," He said, giving my ass a good squeeze before leaving with the fruit tray.

  I pulled out the juicer and got to work making juice. Then I proceeded to take it apart and give it a quick cleaning before setting each part into the dish strainer to dry by the sink. I brought the pitcher of juice in the living room, and poured Tara-Lynn a glass, before sitting next to Clay on the couch.

  "Is it stinging?" I asked.

  "Oh, yeah. I hope this helps." Clay smiled, wrapping his good arm around my shoulders. During a commercial break Matt moved to the ottoman by Clay's feet.

  "Uncle Clay, when are you and Aunt Claire getting married?" Matt innocently asked. My body went rigid. Clay tried to soothe me by rubbing my shoulder, but that did not help. He didn't appear to be freaked out either.

  "Matt, marriage is a serious commitment, and it's not to be taken lightly. Why do you think we're getting married?" I questioned.

  "My mom said you're probably gonna get married and have a baby."

  Biting my tongue, I looked over at Clay. Was that a smirk? I was definitely going to talk to Kristen. I needed to know her intentions. If she was deliberately trying to break us up, I didn't know what I would do.

  "I'm going to have a little sister?" Tara-Lynn perked at the thought. Oh, God!

  Stay calm, Claire!

  "No, sweetie. There's no baby. If Clay and I decide to get married, it will be our decision, and you will hear it directly from us, not Aunt Kristen. Okay?"

  "Okay," the kids chorused.

  Grabbing Clay's water glass, I retreated into the kitchen. I was beyond pissed, and I had some decisions to make.

  ######

  Clay

  "The game's back on," I stated. Matt turned his attention back to the TV.

  Tara-Lynn tapped my knee. "Is mommy mad?" Tara-Lynn asked softly.

  "No, sweetie. She's tired from working late last night." I knew Claire was pissed at Kristen, but Tara-Lynn did not need to feel guilty about it. "I'll go check on her, okay?"

  Tara-Lynn nodded and sat back on the couch to watch football.

  Claire was staring out the window by the kitchen sink. I stood behind her and wrapped my arm around her waist. Her body was tense, so I kissed her hair. Having her in my house felt perfect. Babies and marriage with Claire, didn't scare me, but I wasn't in a hurry. I was happy with the road we were on.

  "Tara-Lynn thinks you're mad." Claire leaned back into my chest, her body was still holding some tension. I was upset with Kristen, but Claire didn't run. She stayed and that meant something.

  "I'm displeased, and a little freaked out. That whole conversation caught me off guard. This is the second time Kristen's undermined my authority as a parent. I'm trying not to overreact, but Kristen needs to realize she's crossed a line. What would you do?"

  I dropped my head and nuzzled her neck. Finally, her body relaxed, and she let out a sigh. "Honestly, I don't know, but I'm guessing you have a plan?"

  "We'll be moving out. I'll let things settle for a few days, then talk to her, maybe I won't be as upset then. I'm too exhausted to deal with her, or moving, tonight."

  I could tell Claire was worn out from working last night. At least with private practice she would be on call less often. I wasn't sure if Kristen was purposefully trying to cause contention between us. Claire, being strong-willed herself, wouldn't put up with the interference for long.

  "Why don't you move in here? We don't have to sleep in the same room." Once the season picked up I'd have very little down time. Having Claire and the kids under my roof would give me more time with them, and give me peace of mind.

  "We'll stay here tonight. I'm curious how this little science experiment with your ribs works out ... I'll try to get off work early tomorrow, and pack up everything. It shouldn't take long. Will you text Kristen or Jack and ask them to pick up Matt on their way home." Claire moved away from me to pour a glass of juice.

  "Where are you going to stay tomorrow night?" I asked, grasping in my mind for any words at all that could convince her to stay here with me..

  "A portion of the insurance came through. We'll just stay in a hotel for a week or two, no big deal."

  With any luck, I would change her mind soon. I'd call Q or Sarah to see what they might suggest. Maybe Jack could convince Kristen to back off whatever juvenile plan she had.

  "Did Jack give a reason why Kristen's behaving this way?"

  I nodded, pausing a moment to gather my thoughts. Kristen could be a pain, but I didn't want to dirty the water even more by phrasing anything the wrong way.

  "Kristen believes I used the excuse of seeing Matt to get closer to you. If we do work out, she feels Matt's relationship with me may take a back seat to our new family. Jack is my cousin, and best friend. We've always hung out when schedules allow." I chose to leave the part out about Kristen not wanting to lose her status as social butterfly, and her home being the central matriarchal hub for family gatherings.

  "Sounds like she knew where to hit you to make you feel guilty. I'm sure Jack doesn't share her opinion," Claire replied, rubbing her brow. She always did that when she was deep in thought. I wondered if she even realized it.

  "He doesn't. I have been stop by more frequently, since you moved in. I enjoy spending time with the kids. You were at work most of the time, so it gave Jack and Kristen some down time if Maria wasn't around."

  I won't lie, I enjoyed seeing her more, even if it was briefly, for five minutes when she got home from a shift at the hospital. The twins and Matt, were always entertaining in the most random ways.

  "Those kids are almost inseparable. The last thing I want to do is to ruin their friendship because Kristen and I can't agree on things. I'm sure moving out will cause some temper tantrums, but I'll handle it. Let's go watch the game." I grabbed her hand before she could walk back into the living room. I maneuvered her close to me, slighting tugging her hair so her chin lifted toward me. I leaned down pressing my lips to hers.

  Pulling away, I brought my hand to her jaw, keeping my eyes glued to her bright baby blue ones. "I'm going to tell Jack you're moving out tomorrow. He deserves a heads up." Jack was on our side, it only seemed fair.

  Claire stretched up on her tip toes, wrapping one hand on the back of my neck and pulling my face back down to kiss me. It ended as quickly as she initiated it.

  "Okay, I'll talk to the twins after Matt goes home. Let me go pretend to watch the game, so I can sneak in a nap."

  Smiling, I gave her butt a nice swat, lightening the mood as we walked back to the living room.

  ######

 
Claire

  Cullen shook me awake. "What is it Cullen?" Tara-Lynn was passed out on the couch next to me.

  "Uncle Jack is here. I want to go home with Matt," Cullen whined. His whine just reminded me how pissed I was at Kristen.

  "No, sweetie. Not tonight. Why don't you pick a movie to watch." I cleared the sleep from my eyes, and headed towards the front door to find Clay and Jack talking. Part of me wanted to leave them be, but I decided to confront the situation. Clay and I needed to be seen as a united front.

  "Hey Jack," I commented, snuggling into Clay's side. He wrapped his arm around me.

  "I told Cullen he had to stay here, and not to wake you," Clay stated.

  Matt held a straight face and walked outside to the car where Kristen was waiting. The boys were full on pouting. Cullen would be a handful later, but now was the time to put my foot down about moving out.

  "It's fine. I'll go fix something for dinner." I faked a dim smile.

  "Claire, I wish you'd reconsider moving out," Jack responded. Clay didn't hesitate to pass along that information.

  "Jack, it's not personal." Mostly I said this in hopes of making him feel better. It didn't seem to work. He still looked disappointed. "At this point I need to do what's best for the twins and myself. I appreciate your hospitality, but it's time for us to go." Turning towards Clay, I continued, "I'm going to go talk Cullen out of his snit. Drive safe." I waved and headed back to the living room.

  ######

  Clay

  "What happened?" Jack had always been observant.

  "Kristen made comments, which were repeated by the kids. Matt asked when we were getting married and having a baby. Claire worked last night, her being tired didn't help, she freaked out. I didn't think it was a big deal, but there's other things in motion to consider. It's not my call to make either."

  Jack let a curse slip. I had almost found the marriage/baby comment amusing, until I noticed the alarmed look on Claire's face.

  "We didn't push Matt on how or why he heard Kristen talking about us. Claire's gonna take a few days, calm down a bit, then talk to Kristen." If Kristen was smart, she'd let Claire calm down.

  "Guess we'll see what happens." A car horn blared from the driveway. Jack rolled his eyes. "I'll stop by for breakfast tomorrow."

  "Early. I have to be in by ten o'clock," I said, closing the door behind Jack.

  ######

  Jack

  Pulling into Clay's driveway, I saw Claire pulling out, heading to work. No need to ask where they spent the night. I rang the doorbell and waited in the cold morning air for Clay to answer. The door opened, and I noticed Clay's arm was not in a sling.

  "Hey, man. Perfect timing, Claire and the kids just left."

  I motioned to his ribs. "I thought your ribs were screwed. Where's the sling?" I asked, following Clay to the kitchen.

  "I asked Claire, and she looked up some alternative therapies. Wasn't pleasant, but it worked." Clay pulled out his cell and flipped to the before picture of his bruising, then raised his shirt to show me the after. The bruising had dramatically faded.

  "Damn, that's impressive. Is that why she stayed here last night? Or is she moving in?"

  Claire could protect herself, but I'd rather she moved in with Clay, than out on her own again, but she's a grown woman with a massive stubborn streak.

  "She doesn't want to move in. She'd rather stay in a hotel for a few weeks." Clay poured himself a glass of green juice and sat next to me at the island.

  "She'd rather spend money on a hotel then stay with us. That doesn't sound promising. What was the other issue besides marriage and baby comment?" I finished my coffee and reached for a banana.

  Kristen had really stuck her foot in it this time. I could tell Claire wasn't willing to put up with her crap, not that I blamed her. I just didn't know if she'd break up with Clay, to remain friends with Kristen, or cut Kristen out of her life to keep Clay. Hopefully, there was a third option.

  "Cullen heard from Kristen, about us dating. He asked me about it directly. I sat him and Tara-Lynn down with Claire, and we discussed it. She was happy how I handled it, but not that Kristen told them." Or talked about it where the kids could hear her.

  My wife was really pushing it this time. She loved to gossip, and Claire wouldn't stand for that garbage in front of her kids. Not at all! I loved Claire like a sister, and the twins were practically family.

  "Can't say that I blame her. How are you going to persuade her to move in?" I asked, knowing he needed to make a plan.

  "No idea. I need to show her I'm serious about us though," Clay said. I nodded, knowing Clay wouldn't break through Claire's walls unless he pulled out the big guns.

  "Fight dirty. Win the twins over, shouldn't be hard, they already love you. You want them to live here, have them decorate their room. Take them to adopt a dog or two. Spend time with them after practice. I don't think Claire is looking for flowers and shit like that, but you put time in with her kids, she'll appreciate it."

  I knew Clay had been more focused on the season than realizing he could entice Claire's kids. Yeah, it was a slippery slope, but the risk was worth it.

  "That could backfire, but it's a better than nothing. She won't like the idea of me spending money on her kids." Clay glanced down at his watch.

  "Ask her if you can take them tomorrow after practice. Get the ball rolling. She'll get over the money thing, just don't spend an obscene amount." I meandered over to the garbage, tossing in my paper coffee cup.

  "I'll bring it up after the move. Does Kristen know?" Clay finished his juice, placing the glass in the dishwasher.

  Kristen was upset for extremely different reasons than Claire. Stress from having trouble conceiving was part of the issue. My wife tends to draw in the drama. With drama comes more stress, which was not helping us get pregnant. Claire was a great friend who didn't cause stress, and I hoped they'd work it out. I was prepared to lay it on Kristen if she didn't apologize.

  "Told them on the way home last night. Just give me a twenty minute warning and I'll take them out to dinner. We'll be out of the way, should make it easier on everyone."

  ######

  Clay

  I nodded. I'd buy the twins beds, and some furniture. Allowing them to pick out some bedding could help the transition later on, but I'd have to wait and see how Claire reacted. This was exactly the kind of distraction and drama that I wanted to avoid this season. At least Claire was equally driven and focused on her career, as I was mine. Claire held no jealousy towards my career, and I was thankful for that.

  Kristen always managed to sabotage my relationships. Her comments and suggestions were always covert, but she'd managed to push away most of my girlfriends or create enough tension to incite a break-up. I was determined not to let her win this time. Claire and the twins were worth the fight and possible fall out. Jack would just have to deal with it or play peacemaker.

  Chapter Eight

  I hauled in the last two bags. Claire was standing by the bed unpacking, while trying to remove Cullen from his snit. It wasn't working. The boy had not taken leaving well. Cullen and Matt were close, and he didn't understand being forced to leave his best friend. Claire had her hands full.

  "Why don't both of you go change into PJ's, and then we'll talk about dinner," I suggested.

  Cullen grabbed his pajamas and yelled, "I want pizza!" as he headed into the bathroom.