Ties That Bind

by Neeny Boucher

  Glaring at him, Christina laid into the bag with force and discovered she enjoyed it. “There’s my girl,” he laughed. “Harder, Dina. Do it and don’t stop until I tell you to.”

  Christina hit the bag over and over again, until he stopped her, worrying she’d hurt her hands. She was puffing and trying to calm her breathing, but she’d enjoyed that more than she thought she would. She looked up at Riley and he was looking at her with a mix of affection and admiration.

  “Nice,” he nodded. “If Jed saw that, he’d turn you into a cage-fighter in no time.” They were still laughing, when Riley blind-sided her.

  “Johnny told me some stuff, Dina. About what happened when you and I first broke up,” Riley said quietly. “How things were tough for you in Shanwick. You want to tell me about that?”

  No. She didn’t want to tell him about it at all. She didn’t want to think about that time ever again.

  Christina grimaced and pressed her lips together. Damn, Johnny. “It was so long ago,” she fudged.

  “Uh-huh,” Riley pressed. She looked up at him and he was staring at her intently. “You said something in your office that I found interesting. You said you were reminded of being hated in Shanwick on the first day you got back and you repeated something similar on the drive out here. What did you mean by that?”

  Riley had the annoying habit of storing away information and using it to his own advantage when he thought someone was vulnerable. She had often thought that Riley should have gone to law school instead of her, but his temperament would have made him like Judge Dredd. “I didn’t mean anything,” she lied. “It was just a figure of speech.”

  Sitting down heavily on an old chair, Riley sighed. “If I’d known, I never would have brought you back. I’d have done something else.” He wiped his hand across his brow and stared at her. “I didn’t know, Dina. If I had, I would have come back and stopped it.”

  Christina smiled, but her eyes filled with tears. “I know,” she said in a voice thick to her own ears. “Really, I do.” And he would have. He would have roared back into town throwing punches and cracking heads.

  “I waited to hear any news about you and no one told me anything. I went to Seattle and waited, but nothing.” Riley shrugged. “My mother sent me a letter saying you’d left, but that was it. I used to come back during the holidays to see if you were there, hoping to run into you. It never happened until Mandy and Dave’s wedding.”

  Christina closed her eyes, squeezing them shut tight. She didn’t know that. All the ‘if only’s’ went through her mind, but she pushed them away. She refused to think like that anymore because she was tired of her guilt and picking over the dead bones of the past.

  Riley pulled a chair up beside him and beckoned her over. When she sat, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You can talk to me about anything. I won’t go crazy,” he joked. “Promise.”

  Christina smiled, but she was unconvinced. “Liar,” she quipped, making him laugh. He would go crazy and if her hunches were right about whom got the Police involved no good would come from reopening that festering sore.

  Riley’s eyes roamed her face and then they turned mischievous. “I have a story,” he ventured, “but you can’t tell anyone. You have to promise because I’m seriously breaking the bro-code.”

  Christina’s eyes lit up. She loved secrets, wicked stories, and salacious gossip. Especially, when she or anyone she loved wasn’t the focal point. “Ooooh,” she grinned. “I promise. I won’t tell anyone.”

  “Not Bonnie, Mandy or anyone?” Riley demanded. “Promise?”

  Christina nodded and mimed crossing her heart. “Promise. Cross my heart and all that shit.”

  Riley grinned. “Okay. Here goes. It happened about three weeks ago…”

  Chapter Six: Lashing

  Riley, Shanwick, The Past, Thursday, October 18, 2012

  Riley was expecting a backlash about his relationship with Christina and it didn’t take long. The day after Christina left for D.C., the fall out began and it started with his mother. He was engrossed in preparing the farmhouse for painting, before going off-grid, when his mother appeared at the door.

  Grace Riley, the ever elegant, ice-cool, petite blonde that didn’t express emotion very well beyond raising an eyebrow. His mother would be forever etched in his memory as the woman so cold and distant that he’d learned early on not to even try to embrace her as a child. The odd time he had spontaneously put his arms around her, she would gingerly pat his head and move him on with a push.

  This time, however, his mother came as close to anger as he’d ever seen. She even raised her voice at him. He’d resisted the urge to laugh in her face, but only just because he found his mother as intimidating as a miniature poodle.

  The next person to turn up unannounced was Stephany Gilmore, the woman he had both a history, and a recent past with. There had, however, never been a future, not as far as he was concerned. Stephany’s obsession with him was as one-sided as her competition against Christina.

  Arriving at the farmhouse one night, after at least a bottle of wine, Stephany was accompanied by her twin sister, Bethany, and their best friend/third wheel, Tiffany. At high school, the group was better known as the “Anys” and sometimes, they acted as if they’d never left.

  Riley sighed when he saw Stephany Gilmore standing on the front porch: all 5 feet zilch of her, with her golden hair, big blue eyes, and impressive assets. He invited her in, but she shook her head, wringing her hands and staring at him. “I hear you’re back with Christina Martin,” Stephany blurted.

  When he nodded, her bottom lip shook and her eyes filled with tears. “She’s just going to hurt you again, Riley, and I don’t understand it. What is it about her? She’s not that pretty. Is it because she’s skinny?”

  Skinny? What the hell? Who would love someone because they were skinny?

  Riley didn’t want to get into a conversation about Christina with Stephany, but he wanted to be clear. “Stephany,” he said patiently. “I could tell you all the things I love about Christina, but I could never tell you why I love her. I just do.”

  “She’s weird… and strange!” Stephany screamed at him. “They all are – all her family ... Drug addicts, protestors, and freaks!”

  Whoa. Riley was actually taken aback by the vehemence of Stephany’s comments. The sight of Stephany’s pretty face contorted in rage as she spat out her hatred gave him pause, but he refused to back down to anyone, especially about people he loved. “You mean rock stars, college graduates, and lawyers?” Riley retorted.

  He didn’t need to be told by Stephany Gilmore or anyone else that Christina and her family were eccentric. He had always been fiercely protective of them because of it, especially when it came to Christina. Right or wrong, in his mind Christina would always be the young, innocent, naïve, and awkward woman-child he’d fallen in love with.

  The one he had been terrified of ruining. Riley knew she was no longer that girl, but he had always felt more worldly-wise than Dina, and for some unfathomable reason, she brought out strong emotions in people. People either loved her or hated her and in his case, he’d done both.

  “Why?” Stephany cried. “Everything I’m saying is true. Everyone knows it. Everyone but you ... she’s not good for you. She’s not good enough for you.”

  Tears fell down Stephany’s face and under normal circumstances, Riley might have felt some guilt, but not now. “You don’t know anything about Christina, Stephany,” Riley said forcefully. “Don’t stand here and insult her – not in front of me. She isn’t weird. She’s quirky and it’s one of the things I love about her.”

  Stephany’s face crumpled and he felt a small pang of guilt. He tried to soften the blow, but it was more out of courtesy than affection. He didn’t want to throw his love for Dina in Stephany’s face because it was the one thing she had wanted from him and he couldn’t give her.

  Leaning forward into Stephany’s face, Riley said quietly, “I consider
Christina to be one of the best people I know. Actually, that I’ve ever known and if you can’t see that, it’s your loss.”

  Shaking his head, Riley tried to appeal to her decency. “This is beneath you, Stephany. I don’t want to hurt you, but you need to stop this.”

  “Too late for that,” Stephany snapped with large tears falling down her face. Riley placed a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. “She’s going to break your heart, Riley, and don’t come running back to me when she’s done.”

  Stephany fled down the steps to the waiting Anys, slamming the car door behind her. She buried her face in the arms of Bethany and Tiffany, who stared at him with such loathing that he figured they’d be making his likeness into a Voodoo Doll. He knew he should feel bad about what had transpired, but he didn’t. All he felt was relief.

  **********

  For the next few days, Riley directed his energies into renovating the farmhouse for his mother, and keeping in contact with Christina. They’d put an extension on it a few years ago, turning the house into five bedrooms instead of three. The top part was in pristine condition, but the older part needed work.

  It had started out as a home for Heather and Steven, but they’d bought a place outside of town before the project was finished. His mother complained the farmhouse was now an eyesore and suggested removing it, but Riley couldn’t let that happen. The farmhouse used to be his grandparents’ home and also, his and Christina’s.

  Given its history, the place would be destroyed over Riley’s dead body. Instead, he’d agreed to fix it for his mother, bringing it up to her standards. He suspected a deeper motive; an unspoken desire to keep him close. His mother could have got anyone to do the work, but only relented in her destructive plans at his behest. The irony didn’t escape him that he was doing this job as a partial favor to his mother and now, she was no longer speaking to him.

  As for Christina, she was another matter entirely. He knew they were about to head into difficult territory and he had wanted to warn her what was coming on more than one occasion, but didn’t want to spoil their hard fought happiness. He hoped she’d come around eventually and forgive him, but his girl was stubborn.

  If this relationship was going to work, they were going to have to develop strategies to compromise. Something neither of them was good at. They had drawn up a basic code of conduct of how to ‘use their big grown up words’ to communicate with one another, and to his own surprise, the code hadn’t been needed. There hadn’t been any animosity between them, but they’d drawn it up for a reason, and he hoped somewhere down the track that it might save his skin.

  Riley was about to start painting when Dave Warnock turned up with his kids. Since Dave had been back in town with the band, his visits to Riley’s place had been regular, but this one felt different. Dave and Riley had known each other forever, even longer than he had known the Martins.

  Dave had married his high-school sweetheart like Riley had, but unlike Riley and Christina, Dave and Mandy had lasted. Mandy was one of Christina’s oldest and best friends, and she had a generosity of spirit that Dave lacked. Although Mandy had always made it clear that her first loyalties lay with Christina, she had found it in her heart to embrace Riley into her life.

  Dave, however, was a different story. He didn’t or wouldn’t extend the same courtesy to Christina. Riley knew this had caused problems between Dave and Mandy, both agreeing many years ago not to discuss it. The only time Riley had seen Mandy really angry with Dave is when he’d said something derogatory about Christina.

  “Hey-hey,” Riley called out, throwing down the stuff he was holding. The kids climbed all over him, vying for his attention, and making him laugh. “Come on, there’s enough room for the both of you. You don’t have to fight.”

  He loved Dave and Mandy’s children and was their godfather. Both children looked like their mother and everyone agreed it was a good thing. In comparison to his wife, Dave wasn’t a good-looking man. Mandy, on the other hand, was beautiful on the inside and out.

  Riley wasn’t a man that dwelt on the attractiveness of other men, but even he could see Dave had married not just out of his league, but in a whole different stratosphere. Mandy had been a model and regularly featured on the hottest wives’ and girlfriends’ lists. When the band was first getting started, they used Mandy on their covers, and for a long time, Mandy was better known than the band.

  Connor had enough energy to power a small-city and Aria could charm anything out of anyone, including Riley. The little girl turned her head and smiled at him, making his heart melt. He would love a child, especially a little girl, hopefully with Christina’s eyes and dimples.

  “I’ve got the kids today,” Dave grinned. “Mandy’s spending some girl-time with her mother.” The two men shared a look. Mandy’s mother was a force of nature and kind of scary.

  Riley was about to say something else when his brother, Steven, appeared loping up the driveway in his slow, steady gait. The Riley men favored their father in height and size, but Riley was more like his mother: a slimmer, leaner, and more angular version than his father and brother.

  The marked difference, however, was personality. Steven had a naturally calm disposition - something Riley lacked. People would follow Steven without hesitation. They’d follow Riley too, but usually to see how much havoc he wreaked.

  He warily met the blue eyes of Steven, nodding at him. “Hey Nick,” Steven said hesitantly. “I hear you’re painting. I thought you could do with a hand.”

  Steven looked uncomfortable and then shared a meaningful look with Dave. Uh-oh, thought Riley. This can’t be good.

  Trying to appear nonchalant, Dave asked casually, “Do you think your mother would watch the kids for a bit?” Riley had a bad feeling about this, but he nodded.

  The two men walked the children over to his mother at the main house and got them settled, before heading back to the farmhouse. On the way back, Johnny’s car pulled up behind them. “Hey,” Johnny said with his lopsided grin. “I hear you’re painting. Need a hand?”

  Riley stared at Johnny and raised his eyebrows, but Johnny just winked at him. Unlike Christina, Johnny favored his mother in looks with his black wavy hair, dark eyes and thin, wiry frame. Johnny was a creative and musical genius, especially on the guitar, talents he’d inherited from his father. He was the powerhouse superstar of the band and one of the core reasons for the band’s success.

  Running a hand through his wavy hair, Johnny cast a pointed look at Dave and Riley could feel the tension between the two men. Guessing the reason, Riley grimaced. Yep, this is an intervention, he thought. Lucky me.

  Dave glared at Johnny and was about say something rude, but Riley interrupted. “Sure, Johnny. We’ll get the job done quicker with more people.”

  Dave’s face turn thunderous, but Riley figured if Dave didn’t want Johnny here then he did. Whatever was going on he knew instinctively that Johnny was on his side or would be there for Christina. The men stood around awkwardly waiting for something to happen, mumbling shit about sports that none of them, minus Steven, watched.

  All they needed was Jed and as the thought crossed his mind, he heard the sound of a motorbike. For fuck’s sake. He hadn’t seen Jed for a while because he’d been staying in Seattle taking some time off to see Bonnie Howard, one of Christina’s best friends.

  Jed was Irish, 6’3, ex-cage fighter, and built like the proverbial brick shit house. He was a strange combination of physical menace, gentlemanly behavior, and emotional intelligence. He was also one of the funniest people Riley had ever met and he trusted Jed with his life.

  Pulling up by the front steps of the farmhouse, Jed grinned. “Lads, how you been? Can’t say I missed you, but here I am.”

  Apart from Riley, the rest of the men laughed. Jed took his helmet off, sitting down on the steps and pulling off his boots. “Love a beer,” he winked at Riley. “Thanks for offering.”

  Riley and Jed shared a meaningful look. They’d
known each other for nearly a decade and Jed was head of security for the band. Currently, he was on assignment protecting Gabby Martin and as Jed had articulated on numerous occasions, it wasn’t something he enjoyed.

  Jed put it in much harsher terms, declaring Gabby the scariest and evilest person he had ever met. His descriptions ranged from insightful to brutal and none of them were conducted in Gabby’s presence. Riley found it amusing that someone as small as Gabby Martin could scare someone the size of Jed, but truth was often stranger than fiction.

  Riley put his hands up. “Sorry man, I haven’t got any beers,” but Johnny smiled.

  “Just so happens, I do.” Considering Johnny didn’t drink, Riley found this somewhat unusual. Clearly, it was an intervention with beer. Riley shrugged. Better with beer than without, he supposed.

  **********

  “So… you and Dina… you’re back together?” Riley turned to look at Dave, but didn’t respond. All the guys had a paintbrush or roller and were pretending Dave hadn’t said anything, but intently listening.

  Riley wondered whose hands were behind this. Dave and Jed he could understand, they were ‘in-your-face’ interfering dicks sometimes, but Steven and Johnny? This was Steven’s idea of hell, and Johnny usually joked or played his way out of uncomfortable situations by guitar.

  When Riley didn’t respond, Dave pushed the issue. “What are you doing man? I mean, come on. You know this is fucked up, right. She’s no good for you and she’s going to just screw with your head. I thought you were smarter than that. I hoped you’d keep that bitch out of your life forever.”

  Riley was about to go for Dave, when he heard a paintbrush clatter down. Johnny stood, wiping the paint off his hands with a rag, and glaring at Dave. “I think you forget that Christina is my sister, Dave,” Johnny seethed. “Don’t you?”

  Everyone looked surprised, but tried to hide it. Johnny didn’t really do confrontation or anger outside his immediate family and wrestling matches with Christina. It wasn’t in his nature. The closest he ever came to that was telling people to “calm down” or they were “un-cool.”