Get Even

by Amanda Heath

  I found her and I made her see that we could be together, that we could start something good. Little did I know that I would be the one to screw it up. We went good and strong for three months. I had her whole heart for three months. I can’t describe to you what that feels like. To me, Farah was the moon, she was the reason for the tides in my life and she was the reason I went to bed at night. I loved her just as much as I loved Sky, yet it was completely different. Farah wasn’t innocent and sweet like Sky. She was a smartass and she wasn’t that sweet.

  Then it started getting too serious for me. She was the only woman I had slept with in months. She loved me and I couldn’t handle it, if you want to know the truth. I’ve had plenty of therapy since then so I know now that I didn’t feel like I deserved her love. I would look for any way to ruin it. The same went for Max. He loved me and I definitely didn’t deserve that, so I did everything I could to make him stop. And for some stupid fucked-up reason, he never did. That little asshole.

  Sarah showed up at the apartment and I just knew I was going to screw up what I had with Farah. I left her in the living room with Max, because at first I didn’t want to screw it all up. Then I went back out while Max went to the bathroom. Then I took her back to my room. Sarah had issues of her own and I never really explored those. I guess it stemmed from her parents, just likes Farah’s. They were some pretty screwed up people, the ones who gave the twins life.

  It was a quick hard fuck and I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t even get off and neither did she. We both faked it. Then she went back into the living room and I went to get Farah from work.

  She knew immediately that something was off. She was too smart for her own good. I used to think she didn’t see the things happening around her but she did, even if it was unconsciously. She knew when she was being fucked over. I saw a different side to her that night. The way she grabbed her sister’s hair while she fucked Max. The way she kissed Max like she was seriously into him. To this day, I don’t think either of them realize how into that kiss she was. I was enraged, actually. She was with me, yet she felt something for my brother. But then again, she wasn’t really with me anymore.

  She left and I didn’t speak to her for months. Not until Sarah and Max really started getting serious. Then I saw her a lot because Max still insisted I be a part of his life.

  About a year after Farah dumped me, I met Bethany Norman. Beth, as she likes to be called, is nothing like Farah or even Sky. She was a bitch from the moment I met her. Always calling me names and scratching the shit out of me when we fucked. We really hated each other and yet we couldn’t stop fucking. Her brown hair seemed to always be wrapped around my fist and her green eyes full of rage whenever I called her “bitch”, “slut”, “whore” or “skank”.

  She is taller than Farah and Sky, more curvy, and I seemed to like that. She had something to hang on to. I guess she needed that though, considering she was a stripper. She hated her life and I hated my life so we had hate sex constantly.

  Then she got pregnant. Yes, I’m that man who brought a stripper home and fucked her for weeks and then knocked her up. I may have my problems but I wasn’t about to let my kid grow up without me, not like my mom did. So, I took Beth down to the courthouse when she was eight months along and married her. We didn’t make a big deal out of it. She was already living with me and using my insurance, might as well give her my last name.

  Then she had my little girl, my little Kaley Rose. I cried like a fucking baby when she was born. I’d never felt so much emotion in my life. I knew right then and there she would be the real love of my life. None of those other women ever came close to what I felt for Kaley.

  Then Max and Sarah got married for the same ass reason Beth and I did. They were actually in love though. I only wanted my kid to be in my life. This is about the time Farah walked back in my life. She, of course, knew about Beth and Kaley but she didn’t realize I was lying when I said Beth and I were getting divorced. Probably because Beth didn’t care where the fuck I slept at night, as long as I paid for Kaley’s stuff and she got to sit on her ass.

  So I played house with Farah for an entire year and I loved her every minute of every day. It’s not every day you meet a woman like her. Who would love you unconditionally; believe every single lie you ever told. She trusted me when she shouldn’t have. I used to stay up late at night and I’d watch her sleep. I wanted to cry because I knew I was going to break her heart but I couldn’t stay away. I couldn’t breathe without her. I couldn’t live without her.

  Sarah was easy to keep quiet. Yet another thing Farah didn’t know I was lying about, was the fact Sarah and I had sex that night, when she only thought we fooled around. Max was easy too; he didn’t want his wife to know he was in love with her twin sister. He didn’t want Farah to know either.

  For an entire year they let me screw over Farah. I never slept with Beth while I was living with Farah; I want you to know that. It didn’t matter though; I was still married, not divorced like she thought. Beth made her feel like shit too. Beth was jealous even though she refused to admit it. She wanted what Farah had with me. She would call Farah in the middle of the night and threaten her; once she tried to kick her ass but Farah held her own. She put that bitch in her place.

  I thought I could just keep getting away with it. Then Beth decided to move my child away from me. My little girl was everything. No one was going to keep me away from her. So I up and left Farah without a word. Beth was okay with me coming to live up in Ohio with her but I couldn’t bring Farah. So I left her behind when I should have fought tooth and nail for her.

  I’m a weak man; I’ve never denied this fact. I shouldn’t be allowed to be around the female population and if a guy ever does what I did, to my daughter, he’s going to be dead before he takes his next breath. I screwed up and it took me several months in therapy for me to admit it.

  Though once I moved away from Farah and got to know my wife, I fell for her. It was months after, long after I came down for the funeral for Sarah. But I did. And now I’m finally in a place in my life where I’m happy and healthy. My daughter is happy and healthy.

  The most important of all is Farah is happy and healthy. She has the best man for her, the only one who should have had her to begin with.

  Epilogue

  Farah

  “Sarah!” I yell.

  “What?” she screams back from the top of the stairs.

  I turn away from the door to look up at her. “You have a visitor,” I tell her calmly this time. “You better make sure your dad knows about this, little lady.”

  Her brown eyes squint at me and I almost laugh. “Who is it?” she asks, her voice turning from defiant to apprehensive.

  I open the door wider and Ren Lockeby comes into view. He’s a few years older than her but she could have done a lot worse. I mean, I wasn’t dating anyone worth mentioning at her age. At least this one plans on going to college and I’ve known him most of his life.

  Max comes in through the back door and appears at the entryway to the kitchen. “Hello Ren. What brings you by?” he asks, his eyes laughing when they meet mine. Good, he totally knew the boy was coming by. More cool points for Ren.

  My daughter disappears from the top of the stairs and I burst out laughing. I look back at Ren, who is six foot tall, with green eyes and a muscly frame. He got the height from his mother’s side of the family. Though he has his father’s face. “How’s your mother doing?”

  “You would know, I’m sure you’ve talked to her today,” Ren replies. He was always a smartass, even when he was three.

  I smack him on the shoulder. “You want to take my daughter to the prom, you better stop that,” I tell him.

  “Yes, Farah,” he says deadpan and I just shake my head.

  “You better come on in here. She’ll be a while changing her clothes,” I tell him, ushering him into the living room.

  Blake looks up from his textbook and smirks at Ren. “What’s up, bro?”r />
  Ren fist bumps Blake and then sits down beside him. “You know, asking your sister to the prom.”

  Blake nods. “Yeah, Dad told me. Good luck with that.” Then he laughs. “She’s going to make this difficult on you.”

  Ren goes to open his mouth when Taylor walks into the room. She stops at the sight of Ren and his cheeks turn bright red. I seem to be the only one who notices. That might turn into a problem.

  Ren is the third little boy in the Lockeby clan and he’s the same age as my daughter Taylor, my first-born. She came into my life seventeen years ago. She cried for months about it too and she’d only shut up if I were holding her. She used to peek around my legs when she was a toddler. I had to learn to walk differently because she didn’t like being carried; no, she wanted to follow right around on my heels. I didn’t mind, seeing as she was the most beautiful thing in the world.

  A year after she was born, I had Sarah. The two girls couldn’t have been any more different. Taylor has Max’s hair and my blue eyes. She’s short like me and sometimes people mistake us for sisters. It annoys her and gives me a little more self-confidence.

  Sarah has my blonde hair and Max’s blue eyes. She’s a daddy’s girl and she won’t ever let you forget it. I find it ironic considering Max is always outside messing around with his cars and she can’t stand to get dirty. Though she’d never admit out loud she’s a daddy’s girl, you can see it when he’s in the room with her. She damn near worships the bastard.

  Blake on the other hand is a mix of both of us. He divides his time between us, or he did before he started going to college two years ago. We all thought he was going to be a mechanic when he grew up but instead he decided he wanted to become an engineer. I guess it makes sense, because the boy has a huge IQ and he loves to take shit apart.

  “When are you going to get a hair cut, buddy?” Max asks Blake while I sit down on the couch fidgeting around. Taylor comes to sit down next to me, her thigh touching mine and I feel how tense she is.

  “When it reaches my ass, Dad,” Blake replies, never taking his eyes off his textbook. His brown locks hang into his face and I bite back laughter at his answer. He looks like a bad boy and I know that’s what he’s going for. Like father, like son.

  I look up at Max and wink. “I remember once upon a time you had shaggy hair like that.”

  “Yeah, I remember it too. It was when I was running around acting like a little shit.” He looks over at Blake who has finally looked up from his book. “You’ll get it cut once one of them girls tugs on it too hard while you’re getting your dick wet.”

  My eyes widen at Max, who only smirks at me. “Max, seriously?”

  “Yeah, baby,” he replies and I feel like getting up to hit him.

  He gets saved though when Sarah appears at the bottom of the stairs. “Hey, Ren. What brings you here today?” She smiles sweetly and Taylor tenses next to me even more.

  Ren looks at Taylor from under his lashes and I narrow my eyes at him. What the fuck is that all about? I’m starting to think he’s not such a good boy…

  He stands up and walks closer to Sarah. Taylor grabs my hand and puts a death grip on it. “What is wrong with you?” I mutter to her but everyone else hears me.

  I turn to look at her but her eyes are on Sarah and Ren. Sarah keeps her eyes on Ren but he looks over his shoulder at my other daughter. “Sarah, I came by to ask you…” he trails off.

  Taylor finally jumps up off the couch after she lets go of my hand. “If you ask her Reynold Lockeby I will never speak to you again!” she bellows and everyone in the room goes deadly silent. For one thing, my Taylor doesn’t yell. I don’t think I’ve heard her raise her voice that loud since she was a toddler. Even Sarah is mute and that’s saying something because she talks constantly.

  Ren goes pale and all our heads turn towards him. Then he speaks and I get seriously pissed at one of my children. “She blackmailed me. What was I supposed to do?”

  Taylor glares at her sister and so do I. “You want to explain that to me, little lady?”

  Sarah huffs and crosses her arms over her chest. “Ren took Taylor’s virginity.”

  All goes silent after that admission. Then Blake steps in front of Max, who is stalking over to Ren. “Dad, take it easy.”

  I look at Taylor, shocked out of my mind. Then I want to cry my eyes out. It was one thing when I figured out Blake started having sex. I knew he wasn’t my little man anymore but still it hurt to know he’d grown up. Now, my quiet, serious girl has joined the rank of adults in the room.

  I throw my arms around her and hug her close to me. She sighs and pats my back. “Please don’t cry mom. I swear I’ll still do things to make you think I’m still your little girl.”

  I can’t help it when the big fat tears crawl down my face. “My baby isn’t a baby anymore,” I wail.

  Max appears at my side and he has this big fat goofy grin on his face. I smack his arm after I let go of Taylor. “It’s not funny!”

  “I know, baby. But your reaction is.” Then he scoops me into his arms and I lay my head against his chest. I hear his heart beating in his chest and it calms me a little bit. Only a little bit though.

  “Sarah, you go up to your room. No TV. No phone. No Internet. Not for the next two weeks,” Max says to Sarah.

  Her jaw drops to the floor and Blake chuckles. “That isn’t fair Dad! I didn’t do anything!”

  “Blackmailing your sister’s boyfriend into taking you to prom is wrong. Now get up to your room. You think about what you did and you better apologize before long,” Max tells her in his stern voice. She shrieks before running up the stairs.

  Max clears his throat and looks at Ren. “You better make my Taylor your girlfriend and treat her right before you leave this house. Or I’m whooping your ass.” After Ren nods, Max looks over at Blake. “Go study in your room. Let these two talk.” Then he looks at Taylor. “You could’ve done a whole lot worse, so I’m not going to yell at you over it. But you aren’t allowed alone in your room without the door open. And if you get pregnant before you get married, I’m whooping both your asses.” Then he leads me out of the living room and through the kitchen and out the back door.

  He sits down on his big wooden chair that I bought him a few years ago. He puts me in his lap and I snuggle against him. “Can’t believe this shit.”

  “I know,” I tell him. “Like mother like daughters,” I say, completely and totally sad.

  Max laughs and I purse my lips. “I don’t think you or Sarah would have blackmailed that boy over it. Our Sarah’s a little more cutthroat if you ask me.”

  I nod against his chest. “She probably gets that from Tate. Heaven knows he’s having a hard time with Kaley.”

  Tate and I have come to an understanding over the past eighteen years. We don’t speak of our past together and the only kid who could even know is Blake, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t remember. They don’t need to know that mommy used to have a thing with Uncle Tate. Though his wife lets me know every chance she can. I don’t understand that at all. The poor sap loves her to pieces and hasn’t changed that in the past eighteen years. It gets pretty uncomfortable at holidays with her around. Luckily, I’ve learned to tune her out.

  Tate and Max have stayed close. They talk on the phone at least three times a week. We also fly down to his town a few times a year and vice versa. He has a boy now too, Vince. He’s fifteen and acts just like his father. I swear that boy has been wearing dress shirts and slacks since he was born.

  “She’s on boyfriend number seven right? Was she living with this one yet?” I ask.

  “Oh yeah. Think he caught her with the neighbor or something.” We both end up cracking up. “Think Vince is going to be a problem like that?”

  I shake my head. “No way. Kaley takes after Beth and she’s extremely spoiled. Vince has his head in the game. The last time I talked to him he was already picking out which college he wants to attend.”

  “All I can say
is Tate’s paying for his past mistakes.” Max hugs his arms around me tighter. “Can’t say I hate all his past mistakes. They got me you.”

  I scowl up at his chin. “You got me you, asshole. Tate had nothing to do with it.”

  Max barks out a laugh and looks down at me. “Baby, that day he came into your shop, he lied to you. I wasn’t missing work or not taking care of Blake. In reality, I was depressed because I couldn’t have you. He decided to change that.”

  Not at all surprised I roll my eyes. “You’re an idiot. We would have ended up together with or without his help.”

  “I know that, Farah. I’m just saying he sped up the process a little.”

  I think about Pops then. “Or Pops would have stepped in. I think the only reason he hadn’t then was because he wanted us to have enough time to grieve for Sarah.”

  Pops passed away three years go. We buried him right by Gran and my mom. Mom ended up with breast cancer when the kids were little. They didn’t much have anything to do with her because I didn’t. I didn’t want her in their lives because I couldn’t handle it if she treated them how she treated me. So the day she died, Pops said to bury her right next to Gran. He might have been estranged from her but she was still his daughter. Dad got remarried shortly after she passed away. I don’t know anything about my stepmom nor have I ever met her.

  When Pops passed it was a dark time around here. All the kids loved him just as much as I did. Plus, Max and him were close. Pops knew he was going to die. I remember he made me come into his room and pointed to the chest that held all the “treasure maps” and said I had to take each kid out there and make them dig up their boxes. He said I didn’t have a time limit on it either. They could be fifty before I tell them about the boxes for all he cared.