Page 39 of Still Her
“You’re supposed to be protecting her,” he continues, undeterred. “That’s the job you took over from me and my dad when you married her, and you can’t even keep her safe from some sleaze in a suit! Speaking of our dad, wait until he hears this shit…” he turns his head as if planning to leave the room and then his face contorts in some combination of surprise and pain as his right arm gets wrenched behind him. Ian is standing so close to me, and because she’s so much shorter than he is, I didn’t see Mayzie approaching behind him. Still pulling his arm across his back, she brings her left hand up on his shoulder. The band I put on her finger years ago catches the light from the window as she pushes down and kicks at the back of his knee, bringing him down to the floor.
“Ow! What the fuck?! Mayzie, what the hell is wrong with you?!” He yells from his knees.
“Youarenotgoing to tell Dad anything. Hear me, bitch?”
I stare in complete astonishment at the scene before me.How the hell did she do that? Has she always been able to? What the hell is going on here?
I chance a look over at Mike who’s standing there, still clutching his beer with his mouth agape, looking as dumfounded as I feel. I’m shocked. Stunned. And unbelievably turned on…
* * *
MAYZIE
“Let go! Get off me!” the pussy yells from under my control.
“Mayzie?” my mother’s voice calls from downstairs. “Ian? What are you guys doing up there?”
“Play-ing,” I call over my shoulder in a sing-song voice.
I hear her scoff and her retreating footsteps in response. “Nothing. In their late twenties and still act like total children around each other…” she goes on to explain to someone in the other room.
I let go of my brother and step back to give him space to get up. All three men are staring at me speechless and bewildered as my brother holds his shoulder and rolls it around. I level him with a glare that warns him not to challenge me when I say, “You and me. Talk. Now.” I jerk my head in the direction of the door. He doesn’t protest as he walks past me and out the door still holding his shoulder. Baby.
Before following him, I look over to my husband and give him a sheepish half smile. He gives me an amused smile back, his eyes warm as he sends me a look that says,you’re explainingthatlater. I smile and blink at him in response before walking out of the office, leading Ian into another room just a couple of doors down the hall.
When we walk in, I close the door behind us. I look around and see that we are in the twins’ half-finished nursery. There are two cribs, each still needing to be assembled, their parts lying against the far wall. Above one is a wallpaper sample of baby dinosaurs hatching out of eggs and wearing diapers, and above the other is a swatch with butterflies in pastel pinks and purples. On the floor is a throw rug with the ABC’s also in a variety of gentle colors.
This is actually the ideal place to have this conversation. The room, while unfinished, is too frickin’ adorable to fight in. Kind of gives you the warm-fuzzies. It will keep the hostility level down. Hopefully.
Ian sits down in a white rocking chair with his elbows on his knees. “Mayzie, what the…” he looks around at the adorable décor, “heck is going on? Seriously, talk to me or I talk to Dad.”
“Is there anything on this earth you’re good at other than being a tattle-tale?” I ask with a roll of my eyes. He pins me with a look that says he means business. “Alright…” I digress and tell him the whole story. Well, the watered-down version. I start with the plane ride and take him through the photo shoot. I downplay the bathroom lounge incident, but describe how very careful Eli has been not to say or do anything that could get him caught.
“Dammit,” is all he can say when I conclude with the phone call in Richmond.
“Yeah…” I agree. The telling of the story has brought down my defense a little, but I take in a deep breath to re-inflate myself before addressing the way he was acting in Mike’s office. “But Ian, you don’t know the first thing about everything Jack does for me, to keep me safe and make me happy. The only reason he isn’t rotting in a jail cell for assault and battery right now is because I care abouthimtoo, and won’t let him do that tohimself,or the band that’s been there for him for thirteen years. That’s what marriage is: putting the other person first, and we’re both doing that. Get it?”
“I get it,” he looks down at the cream-colored carpet. “I’m just… scared.”
Wow. I’ve never heard my brother confess to feeling anything vulnerable before. Ever.
“Seriously,” he continues, “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I know,” I answer, trying to be soothing. “And neither does Jack. Seriously, he’d lay down his life…”
A look comes over Ian’s face, like this realization is seeping in and taking over his thought process. He drops his head in what looks like remorse.
“And Ian?” I nudge just a little and he looks back up at me. “Please take a minute to think about exactly what telling Dadwon’taccomplish.” Besides, if he does tell him, I’m showing his next girlfriend the picture I took in middle school of him sleeping, cuddling a Care Bear with his hand down his shorts; a sleep habit he wasn’t aware of. He didn’t actually sleep with Care Bears, it was mine. I sacrificed poor Wish Bear for the sake of the photo, hoping it would come in handy one day. And oh, how it has… on many occasions.
He considers this a moment before finally giving me a light nod of his head. Then, with perfect timing, there’s a gentle tap on the door.
“Come in,” I call and the door softly opens, Jack leaning in the doorway. He shoots me a smile before his eyes dart briefly to Ian’s defeated form in the chair and then back to me.
“Sarah’s going to eat all the pumpkin pie if we don’t get down there.” I release a giggle and give a gentle nod as he looks back to Ian again.
Ian looks up at Jack over his shoulder. “Sorry, Jack.”Whoa. That was sincere. This room works wonders. Ian’s face is one of humble resignation.
Jack looks at him with exhausted forgiveness in his eyes. “It’s cool.” He and Ian give each other a shoulder slap as Ian passes him through the door, probably intent on besting Sarah at pie hoovering.