Page 51 of Fight or Flight
Walking through the mudroom, I kick off my sandals and then enter the silent house.
“Jenny?” I call out before a sound of shushing comes from the little bathroom by the staircase. My friend emerges from it with a laundry basket and points toward the makeshift bed I sleep on.
I glance at the mess I left there and then grin when I see Henry curled up in a blanket, sleeping soundly with his toys by his little feet.
She places the basket on the floor and nods toward the kitchen. I tiptoe toward her and lift the bag.
“I brought us some dinner,” I whisper. “Figured you're being too tired to cook and didn’t know if the Big Guy is in yet.”
She greedily grabs it from my hands and eyes the food. “Thank fucking God. You’re a godsend, babe.” She grabs two plates and starts filling hers with the takeout quickly. “Brody called that he’ll be late. And I’m fucking starving.”
I sit opposite her at the table and watch with a little smile as she devours the food. The Jenny I knew, honestly, couldn’t care less about food. But pregnant Jenny? She’s a beast.
“So, why is Brody staying late again? Do they have issues with the company?” It’s not what I really want to ask, but I’m also scared to address the elephant in the room, which is me, obviously. I’m the elephant.
Jenny rolls her eyes. “Self-created issues, maybe. He took on too many projects because it would be a hit to his giant ego to say that they couldn’t do something or needed more time to finish a house. And don’t even let me start on the house rebuilding idea...”
I jab a piece of potato on my plate with a fork and then chew it slowly, eyeing the surrounding space.
“You’re not a fan of the idea?”
She sighs and glares at the piece of meat she stabbed with a knife. “That’s not it. I just don’t agree that it has to be done as soon as possible. We could take it slow, you know? The kids could be in one room for a while. I don’t think that it would be a big deal to wait a year or two. But you know Damon, he’s so fucking stubborn and... proud. Thinks he needs to give us the best, or otherwise the world will surely accuse him of being a bad father or some other ridiculous bullshit.”
“Yeah...” I tilt my head to the side and decide maybe it’s time to address it after all. I feel strong enough to take it. “But do you think that, maybe, it has to do more with me being here?”
Jenny’s head snaps up, and she looks at me with alarm. “What makes you say that?”
“Well, for one, I heard you fight a few times. Those walls aren’t exactly thin, but the sound still carries sometimes. And uh... I know I’m a huge pain in the ass,” I wince and rub at the scar on my right wrist, which is a habit I picked up along the way to help me whenever I’m feeling agitated. Like I need to remind myself that not every little inconvenience in life deserves to be rewarded by the want of escape; it’s weird.
“Claire, I’m sorry. Brody can be a real asshole sometimes. But it’s not really about you or the fact that you’re staying with us. We told you that you can stay here for as long as you need to. I meant it, and he did, too. He’s just worried that it’s too much for me and that I’m going to snap or something.”
“Would you tell me if I was?” I ask timidly, and she gives me a confused look. “Would you tell me I was becoming too much for you to handle?”
She looks at me like the thought is outlandish and shakes her head vehemently, making her curls swing from side to side. “You’re never too much, Claire. I don’t want you to ever think that. If anything, the fact that you came back into my life helped me heal. There was a big part of me that was still missing. And you were that fucking missing piece. You’re my only family besides Damon and Henry and a big part of me. There’s no scenario in which I would ever consider you too much. I hope that there will come a day when these kinds of thoughts won’t even cross your mind.”
My eyes fill with tears, and I bite my lip to keep myself from sobbing. “I just don’t want you to have more problems because of me. Or spoil things between you two.”
Jenny grabs my hand from across the table and glances to where Henry is still soundly sleeping in the living room area before giving me a look and rolling her eyes.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but there were always issues. Shitload of them, actually, and it was long before you showed up. Stop putting blame on yourself in places where it isn’t needed. If my psychotic father, with a literal bomb strapped to his body, was unable to defeat us or tear us apart, nothing probably would. Couples fight, Claire, and God knows we both have a short fuse. I can assure you that those arguments would be here even if you weren’t. We’re fine.”
When I still look doubtful, she leans in with a wicked smile on her face. “And the makeup sex after each fight is fucking amazing.”
A loud snort escapes me, and she winks before she continues to stuff her face with the food.
“I guess I forgot how crazy your love story is,” I say dreamily. “It’s like in those movies that we used to watch. You, a beautiful yet troubled heroine. Him a broody, handsome hero ready to protect you at all costs. He swoops in to save you. Oh, God, it’s so amazing.”
Jenny giggles into her plate. “Babe, really, you crack me up. You watched far too many Hallmark movies. Our situation wasn’t exactly dreamy. But yeah, I guess it’s kind of romantic.”
“So romantic,” I sigh and rest my chin on my hand, dinner forgotten.
“Speaking of crazy love stories. Aidan was here,” Jenny says casually and then watches for my reaction.
If she thinks I’m going to freak out or break down crying, then I’ll have to disappoint her. That man is a stranger. Can’t say I ever really knew him.
Lies. A voice in my mind whispers, and I tell it to shut up.
Deciding to play it cool, I clear my throat and throw, “Oh, yeah?”