“Is she okay?” I asked.
“No, but she wasn’t really okay before those fuckers showed up. She hasn’t been okay since the last fuckers came here.”
Hearing the anger in Harlow’s voice, I imagined Winnie hiding in her room and disappearing from the world like Nick.
“I’m sorry this happened. They only bothered her because she works for me.”
Harlow sighed. “No, they only bothered her because they’re assholes.”
“She said they didn’t hurt her, but I think she might lie to me.”
“She wouldn’t lie to me. She said they made gross comments, but they were more interested in finding Nick. I think the dad wanted to make money off his fighting. That’s what I got from Winnie before she took her shower.”
Thinking about Nick scrubbing himself, I didn’t speak for a moment.
“Is the shower thing normal? I mean growing up bad like you did before the Todds and the way Winnie did. Do you need to take showers after something bad happens?”
“It helps, yeah,” Harlow muttered, sounding irritated, but I sensed she was mostly pissed about anyone scaring her sister. Her voice softened when she asked, “How is Nick?”
“He’s showering.”
“We can’t pick our families. Not the birth ones anyway.”
“Will you tell Winnie I’m really sorry?”
“I will,” Harlow said then added, “It’ll be okay. Winnie is stronger than she seems. I’ll take care of her while you take care of Nick. We’ll meet for the weekly bowling game on Saturday. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Hanging up, I found a text from Mom saying she heard about the smack down, knew I was okay, and would be home after a quick trip to the store. I wished she was already back, so I might get a hug. With no babying in sight, I returned to my apartment.
Nick was still in the shower and I sensed joining him was a very bad idea. He hadn’t really looked at me since first catching sight of his dad.
After trying to watch TV, I walked outside and played with the dogs. They were thrilled for the attention since their beloved Cooper spent his time petting Farah’s bump instead of them.
When I returned, Nick was scrubbing the kitchen counter. Sometimes, his behavior seemed a little weird. It wasn’t like his dad polluted the apartment.
“Are you okay?” I asked when he ignored me.
“No.”
“Do you want to talk?”
Nick dropped the sponge and turned to look at me. “This isn’t going to work.”
“What? Me being nice? I’ll get better at it.”
Nick didn’t even smile. He just stared with his beautiful eyes that held no love for me.
“I was fooling myself to think I could be with you. All of it was a fucking lie I told myself and I told you the lie too.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked as panic rose up in my gut.
“My name is still on the apartment lease, so I’m going to move back into my place.”
“Wait, are you dumping me?” I nearly screamed. “No fucking way are you dumping me! You tattooed my name on your wrist. You said you would marry me one day. If you dump me now, I’ll shoot you in the ass! I’m not kidding either, Nick!”
Pacing around the apartment, I wanted to slug him. He was mine and the fucker wanted to end things. My heart felt so bad that only cussing and threatening would keep me from puking in pain.
When I looked at Nick, he was staring hard at the floor. His fists dug into his hips as he struggled to avoid freaking out. With anyone else, I might have worried he was going to hit me. Not Nick though.
Instead of lashing out, I really listened to what Nick had said. I didn’t react to the words, but imagined what he truly meant. He was on the verge of losing control and only I could help him.
I thought about his father bringing trouble to Ellsberg. How the fight might have gotten Nick arrested and ruined his future as a teacher. He’d opened up to me over the last month then his past showed up to shit on him again. Now, he wanted to hide.
“It’s okay,” I said softly, taking a few steps closer.
Frowning at me, Nick stepped back. “Bailey, don’t.”
“You won’t hurt me. I know you.”
“I can’t be with you.”
Moving quickly, I took his face in my hands before he could retreat. “You need space and I’ll give it to you because I know you’ll return to me. You belong with me, just like I do with you. We’ll never be happy without each other. You know that, but you’re scared. That’s okay. I’ll wait.”
“Bailey,” he said in a rough voice.
“The fucker came here and you think that changes things. You think he ruined what you’ve made here, but you’re wrong. Soon, you’ll realize that, but you need time and I’ll wait.”
“Bailey, please don’t cry.”
“You can’t tell me what to do,” I mumbled. “I’m helping you and I’m wise and shit.”