“I doubt that.” I wiped at my puffy eyes. “He is probably wherever with Dana, saving her from her burning house.”
Camden took his phone out of the pocket of his gym shorts he was wearing.
“Who are you calling?” my best friend asked.
“Dana.”
Keegan snorted in disgust, while I glared at him. He shook his head at me and put his finger in the air. I flung myself back on the couch, and the dog jumped up to cuddle next to me. Probably sensed my tension and was trying to soothe me. When he set his phone down I looked at him expectantly.
“She didn’t answer. But don’t worry, I’ll be letting her know as soon as I get a hold of her that she’s worked her last day at The Dugout.”
I kept my mouth shut. Her being fired may have been something he thought would make me feel better, but it didn’t. I was anxious knowing that I’d left Dodger, and he likely went to help her. The very idea made me want to run to the toilet to throw up. I wished he wasn’t the type to feel like he was someone’s savior. Sure he was there for me whenever I needed him to be, but making exceptions for someone that was an issue for me was more than I was willing to compromise.
Camden got up and asked me if I’d like something to drink.
“No, thanks.”
“You probably should drink something, and try and settle a bit. This kind of stress is not good for you or the baby.”
“I know. I just wish I knew where he was.”
As if divine intervention was taking place, the doorbell rang.
Camden strode over and answered. I heard Dodger speaking.
“Where is she? I know she’s in here.”
Camden blocked the entrance. “Yeah, she’s here, but she doesn’t want to see you.”
I hadn’t actually told him I didn’t want to see Dodger, but he did well answering for me.
“Well, that’s just too damn bad.”
“Dodge, you really messed up, man. What in the hell happened?”
I tried to peek around him from where I sat on the couch. The dog oddly hadn’t gotten up to greet Dodger when he showed up. He stayed by my side with his head in my lap. Animals were good at sensing things.
“Dana called. I told her to never talk to me again.”
“Why did she call in the first place?”
“Camden, would you just let me in so I can talk to Macie.”
“No can do, bro.”
Judging from Camden’s rigid stance Dodger was doing something he didn’t like.
“Bro, if you don’t get out of my fuckin’ way, I won’t hesitate kicking your ass until you move. Either way, I’m here for my girl. Now move.”
I saw Camden nod. Shit, he was coming in. When Dodger came into view, the tears welled up in my eyes all over again. Keegan gave my hand a squeeze and she stood up from the ottoman and went to Camden’s side. Dodger and I made eye contact and I saw him swallow hard. I must look as rough as he did. His hair was ruffled like he had dragged his hands through it a million times.
“We’ll be in the other room if you need us.” Camden looked at Dodger. “If you upset her, I’m not going to hesitate in throwing your ass out of here. Understand?”
Dodger wasn’t going to answer him. He was busy staring at me, almost like he was trying to read if I was okay or not, and how he could approach me.
“Are you okay?”
“No,” I stated simply.
He exhaled and his shoulders dropped. “I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for? The fact that another woman called your phone and I answered it? Or because even after I asked you to not answer it, you did it anyway while looking me in the eyes?”
I was really laying into him, and I had no intentions of going easy. He didn’t deserve easy. Dodger came over and sat in the same spot Camden had.
“The latter.”
“Yeah? ‘Cause you sure didn’t look sorry when you still picked up that phone to talk to that crazy cunt.”
“Macie, I know. And I shouldn’t have. In hindsight, I really shouldn’t have.”
“Was it worth it?”
“No.” He looked down at his feet. “She said her ex-boyfriend had beat her up again and she was bleeding and had a black eye. When I told her she needed to stop calling me and call the police, she said no, that she just wanted me. I told her that I would call the police for her. She said that she didn’t want the police called. After she waivered with the facts of her story and some from other things she’s told me, I finally figured out that she had been lying about everything.”
I rolled my eyes. “Dodger, really? I’m pretty sure I told you that.” I scooted forward, my belly was getting uncomfortable sitting slouched down. The dog got up and moved away. “Why is it that when I told you she was a liar, you chose not to listen?”
“I don’t know. I wanted to help, you know? It all just seemed real. She showed me pictures of the bruises. I saw what she said was being done to her. I didn’t want to believe you were overreacting but, she was very convincing.”
“Yeah, and her not wanting to call the police is what finally tipped you off?”
He looked up at me, sadness etched all over his face. He was completely defeated. “No. I was leaving the house and when I walked out she was parked in front.”
I nearly knocked him over when I stood up so fast. My belly would have hit him in the face. “Are you kidding me? Dana came to my fucking house to see my god damn boyfriend? Oh . . .” I paced. Anger, hate, and negative energy was flowing from my fingertips. “She’s so fucking lucky I wasn’t there. The police would have definitely been called. I would have laid her ass out on the front lawn.”
“I know.” He attempted to grab my hand and pull me back to sit down, but I jerked away from him. “Like I said, it was all a lie. She told me she had feelings for me. The bruises I’d seen . . . she gave them to herself. Never in my life had I met someone so sadistic and manipulative.”
My lower lip started to quiver. All of my nerves, anxiety, anger, and heart break was catching up to me. I wanted to hurt him as much as he hurt me and ask why he couldn’t just believe me. And typical of my emotions lately, I also wanted him to comfort me. I wanted him to hold me and tell me something like this would never happen again.
“Macie, please don’t cry. God, please don’t. It’ll kill me.”
“Yeah, well, maybe you need to feel an ounce of what I’ve been feeling the past few hours.”
He stood up and walked to me anyway. He knew I’d resist. I pushed his chest back as he moved forward. It knocked him away but he came back. I used both hands this time and shoved him harder. He braced himself this time and held steady. My tears were freely flowing now. When I attempted to move him away from me for a third time, he grabbed my wrists and pulled me into him. Sure I had a stomach that was definitely in between us, but Dodger didn’t care. He put his hand behind my head and he buried his face in my neck. He breathed deeply almost as if it was his reassurance that I was here and that I was okay.
“I love you. Nothing like that will ever happen again. I promise.”