SHE WOULDN’T REMEMBER a thing, and no one else would either. I’d be gone and leave no mark at all. Poof, just like that. She’d be free of me. Someone would be assigned to protect her, she’d meet a real man, and everything would be fine. She’d have babies and healthy pregnancies and a good life and a great career. I’d gotten her this far; I couldn’t ruin her now.
It felt like days that I was standing there, on the edge of the highway. All it would take was walking five feet. I saw a bus coming and timed it. Five… four… three… then my phone buzzed.
Evey: I need you now. Please, I’m hurting.
Every time I thought about Evey in pain, it felt as though I was being burned at the stake. Was this His divine comedy?
Flying back to the hospital, I fell to the ground three times. I could barely fly anymore.
When I entered her hospital room, she was shaking her head at me. “Some husband you are. Running off to kill yourself while your wife sobs in a hospital room alone.”
“You don’t understand, Evelyn.”
“Neither do you,” she yelled.
There was a nurse on the other side of the room, restocking the cabinets.
“Take it easy.”
“I know what you were gonna do. Are you insane? The doctor said that had I not had that hematoma, the baby and pregnancy would have probably been normal.” She jabbed a finger at my chest.
“Ow, easy.”
“Come closer, you jerk.” Evey grabbed my ear and yanked me toward her face.
“Geez, relax. I fell hard three times on my way over here. I’m kind of sore.”
“Bet getting your ear tugged on is nothing compared to being hit by a bus,” she whispered. I started to pull away, but she yanked me back down. “Did you hear anything? They said the fetus was otherwise healthy.” Her voice was getting louder. “No wings detected. Just normal human baby parts, Lucian, you ass.”
I shook my head. “Shh. No need for name-calling, Evey. Anyway, I still don’t think it’s possible.”
“Will you just wait and see? What if you really are becoming human?” She glanced at the clock. “I’m tired. It’s four in the morning.”
It was getting close to magic hour. I could have gone out and gotten drunk or tried to find answers, but instead, I crawled into bed next to Evey and rested my head on her chest. I put my hand on her belly, and she laced her fingers through mine. We cried together and then fell asleep. Our baby was gone.
THINGS CHANGED OVER the next few weeks. I insisted on using condoms, but soon gave up on that. It’s just not the same. Tracey gave me a job working in the warehouse, which allowed me to stay close to Evey, but it also irritated her. She wanted independence. I understood, even though she often forgot that I had always been there. She’d tell me it was just different now.
On a Tuesday, Brooklyn came down to the warehouse and flaunted a giant diamond. Evey just stared at it in shock.
“Congrats,” I said from behind Brooklyn. “Who’s the lucky guy?” Poor fool.
“Oh my God, you work here now too?” Brooklyn said. “You guys really can’t be away from each other for more than a minute.”
She had no idea. Evey didn’t respond, and I didn’t want to explain.
“So who is he?” I asked again.
“Keith,” Evey answered for Brooklyn.
I pointed at Evey, “Keith, as in the Keith you went out with?”
“Yes. Although he wasn’t really himself that night, so I didn’t get to know him at all.” Evey rolled her eyes at me.
“You’re marrying that guy?” I said.
“Lucian,” Evey chided.
“What’s it to you, weirdo?” Brooklyn asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “Congrats, weirdo.” I was done being a jerk to Brooke. She didn’t deserve it.
I turned and walked away, but I could still hear Evey talking. They started planning Brooklyn’s wedding right then and there. Brooklyn had gone from not wanting to go on two dates with the same person to getting hitched. Maybe Evey had more of an influence on her than I had thought.
While the two girls were talking wedding details, I went to the back of the warehouse to break down boxes. I noticed a huge pile of jeans in a tote sitting next to the dumpster. They were Evey’s designs.
I grabbed the jeans, went inside, and marched up to Tracey. “You’re throwing these out?”
“They’re terrible,” she said distractedly while she flipped through a magazine.
“I think they’re great.”
She set the magazine down and looked at me. “You think everything she does is great.”
“That’s not true. I hate when she whines. She also leaves the refrigerator open and the lights on.” I actually didn’t care about any of that. “But these are jeans are great, and you know it. She was willing to put your name on them. What, you have too much pride to let her designs take off? You know they will.”
“They’re just jeans,” she said.
“Fine, then we’ll take them. No sense in throwing out perfectly good denim.”
“It’s my denim, and if I want to throw it out, then I will.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No.” She returned her focus to the magazine and flipped through the pages again.
“I’ve always been respectful toward you, Tracey—”
“I don’t give a shit.”
Tracey was truly a piece of work. I used to be able to charm women, but I didn’t seem to have that effect on Tracey anymore. Actually, I didn’t seem to have that effect on anyone anymore.
I set the jeans under a folding table and found Evey saying good-bye to Brooklyn outside.
Brooklyn smiled but held up her middle finger at me as she drove away.
“Can you be nice, Lucian?” Evey pleaded.
“I’m trying to be nice to Brooke. Tracey on the other hand, no, I can’t be nice to her. Listen…” I held her shoulders. “Look at me. Look into my eyes.”
She laughed. “What is up with you?”
“Do I look different?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. Am I less attractive than when you met me?”
Her expression softened; she stopped laughing. “Aside from the fact that you’re thinner and your hair is a little longer, you look exactly the same.” She cupped my face. “You’re ridiculously handsome, Lucian.”
“You’re the only one who thinks so.”
“Are you being vain or insecure? It’s hard to tell.”
I kissed her slowly, softly. I felt her honesty in the kiss, and it didn’t matter what anyone else thought of me.
She whispered, “You’re learning to be human.”
I whispered back, “Tracey is a bitch.”
“We established that a long time ago…
I rested my head on her shoulder. “She tried to throw away your jeans.”
Evey jerked her head back. “Really? Why?”
“I don’t know. Jealous, I guess. Let’s just take them. We’ll get you a place and start your own brand.”
“Our own brand,” she said. “Eves is kind of already taken.”
I laughed. “We’ll think of a name.”
“How about Divine?” .
“It’s perfect.” I kissed her nose. “Let’s go tell Tracey off.”
Evey walked into the warehouse and grabbed her sketchbook, the jeans, and a few other things. Nonchalantly, she said, “Lucian and I quit. This is my stuff, and I’m taking it. Good luck, Tracey.”
Tracey didn’t object, she just said, “Fine. I can find someone better. You can have the jeans. They’re terrible anyway.”
Evey smiled sincerely and said, “Good luck, Tracey.”