Putting my hands on my hips, I said, “David Allen, you get over here right now.”
Dave didn’t need to be told twice. He wrapped his arms around me and I closed my eyes, not realizing until just this moment how much I missed my friend. When he pulled back, he looked grim. “I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t start. I know this hasn’t been easy on you.”
Dave frowned. “Don’t do that, Lex. Don’t make excuses for me. Yeah, I got a shock, but your shock was so much bigger than mine and I lost focus of things. I’m sorry.”
I didn’t tell him it was actually easier without everyone around, butting into my business. Instead, I smiled, and stated, “Apology accepted.” I turned and made my way back into the kitchen and he followed. “So, tell me what’s happening. How are things with Happy?”
“Not great. But we’re, ah...” Dave made a sound in his throat. “Talking.”
I spoke fluent Dave. They weren’t talking. They were fucking.
My grin was hard to hide. “Well, that’s good. Isn’t it?”
Dave pulled up a chair as I went to work on the gnocchi. “I guess. I’m having a hard time with this, Lex.” He sighed long and low. “I already have trust issues. This has just rocked me.”
I know what he meant. “Yeah. I get that.”
At my bleak response, Dave focused on me. “How are you?”
“I’m doing as well as I can under the circumstances.” I threw him a wide-eyed look. “I don’t think I meet the height requirement for this emotional rollercoaster.”
“Well, all I can say is I hope you’ve learned something from all this, because—”
The front door opened and Molly walked in, followed by A.J.
Twitch trailed close behind.
The second Dave saw Twitch, he stood, wearing an expression of pure disbelief. “Are you serious, Lex?” He sputtered, “For fuck’s sake, you cannot be serious right now.” His hands shook. “Have you learnt nothing? Don’t you see what he’s doing?” My neck began to flush, and I was glad that Molly was smart enough to have read the signs and took A.J. into his room while Dave vented. “It’s bad enough he’s across the street.” His face was strained. “I’m shocked at you. I didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to let him in your house!”
I saw the exact moment Twitch went from mildly agitated to purely enraged. He took a menacing step forward. “The fuck you just say?” Then another. “I know you did not just call my woman stupid, Dave.”
But Dave was feeling brave. “Your woman.” He laughed humorlessly then looked to me. “His woman? That was quick, Lex. Nice.”
Oh, no. My plans were going down the drain fast. Someone was going to get hurt if I didn’t do something.
“You piece of shit,” Twitch said, speaking softly, never raising his voice. “You’re gonna leave and you’re gonna do it now.” His eyes darkened. “Before I fucking make you.”
“Stop it.” My voice shook.
Dave scoffed. “You’re going to make me?” After a moment’s silence, he thundered, “Who the fuck are you to come into this house and make threats? You hurt Lexi. You hurt her beyond repair. Unlike you, I love this woman. See, Twitch, that’s what you do when you love someone. You tell them things they don’t want to hear because it’s the right thing to do. You treat them like they deserve to be treated. You stick around.”
My heart began to race. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.
At Twitch’s murderous expression, my entire body stilled. “You think I didn’t wanna be here, with my girl, with my fucking son?” Twitch spoke low. “You think I wanted to spend the last five years sleeping under bridges, in train stations, without a fucking cent to my name, because I couldn’t claim that name anymore?” He took another step and my gut sank at his words. “What? You think I’ve been out there hustlin’, fucking around, vacationing in Ibiza? Let me tell you something, my man. Chicks don’t dig homeless guys.” His lips thinned. “Oh, yeah. The glamorous life. You got my number, Dave.”
My heart ached. Oh, how it ached.
Hearing all of that did something to me, to my soul. A small fragment of my broken heart began to repair itself.
My heart threw me an earnest look.
I told you he wouldn’t have done what he did without a reason.
My brain rolled its eyes.
If you believe him, you’re a freaking moron. Don’t let the same snake bite you twice.
At war with myself, a decision was made. There was no avoiding it. It was high time Twitch and I talked.
Dave lost some of his steam, but his jaw was tight when he uttered, “You owe us an explanation. Where have you been?”
At that, Twitch lost his cool. His eyes flashed. “I don’t owe you shit, motherfucker.” Then his brows lowered. “The only person I need to be talking to about this is the angel standing right there.” He jerked his chin toward me. “And she ain’t ready for that, so I’m doing something I rarely do.” He glanced at me meaningfully. “I’m waiting.”
Twitch was not a patient man. He was compulsive and had control issues. The fact that he was showing restraint... it was monumental.
Who was this man, and what had he done with the rash, selfish, and careless one I knew way back when?
Twitch spouted the words as if this was his home and he had the right to. “You got two choices, Dave. You can leave with your tail between your legs and my foot up your ass,” he offered. “Or you can shut the fuck up, apologize, and eat the meal your girl’s making.” He looked Dave up and down, measuring him. “If I were you, I’d choose option two. It’s been a long time, and I’m spoilin’ for a fight.”
Without waiting for a response, Twitch went down the hall, looking for his son.
A long while passed before Dave spoke again, and before he did, he cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean what I said.” A slight pause. “You’re not stupid, Lex.”
Wasn’t I though?
My son had called me stupid. My friends were now calling me stupid. It was a common theme of late, and if one was being called out repeatedly, chances were that person was the thing they were labeled.
I was suddenly overwhelmed and my throat thickened with emotion. I spoke quietly, blinking away tears. “Don’t worry about it. It’s been a little crazy around here.”
“Yeah.” Dave’s low tone matched mine. “I can see that. The last thing you need is for your friends to start turning on you.” He put a hand to my shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
Abruptly depressed, I felt the need to explain myself and my actions. “It’s just that A.J.’s been miserable without him, and the more I keep him from his father, the more he lashes out.”
“Oh, sweetie.”
My heart thumped. “I didn’t know what to do, and even though it’s been hard on me, I thought if I just let him see Twitch, he’d be happier.”
“Of course.”
It was difficult to breathe around the strain in the air. “You can’t possibly understand the situation I’m in. I’m screwed if I do, screwed if I don’t. I’m trying to be smart about this, Dave. Just trying to take the road with the least amount of mines buried in it.”
He looked absolutely dejected. “I know.”
“And Twitch has been surprisingly good in this time,” I revealed grudgingly. “It’s like... I don’t know. He’s changed, Dave. I don’t know where he was or what he was doing, but the time away has done something to him.” My eyes imploring, I uttered, “This man is going to be around. I’d like it if we all got along. If you can’t do it for me, please, do it for A.J., because he loves his dad.”
“And what about you, Lex?” He held my eyes. “Do you love him?”
Until the day I die. “I don’t even know him anymore.”