by L. D. Davis
“Fiji?” Iris had suggested one morning over a cup of coffee in her shop.
“She’s been there already,” I said.
“Bora Bora?”
“Been there, been there.”
“Cabo?”
“Three times.”
“Australia? Africa? Virgin Islands? Japan?” Iris asked, her eyes widening with each shake of my head. “She’s been to all of those places?”
“And a few more,” I sighed. “Her best friend used to travel a lot for her line of work. Emmy often accompanied her, and some of the other places she had gone to with her family or boyfriends.”
“That’s amazing,” Iris said, looking impressed. “But she hasn’t been everywhere, and it’s not really about where you take her, Luke. It’s really about the time you get to spend with her there. I’m sure if you took her to any one of those places again, she would be delighted just to be there with you.”
That had made me feel better about the situation, though I still hadn’t had a clue as to where I would take her.
A month after we said our I Dos, Emmy’s father Fredrick had a mild heart attack. Emmy had snapped at me after I delivered the news to her and tried to calm and reassure her with the words “It was only a mild heart attack.”
“A heart attack is a heart attack!” she had yelled. “That’s like saying Lena only had a mild case of breast cancer!”
Point taken.
We flew down to Louisiana as a family. Emmy insisted that she and Lucas would be okay going with Emmet and Casey, but I wasn’t having any of that. They weren’t traveling any further than the surrounding Chicago suburbs without me again, especially since Emmy was very pregnant.
Emmy was laden with guilt for not spending enough time with her dad over the years. She had worked so hard to avoid her mother, that she had inadvertently avoided him as well. I understood how she felt. I had moved away from my family and rarely visited for many years. When my dad died, I was grief stricken and completely mulled over with guilt for not giving us the opportunity to have an adult father and son relationship. At least Em had an opportunity to make up that missing time with her dad. We stayed down south for a week and a half before I had to get back to work.
I couldn’t be happier with my life. I didn’t think we were untouchable, but after all of the bullshit we had gone through over the years—together and alone—I felt as if we could overcome anything. There wasn’t anything in the world that could come between us. We were like the song said, solid as a rock.
***
Emmy stopped feeding me breakfast.
“I’m a gazillion months pregnant!” she had yelled at me one morning when I asked her what was for breakfast. “I don’t want to get out of bed to make you breakfast—why don’t you make me breakfast?”
She was trying to be crabby, but she hadn’t expected me to actually go into the kitchen and make her eggs and toast and bring it to her in bed. She burst into tears. After I reassured her I wasn’t angry and that I didn’t need her to make me breakfast, she finally looked at the tray of food and smiled through her tears.
“You’re the best husband ever,” she said and kissed me.
“I know,” I agreed and kissed her back. “I have to go.”
Lucas shuffled into the room, holding his stuffed whale, rubbing his sleepy eyes. He held up his arms and I obliged. I ruffled his hair and asked him if he slept well. He yawned in my face and nodded. I chuckled and kissed his head before putting him in bed with his mom.
"What are you going to eat?” Emmy asked, looking guilty.
“I’ll get a cinnamon bun and some coffee at Iris’s,” I said.
“Tell her I said hello and thank her for the cookies she sent with you yesterday. Lucas loved them. Maybe we’ll stop in later today.”
“I will.” I kissed her one final time, kissed her belly, and then kissed Lucas. “Have a good day, guys.”
“Good day, Daddy,” Lucas called after me, making me grin.
“Want to share some breakfast, Lucas?” I heard Emmy ask him before I headed downstairs.
When I walked into Iris’s shop a little while later, I nodded at a couple of the regulars and made my way to the counter. I didn’t see Iris around, but I figured she’d be out shortly. She rarely left the front unattended. She didn’t have any kind of bells or anything on the door to let her know when someone entered. I had warned her that wasn’t exactly safe, especially since she worked alone, but she seemed unconcerned.
I checked my watch. I had been standing there a good two minutes. I had a busy schedule ahead.
“Iris?” I called in the direction of the little hallway that led to her office, kitchen, and storage room.
“I’ll be there in a second,” she called back and then I heard a distinctive grunt.
“You okay back there?” I asked, moving around the counter. I hesitated before going to the back. What if she was back there with a guy and that’s what the grunt was? I definitely didn’t want to walk in on that.
“Yeah,” she called from one of the rooms. “I’m just trying to…gah! Trying to move something.”
I walked back and checked first the kitchen area, but that was empty. I found her in the small storage room, on her knees trying to push an enormous box across the floor. I stood there for a moment, shaking my head.
“This is amusing,” I said, leaning in the doorway and crossing my arms.
She threw me a murderous glance. “The damn dolly tipped and now I can’t move these damn books.”
I shook my head and stepped into the room. I offered her my hand. She looked at it.
“I promise you that my hand is clean. Mostly.” I waved it, indicating that she take it.
Finally, she took my hand and stood up in her ridiculously tall shoes.
“Where do you want the box?” I asked her and effortlessly lifted it.
“What are you?” she asked, looking at me in awe. “A demigod? Kin to Hercules?”
I flexed a bicep. How could I not? “Where do you want the box, woman? I need my cinnamon bun so I can get to work.”
She pointed to a corner. “Over there, please, Hercules.”
I put the box where she requested.
“Thank you, kind sir,” she smiled and did a small curtsy. “Your cinnamon bun is on the house today.”
“I’ll take that as payment,” I shrugged and followed her back out into the shop. There were more customers waiting, but she took me first. As she got my cinnamon bun and coffee, I told her what Emmy told me to tell her.
“I hope they come by,” she smiled warmly. “But she needs to stay off of her feet. Maybe I’ll send some muffins home with you tonight. She loves the cranberry.”
“I have to be in court this afternoon,” I said. “Out of the city. I won’t be back this way until you’re closed.”
“I’ll be here late tonight prepping for the morning,” she said, handing a regular their order. “I’ll wait for you.”
“Don’t wait,” I said, backing towards the door. “If you’re not here, it’s fine. I’ll take her some tomorrow.”
She nodded that she had heard me and focused on her customer. I walked out of the shop with my nose in my paper bag.
By the time I made it back to the office and wrapped up what I needed to do there, it was late. I usually don’t work late anymore if it can be helped, but sometimes it is necessary. I made sure that Emmy was okay with frequent phone calls and would often send Lorraine’s oldest daughter, Haley, over to check on her after school and help her out. Lorraine insisted that I not pay my sixteen-year-old niece, but I always ignored this and paid her on the sly.
I didn’t expect to find Iris’s shop open as I started to walk past it, and sure enough most of the lights were off and the sign was flipped to Closed. I was almost past the shop when subtle movement inside drew my attention. I stopped and moved a little closer to the window. In a dark corner, with her back to me, Iris was seated at a table. It was pretty dark inside, but the
re were some lights from the back rooms casting soft lighting into the main café area.
I was ready to walk away. She looked like she was just having a quiet moment at the end of a busy day. I wouldn’t want anyone bothering me, but as I started to move away, I saw that she had bottle of alcohol at the table with her. Still. It wasn’t my place or my business and I wanted to get home to my wife and son. Suddenly, she pushed herself up from the table and stumbled in those damn high heels. She caught herself, and held onto the table until she was able to balance herself. Then she grabbed the bottle and a coffee mug and slowly turned around to walk away from the table.
Again. I should have left, but honestly, I wanted to make sure she wasn’t going to fall on her face and bleed out all over the floor. She took a few steps before she noticed me in the window. She smiled and said something I obviously could not hear because I was on the other side of the glass. I held up my hands, indicating I had no idea what the hell she just said. She rolled her eyes and walked unsteadily to the door. She set the bottle down on the counter behind her and unlocked the door, waving me inside.
I hesitated before crossing the threshold, but when she turned around to walk deeper into the shop, she stumbled again and started to fall. The coffee mug crashed to the floor, but I caught her around the waist before she could, too.
“Holy shit, Iris,” I growled and steered her to a chair. “Sit the hell down.”
“I have to clean up,” she mumbled and started to stand up, but I roughly pushed her back down.
“I’ll get it,” I snapped. “Where can I find a broom?”
She told me where to find it and I went to get it. I turned the lights on overhead and started sweeping up the mess.
“What are you doing drinking in here in the dark?” I asked.
“Should I drink in here in the light?” she asked dryly.
I glanced over at her, but didn’t respond. I wanted her to answer my question. She could have seriously injured herself.
“Thanks for cleaning that up,” she said instead of answering my question. “I appreciate it. I still have those muffins for Emmy if you want them.”
Carefully, she got to her feet again. She was trying to stand still, but it was obvious she was still pretty drunk.
“Do you need me to help you home?” I asked, though I really didn’t want to. I really wanted to get my own ass home.
“I’ll take a cab,” she said, straightening her back. “I’ll be fine. Thank you.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. After a moment, I returned the broom and dustpan to the closet I found them in. Iris had made her way behind the counter. She produced a box and pushed it towards me. I murmured thanks and picked it up.
“You go on home,” she said dismissively. “I’ll see you tomorrow, no doubt.”
“Are you okay, Iris?” I asked her.
She looked down at the floor. “I’ll be good by morning.”
I looked at my watch and sighed. “I’ll make sure you get home okay.”
She argued, but I had already grabbed her jacket, purse, and keys. I ushered her outside against her arguments and locked the door. I dropped her keys into her purse and handed that and her jacket to her. I had brought my car instead of taking public transportation. I walked her around the corner, with my hand at her elbow to steady her and to catch her the few times she stumbled. I helped her into my car and then got in. I demanded her address and then punched it into my GPS. As I pulled away from the curb, I called Emmy.
“Hey,” she said tiredly.
“Hey, babe,” I said. “I’m driving Iris home and then I’ll be home.”
“Something happen to her car?”
“No,” I sighed. “I’ll explain when I get home. I just want to make sure she gets home safely.”
“Okay, no problem. I’ll wait up for you even though your son ran me into the ground today. I swear I’m going to tie him up one day.”
“It is my duty to inform you that I would have to turn you in for that,” I joked.
“Yeah, go for it,” she said. “See you in a bit.”
“I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I ended the phone call and slipped the phone into my pocket.
“You’re not going to really tell her, are you?” Iris asked me.
I glanced over at her apprehensive expression.
“Of course I’m going to tell her,” I said. “Trust me. Emmy of all people will understand. That girl used to outdrink everyone.”
“I’m already humiliated,” she said, resting her forehead in her hand. “God. What will she think of me?”
I grinned. “Knowing my wife, she’ll be jealous that she didn’t get to share a drink with you.”
She sighed loudly, but no longer objected to me telling Emmy.
“Sorry I kept asking you questions,” I said sincerely. “Your personal life isn’t any of my business.”
She didn’t say anything for several minutes. I was content to let the silence sit between us.
“Sometimes, even when things are really good, darkness finds a way to sneak up on you,” she finally said. She was staring out of the window.
“That can happen to any of us,” I agreed.
She laughed cynically, but said nothing. We were almost to her apartment, so I didn’t feel the need to fill in the silence with encouraging words. I really didn’t know what to say anyway. I didn’t know what her problem was, and not that I am a heartless bastard, but Iris wasn’t my problem.
I helped her out of the car and walked her to her door. I waited for her to unlock it and open it and then I was already backing away.
“Take those damn shoes off,” I said to her. “See you tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Luke,” she said to my back.
“No problem,” I called over my shoulder.
When I got home, I found Emmy in the kitchen reheating my dinner. I embraced her from behind and kissed her neck.
“You didn’t have to do this,” I said, taking the plate from her. “I could have reheated my own dinner.”
“You had a long day, too,” she pointed out and sat down at the table. I sat down and pulled her swollen feet into my lap before I began to eat.
“So, tell me about Iris,” she said around a yawn.
I told her everything that had happened, starting with her telling me to drop by for muffins for Emmy. I didn’t leave out any details, including my thoughts about how Iris wasn’t my problem and I just wanted to get home to my own family.
“Poor Iris,” Emmy said, frowning. “Maybe she’s just depressed? I mean as far as I know, she doesn’t have anyone, not really. She has siblings and parents and all of that, but she doesn’t have any kids or boyfriends or a husband or anything.”
“You know far more than I do,” I admitted. “None of that ever comes up when I’m talking to her.”
“After I give birth to your second spawn,” she said, rubbing her belly. “Maybe I’ll offer to take her out for a night out on the town. We can get drunk and giggle about cute guys.”
I raised my eyebrows at her.
“Okay, okay,” she relented. “We won’t get drunk.”
“But you’ll still giggle about cute guys?”
“Psh. Yeah.”
“I’m going to knock that idea right out of your head as soon as I’m done eating my dinner,” I promised.
She gave me a wicked grin. “I hope so, Mr. Kessler. I hope so.”
“Oh, fuck it,” I said pushing my plate away. I gently pushed her feet out of my lap and stood up. Emmy shrieked when I swept her into my arms and started for the stairs.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I cannot begin to describe the exhilaration I felt watching my daughter’s birth. The love I felt for my wife expanded so widely inside of me, I thought I would combust into millions of pieces of heart shaped confetti.
“I’m so glad you were here,” Emmy sobbed as the doctors and nurses checked Kaitlyn’s vitals and measurements mome
nts after she was born. Emmy gripped my shirt fiercely. “I’m so sorry you missed this before.”
“Hey, we’re not going to talk about that,” I said, pressing my forehead against hers. “You were amazing today. I am so proud of you and I am so grateful for what you just did for us.”
I wiped away her tears and kissed her gently on the lips. “I love you.”
Emmy only cried harder when they put our daughter in her arms. “She’s beautiful,” she said through her tears.
“So are you,” I said adoringly and pushed her hair out of her face before turning my gaze to my precious daughter.
“I’m never, ever, ever doing this,” Mayson said from the corner she had squeezed herself into when Emmy started pushing.
I had managed to convince her to come out of the corner to meet Kaitlyn, but the moment the nurses tried to get the baby to latch on to Emmy’s breast, Mayson was disgusted again.
“I’m never giving birth,” she snarled to us as she hurried across the room to the door. “And the only lips that are touching my tits are my man’s!” She stormed out of the room in a huff.
Later that night while Emmy slept, exhausted from twenty-two hours of labor, I held Kaitlyn in my arms and danced gently around the room, singing “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder. I was so damn happy. It wasn’t possible to be so happy, but I was. In a day or so, Emmy and I would be taking Kaitlyn home to Lucas and our family would be complete.
I felt as if all of my dreams had come true. I had the woman I always wanted, with beautiful children and a strong and supportive family. We had a nice home in a family friendly neighborhood and good friends. My career was higher than any of my expectations and continuously climbing. My sister was healthy and my mom seemed to have many years left in her yet. How could I ask for anything more?
There was nothing more to be had.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Iris and I never spoke about her drunken night at the shop again. Apparently she and Emmy discussed it, but I didn’t ask about it. I didn’t even acknowledge the later times I saw her drinking. On the surface, things went back to normal as far as she was concerned.