The Man I Need

by Williams, Shanora

  “Dad, stop. It’s fine. I’m putting it behind us.”

  “You are?” He sounds surprised.

  “Yes, but only if you promise to help me in every way possible from now on.”

  “Of course, Gabby. I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

  “Good, because I’m filing for a divorce from Kyle. My attorney made him an offer to settle, but he turned it down, so we’ll be taking it to court for a hearing.”

  “Well, shit.”

  “I’m not surprised. But I will need you to write a statement telling everything you heard about Kyle, about his mom and how she wanted him to have a wife, about how it was all arranged. I need you to let my attorney know that I had no idea about any of it, and that Kyle did, and used it against me and you.”

  “I have no problem doing that.”

  “Are you sure? I know you have the company…”

  “Yes, but he can’t break the contract anytime soon. I read through the clauses carefully. He can’t break it for another four months. That gives me plenty of time to save my money and come up with a plan.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  We’re quiet a second.

  “How much will all of this be?” he asks.

  “She’s a pro-bono lawyer, so it won’t cost me anything.”

  “Oh, well that’s good. I’m glad you’re doing this. He shouldn’t get away with what he did.”

  “No, he shouldn’t.”

  “Whatever else you need, just know I’m here. I’ve got your back, sweetheart. Never forget that.”

  I close my eyes, cooling the burn in them. “I know you do, Dad.”

  And I really do. Yes, my father has done some really stupid things. He’s not perfect, but then again, no one is. Not even me.

  I was livid about what he did, don’t get me wrong, but only because my father is supposed to be the man who protects me at all costs. In a way, meeting Kyle did save me, but only financially. I have no debt, thanks to Kyle, and I’m sure my father was only thinking about the financial status of my future.

  My father had no idea that Kyle was abusive, and I’m sure if he had, he never would have done what he did.

  He thought Kyle was a good man who met me and fell in love with me, and I was genuinely happy with Kyle…for a while. I remember repeatedly telling my parents that I loved Kyle so much, and that I was ready to marry him and be with him for the rest of my life.

  I guess I wouldn’t have expected my father to ruin all of that by telling me my relationship was at his orchestration.

  “I know it’s late, but tell mom everything when you can. Okay?”

  “I will. Keep me updated on everything and have a good night.”

  “Goodnight, Dad.”

  When I’m back inside, Marcel asks, “Who did you call?”

  “My dad.”

  Marcel looks surprised. “How did that go?”

  “Pretty good, I think. I told him I’ll need his help and support and he agreed to be there through it all.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  “Mrs. Humphrey told me we need to avoid having you testify.” I sit beside him again.

  “Why not?” He straightens his back, looking me over.

  “Because we had an affair. It automatically makes me look bad. If you write a testimony, Kyle’s lawyer will get to ask both of us questions about our relationship. They’ll make us look like we’re the reason Kyle lashed out.”

  “If they have questions, I can handle it, I’m sure.”

  “But I can’t, Marcel.”

  His Adam’s apple shifts up and then back down. He looks away, focusing on the TV.

  “That’s bullshit,” he mutters. “I should get the chance to tell them what I saw too. What I went through with you after what he did to you.”

  “It’s better this way,” I murmur. “Trust me. You’ve already done so much for me. You have nothing to do with what Kyle did. He would have hit me again either way.”

  He looks sideways at me then wraps an arm around me, puling me close to his body. “Is what you said the other day true?”

  “About what?”

  “That you love me?”

  I smile at him. “Yes. I do love you.”

  “Well, guess what?”

  “What?”

  “I think I love you too.”

  “You think?” I laugh, climbing on his lap and holding his face in my hands.

  “All right, all right. I know I love you.”

  I can’t fight my grin. I kiss him deeply, and he cups my ass in his hands with a deep groan.

  I swear, I love being around this man.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Gabby

  My hearing is happening in twelve days.

  That is way too much time to think about everything that could possibly go wrong, but I’ve been gearing up for it.

  Jasinda told me she has done some research on Kyle’s attorney, and, apparently, he’s a very good lawyer who has worked for a lot of famous people.

  She believes they will dig up anything to make me look like the immoral one instead of the victim, so she’s been warning me to not get carried away when I’m on the stand and to remain calm when I am questioned.

  Things have been going great with Marcel, though. He comes home early now, around seven or eight most nights, and kisses me each time. He holds me tight in his bed at night, and kisses me before he goes off to work in the mornings. He’s a sweet man…but I’ve noticed some strange behavior.

  For instance, the way he is with his phone and laptop is odd. He doesn’t mind that I use his laptop, but when I do, he always hovers over me to watch what I’m doing.

  He’s way too cautious with the laptop. Then again, he does a lot of work on his computer, so maybe he doesn’t want me to mess up a certain document or something.

  Even so, I try not to dig too deep. He’s still warming up to the idea of having me in his house every day. The last thing I want to do is upset him or make him feel uncomfortable in his own home.

  On Sunday morning, I leave out early to grab some groceries. I want to make a nice breakfast and dinner for him today. He’s been working hard.

  When I’m back, I walk through the door with a handful of grocery bags. Marcel is sitting at the table, and when he sees me, he immediately closes his laptop and pushes out of his chair. He tries to do it casually, but there’s something about the way he does it, and the look in his eyes, that seems a little off.

  “Everything okay?” I ask when he meets up to me to take the groceries.

  “Yeah, everything’s good.”

  I study his back before meeting him in the kitchen. As I take some of the groceries out and start placing them in their designated areas, I ask, “Is there something wrong, Marcel?”

  He looks sideways at me, grabbing the container of chocolate ice cream and putting it in the freezer. “No. Everything’s all good. Why do you ask?”

  I shrug, playing it cool. “Just asking.”

  I don’t believe him for a second, but this is supposed to be a pleasant Sunday. It’s his only day off this week, and I’ll let it go…for now.

  * * *

  Later on, after taking a much-needed shower after all my cooking, I walk out of the bathroom, but Marcel isn’t in the bedroom.

  I hear murmuring and walk to the bedroom door to see where he is.

  His back is to me as he stands by the dining table. He’s talking too quietly to hear at first, but then I hear him say a little louder, “I can’t meet you right now, but you can come to my office tomorrow. We’ll talk then.”

  Who is he talking to?

  I go to the bedroom and get changed before he returns.

  “You okay?” I tread as carefully as possible, not wanting him to know that I was eavesdropping.

  “Yeah. All good.”

  “Oh. Okay.” I force a smile. Maybe it was a work call, I think.

  I try not to let it get to me.

  Like I said, all
of this with Marcel is new. He has a lot going on in his life, and I’m honestly just a complication. He won’t admit it, but I know I am. I try to do everything I can around here to make it less stressful for him, like cooking dinner for him and cleaning, but I’m not used to this, and neither is he.

  It was all so sudden, and a part of me is afraid that this lovely bond between us will end up crashing and burning.

  But it can’t die.

  I don’t want it to.

  “Have you ever been to Mitchelville Beach?” I ask him when we’re in bed. He’s spooning me, his chin on my shoulder.

  “One time. Wasn’t much to see, though. Coligny is better.”

  “I want to go there, see what it’s like.”

  “What makes you want to go there?”

  “I don’t know. I saw pictures of it before moving to Hilton Head. I told myself I’d visit one day, see what it was like, but haven’t had the chance. I’d love to go watch the sun set there one day.”

  “Hmm. We should go then.” He sounds tired. “We should go to a lot of places, do a lot of different things. Get your mind away from all of the mess that’s happened here.”

  I smile, squeezing his hand that’s on my belly. “That would be nice.”

  “I’ll take you places,” he murmurs, then kisses the top of my shoulder. “You deserve to see the world and more, little thing.”

  I laugh. “Promise?”

  “Guaranteed.”

  When Marcel falls asleep, I fight the urges trying to take over me, but I can’t hold off for long. Eventually, as he rolls onto his back, throwing an arm over his eyes, I reach over to grab his phone. There’s a passcode that needs to be entered.

  I hesitate for a bit, fighting an internal war, then I sigh, putting the phone back in place and lying back down. I can’t invade his privacy like this. Who am I to check his stuff or question him?

  I mean, technically, we aren’t together. We just live together for now, because I have no place else to go. I don’t know what we are, but we have to be something serious after everything we’ve been through, right? He’s never claimed me as his girlfriend. Right now, we’re sort of stuck in the middle, with a situation that’s tricky to define.

  I finally calm my mind by reminding myself that I have no reason to be worried. I didn’t ask Marcel to do anything, except pick me up that night. Maybe all of the shit with Kyle is really getting to my head.

  But when it all boils down, I really hope Marcel isn’t hiding anything from me. The last thing I need is for another man I care about to disappoint me.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Marcel

  I tap the end of the pen on my desk, waiting for the clock to strike twelve.

  When I hear the brakes of a car squeal lightly, I look out of the window, spotting a green Volkswagen parking in front of my office building.

  I push out of my chair and walk to the door, watching Lucy come my way. Her face is paler than I’ve ever seen it, her blonde hair strewn all over the place. She’s wearing a leather jacket and is hugging it tightly to her body. She has on a gray dress beneath it with black sandals.

  She called me last night and asked if she could see me. I told her I couldn’t right then because I had Gabby, but that she could meet me here in my office today.

  “Hi, Marcel,” she breathes when she’s inside the building. “Wow, look at you! You look so great!”

  “Thank you. I would say the same, but you look like somethin’ is botherin’ you. What’s goin’ on?”

  Her throat moves up and down, then she points at the coffee station in the corner, blinking her tears away. “Can I make a cup?”

  “Sure. Go right ahead.”

  I watch her go through the motions. After she’s dumped several packets of sugar and cream into it, she sips and then walks to my office, sitting in one of the chairs behind the desk.

  I walk around the desk warily, glancing at her before sitting too. She sips slowly, quietly, then she places her cup down on the end of my desk, drops her face into her hands, and breaks down in a sob.

  I’m shocked and not quite sure what to do. I’m not that great with women crying on me. Gabby I can handle, but Lucy and I are in a different position.

  Leaning forward I ask, “Lucy? What the hell is goin’ on? What happened?”

  “I’m sorry,” she says, voice thick. “I—I didn’t mean to lay all this on you.”

  “It’s fine, but tell me what’s goin’ on.”

  She picks her head up, her eyes and nose red. “Wilson died.”

  I narrow my eyes, confused. “Who the hell is Wilson?”

  “The fiancé I told you about. The one I said I was quitting escorting for. He passed away yesterday. Heart attack. I was driving, because he’d been drinking too much at an event we went to. I looked over and…he was clutching his chest, and his eyes were really big. I took him straight to the hospital but he…he didn’t make it!”

  “Oh. Shit.” I don’t even know what to say. I slouch back in my chair, lowering my gaze. “Damn, Luce. I’m so sorry.”

  “I didn’t know who else to go to,” she says through a sob. “The women at my job won’t care. The boss was mad that I quit for Wilson, so he sure doesn’t want to hear my sad story.” She rolls her eyes and swipes under her eyes with a sniffle. “None of my family lives here in Hilton, and even if they did, they wouldn’t have cared either. They didn’t approve of me marrying him.”

  I walk around the desk, grabbing her elbow and bringing her to a stand. “Don’t apologize. We’re friends, Luce. I told you I’m always here if you need to talk.” I reel her in for a hug, and she sobs on my chest even harder.

  I let her cry for a moment, then pull back, holding her by the shoulders. “You’re more than welcome to see me for anything.”

  She nods, taking a hand away and swiping her face with the back of it. “Thank you. I really needed to hear that from someone.” She draws in a shuddering breath, then puts on a smile that I can tell pains her to do. “You’ve always been such a good guy, Marcel.”

  “You don’t have to do that. Don’t make it about me. You’re here for you.”

  “I know, I just…well, thinking about it is so exhausting.” Her voice breaks. “We were supposed to be getting married in August. It was going to be a beautiful fall wedding, and I had even chosen my gown—it’s hanging right up in his closet, but now I’ll never wear it!” Her voice is thick again, the tears lining the rims of her eyes. She blinks it away then reaches up to stroke the side of my face. “Is everything okay with you, though? You look much happier. How is everything with the girl you like? She lives with you now?”

  She smiles and pulls her hand down, but before I can respond, I hear a door shut and look past her.

  My heart plummets when I spot Gabby standing by the door with a plastic bag in hand. Her olive eyes are wide, lips parted.

  Gabby looks from me to Lucy, who glances over her shoulder and pulls away from me.

  “Gabby, hey—uh, this is Lucy,” I tell her, stepping around Luce.

  She frowns. “Lucy? Your escort?”

  “No, it’s not like that anymore. She’s—”

  “No, you know what?” Gabby holds a firm hand in the air. “Please don’t even explain. I thought I’d come by and surprise you with lunch, seeing as I felt guilty for thinking you could possibly be hiding anything from me, but now I know my suspicions were right.” She tosses the bag on the floor and turns around, marching out of the office.

  “Shit!” I rush around Lucy, dashing out of the office. Gabby is already inside the rental car when I make it outside. I rush to the driver’s side of it, pulling on the handle, but it’s locked.

  “Gabby! Come on! Would you just let me explain?” She starts the car up, but I bang on the window. “Gabby! She’s not here for that! You have it all wrong! She only stopped by to talk!”

  She glares up at me, her eyes glistening, the hurt in them very, very clear.

  “Gabby, come
on. Please?” I plead. “You can’t run away from all your problems like this!”

  She frowns at my statement then narrows her brows. “Watch me,” she snaps back then she presses on the gas and takes off.

  I leap back, watching her speed out of the parking lot to get on the main road.

  “Goddamn it!” I plant my hands on my waist, dropping my head.

  When I look up again, Lucy is walking out of my office with a stunned expression as she looks toward the road then back at me. “Oh my God, Marcel! I am so sorry! I—I knew I shouldn’t have come here! This is all my fault! Do you want me to help you find her and tell her this wasn’t what she thought it was?”

  “No.” I shake my head, releasing a ragged breath. “It’s not your fault, Luce. It’s mine. Don’t worry yourself. You have enough to deal with.”

  “Okay.” Lucy shifts on her feet and swipes her nose. “I’m gonna leave you alone. I don’t wanna cause you any more trouble.”

  “Sure, yeah. I’m gonna go after her.” I catch her arm before she can walk past me to her car. “Will you be okay?”

  She bobs her head slowly. “I hope so. I think I’m going to drive to North Carolina and stay with a good friend of mine until the funeral. Wilson’s family doesn’t want me helping with the arrangements.” She shrugs, on the verge of tears again. Poor Luce. “I’ll call you if I need anything.”

  She forces a smile at me before walking away. I’m tempted to get her to stick around, maybe help her somehow, but if I do that, I’ll be blowing off one of the biggest moments of my life.

  I watch Lucy go, too, then walk to the curb to sit and think.

  I rake my fingers through my hair, trying to figure out where Gabby would go.

  She wouldn’t go back to my house, that I know for sure. I also know she won’t go to Meredith’s, because she lives in the same neighborhood as Kyle.

  But where the hell else would she go?

  I think for a minute, and then it hits me.