The Day He Came Back

by Ward, Penelope

  Are you fucking kidding me? “Where the hell were you all this time, then?”

  Now he was back to the old Weldon. “Getting a little nervous?”

  My fists tightened.

  “Look...” he said. “I may be a dick, but I wouldn’t touch that girl even if she were remotely interested. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

  Still fuming, I repeated my question. “Where were you?”

  “We went to a sports bar down on Clematis. We talked. That’s it. She’s really easy to talk to.”

  “When did she find out she wasn’t going to a musical?”

  “The second we pulled up to the place and she saw the sign advertising something else.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re such a prick.”

  “She took it okay, though. She could’ve dumped my ass back home, but she was a good sport. We ate a lot, and we talked about life. It was the most normal human experience I’ve had in months. She’s not judgmental, which I appreciate now that I’m a fuck-up.”

  I stared at him. I’d been blind when it came to Weldon’s life for too long. I needed to get my head out of my ass and find him some help. Before I could say anything, he started to tell me a story.

  “You know, I fell asleep on the beach one time a few months ago. I woke up to the sight of two people walking by and looking at me in disgust. They assumed I was homeless. For the first time, I got a taste of what it must have been like to be on the other end of the treatment I used to give anyone who didn’t come from the same side of the tracks as us. It was eye opening. A lot of bad has happened to me, Gavin, but none of it has to do with my spirit, with my soul. That has only grown while my body’s deteriorating.”

  I took a few steps toward him and placed my hand on his shoulder. “What can I do to help you? I’ll do anything.”

  “Just don’t turn your back on me. No matter how many times I fuck up.”

  I pulled him close. It had been years since I’d hugged my brother. We stayed in that position for at least a minute.

  I smacked him on the back. “If I haven’t ditched you by now, I never will, you pain in my ass.”

  We were quiet for a bit, and then he said, “You know…I can totally see why you fell for Raven. I didn’t understand it at the time. I didn’t understand much of anything then. But I get it now.”

  There was no doubt Raven was easy to fall for. But I’d fallen for a lot of things, including the idea that she’d returned my feelings, that she truly cared about me.

  Weldon appeared to be thinking about something and smiled to himself. He had definitely returned from the night out with a different attitude.

  “I’m gonna get help, okay? When I get back to Cali, I’m gonna see someone.”

  “Good. I think that’s smart. I’m proud of you for recognizing you need it.”

  Weldon crushed his soda can and threw it in the recycle bin. “Anyway, I’m tired, and I need a shower. Heading up to bed.”

  “Okay.”

  Before he went up the stairs, he stopped. “Sometimes when people are young, they make dumb decisions based on fear and other things. I know I did. I’m still making them, actually. Anyway, when your woman goes back to London, maybe you should talk to Raven. Get to know who she is now. I’m not saying you should cheat or anything. Just make sure you’re sure before you jump into something you can’t get out of. Everything that happened up until now might have happened for a reason, to get you where you are today. The girl you wanted more than anything at one time? She’s still here.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  * * *

  RAVEN

  I’d been trying not to make eye contact with Gavin and Paige as we sat at the lunch table. I was just about to escape with Mr. M when Gavin asked Genevieve if she wouldn’t mind taking his father upstairs. He told her he needed to speak with me.

  My heart started to pound. Is he firing me or something? “What’s this about?”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to say this in front of Dad. I just wanted to let you know I told Paige about our history. I thought she should know.”

  As I sat there in shock, Paige chimed in, “There’s nothing to feel awkward about. He explained the situation to me. It was a long time ago.”

  That pained me, but I pretended to laugh it off. “It was a long time ago. We were practically kids. I don’t know why I didn’t say anything sooner. I mean, we’re all adults.”

  “Exactly.” She smiled.

  I shouldn’t have expected Gavin to keep our secret, yet I’d convinced myself he would. It just proved what a fool I was.

  “Well, that was fucking awkward,” Weldon muttered as he reached for a leftover roll.

  Not sure if Gavin and Paige heard it, but I certainly did.

  I got up and went outside for some air. I sat on the small bench by the garden and hoped no one would come outside.

  After a few minutes, someone’s footsteps crept up from behind. When I turned, it was Weldon walking toward me.

  “Who needs television with the kind of drama going on in this house, eh?”

  “Weldon, I came out here to be alone, so…”

  He ignored me and took a seat next to me on the bench.

  He let out a long sigh. “I could tell my brother really wanted to come after you. But his hands are tied, so I came instead.” He gave me a sympathetic look.

  “Well, that wasn’t necessary. I just needed a little air. I’ll be fine.”

  “You’re forgetting I’m the only one here who knows what really happened. So don’t feed me the bullshit that you’re okay with all this. You can be honest with me.”

  Letting out a breath, I conceded, “It just…sucks.”

  “Yeah, I know.” He actually looked a little sad. Then he snapped his fingers. “Hey! Want me to seduce her tonight? Break them up? I mean, look at me. She won’t be able to resist.” He wriggled his brows.

  Meanwhile, his hair looked like it hadn’t been washed in two weeks, and he had bread crumbs in his beard.

  But he’d managed to make me smile.

  “Well, there it is…” I laughed. “The solution to my problem.”

  He chuckled. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t think my mother would have liked Paige, either.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because Mother didn’t like anyone—except me.” He winked.

  ***

  The rest of the afternoon passed without another Gavin encounter. He and Paige left the house to do some sightseeing.

  Unfortunately, they arrived home just before my shift ended that evening.

  Paige went upstairs. Gavin was alone when he followed me outside as I walked to my car to leave. I pretended I didn’t see him.

  “Raven…” he called from behind me.

  I whipped around before losing it on him a little. “A warning about that awkward confrontation at lunch might’ve been nice.”

  “I’m sorry if that upset you.”

  “I have to go.” I ran to my car.

  He didn’t follow.

  My tires screeched as I sped away.

  ***

  I headed straight to Marni’s house, my emotions bubbling in my chest. I’d been keeping her apprised of the situation with Gavin by phone every day but hadn’t seen her since the first night he arrived.

  When she opened the door, I let everything out, falling into her arms in tears.

  “I can’t do it any more. I can’t be in the house when she’s there. I can’t watch him with her. I can’t be around them.”

  “Fuck.” She squeezed me. “I’ve been waiting for you to lose it. Have you ruled out telling him the truth?”

  I pulled back to look at her. “He’s in love with her. Engaged. What’s the point?” I wiped my eyes and walked farther into the house. “Her leaving can’t come soon enough. Honestly, his leaving can’t come soon enough.”

  Marni’s daughter, Julia, was in the baby swing. I bent down to kiss her on the forehead.
/>   “What happened specifically today?” she asked.

  I stood up. “They confronted me together. He’d told her about our history. I guess he felt guilty for keeping it from her.” My chest hurt thinking about it. “He gave me his word that he wouldn’t tell her while she was here. I asked him not to. The fact that he ignored that and told her anyway just proves he has no regard for my feelings. Why would he, though, right?”

  “Right. He thinks you dumped his ass years ago. He doesn’t know you’re still in love with him. He has a right to know, Raven.”

  “Then what? He goes right back to London, back to her.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Marni, the only thing that could ever hurt worse than doing what I did to him would be losing him all over again, and especially to someone else. This is going to sound weird, but there’s some part of me that takes solace in the fact that he loved me when I ended things. At least I know he loved me. To open my heart to him again and be shot down because he’s in love with someone else? I don’t think I could take that.”

  “I get it. I do. But are you sure he’s in love with her?”

  “He’s marrying her. Why would he have proposed if he didn’t love her? And the way they ganged up on me today…they’re a unit. It was very telling.”

  She stared at me, looking helpless. “So that’s it? This is how the story ends?”

  I closed my eyes a moment. “Yeah.” I swallowed. “I have to move on.”

  ***

  That night, back at home, I pulled out old photos I hadn’t seen in years, photos I hadn’t allowed myself to look at. They were the few images Gavin and I had snapped together that one weekend we were at his house while his parents were away. It was painful to look at them, mainly because I could see the love he had for me in his eyes. I could see how happy we were. This was how I wanted to remember us.

  I needed to accept that the guy in the photo was gone. He was a grown man now, one who’d finally found his peace. And I wasn’t the same either. I’d had my own share of difficulty and loss, even after Mom died—something I hadn’t shared with him.

  Sitting with my legs crossed on the bed, I continued to stare at the photos. We could never get this innocence back.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  * * *

  GAVIN

  In the days after Paige left, I tried to keep my focus on my father, spending my days taking walks or sitting with him and playing cards. I’d accomplished as much as I could here. I’d failed to convince my father to move, but I felt more comfortable about leaving him in Palm Beach. I just needed to figure out how to get back here more often.

  Raven had done everything in her power to keep her distance from me since the day I told her what I’d shared with Paige. Maybe that was for the best. She’d stayed in the background somewhat, allowing me more alone time with Dad.

  The fact that Raven was upset at me for telling Paige the truth continued to haunt me, though. The other thing that haunted me were my brother’s words from the night he’d gone out with Raven, about how sometimes people make mistakes when they’re young.

  Did Raven regret ending things with me all those years ago? I knew she was still affected by me. That was clear from her body language. And I knew in my heart that my feelings for her were still raw. But the fact remained that I’d finally met someone I could see myself spending the rest of my life with. I couldn’t let my confused emotions unravel everything I’d built with Paige.

  ***

  The next evening, I went upstairs to check on Dad. I knew Raven probably hadn’t left for the day yet, but I wasn’t sure where she was. My father’s bedroom was empty, but the door to the master bath was cracked open.

  As I came closer, I froze. My father was in the tub, and Raven was bathing him. It shocked me. Clearly, I should have known this was part of her responsibilities as his nurse. But I guess I never realized that meant she’d seen my dad naked.

  Raven massaged shampoo into his hair. He looked so relaxed, like this was his little slice of heaven. She took such good care of him. His eyes remained closed as she slowly poured water out of a small basin onto his head. He groaned in pleasure.

  Yeah, buddy. I can only imagine. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

  She jumped. “Oh my God. You scared me.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to. I came up here to check on him.” I smiled over at him. “Hey, Dad.”

  My father simply moaned in response. His eyes remained closed as he anticipated more rinsing.

  After taking a few steps in, I could see down into the water—my father had a stiffy. My jaw dropped. Well, shit.

  At that moment, I heard footsteps. My brother sauntered into the bathroom, too.

  “There you are. I was wondering where everyone was. I—” He took notice of the situation in the bathtub. “Oh…hello.”

  Raven looked miffed. “Can you guys give your dad some privacy? I need to finish rinsing him before my shift ends.”

  “Sorry. We didn’t mean to intrude.” I shoved Weldon out the door with me.

  Downstairs in the kitchen, Weldon decided to be Weldon.

  “I’d like to think maybe she gives him a happy ending.”

  “I’d like to bash your head against the wall.”

  “Jesus. You’re so frustrated, you can’t even take a joke anymore.” He grabbed a beer from the fridge. “Want one?”

  I shrugged. He handed me a bottle.

  We made our way out to the patio and sat in silence for a bit, sipping our beers.

  When he spotted Raven through the glass door, he hopped up and ran into the kitchen.

  What the hell is he doing?

  The next thing I knew, he was dragging her outside and leading her to one of the lounge chairs.

  “I really can’t stay, Weldon. I have a lot to do tonight.”

  “Your shift is over, right?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Just have one beer with us. You’ve clearly had a hard day.”

  “Seriously?” She was pissed. “Are you that immature?”

  “Oh, come on. Neither you nor Gavin can take a damn joke tonight. You’ve got to admit, the fact that he gets a hard-on when you’re bathing him is hilarious.”

  “Actually, I don’t find it hilarious. But you know what I do find amusing? The fact that you’ve been wearing the same shirt for God knows how long that has a gravy stain on it from lunch three days ago.”

  A snort escaped me; I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Alright. It’s like that?” he asked. “I can take it.”

  Raven cracked a smile.

  Weldon pointed to her face. “Is that amusement I see? Does that mean you’ll stay for a beer?”

  It surprised me when she conceded.

  “Okay. Just one.”

  Weldon disappeared into the kitchen to grab her beer, leaving us alone for a minute. A dog howled in the distance. Raven and I turned to each other and shared a hesitant smile, but neither of us said a word.

  There was so much I wanted to say, namely apologizing again for telling Paige about us without giving her any warning. But Raven had a long day, and I didn’t think it was the right time to broach that subject again.

  Weldon returned, handing her the beer before relaxing into his seat. “Ahhh. Isn’t this cool? Just like old times, right?”

  She cackled. “Not quite. I wasn’t exactly welcome to hang out on the patio like this in old times, as you’ll recall. And if I remember correctly, you were a miserable prick who looked nothing like Jesus at the time. So, there’s that.” She winked.

  I bit my lip, unsure whether to laugh or be upset at the reminder of how things around here used to be.

  “Although…” she added. “I have to say, you’ve sort of been a nice buffer when needed.”

  Weldon flexed his muscles. “I am quite buff.”

  Raven downed some more of the beer and lifted the bottle. “By the way, Weldon, I hear Jesus Christ Superstar is playin
g at the Kravis Center. Wanna go?”

  “Are you serious?”

  “No.”

  “Aw, man. You got me all excited.”

  “I know the feeling.” She chided.

  I remained quiet but enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. So fucking needed.

  “By the way,” Weldon said. “Don’t you think Mother would find this whole situation hilarious right now? Dad upstairs with a woody, and the three of us taking over the house?”

  Suddenly, the sky opened up and rain came pouring down.

  Raven looked up and held her palm out to catch some of the water. “Welp, there’s your answer.”

  ***

  As I got closer to my departure date, I found I couldn’t stop thinking about Raven. I had only a couple of days left, and there was a growing feeling of urgency inside me I couldn’t shake.

  I wasn’t getting any younger. I wanted a family. I was ready to settle down. I didn’t want to have any lingering doubt before that happened. These last couple of days would be my only opportunity to explore any unanswered questions and get the closure I needed to move on with my life, marry Paige, and not look back.

  This was about moving on with Paige, not looking backward with Raven. But somehow, it felt like the latter was necessary to move forward.

  I have to talk to her.

  I knew today was Raven’s day off. I’d spent the entire morning with Dad, and now he was napping.

  Needing to clear my head, I decided to take a drive and somehow ended up over the bridge in West Palm Beach.

  For shits and giggles, I decided to check out the old improv club. To my dismay, it was all boarded up. The sign was still there, though. For some reason, seeing the sign looking virtually unscathed against the boarded-up building made me really sad. I’d had so many good memories there.

  It was a gloomy, rainy day to boot. I sat in the empty parking lot and got this feeling of déjà vu. How had ten years gone by in a flash? So much had changed. So many people gone.