All the Lies We Tell

by M. Skye

  “You don’t have to pretend for me. I know I scared you tonight.”

  “I was a little caught off guard, but I wasn’t afraid.”

  “I saw the look in your eyes. I never meant to—”

  “You didn’t. I’ve been with you over fifteen years, and I’ve done some crazy things that should have made you snap, but you have never raised your hand to me. Hell, you never even spanked our son. I will never be afraid of you. I just had to make you work for it.”

  “Work for it? This was all a game? You were never mad?”

  “Oh, I was, but not for the reason you think. You better not ever call me easy again. Got it?”

  “You made me do all that because I called you easy?” Mia laughed, and he laughed with her. “Okay, you got me. I won’t do it again. There is something else I wanted to ask you, though.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I almost feel crazy asking this while lying here naked with you in my arms, but I have to know.”

  “What’s up?”

  Tyree sighed and sat up against the headboard, bringing her with him. “You know I trust you, but why did he say you can’t be yourself with me? I mean, we’ve known each other our whole lives, and I like to think there is no one alive who knows you better than me. Am I wrong? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  He saw the fear dance in her eyes, and a nervous feeling he had never experienced built up in his chest. As he awaited her answer, his mind raced with the most awful thoughts. He only hoped he could handle whatever she was about to say, and he focused his eyes on hers, studying her intently.

  “Jake, well . . . When you were gone, we talked a lot, and I told him stuff. I was pissed at you, so it wasn’t positive. I said a lot of things I didn’t mean, and I’m sorry. I didn’t know the full story back then, and I was wrong.”

  Tyree ran his hand through her hair and placed a kiss on her forehead. “It’s okay. I understand, and we both said things we didn’t mean. I just . . . Promise me you won’t see him again. I trust you, and I know you won’t do anything to jeopardize us, but I don’t like him being around you.”

  “I know, and I get that, but I need to see him at least one last time. There are some things I need to say.”

  “Mia, I don’t—”

  “Ty, one time, please? I need to let him know that his little act tonight did nothing but push me further away. He needs to know he can’t disrespect our marriage.”

  “I don’t like it. I don’t think he deserves anything more from you.”

  “Maybe not, but he is going to hear it anyway. I need to do this for me.”

  Tyree just stared at her. After a few moments, he turned his back to her, leaving the answer in limbo. After almost a full minute, he responded, “Fine.”

  “Thank you for understanding. I know he gets to you, but he shouldn’t. I never left you for him. My decision to leave had nothing to do with him. He just happened to be there after the decision was made. He was someone to fill the void I had from losing you. No one has ever gotten me like you do. Always know that.”

  “I just don’t like him. I never will. I can’t help that.”

  “I know, but you can’t go around hitting people when things don’t go your way. We are not children anymore, and there are consequences to our actions now.”

  “Even so, it felt damn good to finally take a swing at that bastard.”

  “You’re such a guy.”

  “An exhausted guy. Conversation over. Sleep now.”

  “Sleep sounds good.”

  “Yeah, as long as you’re sleeping next to me.”

  “There is no place else I would ever be.”

  “Good.”

  He closed his eyes, and she snuggled closer to him, pressing her cheek to his chest. Once he felt her settle down and drift into a deep sleep, his eyes fluttered open. Something was still bothering him about the whole Jake situation. Something about her answer didn’t satisfy him. He knew there was more, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. There was something deeper between them, and until he knew what, it was going to fester in his mind. He had to know the truth.

  Chapter Nine

  Mia held her breath as she knocked on the door. She knew she probably shouldn’t be there, but she couldn’t resist. She needed to see this through. It was important to her.

  After a few knocks had gone unanswered, she fished out her cell phone. Just as she was about to dial the number, the door flew open, and she was face-to-face with a curvy, petite girl with light brown eyes. The girl wasn’t someone she recognized, but her attitude was unmistakably bad. The girl rolled her eyes at Mia and looked as if she was about to shut the door, but Mia threw her hand out, forcing her way in. The girl huffed and reached out as if to grab Mia’s arm, but before she made contact, Mia walked up, pressing her against the wall.

  “Don’t you try me, bitch. Today is not the day. I suggest you get him out here and save yourself the ass-whooping you are about to receive if you lay one hand on me.”

  “I’m not scared, and he doesn’t want to see you. He doesn’t want to see anyone.”

  “Well, how about you let him tell me,” Mia snapped, and the girl went into the bedroom. After a few minutes and a series of loud exclamations from the back, Mia saw the girl walking through, fully dressed, with her purse in hand. She looked like she had been crying, and she rushed out the front door.

  Mia sat anxiously, anticipating the conversation she knew would be incredibly awkward. She was nervous, but she knew this couldn’t wait. The sooner she handled this, the better. As soon as she saw his shadow nearing, her breath caught in her chest. She swallowed the dry lump in her throat and stood to receive him. As soon as he approached, she could smell the liquor on him, and tears glistened in her eyes.

  “What happened to you? You used to be so much better than this.”

  He sighed and sat down on the couch, prompting her to follow his lead. “Mia, it’s early. What’s going on? Why are you here?”

  “Why are you? Miguel, you’re supposed to be at work, and it’s not early. It’s past noon.”

  “I lost track of time, that’s all. Just go back to work. I’ll be in once I freshen up.” He stood and raked his hand over his head, and she pulled him back down.

  “Come on, we can talk about whatever is wrong. We used to talk all the time.”

  Miguel looked at her, and she could see that he was struggling with something heavy. “Look, I get that you’re worried about me, but you don’t have to be. Just save your energy for Tyree. He is the one you should be looking after.”

  “I can handle you both. I want you to have someone to talk to as well. You shouldn’t keep it bottled up.” She watched as he weighed things in his head anxiously. She wanted him to say anything that could help. She needed him to let her in.

  “You really want to help me?”

  “You know I do. What can I do?” Mia was beginning to feel hopeful, like she was finally getting through to him, but that hope vanished as soon as she saw his demeanor change. “What?”

  “Rewind the last few years of our lives. Rewind it to before Janelle, before your mom died, before you left Tyree. Just give me back those years. Can you do that?”

  Mia felt the tears pouring down her face and tried to blink them away. “You know I can’t. I wish we could have all that time back. There are so many things I would have done differently.”

  “Like what? Like not leaving?”

  She had been waiting for this. Although years had passed, they had never discussed her moving. It was as if they had just pushed it to the back of their minds when dealing with each other, but she knew it was still with him. It was still wearing away at his mind.

  “I’m sorry. I never told you that, but I am. I know what I did when I left, and I’m not saying it was right, but it was what I needed at the time. If I would have stayed, there is no telling what would have happened to me.”

  “You think I’m mad about that? I’m not. It was never
about you leaving, although it was completely out of left field. I understand why you left. Things here were a mess, and if you needed a clean break, I get that. I just wish Ty didn’t have to suffer while you were gone. I’m mad because you felt like you couldn’t come to me before you did what you did. I told you everything. I came to you when Janelle died, but you couldn’t do the same with me. I thought we were better than that. I thought we knew each other better.”

  Mia’s eyes widened. She would have never guessed in a million years that he knew what happened. “Miguel, why . . . why didn’t you say something? If I had known—”

  “I wanted you to talk to me. You should have told me before. I shouldn’t have found out the way I did. No one should have found out that way.”

  Mia was lost. She tried to replay in her mind the night he was talking about, but she came up short. She remembered Jake and the hospital and nothing more. She didn’t remember seeing Miguel after the first week Tyree left, and she wasn’t sure what he was hinting at.

  “Miguel, what exactly do you know?”

  “I know about the pills, Mia. Why did you do it?”

  Sniffling, she reached for his hand. “Did you tell Tyree?”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he would only blame himself and I didn’t want that. What you did was selfish.”

  “I know.” She dropped her head. “I . . . I just needed to feel nothing. With everything going on, I was feeling so many things at once, and I needed to feel nothing at all. Now, I just feel like I should tell him everything.”

  “Why mess up a good thing? You guys are doing great now. Why stir up old feelings?”

  “Because I’m not the only one who knows. I know I can count on you guys, but I can’t say the same about Jake. He is so pissed at me, and he hates Ty. He might just blurt everything out to be spiteful. I don’t want him knowing that way.”

  “What does Jake have to do with anything? He is thousands of miles away.”

  “He was thousands of miles away. He is here now.”

  “Why?”

  “I have no idea. I messed up, Miguel.”

  “Why did you feel like you had no other way? You had a husband, a child, us to think about. It wasn’t all about you. What is going through your mind?”

  “I wasn’t thinking.” She placed her hands on her head, and her shoulders began to shake. “I just needed to be free of it all. I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror anymore.”

  “What was so bad that you needed that kind of escape? If you had died, it would have broken me. You’re more than just my sister-in-law. You’re my friend, and I love you. Don’t you get it? We all love you.”

  “I love you too. You were the one person who understood everything I was going through when Janelle died. I never knew—”

  “I found you. I thought you were sleeping.” His voice cracked, and for the first time since Janelle died, she saw tears in his eyes. “I let you lie there. I almost let you die because I thought you were sleeping.” He looked at her, and she saw him breaking before her eyes. “Did you hear me? I almost let you die! You should hate me. I hate me. I couldn’t save her, and I almost let the closest person to her die.” Mia reached out and pulled him to her. His body was trembling, and he sobbed loudly. “I just want to go back. I need things like they were. If I had said it back or kept her with me that night, then maybe she would still be here.”

  “You can’t think like that.” She hated that he blamed himself, and she hated her father more at that moment than she ever had before. “Richmond killed Janelle and Mom. He tried to ruin our lives, but we made it. We made it in spite of him. Yeah, we lost her, but she wouldn’t want you like this. She would want you to move on and be happy. This”—she waved her hand around the room—“is not making you happy. You can be happy.”

  Mia could see his internal struggle and wanted to appeal to him as the friend he needed. “I know there has to be more to all of this. You didn’t just wake up one morning and feel like everything was your fault. What happened?”

  Trying to hold back tears, Miguel looked her in the eye, and she saw his heart breaking. “I wish it were all about her. The truth is, everything is finally hitting me. I guess I just tried to ignore it until I couldn’t anymore. These past few months, the memories have just been wearing me down, and I haven’t been dealing with it well. I know I blew it with Janelle and I’ll never get that back. That was all my fault, but my dad, what did I ever do to deserve what he did? What did any of us do?”

  Miguel stood, pacing the floor, and she saw his hands swing up in the air. “This bastard’s birthday is coming up, and I actually felt sad. I forgot, and I went out and bought him a damn gift. I forgot. How did I forget?”

  “It happens. Just because he did what he did doesn’t mean you didn’t love him.”

  “I want to hate him. I really do, but I can’t.” Tears rolled down his cheeks. “He tried to kill me, he kidnapped my nephew and screwed with all of us, but I can’t hate him. What the hell kind of man am I?”

  “A good one.” She smiled, and he locked eyes with her. “You are a great man. Yes, you have your flaws, and you’re a bit of a whore,” she chuckled quietly. “But you’re one of the men I’ve come to count on. We all love you, and the kids adore you. I just want you happy. I need it.”

  “I want to be. You have no idea how much I want what you guys have. I want someone who loves me despite my flaws. Someone who I love enough to give my child to. I want a person I can grow old with. When I look at you and Ty and Ash and Terence, I feel like I’m missing out. Being around that all the time is starting to get to me. I need to find something real.”

  “You will.” She smiled. “I’ll help in any way I can.” He let out a silly smirk, and she tilted her head to the side. “What?”

  “I suppose I should thank you.”

  “For?”

  “Getting that girl out of here. If you hadn’t shown up, I would have had to learn her damn name. Thanks, sis.”

  Mia laughed and threw her arms around his neck. “It’s good to have you back.” She patted him on the back and settled in on the couch.

  “You know, I was avoiding you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because as much as I hate to admit it, you know me pretty well. You see through my bullshit and make me own up to it just like she used to. You’re so much like her, and it makes me miss what I can’t have.”

  Mia laughed and ran her hand down his back. “Well, I must admit, my sister and I were two of a kind, but I kind of like talking to you. You help me remember the good times together, when it wasn’t always so serious for us.”

  “Y’all were bad kids,” he chuckled.

  “You were the worst. You and Janelle used to keep us on our toes. Poor Milan was always the timid one and was always afraid we were going to get caught.”

  “Amateur.”

  The more they talked, the more comfortable Mia got. She kicked her shoes off and crossed her legs just as she often did on her own couch. It was just like old times between them, and she felt like just maybe they would all be okay.

  When she noticed him looking at her funny, she stopped in midsentence and allowed him to ask his question. “Hey, you going back to work?”

  “No. Let’s just hang like we used to. You down for that?”

  “I’m game. Just call my bro and let him know where you are. I wouldn’t want him getting his panties in a bunch when he realizes you aren’t at the office.” Just as he spoke the words, her cell phone went off. She held it up, and they both began to laugh.

  “Tyree,” they both said in unison just as Mia answered the phone.

  Chapter Ten

  “Baby.” Tyree smiled as he addressed his favorite girl. “Where are you? I came down here to take my very sexy wife to lunch, and she is nowhere to be found. I need some time alone.” He heard her sultry laugh and wanted her that much more. “Are you coming back soon?”

  He heard a pau
se in her laughter and then a deep sigh. “I’m going to be a while. I’m sorry. Can I make it up to you tonight?”

  “Yeah, it’s cool, but where are you?” He heard her shuffle around a bit and held his breath, hoping he wasn’t about to hear that she was with Jake. He knew she told him she wanted closure, but he still didn’t want to think about them being alone together. Her hesitancy was making him nervous, and he found himself growing impatient. “Kitten, you still there?”

  “Yeah, sorry, I’m still here. I didn’t want to say anything before I left because I knew you would try to talk me out of it, but I really needed to come. I’m sorry I left without telling you.”

  “It’s cool. I mean you said you wanted to, and I know this is something you need to do. I just wish you would have told me first.”

  “I knew you wanted to talk to him, but I felt like I could do more. I’m fine, and things are okay. I’m going to spend the rest day here if you don’t need me back.”

  Tyree was trying to remain calm, but hearing that made him hit a breaking point. “Why would you want to stay there? What more could you have to say to him after clearing the air? Babe, he is not your man. I am.”

  He could hear her laughing, and he almost snapped until he heard her voice coming through. “Well, of course I know that, sweetie. He only jokes about us being more, but you know I’d never let him touch me. It would be too gross. He’s my brother, silly.”

  Now Tyree was confused. He knew she wasn’t where she said she was. “You’re not with Rick. I know this because he came here to see you. If you’re with him, you can tell me. I won’t get mad. I trust you.”

  “Apparently not enough,” she sighed. “I’m with Miguel, and if you don’t mind, I’d rather we didn’t continue this conversation. I’m not in the mood to get accused again.”

  “Baby—”

  “No, Tyree. I don’t want to do this. Just one last thing.”

  “Anything, kitten. Just ask.”

  “Why can’t you just trust that I love you? Are we always going to take two steps forward only to be knocked back five?”

  “I’m sorry.”