The Good Brother

by Nia Arthurs

  I disentangle myself from Tanya’s arm and step forward, trying not to judge. “Hello, are you the parent of one of Reece’s friends?”

  “No.” She slips her sunshades to the top of her head, revealing deep-set brown eyes. “My name is Stella Martinez. I’m Reece’s mother.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Ben

  The air rushes out of the room. I walk forward, joining Hilton and Sara by the door. “Excuse me?”

  Stella Martinez glances my way. Her eyes widen. “You must be Benjamin.”

  I bristle. “How do you know my name?”

  “How do you think? Harry told me. Ten years ago.” There’s a rasp and depth to her voice that says she’s a chain smoker. Either that or she’s really a man dressed as a very convincing woman.

  Dad takes the empty place beside me. “Anyone could have learned his name after a simple google search. We’ll need more than that to substantiate your claim.”

  Stella places her fingers against her temple and winces. “You.” She points at Dad. “Your voice just gave me a headache.” She glances around. “Is there anywhere I can lie down?”

  “No way.” Logan shoots straight toward the strange woman. “You’re not staying here. Get out. Whoever you are. Before I call the cops.”

  Stella clacks her tongue against her teeth. “I wouldn’t call the cops if I were you.”

  “Why the hell not?” Lauren shrieks. She abandons her post on the couch where she was previously moaning about the heat and stands beside Dad.

  “Ah.” Stella’s expression hardens. “You must be the beautiful Lauren—the perfect angel who slept with the son and the father.” She laughs. “Even after all that, Harry would make love to me while imagining your face. How does that make you feel?”

  Lauren winces.

  I fist my hands, knowing that comment would have hurt Logan too. “You need to leave. Right now.”

  She shifts and eyes me. “No.”

  “Call the police,” Hilton says. “I’ll escort her out.”

  “No need for that. I’ll be staying at the Seven Mother Inn. You can reach me there.” Stella turns and sashays away.

  Logan clutches her chest, her eyes falling shut. “This can’t be happening.”

  “Logan!” Anthony jumps to her rescue and wraps his arms around her, holding her up.

  I stare longingly at them, wishing I was the one who had the right to take care of her.

  But I’m not.

  So I’ll look after Reece instead. “Which motel did she say?”

  “Seven Mother Inn,” Sara says helpfully. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to meet with her? She looks like a junkie. And I should know. My sister was addicted to crack for years before she died.”

  Hilton soothes his wife’s back. “Maybe it’s a lie. Maybe she thought she could rob us.”

  “What if she’s legit?” I ask.

  Logan shakes her head. “That’s impossible.”

  “You said Reece’s mother was dead!” Dad yells.

  “Does that lady look dead to you?” Tanya snaps.

  Dad’s eyes widen in surprise.

  Lauren frowns. “Don’t talk to my husband like that!”

  “Aren’t you the one who burst into my shop screaming at Logan?” Tanya wiggles her finger, eyes narrowed. “You really wanna test me?”

  Lauren darts behind Dad’s back.

  “Everyone calm down!” Logan throws her arms out. “I know we all want answers, but Reece’s friends will be here any minute. What matters today is that Reece feels happy, safe and loved. So that means no fighting.”

  Tanya flounces her hands on her hips. “What are you looking at me for?”

  “Can we all agree on that?” Logan insists.

  Mutterings of agreement buzz around the room.

  Logan looks at me. I nod, showing my approval for her strength and leadership. She smiles softly and for a moment, everyone else fades away. It’s just Logan and me, tethered by a force even I don’t understand.

  Then Anthony taps her shoulder. Claims her attention. And the moment is broken.

  I turn away, clutching my chest to sate the burning sensation there.

  When Reece arrives with Lydia, all the adults are smiling and chatting amicably. At Tanya’s desperate call, we hide behind the sofas and spring out to yell surprise when the birthday girl enters.

  Reece covers her mouth and laughs, her eyes sparkling when she sees her friends and family around her. That expression right there was worth all the stress of putting this party together.

  The festivities go off without a hitch. By the time Reece has waved goodbye to her last guest, she’s completely tuckered out.

  “Well, Reece,” Dad stoops in front of her, “did you have a nice time today?”

  She nods, her braids clacking against her slender back and the taffeta around her neck. Dad surprised Reece with a fluffy pink princess dress and silver shoes that she’s worn all day. “Today was the best. Thank you so much for coming, Dada.”

  He hugs her and then smiles. “We have to fly out on Monday, so I was thinking we could go on a picnic tomorrow?”

  “Yay!” Reece bounces on her toes.

  “Alright, kiddo.” Logan approaches and tucks Reece into her side. “Time for bed.”

  “Already? I’m not tired.” The yawn that nearly pops her jaw off her face says differently.

  “Goodnight, Reece.” Lauren kisses her on the cheek.

  “Happy birthday.” Anthony grins at her. Reece offers a tentative smile back.

  I glare at the interaction. Tanya, Sara and Hilton had left a few minutes before but Anthony insisted on sticking around despite my many attempts to brush him out the door.

  “Come on. I’ll tuck you in.” I hold my hand out to Reece.

  “I’ll come with you,” Logan says.

  Antony frowns but doesn’t stop her.

  I walk down the hallway without looking at Logan. Reece is chattering about everything she and her friends did today. She only stops talking when Logan hands her the toothbrush, and even then she still manages to mumble through her story with suds in her mouth.

  I smile and nod at the correct places, but my mind is fixed on our surprise visitor.

  If Stella Martinez is really Reece’s mother… I have no idea what that will mean. Will Reece be taken away from me?

  “Uncle Ben?” Reece shakes my hand.

  I spring to life. “Yes.”

  “Yes?” Reece giggles. “I just asked if you farted.”

  I glance sheepishly at Logan who barely suppresses her grin. She bails me out by instructing Reece to change into her nightgown.

  When the kid’s dressed and lying in bed, we guide her through her nightly prayers. It’s a tradition Harry started. One I wasn’t sure I would be able to continue. It’s not like I’m particularly religious. But lately, I’ve been getting into the hang of it.

  God knows we need some help down here.

  “And please help Uncle Ben and Aunt Logan get together,” Reece says. My head whirls toward her, but she keeps her eyes closed and tugs her sheet up to her chin. “Amen!”

  Logan meets my eyes. It’s hard to tell what she’s feeling in the shadows of Reece’s princess room. I kissed her today. A mistake. One that was especially embarrassing when Anthony showed up today and introduced himself as Logan’s boyfriend.

  She didn’t stop him either.

  I clear my throat and lean over to place a kiss on Reece’s head. “Goodnight, kid.”

  She snores, pretending to be asleep.

  Logan follows me out and stands close beside me as I close the door, leaving it slightly ajar since Reece gets nightmares sometimes and it makes it easier for her to run to me.

  “Ben.” Logan touches the sleeve of my shirt and then drops her hand. Her head is bowed so all I can see is the crown of her black hair. “About what happened earlier… we should talk.”

  I avoid her gaze. “Not right now.”

  “But—”


  “We’ve got more important things to worry about. We’ll deal with that later.”

  She doesn’t look happy, but I don’t stick around to hear her opinion.

  When I emerge from the hall, I see Dad, Lauren and Anthony in a deep discussion. They break up when they see us coming, which immediately makes me suspicious.

  “What did we miss?” I ask, keeping my voice intentionally light though I’m dead serious.

  Dad clears his throat. “About this Stella Martinez problem—”

  “We want to know who she is,” Lauren blurts. “Where she came from. What she has to gain from these ridiculous claims.”

  “What my wife means to say is that we want to speak to her. In person.”

  “Alright. I’m coming with you.”

  Logan places a hand on my arm. “Ben.”

  “What?”

  “I want to come too.”

  I steel myself against the plea in her touch and her gaze. “This is between our family. Just stay here and look after Reece.”

  “So I’m not family?” Logan hisses.

  “That’s not what I said.”

  “It is, Ben. It is exactly what you said.”

  I hate that I’m hurting her, but there’s no way I’ll let Logan anywhere near Stella Martinez. Our brief conversation this afternoon was all I needed to read her. Every word from Stella’s mouth is vitriol, and it will only hurt Logan in the long run.

  “I’m going too,” Anthony says, stepping forward. “You’ll need a lawyer.”

  I nod sharply, even though I don’t like it.

  Anthony strides toward Logan who is still staring at me like I stabbed her. He takes her hand and forces her gaze to his. “I’ll tell you everything we discuss. I promise.”

  “Whatever.” She whirls around and storms down the hall. I hear a door slam and wince.

  Anthony shoots me a disapproving look. “You couldn’t be a little nicer, Duncan?”

  “Let’s just go.” I walk toward the door and climb into Dad’s car.

  As we drive, Dad keeps shooting looks at me through the rearview mirror. After a while, I meet his gaze and ask, “Shouldn’t you be focusing on following Anthony’s truck?”

  “What’s going on between you and Logan?”

  I arch an eyebrow in surprise. The last thing I expected Dad to be curious about was my complicated relationship. “Nothing.”

  “Reece says you two feel like her second parents.”

  “She… said that?”

  Dad nods. “I’ll be honest, son. I thought you’d come begging for money after one week, but you proved me wrong. Reece looks happy and cared for. You’re doing a great job with her.”

  “Thanks, but I’m mostly just taking cues from Logan.”

  “She’s bossy, isn’t she?” Lauren asks, turning around to look at me.

  “She’s naturally caring and sweet, but she’s fierce too. It’s crazy.”

  Dad glances at me again. “Ben, you know I’ve had no respect for the types of women you’ve been interested in before, but Logan… she’s special.”

  “Are you trying to set us up now, Dad?”

  “I want what’s best for Reece and right now, problems between you two affect my granddaughter. Figure yourself out, Ben. I still wouldn’t be surprised if you failed eventually.”

  Great. That was the Dad I knew.

  “Thanks.”

  “Anthony’s slowing down,” Lauren says.

  I glance out the window and frown at the sight of a squalid motel with flickering porch lights and a sagging roof. How has this place not been condemned by the government?

  Lauren climbs out of the car and pinches her nose. “I feel like I’ll catch an STD just by standing here.”

  “It’s this way.” Anthony approaches and sticks his hands toward the sign that says ‘Check In Here’. “Best case scenario, this is some loon out to rip off you nice folks.”

  “And if she’s not?” I ask.

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Dad pats my back and follows Anthony.

  Shards of broken glass crunch under my feet as we walk into the foyer that is just as dank and dirty as the exterior of the building. The proprietor takes one look at our group and gestures to a number—Room106.

  “She’s expecting you,” he says in a gravelly voice.

  It all feels like a horror movie call back to me and the decorations are peeling and rusted enough to match. With every step I take, I pray this isn’t Reece’s mother, but if she is…

  What had Harry seen in her?

  How long had they had a relationship?

  And most importantly, why did Stella Martinez suddenly turn up in Reece’s life?

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Ben

  The door of Room 106 swings open and Stella appears. She’s dressed in the same tank top and shorts, but the white shirt has blots of mysterious yellow stains on it. She grins wide when she sees us.

  “Well, come on in.”

  Lauren gags. “I don’t think so. How about we walk to the nearest café and talk there? Where it’s… sanitary.”

  “Café? Sorry, Angel. We don’t stock those on this side of the city. How about we head to the pool? No one should be there this time of night.”

  “There’s a pool?” Lauren asks incredulously.

  “And a massage service too. Five dollars an hour to sit in the vibrating chair. Top notch stuff.”

  I can’t tell if this is Stella’s personality or if she’s being particularly nasty to Lauren. Either way, I want to be around her for as little time as possible. “Let’s go.”

  Her big brown eyes zip to me. “Whatever you say, baby.”

  We walk to the back lawn where a decrepit pool with green mulch floating in its depths greets us. I would be surprised if anyone put his or her toe in that thing.

  Streetlamps cast orange and purple shade over the broken lawn chairs. Crates of empty beer bottles are stacked against the zinc fence. The air carries the distinct scent of various questionable body fluids.

  We stand in a solemn circle like a bunch of acolytes preparing to serve a sacrifice. I just hope Reece isn’t the one left on the altar when this is all over.

  “Ask me anything you like,” Stella says. “I’m an open book.”

  “What was your relationship with Harry,” Lauren says without waiting a second.

  Stella gives her a pitying look. “Aren’t you embarrassed?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Your husband’s right there and you’re making it obvious that you still love your ex.” Stella leans in and mumbles, “You gotta be smooth, Lauren.”

  “Stop talking nonsense,” Dad barks.

  Unfazed, Stella flicks her fingers at him. “This old guy any good? I don’t want to besmirch his saintly reputation, but Harry was anything but holy beneath the sheets if you get what I’m saying. It’s hard to find anyone that can compare.”

  I grimace and try to ease Stella away from any more barbs about my father or my brother’s sexual prowess. “Were you and Harry dating?”

  “Something like that.”

  “How did you meet?” Dad asks.

  “At the hospital. Harry came all cold and heartbroken after those two ripped him to shreds.” She chucks her chin toward Lauren and Dad. “All the nurses at that clinic had a crush on him but he didn’t give us so much as a second glance at first.”

  “What made you different?” Lauren demands.

  Stella strikes a pose. “My irresistible good looks?” When we don’t respond or even crack a smile, Stella straightens. “Right place at the right time. Harry’d just heard about your marriage. He needed someone to talk to. I happened to walk into the bar just then.”

  “So you were a drunken hookup.”

  “I’m a lady. We didn’t have sex at first. Just… other things.”

  Lauren purses her lips tightly.

  Dad clears his throat. “When was Reece born?”

  “We’d
been seeing each other for three months when I found out I was pregnant. Harry resigned himself to being with me and I thought I was happy, but the pain of that pregnancy stole it all. It was like someone else had taken over my body. A few days later, I was diagnosed with postpartum depression.”

  “Is that why you weren’t involved in Reece’s life? Because of your depression?” I ask.

  She sneers. “No. That was Harry. He pushed me out.”

  “Why?”

  “I started using a little opium to get by. Just a bit. Harry found out and went ballistic. Got me fired from the hospital. Took the kid away. He called me dangerous and crazy.”

  That didn’t sound like Harry either. Unless… “Were you breastfeeding at the time?”

  She nods.

  Dad’s furious expression mirrors my own.

  Anthony steps in and steers the conversation. “So you chose to abandon the child of your own free will. Why make contact now?”

  “I heard Harry was dead and I got curious. I wanted to see the rubble of everything he’d left behind.”

  I stare her down. “Instead, you found our family and friends protecting his legacy.”

  “She’s my legacy too, you know,” Stella snaps. “She’s my daughter.”

  Dad shakes his head. “Not anymore.”

  “Why?” Stella’s eyes burn into me. “Because Harry scribbled a little note on a piece of paper before he died? If you think that’s going to stop me, you have no idea.”

  Anthony frowns at Stella. “It doesn’t matter what we think. The law won’t take your side on this, Ms. Martinez. You’re a user with questionable mental health. No judge would grant you custody.”

  “Maybe not. But I can make enough of a ruckus before then. Think about Harry’s reputation. And my poor little girl. She deserves to know the truth. Her mother is alive.”

  Anger bursts through my veins. “You’re not coming anywhere near Reece.”

  Stella blinks innocently. “You can’t protect her twenty-four seven.”

  “What do you want?” Dad growls. “Money?”