Mollify

by Xavier Neal

“But she says yes!”

  “Faith—”

  “Bubba.”

  “She’s right,” I interrupt the conversation, the banter too cute to endure. “I say yes.”

  “See,” Faith giggles motioning for her big brother to pick her up again.

  Instantly he does and kisses her cheek. Looking at me, hope sparkling in those eyes I’ve missed, he questions, “Really?”

  “Yeah.” I take the cash he’s offering and ring it up. “But it’ll have to be when I get off, so I can just meet you at the party. I mean...is that gonna be weird? Me crashing your grandmother’s birthday party? That already sounds weird.”

  Chuckling he denies, “No. Not weird. Very much so my family.” After a brief pause he says, “If I can have your phone number, I’ll text you the address.”

  “Sure.”

  Dean struggles, but manages to get his phone out, anxiously waiting for me to ramble off my phone number. With each number that comes out of my mouth I swear he gets more and more excited.

  Do I need glasses? Now my eyes are broken?

  When I’m finished I hand him back his change and slide the box at him.

  “I’ll see you in a couple hours.”

  “Sounds good.” My face tries to hide the smile but can’t.

  Add magician to the long list of things Dean is. And I don’t just mean for casting this stupid smirk on my face...

  Chapter 3

  Dean

  Dropping Faith onto her feet I instruct, “Go potty and then you can tell mommy and daddy about Megan.”

  “Pretty Megan, Bubba.” She points at me.

  Is it strange that my baby sister just pulled me a date?

  “Yes. Pretty Megan. Now go and then I’ll let you tell them.”

  After all if she announces it and shows excitement they’ll immediately be less likely to think I’m up to trouble. Which I’m not. I swear. I can’t believe the only girl I’ve ever loved just dropped back into my life. First date, my grandmother’s birthday. Not ideal and probably a little weird, but you’ve met my family right? We redefine the boundaries of normal daily.

  I take the cake box to the kitchen and place it on the counter top, the sound of arguing immediately grabbing my attention. Walking back the direction I came, I pass our formal living room area and head for my parent’s bedroom door that’s right across from the stairs.

  As I get closer I try to make my footsteps lighter.

  It’s not eavesdropping when they’re yelling.

  “I wanna talk about this now Maxx,” my father’s voice strongly says.

  “Oh...now that you can pry yourself away from the phone you wanna talk about it? Okay well I don’t. I have a birthday party to get ready for.”

  “Dress and talk.”

  “Because when has that ever worked out for us?”

  More information than I needed. Hey, don’t tell me that. I know it’s one of the drawbacks of eavesdropping.

  “Maxx, I’m serious.”

  “And so am I.”

  “How can you not want more children?”

  Oh shit. This isn’t good.

  “Because I have two! I have a wonderful son, who albeit gets into trouble sometimes, but is an amazing person.”

  See. Best parents. They say shit like that when they don’t think I’m around and to me.

  “And an adorable little girl who is going to turn my hair gray long before I’m ready. I’m good. Two kids is plenty to take care of on my own.”

  “On your own?”

  Oooo. Not good mom. Not good.

  “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  “Don’t make me say it, Logan.”

  “Fucking say it, Maxx.”

  “This conversation is—”

  “No. It’s not over. What the fuck do you mean on your own? I have been there for my kids!”

  “When you can be!” She screams in return. “When you can be Logan!”

  “And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  What do you mean I really should stop listening? No way. You can stop if you want but I can’t. These are my parents. The two people who fought like hell to get me and keep me. Most of their battles are in some way shape or form mine too. This one however I’m not taking sides. Not just yet.

  “It means,” I hear a deep exhale come from mom. “It means that after Faith was born your career sky rocketed. You traveled more than either of us predicted. You were barely home when you were home because of training. I spent a lot of time just me and the Kid—”

  “But I retired—”

  “Yeah. And started your own gym with Jake and that eats up most of your time. Don’t get me wrong. You two together seem to be a profitable pair. Hell, when you open the other location, your income from it all is going to triple. You make enough money from it that you have two kids who will never want for anything. And that’s on top of all the money you made fighting. Then there’s the youth program you started last year, which I love. Which I am glad you did. Which I know has changed so many teens lives because they now have that outlet. I really am thankful Logan that you have a future that’s constantly growing. But all of those amazing things suck and suck and suck your time Logan. There’s not a shit ton left over for me and Faith and the Kid. A few hours here. A weekend there. No, now is not as bad, but it comes in waves with you. Look, I’ve already done the single parent thing. I refuse to do it again. I’m not ready to have another baby and neither are you.”

  “No baby!” Faith’s voice yells from in their room.

  Shit! When did she rush by me? Why didn’t you say something!

  Rushing in after her, I see Dad pick her up into his arms. “Don’t you want a brother?”

  “I have a Bubba,” Faith pouts.

  “Yup.” I slip an arm around Mom seeing she needs the support.

  I’m still not choosing sides, really. She just needed a hug. Clearly.

  “Okay. A sister. Don’t you want a baby sister?” Dad tries again and Faith pouts harder.

  “No!”

  Frustration on his face grows, “Why not?”

  “My daddy!” She yells. “My Bubba! I don’t wanna share!”

  “Oh, so mommy’s just chopped liver?” Mom mutters pulling away from me “Awesome.”

  “I love you,” I smirk.

  “Mmhm.” She suspiciously looks at me.

  “Sharing is good Faith,” Dad tries to encourage.

  “If memory serves me correct you didn’t always feel that way,” my joke gets me a glare from him.

  Haha. Sharing mom was never an option.

  “Did you get the cake?” He adjusts his grip on my Faith.

  “Yup and I—”

  “Bubba is bringing Pretty Megan to the party!” Faith exclaims and both my parent’s eyes fly onto me.

  Cute, but not subtle.

  “Who’s Megan?” Mom folds her arms across her chest.

  “The cake lady!” Faith squeals.

  “You picked up a girl while you were supposed to be grabbing your grandmother’s cake?” Mom looks at me disapprovingly. Quickly she looks at dad, “See. You already have a mini you. No need for more.”

  When he opens his mouth to argue back, I interrupt, “No. She’s not just any girl. She’s the girl. She’s the one from the photo.”

  “The one you took from...” Mom’s voice trails off. “The one who used to be your best friend? That gave you the firetruck and told you never to forget her?”

  “Exactly!”

  Great. Now I sound like Little Bit. Is that so wrong? To be this fucking excited? How often does your dream chick just walk into your life? Better yet how often does your dream chick walk out and almost ten years later just walk right back in? Go ahead and research that shit. I’ve got a minute.

  “That’s sweet you two found each other again.” Mom smirks.

  “It’s weird. Feels like we were never apart...” A goofy smile comes on my face.

  That is not normal right?
That whole haven’t seen each other in forever, but feels like you never left thing. What? Why do you have a giant ass smile too?

  “Anyway, I invited her to Mimi’s birthday party and with a little help from my baby sister she was convinced to go.”

  “No one likes to tell me no.” Faith plays with a curl. “That’s what Daddy says.”

  “Just because we don’t like to, doesn’t mean we won’t.” Mom fusses while Dad simply shrugs.

  Yeah. Not one Kellar by the balls, but both of us. If it wasn’t for Mom she would be so much worse.

  “Kid it’s perfectly fine that she comes. Now if it was some random girl you were bringing because you wanted to Daft Punk and Pharrell, we’d have a problem.”

  Slightly confused I stare at her waiting for her to explain when it hits me.

  Oh! The song! Get Lucky. Clever. Outdated. But still pretty clever. And now stuck in my damn head. Thanks Mom.

  “It’s not. I just...I don’t know. I never expected to see her again, then BAM there she was. Suddenly I was that ten year old hopping off the swing to walk her home all over again,” I confess.

  Shit. Why do I feel like I’m in for trouble? One thing I’ve learned from watching everyone hook up in this family is love equals trouble. The real kind of love anyway.

  Dad smirks and says, “One girl in the morning and a different girl in the evening. Yup. My kid.”

  “That’s not a moment to be proud,” Mom scolds taking Faith out of his grip.

  “It is if Megan does to him what you did to me,” the comeback threatens to make Mom smirk.

  Fighting it hard she turns before anyone can see it. Now talking to Faith she says, “Come on Little Bit. Gotta fix your hair and change you for Mimi’s party.”

  “Yay!” her voice trails off as they head for the stairs.

  Once they’re completely gone, I turn to look at Dad who is still smiling. “Promise me something Kid.”

  “What’s that?”

  “If this girl is as amazing as you remember her, which by the goofy fucking look on your face she is, don’t let her get away twice.”

  Prepared to shrug it off, not sure if it’s love or nostalgia, I start, “Come on Dad... I—”

  “No.” He points a stern finger at me. “Promise. And thank me later.”

  Darting my eyes to the ground I mumble, “Fine. Promise.”

  Get away twice? It’s not like I had control over the first time. Almost a decade ago her parents moved somewhere up north because of her father’s job, leaving our friendship ripped apart. I’ve never forgotten the day I watched the moving truck drive away with more than just my favorite stuffed animal. It left with a very special piece of me that hasn’t ever been replaced. That weird piece that I tried filling with sports and working out. That weird piece that I’ve tried filling with sex and more sex. That weird piece that without it, it feels like someone is twisting a needle inside trying to pop my kidney. It’s that weird piece I knew I could never really be whole again without it being filled. But I never thought that piece would come back. I never thought I’d ever get anything close to what my parents have. And now that I have the chance, I’m not gonna fuck it up.

  Chapter 4

  Megan

  No. I can’t just get out of the car. Because. No. Stop fighting with me. You are the worst person to have around right now.

  With another deep breath I slide out of my car, lock the door, and head towards Dean who is waiting with a dopey smile.

  It’s what I imagine having a puppy is like. Sweet. Loyal. Faithful. Just happy to see you. God, can I keep him? Shit. No. No. I didn’t mean that. I know I can’t keep him. There’s no way he’d want damaged goods.

  “I see you look beautiful in anything,” the compliment has me immediately blushing into a smile.

  “Smooth.”

  “Honest,” he corrects sliding one hand into his jeans.

  Has the nerve to call me beautiful as he stands in front of me in a great pair of jeans and a tight black polo t-shirt looking like something boy band members grow into. Oh…like you never had a crush on a boy band.

  “Come on. Let’s meet my family,” he insists and grabs my hand.

  Instead of telling him to drop it or pulling it back, my fingers fold with his.

  Damn things have a mind of their own!

  “Wait.” I tug him to stop. “Before we go in there, tell me this. When I left...” The memory tries to clog my throat. “You were Dean Cofax. Now you’re Dean Kellar. What happened?”

  With a heavy sigh he says, “You remember how my dad was?”

  The scum of the earth that used his flesh and blood like a punching bag.

  “Yeah.”

  “After you moved away there wasn’t anyone else to keep me out of harm’s way. So I started hiding in the park and against buildings I felt safe in or close to. One day Dad, uh, Logan is his name, was on his way to work out at his favorite gym, and kinda took me under his wing. He once had an old man like mine and felt the need to rescue me or some shit. And he did. Well, he started, the rest of the family fell behind him.” I can’t help but smile. “That’s kinda how they work. Everything that happens, everything we go through, we go through together.”

  “Did your dad...die?”

  “Might as well have,” Dean mutters. “He gave up his rights to Kellar. No questions. No arguments. It’s cool. They adopted me and changed my last name. And let’s just say that was the second best day of my life.”

  “Second best?”

  “Finding you again is now the first,” the comment makes me slightly swoon out loud. Leaning his face a little closer to mine he says, “Now how about we go get some hot dogs? You still eat yours with both kinds of mustard?”

  “You remember?” I giggle and let him lead us up the side walk to the red brick two story house.

  “I don’t think there’s anything about you I could forget.”

  Seriously! Who says shit like that! Who? Besides my favorite book boyfriends of course. I meant in real life. In real life no one ever says shit like that...

  “Do you still insist on only wearing pink panties?”

  I bat him with a hand that makes him toss his head back in a manly chuckle that sends tingles to the one highly neglected location on my body.

  Don’t ask about my sex life please. Like the rest of my existence, it’s embarrassing and shameful.

  Inside, we kick off our shoes and he leads me still by the hand, mouth moving what feels like a million miles per hour, “So I’ve told you about my dad—”

  “Kind of,” I interrupt. “Haven told me he used to be an MMA fighter.”

  “World famous. It was crazy to watch and even crazier to watch when he left...” his voice drops as we turn the direction of the kitchen, the entire house feeling warm and welcoming.

  “Why’d he quit?”

  “To be with us.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me making me giggle again.

  “You and Faith are a hard combination to resist.”

  “I hope you keep feeling that way,” the flirt has my face blushing once more.

  In the kitchen which smells of summer time backyard deliciousness, there’s a window that shows a view of a cluster of people on the other side. All of them look happy and relaxed. Like family should.

  Like my parents used too.

  Shaking off the feelings of sorrow, I point, “So who’s who?”

  “Alright, that couple right there.” He points to a gorgeous tall brunette in heels and a really sexy guy who looks like he’s about to devour her on the spot.

  Guys actually look at girls like that? No one’s ever looked at me like I’m the cure for starvation. What about you?

  “That’s my Uncle C.J. and my Aunt Erin.”

  “Who’s related to your dad?”

  “Ha. Both.”

  My jaw drops.

  I know Texas gets a bad rap but um..no?

  “Not like that,” he chuckles, his laugh so full of heart my own expands
. “Dad and Uncle Luke and Aunt Erin, who are actually brother and sister, and mom all lived together for a while. They’re all family. Blood isn’t what makes you family. Trust me.”

  I wish I had any kind of family at this point. Real family. Not an uncle who tried to get into my room late at night and an aunt who was so bitter about never having her own kids, dealing me with me sent her into depression.

  “Your Aunt Erin looks like a model.”

  “She’s hot, but I’ve seen hotter.” When my face turns to his he winks. “Anyway, she is married to my Uncle C.J. for about a year now. She’s a stylist—”

  “Like for models?”

  “Models. Brides. Movies. Whoever. She actually helped out on that movie they shot here. Lifestyles of the Rich and the Sexy. Remember that?”

  “Yeah.”

  And not only because I wanted to see that movie but because Marcus had tickets to the premier. He didn’t take me. Why do you not look surprised?

  “She did make up on the set. She actually partied with the cast one night....come to think about it, Uncle C.J. proposed shortly after that. Doesn’t do jealousy well.” I smile and hide a snicker with my free hand. Dean makes sure his eyes are on mine. “None of us do.”

  Oh shit. Okay. Yeah. Time to fess up about my situation. Hell, he just left it wide open for me. Time to tell him I just broke up with a guy who doesn’t consider us broken up. Right now Megan. Do it right now.

  “Those two over there,” he starts again pointing to another couple. The guy is a little on the thin and nerdy looking side, but still dreamy in a BBC kind of way, and the girl covered in tats. Familiar ones.

  “That’s Lix!” I fan girl shout. “Holy shit! That’s Lix from Lix and the Final Six!”

  “Yeah, that’s my Aunt Lex who is married to my Uncle Tony.”

  Baffled I say, “Seriously?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So famous father and famous aunt?”

  “Yup. Free concert tickets for some of the most amazing bands and free tickets to sporting events. Keep that in mind for future dates with me.”

  “D-D-Dates?” I stutter out. “This is a date?”

  “The first of many.” Without leaving me a chance for a rebuttal he finishes explaining, “So Aunt Lex married Uncle Tony who works with my mom. They run their own event planning business. Pretty big now. They met working at a little bar Dad used to fight at. Maybe I can show you that place some time.”