"Well, then hall-eh-luh-jah for me."
"Lawrence, stop--" Andi tried, but they both continued on.
"You filled her head with all that bull about being a writer. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was for me that my partners knew my wife wrote smut?"
"Look who's laughing now, Larry. I'd say a movie deal and four books on the Bestseller's List deal trumps your whiney, stick-up-their-ass partners any day."
Lawrence spun around on Andi. "Is this the kind of influence you allow around our son? What the hell kind of examples does he live with? A bitch and a--"
"If you don't like it, get the hell out," Maggie cut him off.
"Who do you think you are?" Lawrence demanded. "Get out of here and leave us the hell alone so we can talk like civilized people."
Maggie closed the space between them in three long strides and came toe-to-toe with Lawrence, jabbing her finger against his chest. "I'll tell you who I am and I'll tell you where the hell you are. I am the witness to the life Andi has made for herself without you. And you are in my house. My house. Andi's house. And Jake's house. If anyone is getting out of here, it's you."
"Please..." Andi begged, her stomach twisting. She curled her fingers around the back of a barstool, her knuckles white and aching. "Please just stop this. Jake will hear, and it's already bad enough--"
"What's bad enough? Doesn't he want to spend some time with me? What the hell have you been saying?"
"Nothing Jake doesn't already know. That you're a jerk and a horse's ass," Maggie tossed over her shoulder as she went into the kitchen, putting the counter between herself and Lawrence.
Andi had no doubt it was to prevent herself from hitting him. Maggie was Irish to the bone and her temper was like a match to kindling, especially when it came to Lawrence. Lawrence sucked several deep breaths in through his flared nostrils, his hands clenched at his side. Andi closed her eyes and dropped her head forward, begging the migraine to hold off just a few more minutes before putting her on her knees.
The sliding door opened behind her, and a gust of cooler evening air hit the back of her calves. David and Jake talked casually, their voices tinged with laughter that just for a moment pushed aside the tension gripping her.
"Can we go when I get back?"
"Absolutely, as long as your mom..." David's voice fell away, and Andi drew in a slow breath, lifting her head as she opened her eyes to look at them.
She did her best to smile, but even though she couldn't see her face, it felt more like a grimace. "Jake honey, your dad is here."
"Hey, Jacob," Lawrence said with way too much false enthusiasm. "You ready for some fun?"
David's gray-blue eyes were locked on Lawrence, and any semblance of a smile was gone. It didn't surprise her because the tension in the room was tangible. It was thick and heavy, choking her. He raised his hand and rested it on Jake's shoulder, squeezing slightly.
Jake frowned. "I'll go get my bag."
Jake walked past his father, swinging wide so there was no chance their bodies would touch. As Jake disappeared up the stairs, David bent close to her ear to whisper. "What's wrong? You're pale and I can feel you shaking."
Andi turned into the sound of his voice and raised her hand to rest it against his cheek. His hand immediately came up to hold it, his eyes shifting to study her. She had to look worse than she felt.
"I'm just--"
"Who the hell are you?"
"Don't get out much, do you, Larry?" Maggie snarked from the kitchen, and despite the sick pain in her head, Andi smirked just a little bit.
David's attention didn't waver from her, and he started to raise his other hand to touch her face, but when the room tilted and she felt herself sway, his palm came to her back. It was all the support she needed to keep herself on her feet.
Keeping her eyes open was something altogether different. Just the light from outside burned through her retinas into her brain.
"Andrea, I want to know who else you're exposing my son to, as if she isn't bad enough." He indicated Maggie with a jerk of his head. "Who are you?" Lawrence demanded again.
David's jaw shifted, and he seemed to take a moment before looking away from her. He stepped forward enough to extend one hand toward Lawrence, the other maintaining the comforting pressure against her back. She wanted to turn into him, lean against him, but that would just be fuel for the fire Lawrence had started before he ever arrived.
"David Bishop," he said.
Lawrence glared for several moments and Andi thought she saw the flash of recognition in his eyes before he consented to grip David's hand. His wrist flexed as he tightened his hold, a familiar power play she's seen him use many times. Then his frown flinched and he tried to pull his hand away when David did the same.
Maggie drew in a deep, dramatic breath through her nose and let it go with a long "Aaaaaaaaah. Smell that testosterone." She leaned forward. "Just so we're clear, Larry... I was referring to David. You have to be a man, after all."
"You fu--"
"Hey!" David bit out, and Lawrence's attention snapped to him. "There are ladies present."
Jake came back into the kitchen from upstairs, his duffle bag slung over his shoulder. David dropped Lawrence's hand and took a step back. He stepped just slightly behind her so his hands could settle at her hips. She wondered if the positioning was more for her benefit, or Lawrence's. The pain was almost unbearable now, stabbing at her eyes and filling her line of vision with equal amounts of color and black spots. Her knees didn't want to hold her up anymore, and she leaned into David just enough to keep her standing. His hand pressed firmer to her hip, giving her more support.
"Bye, honey," Andi said, trying her best to keep her voice level. "I'll see you on Thursday."
Jake nodded and dropped his bag by the door, moving wide around his father again to reach her. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight, hoping he didn't feel the tremble in her body. "I love you, sweetheart," she whispered near his ear and kissed his cheek.
"I love you, Mom."
She let him go, leaving a chunk of her heart with him -- the rest stuck in her throat. David held his hand out to Jake, but instead of shaking hands, they slapped their palms together and gripped each other's thumbs for a second before sliding their hands apart with enough force that their fingertips snapped off each other. They curled their hands into fists and bumped their knuckles together.
"Later, buddy," David said with a wide, genuine smile. "Next time we play, I'm not letting you off so easy."
Jake grinned, waving David off. "Whatever, old man."
Maggie met Jake at the end of the counter and hugged him just as tight as Andi had, and said something in his ear none of them could hear. He nodded and stepped away.
Without a backward glance to them, Lawrence walked past Jake's bag and stormed to the door. Jake slung the strap over his shoulder again and followed his father from the house, his head hung low. By the time the door closed, Andi couldn't stop the choking sob that had built up in her chest since Lawrence came through the door. She shook so bad, she felt like she was going to fly apart, and her head wanted to split apart to relieve the pressure.
David wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her back against him with his lips near her ear. He whispered softly and kissed her cheek, but it was all coming down around her and she couldn't even see anymore.
Maggie grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water from the sink, setting it near Andi with the bottle of migraine pain pills. "She only gets these damn things when that son of a bitch shows up and stirs the pot."
"Migraine," David said, no inflection of question in his voice.
Andi tried to nod, but the motion threatened to turn her inside out and she floundered to grip the back of the nearest barstool.
"Do you take any kind of triptan?" he asked, but the question took several seconds to trigger in her pain-fogged mind.
"Yes, but they're upstairs," she managed through cl
enched teeth.
David moved around to face her, his hands never leaving her until he cupped her face in his palms and gently urged her to look at him. She shook violently now, so violently it felt her organs moved on their own accord. Silence and darkness it was all she wanted.
"I can help with this. Do you trust me?"
"What, do you have healing hands, boyo?" Maggie asked.
He grinned just slightly, but never took his attention from Andi. "Something like that. I learned a few things about getting rid of migraines when my sister Caroline had them. She stopped having them after my niece was born, but as a teenager, she had them once or twice a week."
"I just want to lie down," Andi whispered, hearing the tears in her voice.
David bent at the knees and swept his arm behind her back and legs, lifting her off the ground to hold her against his chest. The sudden change in position made her groan, but she kept her lips tightly shut to keep from being ill. Their voices were muffled, like Andi were listening to them through water. She turned into David, pressing her face into the side of his throat, enjoying the warmth of his skin as chilled gooseflesh prickled on her arms. This was when she knew it was bad... when she felt more like she had the flu than a headache. She closed her eyes, and prayed for dark silence.
Chapter Nine
The interior of Andi's bedroom was in almost complete darkness when David nudged the door open with his foot, even though the sun was still up outside. Heavy drapes covered French doors to his left, and he figured that would be the balcony she had watched him from two nights before. There were no other windows, and only a sliver of sunlight came in through the drapes. Only a small nightlight from an attached bathroom cast any artificial light, and David wondered if Andi knew this was coming... the impending migraine that Maggie said only happened with her ex came around.
He'd met the man for all of five minutes, and already Lawrence Bonherre set David's teeth on edge. Even if Andi hadn't shared what little she had, and if Jake hadn't told him how much he hated his father -- and why -- David wouldn't have liked him the minute he walked into the same room. The guy screamed asshole, plain and simple.
He crossed to the bed against the far wall, and set Andi down near the pillows stacked near the headboard. She moaned softly and pressed her face into the curve of his neck, her fingers curled tight into his shirt.
"You just need to sit her for a couple minutes, sweetheart. I promise."
If he'd known, things never would have gone this far before he stepped in. David only hoped now that he could still help.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead before crouching in front of her. Andi had her head down, her hair falling across her cheeks, with her eyes closed. Her fingers stayed curled in the fabric of his shirt at his shoulder. He tried not to shift his position, knowing that he was probably the anchor keeping her upright, and slipped her glasses off her nose. He set them on the bedside table in front of her alarm clock, and ran his hands down her calf to unbuckle her sandal. Tight lines framed her eyes and her lips were pressed together in a thin line, but she didn't blink and barely seemed to take a breath.
"You still with me, sweetheart?" he asked.
She just nodded. Slowly. Barely.
Maggie followed them into the room, a cup of water in one hand and the bottle of pain pills in the other. She set them on the small table beside the bed. "What else do you need?"
"Do you know where she keeps the triptan?"
"Probably in the bathroom. I'll check."
"Thanks. I want her to take those."
"Sure thing, doc," Maggie said with a salute before going into the adjoined bathroom. She flipped on the light, and Andi winced even though her eyes were closed.
The migraine may have gone too far.
David finished with the sandals and stood, laying his hand on Andi's shoulder as Maggie came back, the medication box in her hand. Maggie held the box up, trying to read in the dim light.
"Says she can take one when the migraine starts, and one an hour later if it doesn't go away."
"Get two out, please. We're not going to mess around."
Andi swayed and raised a shaky hand to her forehead. "Please..." was all she managed to say.
David nodded toward the box, and Maggie complied by dumping the blister pack into her hand and popping two small pills into her palm. He toed off his Birkenstocks and took his hand from Andi's shoulder to pull his phone, wallet and keys from his pockets. Tossing those on the bedside table, he undid the buckle of his belt, tugging it free from the belt loops of his shorts. Andi swayed, but set her hand on the mattress beside her to keep herself upright. Maggie stopped, the blister pack in hand, and stared at him with arched eyebrows.
"Honey, just what do you think you're doing?"
David grinned and shook his head, tossing his belt aside. "Just getting comfortable."
He held his hand out, trying to talk as little as possible. She dropped them in his hand, then reached for the water and pain pills.
"Just the water. If this doesn't work, I'll give her the pain pills."
"She's in pain," Maggie argued with a sharp snap.
"I know, but let me try this. I swear, I won't let her stay this way if it doesn't work."
Maggie pursed her lips and stared at him for several moments before huffing out a breath through her nose and handing him the glass. "You sure as hell better take care of her."
"I will." David crouched again in front of Andi, and took her hand to turn it over, dropping the pills in her palm. "Andi? Take these."
Without opening her eyes, Andi put her palm to her lips and tipped her head back. Her other hand reached out blindly for the water, and he pushed it to her fingers. The water sloshed in the cup with the tremble of her hand, and he supported the bottom as she raised it to her mouth and sipped. Taking the glass from her as soon as she was done, he held it out to Maggie.
"Sweetheart, I need you to help me, then I promise, you can relax."
Andi tried to open her eyes, but only managed to squint at him. Even in the limited light from the bathroom, he saw the lines of pain around her lips. David moved quickly to rearrange the pillows against the headboard, and Andi immediately leaned sideways to lie down.
"Not yet. Hang on."
She groaned but shifted back to a sitting position, her hands over her face. Maggie scowled at him, her arms crossed. When he had the pillows the way he wanted, he turned to Andi's friend and set his hands on her upper arms. "I know this looks weird, but I swear, I know what I'm doing." He met her glowering stare. "I'll take care of her."
Maggie stared him down, not blinking.
"It's okay, Mags," Andi said softly from behind him, and Maggie looked past him to where she sat. Her voice was so soft it almost didn't carry enough for him to hear her. "I'll take the pain pill if I have to."
"Fine," Maggie said through tight lips. "I'll be here if you need me." She pointed a finger at David's nose. "No funny business, boyo."
She twisted out of his hands and marched to the door, giving them one last look before closing it behind her. David took his position at the head of the bed with the pillows behind him for support.
"Okay, sweetheart. I need you to come to me."
With a gentle touch, he eased Andi with him so she reclined between his legs with her back to his torso. She moaned with each movement and her fingers fisted into the bedding. If her migraines were anything like Caroline's, he figured she fought against her own equilibrium at this point and as long as she was still the world didn't spin around her. Every movement probably twisted her stomach and set her off kilter.
David raised his knees so his legs bracketed her and positioned her so her arms draped over his thighs and she was cradled against him. Caroline had told him once that when the room was spinning, even with her eyes shut, that she felt 'secure' when she felt her brother hanging on to her. It grounded her and helped her relax enough to let the massage work.
"I used to do this for my sister," h
e said softly, so Andi would understand what he was doing. "It's a massage technique to relieve the tension of the migraine. It might take awhile to get rid of the pain completely, but we should know in a few minutes if it's going to work."
Andi didn't answer, but nodded her head a slight degree. Taking a deep breath, David slid his fingers into her hair, angling the tips toward his own chest as he pressed against her scalp. His thumbs found the base of her skull, and he edged around until he instinctively found the spot he needed.
"Take in a breath," he instructed. She did as he asked, her ribs expanding against him as she drew in. "Now, let it out slowly."
As she did, he applied gentle but firm pressure.
"One more time."
It took a good thirty seconds before he felt the almost imperceptible 'change' beneath his fingers, and he released the touch.
"Oh, god..." Andi practically purred and a small tremor shifted through her.
David closed his eyes and swallowed. Okay... so having Andi Parker lying against him -- reacting like that to the massage -- was about ten thousand kinds of different from his sister.
"Good?" he asked, keeping his voice level as he shifted his focus from the base of her skull to her hairline along her forehead.
She just hummed.
David rested his cheek against her soft hair, the scent of strawberries and some other fruit mingling in his senses. He set his thumbs just below her temple, right above her ear, and used the tip of his index fingers to search her forehead for the next sweet spot. Finding the right ridge, he guided her through her breathing until he felt the release and she sighed.
"Feeling better?" he whispered against her ear.
She tilted her head to the side, exposing the long line of her throat to him. Any other time, he would have pressed his lips to her skin. He still remembered with painful clarity the way her skin tasted from their teenager-esque make-out session in his car, and the flash of memory shot through him. David clenched his jaw and either relieved some of the pressure -- or added to it -- but indulging in the small pleasure of letting his lips brush her jaw and the lobe of her ear.
Something Better Page 14