Something Better

by Gail R Delaney

  "How long do we have before Bonehead gets here?" he asked against her mouth before drawing her into another kiss. She waited until he paused in the kiss to answer.

  "Probably five minutes." Andi didn't comment on David's mimicking of Maggie's name for Lawrence. After three months of being together -- and nearly three months of dealing with the temper tantrums and power trips Lawrence pulled -- she figured David had earned the right to call her ex-husband 'Bonehead', just like the rest of them.

  David's expression grew serious and he tilted his chin, looking her in the eye. "Are you ready to tell me what happened this afternoon?"

  Andi sighed, rolling partially on her back so her head was still cradled on his arm. She settled against his chest so she could look up at the stars. An evening breeze fluttered the tree leaves and stirred her hair, and David adjusted the blanket over them. Today hadn't been all that different from the last half-dozen confrontations she'd had with Lawrence. He'd lengthened his stay in California to three months already, with only intermittent trips back to Chicago when his work apparently demanded it. She had to wonder how long old man Hackman -- senior partner at the law firm where Lawrence had worked for the last ten years -- would put up with his absence. Apparently, being a thorn in her side was more important right now than something so trivial as keeping his job.

  "Nothing to tell." Andi curled closer into David, inhaling his cologne and the scent of night air. "It was just Lawrence being Lawrence. He started out with the excuse that he wanted to confirm pick up time, and ended with veiled hints about my uncooperativeness and my sabotaging of our family." She shook her head, letting her nose rub against his throat. "Lawrence is relatively intelligent. I don't understand why he won't let this go."

  "I understand."

  Andi pulled back, and the hammock swayed with the motion. She focused on his face, tipping her head back to see him through her glasses. "You do?"

  David slipped his arm from beneath the edge of the blanket and touched her cheek. He traced a line along her jaw to her lower lip, smiling when she playfully drew his finger between her teeth. "He screwed up, and he knows it. He lost you. If I lost you, I'd be pretty damn persistent in trying to get you back, too."

  "Well, you're not going to lose me."

  David smiled, a slow curving of his lips, before he slid his hand behind her head and pulled her to him for a deep, open-mouthed kiss. She was ready now for the instant and breath-stealing onslaught of want that hit her whenever he kissed her -- or touched her -- or sometimes even looked at her. That didn't mean she was prepared for it, only that she knew it would come. He hummed a deep groan against her mouth and shifted, his weight angling just slightly over her. The hammock creaked and swayed, an erotic sound all on its own but when mingled with the throaty rumble of appreciation from David, Andi's insides fluttered.

  Just at the edge of her hearing, Andi registered the sound of the sliding door. She stilled her lips, waiting for the inevitable interruption.

  "Sorry to break it up, kids, but Butthead is growling at the door," Maggie called across the yard.

  "Very classy, Margaret." Lawrence's voice carried from inside, and just the sound grated on Andi like a steel file on her spine.

  "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to bruise your tender sensibilities... Boner."

  David smiled and kissed the end of her nose before tilting the hammock enough to set his foot on the ground, steadying it so she could get out without tumbling. Although the faux-pained expression on his face as she lingered for just a moment over him, her hands on his chest, was worth the gymnastics required to keep her off the grass.

  "Do you want me to come with you?" he asked, the hammock swaying again.

  "Nah," Andi said, waving him off as she took a step toward the house. "I can handle Lawrence. I'll be back in a few minutes." She winked. "Keep a spot warm for me."

  His chuckle followed her across the lawn to the patio door. Maggie had left it open for her, but no conversation drifted outside. It was easy to see why once she reached the door. Maggie stood in the kitchen behind the counter, a coffee in front of her with her arms crossed defiantly over her body. Her eyes practically sent sonic death beams across the small space to where Lawrence stood against the back of a couch, his hands shoved into his pockets. Jake sat on his duffle bag, his attention set on his handheld game. The only sound in the room was the beep and whistles coming from the game.

  Lawrence barely waited until she had the glass door shut before he launched into his latest diatribe -- thinly veiled by his plea for reparation. "Andrea, honestly," he hissed through clenched teeth and tight lips. "What kind of example are you setting when you're practically having--" He slid his eyes sideways before dropping his voice even lower. "--sex with your whatever you want to call him with your son right here."

  Andi clenched her fists, the flash of anger hitting her cheeks. Jake didn't look up, but she caught he slight shift of eyes that told her he'd heard. She didn't bother lower her voice. That would just give him credence. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Lawrence."

  Maggie snorted, but Andi shot her a look before she could say anything. The verbal banter between the two of them had become full-out screaming matches more than once in the last few weeks. Maggie shrugged. "What?"

  "Boys his age are impressionable, Andrea. We need to be a strong moral example for him."

  "Like you, Boner?" Maggie came back, followed by a loud snort. "Yeah, boffing your secretary was a great moral example for him."

  Jake shifted on the duffle, but still didn't look up.

  "Can we change the subject, please?" Andi begged. She took a deep breath, letting it out. "Jake has a homework project due on Monday, so he needs to be home no later than six tomorrow night. We have to pick up some supplies, and he'll have Sunday to work on it."

  Lawrence waved her off, dismissing everything she said. He took a step toward her. "Andrea, we are returning to Chicago in three weeks."

  "Hallelujah," Maggie muttered.

  Andi did her best not to wish him a hearty farewell. She bit down and crossed her arms.

  "We've wasted too much time fighting," he continued, barely acknowledging Maggie. "We have a lot to accomplish before then. We need to get Jacob registered in school. I've found an excellent boarding and day school just thirty minutes outside the city. Now, I know it'll be a mid-semester move, but I've already spoken to the headmaster and--"

  Dread -- like a bucket of ice water -- hit Andi's stomach and it clenched painfully. His actual words registered. We. "What are you talking about?" she forced herself to ask.

  "The same thing I've been talking about for the last three months. You and Jacob returning to Chicago with me so we can rebuild our family. Honestly, Andrea..."

  "I don't want to go to Chicago!" Jake shouted, immediately coming to his feet. He was across the foyer in three long strides, standing in front of Andi with his back to his father. "What's he talking about, Mom? I don't want to go to Chicago! I don't want to go to a boarding school! I don't want to leave California!"

  Andi drew Jack to her, hugging him, but she spoke directly to Lawrence. "You're not going to Chicago, honey. Not now and not in three weeks."

  Lawrence huffed and turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Of course he is. And you are. We all are."

  "Oh, me too?" Maggie tossed in.

  He continued without acknowledging her. "That's the whole point of me being here!"

  "It may have been your point, Lawrence, but the rest of us weren't listening."

  "That's quite obvious!"

  "You'll stop shouting," Andi said in her best 'Mom means business' voice, as David called it. "Or you'll leave."

  "Fine. We'll talk about this tomorrow. Jacob, go to the car. I'll be there in a minute." The level calmness of Lawrence's tone battled with the set of his jaw and the crimson color creeping up his neck.

  "I don't want to go," Jake snapped.

  "You'll go because I said so."

  Jake tensed in her
arms at the harsh edge of his father's words. Andi's heart pounded and she felt sick -- gut-sick that told her things were wrong. More wrong than usual. She licked her lips and did her best to school her features before turning Jake to face her. She set her hands on his shoulders and waited until he pulled his stubborn stare away from his father to look at her.

  "Jake honey, just go outside. I'm going to straighten this out once and for all."

  "I don't want to go," Jake said again, his young face twisting into a grimace. "Mom, tell him I'm not going with him today."

  "Okay. Just go outside."

  "I'll go with him," Maggie said, throwing a fierce look at Lawrence. "Before I decide to hurt someone."

  "Thank you," Andi said after her.

  "Get in the car," Lawrence ordered as Jake turned to go.

  Jake gave Andi a look over his shoulder, and she shook her head a small degree. She didn't care that she'd agreed to the visit, it was her right to change her mind. Jake looked between her and Lawrence and headed for the door, Maggie joining him as she slid her arm across his shoulders. As soon as it shut behind them, Lawrence gripped her elbow and turned her to face him.

  "I've about had it with you, Andrea. I've put up with your dalliances because I figured I owed you that much. But, it stops today. You and Jake are coming back to Chicago and we're--"

  "No!"

  "Don't you dare--"

  "No, don't you dare," Andi hissed through her teeth. "Get your hand off me right now, Lawrence." He stared at her, his lips pressed together in a thin, white line but he dropped his hand from her elbow. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her rub at the ache he'd left. "Jake isn't going with you today. And get this through your thick head. We are not mending anything. I am not ever going to be your wife again. You live in Chicago and we live here. I've been gracious with the visitation stipulations, but we're done. You can go back to Chicago whenever you want. Don't worry about waiting the three weeks. You're going back alone. Alone, Lawrence."

  "Who do you think you are to--"

  "Who do I think I am? I've been wondering the same thing since you showed up three months ago, throwing your weight around like you expected us to bow at your feet and thank you for coming back. We don't need you. And more to the point, we don't want you back, Lawrence."

  "We're still married, Andrea. We entered a covenant, Andrea."

  "And you broke it!"

  "You break it now!" He tossed his hand in the direction of the back door, and her gaze involuntarily shifted to settle briefly on the swaying hammock.

  "Get out, Lawrence," she forced out, turning her attention back on him. "I've had it. I've had enough of the arguments and the passive aggressive attempts to get your way. I'm done. Get in your car and go."

  *****

  David folded his hands behind his head and stared up at the starry night. Another breeze came through the back yard, rustling the magazine he'd tossed in the air earlier. He maneuvered the hammock enough to pick up the nearest pages, attempting to sort them into a neat pile. The photos of Andi were on the top of the stack, upside down, and he flipped them over to take another look. In the dim light, he could barely make out the photograph, but the words set out against the white of the page.

  DANDI BABY BUMP

  David smiled and chuckled, even though he knew he probably should be righteously enraged by the story, especially on the tail of some of the others that had surfaced recently. Gossip rags and entertainment news seemed to be at either one end of the spectrum or the other when it came to Andi and himself. Some stories were hurtful and vicious, twisting truth to something unpleasant or making up whatever they thought would sell copy. Others made them look like Cinderella and Prince Charming or Couple of the Millenium.

  He wasn't sure where this story fell, but either way it just didn't bother him.

  The muffled sound of the house door slamming shut carried around to the back yard. He lifted his head and looked toward the patio door, but Andi didn't come back out. Voices carried on the breeze, and the tone made David's skin prickle. He sat up, the hammock swaying, and listened.

  "Get in the damn car, Jacob."

  "No! I'm not going!"

  "Lawrence, so help me--"

  "Shut up, Andrea!"

  He was half way across the back yard before he registered his feet moving. He yanked open the wooden gate that opened up to Jake's basketball court. The court let around the back of the house and opened up to the driveway. The voices bounced off the house walls, and David broke into a jog.

  "Let go of me!" Jake shouted. "I don't wanna go!"

  "Try it, Andrea, and see how far you get. I'm his father, and I have rights."

  "Get your hands off them, you slimy pencil-penised bastard!" Maggie shouted.

  "I said let him go and leave."

  David rounded the corner, and took only half a second to take in what he saw. Lawrence Bonherre had Jake by the arm with his car door open, trying to shove the boy inside, and Jake was fighting. Andi stood in the space between Jake and the open door.

  That's all he needed to see.

  Bonherre was on his back against the hood of his rented Lexus with David's arm across his throat before he had a chance to throw another order. "Let me go, you son of a bitch," Bonherre choked out, struggling against the grip.

  He sputtered and thrashed, but David said nothing, holding him in place. When Bonherre finally stopped, David leaned in a little closer. "Are you paying attention?" he ground out through his clenched teeth. David gave him a jerk. "Do we have your attention now? Because I'm pretty sure the lady told you to do something."

  Lawrence glared, his entire face flushed crimson. "Can you say lawsuit, golden boy?"

  "I sure as hell can, bonehead," David hissed with a jerk of his hand that clutched the ass's collar.

  Andi touched his shoulder, and he felt the tremble in her hand. "Let him go, David. He's not worth it. Please..."

  He took a step back, releasing Bonherre who practically crumpled on the driveway before standing.

  "Get in your car and go," David ordered, staring down Bonherre.

  He tugged on his shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles left by David's fist. "You don't have any rights here, golden boy. You can't tell me to go--"

  "But I can," Andi snapped, moving around David to meet Bonherre toe to toe. She stood firm, but David saw the tremble in her clenched hands. "And I did. Get in your car and go," she repeated. "Go back to Chicago, go back to your wife, just go."

  Bonherre huffed air through his nose and stared them down for several moments before slamming the passenger door shut and rounding the back of the car to get in. He started the car with a roar of the engine and tore out of the driveway, kicking up stray bits of gravel in his wake. As soon as he was gone, Andi sucked in a shaky breath, a tiny sound caught in her throat. David touched her arm and turned her back to him, his gut clenching at the tears glistening in her eyes.

  He laid his hand against Andi's cheek and she closed her eyes, the tears spilling.

  "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

  She nodded, then shook her head and covered her face with her hands. David bit back the curses running through his mind and leaned in to press his lips to her forehead. A small choking sound made him turn.

  Jake stood at the edge of the driveway, his back to them with his shoulders hunched and his head down. His body shook and another small, smothered sound came from him. David stepped to him and dropped to his knees beside Jake.

  "Hey, buddy," he said softly, setting his hand on Jake's back. Jake jumped. Andi stopped beside him, her hand hovering over her son's head before she stroked his hair. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

  Jake turned, and David was reminded once again that even though Andi's son put on a mature face at times, he was still just a kid. Barely more than a little boy. Tears ran down his cheeks and his nose ran, his mouth twisted in a frown. He sucked in a sharp breath, his chin shaking as he tried to talk.

  "
Dads aren't supposed to do that," he managed to say between choking sobs that made his shoulders hitch. "They're not supposed to make moms cry and they're not supposed to scare their kids. I know!" He jabbed his chest with his finger. "He does it all the time and he's not supposed to. I know!"

  Andi cried beside him, but David didn't dare look away from her son. He fought the tightness in his throat as he laid his hand on Jake's wet cheek. "No, they're not supposed to."

  "Then why does he?"

  David shook his head. "I don't know."

  "You don't make Mom cry. You don't say mean things," he sobbed.

  "And I never will. I promised you that, Jake. I meant it."

  David rose on his knees to pull Jake into a hug, and the boy broke down into harder sobs. "Why can't you be my dad?" he cried into David's shoulder.

  David closed his eyes and held on tight. Andi wrapped her arms around both of them, curling her trembling body around them. David wanted to tell Jake how much he wished the same thing, but the words stuck in his throat. No matter if he felt it, or not, he couldn't just toss something like that out there -- not right now when Jake was so torn up. When Lawrence Bonherre had torn apart any last resemblance he may have had to a decent father.

  But he wished it. Oh, how he wished it.

  And that reality was more comforting than frightening.

  David rose, lifting Jake with him so the boy wrapped his legs around David's waist, not lifting his face from David's now-damp shoulder. David wrapped his free arm around Andi and pulled her to him, holding both mother and son. Maggie stood just a few feet away, her arms crossed over her body. David met her eyes and her lips twisted into an agonized frown before she turned away and wiped her cheeks.

  "No good son of a motherless goat," she mumbled as she headed for the house.

  "Come on," he said softly, taking Andi's hand. "Let's get inside."