Jake reached over and gently covered her hands with his. “Hey. It will be all right. We’ll talk and everything will be fine. I promise.”
She looked up at him and knew he was right.
“Son of a bitch.”
Danny’s whispered words pulled Jake and Lily out of their shared world. Soon, everyone at the picnic hushed and all eyes focused on one spot. Lily looked up and wasn’t sure what the fuss was about. It wasn’t until Jake turned his head in the direction of the stares that she felt him tense.
“What’s going on?” Lily whispered.
Jake had lost his voice. No words could describe the emotions that made him feel like he would immediately collapse. Torn between hatred and sickness, he squeezed Lily’s hand. He’d hoped she would be able to provide the strength that rushed away from him.
Lily squeezed back.
“Well, hey, everyone. God, I’m famished. The food looks great.”
The small blonde woman searched the silent crowd until her gaze finally came to rest on Jake and woman holding his hand. The blonde raised an eyebrow and smirked. With her heart about to explode, Lily finally figured out what was happening.
She watched the woman walk purposefully across the lawn until she was within inches of Jake. Lily cringed as the she reached up and hugged him. Motionless, Jake turned back to Lily, and the fear, sadness and grief, that had once promised to leave him, magnified. A small tear fell down his face, breaking Lily’s heart. She could see the wall go up, she could feel his heart harden, and when he closed his eyes and let go of her hand, distance spread between them.
“What’s the matter, Jakey? Didn’t you miss me?”
“What are you doing here Madison?”
CHAPTER 26
Stepping in front of Lily as if to shield her, Jake looked Madison square in the eye. Hatred burned from him and she flinched like she could feel it.
“Jake—”
“Answer me, Madison. What are you doing here?”
“Can’t a girl stop in to visit her family?”
“You never just stop in anywhere. Why are you here?”
“Can we talk in private?”
He jerked away from her touch. “No.”
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Jake, please. I came back for you. I wanted to talk to you about, well, about everything that happened.”
“You think you can walk back into town and talk to me about everything that happened? You’re fucking delusional.”
“Jake. Stop. Just listen to me.”
He turned back to look at Lily, and she saw something in his eyes that she’d never seen before. He really looked like he was going to lose it. It scared her.
Danny caught the look, too, but he’d seen it before, and he knew Jake was about to lose it. He walked up to Lily and took her elbow. “Lily, we should go. You don’t want to see this.”
She looked at Danny, saw the pleading look in his eyes, and turned back to Jake. For an instant, sadness filled his face before it twisted back to hatred. She allowed Danny to pull her away from them.
“You stop, Madison. No one wants you here. Just go back to whatever filthy hole you dragged yourself from and get out of my sight.”
He turned his back to her and she reached out and grabbed his shirt. “You listen to me, Jacob Morgan. You and I have to talk about this. I will stay here and meet you around every corner until you talk to me.”
He knocked her hand off of him. “Don’t touch me. Don’t you ever touch me again. You’re a lying whore and I want nothing to do with you.”
Mrs. Olsen walked over. “Jake. Please don’t. Just hear her out.”
He looked at her like he hadn’t heard correctly. Mr. Olsen stood beside him.
“Leave him alone, Abby. Madison, haven’t you caused enough trouble?”
“Dad?”
“Honey, I love you but come on. What’s going on? Why are you here?”
Jake had heard enough. He stormed across the yard towards his truck.
“Damn it, Jake. Don’t walk away from me.”
“Fuck you, Madison.”
He jumped into his truck, started the engine, and peeled out of the driveway. Lily stood back, with Danny, Megan and Andy, and watched him leave. Anger and confusion filled her. She’d just realized Danny was still holding her elbow. She quickly pulled it away and walked towards Madison.
“Lily, don’t...” But Danny’s words trailed off as everyone in the yard stood still watching the drama unfold.
Madison looked at her father and started to turn around, but Lily was in her face before she could.
“What is wrong with you?”
Shocked, Madison replied, “Who the hell are you?”
“It doesn’t matter who I am. Haven’t you caused enough pain?”
“Oh, I see. You’re Jake’s flavor of the summer, right? Well, let me tell you something, sweetheart. I’m not leaving until Jake talks to me. So if you want to get rid of me, convince your boyfriend to give me a call. I’ll be staying with my parents.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because I can. He is my husband, after all.”
Madison looked around at the people staring at her and smiled sweetly before turning and walking into her parent’s house, slamming the door loudly behind her.
Tears welled up in Lily’s eyes. Husband? Her voice was small. “Danny, what is she talking about?”
Andy walked up, took her hand, and steered her away from prying eyes. When he finally pulled her far enough away, he sat her down on an old tree stump. “Look at me.”
Barely a whisper, she asked, “What is she talking about, Andy? What does she mean husband? I thought that was done.”
Rubbing his hand over her face, he silently cursed Jake for not coming clean with her. It wasn’t his place, after all, to talk to Lily about this, but he was going to have to clear it up.
“Lily, he filed for divorce not long after Madison left. The only problem is, no one could find her. She moved around a lot, and when she would call her parents, she never gave a concrete location. Technically, they are still married.”
The thought made her want to vomit. Clutching her stomach, she bent over, tears streaming down her face.
“Oh my God. He’s married?”
“No, listen. It’s been over for two years. In his mind, they aren’t. Unfortunately, he was never able to get her to sign the papers. He didn’t tell you any of this?”
“No. No he didn’t. I mean, yesterday, we went to the cemetery. I thought that was everything.”
He leaned back. “So he told you about Joey.”
She looked up at him and saw his eyes water. “Yes. He told me all of that.”
“Lily, he hasn’t talked about that with anyone, ever. Not me, not his brother. The fact that he opened up, that he told you about that, just proves what I’ve known all along.”
“What’s that?”
“That he loves you.”
She looked away. “How he was with her today, how he spoke to her, how he looked, I’ve never seen him like that.”
“She brings it out in him.”
“I didn’t like it.”
“Can you blame him?”
“I guess not.”
Andy reached out and grabbed her hands. “Hey. It will be all right. But if Madison says she isn’t leaving until she talks to him, then take her at her word. She’s the most stubborn—”
“You want me to convince him to talk to her?”
“I think you are the only one who can.”
She thought for a moment. “You think she’ll leave?”
“I know she will. Sadly, she doesn’t care enough for anyone here to stay.”
“All right, Andy. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Good. You wanna leave? I’ll drive you home.”
“My Jeep is at Jake’s.”
“I can take you there.”
“No that’s okay. I just want to be alone right now. If I gave you my keys,
do you think one of you could get it for me and drop it at Billy’s?”
“Sure. Whatever you want. I’ll make sure it gets there. Come on. I’ll go tell Danny I’m taking you home.”
“Thanks Andy. I’ll meet you at your truck.”
Andy stood and began to turn away before glancing back to Lily. He looked as though he wanted to say something but had thought better of it. Shoving his hands into his pockets he walked off to find Danny.
Lily wiped the tears from her eyes and walked around the side of the house to Andy’s truck. While she was waiting, Madison walked out of the house with a drink in her hand and lit a cigarette. She noticed Lily right away and started walking towards her. Lily squared her shoulders and tried to look like she didn’t care.
“So, you’re Jake’s girlfriend now, huh? I guess he told you about me.”
“He did.”
“Did he tell you how much in love we once were? Did he tell you we were happy once?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
“He told me all about you. He told me pretty much everything.”
Taking a long drag of her cigarette, Madison smiled. “Ahh, but he didn’t tell you we were still married.”
Lily didn’t know what to say so she watched Madison gulp the caramel colored liquid from her glass. She dropped her lit cigarette at Lily’s feet and stepped over to put it out.
Lifting her chin, she whispered in Lily’s ear, “Well then. I guess there’s still hope for me.”
Just as Madison walked away from Lily, Andy walked around from the side of the house. He saw the last part of the interaction but didn’t hear what was said. All he saw was Lily’s pale face and shaking hands.
“Madison! Leave her alone.”
“Hello, Andy. You’re looking well.”
“Did you hear me? Leave her alone.”
Tossing a glance over her shoulder, she saw what he saw. Lily looked like she was going to faint.
“Relax. We were just catching up. It really has been too long.”
“You’re still the same, aren’t you? You haven’t changed.”
“And you’re the same poke-your-nose-in-other-people’s-business, nosey body. Listen. Just make sure Jake calls me. Or else, I have a feeling I could get used to being back.”
Madison walked away, back into the house. Not knowing what to do, he walked over to Lily.
“Are you all right?”
“No. I just want to go home.”
“Okay. Okay. Let’s go.”
Andy pulled into Bill’s driveway. Getting out of the truck, he walked around to the passenger side door and opened it for Lily. She stepped out of the truck, stood up straight, and looked him in the eye.
“Thank you.”
“You gonna be okay?”
“Absolutely.”
She leaned in and gave him a little kiss on the cheek before walking into the house. Andy pulled out his phone, called Billy, and gave him the run down on what happened at the picnic before climbing back into his truck and heading over to Jake’s.
CHAPTER 27
Lily waited until she was in her room to lose it. She kicked her shoes across the room and threw her purse against the wall. Collapsing on the bed, she stared at the ceiling, willing herself not to cry.
Thinking over the past few days, she tried to see the silver lining. She loved Jake, but she wasn’t sure she could handle it if Madison stayed in town. The look on his face when she showed up more than conveyed how he felt about her. But then again, the look is what scared her. It was full of rage and pure hatred. He had every reason to feel that way, but that fact did nothing to ease her mind. She wasn’t sure how she should react to it. What she knew for sure was she needed to talk to Jake.
Picking up her cell, she dialed his number. Frustrated that it went straight to voicemail, she clicked off without leaving a message. She dialed his house but he didn’t answer that either. She stood and began pacing her room when all of a sudden, she felt dizzy. Sitting quickly she dropped her head between her knees. Then hand covering her mouth, she rushed to the bathroom. She barely made it before she threw up.
Leaning over the sink, she splashed water on her face and brushed her teeth. When she stood and looked into the mirror, she was pale. She knew without a doubt what was wrong. With her hand on her stomach, she thanked God she only had to wait two more days to see the doctor.
After that, decisions had to be made. Would she stay or would she head to Atlanta? How would Jake react? She wouldn’t blame him if he freaked out. It was a big deal, certainly not one she had anticipated. But if what she thought was happening really was, then she’d have to deal with it. With or without Jake.
Dropping her head, she silently cursed herself for assuming he wouldn’t be happy about this. True, they hadn’t known each other for very long, but she loved him and felt he loved her, too. At least until she watched the wall rebuild itself right in front of her eyes. It couldn’t be permanent. After all, just yesterday she watched the last brick fall.
CHAPTER 28
Madison stormed into her parents’ house and watched Andy drive away with that girl. This wasn’t going exactly how she planned. Then again, she didn’t plan any of this out. Not sure of what pulled her here other than the fact that she’d woken up yesterday with the urge to come back. Well, she knew exactly what made her come back. Not that she wanted to deal with it.
God knew she’d avoided coming back here for the last two years, purposefully not disclosing her whereabouts to anyone, not even her parents. She was living fine, with no responsibility, no drama, no dead babies. It hurt, still, to think about the day she’d found out...
***
Holding the phone, Madison finally decided to dial. It was on the fourth ring before her father answered.
“Hello?”
“Dad?”
“Madison? Where are you? Are you okay?”
“I’m safe.”
“Where the hell have you been? It’s been two weeks without a word. Your mother and I have been worried sick.”
“Dad, I’m okay. Just wanted to call and let you know I’m not coming back for a while.”
“What? Why not? You have to come back. You missed the funeral. How could you miss the funeral?”
Her head spun. “Wait. What funeral?”
Silence on the other end stretched for what seemed like an eternity.
“Dad? What funeral? What are you talking about?”
“Aw, Madison. You need to come back. Jake is a mess. We’re all a mess. Honey, Joey died.”
The phone clattered to the floor as every nerve in her body screamed in protest.
“Madison? Are you there? Madison?”
Staring at the phone, she felt as if everything moved in slow motion—like she was watching herself react. Watching her arm stretch to the floor. Watching her hand grip the phone. Watching herself lift it back to her ear.
“Madison?”
“I’m here.”
“Did you hear what I said?”
Silent tears fell down her face. “Yeah, Dad. I heard you. What happened?”
“What happened? He died just hours after you left. That’s what happened. What the hell, Madison? What the hell is the matter with you?”
“What’s wrong with me? Dad, I couldn’t take seeing him like that. I couldn’t take Jake and everyone looking at me like I was the one who did something wrong. The doctors, the nurses, they wouldn’t even let me hold him.”
“You didn’t want to hold him. How many times did you go visit that poor baby in the hospital?”
“It wasn’t my fault!”
“Jesus, Madison. When are you gonna grow up and stop blaming everyone else? You know what, you stay where you are. Give Jake time to grieve. God knows he can’t do that with you here.”
She felt like she’d been kicked in the stomach. If anyone had always stood by her, it was her dad. She’d expected this reaction from her mother, but not him.
“Fine, Dad. I’ll call you lat
er.”
She hung up the phone and walked over to the coffee table that sat in the middle of her tiny apartment. It wasn’t much, but it was all she could swing at the time. Leaning over the table, she picked up a rolled dollar bill and inhaled her sanity.
CHAPTER 29
Jake sped away from the Olsen’s’ house in a fury. He was a few miles away before he began to think clearly enough to realize he’d left Lily there. Punching the steering wheel, he thought about turning back but he knew he couldn’t. He was inches from going completely ballistic and he was embarrassed enough that Lily had seen him in the state she did. The shock and sorrow on her face was too painful.
He hated when he acted like that. And it was always Madison that sent him over the edge. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what the hell she was doing back here and what the hell they would have to talk about. He needed to avoid that conversation. The two of them were too combustible, too unstable when they were together. It wasn’t like that with Lily.
When he was with Lily, he felt none of the drama, none of the sadness that he’d felt when he was with Madison. He hadn’t been sure he’d ever feel normal again. Then he met Lily. She was all sunshine and smiles and had no ulterior motives. What you saw was always what you got with her.
He’d heard her, last night, when she told him she loved him, and he’d wanted to say it too but couldn’t form the words. In the two short months they’d know each other, he’d fallen in love. She was everything he’d hoped for.
Not knowing exactly where he was going, he kept on driving. He needed to get away from everything he’d thought he’d left behind. He should have known, Madison would never leave him alone, she’d never let him be happy. And just when he finally thought he could be.
“Fuck!”
He yelled out as he steered the truck off the road. Punching the steering wheel, bloodying his knuckles on the dash, he collapsed forward with his head on the wheel and let the tears fall.
Much like he did the day before, he let everything rise to the surface and did what he could to expel all the negativity. He barely heard his phone ring. Without even looking at it, he switched it off.
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