by Amy Starling
Were Max standing here, I would have pushed him into the pond, wheelchair and all. What the devil was he thinking? He was supposed to keep his mouth shut about that!
“He told you?”
“I mentioned that I thought you might be, and he admitted you were. Said Rich did it. That's why the jerk abandoned you so fast.”
I started to cry. Trey dutifully offered me his arm for a hug.
“Max was very mad when he talked about it with me. Said he couldn't believe a guy could do such a thing to you.” He chuckled. “I haven't seen him so fired up about anything in quite a while.”
I stroked my tummy. If Trey noticed, everyone else did, too. They were probably just too polite to say anything.
“Why haven't you told anyone?” he asked softly.
“You know what my parents are like. They're super religious – or they pretend to be, anyway – and my dad is trying to become governor. If they found out I slept with a married man and got pregnant with his baby, they would be furious.”
“But none of that's your fault.”
“It doesn't matter whose fault it is. All that matters is how bad it makes them look. If I make them mad enough, I'm scared they'll take away the farm from me. The only reason I've got this place is because dad gave it to me, but it still belongs to him.”
“What about Rachael? She's your sister.”
“And also my biggest competition, if you haven't noticed. She's mom's special princess, and she'd rat me out to them if it meant looking better in her eyes. I'm frankly surprised she hasn't told her about Rich already, but I'm sure it's coming.”
The yelling inside the house got louder. Trey and I slowly made our way back to the porch. I wasn't in any rush to go in there.
“They're obviously going to find out eventually.”
“I know. That's why Max and I came up with this plan.”
His eyes widened. “So that's why you're faking being in the relationship with him. Wait – you're gonna tell them the baby is his?”
“For now, yes. I figured they would be less angry at me if the 'dad' claimed to love me and swore he'd step up in the child's life. Better that than the real father being some deadbeat, cheating asshole who lives thousands of miles away.”
Trey cringed. “This is the worst plan I've ever heard. It's like you're building a house on sand; it's going to collapse sooner or later. Probably sooner.”
“It will all work out. My parents won't be staying for long, and once they've gone back to California and dad's governor, they won't give half a crap what I'm doing. They'll probably forget they have a grandchild at all.” I laughed, albeit sadly. “The only thing we have to do is make it through a couple weeks of them being here.”
“Well, I've got to admire your optimism, however insane it may be.” He scratched his head. “I just don't understand why Max would agree to this. He's the last person you'd expect to settle down and have a kid. Now he's gonna pretend he's having a family with you?”
“I was surprised too, but he insisted. Said he wanted to pay me back for taking care of him while he healed.”
“That's another thing I can't believe. You're making a huge sacrifice to accommodate him – and I thought you hated him.”
“I don't hate him. I think I judged him before I really knew him.” I pointed to the empty blackberry plants. “Actually, it's good having him around. He makes himself useful working for me, and the company is nice.”
Something I said made him tense up. “You be careful around him, you hear me? I know he's got his ways with women, and with him living in your house... I just don't wanna see you get hurt again.”
“Don't worry. I'm well aware of his charms.”
I was aware – because he'd used them on me, and they worked very well.
The screen door swung open, and Rachael flew out, her eyes red and wet with tears. She ran right into Trey's arms.
“Whoa, babe. What's the matter?”
“N-nothing. I have to go.”
She glanced at me, frowned, and sped off in her car. Trey and I watched her go in stunned silence.
“That your parents at work again?”
“I don't know. You'd better call and check on her.” I grabbed his arm. “Uh, all this stuff we talked about, you're going to keep it quiet, right?”
“I'm staying out of this one. Good luck in there.”
I took a breath and went inside, expecting to see an all-out brawl between dad and Max. Instead, they were sitting at the kitchen table eating my blackberry pie.
“Yes, Mr. Southwell. We'd love to visit you in San Diego someday.” Max refilled his glass with tea. “Anna tells me how much she misses you guys. She talks about you all the time.”
Dad chowed on his pie, his mouth wide open between bites. “That's wonderful to hear. And you're a fireman these days?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What's the pay like for that, exactly?” His eyes narrowed. “Just trying to make sure my little girl is taken care of, you understand.”
Mom smacked him with her napkin. “Oh, hush, Daniel. Money's not everything. Just look at him; he's big, strong, and brave. Handsome, too.”
Max blushed. I could have stood here and watched him play the perfect gentleman a while longer, but I wasn't that mean.
“Enjoying the pie, mom? I made it fresh this morning.”
“Mm, yes.” She took another huge bite and poked my belly with her finger. “I certainly hope you're not eating like this all the time, though. You're getting a tad chubby, and we'd all like you to look nice and skinny for the cameras, wouldn't we?”
I glanced at Max for help. He just smiled.
It was going to be a very long couple of weeks.
Chapter 13 - Max
Sitting around on your butt not doing anything, without a care in the world – that's the dream of many men, I imagined.
That had been my life for the past two weeks, ever since I busted up my legs. Moving into Anna's place freaked me out at first, but I soon learned to make the best of it.
It was nice having her cook for me and getting a helping hand when I needed it. I busied myself tending the garden, messing about on the Internet, watching TV... It should have been the perfect vacation.
Except it just wasn't enough. I was getting bored.
I couldn't do any of the things I liked. Couldn't go jogging to clear my head. Couldn't head to the gym, or take a dip in the pool, or even do my job as a firefighter.
Being trapped had always been my worse fear. Anna was a good and generous hostess, but this... It was prison to me. I couldn't tell her, though. That would hurt her feelings after all she'd done. She wouldn't understand.
This was my problem to cope with. Mine alone.
“Maybe I shouldn't bother eating,” she said with a groan, “if I'm just going to puke it back up.”
I offered her a wet towel to clean up with. She took it, covered her mouth like she might throw up again, then relaxed when she didn't.
“It'd probably help if you ate healthy food instead of Pop-Tarts and peanut M&Ms.”
Her shoulders fell. “I hate eating junk, but it's suddenly the only thing that sounds appetizing. If I even get a whiff of steamed broccoli or chopped onions, I have to run straight to the toilet.”
I didn't know what to do. Never in my life had I thought I'd be comforting a pregnant woman – or pretending to be a boyfriend and dad, for that matter.
Sure, this was all supposed to be a farce until her parents left town. But she had taken fine care of me when she didn't have to, and I was damn sure gonna repay the favor.
I might be a womanizing player, but I did have some sense of honor.
“I've got that dinner in Austin with mom and dad tomorrow evening. I don't know how I'm going to keep it down.” She laughed. “After that, they'll know I'm pregnant for sure.”
“They've been here for three days and still haven't mentioned it?”
“Nope. I see them sneaking peeks at my tummy
, though. Mom more than dad. She's obsessed with staying thin, you know. Always pushed me and Rachael to diet and lose weight.”
“You girls are both thin as twigs. Your mother is delusional.”
The phone rang in the other room. She let it go to voice mail.
“Hi, this is Kelly from Dr. Ferris's office. Just calling to remind you of your appointment today at three thirty. Please arrive fifteen minutes early...”
She sighed. “I hate these appointments. They're always prodding at my stomach or sticking cold, metal objects inside – wait, you probably don't want to hear this.”
I looked her up and down without hiding it. “I'm kinda jealous of this doctor. At least he gets to stick something inside you.”
It was a thinly veiled jab, I'll admit. Anna mumbled something and left me there to go get ready.
So maybe I offended her, but I didn't really regret it. The night I made her mine was seared into my memory. I ached to get her back into bed for round two, busted legs be damned.
I wasn't alone in my desire, either. Only a blind man wouldn't notice the way she looked at me.
But every time I made a pass at her, she acted like it didn't happen. She pushed me away, and I wasn't sure why. It was starting to piss me off.
The last time I got any with her was over two weeks ago. To me, that was an eternity. I was confined to this stupid chair, unable to go hunting for the relief I needed – not that I wanted to, anyway.
Anna had me wrapped around her little finger. For some reason, I couldn't even begin to think of banging another girl. It was her I wanted, nobody else.
Sadly, she wouldn't let me have her. It was like some cruel cosmic joke, wasn't it?
“I'm heading to the market after my appointment.” She checked me out in the bathroom mirror. “What do you want for dinner?”
I didn't want dinner. I wanted her. How could a guy think about food when he had a total babe standing in front of him?
“Whatever you won't puke up, I guess.”
She laughed. “Good answer. Hey, you're coming out with me tomorrow, aren't you? I mean, I know it's a pain to get around in that chair, but...”
“Of course. If your 'boyfriend' didn't attend their dinner party, they'd flip their lids.” I gawked at her sweet, perfect little ass when she turned around. “Though I'm surprised you want me there. You know me. I'll say something stupid or find a way to embarrass you somehow.”
She painted her eyelids with green shadow. I actually kind of wished she wouldn't wear makeup. She was one of the few women I'd known who looked somehow better without it.
“My parents are slowly coming around to you, so I guess you can be a good boy when you really want to.” She did her lips in frosted pink next. “And what can I say? I've come to like your company.”
“You just want me around to shield you from your mom's harping and your dad's preaching.”
“That too. You make a decent distraction.”
She finished getting ready, told me goodbye, and headed off down the long gravel driveway toward the main road. Then she was gone, leaving me with only my thoughts and the thunderous chirping of June bugs flying overhead.
I usually craved my alone time. Now, I missed her already.
“There's something seriously messed up in my head, ain't there, Bess?”
The plump orange chicken pecked at my shoe. I swatted her away and dialed Jayce on my phone.
He was a smart guy; he'd know what to do. If I mentioned the way I felt to any of my other friends, they'd just laugh at me.
When Jayce picked up, there was a kid cackling hysterically in the background, followed by the sound of glass breaking then him yelling for Elle's help.
“Uh, sorry about that, man.” He laughed. “Ethan decided to play ball in the kitchen. How you been holding up? You've been gone a long time.”
“Not like I have any place else to be, remember? At least I got something of a job with the fire department here.”
“They hired you, even after you got fired from driving a damn truck through a store window?”
I paused. “They don't know about that. I came down here to do some volunteer work. There was no application, interview, background check, nothing.”
He whistled. “If they find out...”
“They won't. And even if they do, well, no skin off my back. I'll move on.” My leg itched beneath the cast. Drove me nuts I couldn't scratch it. “Anyway, I didn't call about that. You been watching the news lately, about the wildfires?”
He had no idea what happened to me, so I regaled him with the story of the fire, and the accident, and how I was in a wheelchair with Anna taking care of me. He couldn't believe that last part.
“She moved you into her house, just like that? Must be a good friend.”
“I think she's more than that.”
“You slept with her, didn't you?” He asked this with a sigh.
“What else would you expect of me?”
“Max, listen. This woman sounds like a really sweet person. She's not like those loose chicks that you pick up at the club.”
“You're telling me. I've having the hardest time getting in her pants again.”
Jayce's son shrieked so loudly it hurt my ear. He scolded the kid and told him to go bug his mother.
“That's probably because she's figured out your game. She thinks you're going to leave her, and she isn't interested in casual sex. She wants more.”
“What do you mean, more?”
“Commitment. Trust me, I've been there.”
“But I am committing. I'm posing as her boyfriend and baby daddy while her parents are in town so she won't get in trouble.”
There was a long silence. “...Christ, Max. What are you doing?”
“Not sure what you're talking about.”
“Tell me what you plan to do in the end. When your legs are healed and her parents have gone.”
“She expects me to go back to Waco. We talked about it.”
“Do you actually think that's what she wants, though?”
I thought about it. No, that was ridiculous. I told her not to get attached. She knew from the beginning this wasn't supposed to last.
“I don't know what she wants. Women are confusing.”
“Maybe you should try staying with her.”
I laughed at him. “I can't get tied down with one woman. And besides, she's having a freaking baby that another man gave her. Babies terrify me, and hell, it's not even my kid.”
Elle called for Jayce, telling him it was time to go. See, this was a prime example of why I avoided getting married. I loathed the idea of someone telling me what to do. Got enough of that treatment at work.
“Man, I gotta go. Just think about what it is you really want from her. And for the love of God, don't be selfish. If you're not gonna stick around, don't lead her on.”
He hung up. I was alone again. I stuffed the phone back in my pocket, since I was out of people to call who'd help me. Maybe my buddy Carter would, but he hardly answered my calls. The two of us moved in different circles these days.
I'd had quite enough of this. My leg had started to throb, too, and I was tired of popping opiates for it. There was one solution – my girls in the RV.
Thank goodness I had the upper-body strength to haul myself out of the chair, up the steps, and into the vehicle. I crawled along the floor to the back, where I kept the two marijuana plants Jayce had given me.
“There you are, girls. Not looking so good, though.”
I didn't have any idea about growing plants. Just water them, he said, and they would live.
Right. The wispy leaves were turning yellow and crispy around the edges.
I managed to wriggle back out of the RV and into my chair with the plants in tow. Then I went to the back porch, rolled myself a nice joint, and lit up.
Anna didn't have any idea about my smoking. I didn't partake as much lately, ever since my band of friends stopped partying every few nights.
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br /> Somehow, I doubted she'd be pleased. She sure as heck wasn't the kind of girl who'd smoke with me.
I was soon nice and relaxed, and the pain in my leg stopped bothering me so much. While I puffed away, ideas came to me about all the things that needed doing around here.
There was a loose board on the porch, and the garage door could use an oiling on the squeaky hinges.
Anna talked about converting a room to a nursery, too – painting the walls, decorating, and filling it with everything her baby would need.
I couldn't do any of that currently, though. What, then? I had to think of something to impress her. That always got girls into my bed before. Except Anna, well... She didn't seem like the sort that impressed easily.
A chicken flapped its wings and landed on the fence post. I glanced at the hen house. She'd said it was due for a cleaning, but worried about the effect animal feces had on her kid. It smelled awful, she said, and what if the fumes hurt the baby?
If that was an excuse to get out of cleaning up bird crap, it was a pretty damn good one, I had to admit.
I wheeled myself over to the house. The hens huddled together, eyeing me warily.
“Yeah, you should be nervous, birds. If it weren't for Anna, I'd pluck off those feathers, fry you in bubbling oil, and enjoy some hot wings with a cold beer.”
The smell coming from the hut was nauseating. No way could poor Anna handle this; not when she had trouble keeping her food down already.
“Okay, I can do this. Rubber gloves, bristle brush, hose, sanitizer. No gas mask, though. Here's hoping the stench of ammonia doesn't kill me.”
The birds waddled away in a hurry as I rolled into the house. I'd seen Anna do this once before; it couldn't be too hard, just disgusting.
First, I scooped the used hay bedding off each shelf. Some of the nests had eggs in them, which I collected and put in the basket outside.
Then, with the shack empty of hay, I turned the hose on full force. This wasn't a normal hose, but a high-pressure one designed to blast off paint, chemical spills, and other stubborn messes. It worked a treat, and soon, things were looking and smelling a lot cleaner.
It was a filthy job, but doing it made me feel good. At last, I wasn't sitting idly around doing nothing with myself.