by D. K Lake
"Shh." He leaves his cup of tea and comes over to me and pulls me away from the door and into the kitchen area.
"Is it true? Is someone coming after you?"
"No, it's..." he sighs.
"Why won't you just tell me?"
"Because I don’t want you involved in any of this."
"How can I not be involved when you're involved?" I blurt.
I compose myself as he adds the sugar to his tea, and I can see the slight smirk on his face. I'm glad someone finds this funny. How is he being so casual about this?
"Remember I told you about Vincent getting shot." he says, dropping his spoon in the sink.
"Vincent Ortiz?" I vaguely remember. "He was some kingpin or something? You said one of you had no choice but to shoot him, otherwise, he would have killed one of you."
"Right. So, Vincent's cousin, Carlos, well, he was there that night. After it happened, we asked him to come and work for us and he refused, so we paid him off, but he keeps asking for more money. And every so often, he gets a little too drunk and starts opening his mouth and saying stuff he shouldn't. The last time we sent Mitchel over to sort him out, we thought that was the last we’d hear from him, but he keeps threatening us."
"How?"
"Saying he'll go to the police, and every time we pay him off again to shut him up. But Mitchel's got it in his head that Carlos wants revenge for his cousin's death."
"What do you think?"
"I think Carlos is getting too big for his boots and we need to send Mitchel round again to sort him out."
"Was Mitchel being serious about killing him?" I whisper.
"Probably...but Carlos is becoming a problem. And now he's making Mitchel even more paranoid."
"Are my sister and niece safe?" I worry.
"Yes," Rio assures. "No one wants to hurt Kelsey. Or you. Just forget about what you heard." He drains his cup of tea in one go and dumps the mug in the sink.
"How can I just forget? I mean, this is crazy, Rio. Drugs? Murder?" I whisper-shout. "Everything is getting too much. And Mitchel is following my sister around because he thinks someone is going to come after her?"
"Mitchel is just being paranoid. Cocaine will do that to a person. I even heard him talking to himself the other night. Don't worry about anything he says. He's my best friend, but he's fucking mental. He doesn't know what he's talking about half the time. No one is coming for us, okay?"
Rio stands in front of me, rests his hands on my shoulders, and tries to get me to look at him.
"Okay?" he says again.
"Okay," I finally respond.
Not okay.
This is insane.
What if Mitchel is right and someone is coming for my sister because they want revenge? She has a daughter, this is crazy. What if they kidnapped Blue? Should I warn Kelsey just in case? If I did that, Mitchel would probably go psycho on my ass for saying anything. But what if Dario’s wrong? But then again, with Mitchel stalking my sister, no one will be able to get anywhere near her.
"Paige?" Rio says my name.
"Huh,"
"Did you go and see the doctor?"
"Yes." I remember and open my bag and pull out the sonogram picture to show him.
He takes it from me and stares at it.
"They checked the dates and it's looking like it could be either yours or Mav's, so..." I look away and see a cookie jar and help myself to a chocolate chip one. I skipped breakfast because I have been getting morning sickness a lot. I don't like to eat before class in case I have to leave to be sick.
I take the picture back and put it back in my bag.
"There are some tests that can be done to find out who the father is now, but they're costly and I figured we might as well wait."
And I'm dreading what the results might tell us which is why I turned the idea down when Maverick suggested it. I think he knew why I wanted to wait. I just want to stay in this bubble a little while longer.
"Is it healthy?"
"Uh-huh. I have another scan in a month so they can check the dates again to make sure the baby is growing correctly, but um...we're not telling anyone at the moment because I'm not quite twelve weeks and there's still the chance of a miscarriage."
"You won't." Dario says automatically.
"Right. Well, just keep it quiet, please. Um, has Mitchel told anyone else, like my sister?"
"No, I told him not to say anything. Anyway, he’s too preoccupied with hiding in the bushes and following Kelsey around right now."
"Do you think maybe he should tell her what's going on?"
"No, he won't. She'll worry too much and then she'll worry about Blue, and then she'll want to leave Radley, and then we'll have a very angry Mitchel that will start causing trouble for everyone. It's better if she doesn't know anything. And there's nothing to tell her. This is all in Mitchel’s head."
I lean against the counter and fold my arms.
"How are you?" he asks.
"I'm fine. Morning sickness sucks, though." I reach for another cookie.
"Are you hungry?"
"I skipped breakfast." I admit.
"That can't be good for the baby."
"Well, I didn't think my professor would appreciate me throwing up in class."
"Where is Tom Cruise," Rio jokes, referring to Maverick.
"He's away for a football game." I tell him, then realize my mistake.
"So, you don't need to run back to the dorms right away?"
"Uh... I have coursework."
"I thought we could get lunch."
"Lunch?"
"I want to make sure you're eating properly."
"I am. And you don't need to worry about me."
"Well, I do. All the time. Like a bad habit." he admits.
I think about it for a moment. I am hungry.
"Where did you want to go?"
"I was thinking we could go to Dirty Willie's." he says.
"That place is a dive." I laugh.
"I know, but the food isn't that bad." he says with a smile.
"Okay, but only lunch."
He nods and walks to the door.
"I need to get changed, wait here for me."
I help myself to another cookie and tell myself no more. I'm not sure how I feel about getting lunch with Dario. Maverick won't like it. But we're going to be in a public place so nothing will happen. It's only lunch and there are things we need to discuss.
We're just two friends going out for lunch, and I may or may not be carrying his baby.
Chapter 18
Dario takes off his overalls and cleans up in the bathroom. I wait quietly until he's ready and then he offers to drive. As I climb into his van, one of the mechanics wolf-whistles at me and Dario tells him to knock it off. I fiddle with my phone and watch the houses out the window, trying to ignore Dario. Every time I look away, I can feel his eyes on me.
"Stop that." I say quietly.
"I'm not doing anything,"
I turn to look at him and he smiles at me.
"What? I'm not allowed to look at you now?"
"You should be watching the road."
"You're too distracting."
"Stop it." I say, trying not to smile.
"How are things with Marvin?"
"Fine."
"Just fine. Not great?"
"We're fine. Everything's great between us."
"How does he feel about you having my baby?"
I shake my head. "We don't know whose baby it is yet."
"Come on, you know it's mine. Your ovaries can't get enough of me." He looks over at me with a cocky smile on his face.
"Seriously?" I say, trying not to look amused.
I don't know whether I want to laugh or smack him.
"I'm just saying, it happened before."
"I hate to break it to you, but Maverick and I spent a lot of time together the week after we got back together."
His hands tighten around the steering wheel after hearing my words
.
"I'm just telling you what happened, so you don't get ahead of yourself."
"There's still a fifty-fifty chance and I like my odds better because I was inside you first."
"Gawwd. Could you not say things like that?"
"It's true, though. You laid in bed afterward which helps your chances of getting pregnant, so..."
"Where did you even hear that?"
"Nowhere," he says, getting weird.
"Somewhere?" I persist.
He frowns and finally tells me. "I used to sit with Willa in the evenings and watch TV with her before she went to bed, and she was really into The Handmaid's Tale." he admits.
"Oh," I say, noticing the sad tone of his voice. He must miss her too. He was practically living with the Torres brothers at one point so he would have been around Willa a lot, and I'm guessing she mothered him a bit. "I haven't watched it, but Em tells me I wouldn't like it, so I gave it a miss."
"Probably not your cup of tea,"
"But it's yours?" I tease.
"No, but I had no control over the remote before 11 o'clock." he says with a chuckle.
"Do you miss her?" I ask quietly.
"Yeah, I do." he says and smiles over at me with this grim expression.
"How is Mitchel coping with her gone?"
"At first it was bad. You saw what he was like that first night, but then he left Radley and brought Kelsey back with him, and he's been back to his usual self. Well, apart from the paranoia and stalking, but otherwise, he's okay."
"He doesn't sound okay. What about his brother?" I don't really know JT, but it seems wrong not to ask.
"JT copes differently."
"How so?"
"Um...he likes company." Dario rubs the back of his neck and suddenly won’t look at me.
"You mean girls?"
"He says it helps the nights to go quicker."
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Do you...you know?"
"Are you really asking me that?"
"Well, I don't know what you do after dark. You might have a girlfriend for all I know."
"Yes, because I have time for one."
"So, no girlfriend?" I'm digging for info and I don't even know why I want to know. Would it matter if he had a girlfriend? He's not mine.
"No, P, you know I don't have a girlfriend."
I shrug.
"Really? After I told you you're all I want, you'd think I'd go and fuck someone else?"
"I..I don't know. I just thought I'd ask."
"You don't need to ask. There's no one else. There never has been." he confesses, and I can't help but look over at him and he locks eyes with me. I break eye contact first and turn away and keep my eyes fixed on the houses.
We arrive at Dirty Willie's. I think it’s named after the owner, but it just makes me laugh every time I hear it. Dario hops out and is quick to join me on my side to hold the door open for me.
"I'm not incapable of opening my own door."
"I know, but how often do I get to hold the door open for you?"
I push my tote bag up my arm, and we make our way inside. It's a little busy, but nothing crazy. We find a seat at the end in a booth next to the window.
"When was the last time you came in here?" he asks.
"Um...I think when Dad lived at home, so quite a few years ago now."
"We come in here a lot. They have cheap beer and great chicken wings." Dario slides a menu across the table to me. I browse the menu, still feeling guilty for being out with Dario. I feel like I need to tell Maverick.
It's just lunch, I remind myself.
"You told me you were on the pill." he says randomly.
"I was. I am. Well, not now obviously. I stopped taking it. But I was on the pill, and the week I was with you, I had that ear infection and I was taking antibiotics and they can affect your pill. I didn't think about it at the time. I just thought I was protected. Fate loves playing games with me." I mumble and look away.
"So, you and Maverick have talked about the baby?" Dario asks, putting his menu back in the slot.
"Uh-huh." I reply, still trying to decide on what I want.
We both look around the bar awkwardly. This is so weird for us. We've never eaten out together, not like this. We used to share lunch at the supermarket when we worked the afternoon shifts on the weekend, but we've never been out on a lunch date before.
Wait. What?
This isn't a date. Just two friends having lunch together.
Liar.
I fidget in my seat. I don't know what it is, but Dario looks different today.
Like a tasty snack.
Fuck.
I think my hormones are making me crazy. I have been extra horny recently and Maverick has been very helpful with that.
"Paige?" Dario is looking at me.
"What?"
"I asked you if you've spoken to Maverick about the baby,"
"Sure,"
"Well...what does he think about all this?"
I put the menu down.
"Obviously he's not thrilled that there's a slim chance that you might be the father, but he's okay with it."
"Is he on board with you having this baby?"
"Of course, he loves me."
"What about college? Is he going to make you drop out?"
"No, he's not making me do anything. We’ve already talked about it, and I plan to finish college."
"How? Living in the dorms with a baby?"
"We talked about getting an apartment."
"How will you afford it? Is Maverick going to drop out of college to support you?"
"No. If you must know, Maverick has a trust fund which we are going to use to get us set up, and we're both going to finish college, and then Maverick is hoping to get signed to play professional football."
Dario snorts. "Of course."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Say it." I cross my arms on the table.
"He's a pretty boy, it figures he'd be into football. They get paid to kick a ball around and go to the gym, not for their brains."
"Maverick is really smart." I defend, picking up my menu again. "I know what you're doing. You're trying to pick holes in our plan."
"It's a shit plan." he deadpans.
"Is not. I want to finish college. Unlike you, I want an education, and I enjoy learning."
"But if he's away all the time, then who's going to be there for you?"
"I will be fine. I don't need someone to take care of me." I say but it feels like a lie. I hadn't given much thought to it. If Maverick played professionally, he’d be traveling a lot, and I'd be at home on my own with a baby.
"Just stop it," I tell him.
"I'm just making sure you know what you're getting into. With Maverick away all the time, you'll be on your own. All those lonely nights..." he trails off and I peek over the top of the menu at him. "Are you sure that's the life you want? A life spent waiting around for Marvin to come home," he says just as the waitress appears to take our order.
I quickly look back at the menu and decide on the chicken pasta. You can’t go wrong with chicken and pasta. Dario orders a burger and fries, and two cokes for us.
"I won't be at home waiting for him. It's not like he's going off to war."
"He’s too much of a pussy to go to war."
I ignore his comment.
"What if you get lonely?" he asks, leaning on the table.
"I won't. I will have a baby to keep me company. Anyway, Maverick hasn't even been signed yet. He likely will, but nothing is certain."
"I could give it to you,"
"Give me what?" I ask, glaring at him.
He’s starting to get under my skin, but that’s exactly what he wants.
"The life you want."
"Rio," I sigh.
"You don't have to do this."
"Do what?"
"Stay with him. I can take care of you too. You wouldn't need to worry
about anything. I would be there for you one hundred percent."
"I don't need you."
"You say that now, but a few years down the line when you're lonely and Marvin’s away..."
"Seriously? I'm with Maverick!" I say firmly to get the point across. "If this baby turns out to be his, then you don't need to worry about me ever again. If he does end up playing professionally, then we'll probably move away, so we won't have to see each other again."
"And if it's mine?"
"We'd probably still move away. If I have this baby...I don't want you in our lives." I say, hating the way it feels to say that out loud.
"What?" Dario clenches his jaw so hard I’m afraid he’ll crack a molar. Thankfully, the waitress interrupts us and places the cokes on the table. I wait for her to walk away again.
"The fuck, Paige?"
"Just hear me out. You Dario Boston are a drug dealer," I whisper across the table. "Did you really think I'd want to raise a child with someone like that? Someone that gets into fights. Someone that talks about murder so casually while making himself a cup of fucking tea. Someone that could get locked up if the police ever found out what you do for a living?"
Dario doesn't say anything and holds his glass between his hands, staring into it.
"I'm not going to put my baby at risk. Ever. I appreciate that you want to help, but I don't need your help. I need someone that is going to stay out of prison. Someone that I don't have to worry about where they are. I could never be with you. This is the reason why I can't be with you. Why do you think I keep pulling away from you? It's not because I don't care about you, it's because of who you are and what you do." He leans back in his seat with his hands clasped on the table, staring out the window, but I know he’s listening.
"You two have got it all figured out, don't ya? You're just going to cut me out of the picture." he says coldly, his eyes sliding back to mine.
"I'm doing what's best for my baby, and that's not you. It will never be you while you're running drugs." I lean back in my seat and run a hand over my hair. "I'm sorry, but what else did you expect?" I ask.
"I don't know, but I wasn't expecting you to be so heartless."
"I'm being realistic."
"You can't just take my baby away."
"I can, actually. One call to the police and you'd be sitting in jail with all the things I know. Murder. Drugs. Money laundering. I don't think you'd be getting out for a long time."