The Gritty Truth

by Melissa Foster

  “I definitely don’t have to embellish. Joey is a sex god. We barely made it into my apartment Friday night after we left the bonfire. Speaking of my sexy-ass fiancé, can you believe he’s got stacks of Christmas gifts already bought and wrapped for his family? I swear he’s Mr. Christmas.”

  “I’m sure he has yours bought and hidden away. He spoils you.”

  “And I love every second of it. Can you believe Thanksgiving is only four days away? This year went so fast. I’m so glad we have a four-day weekend. I’m planning on enjoying stay-in-bed Friday with my sex god.”

  “Isn’t that how you spend every day when you’re both off work?” Roni teased, pacing her living room.

  “Usually,” Angela said. “But we’re going to pick out our Christmas tree next weekend, and you know it’ll be up until all the needles fall off.”

  Roni was excited to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with Quincy. “I think it’s fun that Joey loves the holidays so much. Remember the artificial tree Gram had? That thing was so old, it practically fell apart when we cleaned out her apartment.”

  “I remember. You wanted to give it a funeral.”

  “I did not.” Roni laughed. “I was just sad to get rid of her things.”

  “I was only kidding. Do you think you and Quincy will pick out a tree together?”

  “I hope so. I’ve never picked one out before. I wonder what he does for Christmas. Knowing him, he probably spends it with Tru and Gemma and the kids, which sounds perfect to me. Oh gosh…I just thought of something. Given the way his mother was, I wonder if he ever celebrated Christmas.” Her chest constricted. “I hope he did. It would be sad if he didn’t.”

  “Boy, you two really are made for each other. You both missed out on so much when you were growing up.”

  “I know. But I’m going to make this Christmas extra special for him.”

  “I thought he was the best man in a wedding on Christmas.”

  “He is. Josie and Jed are getting married, but I’ll think of something fantastic just for Quincy. Did I tell you the kids’ leather jackets arrived the other day? They are so stinking cute! We’re saving them for Christmas presents. I can’t wait to see their faces when they open them.”

  “You know Lincoln won’t give a hoot about a jacket. He’ll have more fun with the box you wrap it in.”

  “I know. Why do you think Gemma and I were whispering at the bonfire? I was asking for more gift suggestions.”

  “Of course you were. You’re always one step ahead of me.”

  Roni looked out the window and saw Quincy climbing out of his truck. A smile crawled across her face. “Quincy just got here. Thanks for brainstorming with me today. I appreciate it.”

  “Anytime. You were my girl before you became Loverboy’s.”

  “You’re the best, Ang. I have to run. Have fun shopping with your sex god.”

  “Have fun on your kiddie date with your magic peen.”

  Roni laughed as she ended the call.

  She was so excited to see Quincy, she threw open the door and hurried onto the landing. He took the stairs two at a time, eating up the space between them.

  “There’s my beautiful girl.” He reached for her at the same time as she launched herself into his arms. He carried her inside without breaking their kiss, her feet dangling above the ground. When he set her down, he kept her close with his arm around her waist and said, “Mm. Your kisses do me in every damn time. I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too. How was work?”

  He shrugged. “Busy. Did you hear they’re calling for snow next week?”

  “No, but I love snow, so I don’t mind.”

  “You’re so cute. Did you have a good day?”

  “Yes. I came up with some fun ideas for my five- and six-year-old class and brainstormed a few things for the Winter Showcase with Angela. She’s going to get her tree with Joey next weekend. She asked if we were getting a tree together.”

  “Did she? You know what that means.”

  “That she’s my friend?”

  He chuckled. “Considering Christmas is more than a month away, it means we’re a given in her eyes, too.” He brushed his lips over hers and said, “I fucking love that, and I know what we’re doing next weekend.”

  “I hope it’s getting a tree!”

  “Forget cute. You’re the cutest. Yes, we’re getting a tree.”

  She squealed and threw her arms around him again. “Can we go to the Helms Tree Farm? I went there on a field trip in elementary school. They have hot cider and horse-drawn wagons!” She bounced on her toes and said, “Please? I’ve never picked out a tree before. Gram always used an artificial one.”

  He laughed. “We’ll go anywhere you want, if it gets me that gorgeous smile.”

  “Yay!” She hugged him again. “Thank you!”

  “You’ve got it, babe. I’ve never picked out a tree, either. It’s kind of fitting, isn’t it? Our first Christmas together, and the first time we’ve picked out trees.”

  “Yes, and I’ll take lots of pictures. We’re going to have so much fun!” She toned her excitement down a notch and took the opportunity to ask, “Did you celebrate Christmas when you were young?”

  “Not with my mom, if that’s what you want to know. Tru and I would sit outside on Christmas Eve, and he’d point to the stars or the clouds and make up stories that were nothing like our lives. He’d tell me that one day we’d make our own happy stories in real life.”

  “Fairy tales just for you. He was always a storyteller.”

  “Yeah, he was. Every year he’d draw me a picture and leave it next to my bed Christmas morning.” His face turned serious, and he said, “Christmas ended for me after he went to prison, and then last year I celebrated with Tru’s family and all of our friends. It was great, but this year will be even better.” He pressed his lips to hers.

  “Do you still have Tru’s pictures? I’d love to see them.”

  “No. When I got tied up in drugs, I lost everything. Losing them is one of my biggest regrets. But I had the ones I could remember tattooed on me so I’d never forget them.”

  “Would you mind telling me what some of them mean?”

  He held out his hand, showing her the rose on the back of it, and said, “Before Tru moved out, and for as long as I can remember, every time things got hairy around the house, he’d take me to a church a few blocks away from where we lived. They had beautiful rose gardens. He’d make up stories about us living in some faraway place filled with roses, allowing me to escape the nightmare of our lives and live in those fantasies for a while. I loved those damn stories. After he moved out, he came up with a way to speak in code around our mother so she wouldn’t know what we were talking about. He’d ask if I went to see the roses, but what he was really asking was how things had been in the days between our visits. If things had been bad, I’d say I got pricked by the thorns. But if things hadn’t been that bad, I’d say the roses were in full bloom. The funny thing is, we used the same language whether it was summer or winter, and she never caught on.”

  She hugged him. “I hate that you had to live like that.”

  “We can’t pick our parents. But I had Tru.”

  “And he had you. I’m sure it helped that he had you to focus on during the rougher times.”

  “I think that’s true. You’ll notice there are no thorns on my roses. I want to carry the good forward, not the bad.”

  “I love that you put so much thought into them. What about the tattoo of a woman’s face and a little boy on your arm? Was that based on one of Tru’s drawings, too?”

  “Yup. A mother and son seen through the window of a ship. When he gave me that picture, he said if he had the power to give me one thing, he’d put me on a boat to someplace faraway with a new mother. He made up stories about her, too. And you know the wheel in motion that’s tattooed on my upper arm? When I was in rehab he drew that to remind me to keep moving forward.”

  “He’s always
looking out for you. You’re lucky to have each other and to know you always will. I wish I had a sibling. It would be nice to know someone was always there for me.”

  “That’s what I’m for, babe. You want to know about the sunflowers on my chest? You’re always tracing them.”

  She nodded eagerly.

  “Tru didn’t draw those. I read about them right after I got out of rehab, and it felt like a sign. They symbolize optimism, faith, happiness, and they’re natural soil decontaminators, removing toxins like lead, arsenic, and even uranium. They’ve been used at some of the world’s biggest environmental disaster sites, like Chernobyl. Since I’m living a clean life, that spoke to me, and they always grow toward the sun.”

  “Now, that I knew.”

  “Did you know the giant ones can grow to twenty feet tall?”

  “Whoa. No. One day you should have a garden with them in it.”

  “Maybe one day we will,” he said with a wink, making her all fluttery inside. “I’d like to think that I can reach unimaginable heights and reach for the sun, too.”

  “You mean with work?”

  “Not really. I guess I mean with life, staying out of the darkness of my past. I don’t have lofty goals of owning a business or anything like that. I love working at the bookstore, and they’ve already told me that I can move into their accounting department when I’m ready. Dixie’s also hinting that when she and Jace start a family, she’ll need me to take over the accounting for the auto shop and the bar. But I’ll probably always keep one foot in the store. As you’ve already figured out, books make me feel safe and happy. I can fall into a fantasy world or fill up on facts, and I never want to stop learning. I’ve got a fairly good brain, and I don’t want to waste it ever again.”

  She added that to the long list of things she loved about him. “The other night Tru said that even as a kid you were the smartest boy he’d ever known.”

  He shrugged and said, “He says shit like that all the time.”

  “I believe him, Quincy. You’re always studying and learning, and the way you’re living your life proves how smart you are.”

  “Or maybe it just proves I’m determined.” He swept her into his arms, giving her a chaste kiss, and said, “Enough about my tattoos.”

  “Wait! Do you have one for the kids?”

  “Of course, and one for Tru and Gemma and each of the Whiskeys. The chains around my left arm. There’s a link for each of them, and just beneath the chains you’ll see a garden, which has a flower for Jed and my other friends who I’ve gotten close to. And in that garden—”

  “There’s a penny. I’ve seen it. For Penny, right?” she asked, loving that he knew she wouldn’t get jealous over that.

  “Exactly. We’d better get a move on so we’re not late picking up the kids. Uncle Quincy can’t be late.”

  “Is that weird for you that Kennedy and Lincoln are your siblings, but they call you Uncle Quincy?”

  “No. It’s a blessing,” he said. “I pray they don’t remember a thing before coming to live with Tru.”

  “That makes sense. Will you guys ever tell them the truth?”

  “I’m going to leave that up to Tru and Gemma to decide. But Tru knows that I think we should tell them everything when they’re adults and they can handle it. They deserve to know the truth.”

  She slipped her finger into his belt loop and said, “Does it worry you that it might change your relationship with them?”

  “Sure, but I can’t let my fears keep us from doing the right thing.” He glanced at her bag sitting on the floor by the door and said, “Did you pack clothes to stay at my place for the next couple of nights?”

  “Yeah, let me just grab my books so I don’t forget.”

  She went to get the books, and as she put them in her bag, he glanced at them and said, “You got more books on overcoming addiction? I could have gotten them for you at a discount.”

  “I know, but I found them for only two dollars each at a secondhand store online.” She pushed to her feet and said, “Elisa recommended them.”

  “You told her?”

  “Is that okay? She likes you so much, she was talking about how nice a young man you are and asking about where you grew up. I didn’t want to lie.”

  He took her hand, emotions rising in his eyes as he said, “It’s more than okay. I’m glad you’re not ashamed of me.”

  “Quincy, you’ve done—you’re doing—something amazing. You’re beating the odds. I’m not ashamed of what you’ve gone through. Getting mixed up in drugs can happen to anyone. It happens, and I don’t mean to sound casual about it, but drugs are everywhere. I’m sorry you went through it, but I’m not going to act like it didn’t happen or like it’s something I have to hide. I’m proud of all you’re doing for yourself and for others.”

  “Jesus, baby. What did I do to deserve you?”

  “Don’t be silly. There’s no deserving unless it goes both ways.”

  “How did Elisa know about those books?”

  “When she was younger she had a friend who started using cocaine to lose weight for dance, and it turned into an addiction. Elisa helped her get clean and get a job outside of the industry. She’s supportive of us. She’ll always worry about me and the people in my life, but we talked for a while. It was reassuring to hear that her friend hasn’t gone back to using drugs.”

  “You can’t imagine how much it means to me that you’re so invested in my recovery.”

  “Yes, I can, because I see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice. We’d better get going, Uncle Quincy.”

  He grabbed her jacket from the hook and held it up for her. As she put it on, she said, “Where are we taking the kids?”

  “You’ll see.”

  “Mysterious, aren’t we?”

  “I’m an open book.” He swatted her butt and pulled the door open. “Let’s go, sunshine. We’ve got kids to entertain.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  LATER THAT AFTERNOON, Quincy carried Lincoln and Roni held Kennedy’s hand as they left the Harbor Theater, where they’d watched the original Toy Story as part of a Toy Story marathon. Kennedy had gotten all dolled up for their date in a purple dress with black tights and black biker boots that her aunt Crystal had given her, with a cute quilted black coat over it.

  “Did you like it, Miss Woni?” Kennedy asked. “I heard you sniffling. Were you cwying?”

  “I loved the movie,” Roni said. “But I was sad for Woody. I didn’t like the way Andy pushed him aside for a new toy.”

  “It’s okay, Miss Woni. They’re fwiends now.” Kennedy smiled up at her, her pigtails swaying as they walked along the sidewalk.

  “Did you like the movie?” Roni asked.

  “Uh-huh,” Kennedy said. “I’ve seen them all, but Uncle Quincy wanted you to see it. He said you guys didn’t get to see movies, or go to pawties, or dances, or anything when you were kids, and he wants to do all those fun things with you. I want to do them with you, too!”

  Roni looked at Quincy, and he lifted one shoulder, as if his sharing his feelings for her with Kennedy and setting up the date for her as much as for the kids wasn’t a big deal. For all his casualness, his eyes were full of affection. She was falling so hard for him, she wondered if he, and everyone else, could see it in her eyes, too. She’d been as enthralled with him and the kids as she’d been with the movie. He was patient and loving with them, always kissing and hugging them, making sure they were comfortable. She thanked her lucky stars that she hadn’t walked away, because she’d have missed out on the best things in her life.

  Kennedy took Quincy’s free hand and said, “I think Miss Woni needs ice cweam to cheer her up.”

  “That’s a great idea, jelly bean.” Quincy looked at Lincoln, perched in his thick arms, and said, “What do you think, buddy? Do you want ice cream?”

  Lincoln’s head bobbed excitedly. “Iwikeiceceam!”

  Quincy nuzzled against his cheek, earning sweet little-boy giggle
s. “I think you have a career as an auctioneer ahead of you, monkey boy.”

  They walked down to Luscious Licks, and when Quincy reached for the door, Lincoln said, “Down!” and wriggled free. He and Kennedy ran inside.

  Quincy pulled Roni in for a quick kiss as they followed them inside. “Did you really like the movie?”

  “Yes, very much. But I liked hearing what you told Kennedy even more.”

  “I want to do all those things with you, babe. I don’t have a lot of money, but I’m going to do my damnedest to make sure you never miss out on anything ever again.”

  “Look who it is,” Penny said with a wink at Roni and Quincy as she came around the counter and hoisted Lincoln into her arms. “Two of my favorite tiny humans.”

  Kennedy jumped up and down and said, “We’re on a date! We saw Toy Story!”

  “How fun! Tell me all about it,” Penny urged. “Is that the one about Shrek?”

  “No, silly,” Kennedy said. “It’s about Andy and Woody and Buzz Lightyear…”

  As Kennedy went on about the movie, and Lincoln bounced in Penny’s arms babbling at record speed, Quincy took off the kids’ jackets and Lincoln’s hat and set them on a chair. He ran his hand over Lincoln’s staticky hair, and Lincoln flashed a toothy grin, reaching for Quincy with grabby hands. Quincy took him from Penny, and Penny crouched to give Kennedy her full attention as she told her about the movie. Lincoln beat the top of Quincy’s head like a drum, and Quincy tickled his belly, making him squeal with delight.

  Roni could watch them together all day long. “You’re so good with him,” she said as she put her jacket with the others.

  “Thanks, beautiful,” Quincy said with a sexy grin.

  Lincoln threw himself in Roni’s direction, arms outstretched, and said, “WantBooful.”