“Let me speak to Jake first. I don’t really want to walk into anything that he doesn’t feel comfortable with.” There is no way that I am springing this on him by just showing up at Lydia’s place. We are just getting back on track and I am not doing anything to fuck up our progress.
Lydia is about to reply to me when some guy goes crashing into the back of her, shoving her forward on her seat. I see her hands shoot out in front of her to stop her from smacking into the bar counter. I jump up off of my stool and whirl around to look at the guy who just knocked into her.
“HEY, ASSHOLE,” I shout at him, as I move myself to stand in front of Lydia. The guy struggles to stand up straight and I see a couple of his mates laughing behind him.
“Sorry, love. I tripped,” he slurs.
“You tripped?” I screech at him. “Did it ever occur to you to drink less and be more fucking careful?”
“It was an accident,” he says with a shrug of his shoulder.
“It may have been an accident, but your accident has resulted in you smacking into a pregnant woman.” His face pales at my comment, but I am not finished with him yet. “You need to leave, now.” I am filled with rage as I feel Lydia’s body shaking behind me.
The guy takes a step forward, obviously hoping that he is going to intimidate me.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” he spits at me. “What’s a pregnant woman doing in here anyway?” My eyes shift to look at his two pals, who are no longer laughing. They are slowly backing away instead of trying to take their repulsive friend with them.
I remain where I am, hands on my hips, unwilling to let this piece of shit make me feel threatened by him.
“Get out,” I say the words loud but slow, just so he understands.
“I’m going nowhere, sweetheart.” I am about to retaliate when a voice from behind him shouts out.
“I think that you are,” the voice says as the guy is pulled away from me. He stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. My eyes fly up from the sprawling mess on the floor and I see that Brad is stood there, his hands balling into fists as he leans down and says something into the guys ear.
My eyes are wide as the guy scrambles to his feet and the bouncers come over to escort the guy off of the premises. I turn my attention to Lydia and put my arms around her.
“Are you okay, Lyd?” I ask her, worry threatening to overpower me.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit shaken.” Her voice breaks, and a tear slides down her cheek.
“You need to get to the hospital and get checked over,” I tell her.
“No, Stace, I’m fine. I don’t want to go to hospital.”
“Tough.”
“Stace, please, I don’t want any fuss. I’m just a bit shocked, that’s all.” She tries to plead with me, but I am taking no chances. I grab Lydia’s phone out of her hand, find Paul’s number, and hit the dial button. He answers immediately.
“Hi, beautiful,” he says as he answers the phone.
“Uh, Paul, it’s Stacey.”
“Oh shit, sorry. Is everything okay?” he asks in a panic, clearly wondering why the hell I am phoning him from Lydia’s phone.
“Not really. Lydia needs to get to a hospital. Some guy knocked into her, so she needs to go and get checked over.”
“Fuck. I will be there in five minutes.” The line goes dead and I place Lydia’s phone in front of her, on the bar counter.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Lydia says to me as she sits back down on the stool.
“Yes, I did. You’re pregnant, Lydia, and you need to make sure that everything is okay.” I would never forgive myself if I just let her sit here and not get checked over.
My gaze wanders to Brad, who is stood behind Lydia, and I rub Lydia’s back as she takes a sip of her drink.
“Thanks for that, Brad. That guy was a real asshole,” I say to him, giving him an appreciative smile for his help.
“No problem. Although, I have to say, you are definitely one feisty chick,” he says, chuckling.
“Just looking out for my friend.”
“Remind me never to piss you or your friends off.” He smiles at me and then turns his attention to Lydia. “Does it hurt anywhere?” he asks, and it is at this moment that I remember that he is a fucking doctor.
“Not really,” she replies. We don’t get to continue the conversation as Paul comes striding over, his eyes wide with worry. He clearly broke several speed limits to get here as it has only been about two minutes since I spoke to him. He envelopes Lydia in his arms and helps her up off of the stool. He promises to let me know what the hospital says, and then he whisks her away, leaving me feeling helpless as I stare after my friend. I hope that everything is okay.
I bite my lip and realise that I need to do everything I can to make Lydia’s job safe whilst she is with child. Brad sits down on the stool that Lydia has just vacated and goes to order a beer, but I stop him. I make my way around the bar and pull a bottle of beer out of the fridge, opening it and placing it in front of him.
“On the house,” I say, feeling like I need to thank him.
“Thanks,” he says as he takes a swig of the drink. “So, anything else need doing around here, seeing as you seem keen to hand out free beers?” I laugh at his comment and shake my head.
“Not right now. You just relax and revel in the fact that you are the hero of the moment.” My attention is diverted away from him by my phone ringing. “Excuse me,” I say as I pull my phone from my pocket and answer the call.
“Hey, babe,” I say as I see that Jake is the one calling me.
“Hi, gorgeous. How’s things going at The Den?” he asks me. I spoke to him briefly earlier and told him that my head was fried from all of the paperwork that I had to catch up on.
“It’s okay, well, it was until five minutes ago. Lydia has just been taken to hospital.”
“Why?”
“Some drunken idiot shoved into her. I called Paul and he came to get her. They left a few moments ago. I figured it was better for her to get checked out than leave it and then something happens later on.”
“Shit. I hope she’s okay.”
“Me too. Paul said that he would let me know.”
“Maybe I should give him a call or something?” Jake says.
“I think that might be a good idea,” I reply, knowing how much I need my friends in times of turmoil. It may be just what Jake needs to do to get Paul to speak to him again. “Anyway, it turns out that your brother is a bit of a hero right now.”
“Brad?”
“Yeah. The guy that knocked into Lydia was getting in my face, Brad showed up and put the guy on his ass.” The line goes silent and I wonder if the call has been disconnected. “Jake?”
“Yeah, I’m still here.” I hear him let out a sigh and I know that it is because Brad is here. I know how Jake’s mind works. We may have all had fun the other night, but Jake still doesn’t trust Brad. He especially doesn’t trust Brad’s intentions around me. “I’m coming to see you.”
“Don’t be silly, Jake. You have had a long day.”
“I don’t care. I want to come and see you.” I know that there is no point in arguing with him. He will come here now whether I tell him to or not.
“Okay. See you soon.” I hang up the phone and place it back in my pocket.
Jake and I had a long talk about Brad yesterday. Brad was a bit of a bastard towards Jake for years, so it is hardly surprising that he is wary of him.
“Everything okay?” Brad asks me, downing the rest of his beer.
“Yeah. All good. Jake’s on his way here now.”
“He’s pissed that I’m here and he’s not, isn’t he?” Brad asks me. I sigh and decide not to sugar coat my answer.
“Can you really blame him?” I say, raising my eyebrows at him.
“I guess not.” He looks sad as he answers, and I feel a little bad that I am having this conversation with him, but my loyalty lies with Jake.
&nb
sp; “You did some shitty things to him when you guys were younger. You just need to give him some time to get used to you being here again. If you want to be part of his life, then you need to show him that you have changed. You need to gain his trust back, and that is going to take more than a few days to achieve.” Brad looks surprised by my words.
“You don’t beat around the bush, do you?” he says, and I shrug my shoulders at him.
“What’s the point in pussy-footing around?” Brad smirks at me and I see his shoulders relax a little.
“See, feisty,” he says as he nods in my direction.
“I fight tooth and nail for the people that I love, and Jake is one of those people.” My hands are braced on the bar counter and Brad moves his hand so that it covers mine. I still at his movement.
“Jake is lucky to have met you.” His voice is so quiet that I almost don’t hear him. I pull my hand away, feeling a little uncomfortable. Unsure of what to say, I let my eyes drift past Brad and I see that Jake is walking over to us. I smile and busy myself pouring him a scotch. I figure that he needs something a little stronger than a beer to put him at ease.
Jake reaches the bar counter and leans towards me, placing a kiss on my lips. As he takes a seat next to Brad on one of the bar stools, I place his drink in front of him.
“Thanks,” he says as he picks up his drink and takes a sip.
“I like to look after my favourite customers,” I say with a wink before I go to help Susie serve drinks to a group of students.
Jake
As I sit and sip the glass of scotch that Stacey had waiting for me when I arrived, I watch her behind the bar as she busies herself with serving customers. She is wearing her skinny jeans which hug her ass, allowing me to see her curves, a white figure-hugging T-shirt, and her come-fuck-me black work boots.
I watch as she commands the bar, running it efficiently and smoothly whilst keeping the customers happy. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice that Brad is watching her also and I feel my jaw clench.
I rip my gaze from Stacey and turn my head to look at him. He must notice my movements as he fidgets on his seat and turns to face me.
“What are you doing here, Brad?” I ask him, wanting to know his reasons for being here.
“Enjoying a drink, bro. Why else would I be here?” he answers cockily. I finish the rest of my scotch and place the glass back on the bar.
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. I have a fair idea of why he might have come here, but I am trying to be reasonable and put my thoughts to one side.
“Listen, bro, I have no hidden agenda here. I finished work and fancied a beer. I didn’t want to go back to my room at the bed and breakfast, so I thought that I would come here.” At this point, Stacey comes over, replacing my empty scotch glass with a full one. She winks at me and then returns to the other end of the bar.
“She’s a good one,” Brad says, nodding in Stacey’s direction.
“Yes, she is.”
“So, tell me, how did you two meet?” he asks. I don’t particularly want to tell him the ins and outs, so I keep my answer short and simple.
“We met here, actually.”
“Wow, don’t go overboard with the details,” Brad says sarcastically.
“I don’t really see what business it is of yours,” I answer, to which I hear Brad sigh loudly.
“I was just asking. Seeing as we have been getting on okay recently, I thought that I might get the chance to know more about your life. You know, for most families, this would be a normal conversation.”
“Most families don’t fuck the other ones over.” I can’t help the bite to my words as I speak.
“Jesus Christ, Jake, you gotta let that shit go, man.” Brad runs a hand through his hair and I stare at him. “I know that I have fucked up in the past. I don’t know how many times I can say sorry for that.”
He takes a swig of his beer before continuing. “I know that you have bailed me out of plenty of situations in the past. I know that I have tried to fuck up every relationship that you have ever had. I know that you don’t trust me, but I am telling you that I have changed. Believe me when I say that, moving to America showed me just how fucking lonely my life was.”
He looks down at the bar, a sad look crossing his face. If I hadn’t been burned by Brad before, then this would be the point where I would feel sorry for him. “Just give me a chance, bro.”
I look to Stacey who gives me a smile as she walks to the till. I know that she wants me to give Brad a chance. She lost most of her family when she was a child. I know that she doesn’t want me to throw away the chance to mend fences with Brad. I think about how emotional she got when she first told me about losing her parents, and then, in later years, her nan. I know that if I give Brad a chance to prove himself, then Stacey will be there for me every step of the way.
There will always be a part of me that is expecting him to fuck up again, but maybe it is time to let go of some of the resentment? I know that even if he wanted to, he would never be able to take Stacey from me. There is nothing he could do, or say, that would make her turn her back on me.
If there is some master plan behind his insistence to mend our broken relationship, then more fool him. As long as I have Stacey, I can get through anything.
“Okay,” I say.
“Okay?” Brad says, looking a little confused by my answer.
“One more chance, Brad.”
“Seriously?” he says, shock evident in his voice and on his face.
“Seriously.” I give a nod of my head and then pick up my fresh glass of scotch. I sip the contents and see Brad down the remainder of his beer.
As his eyes settle back on Stacey, I make a promise to myself. I promise that if he ever does anything to show his true colours, then I will be ready for him.
Nothing mattered in my life when he screwed me over before, but now that I have something worth fighting for, he better be prepared to go to war.
Stacey
I am exhausted by the time that Jake and I get back home. He stayed until I had closed up and had Eric pick us up and bring us home. Brad stayed until the end too and then made his own way back to the bed and breakfast.
As I wearily get undressed and then make my way to bed, Jake is already waiting for me. I pull the cover back and he envelopes me in his arms.
We lie there, and I relish in the feel of his warm body curled around mine. We talked in the limo about his conversation with Brad, and I am glad that he is going to give him a chance to make things right between them. I know that Jake is still wary, but he is willing to try, and that is all that matters. I would give anything to have some family left around me, and I think that might have played a part in Jake’s decision. I just hope that Brad is true to his word, and that he really does want to put the past behind them.
As I snuggle myself against Jake’s body, I close my eyes and feel peace wash over me. My worries about Lydia were put to rest tonight when she text me to say that the doctor had checked her over and had said that she was fine. I told her that I would give her a call tomorrow and see how she is doing. I need to come up with a plan for her to be kept out of harm’s way during her pregnancy whilst she is at work.
I feel Jake place a kiss on my shoulder as sleep starts to claim me. With the rollercoaster that we have been on for the last couple of months, I figure that this is our time for everything to run smoothly.
Jake and I deserve happiness, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that we don’t let the actions of others ruin that.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Stacey
Jake has already left for work by the time that I wake up. I have the day at home before I go to The Den tonight for the evening shift.
After catching up on all of the paperwork yesterday, I decide that today I will blitz the house and give it a clean. I get dressed in a pair of leggings and a long sleeved top and put my hair up. I make my way downstairs, my mobile phone in hand, and
make myself a coffee. I sit at the kitchen island, and as I wait for my coffee to cool, I give Lydia a call.
“Morning, babes,” she says as she answers the phone.
“Morning, Lyd. How are you feeling today?” I ask her.
“Oh, I’m fine, and so is the little jellybean.”
“Jellybean?”
“Yeah, jellybean.” She chuckles, and I laugh along with her.
“Well, I’m glad that the jellybean and you are okay.”
“Me too, and despite my insistence that I am okay, Paul has taken the day off. He’s currently making me some breakfast whilst I lie in bed. Honestly, he’s more dramatic than me.”
“Uh, I doubt that, Lyd,” I say, laughing.
“Shush you. Anyway, how did the rest of your shift go?” she asks me.
“No problems. Brad stuck around until closing, and Jake showed up when I told him that Brad was there.”
“Oh dear. Do I sense trouble?” Lydia knows bits about Brad and Jake’s history, but she doesn’t know all of it. Hell, I still don’t think that I know the half of it. My knowledge of the situation stretches to knowing that Brad has always needed Jake to help him out, mostly with money, and of course the fact that Brad went off with the woman Jake was seeing before he went to America.
“Well, Jake says that he is willing to give Brad a chance, and I support him in that decision.”
“I guess that only time will tell, huh?”
“I guess so.”
“So, now that Jake and Paul are on speaking terms again, can we discuss you guys coming round on Thursday night?” Lydia asks me.
“Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt.” I haven’t actually spoke to Jake yet about how things went down with Paul when he phoned him last night to check on Lydia.
“Fantastic! Come round for seven and I will cook.” I can hear how excited she is, and I hope that this turns out to be a good idea.
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