Slut - Woodruff Jettie - Страница 58
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“I’m shaking.”
“I feel you.”
“Are we taking the girls?”
“Can they spend the night with Tricia tomorrow?”
I pulled out of his arms with that one. “No way. I don’t want them anywhere near her. I hate her.”
“You didn’t always hate her, Gabriella. She’s always been good to our kids. We could call my mom? They could spend the night with their grandma.”
“What?”
“Nothing, I’m just being a dick. What else are you going to do with them?”
“My doctor friend?” I offered and questioned at the same time.
Paxton turned back to the trim, shooting me down the same way I did him. “I guess we’re taking them.”
“Why? They love Mi.”
“Yeah, and she’d probably have them sacrificing the neighbor’s cat or something. No. I’m not leaving my kids with Mi for an entire day and night, probably two days. Forget it. Paint,” he ordered with a point from his brush to my side.
“She’s a doctor for Christ’s sake.”
“Yeah, a weird as fuck doctor. A witch doctor.”
“Shut up. She’s not a witch doctor.”
“No, Gabriella.”
“Whatever. That’s so dumb.”
“Paint.”
“Grrr.”
Paxton and I talked about Vander and the room. He was determined to give Vander the room. I finally agreed, but not because I agreed. I was afraid of jinxing it, of setting it up for failure. I came to my decision when I realized I didn’t care if he slept in the bathtub. It didn’t matter as long as he was there.
I excused Paxton, offering to clean up the mess once we’d finished. He had plane tickets to find, and I had nerves to calm. Every time I thought I had them under control, they proved me wrong. It was so surreal, and I couldn’t believe it. Not until I saw him. Of course thinking about that worried me, too. What if he was confused? What if he thought I was his mommy?
Paxton stood a few feet back, observing the finished product. “Okay, you win. Call Mi.”
I turned to him unsure I heard him right. “What?”
“Mi can stay with the girls, but only here. I don’t want them at her house, and I would rather Nick not come with her.”
“Why? That’s dumb. They can sleep in here. Nick could use a day on the beach. Maybe he’ll take the day off.”
“What about Mi, doesn’t she have to work?”
“She got suspended for a few days.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“Because Mi don’t take shit from anyone.”
“I could squash that little girl with one foot.”
“But you don’t.” It was the truth. Mi put him in his place every time she’s seen him, and Paxton took it.
“Go call Mi. I’m going to do a few things in my office. I’ll meet you upstairs.”
“What time are we leaving?”
“As soon as we can get a flight. His foster parents are bringing him to the office at one, but if at all possible they want us there an hour before. I’ll see what I can do.”
Paxton walked out, leaving me spinning in circles. I breathed in slow, calming breaths, trying to convince myself that I was at peace. I cleaned up the room for the tenth time, this time with clean sheets on my bed. Mi was going to love it.
Paxton was on the phone with one of his main guys when I walked out. I mixed a drink with a double shot of Grey Goose, and walked upstairs to shower. I didn’t want to hear about the Miller’s hot tub built into a waterfall. I cared about freaking plane tickets to Michigan. My head shook from side to side as I blew out a puff of frustrated air.
I talked to Mi, soaking in lavender bubbles, sipping my stiff drink for twenty minutes. Of course she would come, and she would make Nick come, too. I told her what we had learned, talked about my fears, my hopes, and then my doubts. Mi mostly listened with a question here and there, or a quiet hum, letting me know she was listening.
“Is that Mi? Can she be here by six-thirty? We have a seven-thirty flight, but I couldn’t get first class.” Paxton said as he strolled into the bathroom.
I didn’t care about first class. I wasn’t too proud to ride economy, not where I was going. “Really? Mi, can you be here by six-thirty?”
“Is he peeing?”
I laughed into the phone. “Yes, that’s exactly what he’s doing.”
“He’s so modest.”
“Right, can you?”
“Yes, I can be there. I’ll see you in the morning. Don’t worry, Gabby. It’s all going to work out. I promise. Make sure you wear your Wonderland Jasper. It’ll keep you from warring so much.”
“I will. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Night, Gabby.”
“Night, Mi.”
“I feel like you’re in labor again,” Paxton said from below his shirt. He lifted it over his head and tossed it to the floor. Right beside the hamper.
“I don’t remember that. Tell me.”
Paxton walked toward me, slipping out of his jeans. “Scoot up.”
I moved up and then back to his chest, “How long was I in labor?”
“Not long. Your contractions started around nine at night, but your doctor told us not to come until they were five minutes apart. That was around ten the next morning.”
“Was it easy?”
“No, not at all. It was long and you were in a lot of pain. It sucked.”
“Were you at least there for me?”
“No.”
“Dick.”
“I’m sorry, but if it’s any consolation, Ophelia made it all worth it. My God, she was so perfect.”
That made me smile, yet feel sad. I sipped my drink and handed it over to him. “I don’t remember that. I don’t remember holding her.”
“Jesus, straight vodka?”
“Almost,” I snickered. “Why don’t we have any more kids?”
“You can’t have anymore.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, something to do with your ovaries, or uterus, something. I forget. We tried hard for an entire year before the doctor would consider anything else.”
“We didn’t follow through?”
“No, I mean, I met you at the doctor that day. You jerked me off in a cup and I went back to work. It was a couple days before you got the results.”
“You were mad at me because I couldn’t give you any more babies?”
“No, I was mad because you couldn’t give me a boy.”
“You might be getting one.”
“Will you stop saying, might? He’s coming here, Gabriella. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
I took a deep breath and stood. “I hope you’re right. I have to go pack our things. Hurry up.”
Paxton didn’t hurry at all. I had both our bags packed, and was snuggled in bed by the time he came out. I could hear him on the phone with Pete, telling him what to do at another job site.
“Look at this, Pax. What do you think?” I questioned when he finally crawled in beside me.
Paxton looked over my shoulder and frowned. “That’s not your sister. Turn it off. We have to get up early.”
“It could be.”
“Stop looking for dead people. You get pissed off at me every time I suggest it, but you look for them.”
“I look at everything, not just that.”
“Gabriella, that body was found in West Virginia. It’s not her. Go to sleep.”
That wasn’t about to happen. I don’t think I slept three hours, but Paxton didn’t either. I could tell he tossed and turned all night, too. Our bodies tangled together more times than I could count by the time the alarm went off on Paxton’s phone.
“Jesus, did we sleep?” He questioned through a yawn and a stretch.
I jumped right up and got ready while he lay on his stomach, sprawled across the entire bed. “Paxton, come on. Mi’s going to be here any minute,” I complained from the bathroom, several times.
He finally rose from the dead once I was dressed and ready to go.
“Where’s my shirt?”
“Right there. Right beside you. I’m going downstairs. Get up.”
“I’m coming, I’m coming.”
I went into Rowan’s room first, turned off her lamp, and moved her book before leaving her with a kiss and a whispered ‘I love you’. I dragged Phi from the foot of her bed to the top, and untied her pajama pants from around her waist. I shook my head wondering about her, sometimes I didn’t know about that kid.
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