Fighting For You (20 page)

“Yeah. Hey, y’all - I’m running to the gas station. I’m out of smokes.  Anyone need anything?” I heard him call out to the others. 

I waited anxiously in silence as I continued pushing the speed on my Jeep faster. 

“Alright, man, I’m in my car.  Now will you please tell me what the fuck is going on?”

“Remember how I told you about Jaz?”

Alex cursed under his breath, but I still heard it. “Didn’t Dani
just
forgive you for talking to her?”

“Yeah, but Jaz is in trouble.  I don’t know what’s going on, but she’s been blowing my phone up lately.  I have to go check on her.”

“No, you fucking don’t, man!  You need to be right here with your goddamn
pregnant
girlfriend.  We’re all here trying to make shit perfect so you can prove to her that you’re
in
this!  Don’t start this shady bullshit, Core. Don’t do it!” 

“You don’t think I know all that, Alex? I don’t want to go fix Jazmin’s problems, I want…” Before I could say anything more Alex cut me off.

“Obviously, you do!  Call the fucking cops man!  If she’s in deep shit they are the
only
ones who will be able to make this right.”

I shook my head furiously back and forth, even though I knew he couldn’t see me.  I felt my blood pressure race higher the further I drove away from where I most wanted to be.

“You don’t understand. It’s not that easy,” I argued.

Then, for the second time in my entire friendship with Alex, he yelled at me. “Yes! It fucking is!  You are a grown ass man and a damn business owner!  You did all of that shit and now you are
choosing
to go back to her!  Realize this - you are
choosing
Jazmin over Danielle right now, man, and that shit isn’t right!  You’re going up there to deal with her problems because you aren’t over her!  There’s a part of you that is missing that lifestyle and you are making the biggest. Fucking. Mistake!  You have everything you could possibly want right in front of your fucking face.  What the hell are you thinking!?” 

Even though he was right, I couldn’t hear it right now.  My entire body was tense and on edge, an adrenaline rush coursing through my body.  The sick part was this rush was the same I used to get every time Jazmin was involved in my life.  This was the same feeling I used to crave - the rush of being with her was almost better than the one I got from smoking.

I couldn’t help but wonder if there really was a part of me that was still addicted and if
that
was the reason I was involving myself.

“I didn’t call for a fucking lecture.  I’m going up there and that’s that.  Cover for me so Danielle and my sisters don’t worry.”

Alex said nothing for a minute and I almost figured he hung up, but I finally heard him curse again.

“This is the last fucking time I’m covering for you.  You just need to realize that I’m not doing this for you—I’m doing this for Dani.  If you ever ask me to cover for your sorry ass about this shit again, we’re done.  I’m not calling a lying bastard my friend when he has the best fucking woman in the world carrying his child and waiting at home for him.”

“Thanks,” I muttered before hanging up.

Alex was right—Dani was undoubtedly the best woman I have ever known. So why was it that I couldn’t stop going to Jazmin?

*~*~*~*~*

Two and a half hours later, I arrived at the bar, parked and took the stairs three at a time until I burst through the door.  Jaz was shaking and huddled in the corner of the dark living room.  Her face lit up instantly when she saw me and she was immediately on her feet.

“Corey,” she cried out. “I’m so scared! He’s gonna find me and he’s gonna kill me.”  Jaz was approaching me and, in that instant, I wasn’t Dani’s man—I was Jazmin’s. 

I felt the same need to protect her and rescue her that I did many years before. 

“They’re not going to kill you, Jaz,” I sighed and shook my head.  The adrenaline surged through my blood stream as I stared back at her. “I won’t let them.”

Jazmin closed the distance between us by throwing herself into my arms and, before I knew what was happening, her lips were locked onto mine in the same kiss I used to crave.  The same one that made her mine all those years ago.

Danielle

We were freshly pampered and relaxed as Karly drove us back to my house.  As much as my excitement and nerves were building, I was still enjoying this day entirely.  The massage was just the key to undoing the knots in my back, the facial was refreshing and the pedicure was the perfect end to it all.  For the last forty minutes, Karly and I had done nothing but joke around.  Even now, on the ride home, we were dancing to some of the best pop hits of the 90’s, while giggling ceaselessly like the school kids we used to be.

We pulled up in my driveway and, out of all the cars parked in front of my house, the first thing I noticed was that Corey’s car was not one of them.  Karly and I shared the same questioning look, but neither of us said anything since we didn’t know what was going on.  She gave me another smile and mumbled something, but I didn’t bother to listen.  If it was going to be another excuse about him liking drives when he needs to think, then I wasn’t about to hear it.  Plus, from the shocked expression on her face, I knew she couldn’t possibly know where he was. 

For his sake, he had better have a good excuse and be back within an hour.  As edgy my anxieties were, I still told myself not to worry—there was no way he’d go to all that trouble to make this weekend amazing if he was going to go behind my back again.  The man asked me to prove that I trusted him and I was going to do just that.  If every time he left the house I was going to jump down his throat yelling about where he was going, our relationship would be doomed to fail.  And I refused to let that happen to us.   

“Let’s go inside, shall we?” Karly asked, with a beaming smile. 

Any other time, it would’ve fooled me. Right now, I knew better.  After spending an afternoon together where I did nothing besides laugh, I saw that smile for what it was—forced.  My heart didn’t have the strength to question her about what her first reaction was to Corey’s absence.

“Yes!” I said with the excitement I felt moments before, and not the dread I felt now.

We left the car and walked into the house.  Once we were in, I was blown away; Alex, Sanders, Bailey, Abby and Lainey all stood in the living room, smiles covering each of their faces.

“What’s going on?” I asked. Curiosity had quickly overtaken my fears about Corey.  This was the moment I had waited for all weekend. Every day I had been wondering what could
possibly
be happening.  In all the scenarios that crossed my mind, I honestly never expected to have everyone here now.

“We all love you and Corey so much, Dani!” Abby was the first to speak up, which was of no surprise to me.  She was the natural born leader of the group. “When Corey said he wanted to make this room very special for his family—all of us wanted to join in.”

Bailey was the next to step forward. “And I have heard you say more times than I can count that you do
not
want a baby shower.  Well, this is our alternative.”

“Even though you are not our sister by blood or marriage, yet,” Lainey said with a wink and a smile, “you are already one to us and we can’t wait to meet that little baby.”

My heart was filled with so much warmth and love, I thought I would explode!  Tears welled up behind my eyes, but I held them back so I didn’t miss a single second.

“But, there are two conditions to seeing the room.” Karly bumped her elbow with mine.

“The first is you have to close your eyes before we let you in,” Alex said.

“And the second?” I asked with enthusiasm.  

“We will tell you when we get in there,” Karly replied.

Apparently, it was Sanders turn to talk. “Do you accept these terms?”

“Did you guys rehearse this?” I couldn’t help but ask.  They all laughed, but I had a feeling they did. “Of course I agree!”

I would have done just about anything to get a chance to see my baby’s room.  Not that I wouldn’t be able to see it later if I said no and kicked them all out, but I wouldn’t do that to them though. I could only image the work they put in this weekend, so agreeing was the least I could do. 

The girls let out a cheer and rushed off to the room while Karly yelled behind her for me to close my eyes.  I shut them, but the second I heard the footsteps stop moving about, I opened my eyes again to see Alex and Sanders standing in front of me.

Before I could stop it, a question that I tried to ignore managed to escape. “Where is he?” At least my voice had come out in a whisper so I didn’t have to worry about the girls’ hearing me.

“He had something to do,” Alex quietly whispered back.  His voice was even and gave away nothing, but the way Sanders shook his head back in forth with a pissed off look on his face, I knew I wouldn’t like the truth.

“Don’t think about him now, Dani.  Enjoy this, because it is for you and that little baby,” Sanders added, as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

The words and the support were comforting but, in the pit of my stomach, all I heard was—me and my baby.  They avoided words that made this about all three of us and that left a sick feeling swimming in my heart.

I nodded my head and managed a simple, “Okay,” but I felt anything
but
okay. 

Alex took hold of my upper arm and leaned in close to my ear. “Just close your eyes, Danielle. It will be okay.”  Once more I nodded and gave a reassuring smile before I let my eyelids fall into place.

My hands were soon held by both men as they guided carefully through the living room, down the hall and to the door that was once my guest room.  Sanders released me, while Alex stepped behind me and took my arms in his hands to guide me the rest of the way into the bedroom.  We came to a stop and his hands moved to cover my eyes, making it impossible to sneak a peek. 

“On the count of three,” Karly’s voice rang out.

All of them together joined in for the counting. “One … two … three!”  Alex dropped his hands and my eyes sprung open with nothing but a gasp leaving my mouth.

In all my life, I don’t think I had ever seen anything quite so…magnificent!  My eyes danced around the room, unable to pick any one thing to focus on.  My hand flew up to my mouth in awe as a few tears that I earlier held back made their way out.  The walls were covered with an absolutely breathtaking mural that went from night to day.  The first two walls were yellow and a variety of different baby animals were skillfully painted in a playful manner.  A large tree branch held little birds on the leaves, a monkey hanging upside down by its tail and a koala bear resting in the corner.  There were also giraffes, elephants, and tigers that filled the rest of the space until the wall changed to a deep midnight blue.  Clouds and stars filled the night sky while all the animals looked to be in a peaceful sleep.

That was the wall, with the tranquil night scene, that the most beautiful crib I had ever seen was placed in front of.  It was a deep espresso coloring with a changing table attached and drawers underneath.  The sheets kept true to the theme and the crib filled with an assortment of stuffed animals.  There was also a little bookshelf, matching dresser and, in the corner, sat a large, soft yellow glider chair and ottoman.  I remembered fawning over in the catalog, until I saw the price. 

My mouth hung open as my feet slowly walked round the room, my fingers brushing along the lines of the crib and dresser.  This had to be a dream - it was absolutely wonderful and I could hardly believe it was all ours.  I grabbed a stuffed monkey from the crib and held it against my chest as I sat down on the chair.

“You have to say something, girl!” Karly finally blurted out.

My mouth dropped open as I gazed around the room, taking in the beauty of it all.  “It is absolutely perfect.” They all smiled at my approval as tears streamed down my cheeks.   

“We all painted, but Lainey is the one that created the animals,” Abby said, beaming at her sister with pride.

I whipped my hand around at Lainey, my jaw once more smacking into the ground. “You did all of them?  From a stencil?” The precision was so meticulous that it was hard to imagine she could have just painted them free hand.

“No, I love to paint.  I’d do it as a living if it paid the bills,” she said with a smile.

So many emotions swirled around me and I had no idea how to portray them all.  I was so grateful for my newfound family, ecstatic at the beautiful work, awed by the love this baby already had, but I was also disheartened that the person who initiated all of this wasn’t here.

“It’s wonderful!  Every single part of this room is incredible. I can’t believe you did all of this for us.  There is no way I’ll ever be able to repay you all.  It’s …” My voice choked up and I shook my head, coving my mouth with my hand again.

“There are little surprises for you and baby all around the room,” Bailey said.

“We also have our final condition,” Karly pitched in.

I perked up from my bubble of feelings. “Oh yes?  What is your second condition?”

“Well, as you may or may not have figured—all of our names end with a
y
,” Lainey began.  I nodded in agreement, encouraging her to continue. “As goofy as it may seem, we absolutely love it.”

“We were hoping that, whether this baby is a boy or a girl, that you will end their name with a
y
as well,” Abby chimed in to finish.

Lainey pulled out something from the crib - a white wooden
y
. “Once you know the gender and pick a name, I will come back in and put the letters over where the baby sleeps to spell out its name.”

I was so moved by everything they did; I had no other answer that could possibly work. “Yes, I will absolutely do that.”   

There were more smiles and it was followed by many hugs of thanks and gratitude.  All of them sensed that I needed to be alone and said goodbye.  Part of me felt horrible for not doing something special for all of them right now, but I knew if they stayed around, eventually my bummer mood would come off the wrong way.  Not for a second did I want them to feel what they did for me wasn’t the most spectacular thing, but I just wasn’t feeling right.

Alex was the only one that stayed behind and, as I sat on the yellow chair in my new favorite room, he took a seat on the ottoman.  The soft, fuzzy monkey was clutched tightly to my chest as I stared off in a daze past Alex.  Although I wasn’t paying attention to him, I was honestly happy to have him here.  Even in silence, he had a way of offering me comfort that I was in desperate need of.

“You know where he is, don’t you?” I finally asked, after getting up the courage.

Alex looked to the cloud-painted ceiling with a sigh. “Yes.” Even with it just being a single word, it was more than anyone else had given me.  So, even if I had to sit here all night and ask a million questions until I knew it all, I would.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?”

After a minute he gave a single nod. “Yes.”

“Is he with another woman?” My voice broke as my stomach lurched into my throat.

“Yes,” I let out a single sob and held the monkey over my breaking heart.

“Is he cheating on me?” Alex’s eyes left the ceiling as he looked at me.  Reluctantly, I met his gaze.

“I don’t think he is, Danielle.”

Another sob came out. “Then what is he doing?”

He shifted forward, letting his elbows rest on his knees, as his hands took hold of my white knuckled hands.

“Corey used to be in a lot of bad shit and this chick is one of those things.  She’s in trouble and has involved Corey, but I know nothing more, Dani.”

I buried my face into the little monkey.  “Why can’t he tell me those things?  Did he used to date her or something?”

Alex’s brows furrowed and he looked like a doctor about to deliver tragic news to a waiting family. “He used to be in love with her.”

As harsh as the words were, at least they were honest.  My need for answers disappeared and was replaced with my need to ball my eyes out.  Before I could collapse into the monkey again, Alex pulled me to my feet and wrapped his arms around me.  I hid my face into his shirt as the heavy, deep, lung-crushing crying started.  He rubbed my back with one hand and slowly rocked us back and forth.

“If you’re gonna cry Dani, it better be on my shoulder.  I’m here for you, baby girl.”

And there it was.  The words were simple, but it made me real
ize something very important—Alex was here for me, but Corey was there for another woman.  He couldn’t keep helping her while he left me hanging.  That man fought to win my heart, but now he wasn’t fighting to keep it.  A big gesture here and there wasn’t going to change the fact that I
needed
him. 

I just had to pray he needed me that way, too.

*~*~*~*~*

Corey

Jazmin’s lips were wet and salty from her tears, as she moved against my lips, even though I hadn’t given in to her.  For a single, solitary moment, I let myself feel it; I had to know if Alex was right.  In my heart, I was helping Jazmin because that was just the kind of man I was.  Was there a part of me that wasn’t over this?  So, despite the warning bells in my head, I did what I never thought I would - I kissed her back.  She took that inch I gave her and ran with it.  Soon her hands were clawing at the back of my shirt for it to come off, while her tongue tried to force its way past my lips.