Kat cursed as the bite of prime rib landed in her lap. Sweeping up the emerald cloth napkin, she dumped the wayward beef back on her platter and wiped her lips before turning her startled gaze back on Ginny. When her friend didn’t meet her eyes, Kat glanced around the Irish Pub. Though a good lunch crowd graced the dark wood and gleaming brass establishment, she felt like they were all holding their breath to see what she would say. What did one say? Stirring her sweet tea she slogged through the range of emotions Ginny’s revelation invoked, anger not being the least of them. How could Zeke do this?
“Should I have brought a shovel and tarp?” she finally asked dryly. At least the long-standing joke brought a smirk to her best friend’s lips.
“Nah, I didn’t kill him.”
“Why the hell not?”
“I love him.”
Kat nodded at the three simple words.
“Who else knows?”
“Just Zeke, the three boys, and Doctor Mellinger.”
“Jesus.”
“Yeah, he knows too.”
“Smartass.”
“It’s not like it changes anything.”
“Your husband cheats on you and it doesn’t change anything?” Kat whispered incredulously. “It sure as hell would change things for me.”
“It was twenty years ago.”
“You were still married and pregnant with his son to boot!”
“He doesn’t even remember it.”
“Oh my God! Are you even listening to yourself? What next? ‘It didn’t mean anything.’ You can spout all the excuses you want for him, Gin, and it doesn’t change the fact that he cheated on you with the town whore!”
“Did you think I missed that point?” Ginny hissed, her voice raw with anguish.
Regret flooded Kat and she reached over to touch her friend’s hand.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that I am so damn pissed that I’m not even thinking straight.”
Ginny sighed and slumped back in the plush booth.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for. You come to me vent and I just…” Kat’s words trailed off as she wadded her napkin in frustration.
“You’re doing what we always do, being outraged on the other’s behalf and plotting revenge against whoever hurt them,” Ginny said with a sad smile. “The only problem this time is there is no revenge without destroying my family and I won’t do that. Shit. How can he not remember it?”
“I know you love him. Even a blind person could see he adores you, and it was twenty years ago. Flo used to hang around a lot of the Lord’s parties back then, before you put your foot down. Maybe he was trashed…”
“Watch out for those excuses. They flow easily when you start justifying.”
Kat blushed. Studying the napkin in her lap, she hid behind a curtain of dark hair, scrambling for a way to make things right.
“There’s nothing you can do to fix this, Kat. That is not what shopping and lunch was about today. I just wanted you to be the first one to know, and at least if I broke down it was you.”
“A little retail therapy and lunch at Mulligan’s can’t be a bad thing, right?”
“Any excuse,” Ginny confirmed.
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah, yeah I am. Today helped. I hate having secrets from you.”
Kat giggled.
“I know. It about killed me to wait and tell Crux before I told you I was preggers.”
“Did you save room for dessert today, ladies?” the waiter asked with a knowing smile. When both women laughed, he nodded sagely. “I’ll box up two pieces of cheesecake and be right back.”
“That’s what I call a man size burger!”
“Better leave that one for me then.”
“Little man, you couldn’t handle a hamburger like that.”
“You can’t handle the truth!”
Ginny dropped her purse on the kitchen counter, strolling to the patio door where she could hear the men’s banter. Zeke was manning the grill with the three boys lounging around him, now embroiled in a spirited duel of movie quotes. Even full from lunch with Kat, Zeke’s stuffed burgers made her mouth water. The steaming stockpot perched on the grill’s side burner told her sweet corn would be tonight’s side dish. A smile curved her lips. It was nice that they could start dinner when she was running late, even if it was from an indulgent day of shopping with her best friend.
“Burgers are almost ready, baby.”
Ginny started at Zeke’s voice, meeting his sparkling eyes. Shaking her head, she grinned back.
“I’ll grab tableware and condiments and be right there.”
“I already got it, Mom,” Garrett called.
Ginny’s brows shot up, but she gave a nod of thanks, turned and opened the refrigerator. Grabbing the left over pasta salad from the bottom shelf, she went out to join her men.
Any notion that things had changed while she were gone was quickly dispelled. No new formality, or manners for that matter, invaded the Brawer’s patio table as the men dug in with a tangle of reaching hands and grunted requests. It made her grin.
“Not hungry?” Zeke asked around a mouthful.
“I’m just waiting for it to be safe. I’d hate to lose a limb.”
“Like a school of piranha.” Zeke agreed.
“NaNaNaNA!” Mox hummed, clamping his big hand Jaws like on the back of Garrett’s neck. The table roared with laughter, but Garrett was used to the older two’s teasing and never missed a bite.
Zeke and Mox broke into an impromptu fork duel battling for the pasta salad. Rhys slyly snatched the bowl away while they were distracted. Gunny opened one eye at the clink of silverware, but when food didn’t fall from the heavens, he went back to sunning himself. Rolling an ear of corn through the butter, Ginny nibbled on the sweet kernels watching her family. Everything and nothing had changed.
The doorbell chimed through the house.
“The mooches smelled the grill. Lock the doors!” Rhys yelled with a laugh causing Mox to hunch over his plate in a protective swoop.
“There’s plenty,” Ginny said shaking her head fondly at their dramatics.
The bell rang again as she padded through the cool house and Ginny hurried her step with a fondly muttered, “Heathens.” Jerking open the front door, all humor and affection fled. Lips pressing into a firm line, she fought the urge to wipe the smug smirk off the other woman’s face.
“I believe Zeke and I have a little matter to discuss.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Well, are you going to invite me in, or are we going to discuss this here on the front porch for the neighbors to enjoy?” Flo asked, challenge evident in every word.
“I’ve never asked you in before. Why start now?”
“Why don’t you run along and let Zeke know I’m here?”
A multitude of responses danced on the tip of Ginny’s tongue, none of them civil. She finally settled for the obvious.
“We’re in the middle of dinner.”
“Are you really going to leave me to have this conversation with Zeke on the sidewalks of Trinity Falls when you’re not around? How brave of you.”
“Not nearly as brave as you wanting to step foot inside my house,” Ginny countered with a chilling smile.
Flo took a step back, but gathered herself. The two women regarded one another in silence. Zeke broke the standoff.
“We might as well get this over with.”
“Over? We haven’t even gotten started, Zeke.”
Understanding his wife’s anger and control issues, Zeke refused to take the bait.
“It’s up to you, babe.”
Chewing her bottom lip Ginny searched her husband’s face for a moment before giving a tight nod of acceptance.
Following Zeke and Ginny, Flo admired the spacious ranch. Though not as elaborate as she would have chosen, the décor was warm and tasteful and the decorator’s eye for quality obvious. She struggled to stem the tide of envy as she settled onto a plush couch, her fingers stroking the fine mahogany leather. Even in high school, she’d sensed that Zeke Brawer would climb out of the shit pile he had been born into. She’d lusted after the football star. Never one to wait, Flo had chosen Miles, and his family money, for the security. The whole town knew how that had worked out and now Ginny had not only the man she had wanted, but the type of life she deserved.
“I can see you spare no expense making yourselves happy, I hope the same can be said of our son,” she said, waving a mocking hand at the flat screen TV mounted above the fireplace and the room’s furnishings.
“Mox has never wanted for a damn thing under this roof. You can’t say the same,” Ginny retorted.
“It had to be difficult for Miles growing up in this household, never acknowledged and forced to play second fiddle to her brats.”
Though Flo’s words were directed to Zeke, her barbs found their target. Zeke clamped a hand on his wife’s thigh at her snarl of outrage.
“He prefers Mox. In fact, we spoke today and he is thinking about making it legal when he goes in to change his last name to Brawer,” he said, feeling Ginny’s surprise beside him.
“After the way you have treated him?” Flo snapped.
“He was never treated any different than the other two. Ginny made it clear from day one, to him and the rest of us that was the way it was going to be.”
“Isn’t she a regular Saint?”
“She’s a lot of things; a ferocious mother is among those I admire most.”
“I’m sure she would love to be painted as a real martyr, selflessly raising her husband’s bastard, but the sad truth is that she was just too stupid and naïve to see what was right in front of her.”
Zeke’s grip on Ginny’s leg tightened, sending crippling pain shooting through the limb as she tried to stand. Frustrated with her inability to rip the bitch’s throat out she settled for a sharp elbow to Zeke’s ribs and a scathing reply.
“What was your excuse, Flo? You’d think even a whore like you could keep track of whose dick has been in them well enough to know the parentage of their own child.”
“Maybe I didn’t want to burst your fairy tale bubble, besides, I figured with your own little affair you were in no position to question Zeke’s and my relationship.”
“Don’t paint my life with your moral brush, Flo. I’ve only ever slept with one man and there aren’t even weeks you can make that claim in.”
“Interesting, you deny your affair with Boscelli, but show no shock when confronted with your husband’s infidelity.”
“Just as interesting, you taunt me with a
relationship
while Zeke claims no memory of fucking you, and actually seems sickened by the thought.”
Raw hurt flashed across Flo’s painted features. She glared at the couple, struggling to push words past the lump in her throat.
“Remember it or not, Zeke wanted me that night. He sure as hell didn’t turn me away. He didn’t care who was watching. I rode him in front of half your precious club. They were cheering me on. Most men can’t keep it up when they’re wasted, but Zeke was like a stripper pole. He wouldn’t go down and I couldn’t get enough. Miles is living proof of our love. You can’t deny our son any longer.”
“He passed out. You climbed aboard and rode him like a mechanical bull and you consider it a relationship,” Ginny said dryly.
“I don’t know what happened twenty years ago, but I can guarantee it had nothing to do with love,” Zeke said with a sneer of disgust. “You’re the one in denial. I’ve treated Mox as my son for the last ten years plus with no more reason than he is a good kid that deserved better than you. Ginny has been more of a mother to him than you ever were. It takes more than pushing a kid into this world to be a parent. Why don’t you get to the point of your little visit?”
“Why do you put her on a pedestal? What does she have that I don’t?” Flo asked, her voice breaking in a plaintive waver.
“I have Zeke!” Ginny hissed, leaning forward to punctuate her words with a jabbing forefinger. “That’s what this all comes down to, isn’t it? It doesn’t have anything to do with Mox. I would be surprised if you even remember the night. If you had ANY inkling that Zeke was Mox’s father you would have played that trump card a long time ago. You let us care for Mox because you were too damn lazy and it was a connection to Zeke. Now it’s too late for child support and guilt trips. I know who my husband is and your games won’t drive a wedge between us. Mox is an adult and he saw a long time ago what you were. I won’t let you, or anyone else tear my family apart. Now, get the hell out of my house.”
When Flo didn’t move, Ginny stood up. Shrinking back, Flo scrambled for her purse. Scurrying around the end of the couch, she glanced back at Ginny’s advancing form and brushed against a vase. She looked up, her heart hammering in her chest as a large hand reached out from the doorway to still the wobbling pottery. Mox’s features were closed, but his pale eyes glittered with an anger few had ever seen in the easygoing giant. Wordlessly Flo reached out to him, hoping to salvage something. The look of pure loathing he leveled on her made her hand fall back to her side.
“Get out.”
The fury behind his whispered words packed more punch than any bellow. Flo turned and fled.
Mox flinched at Ginny’s light touch on his arm.
“Are you okay, baby? How long were you standing there?”
“I’m not a baby. You don’t need to protect me.”
Ginny’s lips twisted in worry at the lack of emotion in his voice.
“I’ll always protect you. It’s what a mother does,” she said firmly.
“She…”
His voice cracked and so did the mask. Ginny pulled him into a hug, whispering,
“She isn’t a mother.”
Zeke shifted uncomfortably, watching the effortless way his wife dealt with the range of emotions and envying her easy relationship with the boys. When Mox straightened from the embrace, Zeke smacked him in the shoulder.
“No matter how it came about, I’m proud you’re a Brawer.”
Mox gaped at him in surprise, unsure what to say. Zeke glanced helplessly at Ginny for support.
“Well that’s about enough manly sharing for one day,” she said with a giggle. “Let’s finish dinner.”
Cigarette and cigar smoke swirled over the conference table, its haze weighted by the silence in the room. Shifting in his seat, Mox waited for the sarcasm and barbs that would follow Zeke’s shocking announcement. Each moment of silence only made it worse. Someone cleared their throat. It was Sambo that spoke, his voice soft.