Harkham's Corner (Harkham's Series Book 3) (32 page)

“Because it’s your brother.” She sort of chuckled.

“No, it’s not. Zach would never . . .” Adam’s hands stilled on Choppy’s tail. Would he? Zach was talking to some other woman not that long ago.

“I’m that lady friend he was meeting who had similar marital issues. His wife verbally abused him, and mine physically hurt me. We slept together months ago.” Ryan cleared her voice. “It sounds like he kind of downplayed our relationship and how long we were together, but I don’t blame him. He had to lie since he’s married and doesn’t want to hurt anyone.”

“But Lorraine only left him . . .” His mind went into overdrive, numbers blasting behind his eyes. “Oh shit!” It was actually the right timing. Lorraine did leave him a little over four months ago. “But he said he wasn’t sleeping with that woman friend of his.”

Ryan gave him a look like he was being obtuse on purpose.

“Oh my God!” Adam bolted to standing. “Zach lied to me about you, and Lorraine is moving back in today! She can’t do that! Not when you’re—”

“It’s okay, Adam. I know.” Ryan used the flat of her palm in the air, pushing it down, to tell him to sit.

“Does he know you’re . . . I mean, that he got you . . .” His words simply wouldn’t come out.

“Yes, he knows. Why do you think he’s been such a nut lately, crying and freaking out about whether or not to take his wife back. He’s scared to death,” Mari said.

“But he can’t just not help you!” Adam’s throat shook as he spoke to Ryan. “If it’s his baby, then he has to . . .”

“He is helping me. He’s actually been using all the money you’ve given him off your music sales to give to me. It’s helped a ton.” Ryan sniffed back a few more impending tears. “But I . . .”

“Then why did you say the baby would have red hair like me? Zach has dark hair.” Adam shook in place. His entire body seemed to be vibrating. It was so bad, Choppy hopped off him and went over to Mari, taking a seat on her feet.

“Traitor,” he whispered under his breath to his dog.

Mari snickered.

“I was trying to get you to realize I’m London’s sister. I was there to ask you about how your disabilities happened, or how you
think
they happened. And I was also trying to hint this baby would be your nephew.” Both of Ryan’s hands rested on her belly this time. Almost protectively. “I was scared to death. This baby has some of your genetics through your mom, coming from your brother, and it has my sister’s as well. It seemed almost certain I’d be giving birth to Harkham’s case number seven, and I wanted to see if I could prevent that if it wasn’t too late. I already fucked things up by being on meth at the beginning of my pregnancy and I was being battered, so it seemed to reason that this baby would—”

“Be like me,” he said, finishing her sentence. A shocking wave of cold tripped down his spine, making him quiver for a moment like he was fighting off chills. “Zach can’t do this. I won’t allow it.”

“What? You can’t—” Mari started to speak, but he broke in.

“Yes, I can! Lorraine doesn’t love him. She’s just using him, and she’s hurt him a lot already. He has Jill, and he loves her. I know he’ll love this baby boy even if it’s exactly like me. He’s the only one that could father this baby appropriately. And he’s a good man.” He looked directly into Ryan’s eyes. “He would never touch you in a bruising way. He’s stopped me from hurting myself and others millions of times. He knows how to protect people. He would keep you safe.” He tipped his head at her. “He needs you.”

She stared at him wide-eyed, her lips parted, but she was barely breathing.

“Breathe, hon,” Mari told her, gripping Ryan’s knee.

“Do you love him?” he asked Ryan.

“Yes. More than anything, and I adore this baby, too. That’s why I hate that I’ve probably hurt my precious little baby boy.”

Adam got up, went straight to her, picked her up into a hug and whispered. “We’re going over there right now.”

“But I can’t! Lorraine will be there!” Ryan pulled away.

London was at her side and slung an arm around her waist.

“I don’t care. I’ll take care of Lorraine. You need to tell him what you want.” Adam blinked hard, clearing his mind of all doubt. “I can tell you haven’t told him you love him, have you?”

“No. I couldn’t. I’m married. So is he.” Ryan’s face went pale.

“Feed her first, Adam. Jesus, she looks about ready to faint.” Mari went straight to the kitchen, and she returned with some milk and two waffles on a plate with a little syrup on them.

“Thanks, but I can’t eat now. Not when I know I’m gonna see him,” Ryan said, her color returning a little.

“He’ll be glad to see you. It’ll be a relief. He knows he’s making a mistake taking Lorraine back.” Adam took her hand. “He probably thinks you don’t want him, so he gave up and gave in to Lorraine’s demands. He’s letting her walk all over him again. And we can’t allow that. If you love him, then you can’t stand by and let him be hurt emotionally. You know what that’s like. Let’s make this all right for both of you.”

“But what about Jill?” Ryan’s voice caught.

“She’ll love you like I do. She just needs to meet you first so that can happen.” He smiled at her and then yanked her toward the door.

Without thinking, he tucked her hand up by his ribs, like he used to do forever ago with Mari.

He could tell Ryan needed it. She was shaky and lost. She needed guidance and security. He would be that for her.

Within a few moments, he had all three women in their van, and he was driving over to his brother’s house.

There was a moving truck in the driveway, and Zach was lifting a dresser all by himself.

The moment Adam parked in the driveway and Zach looked inside the van, he dropped it, smashing in the side of the dresser.

Lorraine was immediately at his side, screeching in his face.

The piece of furniture he dropped looked expensive.

Zach’s face was completely alarmed, but it wasn’t because of Lorraine. His eyes were riveted on the van.

Adam turned off the car, got out and took Ryan’s hand, helping her out of the passenger’s side.

Mari rode in the back with her good friend, London. They stepped out of the vehicle a moment later.

Zach was frozen in place with his wife still screaming in his ear. She was oblivious to Adam holding the blonde Mrs. Fahey’s hand up against his side.

“Do you love this woman?” Adam asked him point blank when he was a few feet away.

Zach gulped. “Yes, she’s my wife. Of course I love her.” His eyes said the opposite. He clearly did not love Lorraine at all. He looked more beaten down by her than anything. All the light was out of his eyes when he looked over at Lorraine. But when he turned back toward Adam, and Zach’s eyes went to Ryan’s, they lit up like a storm just cleared out of the sky and the sun was nothing short of brilliant, plastering everything with its light.

“No, I meant this woman.” Adam jerked his head at Ryan.

“Why would he love some stranger?” Lorraine barked at Adam. “Are you having one of your psychotic break downs again? We don’t have time for your insanity today. Go see your stupid Dr. Harkham and let her fill your head with nonsense as usual.” Lorraine pushed past Adam and clomped her way up the moving truck ramp, grabbing a box and taking it inside the house.

“Do you love her? Answer me,” Adam repeated, stepping closer to his brother, dragging Ryan right along.

“More than ever,” Zach squeaked quietly. His eyes filled with tears. They drifted down to her slightly swollen abdomen. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this right now.” He tried to move past Adam like Lorraine had done to get inside the moving truck, but Adam let go of the woman in a flash, and he pushed Zach up against the back of the truck and pinned him there at the shoulders.

“I never told you before how I always wished I could be like you. Nothing ever seemed to get you down. You were always so charismatic, happy and fun to be around. You helped everyone around you without a second thought. It was just who you are, but today . . .” Adam wrinkled his nose. “You’re a coward, and I’m ashamed of you.”

He pushed off his brother, leaving Zach slumped against the truck.

“What can I do? I’m stuck,” Zach said, barely over a whisper. He covered his face with his big hands and cried, his entire body shaking with sobs.

“You’re allowing yourself to be stuck!” Adam wanted to kick some sense into his brother. “You have a responsibility here. Lorraine left you, and you found a soul like yours. You found love right away. This woman needs you, and you can’t turn your back on her. Lorraine will be just fine without you. She already was. Take care of your pregnant woman, or I will!”

“His pregnant
what
?” Lorraine hissed from behind them, her body hanging halfway out the kitchen door leading out into the driveway.

Adam was about to storm a path right over to Lorraine to tell her what was going on, but the second he took a step, Zach tackled him and held him back like he used to do when Adam flew into a number rage.

Mari, however, was free to move as she wished.

She walked over to Lorraine and
smaaaaack
!
Smaaaack
!

She bitched slapped her.

“You don’t deserve him! He’s bent over backward to please you, and all you ever did was complain and then you left him behind like he was trash, when he treated you like a queen!” Mari spat on the ground next to Lorraine’s expensive shoes. “He doesn’t love you.
Not
anymore. He loves this woman, and she’s carrying his baby.” She pointed at Ryan. “They love each other, so take your truck and go back to the shitty expensive place you crawled out of. I’m sure your old lover with his balls tucked behind his vagina—since you own his sorry ass—will take you back.”

Lorraine rubbed her cheek where Mari struck her. “Zach’s my husband, and he wants me back. He can’t live without me.”

Ryan snorted a laugh. She hung back, but her eyes were on fire as she glared at Lorraine and smirked. “Oh, yes, because he wants to deal with someone only willing to have sex with him when she wants something in return. You use sex as a weapon and then you verbally humiliate him. Not just at home, but in public, too!”

Lorraine started to argue, but Ryan stepped forward, into striking range.

“He told me how you came into the sports bar one night when he was there with his friends, and how you told them all he had to go to bed because you needed to go to the salon early in the morning. When he didn’t get up right away, you told his buddies that maybe since he’d had a few beers, for once, he might actually figure out how to get you off.”

Lorraine choked on her own breath, and her face reddened. “I never said that!”

“You sure as fuck did! Ask Shawn. He was mortified you’d say something like that in front of people, even if it wasn’t true.” Zach released Adam, and the moment he did, Zach’s chest puffed up.

Adam went to Mari’s side, and he took her hand, tucking it up against his ribs. She released a breath like it was a relief to be this connected to him physically when things were in utter chaos right now.

Lorraine bellowed, “You bitch! I’ll tear you a new hole so that baby will slide right out of you and your enormous, disgusting cunt!”

Ryan took a few steps backward, and instead of addressing Lorraine, she whispered to Zach, “I love you. I never told you that, but I think about you day and night. I’m planning to name this baby after you, even if you don’t want me. You’re the best man I’ve ever known, and I’ll die happy knowing I got to be with you a few times and I—”

He took her into his arms in a blinding flash, and his lips were on hers.

Lorraine howled like she was in massive pain.

Adam ran over to her, gripped Lorraine by the wrist and dragged her to the moving truck driver’s door. He opened it and shoved her in.

“I’ll bring you the rest of your belongings later that you moved inside Zach’s and
Ryan’s
home. Goodbye.” Adam waved and slammed the door shut.

The truck started up. Zach and Ryan moved away from it, drifting toward his open kitchen door.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” Zach beamed at her and he moved with a lightness Adam hadn’t seen from his brother in years.

Well, since before Lorraine.

“I can’t either. I wasn’t ever planning on doing this. Adam made it all happen.” Ryan beamed back at Zach.

“Thank you,” Zach said, holding Ryan in his arms still, but turning his head toward Adam. “You saved me from the hell I was already being immersed in for a few short hours.”

“I don’t understand that woman at all,” Ryan told Zach. “I can’t understand how any woman doesn’t fall down at your feet, ready to worship you. You’ve got the biggest heart out of anyone I’ve ever known. You absolutely mean the world to me.”

Zach chuckled. “Clearly, you need to get to know my brother better. He’s the one you’re describing, not me.”

“He’s overly humble, too. It’s nauseating, really, to have a brother-in-law like that.” Mari chuckled.

“Am not. I’m hot as fuck.” Zach laughed along with her.

“Hi, I’m Ryan’s sister, London.” She stepped forward and smiled at him.