MC: LaPonte-Karr: Book Three (26 page)

I go to her and give her a hug.  "You were perfect!  I am so fuckin proud of you."

She smiles huge.  "I can't wait to tell Janelle."  I walk her down to the kitchen with a matching smile.  Fuckin perfect.

Two weeks

Tess

Rich is taking me on a date tonight.  I'm so excited.  Last week Patches took me to dinner and the movies.  It was so nice to get away from everything and everyone for a while.  When Rich took me to lunch he asked if I thought going out with each of them separately sounded good.  I think it's a great idea and tell him Danny and Ben do that too.  He was hooked with that.  I think he wants to do what his dad and Ben do so we don't mess us up.  I want to tell him not to worry; I had the dream of us older with twins, a boy and girl.  We watch them playing soccer.  I can't tell him though; I don't want to change the outcome so I keep it to myself.

I know he's taking me to Boston but I don't tell him that either.  I'm in a pretty blue dress that's down to my knees.  Kate helped me pick it and shoes to match.  I have no idea how all these clothes got in the closet but I'm glad they're here.

Rich comes in and stops.  "You're so fuckin beautiful, what the hell are you doing with a guy like me babe?"

I laugh, inside I'm beaming.  "You are very handsome.  The shelter women call you hottie one.  Patches is hottie two.  Don't tell Patches, they didn't see him until after they saw you but he'll think it's for another reason."

He laughs, "You are so fuckin cute.  I won't say anything that will cause you to have to explain that one.  You are gorgeous in your blue dress baby, a fairy without her pixie dust.  Here let’s see if we can shine you up a bit."  He pulls out a jewelry box.  When he opens it I'm stunned.

"They're so beautiful.  Thank you."  He pulls a necklace with a wand out.  It has diamonds shooting off of it.  Matching earrings and bracelet follow.  He puts them on me taking my necklace off putting it on the dresser.  He stands me at the mirror.  "It's all so beautiful.  Thank you."  I lean up to kiss him.  My whole body tingles.  Holy Cow!

He steps back.  "We may never leave if I don't stop now."  I nod trying to catch my breath.  He grabs my long coat and holds it open for me.

"You're very handsome all dressed up.  Thank you for tonight."  I tell him.

He laughs, "Baby we haven't even left yet."  He throws his long coat on over his dress pants and blue dress shirt.

"I know but I might get so excited I forget to tell you so I wanted to get it over with first.  I think I saw it in a movie or something."

He cracks up guiding me to his truck.  Lifting me up he kisses my lips.  "You're welcome baby.  You look beautiful with the sparkles hitting your face.  Just like a fairy's pixie dust."  I smile big for him.  He's so sweet.  Max gets in and keeps my feet warm.

We talk all the way to Boston.  It's such a good night and all we did is drive so far.  At the theater he pulls me out and walks me to the ticket counter telling the woman his name.  I look around; this isn't the theater I dreamt about.  Walking in he gets me a glass of wine.  It's so beautiful here, gold is everywhere.  The ceilings are painted murals with gold boxes separating them.  Heavy red curtains are separating sections.  "It's all so beautiful."  I tell him.  We check our coats.  I ask if we can get them back and he smiles.  They just hold them for us, when we give the ticket we get them back.  I smile.  I don't know so much but learning is always fun and sometimes funny.

He takes us to our seats up high on the side.  Max lays down at the front.  He's so good.  We're in a shell looking thing; I see them on the other side too.  "We have our own box.  It's a perfect spot to see everything that will happen."  When he hands me a book I see its Peter Pan.

I laugh.  "I thought we were seeing Stomp."  I tell him.

"I thought you might, so Digs got these for me.  He's seeing Stomp in Providence."  He smiles.

"Nice surprise.  Thank you.  I tried not to see it.  I would rather be surprised but I couldn't control it like I can now."  I kiss his lips.

"Good to know baby.  It will take all the fun out of Christmas if you always know what the presents are."

"For me too."

He kisses my lips and smiles.  "That's what I meant."  Oh, he's so sweet.

The lights blink.  Everyone goes to their seats.  I drink my wine and wait.  I've never been to a play.  I'm so excited.  He's right the fairy looks like me.  I laugh.  She jumps from our box.  I hold my chest and wish her well.  When she swings back toward us she throws pixie dust all over me.  I squeal and jump clapping.  Rich just watches me with a smile.  I'm so happy I could pop.  I love the play.  I think it's funny when the man says he lost his marbles.  I stand most of the time.  Rich stands with me.  Every time I look at him he's watching me.  I can't stop smiling.  I kiss him when it's time to leave telling him this was the best thing I've ever seen and thank you.  I didn't forget even though I was excited.  Max follows.  We walk to a restaurant a block away.  It's Italian; I thank him because I love pasta.  They don't have a problem with Max.  He sits on the side of me.  I pour my water into his travel bowl, he drinks and lies down.

"You have pixie dust all over you.  It looks so pretty.  This is just how I imagined you when I first saw you in the pink jogging suit."  He smiles, raising my hand to his mouth, he kisses my wrist.

"Holy Cow!  You send tingles through me.  Thank you for taking me."  I tell him.

"I want you to see everything and do everything.  I can't wait to take you skiing, sightseeing in New York, trips on our bikes, camping, and hiking.  I want you to have fun baby.  Life isn't just about work and your dreams, it's about the fun and memories too.  I decided every time I take you out it will be for a new memory.  There's a concert coming up I have tickets to.  It's some of your favorites.  Is there anything you want to try or see?"

"Oh yes.  I want to ice skate.  I've never been and it looks so beautiful."  I’m getting excited thinking about it.

"I'll add it to the list."  He smiles and moves his arm so the waiter can put our plates down.  Dinner is delicious.  I got clam sauce and love it.  I fall asleep on the way home.  Rich carries me up to bed and undresses me.  He leaves my jewelry on saying it matches my pixie dust then kisses me as my eyes close.  He's taking Max for a quick walk.  I fall asleep thinking of fairies.

Patches

I see Rich's truck.  I wonder if I should go in.  He scares the shit out of me knocking on the window. "What the fuck are you sitting out here for?"  I see Max in the yard.

"I just pulled in.  I was wondering if I should go in."  Might as well tell him.

"What the fuck?  You fuckin live here."  He's pissed.

"I wasn't sure if date night meant all night."  I tell him.

"If I thought we needed all night I'd tell you, just as you should tell me.  I never expect you to be unsure to walk into your own fuckin house.  We are together here Patch."

"Got it.  I won't hesitate next time.  Did she have fun?"  I hope so, she was excited.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that.  I want to do things she's never done before.  We spend all week doing work and home shit.  I got tickets to Luke Bryant in Providence in a couple of weeks, Randy Houser and Dustin Lynch, some of her favorites are playing with him.  She wants to go ice skating.  I thought you could take her skating next week, unless you have something else planned.  I'll find tickets to Disney on ice and we can take her and the kids."  He's not sure I'll agree?

"Sounds perfect.  I'll take her skating."  I tell him.  I wonder where they went tonight.

"Good, I'm going to ask for a Friday off so we can go to New York.  It's so fuckin cool to watch her face light up.  I want to show her everything."  He's so fuckin happy.  I smile for him.  "See if dad can lose you one Friday and I'll get it off, we can plan from there."  I nod.  Fuck he wants me to go to.  "Of course I wanted you to go too.  What the fuck is up with you?  Why are you so down tonight?"

"I guess the date night affected me.  I don't know what the fuck to think.  You're not doing anything that I didn't do last week.  It's different when you're the one home."  He answered what was in my head.

He looks at me for a minute.  "Patch, I think this is a good idea.  We each need our own time, we can plan what we do together or separate but we need to live and make memories.  The bigger stuff should be together.  I want you there when she sees the Statue of Liberty.  Her fuckin face lights up, it's beautiful.  A concert or play is just a night of fun.  We need to be together for the lasting memories.  Don't read more into it than it really is."  He's fuckin right.

"You're right.  I should have played poker and kept my mind busy."

He smiles, "That's what I did when you went out."  He calls Max and goes in.  I follow up to the room.  Tess is asleep.

When I climb in I see glitter all over the fuckin bed. "What the fuck is up with the glitter?"  I ask him.

"Tinker Bell threw it on her as she flew through the air.  It was fuckin priceless.  We went to see Peter Pan.  She loved it."  He smiles.  I'm definitely taking her ice skating.  I kiss her glittery head and shut off the light.

"If we need to talk say so Brother.  I'm feeling like we're not quite meeting in the middle here."  He says softly.

If he only knew.

Six days

Tess

I never heard of a Fireman's Muster.  It's packed but I have Rich and Patches and Max.  I'm good.  We watch the firemen run into the burning building with all the gear on.  They must be strong to carry all that hose up stairs.  Everyone claps when they get the fire out.  They let people in the audience try.  It's funny to watch them.  One guy makes it out of the thirty that try.  It's funny because they were talking trash to each other as they were getting dressed.  Patches thinks they're hilarious.

We walk down the center of the drive.  It's like a carnival with games, food and booths.  Rich takes Max to the bathroom in a field across the road.  I look at jewelry on a table; they have the cutest Hello Kitty necklace.  I buy it for Ally.  When I turn, the man in the next booth ask if I'm Rich and Patches old lady.  I nod.  "Can you tell Rich Larry needs to talk to him?  It's about training."  I look at him and say yes.  He nods and turns back to his booth.  I'm so excited I talked to him and Max isn't even with me.  I walk to Patches side and show him the necklace for Ally.  I ask him where Rich is.  He's not back yet with Max.  Patches says he must have got caught in the crowd.  We keep going until I see a lemonade stand.  I love Del's.  I tell him I'll be right in line while he's looking at the table of arrowheads for the boys.

I have my lemonade and look around but don't see Patches.  Rich and Max aren't back yet.  I'm getting nervous and walk where we were headed trying to catch up to him.  I don't see him anywhere, people are everywhere.  I feel tears on my face but I don't stop.  I drop my lemonade and look down.  I have to find him but I'm so scared.  A man grabs my arm.  "You’re Tess LaPonte Karr?"  I tell him yes without looking at him.  He pulls me along.

"Where are Rich and Patches?"  I'm crying now.  I need to get away from him.

"Was paid to put you in the jail.  It's for a good cause."  He tells me over his shoulder.  I keep looking down.  I don't understand.  I need Max.

Patches

He's gone ten minutes and she's looking for him.  Fuck I hate this feeling.  I turn around and realize I moved to the side row.  She must have her lemonade by now.  Coming around the corner I see she's not in line.  What the fuck?  Maybe Rich got back and they just kept going.  Looking around I don't see either.  I pull my phone and text him.

I see him jogging down the drive with Max.  Fuck!  He doesn't stop.  He points to the left.  I jog the opposite side of him.  He's calling for her.  We're almost at the end, my heart is racing.  She's not fuckin here.  I yell Tess and a man calls out she's in jail.

Rich sprints to the jail they set up.  Fuck!

He's yelling at the guy to open the fuckin gate.  Fuck she's on the floor rocking back and forth crying silently.

"Get these fuckin handcuffs off her."  He growls at the guy.  "How the fuck did she end up here?

"A man paid fifty bucks to keep her for an hour.  It's just a fundraiser.  He pointed her out.  She never said a word."  Fuck

Rich looks at me.  He's fuckin pissed waiting for an explanation.  "She got a lemonade and I walked to a table.  I didn't see her leave."

"She walked right by you?"  He asks.  He fuckin knows.  He shakes his head.  "Get your head straight Brother."  He says it so low.  He lifts her up and walks away with Max following.

Fuck!  I need to get my fuckin head straight.  Looking around I see he's walking to Danny and Kate's blanket in the field.  He sits with Tess on his lap talking to her.  I can't make my feet move closer.  I stand against a tree watching.  I fuckin screwed up big because I was pissed she asked for him.  Tess moves.  I watch her put her arms around him.  Kate and Ben walk over.  Kate sits down and hugs Tess.  She talks to Rich and he stalks over to me.  Ben is following.

"What the fuck is going on with you?"  He asks.  Thank fuck he's not yelling.

"I swear I don't know.  She asked for you and I got pissed.  I don't even know why."

"She asked because Larry gave her a fuckin message for me.  That's not even the fuckin issue.  She didn't do anything to deserve being punished.  She doesn't fuckin know what the fuck is going through your head.  You walked the fuck away from her when you knew I had Max.  You've been acting down for two fuckin weeks now.  You know better than to leave her in a crowd.  Of all the worst case sceneries for her to fuckin relive it was in a jail with fuckin handcuffs on.  Because you were fuckin jealous!"  He wipes his hand down his face.  "You're more than my brother Patch.  I'm trying my hardest to make sure you are included in every fuckin thing we do.  I give you your time and I'm happy you have it.  I love to see you love her.  I can't do this if I can't trust you to protect her.  You fuckin love her as much as I do.  If you won't talk to me about what the fuck is in your head you better get your fuckin ass back to the therapist.  She was fuckin handcuffed Patch because you were jealous without a fuckin reason to be jealous."  He walks back to her.  Holy fuck.  He's so fuckin right.  I turn and see Ben.  I forgot he was here.

"I fuckin blew it this time.  I'm so fuckin stupid.  Everything he said was true."

"Let's take a walk."  He starts walking to the opposite field.  "I felt exactly like you do right now.  I wasn't sure of my place and ended up screwing up.  Not as bad as you, but I did screw up.  It was out of jealousy too."  Fuck.  I'm glad I'm not the only one.

"What did Danny do?"  I ask almost afraid of the answer but he's still there so they must have worked it out.

"He fuckin took a trip to Colorado.  He gave me the time I needed with Kate.  At first I was pissed.  He gave me time and I was pissed because it was such a fuckin good thing to do.  I kept thinking, what the fuck do I have to do to be on top?  I could never win."

I nod. "That's exactly how I feel.  How did you fix it?" 

"It was Danny that fixed it.  He called one night to talk to me.  He asked how everything was going.  I couldn't believe he was asking.  I asked if he wanted to talk to Kate he said no he wanted to talk to me and find out how everything was.  I was so fuckin ashamed of myself.  It was then that I got it was about all of us.  The relationship was between all of us.  He explained it to me but I didn't get it until then.  Kate wasn't keeping score.  She loved us both for our differences as much as our similarities.  She likes me for my sensitivity as much as she likes Danny's ruggedness.  It was a contest only in my head.  Danny knew it and fixed it for me.  It brought us closer together."  He puts his hand on my shoulder.  I stop and look at him.  "Don't fuck this up because of a contest that only you see.  Tess loves you.  She proves it every fuckin day.  Everyone around sees it but you."

"You're right.  Rich has done the same thing as Danny did.  I was pissed too.  I need to fix this."  I look over to them.  She's on Rich's lap.  I smile; she's laughing, so beautiful.

"You love to see him love her too.  Don't forget that.  He wants this as much as you do.  He's fighting for you when you've lost your way Patches.  You can keep fighting yourself or fight with him.  She's fuckin amazing and you love her.  You love him too.  Fight for that."  He turns and walks back toward them.  He's right.  I need to stop fighting myself and fight for us.  I follow.

Rich

Picking her up I'm shaking.  I want to fuckin kill him.  I know exactly why she's in fuckin cuffs.  He was jealous over something so fuckin stupid.  I walk by him without a word.  She's crying those fuckin silent tears.  Fuck, handcuffed and put in a cell.  I can't even imagine what the fuck was going through her head.  I sit her on my lap and call Max to her.  He calms her instantly.  She's losing the blank in her eyes.  Thank fuck!  "I'm right here babe."  I rub her back, her arms go around me and she cries.  Fuckin Patches.  He's got no fuckin reason to be fuckin jealous and certainly not at Tess' fuckin expense. She calms.  "I'm so sorry baby.  It won't happen again.  I should know better than to take Max with all these people around.  Next time we'll go together."  She nods.   Kate and Ben come over.  Kate holds her right away.  I tell her I took Max for a bathroom break and Tess got separated from Patches.  When I tell her about the jail she's pissed.  "I need to find out who paid to put her in there but I need to talk to Patches first."

"I'll call Danny and get him to find out.  Go talk to Patches.  He's looking a little nervous."  Ben says.

I stand up muttering he should be.  I hear Ben talking to Danny behind me.  He's following so I don't kill him I bet.  Fuckin jealous.  I say my fuckin piece and walk the fuck away.  He's still not getting it.  There's no fuckin point in arguing alone.  Back on the blanket Kate's got Tess laughing.  My beautiful girl with her musical laugh makes me smile.  I sit and pull her to my lap.  "Just need to hold you babe."  She keeps talking to Kate; she's showing the necklace she got for Ally.  Kate laughs and shows her the same damn thing.  They laugh, I smile.  Tess will give hers to Lily.

I feel when Patches is getting closer.  I turn and look at him.  He's nervous and sorry.  I nod to him.  He sits and apologizes to Tess; he even tells her why he was in his head and not looking at her.  She hugs him and tells him she loves him because he's different from me.  She wouldn't like a carbon copy.  Fuckin Tess.  I smile that he's relieved.  He looks at me and apologizes.  I throw him chin.  He looks like the weight of the world is lifted off his shoulders. I look at him and scream 'together' in my head.  He smiles and nods.  Fuckin Patches.  Kate watches with a smile.

Dad finds us all at the blanket. He has Aaron, Devan and Alex.  The others are with Ben.  "No clue who paid.  Guy that took the money is gone.  The replacement is here until the end.  He didn't put her in."  Fuck!  He looks concerned.  "Ben was trying to track a name down but not having any luck."  Who the fuck would give her name knowing what she's been through?  This is not a joke kind of thing.  This is fuckin mean and could have scarred her setting her back.  Dad knows.