Three Days of Rain (19 page)

“Sure. Whatever you want. I’ll make sure it gets there. Come on. I’ll go tell Danny I’m taking you home.”

“Thanks Andy. I’ll meet you at your truck.”

Andy stood and began to turn away before glancing back to Lily. He looked as though he wanted to say something but had thought better of it. Shoving his hands into his pockets he walked off to find Danny.

Lily wiped the tears from her eyes and walked around the side of the house to Andy’s truck. While she was waiting, Madison walked out of the house with a drink in her hand and lit a cigarette. She noticed Lily right away and started walking towards her. Lily squared her shoulders and tried to look like she didn’t care.

“So, you’re Jake’s girlfriend now, huh? I guess he told you about me.”

“He did.”

“Did he tell you how much in love we once were? Did he tell you we were happy once?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

“He told me all about you. He told me pretty much everything.”

Taking a long drag of her cigarette, Madison smiled. “Ahh, but he didn’t tell you we were still married.”

Lily didn’t know what to say so she watched Madison gulp the caramel colored liquid from her glass. She dropped her lit cigarette at Lily’s feet and stepped over to put it out.

Lifting her chin, she whispered in Lily’s ear, “Well then. I guess there’s still hope for me.”

Just as Madison walked away from Lily, Andy walked around from the side of the house. He saw the last part of the interaction but didn’t hear what was said. All he saw was Lily’s pale face and shaking hands.

“Madison! Leave her alone.”

“Hello, Andy. You’re looking well.”

“Did you hear me? Leave her alone.”

Tossing a glance over her shoulder, she saw what he saw. Lily looked like she was going to faint.

“Relax. We were just catching up. It really has been too long.”

“You’re still the same, aren’t you? You haven’t changed.”

“And you’re the same poke-your-nose-in-other-people’s-business, nosey body. Listen. Just make sure Jake calls me. Or else, I have a feeling I could get used to being back.”

Madison walked away, back into the house. Not knowing what to do, he walked over to Lily.

“Are you all right?”

“No. I just want to go home.”

“Okay. Okay. Let’s go.”

Andy pulled into Bill’s driveway. Getting out of the truck, he walked around to the passenger side door and opened it for Lily. She stepped out of the truck, stood up straight, and looked him in the eye.

“Thank you.”

“You gonna be okay?”

“Absolutely.”

She leaned in and gave him a little kiss on the cheek before walking into the house. Andy pulled out his phone, called Billy, and gave him the run down on what happened at the picnic before climbing back into his truck and heading over to Jake’s.

CHAPTER 27

Lily waited until she was in her room to lose it. She kicked her shoes across the room and threw her purse against the wall. Collapsing on the bed, she stared at the ceiling, willing herself not to cry.

Thinking over the past few days, she tried to see the silver lining. She loved Jake, but she wasn’t sure she could handle it if Madison stayed in town. The look on his face when she showed up more than conveyed how he felt about her. But then again, the look is what scared her. It was full of rage and pure hatred. He had every reason to feel that way, but that fact did nothing to ease her mind. She wasn’t sure how she should react to it. What she knew for sure was she needed to talk to Jake.

Picking up her cell, she dialed his number. Frustrated that it went straight to voicemail, she clicked off without leaving a message. She dialed his house but he didn’t answer that either. She stood and began pacing her room when all of a sudden, she felt dizzy. Sitting quickly she dropped her head between her knees. Then hand covering her mouth, she rushed to the bathroom. She barely made it before she threw up.

Leaning over the sink, she splashed water on her face and brushed her teeth. When she stood and looked into the mirror, she was pale. She knew without a doubt what was wrong. With her hand on her stomach, she thanked God she only had to wait two more days to see the doctor.

After that, decisions had to be made. Would she stay or would she head to Atlanta? How would Jake react? She wouldn’t blame him if he freaked out. It was a big deal, certainly not one she had anticipated. But if what she thought was happening really was, then she’d have to deal with it. With or without Jake.

Dropping her head, she silently cursed herself for assuming he wouldn’t be happy about this. True, they hadn’t known each other for very long, but she loved him and felt he loved her, too. At least until she watched the wall rebuild itself right in front of her eyes. It couldn’t be permanent. After all, just yesterday she watched the last brick fall.

CHAPTER 28

Madison stormed into her parents’ house and watched Andy drive away with that girl. This wasn’t going exactly how she planned. Then again, she didn’t plan any of this out. Not sure of what pulled her here other than the fact that she’d woken up yesterday with the urge to come back. Well, she knew exactly what made her come back. Not that she wanted to deal with it.

God knew she’d avoided coming back here for the last two years, purposefully not disclosing her whereabouts to anyone, not even her parents. She was living fine, with no responsibility, no drama, no dead babies. It hurt, still, to think about the day she’d found out...

***

Holding the phone, Madison finally decided to dial. It was on the fourth ring before her father answered.

“Hello?”

“Dad?”

“Madison? Where are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m safe.”

“Where the hell have you been? It’s been two weeks without a word. Your mother and I have been worried sick.”

“Dad, I’m okay. Just wanted to call and let you know I’m not coming back for a while.”

“What? Why not? You have to come back. You missed the funeral. How could you miss the funeral?”

Her head spun. “Wait. What funeral?”

Silence on the other end stretched for what seemed like an eternity.

“Dad? What funeral? What are you talking about?”

“Aw, Madison. You need to come back. Jake is a mess. We’re all a mess. Honey, Joey died.”

The phone clattered to the floor as every nerve in her body screamed in protest.

“Madison? Are you there? Madison?”

Staring at the phone, she felt as if everything moved in slow motion—like she was watching herself react. Watching her arm stretch to the floor. Watching her hand grip the phone. Watching herself lift it back to her ear.

“Madison?”

“I’m here.”

“Did you hear what I said?”

Silent tears fell down her face. “Yeah, Dad. I heard you. What happened?”

“What happened? He died just hours after you left. That’s what happened. What the hell, Madison? What the hell is the matter with you?”

“What’s wrong with me? Dad, I couldn’t take seeing him like that. I couldn’t take Jake and everyone looking at me like
I
was the one who did something wrong. The doctors, the nurses, they wouldn’t even let me hold him.”

“You didn’t want to hold him. How many times did you go visit that poor baby in the hospital?”

“It wasn’t my fault!”

“Jesus, Madison. When are you gonna grow up and stop blaming everyone else? You know what, you stay where you are. Give Jake time to grieve. God knows he can’t do that with you here.”

She felt like she’d been kicked in the stomach. If anyone had always stood by her, it was her dad. She’d expected this reaction from her mother, but not him.

“Fine, Dad. I’ll call you later.”

She hung up the phone and walked over to the coffee table that sat in the middle of her tiny apartment. It wasn’t much, but it was all she could swing at the time. Leaning over the table, she picked up a rolled dollar bill and inhaled her sanity.

CHAPTER 29

Jake sped away from the Olsen’s’ house in a fury. He was a few miles away before he began to think clearly enough to realize he’d left Lily there. Punching the steering wheel, he thought about turning back but he knew he couldn’t. He was inches from going completely ballistic and he was embarrassed enough that Lily had seen him in the state she did. The shock and sorrow on her face was too painful.

He hated when he acted like that. And it was always Madison that sent him over the edge. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what the hell she was doing back here and what the hell they would have to talk about. He needed to avoid that conversation. The two of them were too combustible, too unstable when they were together. It wasn’t like that with Lily.

When he was with Lily, he felt none of the drama, none of the sadness that he’d felt when he was with Madison. He hadn’t been sure he’d ever feel normal again. Then he met Lily. She was all sunshine and smiles and had no ulterior motives. What you saw was always what you got with her.

He’d heard her, last night, when she told him she loved him, and he’d wanted to say it too but couldn’t form the words. In the two short months they’d know each other, he’d fallen in love. She was everything he’d hoped for.

Not knowing exactly where he was going, he kept on driving. He needed to get away from everything he’d thought he’d left behind. He should have known, Madison would never leave him alone, she’d never let him be happy. And just when he finally thought he could be.

“Fuck!”

He yelled out as he steered the truck off the road. Punching the steering wheel, bloodying his knuckles on the dash, he collapsed forward with his head on the wheel and let the tears fall.

Much like he did the day before, he let everything rise to the surface and did what he could to expel all the negativity. He barely heard his phone ring. Without even looking at it, he switched it off.

He thought about Lily leaving and the tears fell harder. He thought about Madison and he cursed. He thought about his child and he wept. And with every tear, the cracks in his heart grew wider and he wondered if he’d ever be whole again.

CHAPTER 30

Andy pulled up to Jake’s house and walked up to the door. He knocked a few times before walking around to the back.

“Jake! Jake! You here?”

Jake’s truck wasn’t in the driveway so he walked to the garage and opened the doors. The truck wasn’t there either. He knew his son needed some breathing space. Still he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Jake’s number. It went right to voicemail.

“Jake, it’s your dad. Call me when you get this. I hope you’re okay.”

He switched off knowing Jake wasn’t okay. He was walking back to his truck when Danny pulled up.

“Dad. Jake there?”

“Nope. Don’t know where he is. Where are Megan and the kids?”

“I left them at her parents’. What the hell was all that?”

“I wish I knew.”

“What the hell is she doing back here?”

“No idea. Her intentions were never good, though.”

“Did you see Lily walk right up to her? That girl’s got some balls, that’s for sure.”

Looking down the road for any evidence of Jake, Andy was distracted. “What? Oh, yeah. Balls.”

“Dad, he’ll be okay. He’s Jake. This isn’t the worst thing that’s happened to him. He’ll come through. Lily will convince him to talk to Madison then she’ll go away. And hopefully, Lily will decide to stay, or Jake will go with her and leave all this mess in the past.”

“I hope so.”

“He has to, right?”

Andy looked at his oldest son and saw the hope in his face. Sadly, he couldn’t reciprocate that hope.

“I don’t know. He’s barely held it together since it all happened. I just hope Lily’s been able to help put him back together enough that this doesn’t break him. C’mon. Let’s go back and get your family.”

“You go. I’m gonna drive around for a bit and look for him.”

“He might not want to be found.”

“I know. If I find him, I’ll give you a call. If I don’t find him in an hour, let Megan know I’ll be back.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks, Dad. Don’t worry, okay?”

“I’ll try not to.”

Andy climbed into his truck and drove back to the Olsen’s. It was time for him to find out what the hell was going on.

CHAPTER 31

Danny thought he knew exactly where Jake was. He pulled out of the driveway and headed towards the docks. A few miles down the road he saw Jake’s truck and pulled into the parking lot behind him. Calling his father, Danny let him know he’d found him. Grabbing the backpack from the passenger seat, he took a deep breath and stepped out of his van.

He saw Jake slumped over, shoulders shaking, and his heart dropped. She’d finally done it. She’d finally shattered him into pieces small enough to lose. He wondered briefly about calling Lily but thought better of it. Better for him to know what they were dealing with before he called the cavalry.

Knocking on the window, he startled his brother. “Jake. Open the door.”

Jake looked like he’d aged ten years in the past hour. His eyes were a blank void and his hand was bleeding.

When Danny heard the lock click, he opened the door, reached in, and took the keys from the ignition.

“Jake, what are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“You left Lily at the Olsen’s’.”

“Is she still there?”

Danny reached into the bed of the truck and pulled out the first aid kit. “No. Dad drove her home. She was pretty shaken up. When you left, she went up to Madison like a bat outta hell and asked what the hell her problem was.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Unfortunately, I don’t think Lily has a mean bone in her body and Madison sliced her pretty good.”

Jake dropped his chin and balled his fists. No matter what Madison did to him, she had no right to go near Lily. It was his fault for leaving her there without fully realizing what she was dealing with. “Is Lily okay?”

“I think so. Dad said she’s stronger than that.” Danny pulled Jake’s bloody hand free and wrapped it with gauze, taping it securely. “I don’t think Madison can hurt her in the long run. But you do need to talk to her.”