Tug (18 page)

I
’m awakened by the sound of boisterous laughter. I get out of bed and make my way to the kitchen. My mouth opens in shock as I take in the mess. Cereal is everywhere. Red Solo cups line the counter and the table. Tug, Javier and Andrew fall completely silent and stare at me.

“Uh-oh, boys,” Tug says with a mischievous grin. He points fingers at both of them, crossing his arms in front of his body. “You’re busted now.”

Andrew tries to hold in a laugh, but it bursts through his lips. Javier shrugs and tosses a Fruit Loop in the air. It lands in a cup on the table. “Three-pointer. I win!” he yells, and jumps up and down before performing a victory dance.

“Javier Joseph, what do you think you’re doing?”

“We’re playing cereal basketball.”

I’m completely horrified that my child has participated in destroying Tug’s kitchen.

“Look at this mess. What were you thinking?” I glance at Tug. “I’m so sorry about this. I’ll clean it up.”

A boyish smile over takes Tug’s face, and he hurls a Fruit Loop at me that pegs me in the cheek. The next second I’m bombarded by an onslaught of various breakfast cereals.

“Oh, this is war!” I shout, and reach the counter, grabbing a handful of cereal. I throw it at Tug.

For several minutes, cereal rains down in the kitchen, all of us launching handfuls at each other. I’m pulled into Tug’s arms, and he kisses me on the lips, cereal crunching beneath our bare feet.

“Good morning, sweet girl,” Tug says, just as cereal pelts both of us in the side of the face.

The boys’ laughter is so contagious and heartwarming. I should be horrified by the wasting of food and the disregard for Tug’s home, but I’m too happy to care. This moment is a perfect reflection of how carefree a child’s life should be. Javier’s childhood has always been tense and structured to keep me grounded, and he deserves the reprieve, if only for the morning.

“Thank you,” I tell Tug, brushing cereal flakes from his messy morning hair. After sending the boys to clean up, I say, “Where’s your broom, so I can get started on cleaning this up.”

“Leave it. The housekeeper will be here at ten,” he informs me.

“We can’t leave it like this. It’s more than she’s paid for, I’m sure.”

“She’s paid well, and I’ve had some wild parties. She’s seen worse than cereal.”

I hop up on the counter and smile, not wanting to think about the many women who probably spent the night after one of his
wild parties
. “This was fun, but no more cereal games.”

“I make no promises.” Tug slides his body between my thighs and kisses me. “I really like you.”

“I like you, too,” I say and glance away.

“But …” he probes.

“I’m still trying to figure out the hustle.”

He leans back, the crease in his forehead deep. “The hustle?”

“Yeah, you know. The hustle. When something’s too good to be true, it’s a hustle. Where I’m from there’s always a hustle. Everyone has one. So, what’s yours?”

“Where I’m from, the hustle is a line dance, usually performed after consuming large amounts of alcohol by people who have no rhythm.”

I laugh, but then my expression turns serious. “You know what I mean. Why me?”

“Why not you?” With a slight jerk of my arm, he pulls me from the counter and close to his chest, our gazes fully entwined. “There’s no hustle. I like how you make me feel. I like that I can be myself when I’m with you. I like your smile and your laugh. If there’s something I don’t like, it’s you questioning how I feel about you. This thing between us is real, and I have no idea where it’s going, but I don’t ever want to hear you doubt why I’d choose you. You make me feel like there’s not enough time in the day, like I can’t get enough of you, and if I blink, I’ll miss something incredible. I don’t want to miss anything.”

“Oh,” I gulp, just before his lips settle on top of mine.

W
e arrive at Brady’s house at noon. Tori is in the kitchen chopping up fruit, and the house is packed with people. We stop on the other side of the island to greet Tori, Maria looking nervously at her.

“Mommy.” Drew runs around and into her arms to hug her. “I had so much fun. Javier is my new best friend.”

Tori greets Javier, and he and Drew run out of the sliding glass door to the deck. My eyes meet Harrison’s through the glass, silently threatening him. The skin under his right eye is purple and I’d like to make the other one match. He’d better stay clear of me if he wants to live.

“Hey, little brother.” Liv says, spotting Maria next to me. “Oh, hey. How are you?”

“I’m good, thank you.”

Liv holds her arm out, showing off a diamond tennis bracelet. “Look what Harrison got me!”

“For what?” I ask rudely.

She smiles, spinning her body back and forth at the hips. “Just because.”

“I bet,” I snap. “Men only give gifts like that as an apology.”

“You’re so rude, Tug.”

Why am I the asshole? Clearly Harrison hasn’t told her yet. “Yeah. How’d he get those bruises on his face?”

“Oh, God. It was awful. Some guy was arguing with his girlfriend at the gas station and Harrison tried to stop it. The guy attacked him.”

I can’t believe she fell for that bullshit story. Actually, I can. Harrison has everyone fooled into believing he’s the ultimate do-gooder. I don’t want to ruin today’s fun or make my sister sad by outing his ass. “The bracelet’s nice,” I say, not even addressing his phony attack.

“Aw, is that your son?” Liv asks Maria, pointing to Javier on the deck.

“Yes.”

“He’s adorable, and he and Drew seem to have hit it off.”

“They have.” Maria turns her head to Tori. “Drew is a great kid. He’s very kind. Javier doesn’t have many friends.”

“Oh, thank you,” Tori says, coming around the island to hug Maria. I notice Maria’s hesitancy to return the hug. “Come out back with me, and I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

Tori pulls her hand and Maria follows, looking at me over her shoulder.

“I’ll be there in one sec,” I tell her as they slip out the sliding glass door. I turn to my sister, resisting the urge to rip the bracelet from her wrist and toss it in the trash. “So, how are you, sis? Is everything good?” I’m fishing to see if Harrison did confess, and maybe she’s totally okay with it, like the bracelet made it all better.

“What do you want? You’re freaking me out.”

She’s on to me.

“I don’t want anything. Can’t I just be nice to you?”

“No, that’s not how we roll, remember?” She laughs, and I wince a little. She seems happy, and my desire to throttle Harrison grows.

“Right. Okay, then,” I say. “Are you planning on auditioning for
Jersey Shore
, because that hair would fit right in?”

“God, I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I say and throw a grape at her. She catches it and pops it in her mouth.

“So, Maria, huh?”

“Yep.”

She looks surprised. “Is it serious?”

“It is for me.”

“Oh, come on. You’re kidding, right?”

“Is that so hard to believe?”

“No, well, kind of. I mean … she’s a hooker!”

I inhale through my nose. I know people will judge the relationship, but our family isn’t in a position to do so.

“She used to be, and we’re hardly pillars of purity, sis.”

“I know that, but how will that look? What will people think?”

She sounds so much like our mother. I avoid pointing that out, since I don’t want to hurt her, and I know worrying about appearances is ingrained deep in all of us.

“You know what? I really don’t give a shit. I’m done pleasing other people. Maybe you should give it a try.”
Starting with your spineless boyfriend.

“I don’t know why I talk to you. Fuck off,” she shouts, and storms toward the sliding glass door.

“Glad we’re back to ‘rolling’ accordingly.”

She growls at me and goes outside. So much for not hurting her.

Maria and Tori come inside, laughing like old friends. Tori sets a bowl on the counter and goes to the fridge.

“What’s so funny?” I ask the two of them.

“Those boys devoured the entire bowl of blueberries and demanded more in the name of the king,” Tori says.

“They’re so cute together,” Maria adds.

I smirk and glance outside, my heart full.
Blueberries
. Their mothers may not think it’s so cute later.

“Oh, you’ll be happy to know, I’ve made other arrangements for Javier,” Maria says.

“Great, but how?”

Tori raises her hand. “I’m going to watch him.”

“Oh. Are you sure?”

“Positive. With Brady gone, it works out perfect. The two of them will keep me busy.”

“She’s pretty great, huh?” Maria says, smiling at Tori. The two of them connecting thrills me, although it will take some time to get used to.

“Yes, she is.”

“We moms have to stick together,” Tori says, putting her arm around Maria.

Maria nods. “Yep. Thank you.”

I leave the girls chatting and go outside, passing Brady on the way. He stops. “I’m proud of you, little brother,” he says quietly. I tip my chin, and he keeps moving into the house. Gabe is seated at the table on the back deck, alone, and I fill the seat next to him.

“What’s up?” I ask.

“Just keeping an eye on the boys.” I follow his pointer finger to Drew, Javier, Lance, and Davey’s son. I can’t remember his name. “Pretty cool — they’re all the same age. Lance has had a hard time making friends since his mom died.”

“What about you, man? How do you do it?”

He glances down and spins a ring on his finger. It’s a promise ring for a future Gabe and his girl were robbed of.

“I have Lance, so I don’t really have a choice.”

“It must be hard.”

“Some days.” He shrugs and I notice some new ink on his chest. Gabe is a softy, although you’d never know it by the gauges in his ears and the amount of ink covering his skin. Most people assume Second Chances guitar player is a bad-ass, but he’s a genuinely nice guy with a huge heart and incredible ability on the strings.

I eye the crowd, looking at a bunch of faces I don’t know. “Have you seen Liv?”

“Oh, yeah. She’s on the beach, tanning.” He points with a smile I’ve seen before when guys look at my sister. She makes men dumb. “Damn, dude. I know she’s your sister, and she’s taken, but DAY-UM!”

“Gross, man.”

“Sorry, but she’s hot.” I make a sour face. “And she’s sweet.”

“Are you sure we’re talking about the same girl?”

“Positive, dude. Lance adores her. She’s great with him.”

“She does love kids,” I say, unable to agree with him on any of her other qualities.

“She’s a doll.” He leans over the side of his chair close to me and whispers, “Don’t repeat this, but she can do better than Harrison. He’s a chump.”

I like Gabe more every day. He may be the one person I know that see’s through Harrison’s façade.

“Speaking of which, have you seen Harrison?” I ask, sweeping my eyes over the faces on the beach.

“Not since he and Liv had words.”

“What about?”

“Not sure. She came out looking pissed and marched right over to him. They fought for a while, although I didn’t hear what about. She went to the beach, and he stormed off.”

“Huh. Will you excuse me for a minute?”

“Sure, man.”

After searching the back yard for the weasel, I walk around to the front of the house and notice his car is missing. I go inside and find Maria. “Will you be okay if I leave for a minute?”

“Yes, but where are you going?”

“I need to check on something.”

“Okay. Sure.”

I kiss the top of her head. Tori and I make eye contact.

“I’ll be right back, Tor. Take care of my girl.”