Chapter 33
Rex
“So what do you need help with?”
Charlie was livid and he was pacing when I got outside five minutes later.
“You know, it’s bad enough that you had sex with my sister behind my back. You knew that I wasn’t cool with it, but you did it anyways. That was bad enough. What was worse, a hundred times worse is the fact that you knocked her up. You guys didn’t even have the sense to use protection. How stupid are you?”
I was at a loss of words ad I wasn’t sure if it was all the way registering what he said. I could have sworn that he said I had knocked his sister up. Was that true? I wanted to go back in and pull Sherry to the side. I had to know if this was true or not.
“Sherry is pregnant?”
“Why look so surprised? You were the one always saying that you had to wrap it up or you would have fifty babies running around. Now look at you. I guess we should be lucky you haven’t knocked up every damn girl at work too! I know you have certainly screwed your way through the whole lot of them.”
I didn’t know what to say. I was happy in a way. She was pregnant and we were going to be together now. There was no way that Charlie was going to be able to keep us together. He would have to forgive me eventually, right?
“I didn’t know.”
“I know. I wanted to be the one to tell you because if you don’t do the right thing Rex, I am going to have your head. You can’t just knock her up and then leave her twisting in the wind.”
I understood that he is upset. No one would blame him for that, but he didn’t have to talk to me like I had already done it. I didn’t have any family and I certainly wouldn’t wish that on someone else. I don’t think I would be able to.
“You should know that I wouldn’t do that to her or anyone else if I got someone pregnant. You have known me for a long time and know that I am not this way. Why are you acting like I am?”
Charlie just shook his head and looked down at his boots. I knew he was mad at me, but it was time to get over this that was between us. We were friends, best friends and soon we were going to be more than that. Soon we were going to really be family and for that I was ecstatic.
“I just want to make sure that you don’t do anything stupid. I am never going to be okay with the fact that you two were together, but if you do right by her, I think that we can move on from here. We have a business to run and I have a feeling that you are going to need to up your cash flow. From what I hear, babies are expensive and my sister really likes to spend money.”
“I will do right by her. I love your sister Charlie and I am going to ask her to marry me. I was going to before you told me, but now I know it is the right thing to do.”
Charlie wasn’t too thrilled with the idea, but I am sure that he realized that it was worse than to not marry her.
“You don’t have my blessing, but I won’t stand in your way. I hope that you aren’t just saying that, because she will always be my sister first.”
“I wouldn’t understand it if you didn’t let me know where I stood.”
“As long as this is what happens, we can work on being friends again. I know that I don’t want this to end our friendship. We have known each other a long time, but this is my sister. My only sister and you will have to treat her right. She will always be the side that I will take if it comes to that.”
Charlie was just being honest and I wouldn’t have felt right if he had said anything else. I knew exactly what it was that he was saying and I did appreciate him coming out with it. I knew where I stood and that was good enough for me.
“I am not going to hurt Sherry. She is a special girl.”
“Well you will need to change your ways at the club. I won’t be there to see something and not tell on you. You are going to have to wise up all the way around.”
I was getting perturbed that he was going on about it, but again, it was impossible not to see where he was coming from. I had a bit of a reputation. One that I had earned many times over, but it didn’t mean that it made it any easier to deal with when I was talking to Charlie, not when it came to his little sister. I was going to be walking a fine line for a long time, but I knew that there was no one else that I wanted. I had waited this long for Sherry, not even knowing that I was waiting and I certainly wasn’t going to mess anything up now. What would be the use?
“I get it Charlie and I understand. Now are we going to do something or did you drag me out here to make me freeze?”
“I brought you out here because I didn’t know how you would react. Sherry didn’t want me to tell you, but I had to know what your reaction was going to be.”
I knew that it had been a test. It had felt like a test.
“I am not going anywhere Charlie. I am here to stay.”
After a minute of digestion, he finally nodded his head up and down slowly and clapped me on the back. It was hard, but it was also done out of good will. “Well then Rex. I guess all there is left to say is welcome to the family.”