Conleigh
After three drinks and dancing with Holden my bladder is about to burst. Holden tells me he is going to order another beer while I make my way to the bathroom. The line is long and I am afraid I will pee myself. I observe the women in front of me. They are cracking me up. One is telling the other a story about her youngest child finding her dildo and waving it around when her in-laws came for a visit.
“I was mortified,” she says.
“Well, at least maybe they won’t come over so often,” her friend says with a giggle.
I smile to myself wondering what my mom would do if she came to visit me and my kid did that if I had one. She’d probably die of shock or shame on the spot.
I move up two spots in line and feel a tap on my shoulder. It’s Bailey.
“Hey.”
“I’m having the most fun with Wren. I swear, Conleigh, he’s so…I don’t know…honest. He tells me how it is with him upfront. He doesn’t hold back. It’s so damn refreshing.” She grins and sways to the music that carries down the packed hallway.
“I’m glad you like him. Though you have to admit him and Holden are very similar.” I smirk.
“They are very different too.” She shrugs.
“I guess. If you say so.”
“I don’t know…I just have this feeling about him. Like maybe he could be my one.”
“Really? You just met him?” I’m not judging her. I’m just surprised is all.
“I know!” She grabs my arm. “He’s—I don’t know. I just really like him. He hasn’t tried to sleep with me or anything. Sure, we’ve kissed but with other stuff he jokes around and flirts but no pressure. He seems genuinely interested in what I have to say. He’s taking the time to get to know me. It isn’t all physical and lust.”
This shocks me but in a good way. “Good,” I tell her and finally, it’s my turn.
When I’m at the sink washing and drying my hands I look in the mirror and see Judy behind me. My face pinches up but I attempt to ignore her. However, she is intent on a conversation with me.
She steps up next to me at the counter. “I’m glad you wised up and found someone else to sink your claws into. Ezra doesn’t love you. He would have married you, but he still would have been fucking me. Then when he squeezed all he could from your step dad he was going to divorce so we could be together.”
I roll my eyes. “Is that why he fired you?”
“Fired me? He didn’t fire me. I’m on vacation this week.” By the expression on her face, I can see she’s confused and that Ezra lied to me. Not that it really matters.
“Thank you, Judy.”
“Thank you,” she sneers as Bailey exits the stall.
“Yeah, you did me a favor. He’s all yours don’t worry. I don’t want him. I have a real man now.”
Bailey looks at me like ‘who the hell is this’ and I shake my head and toss my paper towel in the trash.
What a joke, I think to myself as I step out of the bathroom. I can’t reach the table to get back in Holden’s arms fast enough. I should have known Ezra was full of shit. I feel stupid. I shouldn’t but I do. I can’t believe I almost fell for his lines again.
Running into Judy only further cements that I am doing the right thing by choosing Holden.
When I get back to my man he’s ready to leave and the feeling is mutual. I’m ready to take him to bed. Bailey and Wren have other plans and we agree to call each other tomorrow.
————
We’re almost home when Holden detours to the grocery store. “I have a hankering for chocolate ice cream,” he tells me.
“A hankering? Who talks like that?”
“I do. Come on.”
Rolling my eyes, I follow him inside. He’s like a kid let loose for the first time. He has a buggy full of junk; whipped cream, sprinkles, chocolate sauce, and waffle cone bowls. The only thing remotely good for you are the strawberries and bananas he picked up.
“I’m going to make you the best sundae you’ve ever had.”
“Is that so. What if I don’t like ice cream,” I tease him.
“Then I will smear it all over your body and lick it off.” He grins at me as if he is imagining doing just that.
“Then I really hate ice cream.” I smirk.
“Is that a challenge?”
“Absolutely. Now take me home.”
Holden is trying to get through the self-check-out so fast he nearly smashes the bananas. I can’t help but laugh at him. I can’t remember the last time I felt this good and happy. I never imagined we would be doing normal couple shit. I guess I don’t know what I expected out of this man, but I am pleasantly surprised. He holds my hand every chance he gets. I know everything is new and exciting but I get the feeling he’d be holding my hand as much even if we’d been together ten years.
He puts the bags on the passenger side so that I am forced to sit next to him, not that I hadn’t planned on it. When we get home the living room light is on. I can see it shining through the blinds. I don’t see Ezra’s car though, so maybe we left it on. I don’t say anything to Holden. I ignore my gut feeling that shit is about to go down and help him pack the bags up the stairs.
When Holden opens the door, Ezra is sitting on the couch waiting for us. I didn’t think he was coming back until tomorrow or the day after. His hands are clenched in his hair. His eyes look wild with anger.
I breeze past him to the kitchen to put the groceries away. I don’t want to do this right now. Does he know about me and Holden? Has he seen my clothes in his room? What’s going through his head right now? A hand on my shoulder nearly scares the piss out of me. I jump at the contact, but a calm wave washes over me when I feel Holden’s beard at my ear.
“It’s time,” his voice grits like sandpaper.
I nod and sag back against his chest. I know it is. The only thing motivating me right now is having Holden by my side. Knowing that I have him when this is over is reassuring.
“We do this together.” He squeezes my hand and spins me around.
My head snuggles into his chest and my arms go around his waist.
“Okay,” I settle.
With my hand in Holden’s, I return to the living room to confront Ezra.
He’s pacing in front of the entertainment stand. His disheveled appearance tells me that yes, he knows about me and Holden. His cloudy eyes meet mine.
“How long?”
“What?”
“How long have you been fucking him behind my back?”
“Not as long as you’ve been fucking Judy.” I laugh without humor.
“I told you that was over.”
“That’s not what she told me an hour ago,” I counter.
“What are you talking about?”
“I ran into Judy and she told me that she’s on vacation this week. You didn’t fire her. You’re still fucking her. What are you doing back early?”
“I wanted to surprise you and I come home to find my shit in boxes and your stuff in my best friend’s room. You’re nothing but a slut.”
“Don’t call her that,” Holden warns, joining the conversation.
“What are you going to do about it? You can’t even get your own pussy. You gotta fuck my girlfriend because everyone has already had your lame dick and figured out what a fucking loser you are. Even your wife left you for your own brother no less. You’re fucking pathetic, man. Hell, she even called and propositioned me. How do you think I found about you two? She sent me pictures. She’s been watching you make a fool of me, but no more. You guys can have each other.”
Holden gets in his face and grabs him up by the collar of his shirt. Ezra’s feet are dangling in the air. “You’re gonna get your shit and get the fuck out.”
Holden is furious as him and Ezra spit insults at one another.
“What are you mad about, Holden? That Reese came crawling to me? That your wife wanted my dick? Have fun with my leftovers, I don’t want yours,” he sneers.
And that’s it. Holden rears his fist back and lands a hook to Ezra’s nose. Blood spurts out and splatters across his face then he drops him to the floor and kicks him.
Ezra grabs his nose, making a pained face. “You broke my goddamned nose!”
“I’ll break your dick next of you don’t get the fuck out and stay away from her.”
I have to admit, as I was watching the scene play out, that for a moment Ezra planted doubt in my mind. Because it did seem Holden was upset about Reese, but I can’t go down that road right now. I know Holden loves me. When he says stay away from her, he means me, doesn’t he?
Holden storms to the front door and swings it open. “You can walk out or I will throw you out,” he threatens.
Ezra stumbles to his feet. He staggers toward me and grabs my face with his bloody fingers. “You’ll come crawling back to me when he fucks you over. I give you a week, if that, before he’s fucking Reese again.” He attempts to kiss me but Holden has grabbed him around his neck in a chokehold and is dragging him to the door.
I sink to the floor as tears sting my eyes, trying to process what just happened. I knew it would be bad. I just never pictured it going this south. And what the fuck did he mean Reese was watching us and taking pictures? I rub my hands up and down my arms, feeling violated.
Holden is still seething when he slams the door shut.
“I need a minute, baby.”
I can only nod. I don’t know what he is thinking right now. Is he thinking about Reese? Is he regretting being with me? He just hit his best friend and kicked him out all for me.
Holden goes to the bathroom and I hear the mirror shatter. I get up from the floor and go to him. The glass is shattered in the sink and his knuckles are split open.
“Holden! What are you doing? Your knuckles! We need to go get your hand checked out.” I grab a towel and wrap it around his hand. The white cotton turns to red immediately.
“I’ll be fine,” he growls. “You should probably just go to bed,” he says and goes to the kitchen.
“What!? I can’t go to bed right now. Are you mad at me?” I follow him.
I wish Bailey and Wren were here.
Holden takes a bottle of vodka from the freezer and pours some over his hand then starts drinking straight from the bottle.
I go to my knees in front of him and hug his waist. My face comes to his crotch and he tilts my chin up. “I’m not mad at you. Don’t worry about me. I just need to be alone right now. I’m fired up and don’t want to take shit out on you.” He bends down and presses his lips to mine but there is no emotion behind it.
“Okay,” I whisper, holding my fingers to my lips unsure of what tomorrow will bring. Holden steps around me and goes out the door and down the stairs to his shop.
Everything inside me screams for me to go after him, but I don’t want to push him away. Right now though, I feel abandoned by him.