Rex

After picking up an amazing engagement ring with a gorgeous princess-cut diamond, I head toward home. I’m disappointed that we haven’t been able to do anything with Richard yet, but at least he’s on the radar of local law enforcement. My phone chirps several times in succession, grabbing my attention. I glance at the screen and they are all text messages from Jessica.

Jessica: Since you’re too good to talk to me, I guess I’ll just text you. I finally got your new number.

Jessica: I’m giving your latest video lots of FREE publicity!! ; )

Jessica: Hope it helps you sell lots of dildos. : 0

Jessica: I tagged both you and that slut of yours on Instagram. You’re welcome!

I resist the temptation to reply, knowing it’s best to let my attorney deal with her. For someone who literally just had a baby, she’s certainly raising lots of hell. Mom warned me that things could be a little rocky for awhile. Between the hormone fluctuations and mixed feelings about giving the baby away, she’s bound to be volatile. I’ve tried not to think about it since Jessica is volatile enough normally. My phone chirps in my hand.

Jessica: I think the judge is going to like that video

I toss my phone face down on the passenger seat and pick up the little box that I just purchased. It’s the same threat she sent me this morning. I’m not sure if doing something like this affects our ability to be good parents. I do think it would help our cause if Felicia and I were married. At least that would show a greater level of stability for the child, so I want to get married as soon as we can get everything organized.

My phone rings just as I get onto the interstate, and it’s Felicia. “Hi, Hun,” I answer, already knowing what it’s going to be about. She wouldn’t call me back this quickly unless there was something wrong.

“That fucking bitch!” Her voice squeaks, letting me know that she’s really pissed. “Tagging me like that. God, she plays dirty.”

“I know. I’m driving, otherwise I would go in and figure out how to untag us.” I can just picture the smirk on Jessica’s face right now. If she thinks she can beat me, she’s dead wrong.

“She used our usernames in the comments so I don’t think there’s any way to untag ourselves,” she seethes. “I’ve never been this angry at someone. Stacy already sent me a message, so who knows how many other people have already seen it.”

“I don’t know how she got ahold of it in the first place,” I wonder out loud. “Of course she’s probably scouring the internet on a daily basis for anything she can find to make me look bad. Hopefully, she’ll take the letter from my attorney seriously.”

“It would kill me if this somehow jeopardized our ability to raise Michael.” Her voice squeaks again as her emotions get the best of her. After not getting much sleep the past two nights, neither of us is in an emotional state to handle this shit. “I’d better go back in the other room. Your mom is probably wondering what I’m doing in here.”

“Where are you?”

“The bathroom. I needed a minute after reading the message from Stacy, and then I had to call you,” she explains, flushing the toilet. “That’s just for effect.”

“I’ll see you in twenty minutes since traffic is actually moving. Don’t let this worry you too much. I think we’ll be fine,” I add, not wanting her to be so emotionally raw.

“I know. I still can’t believe this is the second time we’ve been outed by her.” She sighs into the phone. “Can we please not do anything stupid like this again?”

I laugh, thinking about the fact that this was incredibly stupid. “At least we didn’t get caught at the waterfall the other day.”

“Yeah, that was pretty damn close too! If one of those kids would’ve recorded us, that would be all over the web too.” The phone goes silent for a few seconds. “No more of this risky sex, even though it’s been a rush. We need to focus on providing a stable home for Michael.”

“I know, and we will,” I assure her. “Here’s the call I’ve been waiting for. Love you, babe.”

“Be careful!” she replies, still thinking that I’m somehow going to be the one who gets in trouble. I’m the only one who has nothing to get in trouble over. “Hello, this is Rex,” I say, answering the other line.

“He uploaded the video again from another coffee shop downtown,” the tech guy tells me without hesitation. “This one’s right on the corner of Pine and eighth. About four blocks from the last one.”

“Okay, I’m on it. Thanks!” I quickly hang up and click on officer McGuire’s number. She answers on the first ring, so I immediately share the address of the coffee shop. Within seconds, I’m off the phone and debating whether to call Brix and Daphne, whom I dropped off downtown earlier. Part of me wants to turn back and check it out myself, but Felicia is waiting so I click on Brix’s number instead.

“You got ‘em?” he asks bluntly.

“I think so. I just got off the phone with the officer, so she’s on it,” I inform him, not really wanting to give him the location until I see where his head is.

“Are you going to share?” he asks, seeming a bit perturbed by my stalling.

“Only if you guys promise to stay back and let the police handle it,” I reply, not wanting them to get in any trouble.

“Of course. It’s not like I’m going to go in there and try to take him down myself,” he replies with a chuckle.

“That’s exactly what I think you would do.” I pause again, still hesitant.

“Give me the fucking address. I just want to see this fucker get arrested,” he says with venom in his voice. “Daphne deserves to see it too.”

“It’s a coffee shop on the corner of eighth and Pine,” I tell him reluctantly. “Where are you guys?”

“We’re on seventh and Pike,” he says with a spark in his voice. “Daphne, this way! He’s only a couple of blocks away.” I hear the sound of running footsteps before his phone goes silent. I call him back but it goes directly to voicemail. Son of a bitch! I hope they don’t mess this up.

When I reach an off-ramp, I debate for a second whether to turn back. I sail past it, knowing it’s best for me to go home and talk to Felicia. She seemed really upset, and if Brix and Daphne get into trouble, I really don’t want to be part of it. Brix is a grown man, so he’ll have to live with the consequences if he gets involved. I cringe at the thought of it. He’s always so jacked up on testosterone.

Felicia

I breathe a sigh of relief when I see Rex’s car pull into the driveway. I’ve been trying to be nice to Joyce, but this whole thing with Jessica is really getting on my nerves. If I were alone, I would probably just sit on the couch and cry. I wonder what Stacy is thinking right now. We were on the cheer team together in high school, and we were the only ones who weren’t out partying with the boys after every game. I’m sure she’s even more shocked by all of this than I am.

“Shouldn’t Michael be up by now?” Joyce asks with a concerned look.

“I was just going to let him sleep until he woke on his own, but you can go in and get him if you want,” I reply, hoping that she might want to change a diaper for old time’s sake. Without another word, she scurries back to his room to check on him.

“Honey?” Rex yells, coming through seeming energized.

“What call were you talking about earlier?” I ask, meeting him halfway across the room.

“Richard uploaded another copy of the video from another coffee shop downtown,” he says with fire in his eyes. “I passed it along to the police officer I talked to earlier, so hopefully, they can catch him red-handed.” He falls silent and puts his arms around me, giving me a much-needed hug. “I also told Brix,” he admits, sounding as if he already regrets it.

“Well, I’m sure he wants him stopped worse than anyone,” I reason, knowing that Brix wants this all to go away as quietly as possible. Brix is a really good-looking guy. I don’t think he would fare so well in prison.

“But after I told him… I found out they were only a couple of blocks from the coffee shop.” The look of concern deepens on his face. “I hope he didn’t do anything stupid.”

“It’s not up to you to protect him from himself,” I remind him. Ever since they started doing business together, Rex has been acting like a protective big brother. “He’s a grown-up, so you need to start treating him like one.”

“But… you’re right. I need to step back and focus on what’s important here,” he says, glancing down the hallway at his mother carrying Michael at arm’s length.

“You’re just in time,” she says with a giggle. “Felicia tells me you’re a couple of changings behind.” She continues toward Rex, extending her arms to pass him off.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to brush up on your diaper changing skills?” Rex asks, trying his best to dodge the bullet that’s coming right at him.

“I’ll change diapers if I have to, but not when both of you are standing right here,” she replies with another giggle. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. I’ll come watch you and provide a little moral support.”

“Moral support,” Rex grumbles, taking the little guy into his arms. “Oh, yeah, it’s another good one. What have you been eating?” He narrows his eyes at me.

“Hey, I’ve been good… except for one spicy pickle.” I join Joyce in giggling. “I don’t know why I’m craving them. I think it’s because you told me I couldn’t have anything spicy. Now that’s all I crave. I normally don’t eat much spicy stuff.”

“We always want what we can’t have,” Joyce says with a wink. “I think I’ll let you assist on this one. I’ll go see if I can get some dinner started for the two of you.” She walks into the kitchen and clicks on the TV before checking out our fridge.

“There’s a rotisserie chicken in there,” I tell her, wanting to hang back and give Rex a head start on the diaper changing. “I was thinking about making some jasmine rice and broccoli to go along with it.”

“Broccoli always gives me gas, so I’d avoid that one,” Joyce says, looking for other options. “Do you have any green beans or peas instead?”

“You can look around. The rice is on the second shelf in the cupboard just to your right,” I tell her, grabbing my phone. I type in foods to avoid when you’re breastfeeding. The first link is a video titled, don’t change a thing while breastfeeding. The doctor in the video suggests you don’t have to change a thing unless one of the parents has a severe food allergy to something such as peanuts. She also claims that very little of the spice from spicy foods ever reaches the child, so it’s safe to eat spicy foods. I press the Replay button upon joining Rex in the changing room. As the video comes to its conclusion, I tell him, “You’re on your own, buddy. I’m going back for another spicy pickle. Come and eat when you’re done here.”

“Well if it’s not the spice, what’s causing them to be so smelly?” he asks, scrunching up his face while wiping up Michael’s bottom. “It just reeks!”

“I think it reeks because it’s baby crap,” I reply with a giggle, leaving him to attend to his business. He’s not going to push it off on me every time there’s a messy one. There is bound to be plenty of them. It’s all part of having a baby. Walking past the TV, a news story catches my eye. There’s a video of a man being tackled outside one of my favorite coffee shops downtown. “I used to go to that place all the time,” I say, turning to Joyce, who is still rummaging through the fridge. Suddenly, a guy who looks just like Brix is talking to a reporter. “Honey? Is this Brix?” I yell back to Rex, clicking the DVR remote to pause it.

“I’m kind of in the middle of something here!” he yells back, sounding a bit annoyed.

“No rush. I paused it for you.” I walk back toward the changing room. “But I think Brix might have tackled Richard outside that coffee shop. I’m pretty sure it’s him, but it says Irwin Turner on the screen.”

“Come here,” he replies impatiently. “I’ve got the mess cleaned up, so just powder him and put on the new diaper. I told Brix not to get involved!”

“Well, judging by the fact that he’s on the news, I think everything might have worked out for the best,” I reply, taking over Michael’s changing. “He has the cutest little package.”

“Cute and little are two words a man never wants to hear,” he says, cocking an eyebrow. “Don’t worry, little man. You’ve got genetics on your side.”

“What are you talking about?” Joyce asks, walking into the room with a container of rice in hand.

“Your son was just assuring Michael that he’ll have a large package because of genetics,” I reply, wanting to get a reaction out of her.

“Oh, definitely,” she spouts, much to my surprise. “Philip is hung like a horse. It’s one of the reasons I’ve stuck around all of these years.” She beams proudly. “Is this the rice you want me to use?”

“Yes. And thanks for the visual.” I laugh, sliding a fresh diaper under his butt.

“Oh, in your line of work, I’m sure you see plenty of them,” she scoffs before turning back toward the kitchen. In my line of work? What does she think I do? Hopefully, she was referring to the sex toys.

“Holy shit! Brix totally leveled him as he came out of the coffee shop,” Rex shouts at the TV. “Now I’m kind of glad I told them his location. The police probably would’ve missed him since he looked pretty casual wearing sunglasses and a baseball hat. Apparently, Daphne recognized the hat.”

Good for her. Hopefully, they find plenty of dirt on his computer so they can put him away for awhile. Maybe it will provide a little closure for her so she can have a chance at a normal life. Speaking of closure, my father crosses my mind. I can’t believe he hasn’t called me back. Then again, why would I think anything different? He hasn’t reached out in years.