I know it’s going to piss him off, but I say it anyway. “What if Peggy was in some sort of accident and she lost both her legs? Would you leave her?”
He grinds his teeth together. “Fuck you, man. I’d never leave her. And you can forget the psycho-babble bullshit. I know what you’re doing.”
“What if she pushed you away? Wanted you with another woman. One that could walk and fuckin’ dance. That could do anything.”
He just stares at me, refusing to answer.
“I’m being serious. What if another woman came in here wanting your love and she had all those things? Would you go to her? Would you take your kids and have them call her Mom from then on?”
His hands grip the sides of the wheelchair. “Fuck you, Prince. You know I wouldn’t. I love my wife. And my kids have a mother.”
“Okay. Now you have the bum legs.”
He throws his arms up. “I have no legs!”
I sit down until we’re at eye level, and I lean toward him, my arms on my knees. “Right. You have no legs and you’re pushing your wife out the door. You want her to find someone else. You want your kids to call someone else Dad.”
His face is red, and I can tell he’s about to blow. “You want to give up on the last twenty years of your life together, after you promised her forever, because you are hurt and don’t know how to be a man right now. Fuck, man, I know it sucks. I know better than anyone everything you sacrificed. But I can’t stand by and watch you sacrifice this.” I stand up, towering over him and point inside the house. “Peggy loves you and will love you no matter what. You’re killing her by pushing her away like this, and the only reason I’m not whupping your ass right now is because even though you’re a dumbass she’d still come in here and be mad at ME for wiping the floor with you even though we all know you deserve it right now.”
Jeremy is just staring at me, and the defensive look on his face, even though it’s still there, has softened a little. He doesn’t say anything, and I get it. Jeremy is a badass, always has been. And he’s not one to talk about emotions and shit like this. Fuck, none of us are. “Please, try, Jeremy. I can’t stand by and watch another man take your family because I’m telling you, you push her away, someone is going to snag her up. Will you be able to live with yourself after that?”
He seems lost in thought, so I sit back down and drink my now lukewarm soda. Neither one of us are much for talking right now, so I sit back in my chair and we watch the night go by in Jeremy’s neighborhood. There’s people outside working in their yards, kids skateboarding and riding bikes—the whole world is going on without anyone realizing the heartache that is happening in this house.
Jeremy interrupts my thoughts. “You done analyzing me?” he asks with a grunt.
I nod my head, knowing that I need to keep my mouth shut now. I’ve said what I’ve come to say. The rest is up to him.
“Go get the girls. I want to meet this woman that’s got you acting like some kind of emotional pussy now.”
I shake my head, laughing at him, but do as he asks.
Hope and Peggy come out and sit with us, Hope beside me and Peggy beside Jeremy. Hope has obviously won over both of my friends because we’re all laughing at the stories she’s telling of working at the bar. At one point, Hope pauses for a minute, and her hand goes to her chest. I’ve only had my eyes on her since she’s come out here, so I look where she’s looking and it appears Jeremy has reached over to hold Peggy’s hand, and she’s smiling at him. The way they’re looking at each other fucking makes me want to put my hand to my chest as well. Maybe Jeremy’s right: I am an emotional pussy now. I look over at Hope, and she’s now staring at me knowingly, and fuck, I want to kiss her so bad right now.
We stay just a little longer before I tell them we have to get on the road. When we leave, I promise Peggy that I’ll bring Hope back, right after I promise her that I’m not going to fuck this up.
We drive just down the block, and Hope’s voice fills the cab of my truck. “I like your friends.”
“They liked you,” I tell her instantly, reaching for her hand on her lap. She grabs on to me easily, threading her fingers with mine. She holds my hand on her thigh as her other arm wraps around mine.
“Do you think they’re going to be okay?” she asks quietly.
If she’d asked me that earlier, on the ride here, I would’ve told her I didn’t know. I know how bad all of this can fuck with your mind, thinking you’re not worthy. But now, seeing Jeremy and Peggy together, I hold on to hope that they can work it out. “I think they will be.”
She sighs with contentment.
“I know I should be telling you how sorry I am that our second date was spent like this, but I can’t. I’m glad you came. I think Peggy needed someone to talk to. She seemed a lot less stressed when we left than when we got there.”
She leans toward me, her breasts grazing my arm. “She did, didn’t she? She is so nice. I really do like her.”
We talk for the next hour about everything and nothing. My phone dings with a text. “Can you check that?” I ask her, handing it to her.
“It’s from Jeremy. You sure you want me to read it?” she asks.
“Sure.”
She opens the messaging app and starts to read. “Thanks for coming by. I’m going to do better. And thank Hope. My wife is smiling for the first time in a long time. Don’t fuck this up, buddy. She’s the real deal.” Hope stops reading and excitedly asks me, “So that’s good right? That sounds like they’re going to work on it. Right?”
Her excitement is contagious, and I laugh with her. “Yes, it sounds really promising. And he’s right, you know?”
“What do you mean?”
I squeeze her thigh. “You are the real deal. I don’t want to fuck this up, Hope.”
She lays my phone on the console and grabs on to my hand again. “Well, keep up the sweet talk and you won’t,” she dares me.
I’m calm and cool on the outside, but inside I’m sweating bullets. I know me. I know what an asshole I’ve been the last year, and the chances are that I’m going to fuck this up. I have to do whatever I can not to do just that.
As soon as we get into the city limits, I start to dread it, knowing this night is about to be over. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask her if she wants to go get something to eat, or hell, if she just wants me to park somewhere so we can talk some more.
When I get to the only red light in town, I turn to her, still not sure what to say.
She releases my hand and reaches for me, cupping my jaw. “So are you taking me home with you?”
I blink twice, wondering if I’m sure I heard what I thought I heard. “Do you want to go home with me?”
She doesn’t even hesitate. “More than anything.”
7
Cole
The whole ride to my house, I keep waiting to see if she’s going to change her mind. I should warn her because I’m pretty sure once I have her, I won’t be able to let her go. Is she only wanting one night? Because she’s already infiltrated my mind and my heart, and now my body is reacting to her like a man that hasn’t eaten in a month.