Rhett by Margaret McHeyzer
A message comes through from Mom. Get your ass home, right now.
I can’t, I need to head out.I reply as I get ready to go and sit at May’s house tonight.
It’s not a request.
Shit, she found out. I’ll be there soon. I’ll go to Mom’s, stay there for no more than half an hour, then head out to Hope River before I have to come back home to get ready for work in the morning. I look at the time, and realize it’s not even five in the afternoon. Dani won’t be home until after eleven, because she has the closing shift at the restaurant.
I’ll pack my clothes, and sleep in the car. If something happens, I need to be close to Dani so I can help. If that means sleeping in my car, so be it.
I fucking hate not having Dani with me. It makes living here unbearable. I walk out of my house, and head to the car. As I drive to Mom’s I mentally prepare myself for the Wrath of Elise. But she can’t say anything I don’t already feel.
Dread takes over as I park my car in front of the house and walk inside. “Mom, I’m here,” I call once I’m inside.
“Get your ass in here, Rhett.” Oh shit, she’s mad. I walk to the back of the house, where she’s standing in the family room, with her hands on her hips. “Sit down,” she demands.
Sweat rolls down my back as I wait for her to tear me a new asshole. “Mom, I...”
“Shut the fuck up.” She points at me. “Why am I the last to hear about what’s going on?” I puff my cheeks then slowly blow the air out. “Tell me what happened?”
“What have you heard?”
“Well, let me see. Dani’s pregnant with my grandbaby, and you were an asshole and accused her of sleeping around. Um, she’s left your sorry ass, and you’ve been a complete dick at work. Have I missed anything?”
“No, that’s basically everything.”
“Why in the hell did you accuse her of sleeping around? That girl worships the ground you walk on. She doesn’t look at anyone the way she looks at you. What the hell, Rhett?”
“I know,” I say as I lower my chin, ashamed and embarrassed by my actions.
She steps up to me, and slaps me on the back of the head. “I have never been as disappointed in you as I am right now.”
“I’m trying to fix it, Mom.”
“How?”
“Any possible way I can. I’m not leaving her alone. If something happens and I’m not there, I’ll lose my mind, Mom.”
Mom crosses her arms in front of her chest as she paces back and forth. “Fix this, Rhett. I’m not losing out on being in my grandbaby’s life because of you. Do you hear me?”
“I know. I’m trying.”
“Do more and try harder!” She plonks herself down next to me, and shakes her head. The silence between us is stifling. “What the hell happened, Rhett?” she asks, much calmer.
“Dani told me she was pregnant and I freaked out. I wish I could go back and change what I said, because I didn’t mean it.”
“Funny things about words, they can ruin lives.”
“Mom, I’ve barely eaten or slept since she left me. If you’re trying to make me feel bad, trust me, I’m already there.”
She slings her arm over my shoulder and brings me in for a hug. “You’re a dumbass, but you don’t have an evil bone in your body. You love Dani as much as she loves you, so you need to really figure out how to get her back.”
“I won’t live without her and the baby.”
“Right, well, tell me what the plan is so I can help?”
“I want to buy Dani a new car, because she’s going to need it for the baby.”
“Yes, she’ll need a new car, but think about it this way. The person you love, who said some pretty horrible things to you, shows up with the offer of a new car. It’s insulting. She can’t be bought.”
I let out a humorless chuckle. “That’s exactly what she said.”
“So, think, what else can you do to show her you’re here for her and the baby?”
I lift my shoulders and hands in surrender. “Maybe I can start getting things ready for the baby? I can convert the front bedroom into a nursery.”
“See, now you’re thinking like a father, instead of an asshole.”
Mom makes me smile. “I don’t want to be an asshole, Mom.”
“You’re a male. Being an asshole is in your DNA. Your father could be an asshole too. Obviously, you got it from him.”
“Do you think any of the baby stores would be open now?” I ask.
“Well, yeah, but wait until after you finish work and take the time to look for things.”
“I don’t know what to buy, though. I know we’ll need a crib, and a car seat and a stroller, but what else?”
Mom chuckles and shakes her head. “Ask Dani if she wants to come with you, if she says no, then I’ll come. Dani comes first from here on in, are you hearing me?”
“I never put anyone before her, Mom. I just ran my mouth before I thought and said things that hurt her. I understand why she’s so upset over it. But I’ll never do anything to hurt her again.”
“Don’t be stupid. Of course, you will. Not because it’s intentional, but because you’ll say whatever comes to mind before thinking it through. But you need to learn how to grovel. It’s a lesson you’ll need for the rest of your life.” I chuckle some more. “Or learn to appreciate your sofa.”
Mom leans in and gives me a kiss on the temple. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
“Although this seems quite overwhelming now, Dani loves you, and the three of you will be together as a family.”
I hope so.
I turn off my lights as I sit and watch Dani get out of her car, and trudge up to the stable apartment. She stops short of entering, and turns to look at me. She knows I followed her from the restaurant, because I was leaning against my car, parked in the lot behind hers, when she left.
As Dani heads inside, I lean my head on the backrest, and close my eyes. I need to catch a few hours’ sleep before work tomorrow.
I don’t even notice when I fall asleep, but the knocking on the window startles me.
I look around, trying to find the source of sound. I look at my phone and see it’s nearly two in the morning. “Jesus,” I murmur. There’s another knock on the window. Dani’s standing next to the car, wearing a cardigan wrapped tight around her long nightgown. I get out of the car, and try to blink until I’m fully awake. “What are you doing out here, Dani? Is everything okay?” I ask.
“You’ve got work in a few hours. Go home and get some sleep.”
“I was sleeping in my car. I’m fine.”
“Why are you even here?”
“In case you need me,” I answer honestly.
Dani looks down, and shuffles her feet against the loose gravel. “You need to be in a comfortable bed, not in a car. If you’re called to an emergency, you need to be alert.”
“I need to be close to you in case anything happens.”
“Rhett, if you fall asleep on the job, I’m going to feel like shit. And I don’t want to feel responsible for you not doing your job properly.”
“I’m fine. We’ve got cots at the station that we can sleep on, and honestly, my car is an upgrade from those.”
Dani clenches her jaw as she stares at me. “Drive your car up to the stable. You can sleep on the sofa.” She starts walking back up to the house.
Yes! A breakthrough, it’s only a tiny step, but I’ll take this over nothing at all. “Dani, come with me.” I open the passenger door and wait for her to return. But being the hard-ass she is, she shakes her head and keeps walking up the driveway. I get in my car, and slowly follow Dani.
She heads straight for the sliding door while I park my car and grab my backpack. The moment I’m inside, Dani comes out of her room holding a pillow and a blanket. “Good night, Rhett.” She hands them to me and heads back into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
“Good night,” I say even though she can’t hear me. I make up the sofa, and lie on it. This is a start. A slow, but positive step toward us rebuilding our fractured relationship.
Thank God.
