Page 39 of The Broken Beginning: Part One

“Fine,” he relented.

“And you don’t just get the easy parts at playtime. You can change his diaper, help feed him, bathe him, and dress him. All or nothing, Merc.”

“Well, I can’t magically produce his meals the way you can,” he teased while motioning to my breasts, one of which was still visible.

“I’ll pump some milk for bottles. The nurses told me about it before I left the hospital. I just have to get someone to take me to the store to buy a breast pump.”

“Didn’t you have a baby shower or something to get all the things you need.”

I really did laugh then. “Who the hell would throw me a baby shower, Merc? My dad? My best friend who was concerned with taking her SATs so she could get into college? My ex-best friend? No, she was too busy fucking you and making sure you weren’t available to me in an emergency.”

“She’s been dealt with.”

“She shouldn’t have had to be dealt with. Honestly, Merc. Who deals with you? It was your fault! She might have been a conniving bitch, but you’re the one who had her in your space, knew who she was to me, and still fucked her anyway. You know that day you drove me home from the party? She and I fought because she wanted to fuck you and thought my crush was stupid. You are what ended our friendship. Yet she was the reason you weren’t there to see your son born.”

“I didn’t know.”

“Who cares? The fact remains that her actions are on your shoulders, not hers alone.” I laughed. “Brinley made sure that everyone at school hated me, so all the friends I used to have, besides Stacey, wouldn’t talk to me anymore. They went out of their way to be mean, actually. The only old lady at the club who stopped by to give me anything was Liz, Junior’s woman. She gave me that blanket. Shannon, Stacey’s mom, gave me the baby monitor. There was no one else to give a shit about getting me things for the baby.”

He stood there, letting everything sink in, and maybe realizing that his shit treatment and behavior went far beyond what he thought it did. Merc thought I would be the most upset about him being with other women, because I once had a crush on him. He was a stupid man to think so. Carelessness and neglect did a far better job of forming a wall around my heart where he was concerned than who he was sleeping with or the fact that I’d only been with my husband one time, before we were married.

“I’ll take you to go get the pump tomorrow,” he finally told me as he moved toward the door.

“How do you plan on doing that?”

“I’m not stupid, I know I have to bring the truck, not the bike, Lily.”

I cocked my head to the side. “So, you have an infant car seat in your truck then?”

“Fuck!” he hissed the word under his breath before turning again and heading for the door. “I’ll get one.”

~*~

My dad and Boone happened to be there the next morning, checking in with me, when Merc showed up in a shiny, new, red Jeep Cherokee.

“Nice new wheels you got. Decided to trade in the truck?”

“No.” Merc told Boone and instead of adding anything more to it, he walked right over to me and dropped the keys to the vehicle into my hand – the one that wasn’t holding our son. “Car seat is already installed.”

I laughed. “I told you that you needed a car seat in the truck in order to take me to the store, not a whole new truck.”

“And you need a vehicle to get the two of you around whenever I’m not here, so that’s yours. I got another car seat installed in my truck.” He shrugged his shoulders, while keeping his back to our fathers. That was probably wise, because both of their jaws were scraping the floor. “Damn car seat took up so much room in my truck, the three of us would barely fit. Figured you can drop me at the clubhouse to pick it up after we go get your pump thing.” He was pointing at my breasts as he said that, and Boone nearly doubled over laughing at his son’s awkward as all hell reference to a breast pump.

“Boy, never thought I’d see the day!” Boone chuckled.

“About damn time,” my dad muttered under his breath as he turned to look out the window at the Jeep that was apparently now mine. I’ll admit, Merc had finally surprised me in a good way.

“Well, I guess you two have this parenting thing covered for now, so we’ll be on our way.” Boone turned and ran his hand down my father’s back as he continued to stare out at the Jeep. “Come on, let’s give them some space. Seems my boy has his head removed from his ass. At least for today, anyway.” Boone gave two pats to my dad’s lower back, where he hadn’t removed his hand before and then finally stepped away and opened the door for Dad to go through. He never did turn back around and say goodbye or anything, so I think Boone was just helping to keep my dad’s overflowing emotions from being seen.

Once they were gone, Merc turned to me and there was this weird look on his face. “Do you ever get the idea that maybe those two…” He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe he was about to say what he was thinking.

“Are a couple?” I finished for him.

“Yeah,” he whispered.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Not my business unless they make it that way, but ever since my mom left, I’ve always felt that there was something more between them. Like her leaving left it open for them to finally become more than friends.”

“You’re okay with that?”

---