Page 14 of Cross My Heart
“Ok, true, but I might have a date later,” Preston says through a lop-sided grin.
“By date, you mean late-night hook-up.” Loki points out.
“I don’t miss those nights,” I tell him.They never held the same appeal to me.I have even less desire for them now.
“Maybe that’s your issue, dude. You need to get laid.” Pres is our resident man-whore these days. Loki rolls his eyes and goes to the fridge for a beer as Trevor walks in.
“What the hell, Trev?” Preston greets him, “You’re the richest son of a bitch and you look homeless.”
Leave it to Preston to call people out.
Trevor has a trust fund but has never touched it. The other guys don’t know the shit his father has done. I can understand why he doesn’t touch the money.He feels it's tainted. At the same time, he doesn’t need to live like a pauper. His tech company is about to take off, I can feel it. He is the smartest out of the four of us, and it’s only a matter of time.
“Fuck off, Pres. I’m not in the mood. What’s up, Dex? It’s been a long time since you’ve sent an S.O.S. you ok?” Trevor asks.
He always sees through my bullshit.
“What S.O.S.? I just got a text saying beers at his house!” I love Preston like a brother, but he is an entitled asshole with his head in the clouds sometimes.
Loki hands us all beers and we head into the family room. I’ve been able to get through a few boxes, but it’s still a shit show.Maybe I should have hired unpackers too, I think. But then I have to admit to myself that that was never an option. I just couldn’t bring myself to spend money like that yet.
Trevor glances around and shakes his head. He has a long gulp of his beer before setting it down on the only empty table in the room and opens a box. “If you called us here to unpack for you, I’m going to be pissed,” Preston says, annoyed.
Loki shoves him, “Fuck off, Preston. He didn’t call us here to help unpack, but since we are here, the least we can do is help.”
“He has three small kids, so stop being a prick and get off your ass to help.” Trevor insists as well.
We have all been friends for years. Trevor and I met Preston and Loki in middle school, but it’s Trevor that I’ve always counted on. Trevor is Tate’s Godfather; he was also the first one there the night Anna left. He turns to me and frowns, “Dex, what’s up? The last S.O.S. was when Bitchzilla left.”
I can’t help but smile. “Just how long have you called Anna, Bitchzilla? I know the name started well before she left.”
“Dude, you know she always hated us.” Loki shrugs. “We may have first called her Bitchzilla after senior prom when she wouldn’t ride home in the limo with us.” He is right, Anna never liked these guys, and I wasn’t willing to give them up.
“Dexter. Honest to God. Why do those assholes have to come over here every Friday night?”
“Anna,” I say, walking around the table I’m setting up for poker to hug her “It’s once a month, we all take turns.”
“Ugh, I just figured once we got married, you’d get more mature friends.” She says, rolling her eyes.
“Don’t start, Anna, please. I’m not sure why you have always disliked them so much, but they are my best friends.They aren’t going anywhere. I don’t expect you to spend all your time with them, but you do need to treat them with the same level of respect I show your friends.”
“Whatever, Dexter.Just make sure they are out of here by midnight. And if I find beer all over the counter again, I’ll make sure they never want to be here again.”
Trevor nudges me out of the memory.I let out a long sigh. Again, with the sighing. I want to roll my eyes at myself but answer him instead. “Nanny number three bit the dust...two and a half weeks ago.” I cringe because I know they are about to rain down on me. However, when I look up, I just see hurt faces.
Preston is the first to speak. “What? Why didn’t you call us, man? We know what you have going on with the company.We would have been here in shifts to help out. We love those kids more than we love you,” he gives me a wicked smile and continues somberly. “We would have been here.”
“Better be careful there, Pres, or we might start to think the asshole persona is all an act,” I tell him, but I feel like a prick again; it is becoming a familiar feeling for me. I hang my head and answer. “I know, I’m sorry. I just felt like an asshole. This is my family! I should be able to handle this shit.” I dare a glance around the room and see all their disappointed faces. Fuck.
Loki clears his throat. “Listen, man, we love you, but your family is our family too. We are in this with you. You have to understand you’re not on your own. Let us help. Have you interviewed new nannies yet? Fuck, dude, you have to be in London in what, ten days?”
“Yeah, and I did interview a woman.” I can’t help the grin that threatens my face. I raise my head to see my three best friends exchanging worried expressions. “What? I see you all. What’s with the look?”
This time, it's Trevor to sit next to me. “You like her.”
“What? I don’t know her. The interview was the biggest clusterfuck of my life. She swooped in here, took Harper from my arms, and got her to stop crying immediately, might I add. Then, she essentially told me to shut up while she got my kids settled. Then and only then would she let me know when we could carry on with the interview.”
They all bust up laughing until I add, “She got Tate to speak,” I let my head hang again. The shame I feel over Tate’s pain is unbearable.
