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I let out a hard puff.Forget it.She's the one being unreasonable, not me.
A little while later, I place our glasses on the living room table and take a seat next to Samantha, who's sitting in her favorite spot on the couch watching a marathon of funny blooper videos.
* * *
It'smidnight when my phone vibrates in my pocket. First, my gaze goes to my daughter, who dozed off and lies curled up into a little ball beside me. I retrieve my cellphone to find a text message from Brian. I open it and read,call me.
For a moment I hesitate, but when my eyes drift to my side, I slide it back into my pocket.I'll call him back tomorrow.I get up and grab a blanket from a cabinet and place it over Samantha. She lets out a slight purr and snuggles with the cover. Her blonde bun that's on top of her head hangs to the side, and a few strands that broke loose caress her cheeks. She’s like a sleeping angel, and I wonderis it normal for parenthood to come with these intense feelings of responsibility that make you second guess everything you do? How do I protect her from more pain and discomfort than she already encountered?
I let the top of my fingers brush her cheek. She has many physical traits from me, but when she smiles, she is the spitting image of Jessica, who had the power to make me forget my worries by smiling. We clicked from the moment I walked into the diner. She was friendly, kind, and she always made fun of my serious attitude and approach to life every chance she got. When I was too pensive, she would pull me out of it by sticking out her tongue and crossing her eyes at me. I grin, thinking back to those moments.
Samantha murmurs something when my phone wails. I step away from her and pick up to stop the noise.
"What's wrong?" I ask stepping onto the terrace. "Couldn't it wait until tomorrow?"
"No, it can’t. It’s about Alisha," Brian says in a clear tone.
My mind switches into a higher gear. "What? Has something happened?"
Brian chuckles. "Oh, you could say that. She's here and stirring things up."
"What? She's at Six-Pack? What the hell is she doing there?"
"Well, she arrived in a taxi, and Vince, who stood at the door, recognized her. He let her in, and when she asked Vince if I was in, he called me. I went looking for her, and when I found her, it was clear she had been drinking. She hugged me and said I was the person she was looking for."
My pulse speeds up, and my heartbeat pounds in my throat.
"Now I understand why she and Amanda get along so well. Those women know how to surprise the shit out of you."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, she asked me a very specific question."
"What did she ask you?"
My best friend clears his throat. "She asked me to have sex with her."
A blazing fire awakens in the pit of my stomach as pictures of Brian running his fingers over Alisha's skin fly through my mind.Over my dead body.
"I'll be there in thirty minutes." I hang up and walk inside. Midway through the living room, I stop at the sight of my sleeping daughter lying on the couch.Shit.I hurry to my office, grab a piece of paper, and write a short note to Samantha—in case she wakes up. I tell her I had to leave for a little while, and that if she needs me, she can call me. On my way out, I place the memo on the table next to her phone, and after a soft kiss on her hair, I seize my car keys off the table by the door and leave.
* * *
The gravel cracklesunder my shoes as I storm over the parking lot towards the entrance of Six-Pack. Emotions—hot as lava—boil deep inside my system. Vince, from security, mumbles something to his colleague when he registers me coming his way.
"Hey, Cole," he says with a genuine smile while opening the door. "Brian is waiting for you by his office."
I nod and walk through. The enormous open area is buzzing with people even on this regular workday. Darius, who's behind the bar, sees me and waves, but I keep moving—don't have time for small talk. My temper rises at the sight of Brian—standing against the wall next to his office door—with a shit-eating, annoying grin. He's enjoying this.
I press my finger into his chest as I stop before him. "You better have turned her down."
"Hey, easy there. You know I'm not interested in stealing away your woman."
"She's not… my woman. She's a goddamn stubborn mule who's giving me a headache."
Brian chuckles. "Thank God she asked me the question and not some stranger, because I can tell you, she gave it her all," he says, smiling even wider.
My heart kicks into overdrive as more pictures of them together pop into my mind.
