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“Are you all right, Tylar?” he asked, concern in his voice.
“I just remembered last night. Maybe it was a nightmare?”
“You know Tylar,” he said gently, “we've no reason to feel ashamed about last night. Caroline’s behavior was completely out of line and she’ll be the one who feels sheepish about showing her face around the family today. We've no reason to feel uncomfortable.”
“If you think for one flippin’ minute I’d step foot out of this room today to face your family after that horrific scene last night, you don’t know how I roll.”
“Be reasonable, Tylar,” he said, sitting up now. “I doubt if anyone is even aware of what happened, other than Nigel.”
“I don’t care, Trey. It’s not that she just walked in on us and made those crude statements at the top of her voice, but she stood there ogling your junk and then made that hateful remark to your brother! On top of that, she was getting her digs in at me all afternoon yesterday and the only people who actually tried to diffuse the situation were your mother and Tristan. I didn’t hear you step in.”
I pulled the covers off and got out of bed, going to Trey’s massive closet to get my clothes. Trey was right behind me. I'd riled him up but I didn’t care. I felt that if he'd put Caroline in her place earlier she might have thought twice about crashing into our bedroom and making a scene at the worst possible time.
“Wait one second, Tylar,” he said. “I took the high road yesterday even though I was just as pissed as you at her rudeness. I did that for the family, for Mom and Dad. We’ve been exposed to Caroline’s outbursts for years. It’s just something that has to be tolerated. She’s not going to change. She’s after all, my brother’s wife. I’m sorry if you felt that I didn’t defend your honor by exchanging barbs with her.”
I whirled around in the closet to face him, angrier than ever. “I see,” I said very quietly, checking my emotions, “you did that for the family. Who am I to you then Trey? My feelings—they don’t matter?” I grabbed my clothes and underwear, heading for the bathroom. Trey caught my arm but I shook free.
“Tylar,” his voice was taking on a trace of condescension now, “I didn’t mean it like that. You misunderstood me.”
“There was no misunderstanding, Trey. For the record, I don’t think for a minute that you were taking the high road. I think you were taking the path of least resistance, and in this case it caused me to be insulted and hurt. I guess now I see howyouroll. Merry Christmas!” I shut the bathroom door behind me, turning the lock. I heard him curse under his breath and smack the door with his hand, cursing again. I showered quickly and got dressed for the day.
When I returned to the bedroom, Trey was sulking, giving me the silent treatment. That was fine with me. He had his clothes in his arms, and entered the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it behind him.
Really Trey?
I fished my phone out of my purse and called Gina. She picked up after the first ring.
“Merry Christmas, Ty!”
“Oh Gina,” I said, dissolving into tears.
When she finally calmed me down, I shared with her the story.
“That's fucked up on so many levels,” she replied. “Listen Ty, do you want me to call Aunt Becky? I’m sure she’d love some company today. It’s just her and my grouchy uncle.”
“I don’t know Gina. Part of me doesn’t want Caroline to think she ran me off, but the other part of me just doesn’t feel like being messed with on Christmas.”
“Go with the second option, Ty. You have a baby to think about. All that puking and stress last night certainly isn’t good.”
She was right; I suddenly realized that I hadn’t felt the baby move since last night’s chaos. This brought a fresh flow of tears.
“What now? What’s wrong?” Gina was worried.
“I haven’t felt the baby move since all of this happened,” I squeaked in a high-pitched voice.
“Listen to me. I'm hanging up the phone and I'm calling my aunt, okay? You stay put and I'll call you back in three minutes, I promise.”
Moments later Gina called to report that Becky was on her way to get me. Gina ordered me to take a day of rest with her aunt and get some perspective. I knew that Trey would be pissed, but for right now, he wasn't my first priority. My little baby was my first priority. I could hear the shower still running in the bathroom. Trey would be another 20 minutes. I pulled a hoodie on over my head, threw my phone and charger into my purse, and slipped out of the house. I met Becky in the driveway and we sped off. I apologized profusely for disturbing her on Christmas.
“Listen,” she said, her tone serious, “Gina gave me a 30-second run down of what happened. When she mentioned that drunken bitch, Caroline, I knew I had to come and get you.”
“I don’t want to cause any issues with you and the Sinclairs, though. You do work for them, Becky.”
“My job description doesn’t say anything about me not helping someone in need. You're in need. I’ve seen Caroline in action before and it’s clear that Nigel married a drunken bitch who’s methodically castrated him over the years. It’s no wonder he had a fling.”
What? Does Trey know?
“Nigel had an affair?”
