Acting On Temptation (Temptations) (14 page)

Our Mom comes walking into the foyer and hugs us, “Hello girls, I’m glad you’re home.”

Gabby and I look at each other.  Who is this lady and what did she do with our Mom?

I look at her, “Okay well we are going to go unpack, then we have to go pick up a few last minute Christmas gifts.”

She smiles, “Alright.  Where are you going?”

Gabby stares at her, “We are going to drive down to
Pier Park.”

Mom smiles, “Okay, just be careful.”

We nod and leave the room.

***

A couple of hours later Gabby and I are at Pier Park shopping.  I look over at Gabby, “What are you getting Linc?”

She laughs, “I got him some collection of SEC greatest moments.  It’s like a day worth of football. So all of the guys should love it.  What are you getting Russ?”

“I’m getting him a gold ID bracelet.”

She laughs, “How middle school of you.”

I roll my eyes, “No, it’s real gold and it’s personalized.  It’s has something special on it.”

She chuckles, “Like what, ‘Thanks for taking my v-card.’”

I shove her, “Shut up.  No it’s just something we’ve talked about.”

She nods, “Okay.  Now on to a difficult gift.  What are we getting Cade?”

I shake my head, “I have no clue.  I asked Daria and she’s getting him some signed football or something she found on ebay.  I hate to just give him crap. I want to give him something special from us.  I mean, he really has always been there for us.”

It hits me, “I have an idea.  Are you ready to go home?”

She nods, “Yeah, I just need to pay for this.”

On the way home, I’m explaining my gift idea.  “See I was thinking and we don’t have a single birthday party picture, special occasion or anything that Cade wasn’t there.  Let’s do a collage of sorts in a small guy friendly scrapbook.  Pictures of all three of us growing up.  We can go look through his mom’s pictures and our parent’s old pictures.”

She smiles, “That’s a great idea.”

***

We spend the next day gathering up pictures and memories from our childhood and making Cade this awesome present.  I make a quick trip to the grocery store for my Mom.  As I walk out, I feel like someone is watching me.  As I’m unlocking the car door, someone grabs my arm.  I spin around to face Jack.  “What do you want?”

“I see you’re back in town.
”  He leans down to speak in my ear, “Did you miss me?”

I pull away, “No.”

“So I see you’re still playing the whole, ‘I hate you’ bit.  You’ll come around even your Mother says so.”

I shake my head in
disgust, “Well, you were misinformed by my Mother.  I hate you, I don’t want to be near you.  You make my skin crawl and you make me want to vomit, thinking about that your lips have ever been on me.”

He slaps me, “You really need to learn to watch your mouth.”

I catch my balance on the car and look down in the grocery bags.  I grab a can of cranberry sauce, spin around and smash his nose before he can think twice.  As blood is pouring from his nose, “No you really need to learn what stay away from me means.  So from now on anytime you think about me, think about your broke ass nose and the fact that if you ever approach me again, I’ll break more than your fucking nose.”

I turn around and get in the car and pull out of the parking lot with him still holding his nose.  I’m on such an adrenaline rush coming back into the house I guess I didn’t notice the blood on my shirt from his nose.  Gabby looks up at me as I come in the door, “What the hell happened?”

I look down, “Oh, I ran into Jack.  We had words he slapped me and I hit him in the nose with a can of cranberry sauce.”  I chuckle, “I think I broke his nose.”

She laughs, “Okay, well lets clean up your lip and find you a clean shirt.”

As we walk through the kitchen, we feel the tension between our parents.  As soon as my Dad sees me
he walks over to me, “What happened to you?”

I rehash the story one more time for my parents.  My Dad is furious, “Let’s go file a report at the police station, I want an
injunction against him.”

My Mother rolls her eyes, “The police don’t give people like Jack restraining orders.  They look at stupid little girls like Anna and laugh.”

Gabby stands up, “Really Mother, Seriously that’s all you have to say.”

Mom stands up, “What do you want me to say?”

Gabby snarls, “We want you to be a fucking Mother and give a shit about us.”

My Moms voice went an
octave higher, “I GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOU GUYS.  WHY DO YOU THINK I WANT ANNA WITH JACK?  FOR HER FUTURE!”

My Dad looks over, “
Jillian, quit being such a bitch!”

My Mom stops, “Excuse me?”

My Dad throws his hands up, “Our daughter has been hurt and all you can see is wanting country clubs and dollar signs for her future.  You don’t care that the guy is a sorry piece of shit, who would always hit her and cheat on her.”

Gabby and I are standing there in shock watching them.  My parents haven’t ever been the most affectionate to each other in front of us, but
they’ve never really argued in front of  us either, this is all too wild.

My Dad looks at my Mom, “Jillian we should just stop this right now.  I know I wanted to wait until after Christmas, but I can’t do this.”

She throws her hands in the air, “FINE!  Your father and I are getting divorced.”  She smirks, “I can thank you girls and all of your drama for it partially.”

My Dad stands
back up with this angry look on his face, “OH NO YOU DON’T.  Do not try to put any blame on the girls for this.  You are the one who was screwing your partner at work and got pregnant.”

Gabby drops the glass she’s been holding and it shatters on the floor.

Russ

              “I know I’m going to sound like a total bitch pussy right now, but I really miss Anna.”

Linc looks at me, “Man that doesn’t make you a
pussy. If it does then I should be starting my period right about now.”  We are hanging out in his game room, shooting pool with Vivy and Rand, Linc’s sisters. 

Rand and Vivy both chuckle,
Rand says, “Well, you know I always thought you two were kinda girly.”  Vivy nods her head in agreement.

Vivy laughs, “Hey remember when we used to dress them up when they were little.  Putting make-up and stuff on them.”

Linc looks at his sisters, “Don’t worry you two still have some serious ass payback coming.  Russ and I are just waiting for the perfect opportunity.”  We are all laughing when my phone and Linc’s phones go off at the same time.  I pick up my phone

Anna: Change of plans we are headed your way now.

Me: What’s up is everything okay?

Anna: No, I’ll explain when we get there.

Me: Okay you guys drive safe.

Anna:  Ok
. Where are you?

Me: I’m at
Linc’s I’ll stay here until you get here.

Anna:  K
 
ILY

Me:  ILY2

             
Linc looks at me with the same confused look I have on.  “What did Anna say?”

“She said they are headed this way, she’d explain when they got here.”

“Gabby said all hell broke loose at home so they left.”

“I told Anna I’d wait here for her.”

Linc chuckles, “Cool, that’ll give me a chance to win my money back from you.”

             
Eventually Vivy and Rand go upstairs to crash, Linc and I hang out and watch some action movies.  I know we are both wondering the same thing
“What in the hell happened?”

Linc’s phone goes off around midnight and I guess we’d both dosed off on the couch, he stands up, “They should be here in a second they are turning down the street.  You go open the door, I’m gonna go make coffee.”

I nod and walk to Linc’s front door, waiting for the lights to shine in the front windows.  Sure enough within minutes they were getting out of the car.  I opened the door and could tell they’d both been crying.  As they walk in I motion them toward the kitchen, we’d explain to my aunt and uncle tomorrow why they are here early.

We walk into the game room.
Linc is bringing in the coffee pot.  I lean over to kiss Anna, when our lips touch she winces.  “Anna what’s wrong?”  I pull back and finally notice her lip is split.  “What the Hell happened?”

Anna just shakes her head and points to Gabby.  Anna’s always more emotional than Gabby.  Gabby takes a look around the room and starts telling us about Jack hitting Anna, her breaking his nose. 
Which kinda turns me on…
Then the big blow.  Linc and I look at them, “Holy Shit.”

Gabby looks at us, “Yeah, I mean we knew something was off with our Mom when we first got home.  I never would’ve imagined something like this though.”

Anna wipes her face, “Dad wanted us to have one last good Christmas.  I ruined that for us.”

I pull her in, “No baby, none of this was your fault.”

Gabby sits on the other side of her, “That’s right short stuff.  Mom started this when she spread her legs for that dickhead she works with.  Don’t let the shit that she says get to you.”

I look over at them, “Why what did she say?”

Gabby shakes her head, “Oh when they first told us, she said that she could thank the two of us and all of our drama.  That’s when Dad went off and told us she was pregnant by someone else.”

About that time my Aunt Mary comes in the room, in her robe.  She looks around, “I thought I still heard voices down here.”  She
sees the girl’s faces and walks over to Gabby and pulls her up, “Gabby honey, what’s wrong?”

Gabby lays her head on my Aun
t and cries, telling her everything.  I guess she just needed an actual mother figure to cry to.  It seems like her mother was never much of one.  Aunt Mary looks at Anna and smiles, “And you must be Anna, Gabby’s little sister and the wonderful young lady who has stolen the heart of my handsome nephew.”

Gabby pulls back and wipes her face, “Yes ma’am this is my sister.  I forgot that you guys still hadn’t met.  Tonight has just been rough.”

Aunt Mary nods, “Well you girls make yourselves at home, I’m sorry your Christmas had to be like this.  Russ are you staying tonight?”

I nod, “Yes ma’am, I was going to go home but now I’m not.”

She smiles, “Okay well I’m going back to bed.”  She walks around giving each of us a hug and kiss goodnight, “Russ let your Momma know you aren’t coming home tonight she doesn’t need to be worrying about you at this time of night.”

I nod, “Yes ma’am I’ve already sent them a text.”

She waves, “Okay I’ll see you kids in the morning.”

We all wave a goodnight.  Linc looks at me, “Well I think you girls need to get some rest.  Come on.  Anna you and Russ can crash in the spare bedroom.”

Anna

              I roll over as the light shines through the bedroom window.  For a few minutes I don’t remember where I am.  Then all the events from yesterday come bounding back to my brain.  My Mom is going to have a kid at forty-two and not only that, but by another man.  Russ has his arm draped across my middle, I slide out of the bed and go in search of a bathroom. 

As I walk into the hall I run into a tall blonde girl.  She looks at me and laughs, “You must be Anna.  I’m Rand, Linc’s sister.”

“Oh nice to meet you, I’m sorry I ran into you.  I was looking for the bathroom.”

She smiles, “Oh, it’s the third door down.  Don’t go in the next one after that is Linc’s room and I’m sure you are like me and don’t want to know what goes on in there.”

I laugh, “Um yeah, I live with them remember?”

She cocks her hip, “So you stole my little male whore
cousin’s heart.  That is just too cute.”

“Thanks…I think.”

“Oh yeah, he’s a great guy.  He hasn’t always had it easy in the ways of love and heartache.  From what I hear though you two are completely smitten with each other.”

I nod and bite my lower lip, “Yeah, I know I am.”

I feel arms around my waist, and I yelp.  Rand giggles and looks behind me, “Good morning Russ.  I was just introducing myself to your girl here.  She seems really sweet.”

I feel like I’m about to pee my pants and Russ scaring me didn’t help.  He starts nipping at my neck, “I missed you when I woke up.”

“I was headed to the bathroom.  Now I really have to go because you scared the shit out of me.”

He laughs, “Did Rand tell you where it was?”

“Yes, I’ll be back in a second.”

He starts down the hall behind me, “Hey, I’m coming with you.  I have to pee too.”

I stop in my tracks, “No you’re not.  Go find another bathroom.”

He shrugs, “What?  I need to go too.”