Easter's Lilly (17 page)

He walked me down the hall to Diego’s room and knocked on the door. Diego opened it and Hector said, “She feels better now. Thanks for letting me take care of her.”

“
Where’d you sleep?” he asked.

“
He slept on the floor,” I quickly answered.

“
Thank you, Hector,” he continued. “I owe you one.”

“
I did it for Max,” he said. “I did it for Lilly.” He turned and walked away. I suddenly felt very alone. Diego closed the door behind me and said, “I’m going to go make you some breakfast. Why don’t you take a shower and get dressed.”

“
You don’t want to…” I stopped myself.

“
You need a little time. That’s okay. Go clean up. I’ll see you in a few.” He walked out and I sat down on the bed in shock.

Diego didn’t try to get intimate with me for at least a week. But I wouldn’t respond to him as I did before and the emptiness became almost unbearable. I grew very depressed.

—

I decided to go to the creek, where Max and I last made love. I walked to the rocks and noticed that his beer bottle was still sitting there. I picked it up and Hector came up beside me. I jumped a little. “Sorry,” he said, “but I’m supposed to be watching you.”

“
It’s not mine,” I told him, holding up the beer bottle. “It was Max’s last time he was here.”

“
If you want, I’ll leave you alone but I have to be able to see you. I’ll give you your privacy, though,” he suggested.

“
No,” I answered. “It’s all right. I could use the company.” We sat down on the rocks and looked out at the water. “How is he?” I asked. “My eyes filled up with tears as soon as I asked him. He put his arm around me and said, “Only seven more weeks,” and he smiled.

“
Can I talk to him?” I asked.

“
Lilly, I think that will make it worse.” He paused for a moment. “Try to get used to him being gone. I started to cry and put my head in my hands. He pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to me. “Did he ever tell you about Darla?”

“
Darla?” I asked. “Johnny’s roommate’s girlfriend?”

“
Johnny’s
brother’s
girlfriend,” he answered. “Patrick was Johnny’s brother.”

“
What is up with that guy?” I asked. “He lied to me about everything.”

“
It appears that way,” he answered. “Pat started out as John’s enforcer until he started dipping his hand in the candy jar. Then he became Johnny’s permanent houseguest.

“
Darla? Max and Darla?” I asked in surprise.

“
It was before you got here. They met at one of those territory meetings.”

“
Okay, I can see that,” I blurted.

“
They started… fooling around, I guess we’ll call it.”

“
Max?” I asked. “How, out of character.”

“
Yeah, real out of character,” he said sarcastically. “What’s he doing with you?”

“
He waited almost four years,” I answered.

“
Well, he didn’t with her.” He looked down. “They snuck around for a while and I think that’s when Pat started using.”

“
So, I was hanging around John when all this was going on?”

“
Yes, you were. I think it ended a day or two before you got here.”

“
What happened?” I was saturated with curiosity.

“
Pat caught Max and Darla together.” He cleared his throat. “He vowed revenge and came after Darla when Max was gone.”

“
I don’t like where this is headed,” I answered.

“
Long story short, Max found Patrick after he had beaten and raped Darla and he was on top of her on the floor.” I gasped. “Max shot him without a second thought and Patrick fell dead on the floor beside her.”

“
Self-defense, right?” I asked.

“
Darla reached over, pulled Patrick’s gun out from his waistband and blew her brains out.”

“
Oh my God!” I shouted. “Right in front of him?”

“
Right in front of him.” He took my hand. “So, when you got here, he wasn’t just helping you out…”

“
I was helping him heal too,” I finished.

“
Please don’t doubt that his love is true. He has grown very attached to you.” I smiled. “And no more ‘gun to the head’ thing, okay?”

“
I can’t believe I did that,” I answered.

“
It’s our world, Lilly.” He picked the beer bottle out of my hand and dumped the contents out onto the grass. “It’s dark, its ugly and it often destroys the women we choose to let into it.”

“
Why didn’t he share that with me?” I asked.

“
I think he’s a little ashamed,” he answered. “For starters, he took a woman that didn’t belong to him and in the end, he couldn’t protect her.” I started to see the similarities to our situations. “That’s why it’s important that I watch you,” he continued. “He trusts me.”

“
Its just hard without him,” I added.

“
Lilly, right now I’m your safest relationship.”

“
And how’s that?” I asked.

“
I’ll never ask you for sex and you can tell me anything and I won’t turn you in.” He laughed.

“
Turn me in?” I asked.

“
I won’t tell your husband, or your boyfriend.” He put the bottle down on the grass beside him.

“
My husband or my boyfriend,” I repeated. “Never thought those words would be in my vocabulary.”

“
The good news is, with Max out of the picture, Diego won’t be so… demanding.” He smiled. I was a little embarrassed but I knew to what he was referring.

“
Do you think so?” I asked with a glimmer of hope.

“
I think he was just trying to wear you out to keep Max at bay,” he answered. “Not that anything could keep Max at bay,” and he laughed to himself.

“
Cut it out,” I said and I hit him playfully on the shoulder. We both laughed.

“
Look, a smile,” he said. “That’s good.”

“
I hope you’re right,” I added. “I only want to be with Max.”

“
That’s not what you said last night.” He looked up at me with a vague memory of our one night of closeness in his eyes.

“
Shut up!” I yelled and smacked him in the arm again. This time I think I hurt my hand and I shook it in pain. He shook his head at me. “You wouldn’t have… if I…” I was too embarrassed to finish the sentence.

“
Sometimes I think you’re a little too curious for your own good.” He took my hand and kissed it.

“
You haven’t answered my question,” I reminded him.

“
Soon,” he said, “he’ll be back very soon.”

We went back to the house and Diego was fixing himself a sandwich in the kitchen. “Tell me I don’t have to worry about you too, Hector,” he said in a half angry tone.

“
That’s just gross,” Hector replied.

“
Gross?” I asked. “Now I’m gross?”

Diego and Hector started cracking up together. “No baby, he didn’t mean you were gross,” Diego commented. “He meant that he would never be number 3.”

“
Okay,” I said. “What?”

“
You’re fine with number two, though, aren’t ya Hector?” Diego said sarcastically.

“
Two’s okay,” he answered, “but three is just sloppy left-overs from what one and two didn’t finish.”

“
What’s so good about being number two?” I asked.

“
Number two is usually the one the girl wishes was number one but number three is just the guy who can’t find his own girl.”

“
You know you guys are crazy,” I added.

“
Hector, I think she’s smiling today,” Diego added.

“
It’s my charm and wit,” he offered. “Much like my brother’s.” Diego made and face and Hector winked at me. “She’ll be okay,” he replied. “Just keep doin’ what you’re doin’.” I knew what he was implying and I just smiled and kissed Hector on the cheek.

Chapter 15

Tell me Again What it Does to you When I Call you That

Hector was right. As time went by, things got easier. Diego was not nearly as demanding as he used to be and I could feel Max’s baby growing inside of me. Hector wouldn’t allow me contact with Max and Diego became very comfortable with my relationship with Hector. One night Diego was working late and I snuck over to Hector’s room and knocked on the door. He opened the door and looked at me. “Is everything all right, Lilly?”

“
Would you hold me?” I asked.

“
Lilly,” he took my hands, “I can’t have that kind of relationship with you.” He was serious.

“
You idiot!” I shouted. “I just want to be here when Max calls.”

“
You’re becoming way too much like him,” he added. “ I thought you were coming on to me.” He smiled. “I think I’m disappointed.”

“
Shut up and let me in,” I demanded.

“
Hell no!” he answered. “If I get caught with you in my bedroom, I am such a dead man!”

“
Diego’s still out. Let me stay, please…”

He stepped outside the door and looked around. “Fine,” he agreed, “come in. Let me get a shirt on.”

I went inside and said, “Please put a shirt on, I can’t control myself.”

He laughed. “I wouldn’t want you to start feeling me up again.”

“
I’m going to hurt you,” I replied, still obviously amusing him.

“
Oh, so much like Max,” he said, and the phone rang.

“
Hey, what’s up?” he asked. My heart started pounding excessively. I could feel my face flush as I waited to speak with him.

“
Before you say anything,” he told him, “Lilly is here waiting to talk to you.” He laughed. “No man, that’s gross,” he blurted.

“
Would you stop calling me that!” I shouted.

“
She just came to my room to talk to you. I swear she’s not in my bed.” I grabbed the phone from him.

“
Daddy, I miss you,” I whispered. His voice was like honey dripping down the phone lines.

“
Baby girl,” he answered. “What are you doing in Hector’s room?”

“
Waiting for your phone call,” I replied. “Seriously Max, you’re not jealous?”

“
Should I be?” he asked.

“
I just needed to hear your voice.” I paused. “Do you still love me?”

“
Madly and completely,” he answered. I felt relief run through my body. “I love you so much.” I started to cry.

“
I’ll be back to get you on Easter.” I think he was trying to calm me. “I want there to be one good Easter in your life.” I got a bad feeling when he said that. Everything bad happens on Easter Sunday.

“
That’s two days from now,” I added. “You’ll be home in two days?”

“
Two days, baby girl.” He paused. “Hang on for me, okay?”

“
I can’t wait to see you,” I told him.

“
Me either. Stay strong for me querida, and get out of Hector’s room.” I smiled and handed the phone back to Hector.

“
Now that’s a smile I haven’t seen for a while,” he said to Max. Then a call on the radio came into Hector. “Diego’s home, get out of my bedroom before he finds you here.” Hector grabbed me and pushed me out the door. I kissed his cheek and ran back to my bedroom. I couldn’t believe I got to hear his voice. Two more days.

When that day came, I woke up full of joy. I looked into the mirror and looked at my little tummy. I wasn’t showing much, but I could tell that my jeans were getting tight. I was four months pregnant now, but if Diego makes me get a test, I will have to tell him three. I came down the stairs to find Jorge, Hector, Elena and Diego all in the kitchen. I knew this wasn’t good. “What are you all doing here?” I asked.

Diego handed me a pregnancy test. “Take it, Lilly.”

“
You invited your family here to watch me pee on a stick?” I asked.

“
Just take it. Even though we won’t know for sure who the father is.” He put his hands over his face for a minute. Elena hugged him from behind and shot me an angry glare. “I need to know for sure that you’re pregnant. Then it’s really over for the two of you.”