Four Weddings and a Break Up (22 page)

Oh, he got her. And he knew better than to ever mess with a mama bear.

He hugged Faith. “Maybe if you’re really good, I’ll do what I did to Lois Jacobs all those years ago and streak naked across your backyard.”

He was rewarded with a laugh and her mom hugging him back.

L
ater that evening
they headed to his dad’s place for dinner. All his brothers were going to be there for the weekly Sunday meal. When they pulled up in the driveway and got out, Wes could smell the hot dogs and hamburgers grilling in the back.

“Come,” he said, pulling her hand, “let’s head this way.”

He opened the gate and they walked in the backyard, heading to the umbrella-covered table. TJ got up and gave Ginny his seat before pulling over two extras for himself and Wes. His father was sipping a beer at the other side of the table while Jake grabbed a handful of chips onto his plate, dipping them into ketchup before eating them. Seth was at the grill, making the food.

Wes raised his eyebrows at Seth’s unkempt appearance but didn’t say a word.

TJ, on the other hand, had decided to play the stereotypical role of youngest brother and continued nagging Seth. “The hair, the beard, the pajama bottoms and white t-shirt. You look like a ‘before’ photo in a makeover show.”

Seth just glowered, then returned to flipping hamburgers.

Jake took a sip of beer. “You better be careful, TJ. Before Seth tells Ginny here your full name.”

“Oh, tell me, Seth!” Ginny called out. “It’s always been such a debate and mystery. I even tried to look it up when I worked at Cape Hope High, but your name was listed as TJ Flaherty even back then.”

“I’ll tell you,” Wes said.

“Uh-huh. You know the rules. No telling anyone outside the family unless you’re in love or plan to marry them.” TJ turned to Seth. “Speaking of marriages that didn’t happen—”

“TJ.” Dad warned.

“I’m just asking Seth a question. Seth, is Liz going to keep quiet about the name?”

“This is like Deep Throat or something,” Ginny whispered.

Seth’s shoulders stiffened as he muttered something.

“What?” TJ put a hand to his ear. “I didn’t hear you.”

“I said I never told her.”

Everyone grew silent at this, until TJ spoke up, “Well, then, we have nothing to worry about.”

Jake glared at their youngest brother, then got up and went to the cooler and grabbed a new beer. He handed it to Ginny. “Here. You’re going to need this if you’re sticking around.”

“Where’s mine?” Wes asked.

“You’ve got two legs. Go get one.”

Ginny uncapped the beer and took a sip. “What’s the deal about your name anyway?”

Wes got up and got himself a drink from the cooler.

“TJ hates his name,” Jake answered. “Always has. Probably because we teased him about it.”

“Teased implies past tense. You tease presently.” TJ flashed Ginny a smile, his dimples deepening. “See, Ginny, you have to know something about me. Our mom loves me the best.”

Seth snorted.

“Here’s the true story, Ginny.” Jake leaned forward. “Mom really wanted a girl. She had me and Seth. We were handfuls. She just wanted a girl she could dress up in frilly dresses and that sort of thing. So when she went into labor, it was really hard and long. Dad was so scared he was going to lose her that he promised her anything. TJ came out. A boy. Mom got a few things from being okay, but Dad also put up no objections to TJ’s name, and it’s—”

“No, don’t tell me,” Ginny said. “I don’t want to break any self-imposed rules of brotherhood.”

TJ grinned. “You sure you don’t want to date a younger man?”

“Why would she want a puppy when she has me?” Wes asked jokingly and put his arm around Ginny’s shoulder. “Speaking of which, I need to tell you something. Ginny and I are really dating. We were pretending before . . .”

Jake cut him off. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry I lied.” Wes waited. “I’m really sorry.”

Jake was silent for a long moment. “I guess I can forgive you if you can forgive me, too. For how I treated you when you first came. For doubting you. But you’ve stuck around, Wes, and you’ve helped out a lot, and I’m glad you’re my brother.”

“Dude, this is such a sappy moment,” TJ joked.

“Fuck off, TJ,” Wes and Jake said at the same time.

Then they smiled at each other and laughed.

“Shit,” TJ muttered. “Now that Jake and Wes have joined forces, it’ll be like Batman and Robin.”

“Dibs on Batman,” Wes said.

“Nope, sorry. You’re Robin because I’m so going to guilt trip you,” Jake said. “Do you know how many times Lois Jacobs tried to set me up with her daughter?”

“Screw that,” Wes said. “I’m more James Bond anyway.”

TJ snorted. “Please.”

Seth brought over the hamburgers and hot dogs. “I’m so sick of lying. And people not telling the truth!”

“He said he was sorry,” Jake said sharply.

“You think that makes a difference?” Seth’s hands fisted, his face angry. He looked like he was going to fight anyone who made a sudden move. “People should tell the truth. And shouldn’t keep things hidden and make others feel like shit.”

Ginny swallowed. “I’m s-sorry, Seth. We both are.”

Seth must have heard the slight tremble—the small indication of fear in Ginny’s voice—because his face paled and his fists unclenched. The fight left his body and his shoulders dropped as he ran a hand over his chest. “Hell. Don’t cry. I’m sorry. Just don’t cry.”

“Seth was always the most sensitive around here,” TJ muttered to Wes in a low voice.

Ginny was nowhere near crying, but she nodded her head at Seth. “Why don’t you sit down?”

Seth plopped down in a chair across from her. His expressions ran from angry to confused to hurt, and then to something utterly blank. “Hell,” he said again, “I don’t know what’s come over me. I’m not like this.”

“It’s okay,” Ginny said. “I know how you feel, probably better than anyone.”

They still had a lot of ground to cover, but for the first time, Wes felt like they were a true family.

S
o they hadn’t fooled
her family, Ginny thought with a laugh. When she mentioned this to Wes on the way back to her apartment, he shook his head and smiled.

“I think your family has a way of cutting out the bullshit,” Wes said.

“Or we’re really bad liars.”

“That, too.” Wes turned the corner that led to her apartment building. “Although I do like to think I have some game. If I didn’t, I’d be eaten alive in business.”

She knew a bruised ego when she saw one. “Oh, Wes, business and family are two separate things.”

“I’ll say.”

“I’ve read about D&A in the newspaper and have seen the news stories. But you should tell me about it sometime. I’d like to know more.”

“I’ll definitely do that.” Wes pulled into an empty parking space. “And we’re here. Let me help you carry your things inside.”

“Thanks.”

Wes grabbed both garment bags and her suitcase, which left her with just her purse and tote bag. They walked across the lawn and headed to her apartment door. She had her key out, ready to unlock it, when she noticed that the door was ajar.

Wes noticed it at the same time, too. He motioned for her to get behind him and handed her his cell. “Call the cops.”

As she dialed, he opened the door wider and started to go upstairs.

“Wes! Don’t go in there!” She hurried up the steps after him. Regardless if anyone was in the apartment or not, she wasn’t going to let Wes face the person alone.

He didn’t turn around. “Ginny. You were supposed to stay downstairs.”

“Sorry. I didn’t get that from ‘call the cops.’ And I’m not letting you do this by yourself!”

“Fine. Just stay behind me. And for god’s sake if anyone
is
here, you run like hell.”

They reached the top of the steps, and she peeked around his arm, dropping her bags to the floor.

Everything had been destroyed.

All the food in her kitchen had been tossed from the cupboards, her milk, orange juice, and cans of ginger ale spilt on the floor, her Ding Dongs smashed. She looked from her kitchen into the living room, her pulse racing fast. Her coffee table was turned over, the laptop broken. The couch had been cut into, the stuffing littered across the room. And that’s when Ginny realized her trash-can had been upended with garbage strewn about her apartment.

Her TV was gone, and after they cleared the area, kitchen, and bathroom, they headed into her bedroom. Her mirror had been smashed, jagged pieces of glass all about. Wes put a hand to her elbow, making sure she was careful. She went to her dresser as Wes went to the opened closet. Her drawers had been opened. Her panties and bras had been tossed to the bed, and a shudder of revulsion struck her. It seemed like the worst type of violation . . . to touch her intimate things . . .

And then her jewelry. The precious jewelry she had—a ring from her grandmother, a bracelet from her mom, and earrings from her dad on her thirtieth birthday were gone. It wasn’t about the jewelry; it was about the significance attached to each of those pieces and what they had meant to her. She’d never be able to replace them or those memories.

Her gaze fastened on the wall. Her attention had been so focused on the destruction of her apartment—of her life—that she hadn’t seen what was painted in red above her bed.

D
IE
, BITCH
.

S
he ran
to the bathroom and threw up. After she’d emptied her stomach, she flushed the toilet. She turned, and Wes was there in the doorway. He didn’t ask her if she was okay; how could he when it was apparent she wasn’t doing well. He merely opened his arms, and she flew into his embrace.

“All your clothes are ruined, Ginny.”

How quickly a day could change from hopefulness and utter joy to this awfulness, like parasites slowly eating away at your body until all that was left was skin and bones.

“Who would do this to me? Why?” Her voice broke. She didn’t understand any of it—she had never understood violence of any kind. “Who hates me so much to do this?”

“Ginny.” His arms tightened around her, providing her comfort and security. “Let’s wait for the cops outside.”

They walked downstairs, back to the open air. Ginny’s thoughts tumbled in her head on a repeat cycle: Who would do this? Why? Who hated her? How hadn’t anyone seen this? It was a Sunday. The sun was still out. It didn’t seem like the usual time a robber would strike.

She wrapped her arms around her middle as Wes rubbed his hands up and down. Sirens sounded closer.

“Ginny,” Wes said. “I think we both could guess one person who is capable of doing this. David DePaul.”

She shook her head in denial. “No, that’s impossible.”

“How is it? I saw him at the bakery with you. I know what he said and how he treated you.”

“That doesn’t make him guilty.”

“Didn’t you say there was weird stuff happening to you this summer? That you felt watched when you took a walk on the beach?”

“Yes, but—”

“And what about the flat tire that your bicycle got? Are you sure it was a flat and that it hadn’t been slashed? Don’t you think that’s just a little too coincidental?”

She hadn’t thought about it until now. It had just been a flat. But what if Wes was right? What if there had been all these little things until now? “I know David doesn’t like me, but he’d never break the law. He’s a former cop. He knows right from wrong. He wouldn’t do this.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Wes grumbled as a cop car pulled in.

It was a young, trim cadet in his early twenties and a burly guy in his late forties. They searched the place, not finding any clues as to who had done this on a first pass of the room. She made a list of what had been destroyed and what was missing. They were both asked questions.

Finally they were able to leave. She turned to Wes and felt her mouth tremble. “I don’t have anything.”

“We’ll drive up to Walmart, and you can pick up whatever you need.” They got into his car, and he started the engine. “But, Ginny, tonight I want you to stay with me.”

She nodded her head. She wanted to stay with him, too. Tomorrow she could think about where she would be staying. Her apartment was out of the question.

“I have to call my mom. Actually, before we shop, I want to go to The Gray Lady.”

Right now all she wanted was her mom to hug her and tell her everything was going to be all right.

Wes nodded, understanding in his gaze. “We’ll stop there first.”

A
fter reassuring
her mom that he would look out for her, Wes took Ginny to the Walmart that was open twenty-four hours, which was forty-five minutes away. Ginny rested fitfully on the way there, and he felt useless, angry, and frustrated that whoever had done this was still roaming free. His number one suspect was David DePaul, but Ginny hadn’t agreed. Wes gripped the steering wheel. If that bastard was behind this, and if he hurt Ginny again, he’d make good on his threat and make David pay for what he’d done.

As they pulled into the parking lot, she sat up and flipped down the visor mirror. She started to list all the products she had to replace, lines furrowing her brow. “I need underwear. Bra. Sweats. Deodorant. A toothbrush. I’m going to need so much.”

“We’ll get whatever you need.”

They entered the store, and he grabbed a cart. Going to the clothing section first, Ginny grabbed a few things.

“Is that all you need?”

She hesitated. “I only have a certain amount I can spend.”

“I’m paying for it.” He was going to pay for anything she wanted. Wes knew nothing could take away what had happened. But in some small way, he wanted to ease the hurt, banish the fear, and give Ginny whatever she desired.

“Wes, I can’t let you do that.”

“Yes, you can. Just think of it as your
Pretty Woman
moment. But instead of Rodeo Drive, you get the Jersey shore and Walmart.”

That got a smile out of her. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.” And to emphasize his point, he added more clothes and then headed to the lingerie section. “These panties are practically see-through. Let’s get ten of these.”

“Let’s not.” Ginny grabbed them from his hands. “Fine. I’ll give you one pair of see-through panties.”

“See? I’m getting rewarded.”

She got the other necessities she needed. They headed to the electronics section because her computer had been broken and he was going to replace it, despite her objections.

He had excused it by saying, “This way you can tweet me all you want.”

“I’m going to pay you back,” she said. “Once I get my renter’s insurance and everything.”

Wes knew pride when he saw it, so he’d let her think that for now. But he wasn’t taking her money. He didn’t care if
that
made him sound like a caveman.

She stopped at the book section, and since the electronics were just around the corner, he went ahead while she picked out a book. He had purchased the laptop, but she still hadn’t joined him. So he returned to where they had parted ways and found her, still staring at the books, with one in her hand. A romance.

She shook out of her reverie when he reached her. “When I am only supposed to get the necessary items, I found myself reaching for a romance novel. But these make me happy.”

He looked at the romance novel section. And then he started grabbing one of each book, placing it in the cart.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” He bent down, grabbing thin white books from the lower shelf. “I’m buying you romance novels.”

“I don’t need that many. I was just going to buy this one.” She held up a purple-covered book.

“You’re getting more than one book.” If he needed to, he would fill a library of romances for her, just to bring that smile back to her face.

S
ome people fell
in love over a gradual period of time. Maybe months, maybe years. Some people fell in love because of some grand gesture, a moment that sealed the deal. And some people fell in love after struggling against it for their whole lives. For Ginny Michaels, it didn’t happen that way.

For her, it was the moment Wes started stacking romance books in the cart.

And for her, she fell in love with Wes Dalton easily. After all, he was an easy man to love.

They loaded the bags into his trunk, and on the way home, Wes stopped at a McDonald’s drive-thru, ordering food and chocolate milkshakes. When she protested that it was too fattening and had too many calories, he told her nothing counted when her apartment had been broken into.

Who was she to argue with that logic?

On the way back to Cape Hope, they decided that for tonight she’d stay with him at his dad’s place. But tomorrow, she’d move into the place above the bakery with Wes. In the meanwhile, Seth was staying at the house to watch over their dad. Wes and his brothers were going to secure the studio apartment.

She understood his need to reassure himself that she was safe, and truth be told, she wanted him there too. She didn’t know how it would change their relationship, but she was too in love with him to worry about tomorrows and what might happen.

Because, if anything, today showed her even further how life can change. And whatever happened with Wes, she wasn’t going to regret anything. Even if it meant she did damage to her heart later on. She was going to hope for the best instead of expecting the worst.

It was late by the time they pulled into his father’s place. Wes had called his dad and brothers on the way to Walmart and filled them in on the situation. Not too surprisingly his family was there and they spent a couple of hours talking to them before she started drooping off. Wes led her to his bedroom; she undressed and crawled under the sheets, felt the mattress dip with his weight, his arms slide around her, and then she slept peacefully.