Inferno Anthology (69 page)

“Avery is rubbing off on you.”

“What does that mean?”

“Ever since you met him, you’ve called me B. You used to call me by my name or Brookie.”

“Huh…” she said, trailing off, and it looked like she was trying to think about what I was saying.

“Anyway, Easton wants me to meet Cheyenne.”

Nicole dropped the knife from her hands. “Oh my God, really? Avery said that he’s never introduced a girl to his daughter before.”

“I know. I’m really nervous. What if she doesn’t like me?”

“Well, I think you will be okay. She’s ten. If she were a teenager, I would tell you to wait until she was out of the house.”

I tried to remember what Bailee was like at ten. She was starting to figure herself out. She stopped playing with dolls and started to play more with the kids in the neighborhood. By thirteen, she thought she knew it all. If all girls were the same, I had three years to prove myself to Cheyenne.

We finished making the chicken teriyaki bowls that were our usual go to with a glass of wine. It was easy and healthy. After dinner, we watched some reality TV on Bravo and made plans to go to New York together on Friday after work, and then called it a night. She assured me that she would call me first thing when Doctor Sam got the biopsy results.

*~*~*

I actually went to work on Monday. Ian dragged me into his office first thing, trying to reprimand me for being gone for two weeks. I explained to him about my tumor, and he apologized, but still seemed a little standoffish about it.

Each day as I tried to work, I waited for a text from Nicole about the biopsy. It didn’t come until Thursday. She told me that Doctor Sam couldn’t tell me the results, but Doctor Bloom, my surgeon needed to talk to me. I was scared, but she told me not to worry about it and that it was standard procedure since Doctor Bloom was the actual doctor to order it.

Not long after Nicole’s call, Doctor Bloom’s office assistant called to schedule an appointment with me. I didn’t want to miss any more work than needed, but I scheduled it for Friday at four. At five o’clock, Nicole and I were New York bound.

I didn’t tell Easton that I was coming on Friday. He thought I was coming on Saturday because I couldn’t get to New York until almost ten in the evening—if not later since Nicole would need to stop and pee a few times.

Just like the week before, Easton and I talked every night. It amazed me that we could talk every night, but our conversation never ended until it was time for us to go to bed so we could get at least a few hours of sleep. He also wanted me to call him first thing once I talked to Doctor Bloom.

*~*~*

I arrived to Doctor Bloom’s office and waited to be called. Once I was called, the nurse weighed me and took my vitals. After she was done, she led me to an exam room where I waited for Doctor Bloom. Finally he came in, giving me bad news.

“Hi, Brooke, how are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m a little nervous.”

“Well…I know you’ve been through a lot in the last few weeks, and I hate to say that it’s not over.”

“What do you mean?”

“They weren’t able to get enough sample of the mass and can’t determine what it is.”

“I don’t understand.”

“They ran a few extra tests, but with the little sample that they got from the biopsy, it’s not enough to determine what the mass is.”

“So we don’t know if I have cancer?”

“I’m afraid not.”

I stared at him wide-eyed. How could they not get enough sample to determine what it was? It didn’t make sense. “Do I need to have another biopsy?”

“That’s a good question. I’ve talked with another doctor that is an associate of mine, and we think it would be best to just remove it and then test it.”

“Oh, okay.”

“But, even if we remove it, your pain might not go away. Your mass is on a nerve, and the CT doesn’t show exactly where it is in your shoulder area. You might have nerve damage after.”

“Oh…”

“It’s hard to say, but the nerve damage might be in your arm, and you won’t be able to use it anymore.”

“Oh…” was all I could say. I assumed the tumor would be removed, and then I would be pain free again. I never thought about the consequences of having it removed. I was just tired of being in pain.

“I know it’s a lot to take in.”

“It is.”

“We can give you time to think about it before you make a decision.”

“No…I want to have the surgery.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am. The tumor is growing right?”

“Well, that is hard to tell, but I would say yes. I want you to get a second opinion before scheduling the surgery. If you want to still schedule the surgery, then we will get you set up. I’ll need you to get an MRI first. It will help us determine where the tumor is. Your body is made up of layers, and we need to map out a plan.”

“I understand.”

Doctor Bloom gave me the name of another surgeon to go to for the second opinion. I didn’t want to go; I knew I needed the surgery. I had a fucking tumor for Christ’s sake.

I reached in my purse to call Easton and had a missed text from Nicole:

Nicole:
I’ll be at your place at 5:15. Be ready. I looked and a storm is coming. I want to get there before it hits.

My appointment with Doctor Bloom lasted only a few minutes, but with the wait time, it was already a quarter to five. I walked to my car, calling Easton on the way, but he didn’t answer. I sent him a text:

Me:
Doc says they didn’t get enough sample to determine if I have cancer or not.

After hitting send, I headed home. Nicole pulled up at the same time, and I switched cars after grabbing my bag from my apartment. I looked at my phone when I slipped into her car. Easton still hadn’t called or texted me back.

After I filled Nicole in on the news from Doctor Bloom, Easton texted me:

Easton:
Sorry Baby. I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now. I wish I had answers for you. We are really busy, but I’ll call you on my break. Remember, you’re my Superwoman. Stay strong.

I smiled at his text. I was a little disappointed that it was a text and not a phone call, but it was Friday night, and he did run a bar.

Dark clouds started to roll in as we neared New York. Every few minutes, I looked at my phone to make sure I didn’t miss a call from Easton. I had no idea when he was going on break, and I had to tell him that I was on my way.

“We should surprise him at the bar,” Nicole said, reading my thoughts. “Avery’s there, too, but I didn’t tell him that we were both coming.”

“You didn’t? Where am I supposed to sleep?”

“I figured you would stay at Easton’s.” She shrugged.

“Hello, Easton hasn’t introduced me to Cheyenne, yet. I can just imagine us bumping into each other in the hall. “Hello, I’m Brooke, your Daddy’s fuck buddy.”.”

“You know you’re more than just a fuck buddy.”

“I hope so. I mean, I know, but once I meet Cheyenne, that will seal the deal in my eyes.”

“You already know that’s coming. Pull up directions to the bar on your phone,” she said, motioning to my phone in my hand.

There was still no call from Easton.

I typed Halo in the search engine on my phone and pulled up the address. After I punched in the directions, we arrived at the bar just as it started to pour.

“Looks like we made it just in time, but now we need to make a run for it,” Nicole said, looking at the drops of rain hitting her windshield.

We dashed through the parking lot, rain falling hard on my jeans and sparkly black tank top, getting soaked in the process. By the time we made it to the door, my hair no longer had the little curl that I’d put into it that morning. The water from the rain had flattened it to my head.

Nicole opened the heavy wooden door and we entered, showing a bouncer our IDs, and then I tried to fluff my hair to look somewhat decent. The bar was packed. Bodies were everywhere: on the dance floor, sitting at high top tables and at the bar. My eyes scanned the room until I saw Easton at the bar.

He was leaned over the bar, looking down at a red head with big boobs and flirting with her. I grabbed Nicole’s arm beside me and motioned to Easton with my heart
not
beating.

“Oh fuck no!” Nicole screamed over the loud music.

As if he could sense me, Easton turned, meeting my gaze head on, as I backed up to leave. I saw his mouth move, then looked down at the red head’s hand on his arm. That was all I needed to see: a deer caught in headlights.

I turned, running out the door and into the rain. I had nowhere to go, but I couldn’t be in the bar and watch him flirt with someone. In my head, we were exclusive, and I thought he made himself clear, but guys have a way of manipulating you. After four years, I caught Jared cheating. I couldn’t go through that again.

Easton told me about his past, and I was a fool for believing that he had changed.

I looked to my left and then to my right. It had been a long time since I’d been to the city, and I didn’t know my way around. Ironically, the last time I was in the city, Jared left me to wander around alone, and I was, once again, alone in the Big Apple. I thought about going back inside and finding Nicole, but I needed time to think. I saw a twenty-four hour diner down the street and started walking to it as I heard the wooden door of the bar open with a bang behind me.

“Brooke!” Easton shouted.

I kept walking, picking up my pace to get out of the rain and away from him.

“Fuck, Brooke, please wait!” he shouted.

I heard footsteps splashing in the rain as he neared.

He grabbed my right arm, spinning me to face him. “Baby, please stop. It’s not what you think.”

“I know what I saw.”

“Yes, you saw me flirting, but that’s my job.”

“Are you serious?” I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest and looking to the side, not wanting to look directly into his beautiful face. “How is
flirting
part of your job?”

“I have to flirt to get tips.”

“Really? You expect me to believe that?”

Both of us were drenched from the storm. I didn’t care, and I didn’t move. People were trying to step around us with umbrellas as we stood in the middle of the sidewalk—fighting.

“Ask Avery. Ask any one of my bartenders. If we flirt, we usually get bigger tips.”

“I…,” I started to protest some more, but Easton stepped forward, grabbing my face with both hands like he normally did and kissed me.

The moment his tongue entered my mouth, my body instantly relaxed. I remembered how he surprised me last week, how we made love for hours, and how he went with me and stayed by my side at the hospital. I even remembered about the cruise and how he had every opportunity to fuck any girl on that ship, but didn’t. He stayed with me—someone not dropping her panties for him (even though I wanted to).

As we kissed, the rain beating down on my face as he tilted my head up to his mouth, I remembered about Cheyenne. He told me he wanted me to meet her, but was that just a line?

“Will you listen to me now?” he asked, pulling his lips from mine.

“Yes,” I said, breathlessly.

He held my face in his hands as he spoke. “I flirt to make more money. None of those women mean anything to me. I haven’t looked at another woman since I first saw you—except the ones you were trying to hook me up with on the cruise, but you know I didn’t do anything with them,” he said, laughing and trying to lift the tension between us.

“I haven’t needed to look at other women because all I do is think about you. From the moment I wake in the morning until I go to bed—I think of you—and it doesn’t stop there. I dream about you, too. My father once told me that I would know who I was meant to be with when I couldn’t get her out of my head. And you know what? He was right. I love you, Brooke. I fucking love you!”

A tear rolled down my cheek, but you couldn’t tell as it mixed with the rain.

“I never thought I would love anyone after Dana—I didn’t want to, but then this tiny brunette entered my life, and now I want to introduce her to my daughter. I want to pack her shit up in her apartment and move her in with me. I want to spend forever with her, and I want to be someone who she can lean on.

“I love you, and I don’t want to waste any more time without you. You’re
my
Superwoman, and I want to care for you. I want to love you. I haven’t felt like this in a long time. Please. You’re my best friend, and I don’t want you to think that just because I flirt to make money means I’m cheating on you. I’m not that person anymore. Life with you makes perfect sense—not some skank in a bar. I love you!

“God, I’ve never met anyone like you. You make me want to be a better man—a better father. You’ve got me thinking all these crazy thoughts, and I don’t even know where you stand.” He finally paused, and I was trying to wrap my head around everything he said.

All I could think to respond was, “You love me?”

“Fuck, I’ve loved you since day one. You didn’t hold anything back the first night. You flipped my world upside down.”

“I love you, too,” I said, giving him a smile.

His hands tightened on my face, and he kissed me hard. I’d never had anyone ever profess their love that way, and I felt like a fool for jumping to conclusions and assuming that he was cheating on me. I still didn’t like the fact that he flirted with random chicks at the bar, but I would work on it.

“Get a room,” someone shouted as they passed us.

We smiled, our lips still pressed together, and then we held each other in the rain a few minutes more.

“Come on, I have someone for you to meet.”

Easton

P
rofessing my love to Brooke was liberating. I didn’t expect to tell her in the pouring rain when she thought I was cheating on her. I wanted to do it right. I wanted to light candles, buy her flowers and all that shit people do in movies. But as I kissed her in the rain like Spider-man and Mary Jane (despite me not being upside down), I needed her to know. I needed her to know that I wasn’t cheating and that I loved her.