Unlike Any Other (Unexpected #1) (20 page)

2015

We’re in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Well, JC is cooking as I squeeze the oranges and Mason sets the table. Now that we emerged from the deep end of the basement, reality hit.

My sluggish movements and heavy arms indicate that my body needs a few more hours of sleep. But I know I’ll only toss and turn for hours while I wonder about Dad, my parents’ separation, the girl who swears the baby is my father’s, and… Porter. I should’ve slept while Mason watched his movie—talking is overrated.

Then I remember my parent’s guests. If we can at least get rid of one of them… Porter or Nikki.

“Is that girl Nikki gone?” I can’t phantom the hope in my voice.

“No idea,” JC answers. “Last night she threatened to call the police because we were trespassing. We ignored her and politely told her that we’d tweet about her fake engagement and that Gabriel wasn’t the father of the child.”

Wow, my brothers now threaten people with Twitter.

What’s next, posting an unflattering picture on Facebook?

“She’s pregnant, be nice,” I glare at him. “Now tell me, Jacob Christian, what are we doing for the holidays? Thanksgiving is in a couple of days.”

Yes, I’m fixated on that day.

“When I called El Padre yesterday, he was worried about Dad.” I squeeze half of an orange. Why do we always have to have fresh OJ? “Maybe we can work something out, don’t you think?”

I glance sideways at him—I don’t suggest the part where we can play parent-trap because I want to talk to Chris first. Test the waters and analyze how bad Gabe fucked up their marriage.

“Yes, but where? It has to be a neutral place.” He doesn’t look at me, but his eyes stare at the flame. “Chris had suggested heading to the city and eat at a hotel… Yes, not very homey, don’t glare at me. Can you blame the guy? I bet he’d like a home cooked meal best.”

“We can figure it out, JC. Now, let’s say we settle Thanksgiving.” I scramble through my head the possibilities of a place. Tahoe, Baja? “What about later? Gabriel Colthurst-Decker is not going to accept the fact that he has to stay in bed for not sure how many days, or that his diet has to change, or that…”

“Honestly, AJ.” JC sets the spatula on the counter and crosses his arms. “You know who should be taking care of him…”

“Not me, son,” I hear a voice and turn to look at the entrance. His dark, brown hair is turning gray. His green eyes still crinkle as he stares at me.

“You should,” I tell him, smiling. “That’s one of your jobs, you know?”

He tilts his head and then shakes it. “He should be thankful that I dragged his sorry ass out of the hospital without the press knowing and kept the three of you away from the circus.”

Then he looks at JC, “Thank you for covering her, son.”

“My job, Dad,” he side hugs me. “She might be a pain in the ass but I kind of like her.”

I wonder how he knew and how long he has been around, but I don’t ask and only stare because it’s been such a long time since I’ve seen him.

“Hello, my pretty girl, how are you?” he sighs and scans my face, checks my hair, and does a complete inspection. He is just like his husband. “You look older.”

“And wiser,” I add smiling widely. “How’s my favorite Papi?”

“Happy to see you again,” he glances around the room. “Heard we have to have a little conversation.”

“How much did Dad tell you?”

“Not much, but I know you’re going to be okay. I just know it, baby.”

“Because Dr. Christian Ainsley Colhurst-Decker says so,” I respond holding back the tears. “What, now that you have a Ph. D. you know everything? What will the fans of Mr. Rock God say?”

“I don’t need a Ph. D. to know everything. I’m your father. That should be enough. Between you and me, I like it more when you call me Papi.” He opens his arms and I fly towards him. “I missed you, baby girl.”

“I missed you too, Daddy,” I squeeze him tight. “I’m sorry for everything… running like a mad woman and breaking you guys up.”

My body relaxes as I feel part of my troubles shedding like death skin.

“You didn’t break us up,” he reassures me. “Things changed between us, we wanted different things and life goes on.”

I love that about them—my parents. They cover for each other.

“What if he’s sorry?”

“Is he sorry, or are you working that cuteness of yours?”

“Both,” I hear Gabe from behind. “I’m sorry about leaving, giving up… throwing so many years away for nothing. But, of course, she worked the cuteness. She’s smart like her Papi.”

“Well now he’s kissing ass,” Chris says. “Look, Gabriel, you had a scary episode, and I get that you want to change… but I’m too old for this shit. Actually, I never wanted this shit and you more than anyone knows it.”

“What?” I ask. “What are you calling this shit?”

“Family,” Chris starts. “A relationship… getting your heart smashed. You came to me, Gabriel, and I told you no, yet you begged. I agreed to everything because I love you.”

Chris kisses the top of my head.

“I don’t regret anything I did because I have them. The best thing that came out of being with you is my family. Look at these three children we made.” He looks around. “MJ still asleep?” I nod. “As I was saying, if I knew you’d end up choosing the mistress, I wouldn’t have yielded.”

“Mistress?” I ask, wondering if they are speaking about that Nikki girl.

“Fame, baby girl,” Chris responds. “That’s a fucked up mistress sometimes you can’t please, but she keeps you begging. That’s what your father chose over us, him and me.”

In that moment, the other woman, the girl we’d like to kick out of the house enters the kitchen. Dripping wet hair, wearing a white sundress and a pair of cute sandals I’d like to steal from her.

“Great, breakfast,” she says. We all look at each other. “What? I’m not sure who you people are, but I have a deal with Gabriel and I’m holding him to it.”

“I talked to your uncle yesterday,” Gabe takes over the conversation. “He’s sending a car today to take you away.”

“Look, just because your lover came making a scene and brought her thugs to pressure you.” She points at me and then at JC. “I won’t take off.”

MJ enters in that moment wearing nothing but a pair of running shorts and points at her and mumbles, “There’s a car waiting for you. The fucking driver woke me up with his honking.”

Uh-oh, we have an unhappy owl in our hands. He’s going to blow and scream at her if she talks back.

Mason escorts Nikki taking her by the elbow.

“Does that girl know who you three are?” Chris glares at JC then at me, and we both shake our heads.

Papi stares at Dad and they use that telepathic communication that I’ve never understood. Whatever they told each other relaxes them both.

“Well, that’s one down, now we have more food.” Gabe jokes, I guess trying to lighten the atmosphere, but he fails. No one laughs. “Is everyone upset at me?”

“Yes, Dad, we are fucking mad.” JC’s eyebrows lower as he squints his eyes. “For years we lived the way you two thought was best. I’m in the public eye and know firsthand how things work and all privacy vanishes. Once people connected JC and MJ Decker from “Without A Compass” with the great Christian Decker, our lives have never been the same.”

That had been a huge mess. My brothers not only have an indie-rock band. They also worked at the record company, write music for other musicians—with my help—and scout for talent. Before they recorded their second album, they had given some of their new music to a band that had just the right stuff to make it big.

JC thought that by giving them two songs and replacing it with two covers of Dreadful Souls songs, everyone would be happy. But no. Even when the music belongs to our father—Chris and not the band; his former band mates tried to sue my brothers.

Chris spoke to said band mates and former friends who tried to sue him too. When our parents took the matter to the legal team, they came up with the best solution—announce that Chris’s children were using his music with his permission. As he pulled the family card, not one lawyer wanted to take the band mates’ case and the lawsuit was dropped.

However, by pulling the family card, the entire world learned that Chris had two sons. MJ didn’t like that his privacy had been taken away. JC doesn’t care as much.

“People wonder who the hell our mother is,” JC continues as Porter enters the kitchen and stands next to a yawning MJ. Suddenly, I’m taken back through the past and we are in the middle of a family meeting. “They dig and dig but, of course, nothing comes out since we don’t have a mother.”

In vitro? Mom is a group of scientists, a donor, a carrier, and the doctors who delivered us? Mom is my two fathers. They were both Mom and Dad.

“In fact, we look like our other father, unlike AJ, who looks like Chris.” Chris clears his throat. “Father, I refuse to call you Papi anymore—it was cute when we were little… not so much now.”

Yep, he chose to be Papi because that’s the translation of Daddy in his favorite language—Spanish. He’s crazy, but we all love him.

“I know.” I raise my hand. “You can call him Papa.”

“What? No,” JC protests. “If I have to, I’ll stick to Padre.”

“I like Papa better,” Chris interjects.

“There you go, from now on, they’ll call you Papa… and if you’re really good, I’ll call you Papi.”

“Well, I don’t give a fuck who is dad, papa, padre, father, or vader,” MJ begins to imitate the shallow breathing of Darth Vader. “Yes, I know you two are my fathers. The only thing that matters to me right now is my bed. Wake me up tonight. In the meantime, don’t kill each other, divorce, or have another child because I’ll be pissed. Fix your fucking marriage instead, children.”

JC and I laugh as he vanishes from the kitchen. It was prone to happen, the owl would flip because they had disturbed his sleep.

“Gabriel, Father, whatever you want to be called, you need to change,” JC retakes the conversation. “We’re not back in the day when saying we don’t have a mother is frowned upon.”

I send him a glare because those are my words I said three years ago.

“AJ pointed that out years ago.” I give my brother my best smile for recognizing me. “We’re in a different century and for Pete’s sake, you two are married… More than ten years ago there was a ceremony. Now you decide to pull apart because you want to keep your stupid fame? Yes, Dad, I’m fucking pissed at you.”

The wedding, it wasn’t a big ceremony. As the state of Massachusetts legalized same sex marriage, the entire family flew there. My grandparents, aunts, uncles and us. My parents filed for a marriage license. Three days later, in front of the justice of peace they said their ‘I do’s.’ At last, my grandmother had married off all of her children.

“You fucked up and didn’t even tell us the truth,” JC pointed at Gabe.

“Jacob, tune that attitude down, or I’ll do it for you,” Chris’s firm tone resonates inside the kitchen. “Respect your father. Our shit should be handled between us. Marriage of two, family of five. This is a marital issue.”

As I arch an eyebrow, he serves me with that stare of don’t you dare try to intervene. I lower my gaze. He knows that the marital issue is affecting the family, therefore, making it a family situation.

“Fine,” JC groans. “I’m upset because he lied with his, ‘We didn’t come to an agreement, to not blame anyone.’ I’d rather have heard: I will never come out of the closet, and my husband is tired of the pretend game. I’d rather be on the cover of a magazine, a movie premier or shit like that.”

No one speaks but the subject of the movie premier makes me talk.

“For what I did, I’m sorry,” I apologize.

The attention suddenly turns toward me, three sets of eyes—four if I want to acknowledge Porter.

Mason enters the kitchen and as he’s about to turn around, my eyes beg him to stay. If he does, maybe we’ll sit down, eat breakfast, and stop poking each other with the past. The thought of being put on the spot makes my legs wobbly.

“AJ, you don’t have to apologize,” Gabe assures me.

2015

When I spoke with my brothers yesterday, MJ brought up the fact that it had been my meltdown which ignited their separation. I did bring to their attention that they had to be proud of who they were.

“I feel somehow responsible,” I confess. “Maybe if I hadn’t marched into the house like a maniac and…”

“You didn’t,” Chris clasps his hands behind his body and tilts his head. “You came with a black cloud of sadness. You came looking for the comfort of your parents. Instead of a warm embrace, the first thing that happened was you spotting the thing that ignited that short fuse of yours. Am I wrong?”

I close my eyes and shake my head.

“All my life it’s been under wraps,” I open my eyes and notice that Mason has his eyes on Porter. “When I woke up from the accident years ago, my world shifted. You two weren’t by my side. I was Breezy Bradley… Ainsley disappeared without an explanation.”

The part of me that usually stays strong in front of them and never lets a tear drop, weakens and the tears roll down my cheeks without being censored.

“The burns weren’t as bad, the scabs fell in a couple of weeks… it was the scars of your behavior.” I touch my heart. “The way you handled it and made me feel changed my personality due to my low self-esteem. That’s on me, for not figuring it all out at that age. Maybe on you for letting me drift away.”

I blow out some air before I get a second wind as they are finally listening to me.

“I wanted out of the enclosure but at the same time, I wanted to be isolated.” I let out a chuckle. “My ambiguous mentality and all the issues I carried around affected me for so long. Then, I thought that once I went to college, things would change.”

I shake my head as I sniff and laugh at the same time. My fathers hover over and cuddle me.

“A different issue happened,” I squeeze my eyes briefly. “Instead of living in the open, I ended up inside another dome and created my own set of lies.”

I pause, because I don’t want to tell them how stupid I acted, it was hypocritical in fact. I criticized them and I behaved the same as they did.

“We dated,” I hear Porter speak. “During the summer after her first year of college we moved in together. AJ had so many college credits, she was supposed to graduate within a year after we moved in.”

I was? I lean back surprised and wonder why he decided that for me.

“Instead, she told me she planned to continue getting other degrees. A selfish part of me resented that, between not getting her full attention at home, all the dates I had to fulfill, and the pressure of my career, things spiraled down on my part. Not only that, she began to ask why we couldn’t be seen in public.”

JC watches me, while my parents’ and Mason’s gazes are on Porter. I have no idea where to look, as this is a conversation I’d rather have with my parents alone.

“She was beautiful, unique, kind and I wanted to keep her to myself,” he continues. I angle my head and watch him. “It was the fear of you two finding out and putting her out in the media.”

That was why? I thought it was because he was busy fucking other women.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Mason interrupts Porter, “I can’t take this shit and it’s too early to bury a body.”

His jaw tenses and his stone-like eyes glare at Porter.

“Off limits. One tear and you’ll regret it,” Mason’s threatening stare and voice is directed toward Porter who turns pale, then his attention turns toward me. Eyes softening and the low, husky voice is now mellow. He takes my hand and caresses the inside of my wrist with his thumb. “I’m not far, call.”

He leans closer and whispers, “You got this, be brave supergirl.”

That was… unexpected.

“What’s wrong with telling us the truth from the beginning, Porter?” Christian asks, as Gabriel growls. The veins in his neck throb and his hands form a couple of imposing fists.

Chris looks at him and lifts a finger, Gabriel steps back.

Interesting.

“You took me in. Falling for your daughter felt like a betrayal… I don’t know, Chris, you have all these expectations for her, for them.”

“No, for all of you, Porter,” Gabriel takes over. “Before the heavy drinking and the drug abuse, you had been doing great.”

“What?” I weakly ask. “Porter isn’t an addict.”

He chuckles, no humor, only a dry, cynic laugh.

“I hid it well from you, AJ.” He closes his eyes briefly and then places a hand on his forearm where a scribbled tattoo is. “From everyone. I’m an alcoholic, AJ. You don’t know the shit that went down four years ago.”

Three, I want to correct, then slap him because he’s acting as if it had been a bump in the road—something minor.

“I was high and drunk. All the shit I told you was a bunch of hollow words to keep you from seeing who I had become.”

Well, hollowness hurts like a bitch.

“Things got worse after… we lost him.”