Page 6 of Unveiled Wishes

We were back to square one. He didn’t care as long as I was alive, and I wasn’t living.

“I’ll shower and get dressed, but you can’t be here. When I am done, I’ll come sit in the main room, but I don’t feel like talking to anyone.” It would kill me, but I would do it for him. This was my best for today, and I didn’t want to argue.

“I can live with that.” He pecked my lips and walked out the door.

I jumped down from the sink and took off my shirt. Dropping it near the door, I made quick work of the rest. If I wasn’t downstairs in thirty minutes, Grizz would come back. I couldn’t risk it.

Finishing the shower in under ten minutes, I kept my head down as I wrapped the towel around myself. I didn’t want to catch my reflection in the mirror. The scars ran down my left side, from my shoulder all the way to right above my knee. In my mind, they were just as ugly as my soul. Somewhere along the way, I’d accepted that as fact.

Grizz had left a change of clothes on the counter, clean medical sleeves sitting on the top of the pile. Sighing again, I opened the cabinet underneath the sink and braced for the impact that I knew would come. I stared at the white bottle with the pharmacy label longer than I should have. It wasn’t until I got dizzy that I grabbed it and raised my head. Big mistake.

I set the bottle on the counter, but my eyes didn’t leave the mirror. This was déjà vu. I raised my left hand to see if the scars were real. Rotating my shoulder so that I could experience the full effect of the painted canvas, the woman in the mirror did the same. I fell to my knees on the bathroom tile floor. Too much had happened in too short a time.

***

Grizz

Meredith had stuck to her word. I watched out of the corner of my eye as she descended the staircase into the main room, my oversized hoodie hanging past her knees. She tucked her hands into the front pockets, and though I wouldn’t ask anything more of her, it gave me a little hope.

She silently walked into the main room and quickly surveyed the scene. I was playing darts with Wreck. There were a few other brothers playing pool, but DeadZone was watching TV. Meredith walked around the tables and approached the couch, curling herself onto the other side and staring at the program.

A twinge of jealousy pinged within my chest, but I kept my cool. She was my wife. Mine. No one in this club would take her away from me. However, she would only get physically close to DeadZone, and if I asked why, she couldn’t explain.

Wreck took his turn. “Dead doesn’t want your bitch, so you’re safe.”

I took a deep breath so that I wouldn’t beat him to a bloody pulp. It wouldn’t matter, and he’d just end up saying something else about Meredith. They all did behind my back. “She’s mywife.” I tried to shrug it off as I stepped up to the throw line. “Hey, Wreck?” I called out, catching his attention. “No one wants to tap your bitch’s ass because he’s too mouthy.” I threw the dart, watching it sail through the air.

“I am not mouthy. I am a fucking ball of sunshine,” Pretty said. eating potato chips out of the bag. He’d pulled up one of the bar stools and sat watching the game.

“If you don’t quit eating, your ass is going to be huge,” I retorted. “Wreck won’t be able to miss it.”

“Then they’ll be more of it to tap.” He ate another chip, and I wanted to grab the bag from his hands and strangle him with it.

It was Wreck’s turn, and I was leaning against the wall next to Pretty when the kitchen door opened. I stood straight up andmade a move to help Aunt E. She searched the room, and when she honed in on Meredith, she hobbled right to her.

“This won’t end well today,” I whispered to Pretty. Meredith tried not to be harsh with her aunt or Grace, but sometimes they’d push just enough that she snapped. I knew of one instance where Grace had had to pull Sabre away to calm him down. Meredith had said that if Grace had wanted to know what it was like to lose a child, then she should have handed JR over to the cartel. He was my best friend, but we’d almost come to blows, even though both of them had been in the wrong.

“It’s going to be like Fourth of July.” Pretty whistled. “Boom.”

Aunt E made sure she was standing in front of Meredith before she tried to get her attention. “Mer! Mer! Wake.” She went to go shake Meredith’s shoulder, but she almost tumbled over and gave up on the idea. “We need…you.”

“You’re not asleep,” Deadzone said, looking over at Meredith. He must have shaken her leg or foot because I watched her wiggle against the couch cushions.

“You’re the only one…” Aunt E paused. “We need you.”

I didn’t know if I was going to have to step in or not when I saw Meredith’s head turn towards DeadZone’s. I was about to take a step forward when Pretty grabbed me by the arm. He nonchalantly made a swiping motion toward the room. Everyone was watching this scene as closely as I was.

“Don’t look at me like that. I am not your Old Man. He’s too lenient because he’s afraid of losing you. I couldn’t care less if you walk out those doors. You’re not living, and you take it out on the people who give a shit. Don’t be disrespectful to your aunt.” Dead let Meredith have it.

I was afraid to move. I didn’t want an argument with one of my brothers, but if he made my situation worse, I’d beat his ass. Who was I kidding? It couldn’t be any worse than it already was.

“Okay, what do you need, Aunt E?” I heard her say.

Was Meredith actually going to get up?

“You. Come help…us.” Aunt E held out her good hand, and Meredith stood from the couch and grabbed it. I watched as they made their way to the kitchen door.

“Next time you want to get physical, girlie pop, kicking me is not the way to do it,” Dead called after them.

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