Page 113 of Everything's Better With You
Joe already got his Christmas present.Leslie must have been thinking similarly because he blushed.
“Joe gets a week of pampering,” Leslie said and his look said all Joe needed to know. They were getting time together, time to be alone, time to spend with Joe’s new family, and time to let their relationship settle into a comfortable groove. Joe was ready for it all.
“And Malcolm gets a bestseller,” Sandy said and Malcolm chuckled.
“Speaking of, Mrs. Payton? Are you up for a conversation tomorrow?”
She smiled hesitantly. “Whenever you’re ready.” She turned to look at Joe and took his hand on top of the table. “I’d really like it if you’d sit with me while I talk to Malcolm about Rick.”
Joe placed his other hand on top of hers. “Anything for you, Agnes. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
Leslie squeezed her shoulder. “We’re here for you, Mom.”
She nodded at him and took in a shaky breath. “I would rather you boys not be there. It’s too hard to be strong in front of you.”
The boys all spoke at once and she held up her hand. “I’m going to be fine. This is long overdue. I just hope it will help some of the other football families.”
“Very well. We’ll talk tomorrow. Now, I believe I was promised a game night?”
Joe sat with Agnes the next morning and held her hand as she laid out the tale of her tumultuous marriage to Rick Payton. Malcolm was definitely a great pick for this project as he asked very gentle questions and gave her time to collect her thoughts in between crying jags.
She was the strongest woman Joe had ever met, and he was gratefulshe’d asked him to be there. Putting any of them through this hell was awful, but spurred on by her determination that she could help others, she was so brave. She’d wanted Joe to hear it all, wanted to spare Leslie from having to relive it, and Joe wanted to honor her request. He fully understood where she was coming from.
Leslie could very well experience devastating effects from his years playing football. His sense of urgency when it came to their relationship made so much more sense. It also explained why he’d been so hesitant to tell Joe everything. If he hadn’t already been in love with Leslie, he might have had to pause when it came to jumping into a lifelong commitment after hearing the terrible things the Paytons went through.
It was obvious Leslie was still terrified Joe would change his mind. When he and Agnes emerged from the sitting room where Malcolm was doing the interviews, Leslie and the twins were waiting for them, terror in their expressions. Joe imagined the awful fear they must have all experienced near the end of Rick’s life; two little boys who didn’t understand and two grown men having to watch their beloved father unravel before their eyes and having to protect their mother from physical harm.
Leslie hugged a sobbing Agnes first and then handed her over to Randy and Sandy.
“Can we walk?” she asked them, and they fell all over themselves to honor her wishes.
“Are you…I’m sorry, Joe.”
Joe pressed his fist against Leslie’s chest. “Don’t you dare apologize to me,” he said, and then he pulled Leslie into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, baby. You’ve been carrying all that around…I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
“We hadn’t even met yet,” Leslie said, his laughter thick with unshed tears. “I know if you had been in my life when this all went down that you would have done everything in your power to be there for me, just like you always have.”
Joe brushed Leslie’s fine hair back from his forehead. “You are the bravest man. And your mom…she’s a goddamned warrior.”
Leslie smiled and kissed the top of Joe’s head. “She really is. And she’s so happy for us, Joe. She pushed me to talk to you about this and Iwasn’t…brave enough. I’m sorry. I should have done better by both of you.”
Joe pulled him down for a kiss and then held his face in his hands. “Stop it. That’s all done with. All right?”
Leslie nodded and then the two of them returned to the room and found Malcolm staring out the window over the lush greenery.
“Leslie, your mother is a goddamned warrior.”
Joe laughed. “That’s what I just said.”
Malcolm turned around and shook his head, his eyes red. “I’m going to put a lot of this in the draft, but I honestly don’t know how much to share. I don’t want your mother to be revictimized. I had no idea. The papers—”
“We kept it quiet. There was…pressure, but also, he was so loved by everyone. We wanted that memory people had kept intact. Now? I’m not sure that was the best move.”
“We don’t have to decide now,” Malcolm said. “And we still have to talk to Barry. When is he arriving?”
“Barry and Evelyn will be here tomorrow.”
Malcolm nodded and looked back out the window. “I need to… Yeah, I need to get out of here for a bit.”
