Devil May Care: Boxed Set (127 page)

I stared at her blankly. “What?”

“We’re in a polygamous—”

“Yeah, I understand that, kinda But why? Seriously?” What the fuck? What the hell had she stumbled into? And now she was dragging me into it too.

Without waiting for her to explain more, I started to stomp away from her, not back to the house but toward the long path that would lead back to the street.

“Wesley, I see you’re upset—”

“You think?” I whirled around. “How can you accept that? Share him? Don’t you realize this means you aren’t enough for him? How can you settle for—”

“I’m not settling.” Jacqueline walked over toward me. “I know this is a lot to take in. Please try to understand. I promise you, things will be fine. You’ll see.” She smiled at me, but I couldn’t—wouldn’t—return it. “This was going to be a surprise, but I’ll just tell you. We’re going to have a big lunch tomorrow to celebrate your return. Please stay. Come back in the house. If you have any questions—”

“I don’t,” I grumbled.

“Just please don’t go, Wesley,” she whispered. “Give me a chance.”

“It’s not just you I have to give a chance, though, right? It’s you and your husband and his other wives and my step-siblings. How many women did Walter knock up? How many kids does he have?”

She opened her mouth.

I held up my hand. “Don’t want to know.”

Jacqueline stood there for a moment. Neither of us said anything. Finally, head down, she returned to the house.

I stood there, shocked, upset, bewildered. I didn’t understand what kind of life she’d chosen, but, for now, I’d stay here. Once I weaseled a bike out of Jacqueline and Walter, though, I’d be gone.

That decided, I walked back to the house. Jacqueline smiled sadly and wordlessly led me to my room. My own room. A big room. I never had a room to myself before.

Still didn’t mean I planned on living here forever though.

The bed was soft. Almost too soft. It took me some time to be able to fall asleep. Couldn’t turn off my mind and stop thinking about what Jacqueline had said. What kind of a life was that? Being one of many to a guy? Sure, Walter had a lot of money, but still. Whatever. It was her life. She could do what she wanted. I didn’t give a damn. I doubted I’d ever marry and have kids, but if I did, it sure as hell would only be to one woman. I didn’t need three or four or more to keep me satisfied. Just the right one. If she was even out there.

The sun shining right into my eyes woke me the next morning. The curtains, heavy ones that reached the floor, were spread open, and light flooded into the room. Ugh. All I wanted to do was sleep some more, but I could hear people in the hallway, and I had to take a piss, so it looked like I wouldn’t be returning to dreamland until tonight.

Where was the bathroom anyhow? I knew there was one on the first floor from the party, but there had to be more than one for a house this size.

I climbed out of bed and stretched. My clothes were wrinkled. My small bag was at the foot of my bed. Not sure who put it there or when, but I quickly changed my clothes. A green and black striped shirt, a little on the tight side, and a pair of ripped jeans. All right. Bathroom search time.

My door creaked open, and two boys streaked on by. They were tossing a small football back and forth. I waited for them to race down the hall and out of sight to leave my room. No way did I want to get blamed when they broke something, which had to be inevitable.

There were a ton of doors lining the hallway, and I hesitated. All of the doors were closed. Maybe I should just go downstairs to that bathroom.

A door opened, and a woman walked out. She smiled at me.

Crap. Jacqueline had introduced me to her at the party, but I couldn’t remember her name.

“How did you sleep, Wesley?” she asked.

“Good. I…no complaints,” I muttered.

Her smile widened. “If you need anything, just let me—”

“Where’s the bathroom?” Yeah, it was rude to interrupt, but I doubted Walter would appreciate me peeing in his hallway. My bladder was killing me.

“Oh, right here.” She nodded to the room she’d just left. “I’ll see you around.”

I rushed inside and did my business. Had I ever felt more ill at ease at one of my many foster houses? I didn’t think so, and that was saying something.

Although I was hungry, I didn’t bother to leave my room to go down for breakfast. I wasn’t in the mood for company, not after learning that everyone in the house was family to some extent. A special lunch for me with all of them was more than I wanted to handle, so I wasn’t going to add breakfast to that too.

A knock on the door had me glancing at the clock. Quarter to noon already. I’d long ago learned how to pass the time in a room by myself. Some foster parents did it to make them feel good. It wasn’t about the kids at all, and they ignored them, left them to fend for themselves. I’d become quite good at it—fending for myself.

“Come in,” I called. I was lying on my bed, and I sat up as the door opened.

Jacqueline entered. “How are you?”

“All right.”

“I didn’t see you at breakfast.” She stayed by the door.

“Wasn’t hungry.” I shrugged.

“I hope you’re hungry now,” she said lightly. “Lunch is ready.”

“All right,” I repeated.

Her smile looked sad. Aw, was I hurting her feelings? Couldn’t help not caring. She’d done me enough damage by being way. I’d survived. If I ever were to let her back in, and she disappointed me or worse, I’d survive again, but I wouldn’t ever be able to trust anyone ever again.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” she asked, staring at the floor.

“Nothing.” I didn’t want anything from her. I didn’t need anything from her. Didn’t need Walter or his money either. I’d find a way to get myself my bike.

Just five more months. That’s all.

“Come on down. You can start to get to know everyone.”

But what if I don’t want to?

Although my head didn’t want to, my stomach did. I was starving, and the lunch was for me, so I got out of bed and followed her downstairs. The spread of food was as impressive as it had been for the party yesterday. It was amazing that no one living here was obese. I doubted this all was a show for me. They probably ate like this all the time.

Jacqueline gestured for me to sit at the foot of the table, across from Walter. I didn’t want the place of honor, but I couldn’t refuse. Most of the seats at the table were already claimed anyhow.

I pulled out the seat. No one else was sitting yet, so I stood by the chair.

Jacqueline followed me and touched the back of the chair to my right. “This is Peter. He’s eleven. And next to him is—”

“I’m Paul. I’m nine. I’ll be ten soon. Are you going to get me a present?”

The two boys from earlier. They looked like trouble to me.

“Paul! You don’t ask someone that. I’m sorry. They’re mine. Yvonne.” The brunette was strapping a baby into a high chair. “This little one is Penelope. She’s almost six months already.”

My head was swimming already. Wait, was Penelope the baby who got baptized? I really should start paying more attention.

“In case you forgot my name,” the woman from the bathroom spoke up, “it’s Roslyn. My daughter, April, will be joining us soon. She had to run to work this morning to get her paycheck. She’s eighteen, like you.”

“Great,” I muttered. Couldn’t we sit down and eat already?

Walter cleared his throat. “Let’s say grace.”

Grace? They prayed? I stopped praying a long time ago. Since none of my prayers were ever answered, I stopped seeing the need to.

Walter bowed his head, hands clasped. “Dear Lord, bless our food, our friends, our family. Touch our lives and bring us happiness. Thank you for allowing Wesley to join us. Amen.”

“Amen,” everyone else echoed.

No one seemed to notice I didn’t say it too. I was glad no one noticed because if they would’ve asked me to say it too, I would’ve refused, and that would’ve been the first blow up. But if they ignored me, maybe things wouldn’t be too bad here after all. I could be free to do my own thing, and that would be that.

Somehow, though, I had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case.

After Walter sat, everyone else did too. He served himself, and then everyone else was able to. It felt so old-fashioned and kind of medieval. What was he, a king everyone else in the family had to bow down to and look up to? Because he hadn’t shown me any reason to deserve all of this. In my mind, respect and all that had to be earned. Which was why I didn’t respect anyone. No one gave a guy like me a chance ever, so they treated me like crap. And if you treated me like crap, I shoveled crap back in your face. Simple as that.

The food was delicious, and I ate well, choosing to chew over talk. It was so nice to not have anyone glare at me if I helped myself to seconds, or for the food to be rationed. The boys fought then laughed and fought some more. Jacqueline and Yvonne and Roslyn were talking among themselves, with Walter talking to them occasionally. For lunch being in my honor, everyone was giving me space, or else maybe they didn’t know what to talk to me about, just like I didn’t know what to talk to them about. Silence served my just fine. Give me the food and—

“So, Wesley…” Jacqueline said.

Just when I was enjoying being left alone. Of course.

“Yeah?” I asked after swallowing a too-large mouthful.

“Walter’s a head accountant. Isn’t that wonderful?” she gushed.

“Sure,” I muttered. What did I care?

“What do you think you want to be?” Walter asked.

I didn’t like the way he was eyeing me—as if I had already disappointed him. What the hell? He didn’t know me. Who was he to judge me?

I shrugged. It wasn’t too hard to figure out that they wouldn’t approve of my future plans. Not that I thought they deserved the right to have an opinion on my future plans. This place was just another stopgap for me. I’d be leaving here soon enough, and then maybe I could finally find a place to call home and settle down.

“It’s possible to do anything, be anything.” Walter puffed out his chest. “You can do anything you want.”

In his case, he did everyone he wanted. Three wives. Two weren’t enough for him. He had to have one more. What was stopping him from taking another one?

And his words rang so hollow.
You can do anything you want.
He didn’t mean it. Not for me at least. Maybe for his sons, though. Man, as much as I hated my dad, I was already glad Walter hadn’t raised me. He was so uptight and rigid, and he just felt fake. The chances we would’ve come to blows if I had spent my life growing up with him was really high.

“It’s going to take some getting used to,” Walter was saying. Clearly he loved to hear himself talk, and I couldn’t help noticing that everyone else at the table had fallen quiet, listening to us talk.

“What is?” I asked. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like the answer.

“Our house, our lifestyle, our rules.” He ticked each word off with a thick finger.

Rules? I never did well with rules. And he was obviously a stickler for them. Great. Something else that might become a source of contention between us. I was already feeling like this was a huge mistake, and nothing about this lunch was making me feel much better.

Before he could expand on his statement—not that I wanted to hear more—a girl walked into the dining room. Not just any girl. The girl from yesterday at the baptism. Blondie.

“April.” Roslyn beamed. Maybe April was hers. “So glad you could join us for Wesley’s lunch.”

April stared at me with her large blue eyes. “I’m sorry I’m late.” Her smile was shy and small, but it made her look pretty.

I smiled back. So Blondie was a step-sibling after all. I didn’t know how to feel about that. On one hand, I’d definitely be seeing her a lot more, but on the other hand, we were kind of related.

April took her seat beside her mom. She prayed silently and then served herself some food. She ate daintily. Kind of fun to watch her eat, especially since she kept looking my way and then at her plate. The girl liked me. I could tell. At least someone here at the table did.

“I moved to the outskirts of Utah to be able to live my life the way I want to,” Walter said, continuing our conversation as if he hadn’t been interrupted. I noticed he hadn’t bothered to greet April. Was he muffed she showed up late? “Some might think my Mormon life is radical, but it suits me. It suits us. We’re happy, and we’re comfortable. There’s more than enough room for you too, Wesley.”

I nodded. Sure. Whatever. I made it this far without a family. Doubted I needed one now. And just what where those rules he’d mentioned earlier? Rules I’d most likely be ignoring.

“To keep everyone happy, there are rules, like I said.” Walter lowered his fork and stared me down. I didn’t blink. The boys were talking, the baby babbling, but everyone else had grown quiet and was looking at me. “We live a traditional lifestyle.”

It took everything in me not to snort. Traditional? Really? Who was he kidding? Pretty sure traditional meant two point five kids and a white picket fence, not three wives.

“We always say grace before breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Church on Sunday is a must. It’s important to remember God. He is most important, more than you. More than any of us. And everyone has a list of chores they have to complete.”