Irreversible Damage (Irreparable) (2 page)

I smile and say, “I think it’s safe to drink coffee again.”

He sets the jug on the counter and shakes his head. “No chance.” 

He’s sweet. I think it’s harder for him when I get sick than it is for me.

Once he pours a glass of juice, he returns the jug to the fridge. He turns to face me. “Oh, hey, the guys are coming over in a bit. Jesse’s been working on getting us a gig, and we need the practice.”

“Okay.” I didn’t mean to sound hesitant, but I know it came out that way. I’d never want Brady to think I’m not thrilled with him pursuing his dream to be a musician. I am. I’m extremely proud of him.

He cocks his head to one side. It’s obvious he’s noticed the uncertainty in my response. “What?”

I have to be honest with him. “You know how excited I am for you, right?”

“Don’t,” he says, firm. He knows I’m prepping him. “Get to the point.”

“All right…I don’t like Davey.”

There, I’ve put my feelings out there. Davey is their lead singer. He’s an old friend of Brady’s, but he makes me extremely uncomfortable. There’s just something about him that doesn’t sit right. The crease in Brady’s brow locks into position. I’ve hurt his feelings.

“He freaks me out,” I say, trying to defend my reaction.

He shakes his head, the worried crease still intact. “Did he do something to you?”

What? Why would he think that? Davey hasn’t said one word to me, which is part of the problem. He’s been in the house almost every day, and rather than speaking, he just stares at me. It’s weird. “No, he didn’t
do
anything, exactly. He creeps me out, though.”

He shows his relief with a laugh, but nothing about Davey is funny. His crease disappears, replaced by a playful smile. “Creeps you out, huh?”

I nod.

“I know he’s a quiet guy, but I promise he’s completely harmless.”

“I’m not so sure, Brady,” I argue, shooting him a nervous glance, unsure how he’ll respond. “Tug said he has a drug problem.”

I see his jaw tighten. His body straightens. Bringing up Tug might not have been the best way to prove my point.

“And Tug is always right?”  He leans back, gripping the counter with his palms. His chest falls as he lets out a huff of air.

Crap. Why did I have to go and challenge him with gossip from Tug?

“That’s not what I meant.” I want to argue that where Davey’s concerned, Tug is right. I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something wrong with Davey. It’s, like, he’s got a secret, and a dark, scary one at that. Brady is as rebellious as they come. I know if I push, especially based on hearsay from Tug, he’ll defend Davey even more.

After a heavy sigh, Brady pushes off the counter. He lifts my chin with his finger before planting a quick peck on my lips. “Yes, Davey used to do drugs, but he’s been clean for a long time. He’s a great front man. I wish you wouldn’t listen to Tug. He doesn’t know Davey like I do.”

That might be true, but performing well in front of a microphone doesn’t make you a decent person. I wish Brady could see how immature Davey is. I wonder for a minute if I should tell him about the time I overheard Davey asking Jesse to go in on a hooker for Brady after I give birth since I won’t be able to put out for a while. I cringe at the memory. I mean, who does that? I decide not to mention it, since Jesse handled the situation by telling Davey there was no chance in hell he would participate in anything that could hurt my and Brady’s relationship. I love that Jesse has my back. I know he thinks Davey is a douche, but he won’t say anything. My hope is Brady will figure out soon enough that Davey is bad news.

I shrug off my thoughts. We’ve wasted enough time talking about Davey. I slip my arms around Brady’s waist. He smiles down at me.

“Well, if it’s all the same, I’ll hang out in here and avoid the studio.”

He kisses me on the forehead and offers a small laugh. “That’s fine. I’m less likely to be distracted if you’re not in the room.”

There’s still a hint of irritation in his eyes. I shouldn’t have brought up Tug. Brady might have forgiven both Tug and me, but he’s far from over the fact that we had a more than friendly relationship. No matter how brief or how innocent it was.

 “Did you decide if you or Jesse is going to play the drums?” I ask, hoping to deflect his thoughts away from Tug. It must work, because he smiles.

“Jesse sucks at guitar.” He waggles his fingers in the air. “Short stubby fingers, so I conceded the drums to him.”

“Good.” I smile as I sink my teeth into my bottom lip.

“Good?” He lifts a dark eyebrow. “Got something against the drums?”

I shrug. “Not at all, but there’s something about you playing the guitar that does it for me.”

A pleasant, sexy laugh falls from his mouth. “Does it for you, huh?”

I bite my lip again and nod.

I’m suddenly hoisted up on the countertop. Brady shoves his firm body in between my thighs, pressing into my core. His readiness tells me he likes what I said.

His eyes smolder. “Are you trying to distract me, Sunshine?”

I am, a repeat of this morning’s wake-up call looming in my mind.  “Maybe.”

He groans next to my ear. His hand moves up my leg under my sundress. He cups my sex. He holds his hand there as heat turns to fire, searing my skin. I shamelessly rub against his hand, craving his touch.

With his other hand, he pulls on the back of my hair and licks up my neck. “I love my greedy girl,” he growls next to my ear.

“You two should lock the door if you’re going to get it on in the kitchen.”

I quickly jump off the counter and smooth my dress down. 

Brady groans. “You could knock, Tug.”

He’s pissed, probably because he’s in pain. I stifle a laugh.

“I could,” Tug answers with a shrug. He hands me a tub of Clorox wipes that he picks up off the counter. “You should sanitize that area.”

I chuck the tub back to him. He catches it. “You’re such a shit!”

He sets the tub back on the counter. “Yeah, but you love me.”

I roll my eyes. He’s impossible. It’s like having a kid around. I think by the time Mona is three, she and Tug will be best buddies.

“What are you doing here?” Brady asks. I don’t miss the obvious annoyance in his tone, but Tug appears to.

“I came to see if you guys wanted to grab lunch.” He glances between the two of us. Neither of us answers. “I have a gift for the baby.”

“I can’t. The guys are coming over to practice.” Brady shoots me a “you’re stuck with him” look. “Tori’s free, though.” He smacks my butt as he walks past me. “I’m going to warm up before they get here.”

Tug turns to face me, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He has way too much energy. “So…lunch?”

“I have to pee!” I shout without answering him as I sprint from the room. “Sorry, Tug, I can’t hold it.” It really is awful. I can’t even sneeze these days without losing control of my bladder.

Once I’m finished in the bathroom, I find myself in the living room. I’d come in here looking for something, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what it was. Now that I have it, I know “pregnancy brain” is not just a myth. Some days, I swear I’d forget my head if it wasn’t attached to my body.

I hear Tug’s boisterous laugh as he walks through the door. “What’d you forget this time?”

“Ha-ha!” I send him an annoyed look. “You’re so funny.”

“Whoa!” He holds up his hands to ward me off. “Defensive this morning?”

“Sorry.” I frown when I realize I’m being a bit snippy. “I hate not being able to remember things.”

Tug laughs. “Once Mona’s born you’ll get your memory back.”

“Right.” I roll my eyes before glancing around. I still can’t remember what brought me in here. “And I’ll be so sleep-deprived I won’t remember anything anyway.”

“Well, at least you know what to expect when you get old now.” He looks like he’s waiting for me to guess. I have no idea what he’s getting at. I shake my head. “No memory and Depends. As long as you don’t forget to put the diaper on, you should stay dry.” He laughs, obviously amused with himself.

“Thanks. You’re so helpful, Tug.”

“I try.” He laughs for a bit, but then his expression turns serious. “I couldn’t help but notice that you looked less than thrilled about the guys coming over. You okay?”

I glance down the hall to make sure Brady’s not there. The last thing I need is for him to hear us. He’s already annoyed that I spoke to Tug. “I’m fine.”

Tug cocks his head to the side. He knows I’m full of shit.

“Nice try. I know you well enough to know that ‘I’m fine’ is code for ‘I’m not happy about it.’ What’s up?”

“I asked Brady about Davey’s drug problem,” I finally admit as I sit on the couch.

Tug sits down next to me. “What did he say?” He props his feet up on the coffee table. I bat them off, but he puts them back immediately, so I give up.

“He said Davey’s been clean for a while, and that he’s a good guy.” I sigh before I continue. “I know I shouldn’t judge him, but he makes me nervous.”

Tug removes his feet from the table and shifts to face me. He looks concerned. “Did he do something to you?”

“No. It’s nothing like that,” I tell him, and pat his knee. He seems to relax. It’s the same question Brady asked, which makes me think my concerns are warranted, though I know neither Brady nor Tug are going to tell me anything. “It just seems like he’s always one small incident away from snapping, like he’s pissed off at the world.”

“I think he is.” Tug smiles sympathetically. “He’s had a rough life.”

“I get that,” I say with a nod. “I just don’t get what Brady sees in him.”

“They were close in high school before Davey started using.” Tug frowns and puts his hand on mine. “I think Brady’s trying to give the guy a chance because he thinks he got one.”

I know he’s referring to me.

“Go easy on him, Tor.”

I smile. There’s definitely more to the story, but it’s not worth pushing. “I guess you’re right.”

“I’m always right.” He smirks, all concern fading away. “Well, except for that one time in second grade…no, wait. I was right then, too.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Your confidence knows no bounds, Tug.”

“Nope.” He’s ridiculous, but I love him. “So, what do you say, you want to grab some lunch?”

I’ve been waiting for this. “I’d rather eat dust bunnies out of the air vents than go to lunch with you, Tug.”

He gives me a wry smile. “Suit yourself, but I should warn you, dust bunnies are rather dry and seriously lacking in protein.”

I roll my eyes. “Wait here. I’ll go grab my purse.”

Once in my room, I pick up my purse from the dresser. When I glance down inside, I see a tissue. I pull it out. In black Sharpie it says,
I love waking you up. xoB

Blush heats my cheeks. I’ll never grow tired of Brady’s tissue notes. They started out as a joke after I hurled a tissue at him in a fit of anger. Now they represent how far we’ve come.

Brady

Tug walks into the studio. I can tell by the look on his face that he knows I’m not happy about him sharing Davey’s drug problem with Tori.

“How’s the band doing?” he asks before turning to shut the door.

I spin on my stool to look at him. “It’s coming together.” Tori’s not with him. I plan to use the opportunity to remind Tug that I asked him not to say anything to her. Davey’s past is in the past. It’s his story to share, not ours. Tug takes a seat behind the drum kit. He strums the cymbals lightly. I know he expects it, so I just say it. “Lay off the Davey talk with Tori.”

His head snaps up from the cymbal to look at me. He thinks about his words before he shrugs it off. “She asked and I told her. That’s it, Brady.”

I shake my head, annoyed with my little brother. I’m positive that’s not
it
. He thinks Tori should know. I do, too, and I’ll tell her when Davey’s comfortable with it, not before. “He’s trying to keep his shit together,” I remind him. “We’ve all made mistakes, and he deserves a chance. It would help if you’d try.”

“You might be right, or you might not.” He cocks his head in a way that shows me he’s about to say something to piss me off. “You should tell her.”

“No!” My irritation comes out clearly. I hate it when Tug gets on these self-righteous rants. “Davey doesn’t want her to know,” I inform him pointedly. “It’s his story to share. He did his time. I don’t see why we should punish him further by discussing it with other people when he obviously doesn’t want us to.”

Tug nods before turning to look at the door. Judging by his sigh, he’s about to give me his opinion, whether I want it or not. He can’t help himself. “I know it’s none of my business, but you don’t owe him anything.”

I rake my hands through my hair, trying to keep my cool. How can he say that when he knows what Davey and I went through? I scowl, looking directly at Tug. “I owe him this.”

“I disagree.”

His arguing makes me want to punch him. Why is he pushing this?

“You shouldn’t lie to Tori just to protect him.”

“I won’t lie to her.” My eyes narrow at my pestering little brother. “If she asks, I’ll tell her the truth.” It’s a warning. He’d better take it.

“Okay.” He shrugs. “But that’s a dangerous game to play.” His eyes flick up to meet mine. “You should know that.”

Fuck! Is he picking a fight, or is he just that dense? “Don’t lecture me about what I should know, Tug.”

He gets up and comes out from behind the drums. I think he’s going to leave. He doesn’t. He leans against the wall, biting his fingernails. When he looks up, he says, “I’m only trying to look out for the two of you.”

I guess he is looking for a fight. Good, I’m in the mood for one. “Look out for us, or come between us?”

His eyes widen in shock as he pushes off the wall. He glares at me. “Is that really what you think?”

“I don’t know, Tug.” I stand up and close some of the distance between us. “You always have your nose in our business.”

He steps closer. We’re nearly chest to chest. He holds his own.

“Tori’s with me,” I remind him, lifting my chin. “I can take care of her.”

Tug is the one person who can come between us. Tori adores him. I know if I’d never come back to her, she’d be with him. That isn’t Tug’s fault. It’s mine. Leaving her was a one-time mistake. It’s one I don’t plan on repeating, although sometime it feels like Tug is just waiting for his chance with her.