Phantom Scars (15 page)

Chapter 30 – Expired

I was seething. What the heck was Detective Declan calling me for? There was no way I was letting him talk to his daughter, and I was not going to let him take her from me, either. She was MINE!

"Detective Declan," I said tightly in greeting.

He let out a sigh. "Devin, did Paige show up at your place?"

"Yes, she did. She's staying with us."

"She is?" he sounded surprised.

"Yes, she is. She's welcome here, because she does not upset my WIFE!" I snapped.

I heard a growl at the other end.

It sounded like he was going to say something, but I cut him off. "What is it you want?"

"My family!"

"Well, maybe if you’d learn to control your temper and not be a stubborn jerk, they’d be at your house and not mine."

"Now you look here, boy..."

"I'm not a boy. I'm a grown married man, and I'm taking care of your daughter
and
you're ex-wife. Now, I know Dr. Greyson said there was an understandable reason for you to be acting out like this, but I’ll not stand for you upsetting Emma. She was a mess when we got home. You set her back, and I won’t let you do it again! She's having a hard enough time as it is, and she doesn't need you making it worse."

He was silent.

"Sir, if you want to be in your daughter's life, you're going to have to accept me as well. I know you don't like it, but she needs me right now."

I heard a little huff.

"Look, if you want to come and visit, you can sleep on the couch. We really do only have the two twin beds, and Paige is using one of them, but if you promise to behave yourself and not raise your voice, you can visit."

"Now you look here..."

"NO! You look here, I get that you don't like me, but you cannot and will not yell in front of your daughter! If you have a problem, you will keep your mouth shut and take it outside, where she doesn't have to be subjected to it. She can't handle the yelling."

"Take it outside?" he said confused.

“I get that you're her dad, and you should be in her life, but you need to understand that being loud seriously terrifies your little girl. She's really been through hell and back. If you want to yell at me, you wait until we're outside away from her, and then we can hash out our differences. I'm willing to do this for her, but you absolutely cannot raise your voice around her. Do you understand?" I asked.

He let out another huff. "Yes," he said tightly.

"Okay, our couch is open for you, but I’ll warn you; if you upset my girl, I won’t hesitate to throw you out on your ear. This is her safe place, and I don't need you taking that from her and making her upset. I really do want things to work out for you and your daughter, Sir. I think it could be good for her in the end, but you really need to keep yourself under control around her. She's fragile right now and has been through too much, and she doesn't need you adding to it."

I heard a grunt, and then the line disconnected. I looked back at the sleeping women in my bed, hoping I had done the right thing by inviting him here. Of course, he might not come at all. I really thought he hated me, but he could hate me all he wanted. I was not letting him upset my girl.

By the end of the week, Paige was still getting sick, but she refused to let Emma take her to the doctor, which really upset my girl. Paige insisted she was fine and knew exactly what it was. I was curious about the way she said it, though, like she was more pissed than upset or worried.

That night, I woke up to overhear a conversation I probably shouldn't have.

"Damn it, Clark, just check the fucking expiration date!" I heard my momma-in-law yell into the phone. I was used to hearing the men on the ship swear up a storm, but it was very uncommon for me to hear that kind of language coming out of a lady.

"Because, Clark, I have a very damn good inkling that they're fucking expired. I'm so going to kill you!" she shouted.

I looked down at my girl, worried she would wake, but she just snuggled deeper.

"Guess, Clark, just fucking guess!" she snarled then promptly burst into tears.

"Yes, I am, you asshole! I can't believe you did this to me again!" she said and then hung up the phone. She slid to the floor and started bawling, and I was at a loss. I didn't know what to do.

I shifted my girl carefully off of me and went to check on her momma. "Ms. Paige, are you alright?"

She startled when she saw me standing there. "Oh, yes, I'm fine. Don't mind me," she said dismissively.

"Would you like some tea?" I asked.

She let out a soft laughed and shook her head. "She really hit the jackpot with you didn't she. You're so sweet, Devin."

I offered her my hand to help her off the floor.

"Some tea sounds great right now. Hopefully, I can keep it down," she added. I made us both a cup, and we sat down in the kitchen. She sipped it tentatively, sighing deep in thought.

"You know, Emma would feel a whole lot better if you’d see a doctor. They might know how to fix whatever it is that's wrong and making you sick."

She smiled at me. "Oh, honey, I'll go see a doctor, but it'll probably take a few more weeks until I start feeling better," she said cryptically.

"Well, it'll make Emma feel better anyway. Do you want me to look one up for you?" I asked.

"No, I think I'm going to talk to your momma about finding a doctor. It's more of a woman thing," she said, making me blush and her giggle. "Oh, Devin, you really are adorable. We're so lucky to have you in the family," she said smiling, as she got up and patted my shoulder, before she disappeared into her room.

I didn't know what was wrong with Paige, but I hoped the doctor could take care of it. I just hoped it wasn't contagious.

Clayton actually talked to Faye for us about the bed, and a week later, we were unloading it from his truck, trying to get it to squeeze past the buildings and behind the restaurant, so we could get it upstairs.

"Bro, just hold up and give me a minute," he complained, breathing hard. It was a heavy king-sized pillow-top mattress, and we both were dying a slow death trying to move it.

We set it down, propping it against the next building and leaned on it, looking into the restaurant window. We smiled, watching the girls holding up their dresses they'd just gotten in this morning. Jen was wearing hers, and Emma was holding hers against her body and smiling. She was going to be a beautiful bridesmaid.

I kind of wished I could hear what was being said, because my girl was laughing and smiling widely. I loved seeing her smile.

My brother punched my shoulder. "You got it bad, Bro."

"What?" I asked annoyed.

"You love her," he said teasing.

I just rolled my eyes at him. "She's my wife. I'm supposed to love her, dimwit."

He shrugged. "Yeah, but you know, it's nice to see that you do for real; otherwise, I might’ve had to kick your butt."

I shook my head at him.

"What? She's my little sister now, so it's well within my rights to beat you up if you upset her."

"I won't be upsetting her, Clayton. I do my best to do the exact opposite of that."

"I know, dude, I just thought I'd give you a heads up." He looked back in the windows, while I looked down the alley, wondering how much further we had to carry this monster, when Clayton caught my attention again. "Hey, who's that dude upsetting Emma?"

My head snapped around, and my eyes widened, when I saw Detective Declan standing in the restaurant talking to my wife. I saw Paige and momma come rushing out of the kitchen, and I ran full speed around to the entrance to get to my girl. That bastard had better not upset her.

As I made it through the door, I heard my momma saying firmly, "You just settle down, or I'll beat you with my hot spatula!" she threatened him. My momma let out a relieved breath, when she saw me come in, and I rushed to Emma's side, immediately wrapping her in my arms.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

She nodded her head yes, turning into me and snuggling into my arms. "Please don't let him take me," she whispered.

"I won't, I promise."

I looked up at Detective Declan. He looked so sad and defeated. I looked at Paige, and she looked pissed. I hoped these two could get along for Emma's sake. "Detective Declan," I said stepping forward, shaking his hand, "Why don't you grab your bag, and I'll take you up to our place. Maybe you can give my brother and me a hand with the bed we have, and you can take the other twin we have instead of the couch," I offered.

"What?" Paige snapped at me, making Emma jump in my arms. "He's staying with us?"

"Yes, I thought it’d be easier on Emma if Detective Declan tried to reacquaint himself at our place. He will not be yelling around our girl, so it should be fine," I said turning toward the exit, leading him to our place.

"Clark, you S-O-B! I'm going to beat your ass as soon as our little girl is out of sight!" Paige hissed at him angrily.

"Paige, please, just give me a second chance," he begged.

"I did, and you were a complete asshole, throwing all my mistakes in my face, after you said you were over it! I can't do it, Clark. I don't want to waste my life rehashing old grudges."

"Please, Bunny, for the baby, let's just try one more time," he begged, and we all froze and looked at the pair shocked.

"Baby?" momma asked looking at me.

I fervently shook my head no, throwing up my hands. "It wasn't me."

Emma shook her head no as well, and then we noticed Paige hanging her head in frustration, and suddenly, it was all starting to make sense.

"Mom?" I heard Emma question.

Paige walked over to us and gave us a sad smile. "Yeah, it wasn’t exactly something I’d planned," she said sourly. "At least I'm not a scared fifteen-year-old girl this time. I can take care of myself and my baby," she said hugging Emma.

"Well, congratulations, Paige. How exciting!" my momma said, wrapping her in her arms. "Good things come in small packages. I'll have to make a special dinner for y'all to celebrate the good news, and Detective Declan's arrival."

He looked a little nauseated. Emma surprisingly looked shocked but not afraid. I led them all up to my place, and then I asked him to help me move the bed.

"That's an awful big bed."

"Yeah, well, free is free," I said, tugging on the mattress.

"Yeah, 'bout time Devin got laid," Clayton said. I realized he was not aware this was Emma's father.

"Shut up! There'll be no laying like that!" I growled.

"Dude, it's freaking nuts that you're married and still a virgin! It just ain't right!"

"Clayton, will you shut up already! I don't want to discuss this in front of my father-in-law!" I growled.

Clayton looked at Detective Declan wide-eyed. "Dude, man, sorry, Devin isn't banging your daughter, if that's what you're worried about."

"Clayton! Just stop talking!" I shouted at him.

I was surprised when Detective Declan suddenly started cackling.

"Sir, this is my obnoxious little brother, Clayton. Feel free to hit him and yell at him. Emma’s used to that."

That seemed to just make him laugh even harder. I really hoped this worked out for all of us. I had a feeling having him and Paige under the same roof was going to be a challenge. But maybe if they worked things out, Paige would go back home with him, and I would have my girl alone in our new big bed.

I quickly pushed that thought out of my head. I needed to keep myself under control while he was here, and like Emma said, we had to go slow. But it was hard not to be a little excited about getting a bigger bed. I wondered if it squeaked.

For the sake of my manhood staying attached, I hoped it didn't.

Chapter 31 - Sounds Like the Start of a Bad Joke

I found out later why Detective Declan was being so cool. He had checked out my record and my story about being on a ship. It was verified that I had indeed been the first officer on the last run, and I had been nowhere near the area Emma had been when she had first escaped. Captain Towers also confirmed that he was the one to marry us, hoping to keep my girl from being sent back to Germany, where she had snuck onboard and stowed away. I guess he might have also mentioned that I had only kissed her on the cheek. The captain vouched for me, saying I was a good man who he liked to keep on the ship to set an example for the others, and Emma had been lucky to have happened upon my quarters and not those of someone else. Knowing most of the guys I had sailed with, that would have been a catastrophe of epic proportions for Emma's fragile condition back then.

I later received a call from Captain Towers. He was not all that happy about my helping hide a stowaway, but I explained that it had been extenuating circumstances that had made me keep her hidden. I also told him about the men who had come looking for her, when they had seen her name on the marriage license. Of course, the one thing that made him finally forgive me was when I told him that I loved her. Emma was in the back bedroom with her momma making the beds up, so she didn't hear me, but when I hung up and turned around, I saw her dad smiling at me.

We went back to work, helping the girls with the beds. Paige wasn't happy about sharing the room with her ex-husband, but he was happy to be sharing with her, even if it was on a separate twin bed. When we went to bed that night, we could hear the low hum of them arguing, but we couldn't make out the words. I looked down at Emma, and she had a little smile on her face.

"Why are you smiling?"

She glanced at the door. "My parents still love each other."

I looked at her surprised. "Are you sure? Paige seems more pissed than in love."

She rolled her eyes at me. "They're talking, they're fighting. They'll work it out, now that they're open to talking. The months leading up to my momma leaving were so quiet. It seemed like the whole place was silent without her chatter or their fighting. She’d given up."

We noticed their room had fallen silent, and she looked a little worried. I hoped for her sake they had worked it out. We got our confirmation that they had a few minutes later, when a bed started squeaking out a steady rhythm.

Emma's eyes widened comically, and I grinned widely. "I guess they’re working it out," I said snickering.

She smacked my chest and put her head under the pillow, which was a good thing, because her daddy started calling out, "Oh, Bunny!" and I knew that was his pet name for Paige. He had called her that, when he had first arrived. I think I knew why he called her Bunny now. At the rate those springs were squeaking, I was worried the bed would give out.

I pulled Emma close to me and closed my eyes. I knew someday that would be us, but now wasn't the time. I did my best to ignore her soft form pressed right up against me. Apparently, the sleeping bags were out. I wasn't sure if that was a good idea, but there was no getting around it now. Faye had given us all her bedding, stating it was too girly for Eli's place, and so I was now trying to sleep under a frilly pink floral print, with Emma's soft, round, perfect little butt pressed firmly right into my manhood. She squirmed a little, making me twitch. I immediately started thinking of slicing cucumbers. That usually worked.

There was just something about cutting produce that would knock it down for me. I had figured this out in high school. It wasn't that I wasn't interested in girls. I just didn't have the time. My dad had started slowing down, and now we knew it was because of the lung cancer. I took over a lot of the work at the restaurant, nearly running it by myself, as my momma would help my dad. Of course, me being so stressed and focused on trying to help my family left me with very little social life, and when I did get out, I was usually worried about what was going on at work. I didn't make for good company.

My peers seemed so immature, worrying about their hair, shoes, complexion, or the next big movie coming out, and it all seemed so superficial. They were so focused on themselves that it made me jealous and annoyed. I didn't have time for that crap, and I guess I became a little bitter about it all, and it caused me to grow up quickly. I couldn't take it out on my momma, though. I saw how sad and stressed she was taking care of my dad, and I knew I couldn't say anything to her. Not to mention my dad would have gotten up out of the bed and whooped me good if I made her cry, so I did my best to do my job of taking care of my momma, and I had been doing it ever since.

My working on the ships was her idea. She thought I could use a break from the restaurant, and Captain Towers was a good friend of my father. He took me on, and after a few years and a few runs, I was finally promoted to first officer on his ship. I did my best to be the man my daddy had raised, and Captain Towers would always remind me of whom I was, when he called me by my name of Clemens.

I was guessing if I hadn't been a close family friend, he would’ve had my hide for helping a stowaway. I knew he loved me like a son, and that was the only reason he hadn't tossed me on my ear with Emma, when he had found us that day. I thanked the good Lord for that.

When I woke the next morning on the new bed, I had to chuckle to myself. I was squished on the edge of it, with Emma tucked into my side. The wide expanse of the king-sized bed had gone to waste.

Emma woke and realized I was nearly off the bed. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"No, don't apologize for snuggling. I don't think I would’ve slept as well if you’d moved away from me during the night. I like knowing you're safe by my side," I said quickly. I did love feeling her next to me.

She smiled softly and then slipped out of bed, heading for the bathroom. I could already hear her daddy and Paige up, and I thought I'd better get in the kitchen, before they tried to make breakfast and burned the place down. According to Emma, neither one could really cook worth a lick.

When I came out, he was toasting some bread, and Paige was buttering it. I supposed that was safe enough. "You want me to make some eggs?" I asked.

Paige quickly shook her head no.

"Eggs tend to make her queasy," he offered. "Do you have stuff to make pancakes?" he asked.

"Actually, my momma has a mess of them ready for the breakfast crowd. I can run down and get some," I offered as I stretched.

"Thank you, Devin," Paige said.

"Sure, not a problem," I said and slipped out of the apartment and down the stairs.

When my momma saw me, she smiled. "How are things going with Emma's parents?"

"Good. They seemed to have made up last night, so hopefully things will go better during their visit."

"Oh, honey, things seldom go smoothly in love, and when you throw expecting a baby into the mix with crazy hormones, it'll likely just get worse before it gets better."

I looked at her confused. I’d always figured having a baby would be a fun and exciting thing when the time came. It would be amazing to see Emma carrying my child.

Momma snapped me out of my dazed look. "Trust me, honey, the stress of expecting a baby can seriously challenge a relationship. True, it's exciting, but it's just as stress-inducing as well," she explained, as she helped me pack up some pancakes.

"Thanks, Momma, I'll keep that in mind."

"And Devin," she called to me, "when it comes to you and Emma giving me grandbabies, you just ignore what I said and do it anyway," she said with a wink, causing me to chuckle.

When I got upstairs, my in-laws were in the kitchen and making out frantically. I cleared my throat, but didn't get their attention. This really was not something I wanted to see, especially in my kitchen. "Breakfast is ready," I finally called to them, causing them to pop apart, surprised and panting. "Where's Emma?" I asked noticing the shower wasn't running anymore.

"I don't know," Paige said.

"She hasn't come out yet. Been in the bedroom a while," Detective Declan added.

"I'll go check on her. Go ahead and have some food," I said and hurried out of the kitchen, hoping the promise of food would save my kitchen counter from their morning romp.

Emma was curled up on the bed, with her head under my pillow. "Emma," I called to her before I touched her, so she wouldn't startle. She squirmed closer to me, as I climbed on our bed. I peeked under the pillow, smirking at her. "What are you doing under here?" I asked.

"My parents…"

"What about them?"

"They were being…noisy…again."

"Were they fighting?" I asked worried. I didn't want them upsetting her.

"No, they're doing God knows what…and liking it," she said disgusted.

I started laughing.

"Yuck it up, funny boy, and I'll start talking about Abby and Warren," she threatened.

I shut my mouth. I'd rather not hear another word about my momma and Warren, and now I fully understood why she wasn't thrilled with listening in on her parents’ escapades.

The next week with my in-laws was trying. If they weren't fighting, they were making out, sometimes in full sight, causing Emma and I to hide in our bedroom. Neither of us wanted to get an eyeful of her daddy's full moon. The man might have only been in his early thirties, but I still didn't hold any appreciation for what his wife referred to as his firmly toned, fine tight backside. Just…no.

Eli and Faye's wedding was only a day away, and the girls, including Paige and my momma, were going to be staying at my place. Detective Declan had warmed up to me and found his place amongst us. He had finally given me permission to call him Clark.  He would be joining me, along with the guys, at Clayton's place for Eli’s bachelor party. I didn't know why Clayton’s place had been chosen, but I wasn't thrilled about it. Of course, it was only a little ways down the boardwalk, so if Emma needed me, I could get to her fast. I still didn't like leaving her for a night.

The night didn't get any better, as they decided to make this my bachelor party as well. Word had gotten out that I was not really experienced with women, and since Eli apparently was, they decided I was the one who needed the talking to. Surviving this horror would take copious amounts of alcohol. Everyone was hammered a few short hours later, including Clark. I was sure of this, because he was regaling us with stories of him repeatedly nailing Paige during their sophomore year of high school in the janitor's closet, which eventually resulted in Emma. Some things a man should just never hear.

When we woke the next morning, my head felt like it would explode. I glanced over the room to see if anyone else was up and noticed Eli was missing. I sat up too quickly looking for him and fell off my chair. I groaned in pain, or at least I thought it was me, but then I realized I'd landed on Clayton. He shoved me off of him, and I knocked into the coffee table, causing several empty bottles and cans to fall to the floor.

"What's going on?" I heard from across the room and realized it was Clark, only he was still asleep, and Clayton and I found that little tidbit hilarious in our still half-drunk hungover state.

Eli came walking out of the bedroom, freshly showered and dressed, looking at us as if we were nuts. "What are you laughing at?" he asked.

We pointed and chuckled at Clark, who I now realized was wearing a newspaper Native American headdress.

"You just head on home now," we heard him mumble, causing Clayton and I to bust into another fit of giggles.

I looked over at Clayton and realized he was wearing some sort of newspaper hat as well, but I couldn't tell what it was. I patted my own head and found I was wearing a sailor newspaper hat made from the entertainment section. I smiled and threw it on the table.

"Come on, guys, I'm getting married in two hours, you have to start getting ready! If we're late, Faye will kill me."

"So will my momma," Clayton added.

Come to think of it, all our butts would be toast if we didn't get it together and get out of here soon. When it came to weddings, normal women could become scary creatures, and Faye was downright terrifying. Eli was going to have his hands full with her.

We all scrambled to get ready and headed out the door. The wedding would be taking place at our restaurant, the place Faye and Eli had met, where he had sent her several fancy plates of food in an attempt to flirt with her. It was a special place for them and very fitting for them to wed there.

I guess it was the same for Emma and me on the ship. That was where we’d met and gotten to know each other. We hadn't gotten married for the same reasons as Faye and Eli, but now that I thought back on it, I didn't regret getting married on that day for anything. I loved my wife more than I could express. I just wished I could tell her without making her nervous.