Straddling the Edge (20 page)

“We won’t say anything,” Ty says.

Dean clears his throat and begins, “Do you remember Molly Sanders?”

“Yeah,” Ty answers. “She was your girlfriend in high school. Only girl I’ve ever seen you with besides
Summer.”

Dean nods. “Yeah, she was. I’
ve been out with other women in between them just so you know.” He chuckles. “But they are the only two who matter.”

“Go on,” I say, gesturing with my hand to move the story along.

“Molly cheated on me with Chase.” My stomach goes sour. Chase really was a total dick all along. He’s never been a decent human being.

“You guys were friends,” I say, with the slap of my flat palm to the counter.

“That didn’t matter to him. But that’s not the worst part. He got her pregnant and said it wasn’t his. I knew the baby wasn’t mine because I’d never had sex with her. I’d never had sex with anyone and I thought she hadn’t either. But he wouldn’t take on that responsibility, so I did.”

“What does that mean?” Tyler asks.

“Her parents knew I was her boyfriend, but they knew nothing about Chase. I told her I’d pretend to be the dad so she wouldn’t be so scared to tell her parents that she was sleeping with some random kid at school who wasn’t her boyfriend. I even told her I’d take care of her and the baby.”

“But she left,” I add, remember
ing how Molly left mid-year claiming to move because her dad took a job promotion out-of-state.

“Yeah,
I thought her dad was going to kill me. He told me to stay away from his daughter. They called my parents and told them that I had knocked up their daughter and that they expected me to give up my rights as the father. It was a huge mess. In the end, I ended up telling my parents the truth about Chase, and then Molly contacted me and told me that she’d had an abortion so her parents never knew the truth. I’d put the whole thing behind me until I met Summer and realized she was Chase’s ex.”

“Holy shit,” I mumble.

Ty adds, “No kidding.”

“We just got back from the most amazing getaway together and we talked about honesty and being open with each other. It was on the tip of my tongue the whole time and I just couldn’t let it slip out.”

“Why not?” my hubby asks.

“I don’t know. A part of me thinks she’ll just add
it to the list of reasons why Chase is an asshole. But there’s another part of me that’s afraid that …”

I finish his thought, “That she’ll think you’re just with her to get back at Chase for taking your girl
in high school.”

He nods, scrubbing his hands up and down his face. “This is so messed up.
After Molly, I was pretty messed up. It’s not like I was really in love with her, but just the thought that someone was capable of doing that to someone they cared about made me swear off women for quite a while. I never trusted women. I enjoyed their company, but I didn’t trust them.” He sighs. “I finally meet a woman who I
can
trust … one who I’d like to spend the rest of my life with and she’s Chase Marino’s ex-girlfriend. The guy I despise more than anything in this world. What are the chances?”

“Hey, w
hat happened in the past is in the past. Sure, you still hate Chase but who wouldn’t in your situation? Damn. That guy was cheating on my sister from the very beginning. He deserves a major ass kicking.”

“I know. I wanted to tell Shelly back then, but it was toward the end of the school year and they had broken up and gotten back together so many times. I figured they’d break up as soon as they started college. I thought I’d save her the heartache. I never thought they would actually get back together years later.”

Ty’s nose flares the more he thinks about Chase. I can see how pissed off he’s getting and that’s not why Dean is here.

As much as I’d love to talk strategy about how to knock Chase the fuck out, Dean came to us for advice and I’m going to give it to him. “Dean,
Summer loves you so you have to be honest with her. You have to be the one to tell her about your history with Chase. If it comes from you, she won’t question it. But if the story is twisted and Chase tells her first, she’s going to think you kept it from her for a reason. Ty and I both know how miscommunication can lead to a lot of unnecessary bullshit so tell her. As soon as you can.”

And pray that she forgives you for keeping it from her this long.

But I don’t tell him that.

Summer

“Dean,” I call out when I step into his house. I felt weird using my key the first time I opened his door, but I’ve gotten used to it. “Where are you?”

“In here, sweetheart.” I hear his voice coming from his office.

When I turn the corner, it looks like a bomb went off. It’s an absolute mess. “What the hell happened in here?”

“Just decided to do some spring cleaning … in the summer.” He laughs, wiping sweat from his brow. “I was waiting for you to get here so I could take a break. I need to talk to you about something.”

“That sounds good but can it wait a bit?” He’s on the floor ripping out old carpet, so I bend down to give him a proper hello. “Shelly and Mel need our help. Shel and Ty’s dad is in the hospital. They’re thinking it might be a heart attack. Mel’s mom is out of town and they don’t have anyone to watch the babies. She asked if we could watch them while they’re taking care of things. I’m scared to death to watch both of them at the same time but I couldn’t say no.”

“Of course not. Sure, I don’t mind helping with whatever I can.” He stands up and runs his hand along the back of my head. “Don’t worry. We can do it.” I sure hope so. I’ve only watched Mia, and that was for a short time while she and Ty went out for dinner. And we were at their place so Mia could be in her comfort zone.

“Thanks. I thought we could watch them here. Your place is a lot bigger than mine. I think the four of us along with all the gear Matt said they were packing would be a little cramped.”

“No problem. When are they coming?” he asks, looking down at his watch.

“Mel and Matt are bringing the kids over while the others are with their mom. They should be here in about a half hour.”

He dips his head to kiss me quickly on the lips. “I’m going to take a shower really fast. I don’t want the kiddos to inhale all this gunk when I hold them.” He’s covered in a film of dust and it touches my heart to think he would even consider what Mia and Noah might need. “Let’s make sure to keep this door closed. There are about a million ways they could hurt themselves with the mess I’ve made in here.”

“What are you up to anyway?” I ask, taking a quick look around the room. His office furniture has been moved out. The carpet is half gone and he’s apparently going to give this place a fresh coat of paint too. Two rather large swatches of sage colored paint coat a section of one wall.

“Just moving on to a new project. I’ll be right back.” He leaves me in the demolition room, still soaking in the possibilities. Dean does amazing work. I have no doubt this room will be just as appealing and cozy as the rest of the house, full of modern amenities while still maintaining charm. One night when we were chatting before bed, he confessed that his real love for carpentry and construction is in renovating old houses. But he isn’t interested in turning a quick profit. If that was the case, he wouldn’t be a teacher. Instead, he likes to take his time and live in a house so he can decide how to make changes. It’s as if the house speaks to him, inspiring him to create a new story.

“If only I could make a living taking my time,” he had said. “But that’s not how real life works. Everyone is in a hurry to make a buck. That’s not me. So I decided to teach woodshop to have a steady income and fund my true love. Taking wood and cabinetmaking in high school really turned
me on to the trade. I think it’s kind of cool that my love for the craft could change a kid’s life. Let’s get real. No matter how many times politicians preach that every student will go to college or should be college ready, it’s not reality. Our society needs skilled workers. I hope that my students who choose not to go to college feel like they have another option after taking my class.”

And of course, that night another piece of my heart became his.

I take a look around one last time before I step into the hall and close the door behind me. I begin to wonder when he’s going to sell this one. The office is the last room he has left to finish. I’m going to miss it. It almost feels like home, even more so than my own apartment.

Matt comes in with Noah and a giant bag. He’s completely rattled which is not his usual demeanor, but it’s completely understandable. He passes the little guy off to Dean and starts babbling a bunch of incoherent directions. A few seconds later, Mel flies through the door with Mia and pushes her into my arms. She places another giant bag on the counter and begins talking a mile per minute.

During the five minutes they’re
in our presence, I think the only things I caught were: change diaper often, Goldfish crackers in side pockets, and be careful because they’re both mobile. Knowing that they’re crawling around with the speed of cheetahs, Dean made sure to close all the doors to bedrooms and bathrooms. He blocked off a route into the dining room and formal living room with some chairs, so now we’re confined to the family room and kitchen. He really seems to know his stuff.

“So what should we do first?” I ask the three of them. Dean looks down at Noah, and both kids are strangely quiet, glancing back and forth at each other and at us.

“Let’s see what kind of toys your daddy packed for you,” Dean says, tickling Noah’s belly and he lets out a giggle.

With a heavy baby girl in one hand and propped on my hip, I use the other to dig through her bag. “Nothing but a few board books in here.”

“We have a play phone.” Dean looks at me wide-eyed. “What happened to all the stuff they planned on bringing over?”

“I don’t know. They must have forgotten to bring it all in.” The babies each have a favorite blanket they like sleeping with and those are folded on the kitchen table. I let out a sigh of relief when I see them. I heard I would scream like I was being pinched to death if I didn’t have my
blankie to sleep with. But that’s it. Nothing else but a bag full of extra clothes, bottles, sippy cups, and diapers.

“I have an idea.” Dean takes Noah into the center of the family room and settles him down on the soft carpet. Noah flaps his arms up and down with a smile. “Stay with him for a sec.”

Mia and I go over and sit with him. I sit her up next to Noah and they start with the baby talk. It reminds me of the old Kirstie Alley movie, Look Who’s Talking. I have to wonder if they can really understand each other. They don’t babble over each other. Mia goes first, then Noah, and they go back and forth, as if they’re having a real discussion.

“They seem content to just sit here and talk to each other,” I call out to Dean. “You’re like your mommies, huh?” I wiggle my fingertips against Mia’s belly.

Dean comes in with a stack of plastic cups in one hand and bowls in the other. “My mom always said that no matter how many cool toys they bought me, I was happier just going through the cupboards and playing with the Tupperware.”

He sits down next to me and I watch as the plastic ware seems to multiply. The kids’ eye
s grow bigger and bigger each time he reveals a smaller bowl from inside a larger one. Noah is the first to dive in. At first he inspects a red plastic cup, turning it upside down and staring down the inside. Then he does what any baby would do and tries putting the whole thing into his mouth. When that doesn’t work, he licks the side of it and finally holds it to his lips and tilts his head back to take a drink. Mia watches quietly for a minute while she jabbers something to her little cousin. Then, she digs in too.

“It’s a hit,” I tell Dean, pushing my shoulder into his. “You always know what to do.”

“Oh, stop,” he says, teasing and nudging me back. “I wonder how long this will keep them busy.”

“Not long, probably. But as long as they don’t C. R. Y., I’m willing to empty your cabinets in search for other fascinating items for them to drool on.” I rest my head on his shoulder. He tosses his arm around me. We lean back against the seat cushions of the sofa and watch as the little ones have fun trying to put the cups and bowls back to the way Dean
originally had them.

Surprisingly, a half hour later, they’re still at it. Noah is now lying on his back, his feet in the air, and a cup still in his mouth. Mia has taken to turning a large bowl over and banging on it with a cup. Whatever makes them happy.

I hear my phone chime.

“It’s Mel,” I tell Dean. “She says initial tests are back and it looks like he has some minor blockage so they are going to put in a stint to open it up.”

“That’s good news. My dad had that a year ago. It was a quick recovery. He’s been doing really well since. He’s changed his diet a little and exercises a lot more.”

My phone chimes again.

“She says the kiddos will probably start getting fussy soon so we might want to start getting their lunch ready. Then, they get a bottle and a nap.”