“I don’t know why Laura showed up today, but I’m willing to track her down and chew her out. What she did to you was wrong. What she made you believe was wrong. And those things she said to you? I would never hit a woman, but I’m prepared to do it now,” I said.
“She knew so much about you,” she said.
“And I have a feeling as to where she got the information,” I said.
“She was so beautiful.”
“Not nearly as beautiful as you,” I said.
“Cut the shit, Bryan,” she said. “You should hate me, and you know it. I don’t know why you don’t.”
“You are not going to talk to me like that. You know damn good and well that I love you and only you. And you know all the reasons why. It’s your stubborn head that won’t allow yourself to believe it because our lives are changing too fast. But now? It’s time to act like adults.”
I saw Hailey’s shoulders tremble with her breaths as she lay there. Silent and steadfast. She was trying to keep up her anger. She was trying to be angry with me. And I wasn’t sure why, but I was trying not to question it. Maybe being angry was better than what was really going on. Maybe being angry was a way to displace whatever metaphorical guilt she was still concocting in her head. But it needed to stop.
And it needed to stop now.
“Hailey,” I said as I scooted closer, “something’s very wrong. And I know it’s not the baby, and I know it’s not about my mother. Something has happened.”
“How do you know?” she asked.
“Because I’ve done this twice with you already. I’ve done the whole ‘you keeping a secret from me to protect’ me shindig twice. And I understand your train of thought, but look where it’s gotten us. You’re throwing things at me, and I almost stormed off and left. It’s time to start working on this. Because we might be okay now, but in a few years when we’ve gone through this rodeo a few more times, we aren’t going to be.”
“You’re saying you’ll leave,” she said.
“I’m saying it’ll strain us to a point where we will change in one another’s eyes. And I love you enough to tell you the hard truth now to spare us a divorce later,” I said.
I watched as Hailey shifted around in bed. When she turned toward me, my heart sank. Her eyes were so swollen with tears and frustration that they were almost closed. Her nose was red, and her cheeks were chapped. She turned over on her side as her stomach rolled with movement, our child using her as a battering ram. The pain washed over her face, and I instantly slid over to her, massaging her stomach as she sighed.
“Thanks,” she said with a murmur.
“You’re welcome,” I said.
I massaged her stomach as her eyes fluttered closed. This conversation wasn’t over, but she needed to settle down to have it. I watched the anger and resentment drain from her face, and replaced with it was the exhaustion I knew she felt deep in her bones. I massaged up her sides and gripped onto her hips, trying to provide her some relief. She was getting bigger by the day, and I loved it, but I knew it was one of the many things that was stressing her out so badly.
“Something else is going on, and I need you to tell me,” I said.
“I can’t,” Hailey said.
“At least you admit it. You’re being extra emotional, and it’s detrimental to our child.”
“It’s not just our child being affected, Bryan,” she said.
“But that is a figure you have to take into account. If I could take this pregnancy from you and carry this child on my own, I would. But I can’t. The only thing I can do is help you to settle down so you and this child are healthy. But I can’t help you if you don’t let me in. And if you don’t want to do it willingly, then we’re going to lie here, or I’m going to call us a psychologist so we can go talk to someone. This is a very serious kink in our relationship, and it needs to get sorted out.”
“I’m not crazy, Bryan.”
“No, but you’re convinced I’m eventually going to leave you like everyone else. So you keep up a fortress to keep me out so it hurts less later. But that fortress you have up is going to be the one thing that rifts us more than anything. You’re creating your own worst nightmare, and I’m trying to stop that from happening.”
Her eyes fluttered up to mine, and I could see a pain behind them, an aching pain I’d only ever seen once before. It was the first fight we’d ever had, when her past with John had come to light. I could still remember what she’d looked like the moment I backed away from her shed. When she tried to reach out for me, and I continued to backtrack.
That was the moment in our history that set precedence. That set an expectation that I would walk away from her. This wasn’t her fault. Her keeping things from me wasn’t solely on her. I had responsibility in it too. I was as much at fault for this as she was, and I had to own up and take responsibility for that.
“Come here,” I said.
I pulled her close to me and spread my legs for her. She wiggled in between them, her head settling against my shoulder. She took deep breaths as her nose nuzzled into me, her body relaxing against mine. I kissed her forehead over and over while the shaking of her body settled, then I pulled the comforter up over our bodies.
“Please don’t get upset. I was only trying to save you from more heartache,” Hailey said.
“I know,” I said. “I know you were. But it’s time to talk now, okay?”
“Okay,” she said. “Just don’t interrupt me, okay?”
“I’ll sit here and listen.”
“A couple of weeks ago, this guy came into the art gallery.”
I held her close as my fingertips traveled up and down her arms.
“He gave me the creeps, but I’m never going to turn someone away from the gallery. If they want to enjoy the art I have, then it shouldn’t matter what they look like or how they make me feel.”
“It’s one of the many traits I love about you. How you’re so open and accepting of others,” I said.
“No interrupting.”
“Sorry.”
“He started talking to me about John’s paintings. Asking me how much they were worth. I told him they weren’t for sale, but he was wondering if they were worth something. I told them they were priceless, and he said that was interesting because I owed him money.”
I bit my tongue as my heart began to thunder in my ears.
“This guy’s name is Ben. He’s related to one of the guys who killed John in the alley that night. From the sounds of it, his cousin paid a hefty price because he could never get the money back for the drugs that girl was giving away in my studio back in Los Angeles. They tried tracking her down, but I think they killed her, Bryan. He told me it was my debt to pay now. One hundred thousand dollars. And if I don’t, he’s threatened you and my family.”
She was shaking in my arms again, and I was seeing red. What in the hell was Hailey doing hiding something like this from me? Had this woman lost her fucking mind? I bit down on my tongue to keep from talking as she drew in another breath, my body trying to listen as my mind was screaming out for vengeance.
Someone came into my wife’s gallery and threatened her life?
I was going to kill them.
“And I figured you had been through enough with John. This was my past with him, not yours, and if I needed to rectify it, then so be it. He saved my life, Bryan. Your brother saved me, and now he’s saving me again.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“In order to get the money to give to Ben, I’ve sold John’s duo paintings to Ramon. They’re packed and set to be shipped out next week.”
I held Hailey close to me as her crying started up again. My body was trembling with fury. I thought we were done with all of this. I thought we were past all of this. I was ready to wrap my hands around this little asshole’s neck and squeeze the very life from his eyes. Who the hell did he think he was, threatening a pregnant woman? If he was threatening Hailey, then there was a good chance he had threatened my unborn child at some point.
And that wasn’t going to fly with me.
“I can’t believe I have to sell what I have left of the man who saved my life just to free myself from his past,” Hailey said.
“We have to go to the police,” I said.
“No,” she said. “No, we can’t. That was his one condition. He said he would be watching me. We can’t do that. He’s going to hurt us, Bryan. I can’t let you get hurt.”
“Nothing is going to happen to me, and nothing is going to happen to you either.”
“He knows Anna. He’s going to hurt Anna,” she said as she sobbed.
“No one is hurting anyone, okay? Not on my watch. Not as long as I’m around. This man is trying to punish you for something you have nothing to do with. He’s desperate for money and he’s trying to find any way to get it. You are not selling off those paintings of John’s. I won’t allow it.”
“I’ve already made a deal with Ramon. It’s done, Bryan.”
“Then we’ll find a way to undo it. We have a good relationship with Ramon. We’ll figure it out,” I said.