5
Jimmy
Security Detail
When we walked out of Iz’s new home tonight and everyone climbed into their cars, I did, too. But then I told them I was taking a phone call.
I sat in my Jeep having a stupid one-sided conversation with myself while I watched my family drive away. Then I put my phone away, pushed my seat back, and got comfortable. I’ll be here all night, so I better figure out a way to keep my legs alive.
I’ve contracted a security team to come in and install cameras around the entire outside of the house. I don’t even care that she might get pissed; and bymight, I mean definitely. She will definitely get pissed.
Zero. Fucks. Given.
If she wants me to live beyond my next birthday, then she’ll deal with it.
I came here knowing my plans for the night, so I brought extra protein snacks and water, I wore comfy sweats, and brought extra blankets since it’s fucking cold out. It’ll be snowing any day now.
How long can I safely sleep in my car without freezing to death?
I don’t know, but this week is a good time to find out.
I hate that she moved out of Bobby’s place. I fucking loathe it. Her options are pretty damn clear; Bobby’s place. Jon’s place. My place.
But she chose alone.
Because she likes to watch me die for her.
I’ve been dying of heart ache for as long as I remember, but maybe now this year’s first snow will freeze my pathetic heart and make everything better.
I’ll be staying here and keeping watch until she no longer needs me. I intend to be by her side every minute from now until… well, I’m not sure. I’d say till after the trial, since the stress isn’t good for her or the baby, but she’s so close to delivery, I might stay until then.
To keep her safe.
But if I stay till then, I may as well stay until Bean’s more than five minutes old, to make sure she’s coping. So maybe I’ll stick around a little longer. One day, she might come outside when Bean is ten or so, she’ll find me with moss growing between my toes, and she might take pity on me.
Maybe she’ll invite me in for coffee and marriage.
I’ve seen Ben around town the last few months. Not a lot, just a couple times, and every time he catches sight of me, he bolts. He knows what’s up. He knows what’ll happen if I get my hands on him.
Iz has never mentioned that she’s seen him around – not that she tells me her secrets anymore. But she did tell me one secret. One big thing the day after Bobby and Kit’s wedding.
She told Ben; she went to his house – I wanted to go crazy at her for doing that without me.
She told him about Bean. He said to abort – I wanted to go crazy athimfor that.
She got her ass on a bus, went into the city, sat in the lobby of his apartment for hours, but he wasn’t home. Wondering if the universe was telling her to just drop it, to go home and live her life without Ben ever knowing, she got up to leave, only to be stopped by the doorman.
Friendly guyshe said.Always super friendly.He let her into Ben’s apartment to wait, and she went in,a-fucking-lone,and while she waited for Ben, she came across mail that had a different address. Ben’s name, but different address in the suburbs.
Iz wouldn’t be Iz if she never followed that trail. She got on another bus in an unfamiliar city, rode it to the burbs, got off at a fancy rich-people stop, and walked her ass to a single-story home with kids laughing in the yard and bikes scattered on the lawn.
That right there, that was the exact moment everything snapped into place.
“Can I help you?”
Iz told me every detail of that day. With a slice of pizza in one hand and tears in her eyes, she sat on Bobby’s couch and told me everything.
She looked up into ocean blue eyes. A beautiful woman with long raven hair and silk clothes stood with a baby on her hip and a curious stare.