Winnie appeared out of nowhere with a trashcan just in time, and I managed to catch all the vomit. Nick strolled in behind his mom and brother, looking moody.
“I told him not to eat that cheese. It had mold on it.”
Rubbing Silas’ back, I looked up at Stacey and was about to ask her what cheese she had in her fridge, but when I saw the look of fury on her face, I stood up and put myself between her and Winnie. “What the hell, Stace?”
Nick walked over to Winnie and wrapped his arms around her for a hug. “Hey, Freddie. Can I sleep in your bed?”
“Sure.” Winnie replied at the same moment I said no. She darted her eyes to me and then back to Nick.
I was still planning on going back to bed with Winnie at some point, and I wasn’t starting a habit of Nick of sleeping between us. He could have her attention during the day, but the night was mine. “Go sleep on the couch for right now, buddy.”
Silas pouted heavily when he lifted his head. “I don’t feel good, Dad.”
I knelt back down to ask him what he’d eaten and whether there was anything else that might’ve made him feel sick. While I was sorting him out and making sure he was okay, the tension in the room boiled around me.
“Well. I’ve been hearing about this ‘Freddie’ for weeks now. I didn’t know you went by anything other than Winnie.” Stacey’s voice was ice cold.
“The kids heard my mom call me Freddie, and it stuck.” Winnie sounded almost robotic as she answered, her normal spirit muted. “I’m sorry to see Silas sick.”
It suddenly dawned on me. Winnie had lost her beloved job as an art teacher because of a cold, unfeeling terror of a principal. Stacey definitely fit the part. I glanced up at her and knew I was right. My stomach dropped at the idea of Stacey being the reason Winnie lost her job. We were more connected than we knew. If I’d just thought about it for two seconds, I would have put two and two together.
“You’ve had quite the summer since losing your job, huh?” Stacey’s smile was cruel as she tilted her head and examined Winnie. “I was so worried you’d just spend your time sitting around and eating your feelings.”
Silas groaned. “Dad, I don’t feel good.”
As he started vomiting again, I held the bucket steady and glared at Stacey. “Cut it out.”
She waved me off. “We’re old friends, me and your new girlfriend. She knows I’m only teasing. Isn’t that right,Freddie?”
Judging by the look on Winnie's face, she would've walked away from me, Jack, and Beck right then and there if it meant not having to see Stacey ever again. Unwilling to have Winnie feeling terrible in her own house, I forced a calm demeanor so the kids wouldn't be worried. "We've got it from here, Stacey."
"Oh, don't be silly. I can stay and-"
I cut her off. "No, thanks. I've got it. Just close the door behind you."
She cast a long look at Winnie before nodding once. The one good thing about her was that she was unwilling to make a fool of herself typically. Her upbringing didn't allow for it. "Fine."
I couldn't look up at Winnie for a bit after, terrified of what I was going to see on her face. I took care of Silas and when I got him to sleep finally, I went to find Winnie. She wasn't in her room. When I finally found her, she was in Birdie's bed, with her back to the door.
I swore to myself and went back to her bed, frustrated and exhausted.
41
Winnie
Birdiestaredatmefrom across our kitchen table, a frown on her face. It was the weekend, we weren’t racing over to one of the guys’ houses, and she wasn’t happy about it. I was ignoring her attitude while searching the classifieds for Nashville, and I’d circled a few job listings that sounded okay. I’d had to resort to an old-fashioned newspaper after growing dejected when I couldn’t find anything online. I wanted to teach again. I missed having a class full of messy kids.
Being around the kids with the guys had been a treat, but my time was running out. Faster than I thought, even, with Stacey in the picture.
I’d already made breakfast, cleaned the house, organized my art supplies, and watered all the plants outside. It was bothering me, too, not to race right over to Sawyer’s house. He was Stacey’s ex-husband, though. It was gutting to think of Sawyer married to her, loving her, giving her babies. I didn’t understand how he could be attracted to me when he’d chosen her previously. Even if I ignored the difference in our looks, I couldn’t get past the vast difference in our personalities. I was biased, but I was pretty sure Stacey was the devil.
“Olive’s waiting on me, you know.” Birdie stabbed her fork into her eggs and scowled at them. “We always go over and swim in Beck’s pool. Why aren’t we going today?”
It wasn’t like I could explain to her that I’d made a huge mess of things and was trying to start the process of unraveling everything. I couldn’t explain that I was going to start showing any day, and the guys would know the secret I was keeping. “We don’t need to go over there every weekend, Birdie. It’s nice to just stay home sometimes.”
“I want to see Olive.” She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. “Sawyer was going to show me how to swim backwards today. And Jack said he’d let me help grill. And Beck... I just want to see them. Why can’t I see them?”
I felt stricken as I watched tears form in her eyes with a horrible sinking feeling. I hadn’t anticipated just how attached she would get to the guys. I pulled Birdie into my arms and cradled her head to my shoulder. “Oh, Bird. I thought you didn’t like them, honey. You’re always a little…harsh with them.”