The 'Burg: Hold On Part 56

He had a point.

And he was totally good with me being with Merry.

I nodded with my lips curling up too and reached to my back pocket to get my phone.

"And I'll take a fresh one," Tanner finished.

I got his fresh one, then I got Darryl to take the bar while me and my phone hit the office and I hit go on Merry's contact.

I barely had my cell to my ear before Merry answered.

"You okay?"

He'd heard.

"Who called?" I asked.

"Lore," he told me. "Man didn't hear what went down, just knew Mia showed and threw down."

Loren Smithfield. Resident player. He was right then playing pool at the same time scanning the joint for a.s.s to tap.

"I'm okay," I a.s.sured.

"Got some things I gotta finish up with Mike, then I'll be in for a drink."

I'd take that because we'd been texting since lunch at Frank's two days before, but I hadn't seen him.

Though, I didn't want him to think he had to come in for me.

"I'm really okay, Merry," I told him.

"I know you are. That's you. You're not okay, you find a way to be. That doesn't mean I'm not p.i.s.sed as s.h.i.+t my ex is bein' a stupid b.i.t.c.h and draggin' you into that. So I'm gonna be in to make sure you're okay, and I'm gonna be in so I can be with you and not go find her and rip her a new a.s.shole."

"Best play you got, seein' as I'm not sure she'd feel a new a.s.shole," I muttered.

Merry's next sounded disbelieving. "Lore said Tanner waded in. He didn't set her straight?"

"I don't know. I don't think like her, but I got the impression she's all in and Tanner mighta delivered a few hits, but she's feelin' the need to prove something, so she's gonna get back up and keep fighting."

"f.u.c.k," Merry muttered.

I had no response because I didn't know what to say. Not only had I never been in a situation like this, it was true, I didn't think like Mia. I had no idea what she was planning and how those plans would be carried out.

And worse, if they might wear Merry down.

"Somethin' you should know," he said in a way that told me it was something I should know, but it was something I didn't want to know.

"Hit me," I replied, even though I wasn't big on taking another hit that evening.

"Drew and Sean had the occasion to be in her development yesterday. Said the for sale sign on her house is down."

"She sell?" I asked hopefully, knowing that was stupid.

It was always stupid for me to hope.

"Don't know. Don't care and don't wanna give the impression I do."

That was a good play.

I again said nothing.

"She doesn't have it in her," he said quietly.

"Mm-hmm," I replied.

"Babe, not feelin' d.i.c.k about this except supremely p.i.s.sed she had a go at you and equally p.i.s.sed my hands are tied. I got no moves except ignoring her a.s.s. Not a man who likes to be cornered, but there's nothin' I can do. I confront her, she'll take that as attention and time I'm givin' her and read it wrong. There's no move but wait it out, play it smart, and give her nothing. She doesn't have it in her to stay the course. She's gonna give up."

"Merry, I'm at work," I reminded him. "Darryl's back of the bar. He can pull beers and uncap bottles but a mixed drink is a c.r.a.pshoot. I gotta get back out there."

"Cherie," his tone was now soft, "sorry as f.u.c.k she did what she did, but I'll be sorrier, her doin' that s.h.i.+t puts thoughts in your head that I'm not where I'm at with you, which, it's important to note, is where I wanna be."

I drew in breath.

He kept talking.

"I'll be there in an hour. If you're down with it, follow you home and hang with you until Ethan goes to bed."

That'd work for me.

"That's a deal."

"Right, lettin' you go. See you soon."

"See you soon, Merry."

I was about to hang up when he called, "Cher?"

"Still here," I told him.

"Last coupla days, slowed things down," he stated. "You were right, we hit hyperdrive. But you need to settle into this in a way you believe. And you also got a kid. He's had you and he's had all of you for eleven years. He digs me and doesn't hide it. I like that. But I don't need to all of a sudden be in your s.p.a.ce and in his face every second of the day. Once, I went about winnin' a woman. Never tackled the feat of winnin' a family. Need you to know I'm in this with you and it's a place I wanna be. Same time, need your boy to know that, you got me, he doesn't lose you. He just gets me too. We take that time to do this smart, which means I give you and Ethan s.p.a.ce along the way, I don't want you to use that s.p.a.ce to let s.h.i.+t f.u.c.k with your head."

Winnin' a family.

G.o.d.

Merry.

"All right, baby," I whispered.

"Don't wanna sound like a d.i.c.k but also don't wanna be a.s.surin' you constantly about where I'm at." His voice dipped. "You need to believe in this, Cher."

It was hard for me to believe. For years, along with the rest of the 'burg, I'd lived the whole Mia-and-Merry-need-to-get-back-together thing.

But he was right.

I'd made a decision to give us a shot. I'd promised him I'd give it the best one I had. And I'd promised myself I was not going to f.u.c.k this up.

And it had just been days and I was falling down on that job.

"Roger that, boss," I replied.

"I'm spoutin' important s.h.i.+t, she gives me the smarta.s.s."

"It's me."

"It is."

He didn't make it sound like it was a bad thing.

"Are we gonna talk for the next hour so you're only gonna be here for fifteen minutes before I get to go home to my kid and my guy? Or are we gonna hang up so you can get your s.h.i.+t done and come see me?"

Merry didn't reply.

He hung up on me.

Which was too bad since he couldn't hear me laughing.

Chapter Fifteen.

Don't Let Go Cher Ethan nearly knocked me off the couch when he shot off it to get to the door.

A second earlier, he'd looked through the break in the curtains.

I looked to the cable box.

It was Thursday night, ten to six, and Merry was there.

I turned my head left and saw Ethan throw open the front door and unlock the storm.

He waited a beat...two...three...all while I suspected Merry was walking up the walk.

Then he shouted, "Hey, Merry!"

I studied my son, wondering if Merry read the situation with him right.

Ethan had totally been down with Merry hanging with us and watching TV the night before.

And he was totally down with Merry walking up our walk and going to his gramma's for a family dinner.

It didn't appear Ethan needed s.p.a.ce.

It appeared Ethan was like me and just needed Merry.

"Hey, man." I heard Merry's voice, and that was when I pushed out of the couch, grabbing the remote.

I was turning their way at the same time switching off the TV when Merry walked in and gave Ethan a man-to-man handshake.

They'd let go when Ethan informed him, "Gram's makin' her meatloaf." He lifted a hand and shook it in a don't-be-disappointed gesture. "I know it sounds like it sucks. But it doesn't. Gram's meatloaf is the freaking bomb. It's like a huge hamburger baked with ketchup on top. She usually puts onions in it, though she won't do that tonight."

"Sounds good," Merry told him.

"Then she makes this tater tot ca.s.serole to go with it. It's crazy good."

Merry grinned. "Sounds like it's a good thing I'm hungry."

Merry's comments did not deter Ethan from his information sharing. "And fried corn."

"Can't call yourself a Hoosier unless you got fried corn stuck in your teeth at least once a week," Merry replied.

Ethan burst out laughing.

"Okay, kid, now that you've broken down the menu," I said, moving toward them. "Maybe we can get to your gramma's and eat it."

Ethan quit laughing and looked at me. "You just want me to shut up so you can be gooey with Merry."

"That and I'm hungry," I returned.

"Whatever," he muttered to me and looked to Merry. "While you get gooey with Mom, can I go out and start your truck?"

As an answer, Merry tossed Ethan his keys.

"Right on!" Ethan shouted after he caught them.

He wasted no time rus.h.i.+ng to the bucket chair to grab his jacket and then he raced out of the house.

The storm door whispered and banged.

I looked to Merry.

"Get over here and give me gooey," he ordered.