I laugh at her brusque tone and follow her back outside where Pax pulls me onto his lap with a growl.
“What were the two of you up to in there?” he asks shiftily.
“Girl talk. So, you just never mind and don’t hassle the lady,” Verna bosses, “now lift them glasses and toast with us before we head back into town to open the bar.”
We raise our glasses, even Cliff who sits smiling, contented by the warmth of the midday sun shining on all of us, almost as if this is what a family should feel like.
“To good memories, good women, and a life full of drifting,” Ken hollers.
We all clink glasses and swig back the whiskey as we say our goodbyes.
The ones that I know don’t mean I’ll see you later, or next time, but instead it means Pax can try to move on from a life of pain.
I stand on the porch and watch from a distance as Pax hugs them and sends them on their way. I’m quick about writing a check and slipping it through the mail slot of the door just as I told Verna I would when she hugged me goodbye.
I came out here wanting nothing more than to find my drifter and bring him home, but instead what I was filled with was an understanding of his unspoken horrific past, and what the man would do for his family. A family that loves him and forgives him for the things he had no control over, and a family that carries secrets so dark, that in the end, it’s easier to drift apart. It isn’t my place to judge them or ask questions, I know in my heart Verna is doing what she thinks is best for everyone, and I’m okay with it. The question I don’t know the answer to, is will Whiskey be okay with it too?
“Heads up,” Pax yells.
I catch the deflated football he tosses at me and laugh as he takes a seat on the porch beside me.
“Never owned one of those fucking things when it was full of air, and probably couldn’t catch it if it was… So,” he pauses eyeing me over, “what did you think of my mysterious family?”
I move closer to him and rest my head on his shoulder.
“I think they are really amazing. Sweet, kind, honest… the sort of people I’d be honored to call family.”
He lifts my head and stares at me questionably.
“You aren’t considering dragging them back to the Hill with us, are you?”
“No,” I laugh, “you already warned me not to. Besides, I still have Satan to face and I don’t think she would take too kindly to me bringing home any more drifters.”
Pax laughs quietly, seemingly amused with something.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing… it was just a stupid thought,” he says passively.
“Tell me!”
I give him the eyes; the ones that warn him I’m about to pull his hair if I have to just to get it out of him.
He stays silent, staring at me with his deep blue gaze holding mine as he twirls my hair around his finger, and then he sighs.
“This is the first time I can look at your sexy face without getting the urge to cause an argument so that we can hate-fuck. Do you think that means there is something wrong with me?”
“Are you kidding me?” I laugh. “You are such a big dummy sometimes, Pax, and no, there is nothing wrong with you. Maybe it just means you are at peace with yourself because you’re realizing you are a good man… just. Like. I. Said.”
He traces his fingers lightly down my face and smiles mischievously.
“You wouldn’t be trying to purposely cause an argument with me right now, would you?”
“Me? Of course not,” I feign innocence. “We do need to get going though if we are going to make it back to the Hill before dark.”
“Your wish is my command.”
He kisses my forehead and takes off running through the field toward the bikes and I start to chase him, laughing because his pants are falling down. God, I love that man.
It’s funny to me that he doesn’t even realize yet that I only have one wish.
For us to stay like this forever, Whiskey and me.
The two of us laughing and happy, fulfilled by each other’s presence just like a real family. But that isn’t possible just yet, at least not until I cut ties with Satan… while I pray to God that come Monday, Pax will still love me enough to forgive me once he finds out that I helped his other family split.
Nine
When it Rains
It’s Tuesday morning and I still haven’t said a word to Pax about Verna skipping town with his family. It’s been on my mind for days, but I can’t bring myself to tell him yet, not when he seems so happy and content with life. We still haven’t fucked either, but that’s only because I’ve been lying and saying I’m on my period since I can’t seem to bring myself to do that with Pax either.
The only thing I have going for me at the moment is that Satan still isn’t back from her trip which has me thinking she’s not in rehab or I would have heard something about it from Gabe by now. Whatever… at least it’s still nice and quiet around here.
Logging into my bank account, I check my balance and see Verna still hasn’t cashed the check I left her. I mean fuck, what is she waiting for? How am I supposed to tell Pax I made sure they would be okay when she still hasn’t accepted
