A Shattered Moment (Fractured Lives 1)

“Sure,” I answered, gripping the steering wheel tightly. I drove toward her house wondering if this would be it for us. I wanted to make a case for myself, but at the moment it seemed pointless. Mac stared directly ahead with her arms crossed across her chest.

“So, your family was nice,” she said, breaking the silence. She caught me off guard and I wasn’t sure I had heard her correctly. “Well, except your sister. Don’t take this the wrong way, but fuck her.”

I wanted to laugh, but I couldn’t tell if she was being facetious or if she was serious. “Hey, no offense taken. That was pretty much my sentiment, too. So, are you okay, or do you, you know, want to talk about it?”

“To tell you the truth, I’m not mad like I thought I would be. I think getting the hell out of the restaurant was more of a reflex action, but after thinking about it for a few minutes, I kind of realized that this is my life.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” I said.

“People are always going to stare and look at me differently. There’s nothing I can do about it. For the rest of my life, I’ll just have to put up with it.”

“Mac. There’s no way I’d ever tell you how to feel, but no one in there was looking at you differently. As for my idiot sister, that was more an attack on me than you. Trust me. My parents will make her pay. Even more than I did.”

“What do you mean, more than you did?”

“Let’s put it this way, my dad’s still probably helping her find the broken pieces of her phone.”

“You didn’t,” she said, shaking her head. “Bentley, you shouldn’t have done that.”

“What?” I asked incredulously. “I did it for you, to defend your honor or whatever.”

“I didn’t ask you to smash your sister’s phone. Believe me, if I can’t handle an insult from a bratty teenager, what hope do I have?”

“Well, shit. I don’t even know what to say. I mean, you sound okay, I guess?”

“Whether I am or not, it’s not your job to come to my rescue every time you think I need saving, or fix me if you think I’m broken.”

“It’s in my nature. Hell, it’s what I do for a living. I have to help,” I said, trying to justify my actions.

“Well, if we are going to be together, then you’ll have to get over it. Just be there. That’s it.”

“So, we’re good then?” I asked. I was at least happy to hear her describe us as “together” still.

“Sure. I’ve gotten used to being carried around, so you’re stuck now.”

“What about all that talk about not saving you or fixing you? Now you still expect me to carry you?” I teased.

“Why do you think I said ‘just be there’? I need your muscle.” She smiled.

“Well, it’s nice to be needed in some way, I guess.”

“I did like your mom and your cousin. What was his name again?”

“Grant. Yeah, he’s cool. We were thick growing up even though he’s a couple years older than me. I do remember being jealous, though, because he got to do all the cool stuff before me. Eventually I realized the benefits of having an older cousin,” I said, flashing a wicked grin.

“Meaning?”

“Older chicks and scoring booze before I was old enough. Well, before he was old enough, too, but he had older friends, so it all rolled our way. We got caught so many times that Grant was on my mom’s shit list for a long time. Now it’s funny to see her singing a different tune since Grant will be popping out a baby.”

“Really? I didn’t realize your cousin had the equipment to ‘pop out’ a baby.”

“Sorry. I meant his wife, Devyn, will be popping out a baby.”

“Word to the wise: I’d refrain from referring to it as ‘popping out’ when she’s around. I’m not sure pregnant women like that phrase. It’s kind of gross.”

“Good point. In my experience women get a little testy about that kind of stuff when they’re about to have a baby.”

“Have you had a lot of experience with women in labor?” she asked as I steered the car toward our next destination.