Imperfectly Real (A Series of Imperfections) (4 page)

Wanting to know how to help her, I finally got up the nerve to speak again. “Everything okay, Half-Pint?” I questioned. Then, without thinking, I reached over and took her hand in mine. Her fingers fit between mine as if they were made to. My gaze fell to our hands and my heart skipped a beat in my chest when I realized that I liked how her skin felt on mine. I looked at her as she too stared at our entwined hands and bit down on her lower lip. I knew she felt it too. Silent moments passed before her blue eyes met mine again.

“No, everything’s not okay.” She pulled her hand from mine hastily while taking a deep breath. “But it will be.” She stood and tripped over one of the kids’ toys. I stifled my laughter and her face flushed again. I couldn’t help but smile in spite of myself knowing that she felt uneasy around me. “I think I’ll head to bed now. Thanks for the beers, Tyler.”

The next morning was uneventful. Rob and I had agreed to hit the gym early and as we made our way downstairs, we found Emma and Elizabeth already in the living room with the kids. The room had been turned upside-down, with toys strewn every which way. The girls were perched on the futon, hands wrapped around their coffee mugs. They had been talking in hushed voices as we came down the stairs, but once we joined them they immediately quieted. Definitely suspect.

“Where are you guys headed so early?” Emma questioned without missing a beat. I had to hand it to her, she was good at trying to hide things. But this wasn’t getting past me. I was going to figure out what the hell was going on if it was the last thing I did. I didn’t
need
to know, but for some reason unknown to me, I
wanted
to know. Hell, I
had
to know.

“Gym. Tell Shane we’re sorry,” I mumbled as we opened the door to leave. “I didn’t want to wake him.”

“He’ll be fine,” she said. “If anything, he’ll appreciate the few extra hours of sleep.”

Rob slammed the door behind me and we went down the stairs in silence. When we finally hit the sidewalk, I found the fresh fall air refreshing. We started our jog—both of us lost in our own thoughts, and nothing but the sounds of our labored breathing to keep us company.

Rob eventually broke the silence. “So, do you find this visit from Liz as odd as I do?” he questioned between breaths.

“Seems weird to me for sure,” I replied as we turned the final corner before the gym.

“I overheard Em and Shane mumbling something about her the other day,” Rob added. “But of course they changed the subject the minute I came into the room. I gathered things with her aren’t going as perfectly as she would like everyone to think.”

We slowed once we reached the gym. I wiped the dampness from my forehead, not really sweating yet. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I do find it weird that Liz would be calling on Emma for support.”

Rob grunted his agreement as we entered the gym. “That’s for damn sure. I mean when was the last time the bitch was out here?”

“Don’t call her that,” I scolded.

“She is one!” he argued.

“And you are a heartless bastard.”

“At least
I
can admit it.”

I was thankful the gym wasn’t busy yet. I didn’t feel like fighting with the juiceheads to get to the machines. I just wanted to blow through my workout and get back to the condo. I was dying to get some information on Elizabeth’s situation. I wasn’t sure why I cared so damned much, I just needed to understand. Hell, I was annoyed with myself that I even cared. It was just Half-Pint. I hadn’t seen her in eight years. I had nothing vested in her, or her life.

Every time I pounded out my reps and went to the next thing, Rob bitched at me that I was rushing him. But my hard work paid off, and forty-five minutes later I breathed a sigh of relief as we finally left the gym. Once we started our jog back home he questioned me. “What the fuck was that all about? I’ve never seen you blow through a workout like that before.”

“Just anxious to get back to the condo and visit with everyone,” I muttered. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a night like this planned. I’m looking forward to letting loose.” Rob stared at me, apparently curious about my peculiar actions, never missing a stride. I felt like he was on to me, and I knew I needed to give him a distraction. “Plus, it’s never too early to pregame.” I was kicking myself in the ass for saying it because I knew he would never let that opportunity slide away from him—Rob didn’t need much of an excuse to start partying.

A Cheshire cat grin spread across his face and I knew he’d make sure I was hammered sooner rather than later. “I like how you’re thinking, Ty!”

Rob and I ran the rest of the way back to the condo in silence. I could sense his mind reeling as he tried to piece things together himself. He wasn’t a fool, and he could tell that I was a little more intrigued by the recent goings on than I should be.

We planned out our drinks for the evening as we climbed the stairs and burst through the front door. We found everyone, including a newly awake Shane, sitting in the living room. The two rugrats were perched in their highchairs having a snack and watching T.V.

“I’m taking a shower,” Rob called as he immediately fled up the stairs. I rubbed Felix’s head as I walked by and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Good workout?” Shane questioned, before I plopped down onto the beanbag.

I grunted and closed my eyes. I hadn’t slept well and my early morning workout had done nothing but tire me out even further. I started trying to figure out a way for me to get information from Shane or Emma. I knew Emma would be harder to crack—blood is thicker than water, yada, yada—so I set my sights on Shane. I knew exactly what I could say to get him to tell me the truth. It was below the belt, but I didn’t give a shit.

Lucky for me, my chance came sooner than I thought it would. My ears pricked up as I listened to the girls talk about heading out to Central Park with the kids.

“Do you mind if I just stay here with the guys?” Shane questioned from his spot on the futon.

“Of course not,” Emma whispered, her voice closer than it had been. Then came the sickening smooching sounds.

“Get a room!” I yelled, not bothering to open my eyes. The sound of their love was gross enough. I didn’t need to see it. I heard Elizabeth laugh, and my heart thumped annoyingly in response.

What the hell?

I hadn’t heard her laugh since we were kids … I guess I’d forgotten how infectious it was. A smile spread across my face in response. I listened patiently, while I waited for them to gather all their things before heading out to the park.

“Finally,” I groaned after the door slammed shut. Silence resounded through the condo. My eyelids flew open and I sat up staring in Shane’s direction.

Shane rolled his eyes, knowing what was coming. “Don’t even bother to ask.” He immediately stood up and started to walk away from me. Where he was trying to escape to I wasn’t sure. “I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”

“Ah, that’s bullshit, Shane. Aren’t you the one always preaching about honesty? You admitted it yourself that people just need to be upfront about things.”

He froze, his mind apparently flashing back to his own words about keeping skeletons locked in closets. We all knew how pissed he’d been when he found out that Emma and I had spent a few nights tangled in the sheets—
before
they got together. “That’s a low blow buddy.” He turned and made eye contact with me. “Besides, this doesn’t have anything to do with you, so I don’t see why you care. It’s none of your business.”

“I don’t really care,” I argued. “It’s more like curiosity. But it sort of does have something to do with me, this is my condo too, and I’d kinda like to know why Half-Pint is here.”

“
Half-Pint
?” Shane laughed. “She’s been here a day, and you’re calling her Half-Pint again?”

I was irritated with my slipup. It was one thing for
me
to call her that but it was a totally different ballgame for Shane to know I was. “Just tell me why the fuck she’s here!” I demanded, a little angrier than I expected myself to be. I felt my face flush.

He motioned with his hands for me to keep my voice down. He didn’t want Rob to overhear us. “Relax buddy.” Shane shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. You’d better keep your mouth shut, ‘cause Emma will kill me if she knows that I told you.”

I hastily crossed my heart. “Scouts honor,” I promised.

“Liz hates her life.” He sighed. “There you happy now? You nosey asshole.”

“Very. Thank you.” It still didn’t explain much. Obviously she was unhappy. I’d figured that much out on my own. But why the hell did she feel the need to be here, with Em. “And—” I started, hoping for just a smidge more information.

Shane cut me off. “Supposedly she just needs a little support. You know what Mrs. Sloan is like, Ty. Liz has no place else to go, and we all know that in Liz’s eyes, Emma is great at navigating through life’s toughest shit. She’s independent, something Liz can only dream of being.”

I rolled my eyes at that. We all knew Emma was anything but stellar at life decisions—especially considering the bumpy course her life had taken over the past two years. But I could understand why Liz might think that she had all the answers. Emma had been independent for as long as I had known her. She knew what she wanted from life and she always went after it, no matter the cost.

Shane had really given me more than enough information, but I wanted to know more. “So why is she so damned unhappy?” I asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

“Well, I’m not 100% sure on that one myself, but I gather that Mason is constantly gone. I think she’s just lonely and bored. I mean, since she doesn’t work, she’s stuck at home all day with Emily, and she just needs someone to be there for her.”

I could understand that feeling. I had yet to be lucky in the love department. I’d never really cared too much for any of my exes. None of them really understood me. Plus, Cheyenne had done a number on my heart—and my bank account. Since then, I had yet to get back in the proverbial saddle.

Shane snapped me out of my daze as he started to lecture me. “Please don’t let on that you know anything, Ty. I don’t need any drama tonight. None of us do really. It will just be good for all of us to just get out and go back to how things used to be.”

“Holy cow!” Emma yelled. “Would you hurry up? We’re already paying for the sitter and we haven’t even left the condo yet!”

I smiled—reveling in the annoyance in her voice—and poked my head out of the bathroom. “Relax, I’ll freakin’ pay for the next fifteen minutes.”

“Seriously,” she groaned. “Tyler, you need a new M.O.” She was right—it took me way too long to get pretty. Always had, and probably always would. But the fact of the matter was that I’d been finishing up my evening preparations when I decided to slow it down a bit, just to get a rise out of Emma. She was hysterical when she was slightly on edge, and I was looking for a bit of entertainment for the evening.

“Tyler Johnston, I am not waiting around for you! We never get out anymore and you’re just pissing my money away …” Suddenly, it wasn’t so funny anymore. Emma had officially gone off the deep end, I could hear it in her voice. She sounded borderline mental as she continued her rant. “… I will kick your A-S-S myself.”

At that very moment I decided I shouldn’t push my luck any further. I knew damn well that she didn’t fuck around when it came to her money. So I stalked out of the bathroom and threw my hands up in defeat. “Alright, alright. I’m ready. Sheesh, I just wanted to look nice for our big night out,” I teased, coming down the stairs.

“Aw, you look wonderful, Ty.” Shane batted his eyelashes as he leaned into me.

I quickly pulled him into a headlock and jokingly punched him in the stomach. “Get over yourself, Pretty Boy, I wanted to look nice for Rob.”

“What about me?” Rob questioned as he looked up from his cellphone. He was so oblivious lately—well, more so than usual. I swear a train could have come through the condo at any moment and he wouldn’t have noticed. Rob had always been a bit …
aloof
. We’d known him for years but we still didn’t really know that much about his life before us.