Jimmy disappeared again, returning with a wet face cloth, a glass of water, and some Advil. “Do you need anything, Ev?”
“I’m fine. Thanks.”
David groaned and sank back onto the couch. “Shit. What the hell was I thinking?”
“Not sure you really were,” said Jimmy. “You just kind of cut loose and went for it. Haven’t seen you go at it like that in years.”
I sighed. “The last week has been pretty hardcore for everyone.”
“Can I empty it?” asked Jimmy, pointing to the bowl of doom.
“Yeah, I think I’m okay now.” David sipped at the water. “This is good.”
Jimmy just nodded.
“Thanks, Jimmy,” I said.
“We had plans for tonight,” said David in a hoarse voice.
“Yeah.”
“I kind of forgot.”
I frowned.
“You’re mad.”
“I honestly don’t know what I am,” I said, caressing the baby’s little hand. “But I think if one of us wants to relax and have a few drinks, that’s the sort of thing we need to organize ahead of time now.”
He nodded, his forehead furrowed in concentration. Probably to ensure he didn’t accidentally fall off the couch or something. There was nothing like high blood alcohol level to enhance your general life skills. And there wasn’t any point in saying more. Not that I even knew what to say, my head was a mess. Having a heart-to-heart with him now, when he likely wouldn’t remember what we said in the morning, was not appealing. My energy levels just weren’t that good. Neither was my patience, apparently. Thank God Jimmy was here.
“Let’s get you in the shower, stinker,” said Jimmy, giving his brother a hand.
David laughed drunkenly. “You’re making me sound like I’m some annoying little kid.”
“That makes sense since you’re behaving like a man child right now.”
“Ouch,” said David, swaying on his feet. “Harsh, dude.”
I focused on feeding the baby and said a whole lot of nothing.
Chapter Three
David stumbled out of the spare bedroom at around ten the next morning with a “Hey.”
The baby and I were hanging out on the living room floor. He lay on a blanket, staring up at the toys hanging above. The yellow star in particular seemed to call to him. Lord help us if we had another rock star in the making. A second generation of Stage Dive madness would be wild. I wasn’t sure the world would survive it.
The baby and I had done our couple of minutes of tummy time. Diapers had been changed, and milk had been consumed. The day was going fine, give or take my inner turmoil.
David wore a pair of sweatpants and nothing else. Normally I’d take a moment to indulge my lust. But any positive feelings toward him were missing this morning. His long dark hair was a veritable bird’s nest. Guess Jimmy was willing to only go so far with his caretaking. Fair enough. He cleaned him up and dumped him in the spare room to sleep it off, which was for the best. Nothing snored like a drunk, and I needed all the uninterrupted sleep I could get. So did our son.
“Did you take the Advil I left beside the bed?” I asked.
“Yeah. Thanks. How are you doing?” he asked, leaning against a wall.
“We’re okay.”
His gaze narrowed. “You’re angry, Ev.”
“I’m just tired, mostly.”
“But you’re also pissed at me.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I think I have a right to be, don’t you?”
“I know we had plans for last night, and I’m sorry about that, but…it was just a few drinks with the guys to celebrate.”
“Which I had no warning of, and you left me alone to look after our son,” I said. “And it wasn’t just a few drinks. You were drunk off your ass. I haven’t seen you like that in years.”
His raised his chin. “Am I not allowed to cut loose now and then?”
“You’re allowed to do whatever the hell you want. You’re a grown adult. And I know that things have been stressful lately. But I’d ask that you show a little consideration.”
He turned away.
“You could have called me and let me know what was happening, at the very least. And you could have crashed at Ben and Lizzy’s.”
“I wanted to come home,” he growled.
“So you could stagger around, throw up, and pass out?” I kept my voice calm so as not to freak out the baby. “We’re just lucky Jimmy was here to help.”
A muscle jumped in the side of his jaw. “Don’t you think you’re making a bit too much of this?”
“No. And trust me, I’ve overthought this to the nth degree all damn night.”
He hung his head.
My heart ached for him. Hell, it ached for all of us. What a mess life was. “I know this hasn’t been easy, but we have to work together here.”
“Baby, I know. I just…”
“You just what?”
“I don’t know.” He sighed. “I guess I thought it would be more fun having a child and all, you know?”