The Promise
Page 138
Hoping her bad night did not include downing shots of vodka and committing felonies, my hand snaked out and pressed into Ben’s chest. The second it did, he sat up and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his warmth, trapping my hand between us.
“What?” I whispered, my eyes now to Ben’s throat.
“Okay, the, um…slightly-better-but-still-bad news first.”
Slightly better but still bad?
“Cat…”
“Davey found out that Nat was cheating on him again. They fought…really bad, Frankie. Really bad. He said he was done, and I guess he did it in a way where he meant it this time because she lost it. Started beating on him. He hit her back. She called the cops. He’s all messed up. Even has a concussion ’cause she hit him in the head with a plate or something. He took a lot from her, Frankie, before he lost it. He hit her once to get her off him, but he’s the one in jail.”
I closed my eyes.
“He didn’t press charges,” she continued, “but she did. His mom called me. That’s how I know all this. She’s pissed, Frankie. She knows Davey’s been eatin’ shit for years and she’s seriously pissed. And making matters worse, Ma’s there.”
Oh no.
I opened my eyes, saw Benny’s face, and for the first time in a long time, seeing it didn’t soothe me.
“She was out carousin’, not there for the fight, got there after the police got there. She texted me a few days ago, said I was dead to her because I wasn’t pickin’ up her calls to help her in her hour of need. Guess that’s why she’s with Nat and Davey. But according to Davey’s mom, she’s all up in his and Nat’s shit, talkin’ smack about Davey. Davey’s mom wants the charges dropped and Nat and Ninette outta the house, and she wants that yesterday.”
“Cat, I—” I started, but she cut me off, talking quietly.
“I can’t get dragged into this, Frankie. I’m late.”
My heart thumped and she kept talking.
“Just a couple of days, but I’m always regular. Art and me were gonna spend our Saturday getting a pregnancy test and hopefully celebrating. All this…” She stopped speaking and I actually heard her take in a huge breath before she went on, “And there’s more that happened last night so all I wanna do is skip the pregnancy test and get a bottle of vodka.”
Shit.
No.
“Don’t do that, honey,” I urged.
“I know, but it’s hard.”
“Get the pregnancy test,” I said, then took my own deep breath and finished, “I’ll call Nat.”
Ben’s arms tightening around me brought my eyes to his face. He was worried. But hearing Nat’s name, he was already pissed.
I shook my head.
He shook his back.
“I haven’t told you the more,” Cat said in my ear.
Goddammit.
I looked to Ben’s ear and invited, “Sock it to me.”
“Chrissy kicked Dad out last night.”
“Fuck,” I whispered.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “He called me, looking for a place to crash. I kept my boundaries and he lost it on me, you know, like Dad can do when he doesn’t get his way made easy for him.”
“Yeah, I know how Dad can do that,” I agreed because I so totally did.
“He said all his kids but Enzo were pains in his ass and he never wanted to hear from me again. Then he said he was goin’ to Enzo.”
“Oh my God,” I breathed into the phone. Just the thought of Enzo Uno and Due together and the havoc they could wreak made my blood pressure spike.
“Yeah. Just uppin’ stakes, leaving Chrissy with a new baby, and heading to where Enzo is f**kin’ up his own life and all the lives of the people in it.”
This was not good, but I was confused.
“How is Nat’s deal slightly better bad news than Dad’s?”
“Well, ’cause Dad told me Chrissy was f**ked since she didn’t work and he was shot of her. Didn’t need her shit. She may have kicked him out, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t livin’ in his house. He says he’s puttin’ it on the market so that means Chrissy is jobless, soon to be homeless, and has our new baby sister.”
God. My dad.
“Did Dad say anything about Minnie?” I asked.
“Not a word.”
Fucking Dad.
I looked from Ben’s ear into his eyes and told Cat, “All right, leave it to me.”
Ben went from looking slightly worried and slightly pissed to looking mostly pissed as he clipped, “Jesus, Frankie.”
“What are you gonna do?” Cat asked me.
“I have no clue, but I’ll figure out something.”
“Sal Giglia owe you a marker?” she queried.
Not hardly.
“No,” I answered.
“Too bad. I figure he has the skills to put the fear of God into anybody, even Nat, Ma, and Dad.”
She was probably right.
Still, I wasn’t going to sic Sal on my family. Not because they didn’t deserve it. Because Benny and I already had him coming to our wedding. We didn’t need him forcing us to let him pay for it and giving me away.
“Go get your pregnancy test. No vodka. And call me back after you get done celebrating.”
“Frankie, you always eat this shit and—”
“Go,” I said quietly but firmly. “You need to focus on what’s important, Cat, and their shit isn’t important. Your husband, your marriage, you building a family is important. Get that pregnancy test. I’ll send good vibes your way.”
She said nothing for long moments. Then she said, “Right. I’ll let you give me that, but only in a way that you’re up first. I’ll do my thing with the test and Art. Then you call me in if you need me, Frankie.”
“You’re on the right path,” I reminded her. “Stay on it.”
“These people are f**ked up and they drive me crazy. But they’re my family, too, Frankie. You’ve spent three and a half decades sorting their shit. Now it’s my turn to kick in.”
I felt those words, all of them, so deep and so warm and so welcome, I closed my eyes again and turned my head.
Ben lifted a hand and curled it around the side of my neck, so I opened my eyes and looked back at him.
Not pissed anymore, or at least not totally. Back to slightly worried.
I shook my head and gave him a small smile.
This didn’t change his expression in the slightest.
“What?” I whispered, my eyes now to Ben’s throat.
“Okay, the, um…slightly-better-but-still-bad news first.”
Slightly better but still bad?
“Cat…”
“Davey found out that Nat was cheating on him again. They fought…really bad, Frankie. Really bad. He said he was done, and I guess he did it in a way where he meant it this time because she lost it. Started beating on him. He hit her back. She called the cops. He’s all messed up. Even has a concussion ’cause she hit him in the head with a plate or something. He took a lot from her, Frankie, before he lost it. He hit her once to get her off him, but he’s the one in jail.”
I closed my eyes.
“He didn’t press charges,” she continued, “but she did. His mom called me. That’s how I know all this. She’s pissed, Frankie. She knows Davey’s been eatin’ shit for years and she’s seriously pissed. And making matters worse, Ma’s there.”
Oh no.
I opened my eyes, saw Benny’s face, and for the first time in a long time, seeing it didn’t soothe me.
“She was out carousin’, not there for the fight, got there after the police got there. She texted me a few days ago, said I was dead to her because I wasn’t pickin’ up her calls to help her in her hour of need. Guess that’s why she’s with Nat and Davey. But according to Davey’s mom, she’s all up in his and Nat’s shit, talkin’ smack about Davey. Davey’s mom wants the charges dropped and Nat and Ninette outta the house, and she wants that yesterday.”
“Cat, I—” I started, but she cut me off, talking quietly.
“I can’t get dragged into this, Frankie. I’m late.”
My heart thumped and she kept talking.
“Just a couple of days, but I’m always regular. Art and me were gonna spend our Saturday getting a pregnancy test and hopefully celebrating. All this…” She stopped speaking and I actually heard her take in a huge breath before she went on, “And there’s more that happened last night so all I wanna do is skip the pregnancy test and get a bottle of vodka.”
Shit.
No.
“Don’t do that, honey,” I urged.
“I know, but it’s hard.”
“Get the pregnancy test,” I said, then took my own deep breath and finished, “I’ll call Nat.”
Ben’s arms tightening around me brought my eyes to his face. He was worried. But hearing Nat’s name, he was already pissed.
I shook my head.
He shook his back.
“I haven’t told you the more,” Cat said in my ear.
Goddammit.
I looked to Ben’s ear and invited, “Sock it to me.”
“Chrissy kicked Dad out last night.”
“Fuck,” I whispered.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “He called me, looking for a place to crash. I kept my boundaries and he lost it on me, you know, like Dad can do when he doesn’t get his way made easy for him.”
“Yeah, I know how Dad can do that,” I agreed because I so totally did.
“He said all his kids but Enzo were pains in his ass and he never wanted to hear from me again. Then he said he was goin’ to Enzo.”
“Oh my God,” I breathed into the phone. Just the thought of Enzo Uno and Due together and the havoc they could wreak made my blood pressure spike.
“Yeah. Just uppin’ stakes, leaving Chrissy with a new baby, and heading to where Enzo is f**kin’ up his own life and all the lives of the people in it.”
This was not good, but I was confused.
“How is Nat’s deal slightly better bad news than Dad’s?”
“Well, ’cause Dad told me Chrissy was f**ked since she didn’t work and he was shot of her. Didn’t need her shit. She may have kicked him out, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t livin’ in his house. He says he’s puttin’ it on the market so that means Chrissy is jobless, soon to be homeless, and has our new baby sister.”
God. My dad.
“Did Dad say anything about Minnie?” I asked.
“Not a word.”
Fucking Dad.
I looked from Ben’s ear into his eyes and told Cat, “All right, leave it to me.”
Ben went from looking slightly worried and slightly pissed to looking mostly pissed as he clipped, “Jesus, Frankie.”
“What are you gonna do?” Cat asked me.
“I have no clue, but I’ll figure out something.”
“Sal Giglia owe you a marker?” she queried.
Not hardly.
“No,” I answered.
“Too bad. I figure he has the skills to put the fear of God into anybody, even Nat, Ma, and Dad.”
She was probably right.
Still, I wasn’t going to sic Sal on my family. Not because they didn’t deserve it. Because Benny and I already had him coming to our wedding. We didn’t need him forcing us to let him pay for it and giving me away.
“Go get your pregnancy test. No vodka. And call me back after you get done celebrating.”
“Frankie, you always eat this shit and—”
“Go,” I said quietly but firmly. “You need to focus on what’s important, Cat, and their shit isn’t important. Your husband, your marriage, you building a family is important. Get that pregnancy test. I’ll send good vibes your way.”
She said nothing for long moments. Then she said, “Right. I’ll let you give me that, but only in a way that you’re up first. I’ll do my thing with the test and Art. Then you call me in if you need me, Frankie.”
“You’re on the right path,” I reminded her. “Stay on it.”
“These people are f**ked up and they drive me crazy. But they’re my family, too, Frankie. You’ve spent three and a half decades sorting their shit. Now it’s my turn to kick in.”
I felt those words, all of them, so deep and so warm and so welcome, I closed my eyes again and turned my head.
Ben lifted a hand and curled it around the side of my neck, so I opened my eyes and looked back at him.
Not pissed anymore, or at least not totally. Back to slightly worried.
I shook my head and gave him a small smile.
This didn’t change his expression in the slightest.
