Trouble & the Wallflower (23 page)

Drew had been so supportive of Davy and Gavin’s relationship, even when he’d learned of Gavin’s reputation. He’d just said that everyone has a past. Davy figured it was because he was still shocked that he actually had a boyfriend. So Davy had assumed Drew would say to run fast and far when he called to say Gavin was probably going to have a meltdown when he found out his mother was off the wagon she may have never been on. But Drew had said he knew Davy could handle it.

“You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. I know I’ve treated you with kid gloves, but you care about him, right?”

“I love him,” Davy said fiercely.

Drew chuckled into the phone. “Go stand up for your man. Go stand up for your new family, Davy. You may not get another chance to have one.”

Davy could hear the regret, the sadness in Drew’s voice. His uncle’s words were exactly what he needed. He just didn’t know what to say. He thought back over the information he had and thought how best to handle Carmen.

Sean had come into the shop as Davy was getting ready to leave work. “I need to talk,” he announced. Davy had never known Sean to look so flustered. He was usually pretty well put together.

“Okay.” Davy frowned, waved to the girl who was taking over the counter for the afternoon shift, and followed Sean to a booth.

“Yesterday, when I was with Gavin and his mom, I noticed something,” Sean said, fiddling with his hands, obviously uncomfortable.

“What?”

“Gavin’s mom went to the bathroom and was taking a while, so I hung back to wait on her while Gavin went on to the comic book store with Oliver….”

Davy waited until he thought Sean might not finish his thought. Davy gestured impatiently, worried now. “And…?”

“I got tired of waiting, so I went toward the bathrooms to see if maybe she was talking on her phone or something.”

“What was she doing?” Davy wasn’t sure he wanted to know if the strife on Sean’s face meant anything.

“She was in one of the downstairs bars, drinking.” Sean’s voice was so sad.

“I guess she wasn’t drinking juice, huh?” Davy asked, lamely.

“Try a double vodka, neat.”

“Shit,” Davy hissed. His blood boiled.

“I can’t figure out what to say to Gavin. I just knew I couldn’t do it in front of the kid and I sure as hell couldn’t do it when all of you were having a big family night last night. I didn’t know what to do.” Sean was clearly beating himself up.

Davy put his hand on Sean’s, knowing better than anyone how it felt not to know what the hell to do when it came to others and their feelings. “Hey, don’t worry. I’ll do something, okay?”

Sean looked at Davy dubiously. Davy knew his social ineptitude and less than aggressive attitude didn’t inspire much confidence, but this was Gavin and Ray and Oliver. Davy thought of all those times he’d seen Gavin look at him with trust in his eyes, making Davy constantly feel as though he was a hero.

“I’ll handle this,” Davy said.

Sean must have seen something he liked in Davy’s eyes, because he smiled sadly and patted Davy’s hand on the table. “Take care of our boy, okay? This is going to crush him.”

“I know.” And Davy did know. That was why it was imperative he find the right words to say to Carmen. He didn’t know how alcoholism worked. He’d thought his mom’s agoraphobia was difficult, but at least it hadn’t made her a liar. Or a monster. Davy knew Gavin still struggled mostly because of what happened with Max, so his trust would be completely destroyed if he found out he’d let Carmen in a little for Oliver’s and Ray’s sake, only to be lied to again so she could go get drunk while on their first-ever family day.

Davy wanted to fucking puke, he was so angry.

Finally he stood and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. He thought he might talk to Ray first and hoped Carmen wasn’t around right now. He eased in through the front door, not bothering to take off his shoes this time. He made his way from room to room, only to find no Ray.
Damn.
Davy looked at his watch. Ray must be napping. It was the time of the day that Ray was known to have a lie down after taking his afternoon meds.

Before turning to leave, Davy was stopped by quiet murmurings from the kitchen. He went for the door but realized the voice on the other side was Carmen. The conversation was one-sided, so Davy figured she must be on the phone. He was about to turn to leave, disgusted at the slight slurring of her words, until he caught her side of the conversation.

“…need the money.”

Davy frowned.

“I know, but Ray needed convincing I was going to stick around after he died…. He wants someone watching over Gavin and that judgmental little shit he’s dating.”

Davy wondered why she thought he was judgmental. He knew some people said that was what they thought when they first met him. Silence was apparently intimidating. He hadn’t been judgmental of Carmen, not once. He’d wanted it to work out for Gavin’s sake.

Up until now. Now his blood was so hot in his veins he felt it might burn through his skin. Anger was
definitely
a new thing for Davy, and he wasn’t sure he liked it, but the more he heard of her conversation, the more Hulk-like his anger made him.

“I don’t fucking know. I’m just ready for the old guy to get it over with. Gavin doesn’t need me. Never did. I’m really doing him a favor leaving.”

“Yes. You are,” Davy snarled as he shoved through the swinging door, unable to stop himself. “Are you fucking kidding me?” His heart hammered. It hurt. So bad. Physically and emotionally, he hurt from the anger and for Gavin.

Carmen jumped up from the chair she was sitting in, knocking over the Solo cup she had been drinking from and dropping the phone. The room smelled like a bar. “D-Davy. Get the fuck out!” She tried for righteous indignation, but he stalked to her, assaulted by the strong smell of vodka that hovered around her like a cloud. The point of vodka was to be a neutral spirit, hard to smell unless you were bathed in the stuff. How had they missed this?

“You must be really good at lying if you can cover this shit up.” Davy picked up the cup she’d knocked over and sniffed. Straight vodka. “And no way you’re drinking that much and still standing here if you’ve been sober for a while, so don’t even give me that bullshit.” Davy had had enough booze in his life to know how tolerance worked.

“I guess you’re going to tell Gavin.”

Carmen crossed her hands over her chest and jutted her chin out, looking so much like Gavin. Davy was so sad seeing his lover in this pathetic creature’s face. He’d never felt such contempt.

“How could you do this to them? Gavin was trying so hard. And he loves Oliver so much. And Ray? How could you say that? He’s dying!”

“You really are fucking naïve, aren’t you?” Carmen mocked.

“Fuck you, lady.”

“No, fuck you,
kid
. People aren’t good. So you can stop looking like you expected better. That disappointed look stopped working on me a long fucking time ago.”

Carmen’s eyes looked lifeless. Davy guessed she was finally able to be real for once. “I’m sad for you, that you think that. My mom thought that too, and she never left her house.”

“She was a smart lady, then.”

“No!” Davy’s anger boiled over. He clenched his fists at his sides. “My mom was wrong. You’re wrong.” Carmen’s face was cynical, as if saying,
Oh, really?
“Yes. You’re both wrong. I don’t know what happened with Ray and you, that’s not why I’m here. But Oliver. Oliver is good. And Gavin, he’s good. And he’s strong. Despite you and all the damage you did to him, Gavin’s one of the good ones.”

Carmen lost a bit of her fight. “Yeah. I don’t know how, but he didn’t turn out so bad, huh?”

“No thanks to you.”

“Look, you judgmental—”

“Save it!” Davy felt every word rising from his heart of hearts, blazing with the need to protect his family. His family. Not hers. She’d lost the right to call them family with the first lie, and lost her right to be around them with the last one.

“You, Carmen, are going to pack your shit and get the fuck out of here. No money, no thanks—hell, I don’t care if you fucking get no good-bye on your way out the door. Go back to Rockland or wherever it is you crawled out of and leave Gavin alone. You’re done hurting him.”

She looked at him with a mixture of disgust and begrudging respect. “Well, you got more balls than I thought, kid.”

“More than you wanna know, lady.”

“And I suppose if I don’t go you’ll just tell them anyways and they’ll kick me out.” It was a statement, not a question. She knew from the way Davy glared at her there was no way out of this. No one would trust her over Davy, and with good reason.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Davy reared back. “What?” Davy sounded shocked to his own ears.

She laughed derisively. “You just saved them from me. You know, I meant it when I said Gavin never needed me. He’s better off without me.”

Davy ran his fingers through his hair and said sadly, “You’re wrong about one thing. Gavin did need you. He needed his mom. Like Oliver does. And for the love of all that’s holy, get yourself together for that kid. I know I can’t stop you from taking him, but don’t let him lose Gavin. Let them keep in touch. Please.”

She nodded silently. “You should go to him.”

“What? Why?” Davy asked.

“Ray’s in the hospital. It’s not good.”

Davy’s heart stuttered.
Oh no.
He turned to run out, but before he did, he pleaded with the woman he disliked most in this world. “Please, do the right thing.”

She flicked her glance to the floor and swayed from side to side. Davy sighed as he looked at her and hated that the only thing he could think of her as a human being was
what a waste
.

D
AVY
JUMPED
up from his chair when Gavin walked into the room. They’d both held vigil by Ray’s hospital bed until Davy had convinced Gavin the next morning that he should go home and change and check on Oliver. It wasn’t the right time to discuss what had happened with Carmen.

Ray’s cancer was entering its final stage, and Ray probably wouldn’t leave the hospital again. The pain had been so great he hadn’t been able to get out of bed that morning.

Davy just hoped Carmen had let Gavin see Oliver one last time before she left. Gavin was so broken. He’d fallen apart as soon as Davy had made it to the hospital and wrapped him in his arms.

Something about Gavin’s wild expression as he came into the room, Ollie on his hip, gave Davy pause as he moved toward Gavin. Gavin was panicking. “She’s gone,” he said, voice breaking.

“What?” Davy asked, all the air leaving his body. “But, Oliver?”

“She handed him to me and said she’d made a mistake. She said she was leaving him with me. Me! I don’t know anything about taking care of a kid.” Davy stopped Gavin, whose voice had gotten louder with every word.

“Gavin, calm down,” Davy said as he reached for Oliver, whose chin was trembling as he stared at his yelling brother.

“
Calm down?
”

“Yes,” Davy said soothingly. He took Oliver from Gavin, who let go more out of being weak with exhaustion than from wanting to. “You’re scaring the kid.”

Gavin took a step back from Davy and ran his hand over his face. Davy freaked out in his head for the second he could allow himself. This was
not
what he’d meant. What a selfish, selfish woman.

Davy pulled Oliver’s head to his chest as he settled Ollie in his arms. “Mommy said I stay with you and Gavvy. Where did Mommy go?”

“Shh. Little guy, don’t worry. Mommy’s fine. She just had to go away for now,” Davy said more confidently than he felt. “Gavin,” he said. Gavin looked at him with bloodshot eyes. God, Davy wanted to comfort him so badly, but it wasn’t time for that yet.

“Boys,” Ray said from the bed behind Davy.

Davy turned to him. Ray’s eyes were cloudy from the morphine drip. Davy put a hand on Gavin’s shoulder and led him to the chair by Ray’s bed. He knew putting the task of comforting on Ray’s shoulders when he was drifting in and out because of pain meds was a lot to ask, but Davy needed some help here, so at Ray’s nod of stoned understanding, Davy placed Oliver on the bed next to Ray with the order to be careful. If there was one order he knew Oliver could follow, that was it.

Davy stalked out of the hospital room and called Sean. As soon as he explained what had happened the previous night and then everything that followed, Sean hung up, saying he’d be there soon. Davy couldn’t help thinking it wouldn’t be soon enough.

He wasn’t good with things like this. His own mother’s death had been hard enough, Davy avoiding mourners who remembered Mona when she had ruffled more than a few feathers. But he had a responsibility to Gavin and Oliver. He had to be here, even though his instincts had him mapping out the closest stairwells to hide in, as he’d done when Mona was in the hospital after her stroke.

Davy called his uncle next and explained everything, mostly for a sympathetic ear. Drew offered to come in from Spokane, but Davy insisted he stay. There was nothing to be done. Hell, Davy didn’t even know what Gavin was thinking yet.