Galloping back over to the spot by the bookshelf, he took one of the toys from the floor, "Hwere", handing it to his sister who was next to him busy shoving her foot into her mouth. He giggled when she took the toy from his grasp, growling with wide eyes at the feel of it.
"What are you sa-ay-ing Em-ma?" John asked, cocking his head above her, as Emma continued to make all kinds of sounds, "Daddy, what is Em-ma sa-ay-ing?"
Ricky looked up from the blanket he was folding, "nobody knows, buddy - she's just talking in her own way."
John's tiny brow furrowed, as he shrugged and went back to playing with his assortment of brightly colored blocks.
The door opened sharply, "I'm late, I know, I'm sorry" She quickly apologized, sprinting inside the space. Bending down to greet the two on the floor, "Traffic was a nightmare. Leave it to some idiot to ram into a utility pole right next to the school."
He chuckled, "It's fine. We don't have to be at mom's until 6:30, and our reservation isn't until 7" draping the folded baby blanket on the end of the playpen to check his watch, "It's only 5:08 - we've got some time - How was your day?"
Standing back up, Amy pushed her hand through her bangs, keeping a half glance on their children, "Good. O'Malley thinks we're really making progress, but won't know for sure until finals next week."
He nodded, "Yeah, my professor brought me in today to discuss some things..."
"Things like what?"
"It's fine."
"No, It's not. Are your grades okay?" He was silent, pursing his lips. "Ricky..."
Sighing, he scratched his eyebrow as a means to avoid eye contact, "They slipped a little - but it's okay, they didn't slip enough to lose my scholarship or anything"
Her mouth fell slightly agape, twisting her flat into the floor as she fought her glassy eyes, "Is it because you've been helping me?"
"No." Ricky quickly comforted, knowing how she'd blame herself for the rest of the night, "This is on me. Not you, okay?" It was silent, "okay, Amy?" before she nodded and went in for an embrace. Slightly caught off guard, his lip tipped up as he wrapped both arms tight around her, breathing in the sweet combination of strawberry shampoo, and her hypoallergenic lotion that he always teased her about.
"What's up with this dress? I've never seen it before..." His fingers brushed the fabric, the black lace on the part where her shoulder blades met, making him smirk.
"It's Madison's" She giggled, pulling herself away from his warm chest, "I thought I was going to be late, so she swapped with me in the bathroom before we left"
His brow rose, "Well, remind me to thank her the next time I see her - are you wearing that tonight?"
"Maybe..." Amy blushed, giggling again, doing a quick glance to their still content children, "The kids are going to be at your moms all night..." biting the end of her thumb nail, "I'm going to go fix my makeup before we go."
Nodding, Ricky bent forward and pressed his lips to hers, smirking again when she added more pressure, quickly slipping her tongue against his before pulling away.
"Save it for tonight." Her whisper was seductive as she started walking away, making sure to move in a way that made that dress that was hugging her backside, work to her advantage as she knew his eyes were following her. His eyebrows waggled when she turned her head to smirk at him, before he shot her a wink, and bit his bottom lip as she shut the door.
5:36 PM
Dragging the zippers across the bag, his brow furrowed, counting out loud before going into the kitchen and opening the refrigerator door.
Pausing in the space for a few seconds, he clicked his tongue and reached inside, pulling out two full bottles and screwing on their clunky plastic coverings before going back to the diaper bag on the coffee table.
Watching his father go back and forth, John pushed the red block hard against the stacked yellow one, "Daddy, why you hav my pac-pac?"
Taking another few diapers from the pack on the nightstand, Ricky tapped his phone screen, "Because you and Emma are going to grandma's tonight"
"Why?"
"Because mommy and I are going on a date night."
"Wat is dat?" His face scrunched in confusion, about to ask another question just as his sister's loud squeal interrupted him.
Ricky chuckled, putting the baby blanket inside the diaper bag before zipping it again, "I think someone is trying to get your attention."
"I dunno!" John playfully shouted, shrugging his small shoulders and holding out his hands in defeat as Emma kicked her legs and grabbed at his arm.
He chuckled again, putting his jacket on the coffee table as he took a crooked seat on the floor next to them. Adjusting Emma to sit up on the blanket, Ricky quickly put his hand out to steady her as she twitched and almost fell back.
"What are you trying to say, huh?" His voice pitched, poking her tummy with the tip of his index finger, causing her to kick her feet and snort before he scooped her up into his lap.
"Ahh-pa-da!" She babbled, drooling while gnawing on a large wooden pink block. His eyes widened, smiling down on her as he kissed the top of her head.
5:50 PM
"I know what I heard - she said da!" He stated, holding the door open for them to get through
She shook her head, teasingly, "You heard wrong, she can't talk yet"
"No I didn't. She said da! You're just jealous -" Ricky defended, bending the carrier up to meet his face, "tell mommy, Emma. Say, da - da - dada-" Emma's response was a wide eyed grunt, while sucking on her obnoxious purple pacifier.
"See? Hearing things!" Opening the main door, Amy sighed as John bolted out quickly, getting halfway down the sidewalk as her voice trailed after him before catching up, and scolding him as she grabbed his hand, "You don't take off from me and daddy, understand?"
"Unhh!" John grunted, trying to pull away as she led them down the sidewalk to the side of Ricky's car door: opening it up and allowing him to climb inside by himself while she went around to the other side to take their daughter from her husband.
Plopping into his seat, John reached for his backpack, gasping dramatically when the item he wanted wasn't inside. "Mommy, Benny!" He shouted aloud, starting to dump out the contents of his bag to get her attention, as he started in on a whining tantrum, "Mommy, I need Beennnyyyy"
Making sure the seatbelt was secure to the base of the car seat, as the gurgling infant started grabbing at her falling locks, Amy closed her eyes in frustration.
"Ready?" Jogging up behind her, he heard his son's whining, "What's wrong?"
"He left Benny upstairs..."
"Can't he live without him for one night? We're actually on time for once"
"Well he's going to your mom's... do you really want to put Margaret through that?" Looking quickly between his sniffling toddler, and the butcher shop door, Ricky threw his head back and expelled a breath, turning on his heels to sprint away.
Watching as he quickly maneuvered inside, she brushed the hair away from John's eyes gently, "Daddy's getting Benny for you, buddy" before opening up her own door - unknowing what was about to transpire once a single black piece of fabric fell by her feet.
Tugging once on the heavy door to make sure it was locked properly, he walked back to the car, grimacing as he tossed the grimy stuffed bear into the air and caught it a second later, "When was the last time this thing got a bath? It's disgus -" He stopped abruptly on the sidewalk upon seeing her standing by his passenger door, her back to him. "Amy?" He called out. She didn't move. "Ames you okay?" He asked again, taking a few more steps towards his Hybrid.
His voice caught her attention as she flew at him, enraged. "You no good-lying-cheating-asshole!" She screamed, pushing her palms against his chest with each word.
Confused by her sudden erratic behavior, "What are you -" He stopped upon the black fabric being tossed in his face, causing him to drop the bear on the sidewalk. Picking them both up, his brow creased, "What is this?"
"Oh don't pretend you don't know! Is that or is that not that skank's sweater?"
"Can we talk about this later? Maybe after we have dinner?"
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Amy spit, recoiling when he attempted to touch her - hot, angry tears spilling from her eyes - "When did it happen? When did she finally get her claws into you?"
"She didn't." Ricky shook his head, taking a step forward, but quickly taking one back when she flinched, "Nothing happened. I gave her a ride to get some lunch after my class... she must have dropped her sweater when she got out."
"And it was just conveniently wedged between the door and the seat?" Scoffing, her arms crossed over her chest, "Bullshit! You were afraid you were going to get caught and tried to hide it!" A loud screech filled the air, the infant in the car not liking their sudden screaming match.
He shook his head again, moving past her to the other side of car where their son sat holding his ears. Giving Benny over to him, he sighed as he watched John clutch the stuffed animal tight against his chest before shutting the door. "You're delusional, you know that?"
"I'm not delusional! I want the truth, Ricky! Don't lie to me again!"
"And I'm telling you the truth, Amy! And what do you mean again? I've been nothing but honest with you about Clementine since I walked her to her dorm that night" His stepped closer, "I'm telling you nothing happened because it didn't." Expelling a breath, as he leaned against the trunk, "Will you just calm down and get in the car so we can go, please?"
She stayed still, crying into her palm. He extended his arm out, pulling back as she did the same, "Don't touch me!" He pursed his lips as she continued to sniffle, stuffing his hand into his jacket pocket. "How could you do this to me! To us!"
"I didn't do anything!"
"How can you not see how much this hurts me, Ricky? Why are you being such an asshole?"
He clicked his tongue against his teeth in disbelief, slamming an open palm against the car, "I'm an asshole? You're the one throwing a bitch-fit over a freaking sweater!"
It got silent, her eyes widening and her mouth falling agape at his venomous words.
"I'm sorry I -" Ricky quickly tried to correct his mistake, ranking his fingers through his curls remorsefully, as he once again stepped towards her.
"Stop!" Amy barked, putting her hands out in front of her to keep him from coming any closer. "If you touch me again... I will scream..." Her lip quivered, unable to hold back as she swallowed gulps of air and the tears fell in heaps from her lashes. The sound of their youngest child's cries coupled with hers, "I'm done...Ricky."
Her words sliced through him, throwing him for a loop as the lump started forming in his throat and his eyes became glassy, "What do you mean done? Done with what?" He lowered his tone cautiously as he tried to gage what he was going to say next.
"I'm not doing this with you right now." She too lowered her voice, wiping her nose with the back of her hand before swiping at her cheeks and shaking her head vigorously, "Cancel the reservation - I really can't even stand to look at you."
Knowing there was nothing else he could try to say to her to undo the damage he already did, Ricky just sighed and mumbled a low "fine" under his breath as he opened the car door again, and grabbed John out, placing him on his feet.
Amy undid the car seat from its base, holding it out to him when he came around for it; refusing to make a shred of eye contact when their hands touched upon the handoff.
"Why ar-e jus not go-in to gam-mas nemore, daddy?" John asked, grasping onto Benny while he allowed his dad to guide them all back to the butcher shop entrance. Ricky stayed silent, fishing his keys out and waiting for the lock to click.
"C'mon, mommy!" He waved over, holding the door open with his body as his dad punched in the code to the security system. Looking up at him as his mother stayed in her same spot, John pushed on the door again, "Is mommy cum-in too?"
"No." Ricky deadpanned, leading him away from the entrance by the hand and towards the stairs, "Mommy wants to be alone."
6:21 PM
Pushing past the blinds, he sighed softly watching her pace the pavement, as he gently swayed the dozed off infant in his arms; her breathing against his chest calming him. He looked down at her, before glancing to the sofa where his son slept curled up into a ball against the cushion - that teddy bear smooshed up against his face. Ricky's lip tipped up slightly, but quickly turned into a frown when he heard what sounded like an engine, and stood there watching as Amy sped off in her car away from the butcher shop. His sigh deepened, accidentally causing the baby to jerk and little tired fusses came from her mouth.
The air was humid against her skin, causing the dress to cling uncomfortably to the top of her chest as she barreled up the walkway.
Without thinking Amy pushed the white door open, stopping abruptly as George and Kathleen raised two glasses, clinking them, and sharing a kiss.
She grimaced, "I'm - I'm sorry I shouldn't have come here" putting her hands out in front of her, and bolting out into the driveway.
"Amy!" George called after her before removing himself from the table and running outside. She stood on a patch of grass, twisting her shoe into it as she sniffled. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing..." She mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest as the tip of her shoe dug deeper into the dirt, "I just - I just really need to talk to someone" The mascara lines on her cheeks told him that whatever it was she had going on, it must have been important.
Walking closer, George held out his arms, letting her fall into them like she did when she was a little girl, "Have you eaten?" Amy shook her head, grasping him tighter. He kissed the top of her head, "Meet me at Jeff's in 10 minutes?"
Maneuvering quietly out of the room, he held a breath as he turned the knob, hoping that the small little clink wouldn't wake the two tucked in inside.
Striding back into the living room, Ricky grabbed the desolate backpack from the corner behind the coat rack, and brought it over to the sofa. Hoping with a few taps of his knuckles against the aged textbook that she'd finally pick up the phone. And when she didn't yet again, he sighed as the annoying voicemail message echoed through his ears.
"It's me. It's me Amy. Leave a message!"
"And you're not answering that call because..." He asked, watching as she quickly hit the ignore button on her phone screen.
"Because I don't want to talk to him." She responded, shrugging her shoulders and stabbing at a piece of chicken in her salad.
"Uh huh. And does you not wanting to talk to him have anything to do with a certain barista he shared a foster home with?" George took a bite of his burger, raising a brow at her before swallowing, "Ricky called me on the way here... another fight, huh?"
Amy's eyes enlarged, huffing, "You known what - you are MY father, Ricky had no right to tell you anything!" Clenching her teeth, "I found a sweater..." as she started to violently stab her fork into a mound of lettuce and spinach, "That stupid whore's sweater was under the seat of MY husband's car! So I'll be as pissed as I damn well please!"
"Did you ask him about it?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"And... he said that she must have dropped it on her way out after he gave her a ride to get some lunch -" Scoffing, "can you believe that?"
He chuckled with the burger bite still in his mouth, "That he went for food, or that she dropped her sweater?" She scowled at him as he swiped a napkin across his lips, his expression becoming serious, "Ricky's not cheating, Ames." Reaching for her hand, he touched the tip of his thumb against her rings, "Stop getting into your own head, because regardless of what you may think, he's not cheating on you. He wouldn't do that, and despite all the crappy things he's done... he's a good guy - give him more credit"
She nodded, pushing the plate to the side, "I want to believe that he's not - I mean I do - " Taking her other hand away from his and slinking into the booth, "I don't trust her, dad, and it scares me that she could get him to do something..."
"Everyone could do something - but I think he knows he's done enough, and he knows that he doesn't want to do anything with anyone that isn't you."
"But what if I'm not enough for him?" Her voice became low, leaning into the table as she contemplated how to word her next sentence, "What if I'm... boring?" Embarrassed by the way he grimaced at the question, she quickly sat back upright against the booth, shaking her head, "I'm sorry... I don't know who else to talk to other than you."
"No, It's fine. Is uh -" George swallowed another bite of his dinner, reluctantly, "are you guys okay in - in that department... I can't believe I'm asking that"
"I think so... it hasn't been easy finding time but.." Amy blew out a breath, toying with her fork again, "for the most part it's fine - there's no issues getting there -"
Nearly choking, he cringed and put his left hand up, "Okay. Okay. Forget I asked." Taking a french fry from the plate, "I'll tell you right now that that is your female mind talking. Guys don't think like that: about this sex being boring, or that, we just like sex"
"But don't they like having sex with different women, not just one?"
"No, not necessarily, there are a lot of advantages to being in a monogamous relationship - with all the diseases and things you could catch out there from just casual hookups - and even if it becomes predictable, it's still good. At least you know what you're getting."
Closing her eyes, she clicked her tongue against her teeth, "I'm just afraid I'm doing something wrong and he knows I am," opening them wide as she stabbed a tomato and shoved it in her mouth, "I don't want to be predictable... I want Ricky to see me as exciting -"
"Isn't that what got me a granddaughter? Your need to be exciting?" George interrupted, holding the same partially disgusted expression as before
Amy dropped her fork, mouth agape in shock, mortified, "He told you that?!"
"He didn't have to. The walls are thin, Ames. Very thin" Taking another bite, "Who cares if he doesn't see you that way? You just had a baby - let me reiterate that -" swallowing, his eyes locked intensely on her as he spoke, "my granddaughter isn't even a year old... John doesn't need another younger sibling anytime soon."
"Okay but - "
"No, no more buts. I stand by my statement - Ricky didn't, isn't, and won't cheat on you." She pursed her lips, as he did the same, their glares competing against each other, "Why are you so quick to condemn him? Is there something you're looking for... something you're not telling him?"
"Have you been talking to mom?"
Slowly shaking his head from side to side, and pursing his lips into a line, he tapped his knuckles on the table, "Nope. Don't tell me anything I don't want to know..."
She stayed silent, trying to finish her dinner to no avail as his eyes bore into her. She stilled the fork again, taking in a deep breath through her nose, "I may or may not have... called the Hudson administration office last week..." her confession taking a little bit of weight off her shoulders, but not guilt as she watched his eyes go wide, "I know, I know it was stupid - I don't even know why I did it -"
"And you haven't told Ricky about it?" He was quick to interrupt, halting the tapping of his fingers.
"I wanted to - I just didn't know how. He's been so irritated with all the letters that keep coming -" Her hands went to her hair, gripping the top roots, "I just don't want to give him anymore reason to think I'd leave him to go to school there."
"Because you don't want to, right?" Her eyes shifted down, staying silent as he cocked his head to look at her, "Amy..."
"Is it so bad that I might want to?" Amy's head shot back up, "I mean... would it be so bad for us to leave this place?" George's brow rose at her question. "I don't want to -" She paused, biting her bottom lip, "I want to go to school there, but not without Ricky. Not without our family..." sighing again, she mumbled under her breath, "but that's not do-able so -"
"So you drop it. You don't mention it to anyone. You go home to your husband and kids, and you put it out of your mind." His voice became rough, watching her fiddle with her wedding ring, "No expectations - no disappointments, right?"
Twisting the key a few times, she cautiously poked her head inside; squinting through the darkness in an attempt to see where she was stepping. The apartment was pitch black other than the shred of street light coming in from the window, and a small little glowing nightlight in the bedroom.
Biting her lip to keep from cursing as her foot crunched down on two wooden blocks and a coloring book, she quietly pushed the ajar door open, letting the light from the room illuminate the small hallway. Resting her head on the frame, her lip tipped up into a small tired smile, watching as their children snuggled into him on the small twin mattress: John's body sprawled out taking up the majority while Emma was pressed securely into his chest with his arms wrapped around her.
Tiptoeing away from the room, she squinted through the darkness again with her hands out in front of her, smacking into, and cursing, as her toe rammed into the coffee table leg before reaching the sofa; removing all of his books and littered pages of notes from the cushions before curling into a ball: the fresh tears escaping her lashes as she hugged her knees against her chest.
Taking a seat on the edge of the coffee table, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Sorry..." apologizing when she twitched and woke up, blinking a few times before she actually looked at him. "Why didn't you wake me when you got in?" He whispered, letting his index finger linger by her ear
"I didn't want to wake the baby, so I just crashed here." Untangling her arms from her legs, she sat up, raking her right hand through her hair as she yawned, "I'm going to go get ready for bed"
Nodding, he stood to let her through, quickly taking off the cushions to pull out their bed from it's confinement as he heard their bathroom door close.
13 minutes later
Coming out of the bathroom, she took a quick peek inside the bedroom at their children, before walking past him and sitting down on the mattress.
"Can we please just talk about this?" Ricky asked quietly, sitting on his side of the bed with his head bowed down, and his fingers moving his wedding ring up to his knuckle before pushing it down.
"There isn't much to talk about, is there?" Amy replied, lifting the red comforter up just enough to slide in under it. His back was to her, but he could tell she was still upset by her movements. "I don't trust Clementine, and obviously you don't care how I feel, so what else is there to say?"
Sighing, he turned to look at her, her back was to him, "I do care. You know I care, Amy... Nothing happened other than I made the mistake of getting something to eat with her in my car, and her sweater dropped after she got out."
She rolled over, her face contorting in disgust, "And when do you think she was planning on getting it back? When she conveniently asked for another ride?"
Shaking his head and closing his eyes, he stood up, rubbing away the tension in the back of his neck with his left hand. "I don't want to do this with you because obviously nothing I say is going to get through to you - so why even try?" Rustling the covers angrily, she was about to respond when the baby monitor on his nightstand let out a loud cry. Without hesitation, he grabbed it and stalked down the hallway, closing the door behind him.
26 minutes later
Staring at the ceiling for what felt like an hour, Amy sighed and removed the cover from her legs, stretching before also making her way into the bedroom.
Stopping in the doorway, she smiled sweetly, her eyes soft as they watched him sway their baby girl in his arms, soft little hums coming from his lips.
"I'm sorry..." Amy touched his shoulder, whispering against him, wrapping her arms around his back to clasp her hands against his torso, and kissing the back of his shirt before laying her cheek against it.
Standing there taking in her body against his, Ricky exhaled slowly and shifted to put their daughter back in her crib, making sure Emma was perfectly content before turning around to walk out of the room, "We need to talk"
She lingered a few seconds, taking in the peaceful quiet of their children's slumber, before hugging her arms tight against her chest and following his lead.
He was already in bed when she returned, his hands clasped under his cheek against the pillow. "It hurts me that you don't trust me, Amy" His words were soft, followed by a saddening silence as she climbed into bed next to him, her subtle gesture of lying her palm on his back enough to make him turn to face her - his eyes low in hurt, "I would never cheat on you, and I think I've earned the right to be trusted, don't you think?"
Biting her top lip with her teeth, she nodded, "I know," running her palm along his shirt, "I know you wouldn't... but- "
"But?"
"But I can't just turn my feelings on and off, Ricky. I can't just turn the other way when your childhood friend does things that she knows will get a reaction out of me." Sighing, and fighting back the crack of emotion in her voice, "I don't trust her," Amy sniffled, pushing her bangs from her eyes, "And it hurts me when you invalidate my feelings about it by saying I'm worried about nothing because you wouldn't do anything."
She paused a second, taking in a deep breath and then releasing it, looking at him with glassy eyes, "I went through this exact same thing with Adrian... I can't do it again. I won't." The crack came through as she fought back the tears, "How many more times do I have to sit here as woman throw themselves at you?"
Ricky hated to see her cry, so he touched her cheek with his fingertips, and softly whispered, "So you're upset I'm hot?" Expecting the scowl she was giving him as she shrugged away, and he chuckled, "Do you want me to get uglier?"
"It would help..." Any couldn't help but chuckle too through her quiet sobs.
"Really though, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to cut her out of my life?" His question was honest, eyes stern and voice low as he wiped the excess moisture from her cheeks with his hand
"Not entirely... I want you to have a friend..." Sniffling, again, "I just don't want you to confide everything in her." Her eyes shifted down, "Clementine was a part of your childhood, that's always going to be there - but you shouldn't divulge all of our business to this friend who has visible feelings for you." She took in a deep breath, feeling herself becoming emotional again, "I'm here. I'm your wife - confide in me if you need to talk to someone, or Dr. Fields - just... not to her."
Taking in what she was saying, he nodded slowly, "Fair enough. I'll start to distance myself a little more if that's what you want." Tracing an imaginary pattern into her palm with the tip of his index finger - causing her to twitch at the tickle, before locking his fingers with hers - he kissed her softly, "Where were you? I called a few times, and you never texted me back"
Adjusting the covers against her chest, "I know. I was with my dad - I just needed to talk to someone and he was available so..."
"Did you talk about me?"
"Not just you. We talked about other things too... like sex..."
"Like generic sex, or us...?" Amy shrugged, biting the tip of her bottom lip causing Ricky's face to contort in confusion, "Why would you talk about that?"
"I don't know, he was there and I needed to get some things off of my chest -"
Nodding, "Speaking of things off your chest..." Ricky clicked his tongue, smirking as he leaned into her; one hand supporting his weight as they pressed their lips together again, and his fingers brushed the cotton of her thin t-shirt, whispering seductively, "You changed out of that dress before I really got a good look at it..."
Grasping the hair at the nape of his neck, between her fingers, "Who needs that thing?" Amy smirked, looking deep into his brown eyes, "You have me..." and kissed him again, allowing a moan to escape her throat as he pushed himself further into her and pulled the cover over them.
Unable to shake the feeling that she was being watched, a strange, hot, sensation sent a cloud of fruit loop scent into her face, making her cringe as she squinted her eyes, and moved her arm out from under her pillow. "Mmm, hey buddy"
He giggled into his hand, "Hi"
She yawned, reaching out and scratching his covered stomach with her nails, "You and Emma want to get in bed with mommy?"
"No they don't. They want mommy to get out of bed." Ricky deadpanned from his place in the kitchen, adjusting the whimpering baby against his hip, "It's almost 8 o'clock"
"Is it? I'm so tired."
"Yeah not much I can do about that."
"Did they have breakfast?"
"John had cereal around 7, and Emma downed about half a bottle 10 minutes ago. I have to go downstairs - are you getting up?"
"Finneeeee" Amy huffed playfully, slinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing in a lengthy stretch with Ricky's dark gray t-shirt falling off her right shoulder.
Striding into the kitchen, she shot their daughter a tired smile, "You know it's your fault I'm so tired, right?" Attempting to embrace him from behind, her chin on his shoulder
"I'm going to be late" Ricky turned, dodging her advances with a subtle shake of his head
Confused, her brow creased, "Hey, what's wrong?" He didn't answer, prompting her to step closer, "Ricky?"
Moving the fussy infant from his left arm to his right, Ricky released a long exhale through his nose, as Emma slammed her tiny palm against his chest, "Where did you lose my mother's wedding band?"
"What?"
"You're not wearing your wedding band or your engagement ring"
"I - I must have set them down somewhere when I was washing my hands or something - I'll find them"
"You better! That is my mother's wedding band - they mean a lot to her even if they mean nothing to you!" His tone was icy, the words ripping through the air, as their daughter became startled and started to cry
At a loss for words, Amy stared down at her naked hand, "They do mean something to me..." eyes glassy as she looked at Ricky's cold ones, "Why didn't you tell me last night that you didn't see them so I could -"
"So you could have what?"
"So I could have retraced my steps to see where they might have fallen off, instead of getting upset about it now?"
"It's not my job to keep track of your stuff, Amy - why did you take them off anyway? Go out and flirt with someone and you didn't want them to know you were married and had a family?" He spat, his words like venom as he thrust their youngest child at her
Taking the baby covered in her own saliva, Amy scoffed, squinting her eyes in disbelief, "You're ridiculous!"
"Am I? Because you have no problems assuming the worst in me over that stupid sweater" Grabbing his wallet off the bookshelf, stuffing it in his back pocket aggressively, shoulders slouching, "You're always so paranoid about me sneaking around and sleeping around - excuse me if the thought of the possibility that maybe you're projecting onto me hasn't crossed my mind especially since you lost your rings!" He quickly grabbed the doorknob and yanked it open, "I've gotta go", not even ushering a goodbye as he slammed it shut behind him, leaving her to stand there in shock at how the morning had just played out.
Patting the cushions once more, "Anything?" She flipped the hair from her eyes with a single shot of her head, sighing as they shook their heads while tossing pillows on the floor. "Ugh, they have to be here! I swear I never take them off, I'm so afraid of losing them." Stuffing her hands under the sofa, and groaning when she came up empty, "Where could they be?"
"Mommy!" John ran in, grasping something tight within his closed palms, and handing it to her
Accepting it, her brow rose when the assortment of items touched her hand, "What is this?"
He shrugged, fiddling with his bottom lip, as he made his way back to the kitchen, stepping over his sister in the process, "I f-ow-ned it!"
"Thank you..." Looking closer, Amy gagged momentarily, taking one of the items between her fingers and grimacing, "Ew! Ew that's disgusting! It's an old band aid" before putting the other three items: a button, half a cheese puff, and an old pacifier covered in lint, down on the end table.
"Are we even looking in the right place?" Madison huffed, using her right hand to steady herself as she rose to stand, careful of the baby an inch away trying to grasp her pant leg.
Moving the other end table back in the right spot, Lauren opened the drawer, "Did you go out last night, like maybe to a party or something?"
"Why does everyone think that?" Her question was met by a whimper, before she bent down and scooped Emma up, resting her head on her shoulder. Amy swayed a minute, sighing and rolling her eyes, "I went out to dinner with my dad, and then came here. Not to some party!"
"It's a fair assumption." Lauren defended
Madison chiming in, "Yeah, no one would blame you if you did - you did find another woman's sweater in your husband's car."
Amy frowned at the mention of the dreaded sweater, patting the infant's back to calm herself from becoming emotional
"Did you lose it outside by the sidewalk?" Madison opened another bookshelf drawer, tossing out scattered toys and bibs onto the floor
"No, I couldn't have. I'm pretty sure I had them on last night at din -" She paused, clicking her tongue against her teeth in a lightbulb moment. Flying past her friend, Amy grabbed her purse from the coat rack, slinging it over her shoulder
"What are you doing?" Lauren asked, her left brow rising slightly in suspicion
"I'm going back to the restaurant. Maybe if I retrace my steps I'll find them." Digging through her purse, she pulled out her keys, "There is a full bottle in the fridge - I'll be back in like an hour or so -" thrusting the baby at her friend, who hesitantly took her, Madison's brow also risen. "Ricky is downstairs, and John can help you out with Emma if you need him to." She quickly blurted, waving a hand at him, "mommy will be back soon," and kissing Emma on the forehead, before rushing out the door.
Unknowing what to say, they stared at each other before shifting their eyes between John, coloring at the table, and Emma who immediately started to whimper upon seeing her leave.
Rolling her eyes, Lauren took the baby from Madison, leaving her to entertain the defiant one.
Walking into the kitchen, "So... what do you want to play?" John gave her a mischievous grin, and shrugged, knowing his day was about to get a lot more fun.
"You wanna tell me what's bothering you?" She asked, watching his agitation as he angrily stacked meat, jaw clenched tight. She clicked her tongue, "You know I look at the security tapes... quite the fight you two had last night."
Staying silent, he moved a few inches over, grabbing a basket from the stack on his right.
Following on his heels, Bunny crossed her arms, "Please tell me you didn't do anything with that coffee shop girl?"
"No I didn't!" Ricky spit, nostrils flaring as he spoke, "I only stupidly gave her a ride to get something to eat."
Her brow rose, tapping her fingers against her arm, "Then why did Amy leave?"
Throwing the box down, "I don't kn-" a loud crash interrupted him.
They exchanged glances before he quickly shoved the door open and bolted up the stairs - the sounds of his youngest child's cries echoing off the walls.
"You should have been more careful!" Lauren berated, plugging her right ear to try to talk over the noise.
Madison jostled the shrieking infant, trying her best to calm her down to no avail as he barreled through the door, "How was I supposed to know?"
Not even giving them a chance to open their mouths, Ricky pounded through the apartment, and took the screaming baby from her, "What is going on? Where is Amy?"
They gave each other a worried look, before John galloped over and ratted them out, holding tight to a package of chocolate chip cookies, "Em-ma jus fall-ed off the ca-ouch, daddy" His face was none too pleased.
"Don't look at me, I was in the bathroom." Lauren quickly defended herself, taking a step back from her friend
Ricky's eyes fell on Madison, his face red and nostrils flaring. She shrunk back a little, fiddling with a toy she used to try to calm the baby, "I just turned my back for one second to grab something and then - "
He held up his hand, stopping her, "You can go now, your services are no longer needed."
"But Amy said -"
"I don't care!" His voice boomed, breathing deeply to keep from seeing red, "please leave... now!" They gave each other another look before nodding and sprinting out to the door.
"It's okay, baby, daddy's here" Ricky soothed, running his right palm over the back of Emma's head, while the other patted her back, and he peppered kisses on her temple.
"What are you doing up here?" She jumped back a little, caught by surprise at him standing by the table making John a sandwich with one hand, while carting Emma in his other arm.
"Your friend's are gone - I made them leave" He didn't even give her a glance as he maneuvered around the kitchen before going to the sofa, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers to combat the rage pulsing through him. "Is there a reason you felt compelled to allow your friends - who aren't even capable of watching a dog - babysit our young children?"
Her lips were pursed into a thin line, shoving her purse against the bookshelf in annoyance, "You had no right to just kick them out like that!"
"Really? Because they let our baby roll off the sofa - did they tell you that?"
"Accidents happen - they probably didn't know Emma can roll all the way over. They don't know everything - and besides that they were doing me a favor."
Unable to control his rage, Ricky pushed himself off the sofa, and put their baby in her playpen, handing her a toy. "You're unbelievable!" He sneered, running a hand through his hair, "You can bite my head off for accidentally leaving our daughter in my car for 30 seconds-" lips pursing, throwing his hands out, "but have no issues with your friends allowing our baby to injure herself?"
"That's different and you know it!" Amy retorted, shoving her finger at him, "You are their father, you should be more responsible!"
It became silent, he opened and closed his mouth quickly before stepping away and into the kitchen, grabbing a cheese stick from the table.
She sighed, watching him chew angrily, "I - I didn't mean it like that, I just meant -"
"Save it!"
Crossing her arms over her chest tight, her eyes squinted in frustration, "First off you didn't even tell me you left Emma in your car, John did! John told me 4 days after it happened. So yes, I was angry at you."
She stepped closer, "Second, Madison and Lauren are inexperienced teenagers - they don't know everything about babies, like you do, so they're going to make mistakes..." She sighed again, when he shook his head at her, "not that you don't -" Groaning as she shoved her fingers into her eye sockets, "Ugh - I just meant that accidents happen. And obviously Emma is fine so can we please just drop it." He stayed silent, looking up from his snack for a brief second.
"I found my rings." She mumbled, taking a few steps until she was close enough, and touched her palm to his chest, "They were in the booth at Jeff's, they must have slid off when I was getting up to leave"
"How great for you." His eyes were cold, chewing the last bite before swallowing, and removing her hand from his white shirt, "I'm going back downstairs"
"Yeah, they let her just fall right off the sofa cushion like nothing - right on the floor" He stated to his boss, rolling up large raw pork sausages and stacking them inside the display, "I swear those two are the biggest airheads I've ever meant in my life!" About to respond, Bunny took a step back once she saw her coming through the corner of her eye.
Ricky glanced up at her annoyed and irritated face. "Why are you telling your boss our business?" Amy scolded, huffing like their son often did when he didn't get his way.
Motioning for her to move back with the flick of his hand, Ricky stepped out from behind the counter, "Because obviously you don't care what I have to say." Wiping his hands on his apron as he did a quick look around, "Why aren't you upstairs? Who's watching our kids?"
Rolling her eyes, she held up the baby monitor, the green lights un-flashing, "They're both napping" Nodding slowly, he turned on his heels, but she caught his wrist, "Wait! I wanted to talk to you about something..."
"What? What is it, Amy, I'm busy so just spit it out"
"My mom called. She's cleaning out Mimzy's place and wants me and Ashley to come down and help; claim what we want before she lets the apartment go." Taken aback by his harsh demeanor, Amy furrowed her brow at him, trying not to dish out an attitude to match his, "I'm heading out in a hour, I just thought you should know so you don't flip out again"
Unclenching his fist, Ricky closed his eyes and exhaled from his nose deeply, "Okay. Whatever. Just bring the kids down before you leave so I can give them a hug and kiss goodbye."
She hesitated, lowering her eyes as she picked at a piece of skin on her thumb, "... I'm not taking them with me..."
"You're not what?" He questioned, eyes squinted as he raised his left eyebrow, mouth slightly agape with his tongue pressed against his teeth
"I only have the weekend to get this done, dragging them along would just add more unnecessary work for everyone because I'd constantly be attending to one of them." Not wanting to get into another argument, she sighed and reached for his hand, surprised that he didn't pull away as she softly mumbled, "I'll be back tomorrow night."
Rounding the corner, she took a slow stride into the bedroom, pausing at the closet and fighting back tears as she touched one of Mimzy's shirts: it's white silky fabric plastered in vertical black stripes, sticking to her fingertips.
Sniffling, she turned on her heel towards the bed, letting out a small sob when she saw a wooden picture frame with a picture of John when he was about a year and half old with a big goofy grin on his face, on the nightstand.
Picking it up, she traced the image with her index finger slowly, a small sad smile coming to her face as she remembered the day the picture was taken; the middle of the summer when she and Ricky took John to see Mimzy - the first time Ricky had really spent time with Mimzy outside of the small pop-ins when she'd be visiting and staying at her parent's house. Wiping a tear away from her cheek, she took out her phone.
The rhythmic sound of drums sounded through the small room. "Now who could that be?" Ricky asked the baby in a squeaky voice, busy with his task at hand. Emma gurgled at him, blowing spit from her mouth.
Finishing up, he used his right hand to pull his phone out of his front jeans pocket, and kept his left hand on her stomach, securing her so she wouldn't fall. "Oohh, it's mommy - wanna tell her what she missed?" He chuckled, tossing the dirty diaper in the bin, and zipping up the infant's light pink onesie, causing her to fuss, "No? Okay" Still chuckling, he answered the phone, "Hey"
"Hey..." Amy's voice was hoarse, sniffling into the receiver
"You okay?" His face concerned, putting the phone deeper between his shoulder and his cheek as he lifted Emma back into his arms
She sniffled again, "Emotional day"
"Did you... find anything you wanted to keep and bring home?" Shutting the light off as they walked out of the bedroom and into the hallway.
"Just a few things. Mimzy had so much stuff, I don't know how we're supposed to go through it in one weekend."
"Well, Mimzy lived a full life, and it's good that she kept things to showcase it - Can you imagine what John and Emma, and any other kids we have, will have to go through in 60 or 70 years from now?"
"Yeah..." She trailed off, leaving her end silent for a few seconds, hesitant to speak,
"Can I talk to them? I want to say goodnight before I start opening up more boxes and forget."
Nodding, Ricky smirked, "Yeah sure." Holding out the phone to the invasive baby trying to chew on a throw pillow next to him, "Emma - hey, hey Emma - mommy's on the phone." Emma looked up at him, giving a toothless grin as her small fingers grasped the tip of the device, "say hi mama"
"Hi, peanut!" Amy squealed into the phone, the lilt evident as their baby squealed back, lunging forward. "Are you trying to eat daddy's phone?" She giggled, as the baby's gurgles filled the receiver a moment before he must have taken it away. "Where's Bubba, Emma? Hmm, where's John? Go find John!"
Emma squealed again, slapping her palms against his legs, excitedly, "ah-ga-ga!"
Ricky chuckled again, "John!" No answer. "John?" He shouted again, his brow creasing in worry, "John!" Still no answer.
Tucking the phone between his cheek and shoulder again, he moved them both off the couch, shouting down the hallway at his son, "John..." He stopped at the closed bathroom door, his expression changing from worry to aggravation as he heard the sound of running water.
Eyes going wide and mouth agape at the sight of the three-year-old standing under the shower head fully clothed, "What the - John! What are you doing?"
John jumped back startled, letting the water fall down his face, "um - um, I - I jus dot too-pa-st in my h-air!"
"And how did that happen?" John shrugged. Shaking his head, Ricky quickly turned off the shower, snapping at him to get out of tub. Obeying John hopped out, taking the splashes with him as it puddled around his feet and his father tried his best to strip him of his wet clothing one handed - partially successful as the garments fell with a splash against the tile. "Mommy is on the phone, she wants to tell you goodnight."
Standing in only his wet underwear, John's eyes got big, knowing he was going to get in trouble. Ricky placed the phone on the counter, pushing the speaker button before walking out the door.
"Hi, mommy!" He greeted, letting the water droplets from his hair hit the screen.
Shifting her weight in his arm, Ricky slid Emma into the playpen, not at all surprised when her little lip puckered out and she started to cry. "I know, I'm a terrible person for putting you in here" He agreed, handing her a rubber lion, "but you and I both know you'll just make a bigger mess if I don't" Leaning forward he kissed the top of her head, "I'll be right back"
"Now... why did you make a mess?" Ricky asked, scratching his eyebrow
"I dunno!" John's bottom lip puckered as he shrugged, yanking on his soaked undergarment before just taking them off entirely
"Why were you playing in the bathroom? Do we play in here?"
"No..."
"Then why did you come in and make a mess?"
"I dunno!"
"Yes you do." Amy interjected their son's lies - his new favorite thing to do to get out of being in trouble - "Let daddy brush your teeth and then go get in bed and go to sleep. I'll be home tomorrow." She could hear him huffing through the phone, "Goodnight, John..." as he stayed silent before leaning over it again, "N-ight, mommy!"
Taking the phone back into his grasp, "I'd love to stay on the phone until one of us falls asleep... but our son is naked in his room, and our daughter is screaming her lungs out because she's confined inside the playpen." Ricky sighed, "Talk in the morning?"
"Ok." She mumbled tiredly
"I lov -" She hung up and the line went dead, "you", causing him to expel a long breath
"Was that Ricky?" A voice asked from inside the open doorway.
She jolted, startled, and wiped her nose with the back of her hand, her phone clasped tightly in her palm, "Yeah, John made a mess with the shower, and Emma is just being Emma." The thought made her giggle softly as she moved off the bed,
"What's up? Do you need help with another box?"
"No, I'm alright. I just wanted to check on you... are you okay?" Her mother's voice was soft, concerned, as she took slow steps into the room, "Is it too much being here?"
Amy couldn't hide her pain from her and began to crack, her eyes letting the tears escape again, "No... no it's not that..."
"Then what is it?"
"I don't know what to do, mom..." Taking in a huge gulp of air, she stammered, "I - I'm not - I'm not happy..."
"Not happy with what? Work? School?" Anne's eyes lowered to meet hers, tone cautious as she asked, "Ricky..."
"I love him. I love him so much it physically hurts me to even question him, but... it seems like all we ever do is fight. About everything." Nodding, her mother motioned to sit on the bed again.
Doing just that, Amy stilled finding a loose piece of thread on the cover and pulling on it, "He doesn't trust me about this Hudson thing... and I don't trust his friend about their not being anything between them..." Taking in a shaky breath, her eyes lowered, hands going out in front of her, "Am I crazy? I mean... I love him, and our kids, and our life... but I can't help this nagging feeling - something is about to happen - or that something needs to chang -"
Grabbing her gently by the shoulders, Anne tilted her chin up to meet her eyes, "Amy... do you want to go to school in New York?"
She sniffled, before turning away from her mother, "I don't know what I want... except sleep... "
"Before you do that... I've thought a lot about this - especially since breakfast a few weeks ago... What if I sold the house, and gave you the money to go to New York? That way you'd be able to attend Hudson, and have some left over to find a decent apartment for the four of you - if that's what you want..."Anne trailed off, once again meeting Amy's eyes, hers stern as she clasped her daughters right hand "Because if it's not, you need to have a serious moment to really process this - what exactly are you getting out of this marriage? You said yourself all you two do is fight lately - would you be happier if you stayed here and worked on your marriage... "Any sighed, biting her lip as her mother did the same, "or would you be happier if you, and your children moved to New York? Does Ricky love you enough to put his feelings aside and follow you? Or will he just let you go?"
Taking in her words, Amy sat still, letting the tears fall down her cheeks, as she contemplated telling her secret to her mother - whom she still didn't know if she could fully trust. "Mom...I - I need to tell you something..."
"Are you crazy, you can't just offer her a way out like that! What about Ricky, and John, and Emma?" Ashley scolded, whisper-shouting at her as she closed the bedroom door behind her.
Anne wasn't in the mood, putting up her right hand to stop her daughter from going any further, "Ashley, please. Your sister has been through enough. Let it go."
She spun on her heels, appalled that her mother was doing this, "No I'm not going to let it go! She needs to learn that life sucks and to get over it!"
Anne grabbed her arm forcefully, surprising Ashley as her mother's stern blue eyes met her angry green ones, "Don't upset her anymore. This is her decision and her life. Butt out."
"And then they all said, goodnight" Ricky whispered softly, closing the book in his hands and craning his neck up to see his son pressed against the pillow, mouth open as he snored.
The faint sound of a drum beat started to sound in the otherwise quiet apartment, as he quickly reached a hand into his pocket; blowing out a breath when he grabbed it in time as the infant twitched against his chest.
"Hello? Wait - what?" He could barely understand the frantic caller, his face contorting in worry, "Did you call the police? Where are you? Stay right there I'm on my way."
Pulling up to the scene, Ricky shut the car off quickly and opened his door, careful not to step too far away as the two snoozed peacefully in the backseat.
Seeing him pull up, she handed an officer a piece of paper and ran to him. His brow creased when the officer glared at him, "What is going on? Are you alright?"
She leapt into his embrace, wrapping her arms tight around his neck, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know who else to call."
"It's fine. Do you need a ride back, or?" Not thinking anything of it, he smiled at the gesture.
"Yeah I -" She pulled away, "I think I just need a good night's sleep - finals are killing me." Following Ricky to his car, Clementine could see the two car seats in the back from the window, "You brought your kids?"
Getting into the drivers seat, "Had to. Amy went to Palm Springs to clean out her grandmother's apartment with her mom and sister, so I got them for the night." He put the key into the ignition, glancing behind him to check if his two angels were still asleep, "I was putting them to bed when you called..."
"I really shouldn't have done that - I'm sorry. You didn't need to drag them out of bed because of me."
"It's fine, really. They're both really tired and they went right back to sleep." She nodded, shutting the passenger door. "Have you eaten yet?"
Clementine shook her head, "Ironically enough I was actually on my way to get dinner when I got hit" clicking the seatbelt as he drove off the lot and onto the main road. "Shouldn't you call Amy? Let her know about this?"
"I will, but like I said she's boxing up her grandmother's things - she's pretty fragile emotionally right now. I'll call her in the morning."
"Still, just shoot her a text or something." She sighed, glancing out the window, "I like Amy, and I don't want her to hate me more than she already does - so do it soon."
Pulling the silver hybrid to a slow stop, and parking in a vacant spot just 20 feet from her door, Ricky turned slightly in his seat, "Do you want me to call you a tow truck?"
Taking a handful of french fries from the bag on the console, Clementine shook her head, bringing two to her mouth, "No, they said that one would bring it to the body shop in the morning."
Leaning over, he moved to unclip her seatbelt, "Call me if you need anything?"
"Thank you, but go home, you need the rest" Assuring him she was fine, she put a hand on his arm, and pointed towards the backseat, hearing the sound of the small child stirring, and seeing a pink sleeved arm rise, "Andddd it looks like one of them is waking up..."
Ricky glanced back too, tipping his lip up as Emma grunted from the car seat. "Yeah..."
Her hand was still on his arm, as she leaned in and their eyes met. His breathing quickened, and before he could register what was happening, Clementine pressed her lips to his.
"What the hell was that?" Ricky pulled away abruptly, hot jagged breaths coming from his mouth, as his nostrils flared.
"I know you want this too..." Her voice was low, a hint of sadness in it as her eyes pleaded with him and she tried to kiss him again.
"No! No, I do not. Stop!" He shoved himself as far away from her as the door would allow him to go, pushing his hands out in front of him. "You need to go - now. Right now." He warned, tears threatening to invade his vision, "I won't do this. I have a family..." He swallowed, "I have Amy."
"But she doesn't love you! I love you! I've loved you since we were kids, Ricky!" Clementine tried to protest, her glassy eyes big as she tried to get him to look again at her.
Ricky shook her away, "I said go!"
Taking in a gulp of air, as her lip quivered, she nodded sadly, grabbed the handle, and stepped out.
He grabbed her wrist, his breath shaky, angry, "Don't ever do that again, understand?" He could tell by her eyes that he had frightened her, but instead of apologizing, he let her wrist go and fell back against the seat, his gaze on the steering wheel, "This - this friendship is over. No more calls. No more texts. No more coffee. Nothing. Forget I even go to school here."
Ricky looked down at his wedding ring, his voice a mumbled whisper as he fought the lump forming in his throat, "This ring means something to me... I will not lose what I have with Amy - I won't. I love her too much."
Clementine stood there, silently, before closing her eyes and biting her lip, crying, "Lying to yourself isn't healthy... nor will it change what you truly feel, Ricky."
"Goodbye, Clementine."
And with that, he grabbed the door and slammed it shut, quickly putting the car into reverse and speeding away. The tears wet his cheeks as he drove, his daughter's little whimpers cutting into the silence.
"Mhm, hey... is something wrong?" Blinking rapidly, she answered the buzzing device by her head, her voice groggy
"Did I wake you?"
"I just dozed off for a minute," she yawned, pushing herself up with her right arm, "everything okay?"
"No, everything is not okay, Amy - I've been a complete ass these past few weeks, and I'm sorry." Ricky quickly apologized, breathing heavy into the receiver, "I'm sorry for every dirty look. I'm sorry for every mumble under my breath. I'm sorry for what I said last night -" He swallowed, "I'm sorry for everything - including calling you crazy after you left"
Amy's lip tipped up slightly at his frantic apology, "Well thank you for that but..." sitting herself up further and running a hand through her hair, "The reason I'm so crazy... is because I'm terrified of losing you, Ricky." She paused, fighting her wobbling lip, "I mean you're all I've ever known - and the thought of being without you... it scares me... more than I'd ever care to admit."
"Don't cry, Amy. Please, don't cry. Because if you start to cry, then I'll probably start to too because I know our marriage hasn't been perfect - we've fought more in the last 6 months than we ever did when we met..." He sighed, and she knew by the way he did that he was pressing the phone deeper into his ear and toying with his ring like he always did. "But every marriage has rough spots, and if anyone can make it out of this - it's us, Juergens."
Ricky paused, a little chuckle rising from his throat, "I believe in us. I just have to pull my head out of my ass long enough to show you."
Amy heard the rustling of their sofa bed and knew Ricky was getting ready to go to sleep; his hands pressed tightly under his chin before he snored and was out like a light - just like their son.
"I should really be the one clutching on to you, Amy... because I know you can do better - but you choose me." His tone had changed; shaky, more cracked as he was getting emotional, "Each and every time you choose me. And I hope you keep choosing me because I love you with every inch of my heart -" She could hear him lick his lips, "and more than that, I'd loose every pair of socks I own if you weren't there to -"
Amy giggled, envisioning Ricky's eyes squinting in amusement at his own lame joke. He too let out a little giggle, "there's that laugh I missed."
"Did our children drive you insane, or are you just overly exhausted?" She questioned him playfully, but when his end was silent, she knew he wasn't joking - his apology was sincere. She closed her eyes, biting her bottom lip affectionately, and whispered sweetly, "I love you too... call me in the morning?"
"As soon as I wake up. Promise." He smiled, ending the call, and bringing up his contact history.
Taking in a deep breath, Ricky tapped the screen, bringing up the number, and pushing the delete button, muttering under his breath - "This is for my family."
Hanging up, she slid further against the mattress, gripping the pillow.
"Is this what you truly want, Amy?" A voice shouted from the doorway
"Geez! Doesn't anyone ever knock anymore!"
Ashley ignored her annoyance, taking fast strides into the room, "Because as much as you want it all - you can't have it all: you can't cross the two. It won't work."
Leaning up on her elbows, Amy motioned for her sister to sit beside her, "Do you want the honest truth?" Ashley nodded.
Hesitant to speak, Amy blew out a breath, "I don't know what I want, Ashley." Using the tip of her ring finger, she dabbed at her left eye, before twisting her wedding band around; giving it a long, sad look, her voice a little hoarse, "Cause regardless of the choice... someone is going to lose and get hurt."
Ashley could hear the crack in her voice and knew her plate of armor was starting to chip. Normally, this would be a prime time to make fun of Amy, or tell her how much of a brat she was being - but this was different because she could truly sense her sisters sadness, and it made her sad too.
Taking her hand, Ashley paused before looking up at her, "Well then you need to ask yourself this - is attending your dream school more important than being with the man you love?"
She was about to respond when her phone buzzed - the simple message splayed across the screen - with an emoticon - causing her to smile through her tears.
To Amy from Ricky:
"Going to bed. Goodnight, have sweet dreams about me. I love you :)"
