Antonio checked his phone to make sure he had the right address "Is this where Matt lives, baby?" He turned to look at Abbie in the back seat. "Yup, this is where mommy dropped me and Jacks off last time with dad." He let out a deep breath; "I guess we should get you up there then." Abbie sighed, "Can't I just stay with you dad's house is boring, I don't have any toys here." He started to undo her carseat, "Mom's picking you up later, you're not staying the night and then one sleep and I will pick you up from Matt okay?" Abbie crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Okay but this is stupid. Why can't dad just be home?"
"Abigail, you don't say things are stupid." He was getting frustrated with her, she was sassy and opinionated and it drove him crazy when she would say whatever was on her mind, just like her sister and Aunt Gabby. "Fine." She pouted as she climbed out of the truck.
Antonio stood in the middle of Matt's living room and looked around thinking that Abbie was right the place was bare and there were no signs that kids lived there at all. "How's it going?" Matt asked as he reemerged from the bedroom after getting Abbie settled and playing on her iPad. "Busy but pretty good." There was always an awkwardness between the two, Antonio didn't hold anything against Matt, he was a good guy and a great dad and Gabby had left him, he couldn't fault him for moving on.
"Hey, I have a huge favor to ask you." Matt looked nervous; "Tomorrow when you pick Abbie up can you take Jacks too? His babysitter canceled and we're having trouble finding one." Antonio nodded. "Yeah of course, it's no problem." Matt smiled at him, "Thanks I appreciate it."
Antonio started fidgeting, "Can I ask you something without you thinking I'm prying? You know the last thing I ever do is get involved." Matt gave him a confused look, "Okay." He said simply. "When are you going home, they all miss you, and Abbie has been acting out a little more than usual." Antonio explained he was hoping it wouldn't turn into a fight, that wasn't what he wanted. "I want to, but I can't." Matt sounded defeated and sat on the couch.
Antonio crossed his arms and looked at him, "It's your family, you should. Just put all the other stuff aside and focus on the kids and Sylvie, they're what matter. Do you know what I would give to have my family? Don't let it go, I've done it twice and the second time was the worst decision of my life." He sighed.
"That's part of the problem, I have too and it was the worst mistake of my life." Antonio knew what Matt was referring too and just stared at him. "Sylvie, I love her, I really do but it was never meant to be." Antonio snorted, "Meant to be is bullshit and you know that. I don't want to fight but that's my daughter and Sylvie and you know what both of them mean to me. I stepped back and I didn't push, I could have but I didn't and I accepted long ago that you're Abbie's other dad and always will be but I won't put up with either one of them being hurt. So do me a favor and try to fix it."
Matt didn't say a word, he just hung his head and thought about what Antonio had said. He let out a big sigh and looked up at Antonio, "You've handled this a lot better than I ever would have, I should have never interfered in the first place." Antonio shifted his weight, "That's the past, we're here and now with two kids who need to know that everything is okay, they're confused, Abbie's getting in trouble at school and Sylvie's overwhelmed."
"Do you ever find it odd that you're Sylvie's best friend and not me, her husband?" Matt was staring at the wall and didn't seem to be listening Antonio noticed. "I do but when I think about it I always realize the reason and I hate you a little bit more each time but you're so fucking accepting of all this that I can't even get mad at you."
"Matt what the hell are you talking about?" Antonio was confused. "You know sometimes, a lot actually, I'll be watching Abbie play and she'll say something or move a certain way and I'll see Gabby and my heart will hurt for a moment." Antonio moved between Matt and the wall, "Bro, you need to snap out of this depression or whatever, go get some help." Antonio waited to see if Matt heard him.
"She's still in love with you, you do know that right?" Matt looked up at Antonio, who was growing more frustrated and concerned by the minute. "She loves you, she married you, this isn't a competition but if it was you won." Antonio threw his hands up. Matt shook his head, "No, I was the conciliation prize, she only went out with me after I begged her to hang out one night, she was thinking about getting back together with you. Come on, you had to have known that, Abbie was a baby and Sylvie wanted that family….with you."
"Okay, you need to snap out of this, I don't know what you're trying to accomplish but it needs to stop. Pull yourself together, are you okay to watch the kids until Sylvie gets off work?" Antonio was trying to get Matt to answer but he wouldn't.
"I think I need to fix everything, I took something that I never should have and the guilt just eats away at me all the time and you, you're just so accepting, you've never been mad at me and it drives me fucking crazy." Matt laughed, "How messed up is that? I stole your girlfriend and your baby and you still like me. I would have beat my ass but no you just roll with the punches so you can still be a part of their lives because you love them that much."
"If you want me to beat your ass meet me down at the gym and we'll go a round or two because trust me the only reason I never did was because I felt bad that Gabby walked out on you and I knew what I had to do to be able to see Abbie, otherwise I would have, no hesitation."
They had never talked about this kind of stuff; after Sylvie and Matt had gotten married they existed in the same circle but never really interacted except when they absolutely needed to. It was awkward for Antonio to say the least, his sisters' ex-husband married to his ex-girlfriend and mother of his child. He wanted to escape but Abigail and Jackson were there and he was worried about Matt's current mental state.
Matt stared at Antonio for a moment contemplating what he wanted to say; "I'm going to try to get Gabby back. You and Sylvie deserve a chance, we're all miserable and it's me who screwed it all up." Antonio was seeing red, he had had enough of this nonsense from Matt, he took a step forward and grabbed Matt by the shirt and pulled him up and pinned him against the door.
"This ends now." Antonio hissed in Matt's face. "I'm going to take Abbie and Jacks with me and wait for Sylvie, you're obviously not in any state to take care of them. Take that time to call someone and get your shit together because trust me when I tell you, I will make sure you do not see Abigail until I think you're okay. Do you understand me?"
Matt blinked and looked as if he had just realized Antonio was there. "I'm sorry, I think I've just been depressed lately, I'll talk to someone." Antonio let go of his shirt and stepped away from him. "I mean it let all that ancient shit go, call your wife, and get some help."
"Abigail, Jacks!" Antonio hollered from the front room. "Yeah, Daddy?" Abbie walked into the front room with her little brother following close behind. "Go get yours and jacks stuff, you two are going to spend the afternoon with me." He instructed her. "Yes!" she exclaimed and ran back to the room. "I'll get them to Sylvie." Antonio told him and moved back by the door to wait for the kids.
Sylvie walked through the front door to Antonio's apartment, she never knocked he told her not to a long time ago, she was welcome anytime. Antonio was sitting on the couch watching TV while the kids played in Abbie's room. "Why do you have the kids?" Sylvie asked, she was confused because Antonio had never watched Jacks before.
Antonio rubbed his face and sighed, "I went to drop Abbie off and Matt is not in a good place. He's talking nonsense and bringing up past stuff, I told him to get some help. I didn't think he was okay to watch either one of them so I took Jacks too, is that okay?"
"Of course it is, if you thought it was best for Jacks." She reassured him. "What nonsense was he talking?" She was curious and confused all at once and needed to know. "Trust me nothing you want to hear."
"Yeah, I do, especially if it's about me." She gave him a look and he knew he didn't have a choice.
Antonio was fidgeting with his fingers staring at the TV, "He said I'm your best friend." He didn't want to look at her; he was scared to see the truth in her eyes. She slapped his shoulder and startled him, "Well, you are, and have been for a long time, I thought you knew that." She smiled at him. "Yeah, I did." He peeked over at her and smirked.
"What else?" she demanded. He thought about what he was going to say a moment and decided he would be brave and lay it all out; he looked her square in the eyes. "He said you're still in love with me and back then you we're going to try to work it out with me." Sylvie looked away quick and turned red, "What? No, I'm married, I love Matt, yes we're having problems but." She paused as if she had just realized something. "But I don't want to work it out." she said slowly as if she had just had an epiphany.
"I don't want to fix it, I'm done." She repeated to herself. Antonio just watched her, he saw a weight lift off her and she looked relieved. She sat there and stared off into space, "Are you okay?" he touched her shoulder, she flinched and looked at him, "Yeah, I am, I really am." She laughed and leaned forward to hug him. "Thanks for always being here to talk to me." She kissed him on the cheek and sat back next to him to watch TV.
He didn't know how to react, the woman he was in love with and had been in love with for almost ten years had just decided she was done with her marriage. He looked over at her and for the first time in years she looked genuinely happy.
"Mommy!" Abbie and Jacks exclaimed as Abbie jumped on the couch and burrowed between them and Jacks climbed up and cuddled into Sylvie's other side. "You have a good day with your dad sweetie?" Abbie nodded her head, "I always do." Antonio didn't want them to leave, "Stay for dinner, we'll order pizza and watch a movie like the good old days."