*Author's Note*
Thanks for reading, faving, following, and reviewing.
I'm so so so sorry for the delay in updating. Life was a bit crazy for a while, but it's slowed down, so I have time for writing and listening to the muses again.
Black Trash Bags & A Sweetheart Deal
Perry POV:
When Novella and Tolbert returned to my house with Brett in tow, they all looked like they were in emotional hell. The little boy missed his mama something awful while Tolbert seemed like he was still in denial, as if he couldn't believe the reality he was living. My niece, poor thing, was reliving all the emotions of loss and grief from her own childhood experience of losing her mother, my younger sister, Rhianna.
Brett was a very sad and shy little boy but given the circumstances it was to be expected. He didn't interact much with his sister, Sally Elle. In fact, he was glued to Tolbert's side. Novella, of course, was right by Tolbert and the boy; trying to make the boy feel more comfortable with the situation he was in. Sally Elle, being obsessed with my niece, was right in the middle of the mix as well. So, everyone was gathered around my large kitchen table as I told them the plan for the day. Which was amended to accommodate Brett's sudden appearance.
So, the amended plan for the day was that I'd go to Cap Hatfield's house, alone, to get all of Novella's things (which consisted of her clothes, jewelry, and makeup), while Tolbert and Novella took the kids out for lunch after our appointment at the paternity lab. To do this, I had to give Novella the car seat that was in my car to her for her truck, so that both children could ride in the large truck with her and Tolbert. Tolbert, of course, would install the car seat from his truck into hers as well. He'd have to grab some spares from his folks' attic later tonight during dinner. And, of course, I'd be going to dinner at Ol' Randall and Sally's as well. After dinner, Tolbert would ride back to my house with me to pick up his truck, since he'd be driving Novella and the kids around in her larger Dodge Ram all day.
It was a lovely plan that I came up with. One that both Tolbert and Novella agreed to without protest. Usually both of them, or at least one of them, give me push back, but not today. I think that's mostly due to the sudden tragedy and new addition to their family that they're dealing with.
So…
That's why I'm parked outside of Novella's ex-husband's house, rolling open a damn gate to drive up the driveway. Ugh, talk about protection overkill. Thankfully Novella gave me her keys for ADA Hatfield's house and gate, so I'm able to get in and past all the theatrics. Hell, he wouldn't be feeling threatened if he wasn't gunning for the McCoy boys to get the death penalty. If he'd just listen to my niece and give the boys time on house arrest or arrange for the case to be thrown out on self defense, then he wouldn't be fearing for his safety or the safety of his property.
Once the gate was opened, I got back into my car and drove up the driveway. The house was large, perhaps too large for a man whose wife just left him for her childhood sweetheart, and had a large hill behind it. I wasn't impressed by the property, but to each their own. At least Tolbert had his house on flat land, so there weren't any risks of mudslides during a bad rainstorm or god forbid flood. ADA Hatfield's house was also solid white, which in my opinion was a horrible mistake. The house needed a color trim to accent the starkness of the white, but as I said before, to each their own.
With a sigh, I turned off my car and grabbed the box of Hefty flex trash bags that were on the seat next to me. Well, it's time to get Novella's things out of the lair of the devil's favorite son. With another sigh, I got out of my car and made my way over to the front porch of the farmhouse that needed to appear on an episode of Fixer Upper. With the box of trash bags tucked under my arm, I quickly jammed the housekey into the doorknob and opened the door.
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I entered Cap's house, but it definitely wasn't moss wall with outdated white crown molding. The white staircase next to me was, in my opinion too close to the door. For goodness sakes, the damned door could use the bottom stair was a doorstopper. Ugh, whoever designed this layout (most likely the lil devil that owns the place) is an idiot. And the coatrack looks like some cheap piece taken from garbage picking. It was missing some of its arms. Also, I could tell that it was repainted without proper sanding. Without using chalk-based furniture paint and wax too.
Cringing, I headed up stairs to the second floor of the house, where I'd have to set foot into the bedroom my niece had subjected herself to for months due to taking her brother's well meaning, but ill advice about sleeping with Cap to get the McCoy boys' case thrown out. Apparently, becoming his mistress and having a shotgun wedding with him did nothing to soften the cold, dead heart of the devil's favorite son. Seems that it made him even colder if that's possible. At least my niece is safe now in Tolbert's arms and is back in Kentucky, where she belongs. Hmph, when Moses gets discharged, I'll be giving him an earful for giving his sister the advice that he did. It snowballed out of control and now I'm fixing everything; making it all better for her and Tolbert so they can have their family together.
As I ascended the stairs, I couldn't help but notice how bare the walls were. No paintings, pictures, or art décor to liven up the staircase. Just a bland, moss wall that hurt the eyes and made the trip upstairs seem never-ending.
Once my feet set foot on the second story, I took in (to my utter horror) that the narrow hallway walls were bare. It made the hallway seem elongated in a negative way; one that had a mental ward feel to it. Shaking away my thoughts, I counted the doors in the hallway and went over to the one my niece said was Cap's bedroom. Opening the door and stepping inside, I groaned at the way the bedroom was decorated. Clearly, the Lil Hatfield Devil had no sense of décor since the walls were a dreary shade of blue that reminded me of an icicle about to melt off my garage. The furniture was also too dak and clunky for my taste, but the gunrack with a rifle on it struck both fear and disgust in my heart. Who in their right mind has a gunrack in their bedroom, with a loaded Winchester on it too? At least Tolbert keeps his gunrack by the entryway like a normal person.
I always knew that the Hatfields weren't normal; the bedroom gunrack's just the proof in the pudding that I needed to know my thoughts were right.
With a sigh, I went over to the dresser to start rummaging thru drawers for Novella's things. The sooner I got the, the sooner I could leave this hovel. Hmm…maybe I should nominate Cap Hatfield's house for a design makeover on one of those farmhouse décor shows on HGTV?
Cap POV:
I had a lot weighing on my mind, so when lunchtime came around, I decided to just leave my office and finish up my work at home. Hell, things with my wife were screwin' my head up; makin' me unable to focus and think. My secretary just nodded when I told her I was leavin' and to transfer any and all calls to my home office. The golden blonde looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn't. Just kept her mouth shut and watched me head over to the elevator banks with my briefcase in hand.
After leaving my office building, I quickly headed to my truck and peeled out of the parkin' lot. I just couldn't deal wit' shit today. Everythin' was just too much. My marriage (perhaps due to my own rash thinkin' and foolishness) was unravelin' and I didn't know what to do 'bout it. I had agreed to find my wife an Air BnB to stay at til we could fully work out our problems, that findin' somethin' 'round the Tug that wasn't booked for this goddamned circus of a trial was provin' to be harder than I thought.
The drive home was quiet, other than my thoughts. I was so stuck in my own head that I never turned on the radio. The ride didn't seem as long either, but I think that's cause I was too lost in my own head. I was shaken out of my thoughts and brought back to reality when I pushed open my driveway gate and saw Uncle Perry's Subaru hatchback in my driveway. What the fuck was he doing here; in my house?!
I ran back to my truck and pulled in next to my uncle-in-law's car. As soon as I cut the engine, I flung the door open and ran up to my house. When I rushed in the front door, I was met with the sight of Perry Cline standing at the stop of my staircase; throwing down a large, overstuffed black trash bag. "What the fuck are ya doin'?!" I shouted, causing the sneaky snake to just dust off his hands.
"Well, this is unfortunate." Perry grimly sighed. "I was hoping to have my niece's belongings packed up before you returned."
"What? Why?" I asked, causing him to just shrug and turn towards the second story hallway. "Uncle Perry, why're you packing up her shit for? Is she stayin' with you now? Hmm?" I asked while running upstairs after my in-law.
"ADA Hatfield, it's over between you and my niece. She's back home now, where she belongs." Perry's voice rang out as he disappeared into the room I shared with my wife, Nova.
"Perry-" I began to say as I rushed into the master bedroom, only for him to grab a trash bag and cut me off with a clipped, "Novella has her step-children, Sally Elle and Brett, to think of now since, due to the untimely death of Misty Tolbert's found himself a single father of 2 that needs all the love and support of a woman's care that he can get."
My nostrils flared and my bros furrowed as the slimy lawyer's words washed over me. My wife, the mother of my unborn son, was being guilted and hoodwinked into becoming a mother to Tolbert's lil bastards; to becoming Tolbert's fucking mistress cause we were in a rocky spot in our marriage and that damn uncle of her's was using his slippery words to fuck with her head.
"Get the fuck out of my house, Perry, 'fore I shoot you for tresspassin'."
"I'm not trespassing, Cap Hatfield. My niece gave me her set of keys for this disaster of a farmhouse."
"Get out. This is for me and Nova to deal with, not you." I spat while taking my phone out of my poket and scrolling thru my contact list for my wife's name.
Rolling his eyes, he spat, "I'll leave, but Novella's out at lunch with Tolbert and the kids right now. You'll be interrupting them with your call."
"I don't give a shit, now get out." I snapped, pressing the call button as Perry walked out of the doorway and down the hallway.
Ring-ring-ring…Ring-ring-ring…Ring-ring-ring… "Cap?" Nova answered, curiosity laced in her voice as she spoke my name.
"I went home to finish my day in my office and ya know what I was met with? Uncle Perry tossing a black trash bag stuffed with some of your shit downstairs."
"Oh…" She sighed sheepishly.
"Perry says you're at lunch with Tolbert and his kids. Where at, Nova? We need to talk; I'm swingin' by to pick you up."
"Cap, you can't do that. Tolbert and the kids have been thru a lot today; I can't just take off on them durin' lunch." She had the balls to tell me. Yea, I don't give a shit 'bout that murderin' McCoy and his brats; I only care 'bout Nova and our problems right now.
"Babe, by time I get there you'll be done eating lunch. We need to have a talk and if you want your shit, you need to pack it up yourself, so just tell me where you're at."
"Peggy's Diner." She simply sighed. "I'll be out front waitin' for you."
"Bye babe, see ya soon." I told her before hanging up and heading downstairs.
Nova POV:
"Ella, do you have t'meet yer ex-husband outside?" Tolbert hissed in my ear while our kids sat across from us, obliviously eating their chicken tender kiddie meals.
"Tolbert, if I don't, I'll never get my stuff back." I answered, causing his jaw to lock as he roughly picked up a fry.
Popping the ketchup covered fry into his mouth, Tolbert snapped, "Y'better not let him sweet talk ya into stayin' married." Grabbing another fry, he grumbled on with, "I don't care what he offers ya, yer gettin' that annulment an' we're gonna be a family, Ella."
"Don't worry, I'm not going to make up with him. Things are over with Cap."
"They better be." Tolbert hissed as Mary Eldridge ran around the dinning room during the busy lunch hour. I guess she dropped out and is working the diner with her mom and older brother since she's pregnant (with Billy McCoy's secret love child).
"They are, I just need to deal with him to get my stuff back since he thru my uncle out of the house."
"How'd you know he did that?" The ginger next to me asked, as if he didn't believe me.
"He told me if I want me shit back then I need to pack it up myself, so it's safe to say he threatened my uncle and threw him out of the house." I explained while staring at the chicken tenders on my plate.
"But why's he at home for? Ain't he s'pose t'be workin'?"
"He went home to work in his office and ran into my uncle." I explained while picking at my food. "Let's just finish eating so you can take the kids to your folks'."
"I don't want him droppin' ya off on Poppy's land." Tolbert told me as he shifted in his seat. Pulling his keys out of his pocket, he handed them over and instructed, "Have him take ya to yer uncle's so ya can take my truck to dinner."
Nodding, I took his keys and dropped them into my handbag. All of a sudden, the bag felt heavier, and my heart felt burdened. I had made my choice this morning, but why is it that the idea of coming face to face with Cap has me feeling like I'm sinking with the Titanic. That I'm not gonna survive the heartbreak seeing him brings.
Cap POV:
When I pulled up to the curb of Peggy's Diner Nova was outside waiting for me. She was sittin' on a bench, tightly holding a foam to-go container and cup. She quickly shot up once she saw my truck. As She hurried over to it, I leaned over and opened the door for her. "Thanks, Cap." Nova smiled weakly.
"Here, let me help ya with that." I offered, taking her cup and doggie bag from her so she'd be able to get into the truck easier. "So, how's the baby doin'?" I asked, placing the cup in the cup holder, and setting the doggie bag on the dash while Nova got into the truck.
"Baby's doin' good." She assured me while pulling the door shut.
"We need to talk, babe." I told her, my tone firm-but tired, as I pulled away from the curb and onto the street.
Looking out the window, Nova sighed, "There's nothing to talk about, Cap. Things didn't work out and I need to pack my stuff."
"Nova, there's plenty to talk 'bout. It ain't that simple and ya know it." I replied while turning down the road that'd take us to the Tug River Bridge.
"It is that simple, Cap. Just take me to your place so I can get my stuff."
"Damnit, baby, why are you doin' this? Huh?" I barked, causing her to quickly look at me. "You're leavin' and callin' me Cap, Cap, Cap instead of Will. I just don't know why cause just this mornin' we agreed to try and work things out."
"I didn't agree to work things out wit'cha this morning." My wife denied while picking at her nails.
"Yes, you did, Novella. You agreed to let me find ya an Air BnB to stay at while we worked on our marriage." I reminded her of the deal we made this morning on Tolbert McCoy's front porch. A deal that would allow her to keep practicing law.
"I agreed cause you threatened to get me disbarred! After leaving Tolbert's I went to my Uncle Perry's and decided to move in with him."
"You're full of fucking bullshit." I spat, smelling her lies a million miles away. From what Uncle Perry told me, she didn't need my offer of an AirBnB anymore cause she was gonna play mama to Tolbert's damn kids. "Uncle Perry told me all 'bout how Tolbert's got 2 motherless kids now; how you're gonna play mama to them now instead of working out shit with me."
"Cap…"
"What the fuck is wrong with you, Nova? Why is it that Tolbert, hell not just him but any of the McCoys or your uncle, cries 'bout a couple of brats needin' a mother and you suddenly give up your life to become mama?"
"Those kids need me; they don't have anyone else."
"They don't need you, Nova. They got a dad and plenty of other kin like aunts, uncles, cousins, to take care of them. You're not needed by them; it's just a bullshit ploy to get'cha on their side of the river forever."
"Don't act like that, Cap. You're being mean and heartless."
"I'm bein' mean and heartless? Me?" I asked incredulously, cause right now I felt like she was the pot calling the kettle black. "What 'bout you, Nova? Hmm? Ain't bailin' on me durin' a rocky point in our marriage mean and heartless?" Shakin' my head, I blinked back the tears I felt buildin' up (cause I sure as hell weren't gonna let this woman see me cry) and snapped, "Damnit! You ain't just supposed to leave when things get hard, babe! Not when you're married, you're supposed to stick 'round and work shit out!"
"You cheated on me, Cap. And you gave your sister to see Mo in the hospital when I should've been the first in there to see him."
"I made a judgement call 'bout lettin' Betty see Moses cause she was cryin' herself sick with worry over him." I told Nova 'fore gesturin' 'tween us with my hand and addin' in the hard, blunt truth of, "And we both cheated on eachother that night, baby. Only I found a strange piece of pussy in a bar while you fuckin' 'round with Tolbert. Hell, prolly Shaw too since he was your ride to the hospital." Nova didn't say a word and she didn't dare look at me either. By the way her jaw trembled, my words hit her right where it hurts. "I know I hurt ya, but you tore my fuckin' heart outta my goddamn chest and stamped all on it by doin' the one thing I told you I couldn't handle, goin' back to Tolbert's bed after makin' a serious commitment to me."
"You're not heartbroken, Cap. You'd have to have a heart for that, you're ego's just bruised that our shotgun weddin' barely lasted a month."
"I've never been heartless to you, Nova, and you know that. I loved you, hell, I went against my own blood- my family- for you and you do me dirty like this? I…damnit, is there anything I can say or do t'make ya stay and work things out?"
"No." My wife said in a broken whisper. Daring to look up at me, tears trinkled from her beautiful blue eyes as she told me, "We're over, Cap."
"If we're over, then why're you crying?" I asked as she hastily swiped at her eyes. "Leavin' me for him and those kids is killin' ya inside, cause you wouldn't be cryin' if not." I told her what I knew, deep down in my bones, was true.
"Sally Elle and Brett need me, Cap. They need a mom and…well…I'm the closet thing to one that they got." Ah, so there it was. The truth. Her bleeding heart for those kids really was the reason why she was running into Tolbert's arms. Motherless kids, just like she'd been. Hell…I'd have to tread lightly to win her back.
I'll have to make a compromise.
"We can adopt them; have him make a guilty plea for 25-to-Life with parole eligibility after the 25 years served." I offered as a desperate compromise to keep my wife at home; to save my marriage that was falling apart in the blink of an eye.
"No, Cap." Nova sadly shook her head. "You'd never accept them cause they're Tolbert's."
"We could move somewhere out of state, like back to Baltimore. Even D.C. or Pennsylvania, just to somewhere that nobody knows the truth 'bout the deal and the adoption. Where they'd be our kids and we'd be adding to 'em."
"We can't do that. It'd never work."
"So, you're going to gamble Tolbert gettin' the death penalty instead of takin' a sweetheart deal for him cause you believe that I'm so heartless that I'd-what?-beat the shit out of his kids or something once we adopted them?"
"I made a promise that I wouldn't make anymore deals." The redhead next to me revealed while reaching over to turn on the radio. Well, wasn't that just convenient for the McCoy family. I just shook my head as Toby Keith started to croon on my radio.
AN:
Well, this went into a different direction then I had originally planned. I hope you guys liked how it turned out.