Not Broken: The Happily Ever After(18)

“Why would he do that?”

Macy shot me a look of confusion. “He didn’t tell you? Oh, I’m gonna cuss his ass out more. Gerald showed up out of the fucking blue yesterday, and they went out clubbing. I thought you knew.”

“Um…no,” I replied, shaking my head as we headed toward the flamingo exhibit. “I…we actually didn’t talk at all yesterday.”

As we moved on to the next exhibit, Macy filled me in on why Malcolm ended up at her house in the middle of the night. I didn’t say much as she talked, choosing instead to respond to Shawn’s random words when he would recognize an animal. I hadn’t really thought much about not talking to him yesterday, but now I found myself with mixed feelings about the apparent reason as to why.

“Gerald’s not still using, is he?” I asked as we continued walking.

“Mal says he isn’t, but I still don’t like it. I mean, I don’t think Mal would do that again, but he doesn’t need that ass around him regardless.”

The first time I’d ever seen Macy upset was when Malcolm ended up in the hospital. Those two fought all the time, but they were very close. The thought of losing him had really scared her; it had scared all of us.

“That’s not his life anymore, Macy, you know that.”

She needed to have more faith in her brother. Mal was never an addict. He’d been more a party user, so even being around Gerald or whoever wouldn’t be a threat. I was a little annoyed that Macy would even think Malcolm would put his family through that again. He was stronger than that, and she needed to recognize that fact.

“I know…I know, but I just don’t like that man,” she replied with a frown.

“I know you don't, Mace, but they're friends. Mal’s like you. He won’t abandon his friend simply for bad decision making.”

She let out a sigh before the frown on her face softened. She gave my hand a squeeze, both of us understanding the meaning behind my statement.

“So, what did you do yesterday if you weren’t hanging with Malcolm?”

“Dorian,” I answered. “She showed up wanting a job. Apparently, she’s looking to move here since our parents are here.”

“That woman has some nerve!”

“Yeah, she does, and I told her as much…then after she left, I sent an email to the guy over the HR department to see what the process would be to hire her.”

Macy scrunched her nose. “Why?”

“Because…I know how she’s feeling right now, and as much as I hate her at times, she’s still my sister. Being cheated on never feels good.”

“You’re too damn nice, Lee,” Macy said. She stopped to get London from her stroller because she’d started crying. “I think she’s hungry.”

“K, let’s head to the reptile house. It’s cooled and has benches.”

We made our way into the reptile building. It was probably my least favorite exhibit, but it was the perfect place to get out of the heat for a little while. Macy and I settled onto one of the benches in the middle of the building. As she mixed up a bottle for London, I let Shawn out of his stroller so he could walk around.

“Does it bother you?”

“Does what bother me?” I asked as I tried to keep Shawn out of the diaper bag.

“Mal going out last night. I mean, you said you two didn’t talk all day and—”

“And it’s not a big deal.”

She gave me that look, the one that told me she was about to start in on a conversation I most likely didn’t want to have.

She repositioned London in hers for easier feeding. “Look, I promised him I wouldn’t meddle.”

“But…”

“But I’m…we’ve been friends for a long time…”

“Yes we have.” I got up to chase down Shawn, who’d started to wander away.

“I don’t want to have to pick sides,” she continued when I got back.

“Why would you have to?”

“I wanted to talk to you before, but Malcolm told me to stay out of it. I just—”

“You’re worried about what happens if we don’t work out,” I answered, sensing her hesitation.

She nodded in response.

“You won’t have to pick sides, Macy.”

“How can you say that? He’s my brother. You’re like a sister to me. There will be tension. And with you moving in with him, someone would have to leave—”

“Whoa…what? I’m not moving in with him.”

Macy gave me a frown. “What do you mean? That’s why he bought that house. That was the whole point.”

Shawn started squirming in my arms trying to get free again. I buckled him back into the stroller. “Mal and I have talked, and we agreed to take things slow. I need it that way. Besides, he doesn’t even know if he got the house yet.” I pulled out the to-go container of cereal and poured a few on the tray of Shawn’s stroller.

“Yeah, he does. He found out yesterday, but since you two didn’t talk guess you wouldn’t have known.”

There was a bit of edge in her voice. I wasn’t sure if it was directed at me or at Malcolm. Either way, I chose to ignore it.

“Almost done?” I looked over at London whose eyes were closing as she sucked on her bottle.