Without a Hitch(93)

“Do you feel it?” I ask again with a grin that hurts my cheeks even as my eyes burn. I have no tears left to shed.

“I certainly hear it,” she shouts, spinning in a circle.

“Oh my God! What are you wearing?” my father asks, entering with my mother on his arm.

“Perfect.” I suddenly wish the tub was full of water so I could drown myself in something other than Skittles. Opening the wrapper a bit wider, I tip the shiny paper to my lips and dump the remaining candies into my mouth.

Nova comes closer but acts like I’m a wild animal and approaches cautiously. “Did you separate your candies?”

“Nope.” I pop the p and chuckle.

“What are you wearing?” my father repeats.

“Baby trackies,” I say with a shrug.

“He’s relaxed AF.” My mother smirks, making air quotes with her fingers.

“Are you drunk?” Nova whispers.

“Drunk on love. Did you know there’s a song about it? Drunk in love too.”

“Lochness? What have you been drinking?” Nova bends down and holds up a six-pack of beer I never got to.

“Banny?” My mother crosses the room and picks up my phone. She silences it after a few attempts, and The Cranberries play only in my head. “Speak.”

“Hello, Mummy. Or is it Mummies?” Closing one eye, I confirm there is only one of her.

She raises an eyebrow and waits me out. I cross my arms and sink lower into the empty tub. All the sugary candy I’ve consumed coats my throat in a thick slime that makes it hard to swallow.

“Banny, talk to us,” my father pleads. He has always worn his heart on his sleeve. Nova clears a path to me, and I watch with amusement as he climbs into the tub and sits on the edge near my feet.

“Do you need a hug?” He opens his arms wide, and chaotic laughter bursts from deep in my gut. He’s wearing neon orange M.C. Hammer pants and a tight black T-shirt that makes him look like a pumpkin.

Oddly, I think I would like a hug, but I can’t bring myself to say so. I only want Tilly.

“Banny? You’re wearing a T-shirt with graffiti on it, and it doesn’t look like you’ve showered in days. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with a beard in your entire life. What in God’s name is happening here? Do we need to call a psychiatrist?” My mother’s cool composure slips as she worries her perfectly painted lip.

Nova kneels on some towels while she rests her arms on the side of the tub near my head. Her light brown hair is in some sort of knot at the top of her head I want to tug.

“You stink, Lochness. Like wet dog. What the hell happened?”

With a heavy heart, I turn my sad gaze her way. “Love breaks people, Nono. Ruins them. I warned you.”

“Banny, that is not true.” My mother climbs up onto the counter and primly crosses her legs.

“It is. Look at you and Dad.” I burp, and it startles Nova so much she jolts back and lands on her ass. I look at my mother, who is still so formal and poised, even with her son drunk in a tub, and my dark chuckle fills the room. We’re a freaking hilarious sight to be seen.

I reach for my now-warm beer through a fit of laughter, loving how the bubbles tickle my nose. “I don’t understand any of you.”

“Understand what?” my father asks, glancing at Nova, who shrugs.

I let my head fall back against the porcelain with a thud. “Why do you do it? Put yourself through love over and over again to end up with the same heartbreak?”

“Oh, Banny. Love is one of life’s greatest joys. Without it, we’re all just going through the motions.” The words sound funny coming from my slightly uptight mother. Is that how I sound?

“Greatest joys,” I echo, testing my voice. Yup. I’m a stiff prick. “I’m a stiff prick.” I laugh at myself, then take another drink.

“He’s drunk,” Nova whispers.

“No. I’m intoxicated,” I gloat.

“I’ll grab some water and order some food.” We’re silent as Nova hurries from the room.

“You love Dad, yet you divorced him.” I point an accusing finger her way, but my eyes catch on the tip of my nose. I shake my head into focus. “You loved husbands two through seven too.” Pausing, I count them on my fingers and drop my beer into my lap. “Oops.” I laugh at myself, but my parents remain quiet as I lift the can and place it back on the side table. My gaze stays on the baby trackies that are now soaked in beer. “You were heartbroken every time, Mum. And Dad? Jesus. Dad lost himself completely after Lila died, and he’s never been quite the same. You’re both broken by love, but you still profess it’s amazing. Why?”

My mother’s face goes stern, and she slips off the counter to pace the confines of the relatively large bathroom. I’m so much like her.

“I do love your father, Banny. I’ve always loved him. I will always have love for him, but I’ve never been in love with him.”

My head snaps to her, and it makes me dizzy. “What?”

“The same for me, son.” My father smiles fondly at my mother. “We married so our fathers wouldn’t lose their legacies. The economy was in a downward spiral at the time. Both our families’

hotels were suffering greatly. The best chance either of us had at survival was combining the two.