The Diner of Love
3503 Angel Square Court
Llanview, PA  

"Nothin' Could Be Finer Than Some Lovin' In the Diner"
"There ain't no lovin' like some diner lovin', hey ho"

What can I get you?

Coffee's a dollar

I hope you like whip cream.

I just love the Voice of the Night. We have this special connection.

The Next Act
Tessarae87

CHAPTER TWO

Rex examined her through half-hooded eyes. She gritted her teeth. This was not going very well.

“So Adriana knew this before the wedding? And when you stood up in the middle of the ceremony that’s what you really wanted to tell me?’

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you? It may have saved us all some time.”

“You said you were in love with her. You still married her after I used the ‘L’ word and made a total fool of myself.  I didn’t want to ruin your chances of having a happy life with her.”

“I see. So Adriana knowing was not a problem but if I knew there would be?”

“Yes. Actually that’s right.”

“Shane’s a good kid, but I guess you heard about things having finally been settled between me and Adriana.”

“What?”

“Yeah. I got a settlement. The check cleared yesterday. I know Adriana did it to stick it to Dorian, who is livid by the way and doing her best imitation of a fire-breathing dragon, but I’m not complaining. What’s a few million between ex-spouses? I guess you heard, huh?”

“No. Why would you think I’d know about your personal business?”

He shrugged. “Could be that my ex-mother-in-law spilled the beans. Getting me out of Adriana’s life wasn’t enough for her. She wants to make sure I stay out of it.”

“Rex, I—“

“You did say that Dorian knows about Shane, right?”

“Yes, she knows.”

Rex stood up and looked around his apartment. “I’m going to move out of here. If your soon to be ex-husband needs a place to rent, this could work.”

“What?”

“I’m getting me some place that’s more than one room, a kitchenette and a bathroom. But it might work fine for Lovett. It’s small but in the early days the babes liked it okay. I bet he’s going to start running them left and right. That testosterone shop of his is going to be like having a license to print money babe-wise.”

“Rex, did you hear anything I said before?”

“Yeah, I heard every word. You lied your ass off to me for ten freaking years and now you’re confessing the truth because your meal ticket has decided to leave you for some hot, young biker babe flaunting her butt in tight, leather jeans.”

“What is wrong with you?”

His eyes flashed but then he stood up and walked over to the window that overlooked the tiny balcony. He stared out for a few seconds.  “Everybody’s lied to me my whole freaking life,” he said. “I thought you were different. I guess Shane and I have that in common.”

“Rex, please. I know you’re mad and I’m really sorry but—“

“I. Trusted. You. Do you get that at all? With all that shit whirling around you were the one I trusted.”

“I know but-t-t-t…” Her voice died in her throat and she pulled at her hair.

He turned and let his gaze sweep over her whole body. “There’s more isn’t there?”

She screwed up her mouth and puffed out her lips as she pulled at her hair.

“Gigi”

“Shane knows,” she said finally.

“What? He’s known all this time and never told me?”

“Oh for God’s sake, Rex. No. Brody is telling him today.”

“Brody?”

“Well, he is his stepfather and all—“

“And Shane thinks he’s his father so there’s no better person to drop this bombshell on him. Is there?”

She looked down at her feet. “It just worked out that way. But, Rex, no matter how he finds out he’s going to need to talk to you.”

Rex bit his lower lip then nodded his head. “Yeah. I’ll come over tomorrow. Morning? Afternoon?”

“Afternoon. Brody and I are going to talk to him together in the morning.”

“You and Brody. I see.”

“We want to reassure him as much as possible. A united front. You can see that can’t you?”

“Of course I can,” he said in a high pitched theatrical voice.

She cringed.

He studied her for a moment and then shifted his gaze to his hands. “This is all really about Shane and what’s best for him,” he said in a neutral tone. “I’ll come in the afternoon.”

A wave of relief swept over her. “Good,” she said and grabbed her purse. She’d pushed this about as far as she could for one day. “I’ll tell him to expect you.”

“Yeah. Fine.”

She walked to the front of the apartment and opened the door then turned and looked at him. He hadn’t moved. “I really am sorry, Rex.”

He nodded and then his face softened. “I know you are. And, look, that stuff earlier about the money was just me blowing off steam. You know that right?”

“Take care, Balsom.”

“Rex is my dad?”

 “Yeah, son,” Brody said and tried to tune out the pain he saw in Shane’s eyes. “Come on over here and sit down on the couch. We need to hash this out.”

 “No,” Shane yelled. “And don’t call me that. I’m not your son. I’m Rex’s son.”

 “That’s only partly true,” Brody said evenly. “You are Rex’s son, but you’re my son, too.”

 “That’s a lie. You’re lying to me just like she did.”

 Brody leaned forward but stayed seated on the couch. “I’m always going to be your father, Shane. It’s just that we aren’t biologically related. But I’ve loved you and thought of you as mine long before you were even born.”

 “Did you know? I mean did you know back before I was born that my mother was lying about me?”

 “She wasn’t lying. She didn’t lie to me. I knew all along that Rex was your father. So I was the one who lied when I came here.”

 Shane bit his lower lip and took a step back. “Why’d you do that?”

 “Because I wanted you and I wanted your mother just like I did back before you were born.”

 “Did Rex want me, too?”

 “He didn’t know about you like I did.”

 “He didn’t want to know.”

 The truth of that statement caught him unprepared. He honestly didn’t know what Balsom’s motivation had been but the truth was that he always suspected that Balsom didn’t want to know—not back then and not when Gigi and Shane crossed paths with him ten years later. But that was just his assumption and there was no way he would dump that on Shane. He was tired of lying to Shane, though, and wasn’t going to do it anymore. He’d tell him the truth as he knew it.

 “I can’t speak for Rex, just like I’m not going to speak for your mother other than to say they both love you. I can only speak for me.”

 “Did my mother love you…back then?”

 “No. And I knew that too.  Sometimes we want what we can’t have. It was always Rex for her, but I thought I could change her mind.”

 “Is that why you left her?”

 Brody dipped his head and shook it. This was more painful than he imagined. He thought he’d considered it from all angles. He’d actually thought about how he’d want someone to tell him such an ugly truth. He decided he wouldn’t want to be treated like a little kid. He’d want it straight out. But Shane was a kid and standing across the room from him, Shane suddenly looked small and defenseless.

 Brody released his breath and concentrated on what he had to do. He’d started this and he had to see it through. “Yes,” he said finally. “Maybe now the three of you have a chance to become a family.”

 “It’s not fair. We were going to be a family. We had it all planned out.”

 “I know, but sometimes things don’t work out the way you plan.”

 “Why didn’t my mom love you?”

 “I don’t know why your mother didn’t love me, but I know it’s not her fault. None of this is her fault. She’s been there for you and loved you your whole life.”

 “But not you. Does that hurt?”

 Damn. What was he supposed to say? When all of this started Shane literally saw his father as a superhero. The reality of him had severely tempered those grandiose notions but Shane still looked up to him. Did he want to go all the way from superhero to a total loser in Shane’s eyes?

 If he didn’t admit the truth about his feelings, though, then what message was he sending his son? “It doesn’t feel good,” he said finally.

 Shane nodded then stuck his hands in his pockets. He walked slowly to the couch and flopped next to him. Shane bumped his shoulder against his and said, “I’m sorry.”

  Brody nodded.  “Me, too.” He wrapped his arm around Shane’s shoulders. “But I’m happy we tried. I love being your father.” 

 “You’re really gonna still be my father?”

 “If you’ll have me. I’ll be your stepfather but that’s okay. Biology is not the only way to be connected to people. I promise you I will always be in your life from now on.”

 “But suppose you get married to someone else and have a baby?”

 “Then you’ll have a younger brother or sister. No matter what happens from now on you will always be my child, my oldest child. Get it?”

 Shane nodded and Brody tried to ignore the tears he saw in his child’s eyes.

“Are you sure he’s okay?”

“He’s right here with his head in my lap, fast asleep.”

“Maybe I should come over there.”

“No. Give him some time… a little space. We’ll be home in the morning.”

Home? He said ‘home.’ The tears sprang in her eyes. She didn’t blame him for leaving but that didn’t mean she didn’t want both of them to come home more than anything in the world. She wanted Brody to come home. The intensity of that realization shocked her.

“Did you tell Balsom?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s that then. It’ll get better from here on out.”

“I’m worried about Shane.”

“It’s okay, Gigi. He’s right here next to me and I am holding onto him for dear life. He won’t spin away. I promise you that.”

“Is he mad at me?”

“You have some talking to do. It’s going to take a while for all of us to find a new peace with this, but it’s coming.”

“Don’t let him go,” she said.

“I won’t. We’ll see you in the morning.”

Don’t let me go.

“Goodnight,” he said and hung up.

She tried sleeping on the couch in the living room but that didn’t work. Finally, she went upstairs and got into bed but sleep refused to come. She rummaged in the closet without knowing what she was looking for until she found a treasure— a t-shirt he’d forgotten. It was dark blue with a Navy insignia on it. She buried her nose in the fabric and took deep draws of air then slipped it on and got into bed.

How had her life ended up here? Why was she so lonely for a man she practically ignored the whole time they were married? The road to Rex was now clear and open. He was weird this afternoon but that was to be expected. He was mad at her but he’d come around. Brody though was gone. She knew it. She felt it as a deep ache inside of her as much as she saw it in his eyes. He’d waited for her for almost eleven years and now he was gone.

It was over.

The phone rang and she reached for it gratefully.

“Hey! Is it too late to call?”

“Nope. Shane’s asleep and Brody’s not here yet.”

Lying liar. Pants on fire.

Marcie giggled. “I don’t have a lot of time to talk but you’re the first person I wanted to call.”

“What’s going on?’

“Michael loves it here at Johns Hopkins. It’s was the best thing to happen to us. I miss you and Shane but getting out of Llanview was the best thing to ever happen to us. Michael loves the place and the fellowship is just rocking.”

She exhaled and smiled. She was genuinely happy for them. “You both deserve it.”

“How’s that hunky husband of yours? I know I wasn’t so onboard at first when you married him, but you know for a while after that you sounded happier than I’d ever heard you. I think he truly is the one. Things are going to work out, Gigi. You’ll see. And isn’t it funny how you overlooked him all that time?”

“Brody’s fine.”

“Good. Okay, I think I’ve done an adequate amount of small talk. Here’s the news. I’m pregnant!”

“What?”

“I know-w-w-w-w-w. I couldn’t believe it. I had this procedure done by a specialist here a couple months ago. I almost didn’t even do it because we have been so happy here and I love my job at the newspaper but I went on and did it because to be truthful I didn’t think it would do any good. I didn’t even tell anyone, except Michael of course, because I knew it wasn’t gonna work. But it did, Gigi. I’m pregnant.”

“Oh,” Gigi said and tried to get her heart to stop racing. “Congratulations.”

“You know why I really called? Right?”

“To tell me great news?”

“To tell you that miracles happen. And not to forget that. Look, love you. I’ve got to run because Michael needs me to pick him up but I’ll call later in the week and we can really, really talk. Bye.”

Gigi stared at the phone in her hand then clicked it off and put it back on the night stand. Marcie was pregnant! Miracles do happen. But not if you hold steady and refuse to change or take a risk. Time for a new beginning. She’d wasted enough time.

She got of bed, took a quick shower then slipped on the simple black knit tank dress that Brody thought was so sexy and her barely-there sandals then grabbed her purse and car keys.

The night air was a bit chilly but muggy as well. She drove with the windows down and the radio on. She felt young again and free.

He opened the door and exhaled then blocked the entrance with his body. His chest was bare, his eyes were hooded and he was dressed only in pajama bottoms.

“It’s late, Morasco,” he said. “Or is it still Lovett or Morasco hyphen Lovett?”

“Rex.”

 He sighed and nodded his head. “Yeah, I know I’m being a jerk. But look it’s late and I’m half naked and after this afternoon we’re both in that twilight space of being mad as hell with each other and excited as hell about what might be. If you come in, I can’t vouch for what may or may not happen. I’m too tired to think straight or control myself so let’s table whatever this is until tomorrow or whenever is a better time.”

 “Too much time has passed already.”

 He chuckled in a bitter short burst of sound and nodded. “I guess that’s true,” he said and stepped back.

 She brushed past him and entered the apartment and glanced around quickly. She’d obviously gotten him out of bed.

 He closed the door with a bang and made a show of locking it then leaned against it. “We’re here and we won’t be disturbed. What do you want to talk about?”

 She swung her purse onto the couch and dropped her keys on the side table.

 He watched her with his head cocked to the right and his eyes half closed.

 She took a deep breath then walked to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

 For a minute he didn’t move but then he moaned softly, wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted her and carried her to the bed.

Although he’d rolled over so that his back was to her, she knew he wasn’t asleep. She’d matched the rhythm of her breathing to his for what felt like hours as she’d stared at his body. It had been a very long time since they’d been together and she was trying to find a way to build a bridge between then and now.

 “I need to go,” she said finally and rose up on her elbows.

 He turned over. “What time is it?”

 “About oh four hundred hours, but I don’t know what time they’re coming and I need to be there, you know.”

 “I guess Lovett keeps early hours, huh?”

 “Yeah, he’s usually up with the sun.”

 “Listen, I’m sorry that last night wasn’t exactly as romantic as what you expected. Just a lot going on and I had a lot on my mind.”

 “Did you really love her?”

 “Who?”

 “Adriana”

 He scratched the side of his face then said, “In my fashion, but that’s over and has been for a long time now.  Last night I was just tired. I tried to tell you.”

 She nodded and felt around for her dress. It was on the floor next to the bed. She slipped it over her head and then got out of bed and looked for her panties and shoes. She found them in fairly quick order and finished dressing and then grabbed her purse and keys.

 Rex stretched. “You want me to follow you home? You got your cell phone in case something happens?”

 “I’ll be fine,” she said.

 She could take care of herself. Nobody had been in her life to take care of her for ten years. She’d learned to handle herself and didn’t need anyone playing white knight. Luckily, Rex wasn’t Brody. Brody would have ignored that and followed her home and made sure she was in the house safe and sound before he left, whether she wanted him to or not. That was just his way.

 Rex yawned and sat up. “Okay, I’ll be over to talk to the little dude later this afternoon.”

 She made a gentle waving motion with her fingers. “Okay, I’ll see you later.”

 “Yup”

 She opened the door, slipped out into the hallway and then looked back at him.

 He tipped his head in her direction then flopped back and buried his head in the pillows.

 She closed the door quietly and left.

 

CHAPTER 3
Click to go to the next chapter of The Next Act

The Back Deck Fan Fiction
Click to return to the Back Deck Fan Fiction Page