Petrichor: Chapter 14

MARLEY

"You about done here? We have a dinner to go to," Michael's reminder weighed heavy on me, as I packed up my camera into my bag and turned off the lights in my office at the magazine. Sales had gone down during the last few months and I wondered if it had anything to do with me spending more time at the bed and breakfast. Either way, I wasn't really in the mood to go to an awkward dinner full of tension. I loved Danny, and I didn't want to bring down their energy with my moodiness. Damn pregnancy had my emotions going haywire. No one but Michael and Jesse knew since Danny had just gotten out of the hospital and I couldn't even bring myself to face Serena. I never would've guessed our decade long friendship would go to shit and I felt horrible about it. She'd always been better at compartmentalizing feelings than I was. I had no doubt she was dealing with all this just fine.

"Michael, I think I should stay in tonight," I mentioned, trying to keep my yawn at bay as I locked up the front door and Michael helped me pull down the gates.

"Don't you think you've been avoiding her long enough?" my husband countered. He had no idea how sick this was making me. It was more than just the morning sickness plaguing me. I was still having nightmares about that night and no amount of coddling and pampering from Michael helped anymore. He was wrong this time. Facing her would only make it worse.

"You and Danny could fight right now and you'd still be friends five minutes later. It's different for women. Things are said and done and neither side forgets," I tried to explain as he helped me up onto his truck and closed the door. After he settled into the driver's seat and buckled up, he turned on the engine and pulled into the road.

"Daniel wants us there. And what kind of friends would we be if we didn't show up to support him?" Michael pointed out and although I knew he was right, I still wasn't sure if it was a good idea. Knowing my husband's pushy nature, I knew he was driving straight to the old farmhouse despite my concerns. I was going to have to face her tonight whether I was ready to or not.

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Michael and I were greeted by a shorter version of Daniel. Zander from the looks of it since he was wearing his newly prescribed glasses. His mother had taken him to see the optometrist last week since he'd been squinting alot recently while he read his favorite books out loud. Turns out he needed some reading glasses but he loved them so much he never took them off.

"Whoa, look at those cool glasses, my man!" Michael complimented, flashing the little boy his best smile as he picked him up and began to tickle him. When Zander began to giggle, I smiled and leaned in when he reached out to bring me into their hug.

"You look very handsome, buddy. Where's your brother?" I asked when Michael closed the door behind us, and placed Zander back down onto the floor. He took both our hands and dragged us into the living room, where Zach was laying down on the sofa for his usual scheduled nap. Poor baby spent so much time sleeping, I wasn't sure he was enjoying much of his childhood at all. I leaned down to kiss his cheek and brushed the hair away from his forehead.

"Thank God you two made it. Freddy was about to tell another joke and I was about to kick him out of my house," Danny's voice startled me and I quickly stood up when I saw him pull at Zander's shirt, tugging him closer so he'd be able to tickle him. Zander's laughter was contagious and almost made me forget I almost didn't show up tonight. Seeing Danny doing so well considering all he'd been through was well worth it.

"Was it the priest joke again? Fucking killjoy. Sorry, little buddy," Michael winced when he remembered there was an impressionable child in the room, "don't tell your mother," he whispered, pulling out a five dollar bill from his pocket. Zander looked around before he took the bill and shoved it in his pocket.

"Don't tell her what?" Zander asked, his mischievous grin spreading across his face as he ran towards the kitchen, and away from all the adults.

"Marley," Danny called for me, giving me the puppy dog look he only saved for certain occasions, and I could feel the tears stinging my eyes as he stepped closer to me and brought me in for a hug. I swallowed back the knot in my throat and hugged him tighter than I should have considering he was still healing from the gun shot wounds to the chest. There'd only been three but they'd been enough to keep him under a strict morphine regime for a week and a half.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered into his ear and he shook his head as he wiped my tears away, just as he'd done when we were kids, whenever a boy had broken my heart and his knuckles had been bruised and cut from picking fights with them because of it.

"I'm an idiot. It's never been your fault," Danny joked and just him having his sense of humor back was enough of a signal for my hormones to go crazy, forcing me to cry again.

"Don't mind her. She's just pregnant," Michael announced, and I glared at him, despite the proud smile he was currently wearing as I pulled away from Danny. While I hit his chest, he winked at me before he received a slap on the back from his best friend.

"Looks like we're both celebrating shit tonight, Mikey. Serena and I are pregnant again," Danny mentioned with the biggest smile on his face and I covered my mouth in shock while Michael glared at him for using the childhood nickname he used to hate when they were kids.

"Seriously? Danny! Congratulations!" I exclaimed with excitement, pulling him in for another hug. He chuckled as he pulled away and Michael tugged him in for a side hug.

"I knew y'all couldn't keep your hands off each other for long," Michael teased him and Danny rolled his eyes as he led us towards the outdoor dining area of the patio. Serena and Freddy were sitting at the table when we approached them, laughing at something he was saying and they quickly pulled apart when they saw us enter. Serena's smile faded briefly when she looked my way, but she quickly recovered it when Michael leaned closer to her to greet her with a hug. Freddy nodded his hello over to Michael, and sent a wink over in my direction, when he wasn't looking. I smirked in his direction, shaking my head as Michael pulled out a chair for me, then took the seat beside me.

"Y'all couldn't wait till we got here? Damn, there's hardly any food left," Michael complained, breaking the ice as he began to fill up our plates with whatever food was left.

"Not our fault you've taken Daniel's place as the over eater of the group," Freddy teased with a grin and Michael mocked him then looked around to make sure Zander wasn't looking so he could flip him off. Chuckling, I shook my head and my smile brightened when I felt Michael's hand take mine underneath the table. He leaned in to give me a short kiss and motioned towards Serena, who's gaze was pinned on the little boy sitting next to her while he told her a story.

"Go on, tell her the big news. I know you want to," Michael encouraged, kissing my temple as I took a deep breath and glanced over at Freddy. He was another reason why I was hesitating on announcing our pregnancy. He'd wanted kids for so long and not being able to have them while everyone else around him was getting pregnant, must be killing him inside. I didn't want to add to his pain, but he was going to find out anyway. I wanted it to come from me.

"Michael and I are expecting," I announced, clearing my throat as I waited for Freddy or even Serena to storm out. But neither of them did. Freddy looked genuinely happy for us, and reached to give Michael a congratulatory hug and one for me as well. Serena simply turned to look at me and nodded, sending us both a small smile.

"Congratulations to you both," she replied stiffly and returned to listen to her chatty son sitting beside her. Danny waved her icy behavior off and handed me a bowl full of bread.

"Is this how it's going to be from now on? Come on y'all. This group wont survive without your craziness," Michael tried to break the tension around the silent table but it only made it worse. Freddy had chosen to remain neutral, while Danny and Michael had no idea who's side to be on. It was a mess no one knew how to fix. All I wished for was for it all to go back to the way things used to be before everything went to shit five years ago. I wanted my best friend back now more than ever, but it didn't seem like she was interested anymore. I'd thrown so much shit at her since she came back, I wouldn't blame her if she never forgave me for it or for what happened to Danny.

"I'm putting Zander to bed. You guys help yourselves and thank you for coming," Serena's cold exterior stepped to the front of the line again as she helped her son out of his chair and escorted him inside. Danny sighed, excusing himself to go help her.

"Well, this is fucking awkward," Michael muttered, taking a sip from the beer Danny had offered him earlier.

"Y'all know Serena can be colder than ice sometimes. I don't know why y'all expected anything less," Freddy commented nonchalantly as he took a swig from his glass of water and Michael shook his head as he reached for my hand again, lifting it up so he could place a soothing kiss on my skin.

"She'll come around. Don't worry." Michael did his best to keep my hopes up but I knew it was too late. It took Serena a long time to let go of a grudge, even more so if it was against someone who'd been close to her. We'd always talked about our kids growing up together back when we had dreams of having big families and raising them here. I never expected things to get as bad as they were now, and I definitely didn't see the light anywhere near the end of this dark tunnel we were trapped in.

"Don't think she will anytime soon," Freddy began, resting his elbows onto the table in front of him. "She and Daniel are planning to move when she gives birth to the baby," he finished, and Michael and I shared a surprised look as we processed the news.

"You're joking, right? Where the fuck are they going to go? Daniel won't survive in New York. He ain't made for the big city," Michael chimed in and Freddy shrugged.

"She mentioned something about a place in Colombia. Apparently that's where she and the boys had been staying these past few years," he continued, relaxing into his chair as he stared blankly into nothing.

"So the crew is breaking up again? This is bullshit, man," my usually calm husband was now the moody one and it was my turn to take his hand in mine to soothe him.

"We never said we'd all stay here forever," Freddy claimed, laying down the reality we all seemed to have ignored since we all reunited at Gabe's funeral, as he stood up and said his goodbyes as well.