The Pieces Left

Chapter 9

When we go to the restaurant, we were once again ambushed by paparazzi. They shouted obscene questions and comments at us. It's crazy how fast news travels. Jimmy guided me to the door and opened it for me. Once inside, I felt better. I took off my sunglasses and set them aside for later. I looked at the menu and then looked at Jimmy. He was reading his menu very seriously. I couldn't stop thinking about the event that took place earlier with the stranger at the door. I looked back at my menu and tried to ignore it. "So, what are you getting he asked, breaking my thought. I looked up and smiled. "I don't know.....there's so much" I said. Jimmy looked outside at the paparazzi waiting for us to come back. I finally set my menu down and looked at him. "You decide?" He asked. "Yeah" I said. "Good!" He said as he flagged the waiter. "I want the-" jimmy said before his phone started to ring. He looked at it, hesitated, and then turned it off. I looked away. I knew it was Salem. I shifted awkwardly. "It was just the studio..they were wondering if I was staying in town for the weekend or not" he said as he noticed my uneasiness. "Oh" I replied. The waiter shifted uncomfortably. "Do y'all still need some time?" He asked. I had totally forgotten he was there. "No! No, I'll have the salmon with a Caesar salad" Jimmy said. "And for you?" The waiter asked as he shifted to me. "I'll have the steak with a Caesar salad" I said. "I'll have that right out" he said before walking away. My phone buzzed and I grabbed it, trying to break the tension. It was Beckett. Fuck. He was calling me. I sighed before declining the call. "Was that...?" Jimmy asked, already knowing. "Yes, he's probably at the airport by now." I said. "People come and go....it's life" he said. I gave him an odd look. "What's the supposed to mean?" I asked. "Nothing, just people come and go. That's the way life is. Beckett is just one of those people who came and went in your life. He was there and now he's not." Jimmy said trying to change the tone. "Okay..." I said. "You just gotta let go and he will, too." He said. "Let go?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, you've gotta let go of people that are weighing you down." He said, taking a drink. "Hm" I said. "What?" He asked. "I just find it funny" I said. Before he could answer, the waiter came up. "You're meal will be out momentarily" he said. "Stevie, what's wrong? Why are you asking all these questions" He asked slightly annoyed. "Nothing" I said. "We have to communicate. We will end up broken up again if you keep being so petty and keeping secrets" he said. I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, I'm going to the bathroom. Maybe when I get back you will tell me what's up" he said and then got up. I ignored him. I looked at the table and saw he had left his phone. Dumb. I then picked it up and unlocked it. He hadn't changed his phone lock password. I clicked on the messages app and saw it. Her name was at the top of the list. Salem. I clicked on her name and started reading the texts. All I saw were texts saying for him to text her back. I scrolled up and saw a picture. I clicked on it and her ultrasound picture popped up. I stared at the fetus in the picture. It burned through my eyes. This is the child of my boyfriend. He got an 18 year old pregnant. It pissed me off. I love Jimmy I just wish he hadn't have used her like this. She's only 18. I then hit the home button. I saw Jimmy out of the corner of my eye and quickly set his phone back on the table. He sat down and smiled at me. "You ready to talk?" He asked. "I wanna meet Salem" I said. Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "You wanna what?" He asked. "I wanna meet Salem" I repeated. "Is this what your whole mood is about? You wanna meet Salem?" He said. I nodded. "I wanna know her. I want to see her and.... I don't know talk to her. My god Jimmy she's only 18. She's basically a kid and you're pretty much abandoning her. I have to figure out why you did this." I said. Jimmy sat back in in his seat and sighed. "Stevie, what happened between me and Salem doesn't involve you. It was my mistake and I have to own it. I'm not abandoning her." He said. I rolled my eyes and said, "oh so is that why she keeps texting and calling you? Along with showing up at your door?" I questioned. "How did you know that was Salem?" He asked. The waiter then came up to our table. He sat down our plates and smiled. "Anything else?" He asked. "No thank you" Jimmy said a bit too quick. "Stevie, I am so in love with you. I can't not be with you. Salem was a mistake. She was just at the wrong place and the wrong time. I am sorry I hurt her but she'll get by. I will pay child support and make sure she's fine. We will be happy together, no matter what. Please don't worry." He said. I hesitated. "I still wanna meet her" I said. Jimmy scuffed. "I just want to talk to her" I added. He started eating. "Please" I said. "No, I don't want you to meet her" he said. "Just focus on us" he said. "I can't!" I said a little too loud. I looked around and then said in a quieter voice, "I can't focus on us when there's an 18-year-old who's pregnant with your child. Who, also, keeps showing up at your door wanting your attention." I said. Jimmy stared at me. I took a bite of my steak aggressively. "I didn't know that affected you so much. You need to tell me these things. If Salem needing me annoys you so much, you need to tell me." He said. "Well, I am. I wanna meet her and I'm done talking about it" I said. Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Stevie, I'm trying to help you. I wanna be with you but you have to communicate. You're not 16 anymore. Grow up" he said as he took a bite of his salad. I glared at him. "Fuck you" I said before getting up and going to the bathroom. Once inside the bathroom, I pulled out my phone and saw that Beckett had tried to call me. I scoffed and deleted the notification. Why was Jimmy being like this? Patronizing me as if I'm still a kid. I am grown up and all I want to do is meet this girl. How could he do this to her? Would he do it to me? When I was done ranting to myself, I walked out of the bathroom. I sat down at our table and Jimmy looked at me. I expected him to make some sly comment about the past events but he didn't. "Tomorrow, 7:00 pm, Salem will be at the house. You better have your questions ready" he said. I smiled and took another bite of steak.