There Are No Words

Chapter 19C

Walker

When Jenny retreats into her cabin, I pull Candace off to the side of the road towards the grass.

"Will you give us a few minutes, Candace? I need to talk to the guys for a second. If you go ahead up to our cabin," I say, reaching into my pocket and giving my door key to her, "and get settled in, I'll bring your bags inside with me once I'm done here."

Candace looks at me, and then at the guys to my side. They look like I did right before breakfast. I'm about to be on the receiving end of some serious shit. I know I deserve it, but I don't want Candace involved. Luckily, Jenny and Kim have already gone inside.

"Sure. Ah, everything alright, Walker?" She asks. I can almost see her inner warrior coming to the forefront. I nod and she waits a beat, taking in the mood. I just need her to leave us. Come on, Candace, I think to myself, get gone.

"Ok, I'll just go in and help myself to a cold one. Thanks, Walker. Nice to meet you both, Cian, Deaglán. See you later," Candace says, turning to back towards the drive. I watch her walk up and go into the house before turning around. When I do, Cian's fist meets my face with enough force to cut my brow. I have no time to react and am bleeding like a pig before the punch fully registers.

"Ouch! Fuck, Cian! Why'd you frigging hit me?" I ask, already knowing full well why, but stalling for time to explain.

"So, let me see if I understand the situation correctly, Bro. You come home on leave, find Jenny with a guy you assume to be her boyfriend, and go all postal on him because you think he's stepping out on her. Meanwhile, you've already made plans to shack up with someone else this weekend? And you were mad at Deaglán? What the fuck's the matter with you, Walker?"

I hold my hands up in front of my face and step back.

"It's not like that, Cian. Candace is..."

"What big brother? Candace is what?" Cian fumes. "You know why I hit you, Walker? Because you deserve it. And because if I hadn't, this guy would have," he says pointing to Deaglán. "Even though you're in a shit heap of trouble, and are one stupid motherfucker, I don't know what would've happened if he did. You don't need any more trouble than you're already in. You've been back less than 24 hours and already you've hit Deaglán and now this. Did you not learn anything while you've been away?"

"You hit Deaglán?" I hear a small voice say behind me.

Oh, no.

Jenny is standing on her porch steps, tear marks streaked down her beautiful face. Kim is standing behind her, rubbing her stomach. This isn't going to end well.

Jenny marches down the steps and straight up to me with her hands on her hips. Her eyes bore through me and I feel the need to cower.

"You HIT Deaglán?" She asks again.

I wince, wiping my bloody hands onto my jeans. Again, I put my hands up to explain.

"I did, but it's not what you think. I-"

Jenny shoves me. Hard. With both hands pressed against my shoulders she pushes me away from her. She doesn't want me.

I've taken much harder hits and stayed on my feet, so doing so this time is not an issue, accept to say that it hurts. Not in the usual physical sense, but deep down. All I want to do is grab onto Jenny; hold onto her and never let go. All she wants to do is throw me away from her.

"Jenny," I plead in surprise.

"Go!" she yells. When I don't move at first, she says, "Go!" much more quietly. Then she yells at me, "Can---dace. GO!" she cries, pointing towards my cabin, before shoving me again, and then retreating back inside her own.

"Better go, Marine, before I make good on my promise from earlier. A little gyrene circus sounds a little too tempting to me right about now." He grabs Kim's hand and they both walk inside Jenny's house.

Only Cian is left standing beside me.

"Cian..."

"Just give it a minute, ok, Walker? Really. Let's just go up to the house. See that Candace is settled in."

I close my eyes and count to ten.

"Yeah, ok," I answer him.

Shit.

This is not the home coming I'd hoped for. And now I have to figure out what to do about Candace.

How am I going to fix this mess? 

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