Imperfectly Beautiful (Jordan Knight Fanfic, Liadan #3)

Busts and Billions

-MARIA-

My foot seemed to throb to the beat of my heart as my temples banged in my head and pain radiated over me. As hard as I was trying not to cry over things with Tony and to keep myself together, I couldn't help it. I felt lonely and sad without him by my side and angry and frustrated that all my plans were falling apart.

Something about being back in my childhood room just made it all ten times worse as I replayed a million different worries and memories from the times I'd cried myself to sleep when I'd first found out I was pregnant to bringing Grace home alone to Tony coming around and helping me with my dreaded calculus homework to him sleeping on a blow up bed just to be close to Grace and me when we weren't allowed to share a bed.

We'd done rock bottom before and we'd come back from it even when nobody else thought we could. I'd always been Tony's biggest supporter, regardless of what he'd put me through, I knew the potential he had and I was determined to stick by him. I loved him with everything I had inside of me.

A sob escaped my lips and filled my ears to the point that I my ears seemed to hum with vibration. However after nearly a minute of the hum, I realized I wasn't just hearing things. My phone was rattling on my side table.

I brushed at my tears before I rolled over to grab my phone off the desk while I remained laying down. I blinked in the dark at the bright screen to make out an old picture of Tony, Grace and I standing outside our house next to a 'SOLD' sign on the day we'd bought it.

Grace sat up on his shoulders with her chin rested on the top of his head and my arms were wrapped tightly around him while he bent down to kiss me in a sweet embrace for the start of our life together.

I'd almost forgotten about the picture, but it was a moment that was sealed in my heart with all the other little things that had been apart of planning a life together over the past four years.

I felt tears fill my eyes all over again as I swiped to answer in a broken voice, "Hello?"

At first there wasn't an answer. Just the sound of slow, labored breathing that made my heart skip a beat as I glanced over at the red numbers on my alarm clock to see it was now 3 in the morning.

"Hello?" I repeated. "Tony?"

"H-hey," there was another pause. "Marisa?"

"Yes?"

"I," his sigh was audible. "I kinda fucked up."

My heart skipped a beat as I pushed myself up in bed and brushed at my tears, "Not kinda. You did, but you were right too, I—"

"Yeah, no, I did with that too, but I'm not talking about that right now," he paused and I frowned. "I need you to bail me out. In downtown Boston."

"What?" I asked, surprised. "You're in jail? Why? Did you have another fight with Antonio?"

"No," he sighed.

"Then why are you in jail? What happened?"

"I'd rather not, uh," he paused again and I could feel myself losing my patience. "Marisa, I love you, you know that right? I know last night and today have been a lot, but I was angry and I make stupid decisions when I'm angry, but none of that reflects how I really feel, you know that don't you? I love you, babe."

I wasn't sure what exactly to say back to that as I ran a hand through my hair, "What's going on Tony?"

"Can you just come and we talk face to face? I don't want to have this conversation over the phone—"

"It's three in the morning, Tony, and you want me to come to the police station in downtown Boston with no clue why?"

"You're my fiancée," he sighed deeply, "I was upset after I saw you and Jesse—"