Fighting For Us - Book 4

Julius

LENA POV

"Hey, let me," I get up and walk around the bed to lock our bedroom door before shutting our big bedroom window. Stef had just gotten out of the shower and it was storming badly outside. I'm just thankful she and Frankie made it home safely before it got too bad out. We were under a tornado watch, and I was nervous since we weren't on a bottom floor of the apartment building.

"How was your evening, love?" Stef asks as she walks in the room naked and begins applying lotion to her arms and legs, and I quickly pull my hair up as it's still rather warm especially with the window closed. I turn the fan more towards the bed as I look over at her.

"It was nice. I took Callie to this little nice café I found when I went to get my hair done earlier.

She turns to look at me and smirks. "I meant to tell you I love your curls. I'm so glad you don't get your hair straightened anymore." She winks. "Plus I love pulling it when we fuck." She looks me up and down as she says this.

Laughing, I climb into our bed and lean against the headboard as I grab my glass of water from my bedside table. "Well, I went through a phase, okay? I never had an issue with my curls until those bigoted women got into my head about my looks."

"Well, I'm glad you stopped listening to those other voices, cuz your hair is sexy as hell," she smiles as she slides on a tank over her naked body and slides into the bed beside me.

I giggle as she nuzzles my neck and runs her hand over my stomach. But I know I need to become serious even if I wanted more then anything to make love to her right now. "I need to show you something, love." I say as she kisses my neck more and more and pulling me closer to her.

She looks into my eyes as she brushes my face. "Your body? MM?" She asks seductively which makes me blush as I feel her hand move closer to my middle.

"No, silly. I'm serious." I lean over and place my glass back down before opening the small drawer and pulling out the post card. I wasn't sure how she was going to feel about it for I knew how upset she really was about Julius taking off. Truth was we all were. "We got this in the mail today."

"What is it?" She sits up and leans over to grab her glasses.

"Just...read it." I pull my hair down then back up while I wait nervously, and soon Stef gets out of our bed and walks towards our bedroom door.

"Where are you going, love?" I frown and sit forward as she hasn't said a single word, yet she has this look on her face which I know all too well.

"My cigarettes are on the kitchen table," she says as she leaves the room, and I grab the postcard to reread it for about the twentieth time now.

My dear Queens,
I'm writing to let you know that I'm okay. No, I didn't run away and join the circus but instead the Peace Corps. I'm currently in Argentina training for a more permanent position which I'll let you know. Kiss the kids for me and love you both! Tell me when the wedding is!
All my love,
Jules

I sigh as I slam the card face down and get out of bed as Stef returns with her whiskey and cigarettes. I know right now how she is feeling, big time for whiskey is her go to when she has a bad day or something or someone has managed to piss her off. "I'm gonna kill him," she says in a low voice as I grab a smoke from her and we sit on the edge of our bed.

We both smoke in silence which I know and understand all too well with this woman. She's angrier than anything, and I know exactly how she feels considering I traveled all over searching for him and Tess helped as well not to mention his father, Edgar. Julius, we knew, was grieving but the fact he just up and left hurt all of us including our kids.

"At least he's safe," I whisper as I finish my smoke and grab her whiskey to take a shot myself.

"That's not the mother fucking point, Lena, and you know it." She sputters as she snatches the whiskey from me. "I'm seriously gonna kill him. He knows how much this shit hurts, and he takes off, no note? Nothing? No damn phone call? He knew how I felt when you...you left without a trace! And goes and pulls this shit? What the fuck is wrong with him?"

My face turns beat red as she says this, and I look at her hard, but soon relax as I realize she didn't mean any harm. "Well, I was young and stupid..."

"Love," her face softens as she sighs and pulls me in her arms. "I didn't mean. I didn't mean that baby. I..."

"I know, I know...I get it. I know what you meant, baby and he's family, and he scared us. I'm upset, too. Don't get me wrong," I wrap my arms around her waist as I softly kiss on her neck.

"He's not getting off the hook. Not at all," her voice lowers as she kisses my head and tugs at me. "Come on. Let's go to to bed. This day is enough to give me a  fucking migraine."

"Yes? What else happened baby? I know the phone call with Stefanie really upset you. Did anything else happen today? Was Frankie behaving?" I ask as she lights another smoke and puts the whiskey on the nightstand. "Stef?"

"Frankie was fine baby. She always is. I'm not angry baby but, why didn't you tell me you ran into Luisa? MM?" She asks looking to me and taking another puff of her cigarette.

Crap. This was the last thing I wanted to talk to her about but judging by the way she was looking at me I wasn't sure how she felt about it or how she found out as my heart rate picks up, and I try to think of how to answer her. I was assuming Frankie told her as they spent the evening together.

"I'm not angry, Len. Just, why didn't you tell me babe?"

"I didn't want to upset you. You have had such a hard time lately that I didn't want to do that to you. I wasn't keeping it from you, Stef. I wasn't..."

"I know baby. I know you weren't love." She says smiling softly as she takes my hand.

"I ran into her the other day with Callie and Frankie. She didn't say what she wanted but she just said she wanted to speak to you and I told her that you didn't need to see her. I was just trying to protect you. She hurt you so much and I know I shouldn't talk. But..."

"She came to see me today at work."

"What?" I ask now sitting up as Stef laughs in a rather amused manner.

"Yeah. Came to see me at work." All I can do is shake my head and let out a heavy sigh as Stef takes another puff of her cigarette. "Besides getting Frankie to stop from jumping her she just had to tell me why she was back."

"Did she now?"

"MM yeah. I don't believe half of it. She's fucking bullshitting me." She says heading over to the window as I see not only anger but hurt and frustration. "Some shit about her son's father wanting him to join his operation in DR. Which is already shit because from what I remember her telling me was he was here in New York. Lena, she told me that he stood over her as she wrote the so called break up letter to me."

"Wow. That's elaborate."

"You know, why can't people just be honest. Len, I don't want you to think I give a shit. I'm long past that and her. I love you and I always have baby."

"I know you do. But I also know you strive on the truth, and I know you opened your heart for her which wasn't easy. Baby," I say now getting up and wrapping my arms around her slim curvy waist. "Not worth the brain power or the energy. Plus if she even tries to come near you again I will knock her out."

"Ha." She laughs as she pats my hands and the lightning flashes across the sky.

"Although I might have to fight my way through Callie and Frankie," I whisper behind her ear as I breathe her in.

"Yeah, I'm not surprised about that. You just might love."

"I'm sorry all this is happening now Stef. I am." Holding her tight I feel her rub my hands that are so close to her as her body relaxes.

"It's ok, but um..Maine sounds like a good idea."

"It does."