(Now) Brody: Meet the Parents: Dad

I woke up suddenly when Liv shot out of bed, and I was confused and concerned.  In the dark room, I could just barely see her standing next to the bed.  "Liv?" I asked, worried.  "What's wrong?"  When she didn't answer right away, I sat up.

She sat down heavily on the edge of the bed and finally responded.  "Nothing, nightmare.  Sorry.  I'll be right back."  As soon as the word "nightmare" was out of her mouth, I felt an overwhelming urge to hit something, hard.  Preferably Jordan's smug, cruel face.

When she slipped back into bed and curled up next to me, I could feel her shaking still.  "You're shaking," I murmured softly, wrapping my arms around her.  "Must have been some nightmare."

"Jordan," she whispered, and the confirmation of my suspicions just fueled my anger at him.  If I ever get the chance to get my hands on him again...

But right now, I have other things to deal with.  "Do you want to talk about it?"  When she shook her head, I was selfishly relieved.  Had she wanted to talk, I'd have gladly listened, but my anger at Jordan didn't need anymore prodding.  I focused on trying to soothe Liv, which was a much more productive use of my energy right now.  I felt her tense muscles start to relax as I massaged her scalp and neck, and her head grew heavier against my chest.  But try as I might, I couldn't lull her back into sleep.  She spent the next several hours tossing and turning before she finally stilled.  I looked at the clock and saw it was already after 5.  Looks like we were both going into dinner with my dad on a shitty night's sleep.

I finally fell back to sleep too, but woke up again around 8.  I tried to decide if I'd be able to get up without waking Liv, who was thankfully still sleeping.  Her hand was on my arm, and I tentatively moved my arm.  As soon as it moved, Liv stirred.  Shit.  I'd stay here for awhile then.  I laid there for nearly an hour until I could stand it anymore, and then slowly pulled my arm out from under her hand.  She didn't move until I got carefully out of bed.  Damn it, so close.

"What time is it?" she asked, blinking sleepily at me.

"Almost 9," I replied softly, smoothing her hair off her forehead and kissing her gently.  "You should go back to sleep if you can."  She nodded and shut her eyes.  I quietly pulled on shorts and a sweatshirt and left the room. 

My mom was the only person moving around and I found her in the kitchen.  "Good morning," she said, smiling brightly at me.  "How did you sleep?"

"Not good," I admitted, pouring myself a cup of coffee from the coffee pot.  "Liv had a nightmare, and we both had a hard time falling back asleep.  This coffee is really good."

"Thanks, it's from the coffee shop in town that I like.  A nightmare?" She looked concerned, and I almost smiled.  Leave it to my mom to be worried about someone that she's just met.

"Yeah, she has them sometimes," I replied.  I changed the subject, asking what time Ken's flight was.

"It's at 11.  Jen is taking him to the airport right now.  She said she had a couple errands to run and she'll back by lunchtime.  Does Olivia like French toast?"

"She does," I replied.

"Do you want bacon or sausage?" Mom asked, surveying the fridge.

"Sausage," I answered automatically.  Mom raised an eyebrow at me.  "Liv doesn't like bacon.  But you can make either, she won't mind."

"Sausage it is," she replied with a broad grin.  "Brody, Olivia is lovely.  I'm so happy you brought her here to meet us.  I'm sorry that Ken couldn't act more appropriately, though I wasn't exactly pleased with your behavior in response, either."  She tried to give me a disapproving look, but failed, her face cracking into a slight smile. 

"Frankly, Mom, Ken's lucky that all I did was kick him under the table," I grumbled.

"Oh really?  And how are you going to handle your father tonight then?  Because I'm sure Kenneth will look perfectly pleasant compared to him.  Do you really think it's wise to take her with you?  She can stay here and keep Jen and I company, you know.  We'd love to have her."

"I've told her that she has that option if she wants it," I replied.  "I'm not going to push her into it if she doesn't want to go.  But...she needs to know.  Mom, I love her, and if she can't deal with him, then I need to know now."

My mom paused her egg whisking and looked at me, surprise evident on her face.  Then she smiled, slowly.  "Do you think she can handle him?"

I laughed drily.  "I'm actually a little more worried about him handling her.  She's a force to be reckoned with when she's angry.  She could make any man miserable, even him.  Hopefully he doesn't piss her off too much." 

"I take that to mean you've pissed her off and been made miserable, hmmm?" my mom asked, her voice gently teasing.  "Shame on you."

I could barely contain my laughter at my mom's scolding.  "Shouldn't you be on my side?" I asked indignantly.

"Absolutely not.  What is it that they call it?  Girl code?"  I nodded and burst into laughter, no longer able to contain it.  My mom nodded curtly, still keeping a straight face somehow.  "It's girl code.  So you be nice to her, or you'll hear it from her, me, and your sister!"

"I guess I'm lucky that Liv is an only child," I grumbled.

"Oh, you certainly are," my mom said ominously.  Then she cocked her head towards the ceiling and said, "I think she's up.  Take her some coffee, I'm sure she'll appreciate it after a poor night's sleep.  Breakfast will be ready in about 15 minutes."

I poured a cup of coffee, added some creamer and a little sugar, and walked up to the room we were sharing.  I opened the door and slipped in.  Liv was nearly dressed (damn) but she looked exhausted.  I gently tilted her chin up to examine her face and kissed her on the forehead.  She smiled at me as I handed over the coffee.

"Did you get any sleep?" I asked her, even though I knew the answer.

"Not really, and I'm guessing you didn't either," she replied contritely.  "I'm sorry."

"I slept some," I said shrugging.  "Better than you, I imagine."  Leave it to Liv to be up in the middle of the night with a nightmare bad enough that she bolted out of bed and was still shaking for 15 minutes after, but then still be concerned about how I slept.

We went downstairs for breakfast, which perked her up considerably.  After my mom disappeared with her "things to do," I suggested we go for a walk.  Liv happily agreed and we bundled up and headed out.

We had fun exploring and while we were playing in the snow at the park, she finally looked relaxed and happy.  She'd been so stressed out lately from work and her anxiety about this weekend, it was good to see her smile and actually have fun.  By the time we got back and showered, she looked awake and bright again and I was relieved.

Then, when we were leaving to go meet my dad, she looked much more relaxed than I felt.  I could tell she was nervous, but she didn't seem nearly as stressed as she had been on the drive down here and when I told her about the dinner.  I probably shouldn't have sprung that on her, but if I had told her sooner, she just would have worried about it longer.

I wasn't surprised when we found out my dad was already there, and I knew it would be strike one against us, even though we were still ten minutes early.  I was surprised to see a young woman sitting next to him.  I couldn't help but wonder how much he'd paid her to be here tonight.

I swallowed my irritation when my dad didn't stand up to greet us.  It was an obvious exercise of his imagined power and I suddenly wished I would have left Olivia home with my mom and sister.  Liv was perfectly polite when introduced and my dad nothing but start to grill her.  I couldn't resist jumping in, and was shocked by his admonition, complete with accusing me of manipulating both her and him.  He accused me.  Of manipulating people.  I was so surprised by the entire exchange that I couldn't even formulate a response before he was back to grilling her.

His questions and responses were each tinged with just enough disdain and contempt to be obvious to me but not so much that I had something concrete to call him on.  I sat in awe at Liv's composure.  She was fielding his questions perfectly, politely, and even tried to make conversation with his...date.  I wanted nothing more than to jump in and rescue her from his barrage of questions, but I knew it would make it worse for both of us.  Plus, Liv was really holding her own.  There wasn't a trace of annoyance on her face, and the only answer that made me pause was her very short, "I'm not," and subject change in response to my dad pointing out that she doesn't look Italian.  It was obvious to me that was not a subject she'd be elaborating on tonight, and I made a mental note to ask her about it later.

When he started asking about what her parents did, I'd about reached my limit, and I cut in.  He snapped back at me and then continued asking questions.  Liv gave me a small smile and squeezed my leg reassuringly and I was again awed at how she was handling this.  I was impressed and grateful and quite frankly, I'm not sure I'd ever loved her more than I did right now.

Then my dad asked how many children she had.  Not "Do you have any children?" but "How many?"  A blatant implication that she was just like anyone else I'd ever...been with.  That she was a whore, a slut, perhaps using me for my money because my dad tended to assume that about every woman.  Liv had proven she could handle the benign questions, as contemptuous as they were, but I was not going to allow him to make these types of insinuations about her.  I was absolutely done with this idiocy and I didn't care what the repercussions would be as I snapped, "Enough!" at him.  It was far too loud for the setting we were in, but it got his attention.  He met my eyes and we stared each other down for several seconds before the server came to the table to take our order.  

After he left, Liv murmured that she was going to find the restroom.  I stood and pulled out her chair and when she met my eyes she smiled.  She still looked perfectly calm and put together, which was more than I could say for myself.

As soon as she was out of earshot, I turned to my father.  "How fucking dare you," I growled at him.  He raised his eyebrows in an expression of surprise that might have fooled someone that wasn't related to him.  "I will not sit here and let you insult my girlfriend any further.  This stops now, or we go."

"I was simply making conversation, Brody," he replied calmly.

"You and I both know there isn't an ounce of truth to that statement.  You can drop your shocked and innocent act.  You've spent 30 years pushing me around, but now it's over.  And if you think for one second that I will let you push someone I love around, you have another thing coming.  If you really feel the need to be a sneaky, underhanded asshole tonight, do it to me.  I'll take it.  Hell, I'll take it with a smile and a 'yes sir', but you will not fucking do it to Olivia anymore."

Now my dad's face looked vaguely impressed.  "Well, well," he replied, the corners of his lips turning up in a slight smile that looked nothing short of menacing and evil.  "No wonder you finally found the balls to stand up to me.  It's just too bad it's a woman that has you utilizing your skills.  Women come and go."  He glanced dispassionately at the young woman sitting next to him, who frowned in confusion.

I leaned forward and said, still angry, "You are finished with your bullshit tonight.  If you so much as insinuate that Olivia is anything less than a perfect fucking angel and the most wonderful person in the entire world, we are done.  Not just with dinner.  With you.  Forever.  You will get nothing from me.  I will pretend you're dead, and I won't be sorry."

Now my dad looked genuinely surprised.  I admit that the last sentence was a little over the top, but that was the only way to drive home a point with my father.  And I know, that as much as he acts like a complete asshole with no care in the world for others, he would not be pleased to never speak to me again.  Who would he control then?  "You really do love her," he said softly, his tone one of wonderment--not his usual tone at all.

I looked up and saw Liv approaching.  "Yes," I replied.  "I really do love her.  More than I thought possible.  So remember your manners."  My dad gave me a curt nod, and I forced my face to relax as I stood to pull out Liv's chair for her.  As I sat, I gave him one last hard look.

Of course, my dad couldn't do anything just the way someone else wanted, especially after being threatened.  So instead of just being polite and nice the rest of the meal, he took what I demanded of him and ran with it.  He shut out his date and me, and focused all his pleasant attention on Liv.  He was nothing but polite, friendly, and charming, so I couldn't even say a word about it.  At least it was clear that he took my threat seriously, even if he still had to get his stab in at me.  That's okay though, I told him I would take it, and it was better me than Liv.

When he cheerfully asked about dessert, I was still too angry to even entertain the idea.  I was reasonably certain that I would have been better able to handle this whole situation if I hadn't started my day at 2am with serious anger towards Jordan.  Fucking Jordan.

When Liv offered to drive, I gladly took her up on it.  I didn't think she'd appreciate my angry driving.  It was definitely better if she drove.  I was thankful she was perceptive enough to not try to talk to me.  I couldn't even remember the last time I had been this angry, and the last thing I wanted to do was snap at Liv just because she had the bad fortune to have to be near me right now.

When we got home, I stalked straight downstairs without a word to anyone.  I knew my mom and sister would take care of anything Liv needed, and right now I needed to burn off some of this anger so I could tell her how much tonight meant to me.

I pushed open the door to the room with my bag and the treadmill.  I tugged off my stupid tie and took off my shirt.  I liked this shirt.  It didn't need to take the brunt of my anger.  Over and over I slammed my bare fists into the bag, feeling every hit reverberate painfully up my arms.  I hit the bag until Jordan and my dad faded out of my mind, and all that was left was the amazing way that Liv dealt with the entire evening.  I knew that she'd hold her own.  If I hadn't been confident in that, I wouldn't have taken her.  But I couldn't have anticipated the grace with which she'd handle my father--and me for that matter.

I stopped, finally, my arms shaky and feeling like overchewed gum, my hands throbbing angrily.  I leaned against the wall, examining my knuckles and considering all the ways that Liv had blown my mind in the few short months we'd been together. 

When she walked into the room with a smile, teasing me about my hands, I was relieved.  I wasn't sure how she'd react to my anger.  Granted, she might not have had such a nice response if she had heard what I'd said to my dad while she was in the bathroom.  I hoped she wouldn't ask about it.  I wouldn't lie if she did, but I definitely preferred her to not know how low I'd stooped to get him to act semi-appropriately. 

Liv seemed to sleep great that night, but I didn't.  I tried to go back to sleep after we had sex, but just as I drifted off, my phone rang.  I rolled carefully out of bed and answered out in the hall.  It was a quick call, but I knew I wasn't going back to sleep.  I wandered downstairs and found my mom in the kitchen again.

My mom greeted me with a cup of coffee and once I was settled with it, she asked, "Well, how'd she do?"

"She was amazing, Mom.  I knew she'd be okay, but she was unbelievable."  I grimaced and said, "Actually, she handled him much better than I did."

My mom pursed her lips, then asked, "What did you do?"

"I lost it," I admitted.  "Only once, and not in front of Liv, at least.  He was being absolutely awful to her.  I was so angry.  After he essentially implied that she was a gold-digging whore, I chewed him out.  And I....I threatened him."

"Brody," my mom chided.  "Dare I ask?"

I put my head in my hands, miserable at the memory.  "I told him I'd cut him out.  Never speak to him again.  I said...I said I'd pretend he was dead and I wouldn't be sorry."

My mom simply stared at me for a moment, then said, "Well, what's done is done, no sense in beating yourself up over it.  I'm just sorry you let him get under your skin so badly."

"I just couldn't understand why he was being so awful to her.  I expected him to be a jerk, but he was far beyond that," I said, frustrated.

"You really don't know?" my mom asked, looking surprised.  I looked up in confusion.  "Honey, he's threatened by her.  You were the only one left in this family that he had any control over, and that was just because of the company."  I considered this.  My mom and brother hadn't spoken to him in years, as far as I knew.  And my sister only did when she had to.  I was stuck under his thumb as long as he was my boss.  "You know he called me, right?"

"What do you mean? Called you when?" I asked, still confused.

"Hmmm, I believe it was when you went down to sort of the mess with his manager?  The first time, before he offered you the shares and new position.  He asked me if you had been seeing anyone.  He knew.  I think he was worried about losing his control over you."

"So, he...what?  Offered me the position and shares as a last ditch effort to keep me under his thumb forever?" I asked, astounded.

"I think that's exactly what he did," my mom replied calmly.  "And when you defied him by not only not taking the position, but buying him out, you sent him into a serious tailspin."  I gaped at her, stunned and disappointed in myself for not figuring it all out sooner.  "Are you okay?" she asked me.

"I'm...I don't know," I muttered.  "I'm going downstairs.  To the treadmill.  If Liv gets up, will you keep her occupied?  I just need to wrap my head around this."

"Of course, sweetheart.  I was thinking brunch at 11 before you leave, is that okay?"  I nodded.

I slipped silently into our room, being as quiet as possible while I grabbed socks and my shoes.  Liv didn't move, and I was glad she was sleeping.  She needed it.  I looked at my watch.  It was just after 9, giving me plenty of time to pound out some miles on the treadmill.  My arms and hands were sore from my punching bag assault the night before, but my fingers and knuckles were surprisingly only a little swollen.  Good form, I guess.  Now I could make my legs hurt too.

I ran at a brutal pace for 45 minutes, only stopping when I was worried that my legs would actually give out.  I hadn't spent enough time running lately, and my body was protesting.  I felt a million times better now, though.  I flexed my arms and stretched my legs, savoring the soreness that represented the anger I had worked out. 

As nice as it was to see my mom and sister, I was relieved when Liv and I headed out.  I was also relieved that she wasn't interested in going out and that she wanted to spend the night with me.  I couldn't imagine a better way to round out this insane holiday weekend than sleeping in my own bed with the woman I loved.