Can't Shake You

(42) You Knew She Was Here!

2 months later 

Addie, Ashlin and the crew went to Tao NYC for dinner to celebrate the engagement. Addie and Ashlin had decided they were going to bridal party propose to the crew so they brought the boxes, a bouquet of balloons as a centerpiece and cupcakes for dessert. They passed out the boxes to the right person.

"Hey guys before you open those we want to explain. The reason hubby-to-be and I asked you to come for dinner, is because we would like for you all to be our wedding party. So if you open up your boxes, you will see what position we are asking you to be," Addie said smiling while holding Ashlin's hand.

Tears filled Nat's eyes as she read her box. Addie asked her to be her Matron of Honor.

Nat stood up, wiped her tears and hugged Addie as she said, "Of course Adds I'll be your Matron of Honor."

Addie beamed excitedly and they jumped up and down like little school girls. Steve walked up to Ashlin confused because he thought Clint or Scott would've been his Best Man.

"Ash are you sure about?" Steve asked.

Ashlin clapped Steve's shoulder gently as he said, "No doubt. You are my love's other best friend. You protect her and love her like she's your sister. Plus you understand her as well as Nat does and the two of you held her together when she said there were times she wanted to fall apart. She trusts you with her life therefore I do too. Plus you've become one of my closest friends between the date nights and trips we've taken together."

Steve nodded and smiled as he said, "Of course I'd be honored to be your Best Man."

Ashlin smiled and hugged him.

Tears filled Steve's eyes as he said, "Thank you Ash."

"What for?" Ashlin asked.

"For listening when I asked you to be patient with her, for making her feel safe and for loving her the way she is," Steve said wiping a stray tear.

"Honestly Steve it was easy. She's wonderful so I don't understand how that jacka** could mistreat someone so special. My mom once told me that once a woman feels emotionally safe with you, you will get everything you ever wanted and needed from them. That's how she and my father and my grandparents have been together so long. So that is my thought process going into relationships. I want to earn their trust, respect and love. Addie made the process easy plus she accepts me for who I am too as broody as I can be sometimes. She's the Beauty to my Beast," Ashlin stated.

Steve laughed as he said, "I love my sis, but she is a beast too."

Ashlin busted out laughing as he replied, "That's for damn sure, but I wouldn't have her any other way."

Everyone else all said yes excitedly too their positions in the wedding. Bucky & his brothers Brenton and Brayden walked into restaurant to catch up over dinner and drinks. Once a large party left, his brothers noticed Addie and the crew sitting there eating and laughing. They looked each other and made a silent pact to keep Bucky from looking behind him.

"So um Buck how are the kids?" Brenton asked.

"They're good. Ash is doing well in school and football. And..." Buck started, but then heard loud laughing and turned around.

Brenton and Brayden looked each other with knowing looks. Bucky recognized the group, but then noticed a unknown man stand up from the table and walk away. Once he stepped away Bucky could see who was sitting next to him.

Bucky jumped up immediately while his brothers tried to tell him not to go. He made his way over to the table.

"Um hey guys," Bucky said nervously.

Most of the crew rolled their eyes and then proceeded to keep talking.

"Um Addie um can we talk privately?" Bucky asked nervously.

"No," Addie said not looking at him.

She went back to her conversation.

Bucky swallowed hard as he said, "Addie please?"

She ignored him completely while laughing with Nat about ugly bridesmaids dresses. Bucky stood there silently trying to find the words to say to her.

Clint looked up annoyed and said, "James Buchanan do you need a clue?! We clearly don't want you here so leave."

Bucky walked away defeated. Ashlin came back, sat down next to Addie again and kissed her on the cheek. Bucky watched her beam and smile a way he's never seen her smile before.

She cupped his face with her hand and kissed him leading to a slight make out. The crew whistled and teased them by saying save it for the honeymoon. Bucky swallowed hard because she was being forward and initiating PDA as well as accepting it. He noticed hickies on her neck when she flung her hair back over her shoulder. But what caused his heart to stop was when he noticed her huge engagement ring.

His heart felt like it was shattered and his stomach dropped to the floor. He wiped fallen tears as he walked away. He pulled out cash from his wallet and placed it on the table for his drink then left as his brothers called for him.


The next day, Buck decided to confront Sam and Steve about Addie being home at work. Sam and Steve were in Steve's office discussing a patient. Bucky barged in Steve's office without knocking.

"You knew she was here in town and didn't tell me?" Buck yelled.

Steve sighed then said, "Yeah we did and?"

Bucky clenched his fist as he yelled, "And you couldn't tell me?!"

Sam rolled his eyes as he said, "Why would we tell you? We aren't friends anymore. Plus it was none of your business. Unlike you we don't betray our friends or significant others."

Buck swallowed hard and looked down.

Steve ran his hand across his face and said "What did you expect? Now that your slut of a wife is gone, you thought you could run to Addie with open arms after what y'all did to her?"

"No, but..." Bucky started.

Steve cut him off and said, "Y'all had no remorse for what you did to that sweet girl and had the nerve to rub y'alls disgusting relationship in her face.
If it were me I wouldn't speak to you or touch you with a 10 foot pole."

Sam smirked then said "Naw how would you feel if she allowed one of us to take her virginity, cheat on you for std months with one of us, then we keep sleeping with her behind your back until you caught us?! Then hours after you guys break up you find her in our bed?!"

Buck clenched his jaw and looked down.

Sam scoffed then replied, "That's what we thought. What you're feeling doesn't even come close to what she felt. Get your head out of your a** Barnes and stop pretending that your betrayal wasn't as big as it was cause it affected all of us."

"Like Nat and Sam said the day of the graduation party, you are a narcissistic a**hole. You made your bed so sleep in it. Now if you would excuse us we have work to do. You can let yourself out," Steve said with a bored tone.

Buck walked of the office feeling even more sh*tty and wiped some stray tears.

After his shift was over, Buck went to talk to Winnie to ask if she knew about Addie being home. He walked in the kitchen to see her frosting a cake while she waited for the chicken in the oven to finish. Bucky sat down in front of her.

"Hey mom did you know that Addie was back in town?" Bucky asked.

"Yes we did," Winnie said not stopping what she was doing.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Bucky asked hurt.

"Addie swore everyone to secrecy and she didn't want you to know," Winnie replied.

"You all could've still told me! I've been searching for her for months trying to make amends. You should've told me," Bucky cried.

"Don't think cause you're widowed now things will change between you two," Winnie said finally stopping and looking in the face," Winnie exclaimed it

"Come on mom you know Yelena's last wish," Bucky said.

"That doesn't mean you can drop and pick up Addie when you feel like it. She's not some toy and now that the one you chose over her is no longer here, you want to go running back to her. You don't get to do that after what you did.

We all know the hell you put her through especially after you and Yelena were exposed. Nat and Steve told us everything after she punched you at Thanksgiving dinner last year. She and Steve told us how you flaunted your affair in her face at school. Degraded her and found ways to try to pick a fight with her. Most of all, you had the audacity to get mad that she was seeing other people even though you were dating, still sleeping with Yelena, knocked her up and then married her.

Yes we don't agree about Addie's decision to not tell us she was pregnant and having the abortion, but after hearing that Addie found out you got her and Yelena possibly pregnant at the same time cause you slept with both of them on the Disney trip on the same day, we all understood her decision to keep it from you.

She decided then and there she wasn't keeping the baby because you were a lot more triflin than she thought. You didn't care about pregnancies, STDs nothing! It made sense why Addie slapped you that day. You claim you cared about her, but that wasn't true at all. You had no remorse or intentions of releasing her knowing you had been screwing Yelena for 6 months. God rest her soul, but Yelena was just as trifling for knowing what you did, participating and staying with you.

So son what you did was wreckless, selfish and beyond foul. Regardless whether or not she wanted sex or not she didn't deserve that. You should've just broken up with her if you were so unhappy and found some other girl that wasn't her friend to be with," Winnie stayed sternly.

Bucky swallowed hard while trying to fight back tears.

You want to know why your father, me, Susie and Cliff were so angry with you about what you did?" Winnie asked.

Bucky looked up at her. Winnie then explained she and Susie's past and what happened with their first loves and how the two of them met. She also explained how hard it was for James and Cliff to convince them to give them a chance. That she and Susie explained all of that to Addie when they took her to have her sex talk.

That's why Nat and Steve were so pissed at you because Addie confided in them about what we told her. That's why she was scared to death about affection, parties and sex. She didn't want to end up like us.

But in the end she still did when it could've been avoided had you talked to her instead of picking fights with her every chance you got and having sex with her so-called friend.

Steve told us he told you to be patient with her because she had already confided in him and Nat about this, but you chose not to listen," Winnie pointed out.

Bucky paled and he started getting sick to his stomach as he remembered Steve telling him right before he cheated to be patient with Addie.

"I... OMG.. I.. Oh God..." His eyes welled up with tears as he covered him mouth in shock.

"I wasn't about to let you near her after Nat and Steve revealed the complete truth to everyone on Thanksgiving. That's why we all kept her being here from you and why nobody told you when she lived in North Carolina," Winnie stated.

Bucky swallowed hard, wiped tears and asked, "So I'm assuming you know she's engaged?"

Winnie nodded and said "Yeah we met him a while ago. He's wonderful and treats Addie like a queen."

"Can you watch the kids a little longer because I need to do something really important," Bucky asked.

"Ok," Winnie said taking the chicken out of the oven and setting it on the stove.

He left to go to Nat and Steve's place while calling and texting some of the crew.

They didn't answer of course and when Nat and Steve saw him at the door they immediately got ready to slam the door in his face. He begged them to give him Addie's information so he can apologize because he knows the full truth. Steve said not a chance then Nat slammed the door in his face.

He tried Wanda and Sam at their home too, but got the same treatment. He eventually made his way back to his parents place to pick up the kids. He asked Winnie could he have Addie's performance tapes so she showed him where they were.

He took them home along with the box of stuff he kept from when he and Addie were together. After he got the kids down for bed, he turned on one of Addie's performance DVDs and cried himself to sleep.

The one song that she sang during her last musical performance, that had hit him hard was "Ghost Story" by Carrie Underwood. 

He whispered "You're right Addie, you are my ghost story." as he wiped tears.