Weight Lifted

Donna tapped her nails against the steering wheel, her mind wandering as she waited for the red light to change. Work had blown by. The files weren't too complex, and she’d had plenty of visits from the cute intern, Kyle. The whole day she'd been in such a great mood. Maybe it was because the previous night she'd finally made a change at home. The entire atmosphere had felt different. Peaceful. Quiet. Lighter.

Hank was gone.

And not a moment too soon.

She hadn't realized just how much weight he'd been adding to her life until she finally kicked him out. His hollow masculinity, his outdated views, his tired attempts at dominance—it was suffocating. Donna had tolerated it for years, playing the dutiful wife, but deep down, she had been dying for a way out. Of course, she hadn’t realized how **** she was to be rid of her husband. As she waited for the light, she wondered if it was a result of social conditioning or some kind of internalized repression. How else could she explain that Hank Granger, a man who was obviously not her type, had held her attention for so long?

Thank God for the moment of clarity she'd experienced earlier in the week.

And Joey, her Joey, had given her that.

She smirked, remembering how Hank had looked when she threw him out. All that bravado gone, reduced to a man just realizing how lost he was, how far he'd fallen from what he thought he had. She almost felt bad for him. Almost.

But not really.

After Hank left, Donna had celebrated in her own way. She poured herself a glass of wine, turned on some music, and danced around the house like she was twenty again. She hadn't felt that free in years. When the wine was gone and her body was warm with happiness, she'd slipped into something lacy and slid under the covers in Joey's bed.

God, she missed him.

Joey hadn't come home the previous night. He'd been with Bianca, and while that should have made Donna jealous, it didn't. Not really. Donna knew that the girls weren't to fight over Joey, but rather support each other. She felt a little pang of sadness, sure, because she wasn't on duty to take care of his needs, but knowing that Bianca was taking care of him? That was enough. It was better than enough. It was perfect.

Joey's needs came first. Always.

Still, lying there in his bed, wearing something sexy and wishing she was in his arms, Donna had felt a different kind of ache. She just wanted to be close to him. Pressing her face into his pillow, breathing him in, letting the scent of him fill her senses, she felt a moment of intimacy. Eyes closed, Joey in her lungs, she allowed her left hand to move down and slip into her panties. It wasn't the same, but it was something.

And now, watching the cars pass in front of her, she was counting the minutes until she saw him again.

Her phone buzzed in the cupholder, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Madison: I'm almost ready. I’ll be fast, promise.

Donna smiled. She'd been texting with Madison, Aynsley, and Indira all day. They were buzzing with excitement, making plans for the party. She was amazed at how organized the girls were—so driven, so focused. They were pouring everything into making sure this party went off without a hitch.

Because it had to.

It wasn't just about Joey's popularity, although Donna realized that this party, Joey's first party, would certainly help in that regard. It was about his safety.

Donna's jaw tightened, her fingers flexing on the wheel.

Derek.

That boy wanted to hurt Joey. And that wasn't something Donna could allow. The plan that the girls had cooked up, the one where they host the party as a guise to show Derek that Joey was more of a man that he was, was thin. Donna had significant doubts as to how effective it would be, but she knew that it was her job to support the girls, so she was going along with it. Besides, a high school party would be fun.

Not that she'd be able to enjoy it the way the younger girls would. Donna and Eliza would be stashed away in the master bedroom, waiting for a reveal moment. That part of the plan was thinner than the rest of it, but the girls thought that it might be effective to have Derek burst in on Joey being with two older women after seeing him in action with the younger ones. Again, thin plan.

Still, she hated that Joey was in danger, that someone had dared to threaten him. But Eliza was right. Joey had to grow up.

He had to be a man.

And Donna would do whatever it took to help Eliza see that Joey gets there.

Donna’s thoughts shifted as she adjusted her seatbelt.

The party. The master bedroom.

Sharing.

Donna had never done anything like that before. Sharing her man? Sharing Joey?

Her stomach tightened at the thought. She’d spent years in a marriage where she had thought that sex was fun and exciting. Of course now she realized how routine, predictable, and completely lacking in passion it truly had been. Hank had never made her feel alive the way Joey did. Joey was... everything.

And now, she'd have to share that with Eliza.

Would it be fun?

Or gross?

The idea of another woman touching Joey, seeing him like that... it should have made her stomach turn. But Eliza wasn't just any woman. She was devoted to Joey in her own way. Just like Donna.

And if this was what Joey needed?

Donna's jaw tightened, her resolve solidifying.

If keeping Joey safe meant putting on a show—if it meant letting Eliza be a part of that moment—then Donna could do it. She would do anything for Joey.

Anything.

And if it meant that Donna would get some extra time with her perfect man? She wouldn't mind that at all.

The light ahead turned green.

Donna pressed her foot to the gas, her mind made up.

Whatever happened in that bedroom... whatever she had to do...

It would be worth it.

Because it was for Joey.

Because it was with Joey.

Because it was Joey.