Ember: Next Gen (Snakes Henchmen MC Book 12)

by Alivia Grayson

  “I’m sorry.” She whispers. “It was so real. I saw it. The smoke, the noise, falling...” She gulps back a sob. She had a nightmare, a bad one.

  “It’s over now, Ember. You’re safe, baby. You’re here with me, and nothing is ever going to happen to you again, I promise.” She nods, brown hair falling from her ponytail and around her face. I tuck it behind her ears before kissing her softly and pulling her into my arms.

  She’s not the only one still having nightmares about what happened. I think we all will until we talk to someone about what happened to us.

  “Mom? Dad?” I pull away from her as she notices her parents right behind me. Ember cries as she reaches for her parent’s. They rush to her side and wrap her up in their arms.

  I subtly leave the room to give them some space.

  “Marco, is everything okay?”

  I smile at my mother and nod my head. “It was just a nightmare. Ember will have them for some time to come; I'm guessing.” I take a seat in front of my parents and scrub my face with my hands.

  “How are you doing, Marco?”

  “I’m alright,” I tell my dad, even though I don’t feel okay right now.

  “You’re a terrible liar,” I chuckle. Rhea is right; I never was a good liar. It’s the reason why people can read me as well as they can. Well, in some ways, at least.

  “It’s okay not to be okay, Marco.” I stare at Jud and shake my head. I don’t want to lose it right. I need to keep it in until I’m alone. The trouble is that my emotions don’t seem to want to stay where I told them. “Come here,” My brother wraps his arm around my shoulder just as the damn bursts.

  I didn’t want to do this in front of my family. Hell, I didn’t want to do this in front of anyone, but rather them, than Ember.

  Everything that happened with the plane crash, seeing Sally’s body, and coming so close to losing Ember is crushing all at once. I can barely breathe for the sobs escaping me. As my family surrounds me, I know that everything will be okay.

  I didn’t lose Ember. She came through the operation to save her leg, and she’ll come through the trauma of what happened. I'll be with her because I'll never leave her, and I know Ember will never leave me.

  I'm not stupid, and I know it's not weakness to show you're emotions. My grandfather once said that a real man cries, though I don't do it often.

  I'm grateful that God didn't take Ember from me, and I'm thankful that we're still together.

  Naturally, we're going to have to take a few months off work. There's no way Ember or Bob can tour with busted legs. We have the studio in my basement where we can continue to record music. We'll have Caren post on social media for us, and maybe one of us can do a TV or radio interview and put our side of things across. It would settle the fans because I've read a fair few comments on our social media page about now worried that all are. I couldn't read all of them, there were just too many, thousands, in fact. However, I read a handful of heartfelt messages for Ember. Each one begging for Ember to be okay, and that they love her and are praying for her. I haven't told Ember, but I know she'll appreciate them.

  I finally pull away from my brother after what seems like an hour. I wipe my eyes and nose on a tissue my mother handed me, and I let her hold my hand. We all sit in silence because we don't need words to know we're all just happy to be here together.

  The pinging of my phone breaks the spell. I take it from my pocket and read the message from Colin.

  Colin: First off, I'm sorry you, Bob, and Ember weren't consulted, but I fired Matt.

  Don't worry, I had my uncle draw up a letter that was emailed to Matt, reminding him that he signed an NDA, and we will invoke it if he talks.

  I don't want to tell you this shit over text messages; I think you have enough going on.

  However, both Hannah and Caren sat and told Saint and me just how badly Matt treats Ember. He bullies her, Marco. Even worse than we believed.

  The girls said that Matt picks at Ember for what she eats, drinks, wears, the fact her boobs aren't big enough, and even more.

  Don't worry, I gave the bastard what for, and made sure he knew we want nothing more to do with him.

  I know you're probably seething right now, but let it lie, Marco. Matt lost his job and any respect we may have had for him. I also told him that we'll make sure no one with an ounce of self-respect will ever hire him again.

  Take care of you, and make sure Ember knows we're all thinking of her.

  My blood is boiling! But Colin is right; Matt has pretty much lost everything. He deserves nothing more for the way he treated Ember.

  A cunt will always get what they deserve in the end.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Ember

  “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  I nod my head at Marco. “After everything that happened, I just want my best friend back. I know things can never be as they once were, but I miss her, Marco.”

  It’s been a month since the plane crash, and life is slowly getting back to normal. It took a week before the doctor released me from the hospital. While there, I saw a therapist who helped me understand that what happened was a freak accident. Though I may have believed the next airplane I got on would crash, it was highly unlikely. Even so, I was given a sedative to take before the plane ride back to Tennessee. I don’t think I would have gotten on the damn thing if I hadn’t taken that pill.

  Of course, we all made it home safely, and we’ve all been resting ever since. We did put out a statement that Dun’s Dungeon would be taking time off to recuperate. People we very understanding, and that meant a lot to us all.

  Colin and Saint interviewed with a journalist, putting our story straight. You wouldn’t believe how many rumors there were out there. We didn’t want false stories going around, so Colin and Saint took it when the opportunity came along. Of course, they made sure the rest of us were okay with that, and we were.

  The day after we arrived home, Jett called us to the clubhouse. Even though I didn’t want to go, Marco said that if we got it over with, we could go home and lock ourselves away for a whole week.

  The moment we arrived at the clubhouse, I realized Snakes Henchmen had put on a ‘Welcome home’ party for us. I was so overwhelmed to see my family, and I spent an hour being hugged by everyone. They were all even happy to see Marco and told him how he’s now one of us, and nothing will ever change that. I figured my dad had told them all how Marco kept me alive out there in the wilderness. Knowing the Snakes now see Marco as one of them means everything to me.

  Jessica broke down the moment I wrapped my arms around her. She’d stood in the background, allowing everyone else to get their hugs out of the way. Jessica sobbed so hard that I couldn’t stop myself from crying with her, Christ knows I’d missed her more than most.

  While holding Jessica, I couldn’t stop my eyes from looking around the room. I don’t know why I was looking for Lydia, but inside of me, I wished she was there. All I wanted right then was to hold her and tell her that I forgive her for everything.

  Back in Scotland, Mom told me that Lydia’s son had been born early and that it had been touch and go for a while. Of course, I cried in my mother’s arms. I would never wish such a thing on my worst enemy.

  I cried even harder when Mom explained how Lydia had broken down at my memorial. Lydia stood up there and told everyone in attendance the truth of what happened between Toby, Lydia, and me. I felt very proud of Lydia for that, and it meant I no longer had to keep their secret. Sure everyone had already figured things out, but I’d never told anyone other than Marco what really happened. Now I don’t have to keep it all inside and pretend nothing happened.

  Though I’ve been home for a month now, I haven’t seen Lydia. Not once has she tried to contact me. Not that I can blame her when I told her never to again. I haven’t tried to contact her in any way, either. One reason is that I’ve spent almost all of my time with Marco. We’ve written many songs, many of them to do with o
ur experience in Scotland. I’ve also had a few appointments regarding my leg. I’ve spent time with my family, and also by myself. I’ve done a lot of thinking the past few weeks, and I always come to the same conclusion, I want my best friend back.

  Marco leans over and kisses my head. It makes me chuckle. After all, I have to sit with my seat pushed back because I can’t fully bend my leg. I guess it would be easier if I sat in the back seat of the car; that way, I could rest my leg on the seat. However, I like sitting beside Marco, and it is becoming easier to manage nowadays. Having pins in my knee, holding it together, can be painful, even over a month later. But right now, I’m not thinking about the pain.

  Marco gets out of the car and jogs around to my side. I smile as he helps me out. It takes a while because I can’t move as quickly as I once did. Once I’m out of the car and leaning back against, Marco hands me my crutches.

  “Ready?”

  “Ready.” I parrot back. Marco walks in time with me, slowly toward Lydia’s front door.

  I had no idea she’d moved into such a beautiful house. I should have realized when Eagle told me that Draven and Marnie had bought Lydia and Toby the house as a wedding present. Big spenders, but then they always have been.

  I don’t know if Draven and Marnie bought the house manicured like this or if someone else did it for them, but this is spectacular. It looks like something out of a movie—the garden all green grass and hundreds of flowers. I imaging there’s a pool in the back yard, and I wonder if the inside is as grand as Lydia always said her home would be.

  I take a deep breath before knocking the door with my knuckles. My heart is racing, and I feel a little sick. I shouldn’t feel this nervous, but I do.

  “Marco, I don’t think they’re home. Maybe we should leave?”

  Marco opens his mouth to say something but is cut off by the front door opening. “Ember,”

  “Hello, Toby,” Both his eyes and mouth, hang open in shock. I’m the last person Toby expected to see when he opened the door. “Is Lydia home?”

  Toby looks behind himself before stepping outside and closing the door behind him. “Ember, I don’t know why you’re here, though I’m happy to see you’re okay,” I don’t say anything. I’m not here to make conversation with Toby, though I’ll be cordial for Lydia’s sake. “But Lydia isn’t the person she was when you left. The guilt ate away at her to the point she became reclusive. When we thought you died, you have no idea what that did to Lydia.”

  I see Toby’s lip tremble, and I realize just how hard everything has been for him. It’s not an excuse for what he did to me, but I see that he genuinely loves Lydia, and seeing her in pain is hurting him also.

  “Lydia has spent every day since Leo was born by his side. That hasn’t changed since he was released from the hospital last week.”

  “Leo,” I smile because I can’t help it. Since we were kids, Lydia always said that if she had a son, she’d name him Leonardo. It makes me smile because I should have known she’d get her way.

  “We’re not here to cause trouble, Toby,”

  “Then why are you here, Marco?”

  “Because I miss my best friend,” Toby turns his eyes to me. “I forgave you both for what happened before the accident. I guess I was just too proud to say anything. However, surviving that plane crash taught me that life is too short to hold onto pain, Toby. What the two of you did to me should never have happened. But in doing what you did, I found Marco, and I have never felt more loved than I do right now.” I smile as Marco kisses my cheek.

  “I’m happy for you, Ember. You deserve to be loved, and it’s easy to see how in love the two of you are. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for what happened, and if I could change the way we did things, I would. If there’s any way you can bring Lydia back to me, then I’m begging you,” Toby gulps back a sob, and I understand things must be much harder than I first thought.

  I lay my hand on his arm, and Toby looks at me. “I’m here to make things right. I know Lydia would have done so had I let her that day in the clubhouse. Have a drink with Marco, and I’ll talk to Lydia. Don’t worry, Marco’s a good guy,” I wink.

  “I can see that,” Toby smiles kindly.

  I could continue my life, never having anything to do with Toby again. However, if I want to salvage my friendship with Lydia, I’m going to have to civil with Toby.

  Toby shows me to a room in the middle of a long hallway, which he tells me is Leo’s nursery. I’m silently thanking the Lord that the house doesn’t have an upstairs. I don’t think I could manage the stairs. I only manage at Marco’s – our house because he carries me. It can be annoying, but it’s cute at the same time.

  I stand outside the room for a moment, and I can hear Lydia singing softly to her son. A tear falls from my eye when I realize what she’s singing – Roman Angel. That’s my song, Lydia is singing, and my heart aches for her right now.

  I open the door quietly, but Lydia doesn’t look up, she rocks her son gently in her arms. She must think I’m Toby. I smile when I realize Lydia is using my old rocking chair to comfort her son.

  Lydia has cut her hair. I’d say it was now shoulder length, but I can’t be sure because it’s tied in a low ponytail. She’s not wearing any makeup, which isn’t like Lydia, and she looks as though she hasn’t slept in months.

  I feel my emotions burning in my nose, looking at baby Leo. He’s so tiny and so beautiful. I feel so guilty that Lydia could have lost him due to grief. I know it wasn’t my fault that Lydia went into premature labor, but it hurts nonetheless.

  “Hey, you,”

  Lydia’s head shoots up, her eyes widen, and her mouth hangs open in shock. “Ember,” She whispers my name as I hobble over to her. My leg is throbbing, and I can no longer stand. There’s a chair beside Lydia’s, which I’m assuming is the one Toby uses.

  I slowly sit down, and still, Lydia is staring at me. I can see the fear in her eyes, and that hurts me so deeply. I look at Leo and smile. He’s fast asleep in Lydia’s arms, but I can see he’s the image of her. “He’s beautiful,”

  “Thank you. Ember,”

  “It’s okay,” I take Lydia’s hand in mine and squeeze. She sobs when I kiss the back of her hand. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too. I thought you were dead,” Lydia pulls our entwined hands to her chest. “I never got to tell you how sorry I was. I wasn’t looking for your forgiveness, but I needed to say the words regardless.” She looks down and kisses her son’s head. “Love isn’t supposed to hurt like this. I love Toby, but I love you too.”

  I wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling her to me, and she comes willingly. I hold her as best I can, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead. “I do forgive you, Lydia, and I never stopped loving you.” She sobs, and I’m crying with her.

  What she did was terrible, and by the way, she’s been punishing herself all these months, I wonder if it was worth it. Sure she gained a husband and a son, but Lydia hasn’t enjoyed more than a handful of minutes. Even the birth of her son couldn’t be appreciated because it was traumatic.

  “It’s gonna be okay, Lydia,”

  “Is it?” She asks as she pulls away from me.

  I smile and cup her cheek with one hand and the back of Leo’s head with the other. “You have a beautiful baby, Lydia, and a husband out there who loves you more than anything. Plus, if you want to, I’d like us to be friends again.”

  Lydia closes her eyes while trying not to cry and nods her head. She opens her eyes and smile. “Of course, I want that, Ember.”

  “Good,” I smile. “Now, let go of the guilt and pain, and start living, Lydia. I’m happy now. I have my Marco, and we’re getting married soon, and I want you to be there.”

  Her eyes widen, and she smiles. “Really?” I nod my head. “I would love that. I’m so happy for you, Ember. You above, everyone deserves to be loved the way Marco loves you.”

  “Thank you. Now, let me hold my nephew.” Lydia la
ughs, kisses her son’s head, hands him to me, and I’m in love with the little man instantly.

  Life may not always be perfect, there will always be drama now and again, but I’m finally at peace. My life is Marco, and nothing else will ever mean as much to me as he does. Snakes Henchmen MC will always be my family, my home, but now that I know that there is more out there, I won’t give up my dreams for anything.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Marco

  “Welcome back to the Colby Horton Show! Now my next guests need no introduction. You were there for their ride to fame. You were there through the trauma of a plane crash that had the nation believing they’d lost their lives, and you were there for the wedding of the year.”

  I refrain from rolling my eyes live on camera. Every interview we’ve done over the past week has been the same thing. The host of the show says the same things and asks the same questions in a different context.

  Caren set everything up because she believed we needed to put our side of the story out there. As Caren has been promoted to manager of Dun’s Dungeon, and she’s damn good at her job, we listened. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.

  Wedding of the year. Colby isn’t talking about mine and Ember’s wedding, though ours was out of this world. Ember and I kept our wedding low key. We only invited family, and a few friends, including our bandmates and their partners, not that Bob has one yet. It might not sound the most romantic of weddings, but we got married in our backyard. It was a bit of a squeeze with all of Ember’s MC family there, but we managed.

  The moment I saw Ember coming toward me, I cried, I won’t lie. She was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen. Ember wore a long ivory dress that hugged all of her slight curves, and it was long enough to cover the brace on her leg. It had been two months since the accident, and the pins were still firmly in place.