Redeemed Love

by M. S. Brannon

  We’ve both agreed to wait until Jeremy’s wounds physically healed before I introduce him to Hunter for the first time. He still has some bumps and bruises but doesn’t look too scary. The light greenish bruise on his cheek is almost gone and blends into his tanning skin. The only wounds still pretty visible are the dark red scabs covering his knuckles. They were split wide open from the fight.

  “Yes, but I feel like I’ve been smoking crack. My heart is racing.” Jeremy slaps his hand over his heart in an attempt to get his heart to slow down.

  For the last three weeks, Hunter and I have been talking about his dad. I told him his name is Jeremy and we’ve talked about what Jeremy likes to do for fun. The moment I mentioned cars, Hunter was sold immediately. He was also very excited to finally meet the man in the picture.

  I never realized until lately how much Hunter would look or even hold Jeremy’s picture. He was longing to meet his daddy and have him in his life. I feel guilty for not doing it sooner, but in the end, I am glad we waited until today.

  Jeremy is a healing man today; weeks ago, he was not. He was a lost soul. However, today we’ve decided to meet at the park where they are having a custom car show in the parking lot.

  Hunter is waiting in the car, his face planted against the glass. He is excited to meet his daddy, and I am so happy I can finally make this dream come true. It’s been a long road for the two of us.

  When Cami opens the back door of her car, my son steps out. I feel like I’m going to pass out. I was a nervous fucking wreck for our meeting and I sought advice from the only person who has a kid, Drake.

  Our relationship is better. We are able to be around one another without killing each other, but I know it will take time to mend the bridges I’ve burned—not only with him, but with all of my brothers.

  So I was really grateful when he let me ask for his counsel. Drake told me kids are notorious for spotting people who are not genuine, therefore the only piece of advice he could give me was to be myself. And that’s why I am freaking out now. I don’t really know who that person is. However, I am finally on the journey to discovering him. I can only hope my transitional self will be okay with my son.

  I keep flipping the black Challenger replica car over in my hands. I cannot keep them still. Cami has told me how much he loves playing with cars, so I found it only appropriate to have my favorite car represented in his collection.

  I lower myself to my knee and pass Hunter the car. “This is for you, Hunter. Your mommy told me how much you love cars.”

  He is beautiful. He looks very much like me, but he has Cami’s dimple in his cheek and her caramel skin color.

  Hunter takes the car in his hands and flips it over, examining it from front to back and underneath. He doesn’t say anything, only looks closely at the detail of the shiny, black toy. The concentrated look on his face is exactly how I must look when I’m working under the hood of a car.

  I worry he’s going to start crying or hate me. My heart is thumping even harder now. What if my son hates me? What if he wants nothing to do with me? I’d have to abandon them again, and I’m not sure I can do that.

  “I have this one.” When Hunter pulls the exact same car from his back pocket, I feel a little sad. “This one is my favorite. That’s why I keep it in my pocket. Mommy says I can take only one with me and I all the time pick this one.”

  I can’t help smiling as I look at my son. “Guess what?” Hunter comes in close to hear what I have to say. “It’s my favorite, too.” I stand to my feet then move so he can get a look at what’s behind me.

  It’s my second favorite girl, and she’s shining in the sunlight after I’ve washed and waxed her. Her custom paint job is flawless and looks very much like the pristine car I left before I went to prison.

  Hunter steps around me and admires my car. His mouth is open and he can’t help standing in awe of it. Hell, that’s what I did this morning when I got done washing it. I just stood and admired my favorite machine. I can’t wait to go on a road trip. In five years, when I’m off probation, I’m taking Hunter to Disney World. That’s where kids like to go on vacation, I think. I know I once wanted to do that.

  As I look over at Cami, she’s trying to hold back the tears and feels probably the way I do—relieved Hunter and I have made that first step into developing our relationship.

  “Can we go for a ride?” Hunter asks while he has yet to look away from my car.

  I smile, knowing that is how I looked when I saw this very car the first time my father brought it home. Then it dawns on me, when Hunter is a grown man, I can pass this car on to him. And hopefully, he can do the same for his son. A twinge of pride calms my raging heart knowing this car will remain a part of me long after I’m gone.

  “Don’t you want to see the other cars, baby?” Cami replies, running her hand up and down his back.

  Hunter, with a confused look on his face, says, “Why? This one is my favorite. I don’t want to see the other cars.”

  I let out a huge laugh and smile at Cami. “He does have a point.”

  She swats me on the arm and then comes around to the passenger side. “Come on, Hunter. I will strap you in the backseat.”

  “No, I want my daddy to do it.” When Hunter grabs my hand, I can feel the overpowering feeling parents refer to. There are no words to describe this feeling, but in the short time I’ve known I’ve had a son, I could feel this feeling growing more and more. Then, today, when I’ve finally looked into his eyes and felt his hand inside mine, the feeling has exploded inside of me. This is my son, and I will do anything for him.

  After I bend down and scoop him up in my arms, I look my son over and study every single one of his features. This is a moment I will never forget as long as I live. I will hold this boy in my arms and protect him from any harm that may come his way. I will be there to support his dreams, correct his mistakes, and guide him on the path of being a man. I will introduce him to his family, who will welcome him in with open arms. I will teach him about the importance of family and knowing you can always count on them. I will teach him everything I know about cars and how to drive. I will be his father. I will be the father I never had and the one he deserves.

  Hunter wraps his arms around my neck then pulls me in for a hug, and I wrap him in my arms as I revel in the joy he brings. The embrace is one that will lead me into the future with promise.

  I could not be at this moment in my life if I hadn’t made the choices I did. I would have never met Cami, and therefore, I wouldn’t have Hunter in my life.

  I do believe everything happens for a reason, the good and the bad. Most of my life has been a struggle to control the hate that was engrained in me from the time I was Hunter’s age. I was lost for a really long time.

  After I confessed my dark secret, my family didn’t say much to me. I think all of them understood a little bit as to why I was dealing in the first place, though. We all agreed to lighten up on the intensity of what our relationship had become and try to get back to the place where we once were.

  That following week, Jake had a park and rise in the driveway. We all sat around and reminisced about the old days, minus Drake and Zoe. He wasn’t ready for that kind of bonding yet, but Reggie, Jake, Delilah, and Darcie were there, and we had a blast.

  Now, as I hold my child in my arms, I can truly say that, with my family, Cami, and Hunter, I will never be lost again.

  “Ahhhh,” Cami screams out into the air. “Ah… ah… ahhhhh,” she shouts again as I lick and tease her delicate body.

  I am worshiping at the core of Cami’s body, tasting everything she has to offer, and my inner freak is in Heaven. I flick my tongue over her swollen clit and soon feel the trembling coming from her inner thighs.

  Cami shouts out again and her back raises from the bed in an intense, jerking motion. She is unbelievably sexy when she comes, and I can safely say I’ve been hearing her make this very noise almost every day for the last three months.

 
As she comes down from her high, I begin to kiss and caress the woman I love. It’s been a long road for Cami and I. We’ve been through so much in our young lives. However, this is the moment we have been working towards. This is the moment of peace and satisfaction we can embrace knowing that everything is going to be okay. All the pain, hate and brutality we’ve both faced over the years has been worth it because of this moment in time.

  Yesterday, I moved into Cami’s house where the three of us can finally be a family. There wasn’t much for me to move, considering I didn’t have anything other than clothes and my car. I needed to move out of Jake’s house so he and Delilah could get ready for their twins coming in a few months anyway.

  Initially, I was going to move back into Reggie and Darcie’s house since Drake and Mia moved in with Zoe a couple of months ago, but I sensed they needed some space. Reggie has never lived on his own, one of us has always been around, and now that we’ve moved on with our lives, it’s time to give him and Darcie their room.

  Cami and I went round and round over where I should go. I told her I’d move into an apartment, but she wouldn’t have it. She said it was time to finally be together as a family. I have missed out on too much of their lives and there is nowhere else I needed to be. When Cami put it to me that way, I couldn’t argue with her. I’ve missed out on four excruciating years of their lives, and I don’t want to miss another second.

  I asked Hunter if he was okay with me moving in and all he said was, “Well, duh, Daddy.” Little Miss Mia is rubbing off on him with her charming attitude.

  So yesterday, that’s what I did. I packed up my bag of belongings, tossed it into the back of the Challenger, and drove into the driveway of my future, smiling the entire time.

  Coming back to the moment, I lick, nip, and kiss my way up Cami’s body. She has the perfect curves, and since the very first time I had sex with her, Cami’s hips are slightly wider and her breasts are fuller. I’m not sure if that’s because she’s had a baby or if it’s just the womanly figure she is meant to have, but it’s very sexy. She also has faint white marks on her lower abdomen and I find them fascinating. I wish I could have been there to watch my son grow inside of her and when he was born. But I refuse to have regrets because they get people nowhere. Regrets keep people in their past, and I refuse to ever be in my past again.

  I make my way up to her lips and press them to mine. Slowly and passionately, we get lost in each other. Our tongues mingle and dance as we stroke them together, binding our love yet again. Over and over, with every kiss, look, touch, and breath, our love gets deeper than the moment before. We are meant to be, and I can feel that from her as she can feel it from me.

  When I suck her bottom lip into my mouth and lightly bite down, she releases a moan and cups my cheeks in her hands.

  “I love you so, so much. I’m glad you’re here.” She kisses me again.

  When I lean back, I study her features—every inch of her face from the depths of her eyes to the line of her jaw. I look in awe at this gorgeous woman and smile. “I love you, too.”

  I then lean down and get lost in her kisses again. I can feel my dick stirring in my boxers. All I want to do is slam it into Cami. I want to possess her over and over again. She is mine. Each time we have sex, I mark her as such.

  I lean up on my knees and am about to free myself, when my fucking cell phone starts going off. Normally, I’d ignore it, but it’s Jake’s ringtone and that’s where Hunter stayed last night. It was his first sleepover with Mia and they wanted to have it at Uncle Jake’s and Auntie D’s place.

  I look at the clock and see it’s nine o’clock in the morning just as Cami gets a slightly alarmed look on her face, so I bend over and snatch the phone off the nightstand.

  “Yeah?” I say with a clipped tone.

  “When the hell are you getting over here?” Jake snaps. “I’m getting a little stressed out over here. Besides, we need to head over to Reggie’s for the barbeque.”

  In the background, I can here excited screaming and loud music playing. Then I make out the tone deaf voice of Delilah with the kids in the background. I put the phone on speaker so Cami can hear how much fun our son is having and the classic Jake irritation, which I still find hilarious.

  “Why don’t we meet you at Reggie’s, idiot?” I respond while trying to keep my laugh from bursting out.

  “Cool it, brother, before I come over there and beat your ass,” Jake threatens playfully.

  “Right, well, we will just meet you at Reggie’s in an hour or so.”

  As the shrill sound of Delilah’s singing a high note connects with my eardrums, I turn my head and cringe. Wow, she’s really bad.

  “Are you listening to this? I can’t escape it, Jeremy. Delilah has lost her mind and she’s having a fucking karaoke contest at eigh—” Jake lets out a deep breath of aggravation. “D! For the love of God, stop singing!” He focuses his attention back to me. “You’ve gotta get over here, man. I’m going crazy.”

  When Cami looks to me with pity for my brother, I only roll my eyes. Everyone always feels sorry for him. “Okay, we’ll get up and be over shortly.”

  I can hear Hunter singing his little heart out to one of my favorite songs and now one of his. Whenever we ride anywhere, “The Boys are Back in Town” by Thin Lizzy is blasting on the stereo. When he’s older, I will take him up to Old Miller’s Road and show him exactly how cool that song is, especially when the Challenger is going ninety miles per hour.

  He is shouting the lyrics out loud and spunky, little Mia singing right along with him. The two have become fast friends and look out for one another when they are together. She protects him, and I’m sure, when he gets older, Hunter will be her protector. I know it has to make Drake happy knowing Hunter will never leave her side.

  After I hang the phone up, I toss it on the bed and look down at Cami. She is splayed out across the sheets, looking ravishing and very, very sexy. I bend down and adjust the huge boner in my shorts as Cami’s eyes glance down at my cock then back up to me. She has lust radiating off her skin, and I can feel the desire blanketing me.

  Faster than I’ve thought possible, she yanks on my shorts and frees my dick. Then, without another thought, she says, “Looks like we’ve gotta make this quick.”

  Before I can stop her, she flips me over and slides my dick inside of her. Slowly, she takes me in. Once I’m fully inside, I move her hips in a circular motion, stretching and feeling her with my dick. Then I stop and look into her eyes. Wet and passion-filled, Cami is ready to be fucked and hard.

  I slip my hands under her ass and she starts to move. Up and down. Up and down. Her body moves slow at first then picks up speed with every plunge. I move my hands from her ass and slide up to her nipple while the other hand is on her clit. As she moves, I keep my thumb rubbing and kneading her delicate spot until, like a volcano, Cami erupts in an orgasm.

  Suddenly, she folds herself forward, and as the intensity heightens, Cami rakes her nails down my chest. The pain and pleasure intertwine with my own dark desires, causing me to growl in unadulterated passion.

  I quickly flip her over and yank her ass up in the air. Before she has another thought, I slam my dick right back in the depths of her pussy. As she continues to pant and quake from her orgasm, I start to ram into her. Hard and fast, I thrust my cock into her body as my balls slap loudly against her pussy. I pump my hips then an eruption of my own explodes suddenly, and I blow inside of her.

  As my body finds its release, I loudly growl into the air and hold her hips tightly to mine. I keep her fastened to me for several more moments. Then our exhaustion takes over and we collapse onto the mattress—utterly spent and satisfied.

  After our very hot and hardcore sex, Jeremy and I finish up the last of our energy in the shower. We make love slow and sweet as he presses me against the wall and makes me his again. It is the perfect icing on the cake to a wonderful morning.

  The day after the fight between Drake and Jeremy
, I went to the gynecologist and got on the shot. I am not ready or prepared to have another baby. It is one less thing we have to worry about—buying condoms or him wearing one. Actually, when I think about it, we’ve never used a condom. I want to be as safe as possible now and not have any unexpected surprises throw our life off-balance.

  We finish up our shower and get dressed before I head into the kitchen and start whipping up my famous potato salad for our barbeque this afternoon. I made the dressing last night and let it marinate, so now I’m ready to pour it over the potatoes and add the remaining ingredients.

  As I pull the onion from the fridge, I see a car pull into the driveway. The black Cadillac is dangerously familiar. As I study it, suddenly the floor falls from underneath my feet. I hold onto the side of the counter, but my knees buckle and I cannot breathe. I know exactly who that car belongs to. He’s here to ruin the happiness I’ve dreamed of my entire life.

  I am collapsed on the floor in a panic. When I look out the window, it is my estranged father, Matt Ryker, opening the driver’s door.

  “Hey, bab—” Jeremy stops mid-sentence and kneels down beside me. “What’s the matter? You looked like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  I try to keep my tears inside, but it’s impossible. I mumble out, “It’s because I have.”

  “What do you mean?” Jeremy rises to his feet and his stance immediately goes rigid. “What the hell is he doing here?” As he breaks from my sight and starts toward the back door, I’m still in shock but now able to function. “Motherfucker made the wrong damn choice coming here.”

  “Jeremy, please no!” I quickly get off the floor and follow closely behind him.

  When he walks onto the back porch and pulls open the door, I run up behind him and clutch his waist with my hands. I thread my fingers together, hoping to keep him right here in my arms. If he fights him, Jeremy will more than likely go back to Ionia, and I can’t bear to see him behind bars again.