by Carol Dawn
“I’ll be right back, baby.”
Glancing down, a blue-eyed, bald, very curious little boy looks back at me.
“Hey there, big guy,” I say. “Watch out for your aunt while I go get your things.”
His wide eyes stay locked on mine as he shoves his fist in his mouth. I chuckle and turn away.
“Is there anything we need to know?” I ask Marco after we bring the boxes inside.
“Well, he still eats every four to six hours. He doesn’t really sleep through the night but does go straight back to sleep after he’s been changed and fed. He loves music and strangely enough, conversations. He’s only a month old and listens better than most adults.”
I believe it.
“Can I say goodbye?” he asks me.
Nodding my head, I step aside.
“Well, buddy, I gotta go,” he says, kneeling down to the still buckled in Brendon. “These two are going to take such good care of you. They’re going to love you and give you so many cuddles. I’ll see ya soon. I love ya buddy.”
Marco stands and looks at Thea. “Can I come back next weekend to visit?”
Thea nods.
“Alrighty, well, I’ll see ya’ll later.”
“See ya,” I say.
We watch as Marco walks to his car. I’m not sure how things will play out in a year. I know Thea will not want to give up custody. I know that I already don’t want this fella taken from our family. But, hopefully, by then, everything works out the way it needs to be.
“He’s really here,” Thea says, sitting on the couch. “Look at how beautiful he is.”
“He’s very beautiful,” I agree. “Why haven’t you taken him out of his seat?”
“Oh, Uhm,” she mumbles nervously. “I thought, maybe you could do it for me?”
“What’s wrong?”
Thea sighs. “I’ve never held a baby before. I honestly have no idea how I’m going to do this. I just knew that I had to do it.”
“What would you have done had I not been here?” I ask.
“Wing it?”
“Naughty girl,” I grin.
I unbuckle Brendon from his seat and lift him up.
“Woah, there big guy. You get any heavier, and I’ll never be able to lift you,” I joke.
Brendon answers by grabbing my thumb resting on his cheek and pulling it towards his mouth.
“Have a seat, little one,” I tell Thea. “Let’s start off with you holding this big fella.”
Thea leans back on the couch and holds out her arms. I show her how to hold his head with one hand and his body with the other.
“My goodness, he’s so light,” she whispers.
Brendon jerks his head to the side, causing Thea to jump. I chuckle and sit beside her.
“Babies have this tendency to be a little jumpy,” I tell her. “You just have to pay special attention when you’re holding him. Especially with his head. Soon, he’ll be jerking his head all over the place before he can even fully hold it up on his own.”
“How do you know so much about babies?” she asks.
I shrug a shoulder. “My sister owned a rescue home for abandoned and neglected children. I loved volunteering there almost every day” I admit.
“Rescue home?” she asks curiously.
“Yep. She was a wonderful woman, my sister. Now her place is owned by her best friend. Children and my family are my biggest weakness. However, I know two people who have made their way to the top. This little man, and you.”
“Me?”
“My most precious weakness,” I say, leaning in to steal a kiss.
I pull back and lean down to kiss Brendon’s soft head.
My family.
Which reminds me.
“We need to move into my place,” I say.
“What? Move?”
“Yeah, baby. Whoever attacked you knows where you live. Hawk said he couldn’t find any hidden cameras, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Let’s pack up and move to my place. I have plenty of room. Brendon’s room will be right next to ours.
I have security that can assure your safety if I’m not home. Please, move in with me.”
“Ours?”
I smile. She caught that, huh?
“Yeah, little one. Our room. Our boy, our home, our life, our future.”
Her eyes fill with tears. My sensitive baby girl.
“Okay,” she whispers.
I smile wide at my victory, kiss her softly so I don’t hurt her and make my way to her room.
Time to get her packed and get my family home.
Finally.
Chapter Twenty
Thea
My life is perfect. It’s been a little over a month since I got temporary custody of Brendon and moved into Mason’s house. He’s so good with Brendon, and I couldn’t be more thankful to have him around.
I can’t believe I thought taking care of a baby was going to be easy. If it wasn’t for Mason, I would be losing my sanity about now. I was so lost at first. I didn’t know how to make a bottle or change a diaper.
Mason has been extremely patient as he slowly teaches me everything I need to know. It took a couple of weeks, but I finally got hang of the whole mom thing. Which was good for me because while Mason was at work, doing whatever it is he does at the clubhouse, a social worker stopped by for a surprise visit.
I was so terrified that she would find me unfit and take Brendon away. But everything worked out fine. She said he was growing and seemed to be happy. She left with the small warning to expect more surprise visits from time to time.
The cut on my face finally healed. It wasn’t deep enough to need stitches or anything, but it did leave a noticeable scar. It’s a straight line starting just below my left eye and ends just above my jaw line. Ink thinks that it will go away with time but says that corrective surgery is another option.
I’m not sure what decision I’m going to make, but the truth is, it doesn’t really bother me as much as I thought it was going to. A large part of that has to do with Mason. He makes me feel beautiful even on days when I know for a fact that I look horrid. So, the scar is practically meaningless.
“How was your breakfast, little one?” Mason asks.
I look down at my empty plate of what used to be biscuits and gravy.
“It was yummy,” I say, smiling. “My favorite breakfast next to blueberry pancakes.”
Mason smiles and collects my plate.
“What do you think about taking a little trip today?”
I’ve been stuck in this house for over a week. Mason and I made the executive decision that I not return to work until he figures out who left that note. Mason did eventually tell me that the man who attacked me was only a hire.
Nothing else has happened since that night, though. I think it’s a good sign. Whoever it was probably decided I wasn’t worth the time and went on with their life.
Unfortunately, Mason has the complete opposite thought. He doesn’t want me or Brendon leaving the house unless he, or one of his brothers, is with us.
“God, yes,” I say. “Get me out of here.”
Mason sighs before putting the clean plate down and sitting in the seat next to me.
“I know that you’re frustrated, baby,” he starts. “But I have a gut feeling that whoever is stalking you isn’t ready to give up. It’s been over a month since anything happened. I don’t want to scare you, but I’m expecting him to make his next move soon.”
“How do you know it’s a he?” I ask.
“A male fits the profile,” he says patiently. “The point is, I would rather have you stuck at home, bored, and frustrated than lying in a ditch somewhere dead.”
“I understand,” I tell him. “I just can’t wait for the day when I can go out without the threat of impending doom. When you’re at the clubhouse, I sometimes get these urges to come visit. Or take Brendon to the park or something. And I really miss my bookstore.”
Mason picks me up and place
s me sideways on his lap.
“Ted said that your job at the Book Bin will always be available,” he says, kissing my scar. He does that every chance he can get.
At first, I hated it. It made me feel ugly and uncomfortable. But I’m used to it now.
“Besides, I told you that I want to take care of you in every single way,” he reminds me. “That includes financially. You don’t need to work. I’ll always make sure you and Brendon have everything you need or want.”
Sweet man.
“I know,” I wrap my arms around his neck. “I believe you. But I want to go back to work because it’s something I love doing. And the job is so laid back that I can take Brendon with me when I go.”
“Let me take care of the problem holding you hostage first,” he says.
Knowing that I won’t win this battle at the moment, I change the subject.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
Mason stands and places me on my feet.
“Today is my sister’s birthday,” he tells me. “I want to stop by her grave before we head to the clubhouse.”
I don’t know much about what happened with Mason’s sister. But I do know that he blames himself for her death.
Twenty minutes later, we’re pulling the car into Lebanon cemetery.
“Stay in the car and lock the doors,” Mason says. “I’ll be right back.”
He grabs the flowers from the backseat and exits the car. Doing as he says, I lock the door.
“What do you think, Bren? Should we let him be alone?”
Interpreting Brendon’s silence as a no, I get out of the car, grab Brendon and walk toward Mason.
“Come here, little one,” he unexpectedly says.
“I thought you would be angry that we didn’t stay in the car,” I admit, sitting down beside him. “But Brendon really thought you shouldn’t be alone right now.”
“He did, did he?”
“Yep, didn’t you, sweetheart?”
Brendon has his eyes alert and on Mason. If Mason is in the room, Brendon doesn’t notice anything else. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
Mason has one of my hands wrapped in his, and the other is rocking the car seat. He’s here physically but his mind is far away.
“Want to talk about it?” I ask.
“No.”
“Are you sure? Sometimes it’s best to share a burden rather than…”
“I SAID NO,” he shouts, jumping up and walking away.
My heart is racing from his sudden outburst. I’ve never heard him raise his voice once since I met him. I’m both shocked and scared at the anger I saw on his face before he walked away.
I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart only to have the sound replaced by Brendon’s cries.
I want to be angry that he scared the baby, but the concern I have is so powerful that not even anger can penetrate it.
I take Brendon out of his seat and cuddle him to my chest.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” I whisper. “Today is just a really hard day for him.”
I sing songs, I pace back and forth, I bounce, but nothing will stop Brendon from crying. After a few minutes, Mason walks back to me and gently takes Brendon from my arms.
“I’m sorry, big guy,” he says softly. “I had no right to scare my favorite little man like that. I never want you to be afraid because of me.”
Not even half a minute later, Brendon was silent and content.
Little monster.
Not knowing what to say, I clasp my hands and look down at the headstone.
Ava Granger. 1980-2014.
She was only thirty-four years old.
“She was in an abusive relationship,” Mason finally says. “I never liked her boyfriend. My gut told me he was bad news, but I ignored it because Ava said she was in love.”
Mason sits down, holding Brendon against his chest and pats the ground next to him. Taking the hint, I sit.
“There were never any marks. She never complained about him. But every single time I would meet up with her, she was a little less of herself. I knew something was wrong, but she insisted that she was just tired from working all the time.”
I scoot closer and lay my head against his arm. Not sure if he would accept my touch or not, I wait. He doesn’t move away, and that gives me hope.
“One day, she didn’t show up to our lunch date. I didn’t hesitate in speeding to her house. I found her lying on the kitchen floor, surrounded by her own blood. She was already dead.”
Tears fall freely down my face, but I don’t utter a sound.
“Her boyfriend was arrested for murder. He admitted that he pushed her, and she fell and hit her head on the side of the kitchen table. If I had just listened to my damn gut, I would have forced her out of that relationship. Or, at the very least, killed the fucker before her killed her.”
I cuddle closer to his side.
“If I tell you that none of that was your fault, would you believe me?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“No.”
“What happened to her boyfriend?”
“He was accused of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to seven years in prison. But the fucker was dead within the first year.”
I peek up at his face and see a small hint of satisfaction in his eyes. I hide my grin. He got his revenge even if he wasn’t the one pulling the trigger. Why the thought of him having someone killed doesn’t scare me, I’ll never know.
I must be a freak.
“Will you at least believe that I accept you for who you are?” I ask.
Mason looks down at me but doesn’t say anything for the longest time. Finally, he buckles Brendon back in his seat and lifts me up, depositing me on his lap.
My favorite position.
“Will you forgive me, little one?” he asks.
Confused, I ask, “Forgive you for what?”
He shoots me a look like I’ve lost my mind.
“For shouting, Thea,” he says. “For raising my voice to you. For shutting you out.”
I lean up and kiss his slightly bearded chin.
“There’s nothing to forgive, silly,” I tell him. “I completely understand.”
Shaking his head, he replies, “There is no excuse for me raising my voice and scaring you, both of you, the way I did.”
I don’t argue. It wouldn’t do me any good. Mason has the hardest head that I’ve ever seen in a human.
So, instead, I cuddle against his chest and give him my truth.
“I love you,” I say against his chest.
He squeezes me until breathing becomes a struggle. But I don’t complain. If I could dig myself further into his body, I would.
“You have my heart, little one,” he says roughly. “You own me, heart, and soul. I love you so fucking much.”
I grab his words and lock them tightly inside my soul. He’s never getting them back.
Brendon whimpers, breaking our moment.
“And I love you, big guy,” Mason says to Brendon. “With everything I am. I’ll always protect you and your aunt Thea.”
This is a perfect moment added to my perfect life. I commit it to memory.
Mason stands and grabs Brendon.
“Time to go,” he says.
I start to follow them back to the car but stop and glance back.
“Happy Birthday, Ava,” I say. “You don’t have to worry about your brother. I’ll take care of him now.”
I turn and walk back to the car, completely missing the small smile on Mason’s face.
Chapter Twenty-One
Trigger
“Punch me.”
“No, thank you. I like living.”
“Damnit, Ink, I said fucking punch me.”
I’m so pissed at myself for yelling at Thea. I didn’t want her forgiveness so fast. I wanted her to be angry. I wanted her to be hurt and disappointed. Not fucking understandable.
“Watch this,” Ink says. He takes a deep breath in and exhale
s. “That is called breathing. I like doing it. It keeps me happy. Keeps the women happy. If I punch you, you’ll destroy my ability to breathe, and I just can’t have that. Run into a wall or something if you want pain.”
“I yelled at Thea,” I admit. “I yelled so loud that it scared both her and Brendon. All she did was ask me a question, and I shouted enough to cause her to jump back and cause my boy to cry.”
Before shock can register on Ink’s face at my admission, I’m punched so hard in the face that I fall flat on my ass.
“Thea is a good woman,” my attacker says. “She deserves to be happy, not have some fucking man screaming in her face. Don’t even get me started on causing that baby to cry.”
I look up to see Chains leaning over me. After a few seconds, the anger leaves his face, and he reaches a hand to help me up.
Ignoring the help, I jump to my feet.
“More,” I demand.
“I gave you your punch,” Chains says. “That’s all you need. You know you fucked up. But I know that you fixed it because that is one happy woman and baby hanging with Slim and Bella.”
Before I can demand more, Bear calls us to Church.
Rushing over to Thea, I lean down and steal her lips in a deep claiming kiss.
“You have blood on your face again,” she says when I pull back.
“Did Ink finally push it too far?” Slim asks, laughing.
“I’ll be back in a bit,” I say, ignoring their giggles. “Slim, keep them company for me?”
“You got it, killer.”
Crazy boy.
“Please, for the love of fuck, tell me that you have something for us to do?” Ink says, flopping down in a chair at the big table. “I am so bored. I almost punched Trigger a few minutes ago. That’s how bored I am.”
“You did not, chicken shit,” Chains laughs. “You almost fainted when he asked you.”
“The point is,” he says, ignoring the truth. “I’m going crazy.”
“You do have a tattoo shop to run, you know?” Brick says.
“I’m having new equipment put in,” Ink replies. “So, it’s closed for the next few days.”
“Enough girl talk,” Bear says. “Update me on important shit.”
We sit there for the next hour going over business data and inventory. The Sons own a bar, tattoo shop, auto repair shop, and soon to be strip club. Ink is the only brother who has an official work spot. The rest of us rotate where we’re needed.