by Erin Osborne
“Son, what’s goin’ on with Emersyn?” my dad asks, never one to hold back.
“Went to lunch when she was done at Legacies. Vanish and Ginger were there. Ginger let her inner bitch out and I’m not sure if it’s because of the shit with Lynne or if she’s just intimidated by Em,” I tell my parents.
“These bitches need to get their shit locked down. I’m going to have another meeting with them in the next day or so. What was said to our girl?” my mom asks.
“Ginger basically called her fat and told her she’d need to lose weight if she wants to work at Legacies. Then she insinuated she was goin’ to become a sweet butt. Emersyn left after spewing all her shit to the entire diner. She’s so upset but I don’t know where she is. I’m guessin’ the apartment since I don’t see Zoey here,” I tell her.
“She’s home. And, she’s definitely upset. I couldn’t get her to talk though,” my dad says. “You goin’ up there to see her?”
Nodding my head, I steal half of my mom’s sub and a few chips from her. She laughs while swatting my hand away and pushing her plate closer to my dad. He’s watching us interact as he always does. We always provide him with plenty of entertainment especially when Logan and I gang up on her.
“Nothin’ ever changes,” my dad grumbles. “Go get your girl and make sure she’s okay.”
Nodding my head, I stuff the sandwich in my mouth and chew it before standing up and pushing my chair back under the table. After kissing my mom on the top of her head, I slap my dad on the back and leave their house. I don’t hesitate to make my way up to the apartment where Emersyn and Zoey are.
I knock on the door and wait for her to open it so I can see her. There’s no noise coming from inside as I stand there and wait for her to let me inside. After waiting for several minutes, I turn and leave the small porch leading into her apartment. Emersyn is more upset than I realized and now I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do.
Fuck!
Chapter Eleven
Emersyn ‘Sky’ Wilkes
TEARS ARE STREAMING down my face as I leave the diner and walk toward Blood and Tonya’s house. I can’t believe that woman had the nerve to say those things to me. Hell, I can’t believe he had us sit with them in the first place.
Right away I recognized the other man sitting at the table from Legacies. He’s a member of the club and works the strip club. I only remember his name is Vanish because the one time I’ve been at the club we danced. The woman was dressed in clothes she probably bought in hookers ‘r us because they barely covered anything of importance on top. So, I can just imagine her ass and pussy were almost visible too.
I don’t judge the lives any other person lives because it’s not my place to do so. However, I’m not going to sit back and let another person talk shit to me. No matter how veiled the words are. So, there’s no way in hell I’m going to sit where I’m obviously not wanted.
The thing that hurt the most was that Colt didn’t say a single word in defense of me. Yeah, he told her to back off and that he wasn’t going to deal with her bullshit, but that’s not defending me. Back in the day, he wouldn’t have hesitated to say something to someone in defense of me.
I pull my phone out and call Gloria. She informs me that Zoey was really good for her and Tonya already picked her up for the day. After thanking her for watching my daughter, I hang up with a promise to swing by for a visit very soon.
Continuing on with my walk, I realize it’s warmer out than I originally thought and I’m going to be covered in sweat by the time I get to Blood and Tonya’s. I could call them for a ride, but they’re already doing so much for me and I don’t want to impose any more on them. So, walking it is for me. If you ask the woman in the diner, I need the exercise anyway.
It takes me almost an hour to walk from the diner to the house. By the time I knock on the door, I’m covered in sweat, my hair is plastered to my head, and my clothes are sticking to my body in some very uncomfortable places. I want nothing more than to get Zoey and go to the apartment for a much-needed shower.
“Hey Emmy,” Blood greets me as he opens the door. “You look like shit. What happened?”
“Oh, nothing. I walked here from town,” I answer him as he stands back and lets me in the house.
“Why would you walk here? I thought Colt was takin’ you to lunch and then bringin’ you back here,” he asks me.
“I did go to the diner with him. I wasn’t hungry so I left and walked here to get Zoey so we can go home,” I tell him.
“Why wouldn’t you at least let him give you a ride?” Tonya asks, hearing the last part of our conversation.
“He was with some friends. A guy from the club and some woman. I’m tired and just want to go home. Thank you for picking up Zoey for me. Was she good for you?” I ask, looking at my daughter sitting in a swing in front of Tonya.
“She’s been amazin’. I can’t wait to spend more time with my girl,” Blood assures me. “I have a run to go on in the next few days. Be a good girl and keep an eye on Tonya for me?”
“Of course,” I answer him.
Blood pulls me in for a hug and I want to cry once again. I’ve missed this family so damn much and now they’re right here in front of me. I don’t want to leave them, but at the same time, I know I can’t stay. Jeremy is always going to look for me and I have to continue outrunning him. No matter what Blood, Tonya, Colt, or anyone else tells me.
I take Zoey out of the swing, which looks brand new, and place her in the car seat after kissing her little cheek. Zoey waves her little arms and legs around in excitement and my heart swells with love. She is my entire world and I know my love for my daughter is only going to grow as she gets older and becomes her own person. For now, I’m content with being the center of her universe. My only hope is she doesn’t get too attached to the Johns family before we leave.
Thanking them once again, I leave their house and make my way up the stairs leading to my apartment. I set the car seat down on the porch so I can unlock the door. As soon as I can walk in the house, I pick her back up and take her into the bathroom with me. She’ll be fine in her car seat long enough for me to jump in and wash up real quick.
After taking care of business in the shower, I get out and grab the towel off the bar next to me. Drying off my body, I suddenly feel dizzy and my stomach starts rolling. I take a few deep breaths so I don’t get sick. Once the feeling has passed, I look down at my daughter to see her sleeping. I quickly finish drying off so I can dress in a pair of shorts and a tank top.
Taking Zoey into our room, I place her in the playpen and stare down at her for a few minutes. She’s so little and precious. I only want to keep her safe and make sure she knows I love her with everything in me.
In order to do that, I need to go and get something to eat. I’m hoping that will stop me from getting dizzy again and make my stomach stop rolling. After not eating at the diner and then walking here, I’m sure it’s just a matter of me being dehydrated and not having enough food in my system. Especially considering I danced at the club before going to the diner with Colt.
I pull out everything to make coffee and a BLT when there’s a knock on the door. Without looking to see who it is, I already know it’s Colt. There’s no reason why I know it’s him, I just do. Standing completely still, I don’t make a sound as I wait for him to leave.
It feels like hours pass as my heart races in my chest. My stomach is rolling like never before and I am trying to focus on my breathing so I don’t get sick all over the kitchen. Finally, I hear his boots stomp back down the stairs. Still I remain quiet and don’t move until I hear his motorcycle start up in the driveway. When the rumble of his pipes grows distant, I begin to move around the kitchen again.
After measuring out the coffee grounds and adding the water, I turn the coffee pot on and get busy making my sandwich. It’s not long before the aroma of the coffee brewing and bacon frying in the pan are filling the apartment. Before I can stop it, I�
�m running to the bathroom and getting sick.
This is so bad. I’m getting sick to the point my stomach hurts and I feel as if I’m going to pass out in the bathroom. I can’t do that though; I have Zoey to take care of. And a pan of bacon to turn off before I burn the apartment down. Slowly getting up once my stomach settles down, I wash my hands and rinse my mouth out.
The bacon is still cooking and it’s almost to the perfect crispiness for me. Unfortunately, my stomach is still revolting, and I have to turn the bacon off so I can get rid of the smell. I don’t want to open the door because I’m not sure if Colt’s going to return again. Instead I open as many windows as I can to quickly get the smell out.
Once all the windows are open, the bacon is in the garbage and the coffee pot is turned off, I go into my room to lay down for a little while since Zoey’s taking her nap. It doesn’t take long until I’m passed out with her.
Zoey’s crying wakes me up. As I slowly open my eyes, I realize a few things. The first is that it’s getting dark out. Instead of sleeping for an hour or so, we seem to have slept the afternoon away. I hope Zoey isn’t catching whatever is wrong with me. The second thing is the apartment is cold. Then I remember having to open the windows to get the smell of bacon and coffee out of the apartment.
As I stand up to get my daughter, my stomach begins to roll again. I don’t feel as if I have the flu though so my mind is flitting through what could possibly be wrong with me. With Zoey in my arms, I take her to the living room so I can change her and feed her before letting her play for a little bit.
At the last second, I grab my phone and the screen lights up alerting me to several missed calls and messages. Most of them are from Colt, but a few of them are from Tonya and even one from Blood.
Colt: Where are you? I need to talk to you. Call me or let me come over to talk. Please.
Tonya: Honey, are you okay? Colt’s going crazy with worry.
Colt: Em, I know you’re upset, but please let me in. I know you’re home with all the windows open.
Blood: Please let us know you’re okay. If you need anythin’ call me or Tonya.
I unlock my phone after changing Zoey and send a message back to Tonya. She’ll let Blood know so I’m not worried about it. If I’m lucky, they’ll let Colt know I’m okay and I won’t have to see or talk to him any time soon. Unless it’s at the club but I really don’t have to talk to him there.
Me: I’m okay. Not feeling well. Took a nap with Zoey. Probably going back to bed when she does.
As I go to lock my phone and set it down on the table next to me, I see the date. I can feel my face go pale as I realize I’m late. It’s been almost two months since I moved here and while I’m almost fully healed now, my wrist is the only thing messed up. Now, I fear I have an even bigger problem. I’ll have to go to the store, but not today. Today is all about my daughter and making sure she’s not getting sick. At this point, I can’t even be sure I’m pregnant, but it’s a possibility.
Speaking of her, I get up after putting her on the floor and shut all the windows so it can warm up in here again. The rest of the evening, I spend with my daughter. I play with her on the floor, make soup for dinner, and give her a little cereal just before I’m ready to go to bed. My hope is she’ll sleep through the night again. She’s getting older and tomorrow I start her on baby food. Yeah, I could’ve already done that but part of me wants to keep her my baby girl for as long as possible.
Once I know Zoey’s down for the count, I put a pair of sweatpants on with one of Colt’s tee-shirts. Climbing in my bed, I pull the blankets up tight around me and burrow under them. Zoey stirs in her playpen, so I get up and bring her into bed with me. Now, I can go to sleep and hope I feel better tomorrow. It’s another day at work tomorrow dancing with Heaven.
Chapter Twelve
Emersyn ‘Sky’ Wilkes
GETTING UP EARLY this morning, I almost decided to call in to work. I’m sure Tonya and Blood wouldn’t mind, but I refuse to call in because I don’t feel well. So, I get around before getting Zoey ready to head to Gloria’s house for the morning. I still haven’t talked to anyone so I’m not sure how I’m getting to work. At this point, I plan on walking to Gloria’s and then back to the club.
Colt has been trying to reach me still and I’ve been ignoring him. I don’t really have anything to say to him until I know for sure if I’m pregnant or not. If I am, we have a lot to talk about. There’s no point in worrying about it until I find out for sure.
As I put Zoey in the stroller I found on the porch a few days ago, there’s a knock on the door. Over the past month, things have been showing up for either me or Zoey. I suspect it’s Tonya, but it could be Colt as well. We haven’t been alone since that first time, but the attraction is still there, and I just don’t know what to do about it. I’m nearly healed up and ready to start working, but if what I suspect is going on based on how I’m feeling is true, I’m fucked.
My heart races as always and my palms get sweaty as I approach the door. I’m nervous for it to either be Colt or Jeremy. Neither one holds any appeal to see right now. Jeremy never does, but Colt doesn’t either these days.
Last night, I decided I’m not the kind of woman Colt will ever go for. I’m not skinny or outgoing, I have responsibilities, and I’ll never be the kind of woman to just fuck him because I want to. Yes, I know I already had sex with him, but I think that was more for closure for me. It’s something I’ve thought so much about since I first learned what sex was and we finally did it. Now, I don’t have to think about it, wonder about it, or anything else.
“Who is it?” I call out, buckling the baby in the stroller and picking up the diaper bag to place in the bottom.
“Tonya,” she responds as I walk closer to open the door for her.
“Hey,” I greet her. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t you think it was?” she questions me.
“Oh, you never usually stop over here first thing in the morning is all.”
“Well, I came to let you know I’ll be giving you a ride into the club so I can go over some paperwork. Delight will be there for a bit this morning too. If you don’t mind, Blood wants to get in some one-on-one time with Zoey,” Tonya answers me, looking around the apartment. “But, are you feeling okay this morning? You’re looking a little green.”
“Oh. Yeah, my stomach is still a little off, but it’s not going to stop me from working. I haven’t gotten sick this morning, so I think it’s just a matter of getting over whatever is going on,” I respond, not quite looking her in the eyes, pulling out my phone to send a message to Gloria about not having Zoey today.
“I see. Well, what’s going on with Colt?”
“Nothing. I’m just not what he wants. I can’t compete with the women he’s around on a constant basis and I’m not going to. Without sounding like I’m full of myself, I know I’m not completely ugly, but I don’t look like those women do either. And I’m fine with that. Colt is just an impossible dream and I’m not going to torture myself with thoughts of him any longer,” I tell her honestly.
I’ve never been anything but honest with every single member of the Johns family and I’m not going to change that now. If I were going to, it would’ve been when they asked me what happened. I wouldn’t have told them the truth about my life after they left. Tonya loves her sons, but I also know she won’t betray my trust either.
“You know Colt loves you. A big part of him always has. He’s a man and doesn’t know what to do with what he feels for you, Emmy. Don’t push him away too hard,” Tonya tells me. “Now, let’s get this precious little one to Grandpa Blood so we can get to work. If you feel too horrible, let me know.”
“I will. Thank you, Tonya. I won’t push him away, but I’m not going to encourage him either. Eventually, I’m going to leave here, and it won’t do either one of us any good to get involved in anything,” I tell the woman who’s always been like a mother to me.
“Why would
you leave here? We just got you back,” she asks, her face falling as she turns to look at me.
“Because I’m not sure where my life is going to take me. And, I’m not going to bring trouble to your doorstep either,” I respond, grabbing the back end of the stroller while Tonya gets the front.
We concentrate on making it down the stairs and Tonya doesn’t grill me further. I know this discussion isn’t over though. She’s going to let Blood, Colt, and Logan know what I’ve said and make sure they know I’m not to go anywhere away from them. It’s how she works, and I love her for it. So, I let it drop as we make our way into their house.
Blood is sitting in the living room, perched on the edge of the couch. The second he sees us, he stands up and makes his way over to us. After pulling me in for one of his giant bear hugs, Blood turns his attention fully toward Zoey. Tonya and I don’t exist for him right now. No one else does whenever he’s around Zoey and I love him for taking my daughter in as his own family.
“Alright, Blood, she’s already eaten, and I’ve got baby food in her bag. Today is the first day so I’m not sure what she’ll like or not like. If there’s any problems, give me a call,” I tell him, kissing my daughter’s cheek.
Tonya pulls me out the door and we get in her large, oversized truck. In seconds we’re on our way to the club. It doesn’t take long as she pulls in the parking lot and parks right next to the door. We get out and I see a different extremely large man standing at the door today. Yesterday I believe it was Breaker. Today it’s Bounce. I remember meeting him at the clubhouse.
“Bounce, how are you today?” Tonya asks him.
“Good. Syd’s inside already with Heaven,” he answers. “Good to see you again, Emersyn.”
“It’s good to see you too,” I respond to him.
Bounce scares the ever loving shit out of me. I know he has a soft side to him, I’ve seen it when he’s with Sydney, a.k.a Delight. Still, when he’s in work mode, Bounce is a scary man and I don’t ever want to get on his bad side. Tonya stays outside to talk to him for a few minutes, while I walk in before her. My only concern is getting with Heaven and dancing once again.