Sky (Legacies Book 2)

by Erin Osborne

  “Bounce will have your back,” he responds. “What do you want to eat?”

  “I want a chocolate milkshake with a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and brown gravy on the side please,” I tell him.

  “Okay. Love you, angel,” he says before we both get out of the truck.

  Bounce and I head into the pharmacy. He heads to the bathroom while I’m at the counter giving all of my information. He’s still not out when I turn around for the next person in line. So, I walk away but still stay in the general area so Bounce can see me when he exits the small hallway.

  “If it’s not the whore of the month,” I hear from behind me.

  Turning around, I see Ginger standing there. She’s got a cast on one arm and is covered in bruises still. I’ve got nothing to say to her, so I turn my back to her. I know it’s the last thing I should do, but don’t figure she’ll do much since we’re in public.

  “Bitch, I’m talking to you,” she screeches out.

  “And I’ve got nothing to say to you,” I respond, walking away and pretending to look at some magazines.

  “You’re not gonna like what’s coming. I know where Jeremy is, and I’ll be sure to let him know when you’re alone. Much like you are now,” she says.

  “Who says she’s alone?” Bounce questions, walking up behind her. “Ginger, I think you’ve got a lot of balls comin’ anywhere near Emersyn. Get the fuck outta here before I let Tonya know where you are.”

  “She won’t be able to touch me soon. You’re all going down. Not before you all watch Jeremy fuck this slut’s entire world up,” she taunts, turning on her heel and leaving us.

  I’m trembling from head to toe and want to get the hell out of here. I’ve never been comfortable with confrontation, now I absolutely hate it because of Jeremy. Bounce puts his arm around me and walks me back to the counter. No one else is in the pharmacy so I’m sure they heard every word Ginger spewed to me.

  I get my prescription and Bounce leads me from the small store. We head in the direction of the diner and he continuously looks around.

  “Em, don’t worry about her. Or Jeremy. We won’t let him get you,” he tells me, trying to make me relax again.

  “I worry one of you will get hurt. You have Sydney and Briar, plus a new baby on the way. If something were to happen to you, I don’t know how I’d live with that,” I tell him honestly.

  “Nothin’ will happen to any of us. Jeremy isn’t anythin’ more than a piece of shit. He doesn’t know what to do when he comes up against a man; he only beats on women. If Ginger knows who he is and where he is, she’ll soon find that shit out for herself,” he says as we get to the diner.

  Colt is coming out with a bag of food and two drinks in his hand. Carver is sitting on his bike and can’t see the pharmacy from his position. I don’t wait and get in the truck immediately. Colt stands outside with the men for a minute and I know the second Bounce starts telling him what Ginger said to me.

  His face turns red and the veins in his neck begin to pop out. He looks over his shoulder at me and his eyes immediately soften. The second Bounce finishes talking, he turns and gets in the truck. I take my shake and he pulls me into his body.

  “I’m sorry you had to deal with that, angel,” he says to me.

  “It’s not your fault. This is on Ginger,” I respond, placing a kiss on his lips.

  “Still. You shouldn’t have to deal with any of this,” he tells me, turning the truck on and backing out of the parking space. “We’re goin’ home, getting’ our Princess, and spendin’ the rest of the day locked in the apartment.”

  “I love the sound of that,” I tell him, reaching out to take his hand with my own.

  By the time we’re home, I’m more than ready to eat, take a shower, and veg out on the couch or something. Today started out nerve-wracking, turned great, and then went to shit with Ginger showing up. I’m exhausted and more than ready to just relax with my family.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Emersyn ‘Sky’ Wilkes

  “EMERSYN, ARE YOU goin’ to the clubhouse with me?” Colt asks, a few days later.

  “I don’t know. Why?” I ask him in return.

  “Mom wants you over there. Somethin’ about startin’ to get shit done for Thanksgivin’,” he responds.

  “Oh. Well, yeah, I can go over there then,” I say, getting out of bed.

  I was laying down for a short nap while Zoey had her afternoon nap. She’s not sleeping as much, but when she takes a nap, I usually try to lay down too. It helps me stay awake longer on the nights I have to work.

  Tonya is now on the bandwagon with Colt about me not working. She thinks it’s too much for me and would rather see me doing something else. I’m not sure what else I can do, but they all seem to think they can figure something out for me to do without dancing.

  Getting changed from the sweats and tee I have on, I put on a pair of jeans and struggle to button them up. Tearing them from my legs, I toss them into the growing pile of clothes I can’t wear already. While I’m still not really showing, clothes are beginning to get tight on me.

  Sitting down on the bed, I let the tears fall freely. I’m overly emotional and everything makes me cry some days. Colt walks in the room and sees another clothing item in the pile. A smile covers his face as he pulls me into his arms.

  “Angel, what’s wrong?” he asks me.

  “Nothing fits me already and I’m like three months pregnant. At this rate, I’ll be as big as a house before too long. You’ll leave me because I’ll be too fat for you,” I cry out to him.

  “Angel, you’re not fat; you’re carryin’ our baby. I’ll love you if you get as big as a house and still want you,” Colt tells me, lifting my hand from my lap and placing it against his cock. “Do you feel what you do to me? All I have to do is hear your voice and I’m hard as fuck and wantin’ you. That won’t ever change.”

  “I love you. I’m sorry I’m so damn emotional,” I murmur, rubbing him through his jeans.

  Colt lets out a moan from deep in his chest. He grips my hand and lifts it from his body.

  “As much as I’d love to have your pussy wrapped around my cock right now, we can’t. Mom is waitin’ and she already threatened to come get us,” he tells me. “I don’t think you want her to catch us in the middle of sex.”

  “Um, no, I don’t,” I tell him, laughing a little.

  Colt helps me up and heads to the small closet in the room. He pulls out a maxi dress and brings it over to me. I watch as he slides it over my head and kisses me gently. Next, he picks Zoey up from the playpen and holds her against his chest. Our little one is a hard sleeper and she doesn’t even stir as he carries her from the room and puts her in the car seat. I grab her diaper bag and make sure there’s diapers, wipes, and food in there. We’ve been giving her more food and less formula.

  “I’m ready when you are,” I tell him.

  “Ready to go,” he says, walking out of the door so I can lock it behind us.

  We get into the truck and head to the clubhouse. It’s been so long since I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving, or any other holiday. The last time was when my mother was still alive. She used to go all out for the different holidays. Especially with cooking and making sure we had every food item we desired. Even the Johns would celebrate with us when they were still our neighbors.

  A smile covers my face and Colt looks over at me.

  “What’s makin’ you smile like that, angel?” he questions.

  “Just thinking about my mom. I haven’t celebrated a holiday since then,” I answer him honestly.

  “I’m sorry, sweet girl,” he says, kissing my hand. “I wish we would’ve known.”

  “Me too. But we can’t change the past,” I say.

  “What do you miss the most about her?” he asks me.

  “How she was there for every little thing I did. And how she’s not seeing Zoey and won’t get to meet this little one,” I answer him honestly.

  “Yeah. I mis
s her too. Hearin’ she died killed a piece of me because she was like another mother to us,” he tells me. “I used to love goin’ over there for parties and other get togethers because I knew she would go all out and make sure we all had somethin’ we wanted.”

  “That’s what I was thinking about too,” I say with a smile as the tears fall freely.

  “We’ll keep her memory alive. And soon your dad will be back with you. He’s movin’ here when he gets better,” Colt tells me, surprising me with this information.

  “How do you know?” I ask him, turning in my seat to look at him as he parks the truck next to his mom’s.

  “Dad talked to him on the phone a few days ago. He won’t tell him anythin’ about what’s goin’ on with you. He wants your dad’s focus to be on gettin’ better,” Colt answers me. “Dad said he sounded really good and wants to come here. He wants to apologize to you and try to make things right.”

  “There’s nothing to make right with me, Colt. He’s my dad and I love him. When we lost Mom, he lost a major part of himself. She was his best friend, his soulmate, and the person who supported him no matter what. I’m glad he’s finally getting help and wants to be back in my life,” I say honestly.

  No matter what, I’ve never hated my father. I’ve been sad and lost, wishing he were there to guide me along the way. I couldn’t hate him for becoming so lost with her sudden loss. I imagine I’d feel the same way if I lost Colt. Hell, I did when they moved away. Now, it would be a million times worse.

  “I love you,” I tell him, needing him to know.

  “I love you too, angel,” he says, kissing me again before my door opens.

  Tonya is standing there with a hand on her hip. The second she sees my face, her own face fills with worry.

  “I’m okay. These are happy tears in a way,” I inform her. “We were just talking about my mom and dad. Remembering the good days.”

  “Oh, baby,” she says, letting me get out so she can pull me into her arms. “Let’s get some of the pies done she used to make. We’re going to celebrate your mom this Thanksgiving and don’t have much time to get everything done.”

  “Where are you doing Thanksgiving?” I ask as we grab things from the truck and make our way inside.

  “What do you mean ‘you’?” Colt asks me.

  “I mean, is your family having it here or at your house?” I ask again.

  “You’re part of our family,” Tonya says, admonishing me. “We’ll all be eating here so every member of the family is included. You and Zoey too.”

  “I didn’t want to intrude,” I mumble.

  “Angel, you’re mine. Zoey’s mine, and this other one is mine. I love you all more than I’ve ever loved anythin’ else. The second all this shit is over with, I’ll be puttin’ a ring on your finger. When I patch into the club, I’ll be makin’ you my ol’ lady,” Colt says, his tone leaving no room for argument. “My parents love you. Logan loves you. And the men of this club are beginnin’ to love you. You need to let them in and see them as your family, because that’s what they are. I’ll see you in a while.”

  Nodding my head, I grab the car seat and make my way into the kitchen where Tonya, Sydney, and Heaven are already standing. There’re baking sheets, pie tins, cutting boards, knives, and a ton of other things littering every available surface.

  “Okay, ladies,” Tonya begins. “This year, we’re going to honor my best friend in the world, Emersyn’s mom. She would make so much food for every occasion and it was all made from scratch and filled with love. Knowing she’s not here to celebrate with us, we’re going to make sure we do this right. Emersyn, we have the turkey and ham for dinner. Potatoes, yams, vegetables for the platter, crackers, pepperoni, and cheese. There’s all the stuff to make green bean casserole, rolls, and the stuffing she made. We’ll get it all made in the two days until Thanksgiving. What desserts are we going to make?”

  “Well, what does everyone like here?” I ask her and the other two women.

  “We actually have a list,” Sydney says, handing me over a piece of paper.

  I look at it and see apple, cherry, and pumpkin pie, fudge, cookies of different kinds, brownies, cheesecake, and blooming apples. I’ve never heard of them, but I’m sure it won’t be hard to make them. The list is long and I’m sure I’ll add a few of Mom’s favorites too. Especially the pumpkin cheesecake I know Logan loves. Blood always loved her turkey cupcakes too. So those will be on the list.

  “We’ll make it all. There will be something for everyone, which was a must for my mom. There’re a few things not on the list I’ll add too,” I say, looking up at the other three women. “Where are the sweet butts?”

  “I don’t know. Why?” Tonya asks me.

  “Well, they’re a part of the club and I don’t see why they can’t help us get this stuff done. That way they can be a part of the celebration from beginning to end,” I tell her.

  “This year will be a first for a lot of things,” Tonya says, walking around and hugging me to her. “I’ll go find them. It’s time we start including them in more things around here. Just not family day; that’s just for family and members.”

  The rest of us laugh because we get where she’s coming from. Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are one thing. Regular family days are another story entirely. These women are known for doing whatever they can to land a man; even if it’s only in their bed for the night or a few hours. Parties during the weekend are when they come out to play and the rest of us don’t like to stay and witness all of that.

  Tonya comes back in with the women in tow as the rest of us are washing our hands and getting ready to spend the day baking.

  “Girls, this is Emersyn’s show. You’re going to listen to her and do what she asks you to do. Is that understood?” Tonya questions them.

  “Yes,” they all say.

  “First thing is everyone needs to wash your hands. We’re going to do this right and that means we’ll all be making several different desserts at the same time,” I tell them. “Have any of you baked before?”

  Two of the women raise their hands and look around the room. The other two don’t make a move. Well, that can complicate things; they’ll have to work with others, so they don’t mess anything up.

  “You two, you’ll be working with Tonya and me. We’ll let you know what to do and you can learn from us. These desserts were made by my mother when she was alive and there’s a certain way she did things,” I say. “Tonya, do you still have the recipes she gave you?”

  “Never make anything without them.”

  Pulling out the recipes, I go through them and pull the ones we’ll need. There’re almost twenty-five recipes we’ll be making so I split them up between the six of us. Tonya was always a whizz with the pies, so I hand those recipes over to her. I keep the cheesecake, fudge, and blooming apple recipes. The other girls get the cookies, brownies, and a recipe for snickerdoodles.

  We all get busy working. I’m working with Needa. She helps gather all the ingredients for the different cheesecakes, the fudge, and the blooming apples. Looking over the recipe for the apples, I realize those shouldn’t be made until Thursday.

  “Needa, we’ll just be making the cupcakes, cheesecake, and fudge today.”

  “Oh, okay. I’m sorry,” she murmurs.

  “No, don’t be sorry. This is the first time I’m making them and didn’t realize they didn’t need to be made today. You can help me on Thursday if you want,” I tell her.

  Needa is a young woman, a little older than I am. She’s got long brown hair that’s natural and large, brown eyes. Her face isn’t caked with makeup. She’s also wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. If I met her on the street, I’d probably try to make friends with her. Needa also seems a little on the shy side and as if she’s been beaten down in her life. I’ll be keeping an eye on her.

  “Are you ready to dive in?” I ask her when she comes back to the table we’re working on.

  “Yes,” she says,
her voice soft.

  “Okay. I want you to take this recipe here and start it. Can you do that for me?” I ask, giving her the recipe for fudge.

  “Are you sure you want me doing this on my own?” she questions me.

  “Positive. I’ll be right here next to you,” I assure her, offering her a smile.

  Needa nods her head and gets to work making the peanut butter fudge. I keep glancing in her direction as I begin to make the cheesecakes. She’s a hard worker and follows the recipe exactly as it’s listed on the card.

  “Can I ask you a question?” I ask her after we’ve been working for a while.

  “Sure.”

  “What made you decide to become a sweet butt?”

  “I was on the run from my stepfather. He’s not a nice man. One day I met Lynne and she brought me to one of the parties. The men here didn’t make me feel stupid, like I couldn’t do anything right, or as if I were a drain on them. They also didn’t beat on me,” she answers. “After the first time I was here, I came back a few times and then became a sweet butt. It’s not a bad gig. I help clean, make sure the men have what they need, and stick to myself when I’m not needed.”

  “Oh. We have similar stories,” I tell her. “Mine’s not my stepfather, I don’t have one. My father checked out when my mom died. I became rebellious after years of taking care of the house, paying bills, and making sure my dad ate. My ex is abusive and now he’s looking for me. If you ever want to talk or get out of here, I’m a phone call away. Always.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to do this. I’m fine here,” she murmurs as Tonya comes up to us.

  “We all need a friend or two in life. Emersyn’s mom was my best friend and I miss her every single day. You and Em can have a great friendship if you let her in, Needa. You’re one of the good ones here and keep your head down and don’t step on anyone’s toes. You’re quiet, respectful, and I know someone is going to make you very happy one day. Let Emersyn in, you won’t regret it,” Tonya tells her.

  “Okay. Thank you,” Needa says.

  Taking out a piece of paper, I write down my cell phone number and hand it over to her. Needa puts it in her pocket with a shy smile. I smile at her once more and then we get back to work.