by Erin Osborne
“Where do you want us to start?” Memphis asks me.
“Why don’t you guys take care of the living room and the pool table. Onyx and I are working in the bedroom. It shouldn’t take us long to finish up in there,” I answer him.
Onyx and I head to the bedroom. She starts grabbing my clothes out of the closet and takes them off of the hangers. As she folds them, I place them in the suitcase laying open on the end of the bed. She ends up moving faster than I do so she starts piles on the end of the bed for me to pack. Once she’s done with the clothes in my closet, Onyx makes her way to the bathroom and packs it up in the boxes I have placed in there already.
It takes us hours to be done packing my apartment up. Onyx works circles around us and makes us all look horrible. Well, makes me look bad. The guys are too busy joking around to worry about working faster than my wife. Hell, Damon leaves to get pizza and shit for dinner and it takes him an hour and a half before he comes back. He probably stopped to get a quickie somewhere before picking our food up.
But we’re finally all done and everything is being loaded onto the U-Haul. Onyx is definitely confused when we get down and head to her SUV. The guys and I have kept it from her so far and I can’t believe none of us spilled the beans about the house so far. It’s time for me to tell her though. I don’t want her walking into something she may not want.
“So, um, I have to talk to you,” I begin. “When we were on tour still, I contacted a realtor about buying a house. That’s where we’re going right now.”
Onyx doesn’t say a thing for a few minutes. I’m worried about her reaction as I take my eyes from the road and look at her quickly.
“Where is it?” she asks.
“On the outskirts of town,” I respond. “It’s not too over-the-top but it does have a recording studio in it. I thought it would be easier when you get further along in the pregnancy.”
“Okay. I’m not happy you didn’t discuss it with me first, but I like the surprise and I can’t wait to see it,” she finally tells me.
I pull her hand up and press a kiss to the back of it. Onyx smiles at me and doesn’t pull her hand back from me.
The rest of the ride to the new house, Onyx remains silent. She keeps her attention outside the window and looks at the surrounding area. It’s not like we haven’t left Blue Springs, but we usually don’t come out this way, so Onyx wants to pay attention to where we are so she can figure out where we’ll be living.
Well, until her phone starts ringing.
“Hello?” she asks answering the phone.
“Is this Mrs. Wheeler?” a voice asks through the speakers in the SUV.
“Yes, who’s this?” she questions.
“It’s Officer Cruise. I’d like to inform you that your dad was sentenced today. He’s not going to be seeing the light of day for a long, long time. I can’t thank you enough for your testimony,” the officer says.
“Thank you so much for letting me know. And you’re sure he’s not going to make bail or anything?”
“No, he’s not. Bail was denied. With everything he’s done and put you through, there’s no way he’s getting out on bail or when he first goes up for parole,” he answers.
“Thank you for the information,” Onyx says.
“You’re welcome. I’m sorry you’ve had to go through this and I’m glad we got this taken care of for you,” he says before hanging up.
Onyx goes back to looking out the window and I know she doesn’t want to talk about the case or what’s going on, so I let her have this time and peace. We’re almost to the house anyway.
My wife perks up when I turn on the blinker and pull into a gated driveway. I pull up to the panel and punch in the code so the gate swings open. As I begin to pull through it, Onyx tries to look at everything at once. I almost want to laugh at her expressions as we pull up to the house.
It has a circular driveway after the long lane of the driveway. I pull around toward the farthest part of the circle so Diesel can pull the U-Haul in closer to the front door. It will make it easier to unload it.
Onyx gets out and I tell her to go in and look around. I’ve already been here and seen everything for myself, so I hand her over the keys and let her wander inside. The guys look at the house and let out low whistles when they get their first glimpse of the house.
“You did fucking good,” Diesel tells me, slapping me on the back.
“Thanks. I just hope Onyx feels the same way,” I tell them.
“She will. She’ll love this house and that’s from seeing it from the outside,” Memphis tells me.
“I’ll take you on tour before we get started unloading this shit,” I tell the guys.
We head inside and it’s to a large foyer. There’s a den off to the left and the living room to the right. Stairs are right in front of us, off to the left. Walking straight back, we head to the kitchen with the attached dining room. There’s a patio door at the end of the kitchen leading to the pool and expansive back yard.
“Are you in here, Knight?” Onyx calls from upstairs.
“Yeah, baby. We’re coming up now,” I answer her.
The guys and I head upstairs and see the five doors lining the hallway. At the very end of the hallway is the door to the bathroom with four bedrooms before it. Our room is the very last one on the right. It’s got a large bedroom, walk-in closets for each of us, an en suite bathroom, and there’s a room off the side of it. The small attached room is perfect for a nursery when we first bring the baby home.
“I love this house. Thank you so much, Knight,” she says, jumping in my arms and wrapping her legs around me.
“I love you, baby,” I respond, walking her further into the room so the guys can enter.
“Alright, let’s get this shit unloaded so we can go back and get Onyx’s,” Diesel says. “And I want to see the recording studio.”
I lead everyone down to the basement. It’s finished and one end is filled with several pieces of workout equipment. The opposite end is where the recording studio is. It’s already all set up with everything we need to record and I can’t wait to get our team in here and record an album.
The rest of the day goes by in a flurry of activity. There’s unloading the U-Haul of my things so we can go back and get Onyx’s things. She goes with us so she can pick and choose what she wants to bring with us. I don’t know why she bothers because we end up packing it all and unloading it at the new house.
Once we’re all done, we have a cookout and just enjoy what’s left of the night. The only piece of furniture we put together is Onyx’s bed in our room and the rest we decide to wait until the coming days. This is the life I want to live as I lay down that night with my wife and hold her close to me. I’ll be happy if this is how we spend the rest of our days.
Epilogue
Diesel
WE’RE FINALLY BACK home and done with helping Onyx and Knight move into their new home. It’s been one hell of a journey over the last few months and I’m glad it’s finally over.
I pull into my house and shut my truck off. For a few minutes, I just sit in the driveway and look around at the house I live in with my sister, Darlene. Damon lives on his own, but I’m here to take care of her for the most part. When we’re out on tour, she spends most of her time with her best friend, Karma.
Looking to my right, I see Karma’s car sitting in the driveway. Instantly, my cock is hard as fuck and I haven’t even laid eyes on her yet. It’s been like this for a while when it comes to Karma. She’s been my sister’s best friend for as long as I can remember. Wherever one of them is, the other one is close behind.
I start to think of the hell Onyx was just put through to get my raging cock under control so I can make my way inside.
Walking through the door, I hear music blaring and the girls singing very off-key. Laughter fills me as I walk into the kitchen and see them dancing around the room while baking something that smells like it’s burning.
“You two tr
ying to burn the house down?” I ask, leaning my hip against the counter.
“Shit! Diesel, you scared me,” Darlene shrieks.
“I’m sorry. But seriously, what are you burning?” I ask again.
My eyes turn to Karma and I want to walk over to her. She’s a hell of a lot skinnier than the last time I saw her and her hair looks as if she hasn’t washed it in a while. Instead of the luscious dark locks hanging down her back, it’s dull, lifeless, and looks to be knotted from more than just getting out of bed. I also notice she’s wearing a ton more make-up than normal.
Karma has always been a bit of a wild child, wearing make-up, going out on dates, and all sorts of shit. Today, I’d rather see that side of her than the scared, lost-looking little girl I see before me.
“You okay, Karma?” I ask her finally taking a step in her direction.
“Yeah. Dar, I’m gonna head out now that your brother’s home. Call me later,” she says, avoiding all eye contact with me.
“Oh, okay, Karma. You sure you have to head out now?” my sister asks her.
“Yeah. Need to make dad dinner and clean before he gets home,” she responds.
Karma rushes from the room and I see her wince as she passes by me. I turn my gaze from her retreating form to my sister. She’s never kept anything from me before, unless it had to do with Karma. If she’s in trouble, I don’t know if Dar will tell me what’s going on, but I have to try.
“What’s wrong with her?” I ask.
“What do you mean?” she asks, evading the answer.
“I mean, why does Karma look like shit? She’s got a shitton of make-up on and she’s lost a ton of weight,” I tell her. “If you don’t tell me, I’m going to figure it out myself.”
“I can’t, D. I promised Karma I wouldn’t say a word,” Dar tells me as tears fill her eyes.
Leaving my sister standing there in the middle of the kitchen, I run out to my truck. Peeling from the driveway, I head toward Karma’s house. If Dar won’t tell me, then I’ll find out from Karma myself. No one better be laying a hand on her or they’ll be buried and no one will ever find their fucking body.
I park just down the street from Karma’s house. Her car is in the driveway and I watch as her father pulls in and makes his way inside the house. Even from a few houses down, I can hear yelling and screaming, so I get out of my truck and run toward the house.
The door is halfway open and I burst through it in time to see Karma’s dad punch her dead in the face. She drops to the floor and he begins to kick her in the side, head, and back. Fuck this!
“Get your fucking hands off her!” I yell, charging the older man and knocking him to the floor.
“This doesn’t concern you. It’s between my slut of a daughter and me,” he barks out.
“The fuck it doesn’t. Karma, go pack your things. You’re coming home with me,” I tell her, making sure her father doesn’t go anywhere near her.
“You can’t fucking do that,” her father spits out.
“Either she comes with me and you leave her the fuck alone or I’m going to call the police right now and we’ll drag them in to make the decision,” I tell him.
“You can’t threaten me,” he says.
“It’s not a threat, it’s a promise. And I’ll beat your ass before I call them. Call it self-defense. Or trying to make sure you didn’t go back to beating on an innocent girl because you think you can. And let’s not forget Karma is almost nineteen. She can be on her own without you having a say in it,” I tell him.
Once Karma has her things packed in a few bags, I lead her from the house and help her get into her car, a car Damon and I bought her when she graduated high school. After telling her I’ll follow her, she backs out of her driveway and heads toward my house. Dar is going to get a piece of my mind for not telling Damon and I about this shit sooner.
Karma
Knowing Diesel would be at the house today has me torn in two. I haven’t seen him since they got back from their latest tour and I really want to. I’ve loved him since I was thirteen years old and I hate seeing him with other women. But I don’t think today is the day to see him.
My dad beat on me again last night because I didn’t do the dishes after dinner fast enough for him. Now, my face is layered in make-up to hide the bruising and I’m wearing layers to hide the bruises on my arms and sides.
I’m not sure what’s going on with my dad lately, but he’s angry all the time. It wasn’t even like that when my mom passed away. She had a heart attack a few years ago and they couldn’t save her. Instead of forgetting about me, my dad and I became close and we did everything together. Up until a few months ago, at least.
A few months ago, he started coming home disheveled and not in his right mind. On top of the anger, he’s been constantly moving and on the phone. If I knew better, I’d say he’s on drugs, but I can’t be sure.
Diesel bursting into my house as he’s beating me is humiliating. Darlene, my best friend and sister from another mister, is the only one who knows my shame. And I know she hasn’t told her brothers because they haven’t called me or left the tour. I wouldn’t put it past either one of them to leave the tour and come to my rescue. Diesel and Damon see me as their second little sister. That’s all I’ll ever be to the twins and it hurts when I think of Diesel that way.
Now, I have to figure out how to hide my attraction to D since I’ll be living under the same roof as him. It can’t go anywhere because I’m not his type and I’m best friends with his little sister. What the fuck did I do in my life to cause this type of shit to be happening to me?
Knight’s Unforeseen Change Playlist
Pressure – Rains
What If I Was Nothing – All That Remains
Addicted – Saving Abel
Torn To Pieces – Pop Evil
Cold – Crossfade
Don’t Let Go – Deepfield
Look In My Eyes – Rains
Two Weeks – All That Remains
Headstrong – Trapt
So Far Away – Staind
My Kind of Crazy – Brantley Gilbert
Through Glass – Stone Sour
Never Gonna Be Alone – Brantley Gilbert
All On Me – Devin Dawson
Breathe Into Me – Red
Nobody Knows – Pink
Breath – Breaking Benjamin
Angel – Theory of a Deadman
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I need to thank my kids. You always stand by me and give me time to write. You’re my biggest fans and support me no matter what. I love you more than you’ll ever know.
My PA, Melissa. Thank you for all the help and trying to keep my crazy ass on task. I appreciate the talks and everything you’ve done since agreeing to take me on.
Kim, thank you for being you. You’re a part of my family and someone I don’t know what I’d do without. I love ya lady!!
To my beta girls. Thank you for everything. You point out mistakes and get me feedback immediately. Especially if I tell you I’m on a crazy deadline. Without you, this process wouldn’t work and I’m glad to be able to send you more stories now as I heal.
Courtney. You’re one of my best friends, a kickass editor, and an amazing person to know. Thank you will never be enough for everything you’ve done.
Rebecca. I can never thank you enough for putting up with my crazy ass ideas and the addition of more books to the never ending list of them.
Shelly. There are no words for your amazing talent. You have been working with me, helping me, and giving me advice since the beginning of my career. Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do for me and so many others.
To the fans. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to live my dream. I love putting stories out in the world for you and hearing from those of you who tell me how a story or character has reached you. I’m always available for anyone that needs an ear to listen. Thank you for your unwavering support. I love you all!
As always, I know I’m leaving someone out. To the rest of you, thank you. You have been by my side and stood by me as this year decided to kick my ass. Thank you just isn’t enough. I’ll find some way to repay you for everything.
About the Author
Growing up, I was constantly reading anything I could get my hands on. Even if that meant I was reading my grandma’s books that weren’t so age appropriate. I started out reading Judy Blume, then graduated to romance, mainly historical romance, and last year I found an amazing group of Indie authors that wrote MC books. Instantly I fell in love with these books.
For a long time, I’ve wanted to write. I just never had the courage to go through with actually doing it. During a book release party, I mentioned that I wanted to write and I received encouragement from an amazing author. So, I took a leap and wrote my first book. Even though this amazing journey is just starting for me, I wouldn’t have even started if it weren’t for a wonderful group of authors and others that I’ve met along the way.
I am a mother of three children. Only one girl in the bunch! My family and friends mean the world to me and I’d be lost without them. Including new friends that I’ve met along the way. I’ve lived in New York my whole life, either in Upstate or the Southern Tier. I love it during the summer, spring, and fall. But, not so much during the winter. I hate driving in snow with a passion!
When I’m not hanging out with my family/friends, reading, or writing, you can find me listening to music. I love almost all music! Or, I’m watching a NASCAR race.
I look forward to meeting new friends, even if I’m extremely shy!
Here are some links to connect with me:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErinOsborneAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/author_osborne