by Mj Fields
“Mary, he’s gotta get himself pumped up, just ignore it. He’d be the one addicted and running around in circles behind you like an Australian Shepherd trying to keep every other big bad wolf away.” Frankie looks at Shadows and he laughs.
“Your friend has lost her damn mind,” he tells Mary.
“It’s happened to bigger men,” she smirks.
“You talking about me, right? Cause you said bigger and I know for a fact-” Titan starts.
“Watch it,” I warn.
“If you weren’t so fucking conceited, you’d be hot. But all that arrogance along with that big truck you drive,” Renee holds up her pinky, “We all know you are overcompensating for something.”
“You want to taste the goods, Renee, so you can let her know what to prepare herself for?” Shadows stands and starts unbuttoning his pants, “Come on over.”
“Put that shit away,” Frankie laughs.
I look at the way Mary looks at Shadows and then at Renee; she seems hurt.
“I have to use the bathroom,” Mary stands and starts for the house.
“You may want to go, too,” I whisper to Frankie. She gives me an odd look, “Trust me, Angel. That shit just affected her.”
Frankie and Renee go in and I look at my friends, my brothers. “As fucked up as everything is, I wish I was going up with you two. Hate being left behind.”
“Not left behind, Irons,” Titan lifts his beer, “Preparing for what’s next.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Shadows raises his drink.
“So Smith it is?” Titan asks.
“Yes. I think Shadows has the right idea. Just have to make sure he is on board. I have a lot of work to do and little time to do it in, but it has to happen.”
“Nothing has to happen,” Shadows says as he sits back. “We have other things we can do, Irons. You wanna chill, and be Daddy, you go ahead. None of us would blame you.”
“Chill and sit back? I’m no good at that and you both know it, just as well as you know that would never fly with you. We try, if it doesn’t work, then on to other things. But I’m not a quitter and I am not gonna sit back in the dark with my tail between my legs. I’m gonna fight those motherfuckers who took my father, Lily’s mom’s a chance at maybe knowing her, and probably tried to kill me.”
We sit back when the girls come out, “Renee had a good idea. Do the two of you have social media?”
“Yeah, why?” Shadows asks.
“They should run your pages, build them up, get more interaction so that you are both visible when November hits,” Frankie says.
“Cock blocks, no thank you,” Titan laughs.
Frankie shrugs, “It was a great suggestion. They’re gonna head out.”
“Going home? The night is young,” Titan says.
“I’m going out, Mary’s going home.”
“Give me a ride, Little Lamb?” Shadows asks.
“Sure,” she says quietly. We all are shocked. She looks around, “He doesn’t need to drink and drive.”
“He can get a cab,” I say, trying to stop what I assume is going down.
“I will be fine, won’t I?” she asks Shadows.
“Fuck, yes, you will.” He laughs as he stands. “Take me home, Little Lamb.”
“Shadows, remember our talk,” I warn him.
He nods. I stand and give them both a half hug and a fly safe. But they both know, just like I do, that I will be seeing them off tomorrow.
“YOU HAVE AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with who?” I gasp when Maria Sanchez tells me she is too busy to come to our house today.
“Arthur Deveroux,” she repeats
“Well, I guess I was wrong about you then,” I snap.
“Angel, don’t,” Jax whispers, trying to calm me down.
“Not wrong, just slow on the offer. When I have gathered what I need from him, you and I-”
“I will not allow him to-”
“What did your gut tell you about me?” She doesn’t wait for an answer as she continues, “Tomorrow at nine p.m. I will meet with you and Jaxson at your home. I have the address,”
Then she hangs up, “What have I just done?”
“You need to relax. Nine tomorrow night is fine. Tomorrow afternoon, we take Lily to say goodbye to those,” he pauses and shakes his head, “people.”
“I think Lawrence should be there, just in case.”
“I agree. I’ll message him. You go get into bed. I’ll be in, in a few minutes.”
I lay down next to Lily and she nuzzles her back up to me in her sleep. The connection I have with her is amazing, immediate, and I know she feels it, too. She feels it for Jaxson just as much.
I love that she seems to be adjusting so well to this, the changes, the overwhelming amount of hugs, and people in her face at all times. She was obviously starved of attention: of love for many, many years, her whole life.
Jax slips into bed behind me and pulls me against him, “Everything is set.” He reaches out and rubs his hand down her face and then kisses the back of my head. “Thank you.”
“For what, Jaxson?”
“Loving the way you do.”
~*~
Jaxson is gone early. I know he is with Shadows and Titan, he left a note. Although I wished he had told me, I am pleased that he is doing this now.
Lily and I make eggs and toast, together. My parents wake to the surprise and laugh that the kitchen is smoke-free and the breakfast is not burnt. When we have finished, my father takes Lily outside and she plays in the sand. Mom and I watch them.
“She’s beautiful,” Mom whispers.
“She looks like Will and Jax-”
“Interesting combination.”
“I know it’s Mimi’s eyes, but to me, seeing her for the first time I thought she was Jax’s; it’s etched in my mind.”
“She looks like you did at her age. Almost exactly.”
“Really?”
“Yes, no wonder your husband is so different with her than everyone else. Very open, very loving; amazing, actually.”
“He is.”
“You say that with sadness in your voice.”
“I look at him, Mom, and I am so afraid that someday someone is going to take him away from me. I am so happy I’m pregnant, so happy to be his wife, to have the man I have loved, truly loved for so long, but I am on edge whenever I am not with him. I love him so much.”
“He loves you just as much,” I hear Jax from behind us. I turn around and look at him. “You and I are forever, Frankie. I’m not going anywhere. I’m too selfish not to have you in my reach all the damn time.”
He holds up a bag, “I did stop at a department store. Got some things for Lily for today. I think we need to take her shopping. She’s got what, one swim suit and three outfits?”
“Oh my God, I never even thought of that.” I shake my head.
“Her room could use some attention as well. William and I would like to go with you all today.”
“Of course,” Jax nods. “She needs us all.”
~*~
When we walk into the hotel, Lily is at my side holding my hand in one of hers and the stuffed bear in another. Jax is beside her with his hand on her shoulder.
“Do you want to push the button?” I ask once inside the elevator?
“No, that’s okay.”
“Your father and Francesca used to always try to be the first to push the button.”
“Yes,” I laugh, “He always beat me, too. Got to it first.”
“Until you pouted and cried, then he was a little easier on you,” my father laughed.
“A very little,” I wink at Frankie. “Go ahead, push the number eleven.”
She points at the eleven and when I nod, she pushes it with her bear’s paw, “Will did it first again.”
We all laugh and she hugs the bear tight, while looking up at Jax. “Good job, Firefly.”
There is a certain smile she gets when he uses that endearment with her. One that says she
is pleased he is proud of her. I don’t know if there is a reason behind it, but I understand its comfort.
We walk in and Lawrence is sitting with the couple. Jaxson walks forward and Lily reaches out and grabs his shirt, and he looks back with concern. Her eyes flutter and she is fighting back tears. He steps back and puts his hand on her shoulder, where it was before, calming her.
“Lily wanted to say goodbye,” Jaxson says.
“Thank you for bringing her,” the woman says and looks at Lily. “It will be like it was before, Lily, not much of a change. Except it will seem like they are your nannies and we will just be gone more.”
“They aren’t my nannies.”
“No, I suppose not.”
“Did you know about them? Did you know I had a family?” she asks.
The man nods, “Adoption is complicated.”
“When people adopt, they don’t go away and stay gone for a long, long time. They don’t. I know because I read books about it.”
The woman looks at Lily, “Lily, you know that not telling the truth causes problems. You haven’t read-”
“I’m telling the truth. I read a book when I was five. It was about adoption and love and choosing a family instead of being born to one. Adoptive parents love their kids, they don’t leave them. They don’t get mad when they get upset. They don’t, they love them.”
“We loved you-”
“Never said it,” her eyes fill with tears and she fights them. “Never ever said that.”
“We’re sorry if you feel that way.”
“I hope you are nice if you adopt more children. I hope you love them and hug them, and tell them you miss them when you are gone away on Christmas, and their birthdays and every other day.”
When a tear falls she looks up at me, “I want to leave.”
“Okay, Lily. Okay.”
Jax picks her up, “Understand that if you try to fight this, I will win.”
“We’ve signed your papers. You and Francesca are her parents now, we just want to go home.”
“She is so much better off with this family,” he growls and turns to the door.
“Good luck, Lily. We only want what’s best for you,” the man says as we leave.
No one speaks when we are back in the vehicle; we are all waiting to see what she says first.
Jax doesn’t wait any longer. “Where to?”
“Are you and Frankie my parents now?”
“We have custody of you,” he answers, “When you feel comfortable calling us that, we will be. When you are ready-”
She nods and he stops talking.
“I wanna go get a book.”
“Lily, do you have trouble reading?” I ask.
“No. I had trouble feeling even more different than everyone else.”
“Do you still have trouble with that Lily?” my mom asks.
“No. Not anymore.”
~*~
We spend two hours at a department store; Lily didn’t seem to like any of the girly clothes. She picked out a few sundresses, very plain; she likes natural colors and nothing frilly. I was happy that she finally saw a couple things she liked. When Jax finally asked her what she likes, her eyes went to the active wear. She likes running pants, tee shirts, bathing suits, and shorts. She likes tank tops and flip-flops. She even likes hats.
Mom asked her to pick out bedding and again she was drawn to less frilly and more a nautical set. The only thing at all girly about it was the anchor in the middle that was a hot pink and stood out from the sandy tan color.
When Jax grabbed a Frisbee on our way out, she smiled. I saw the exchange. Jax smiled back.
They tossed that Frisbee on the beach for an hour and a half before dinner, and half an hour before bed, while Mom and I set up her room.
She read to me and Jax that night and she seemed so excited to do so. Almost as excited as he looked. She fell asleep in her bed while I read to her.
Jax looks over at me from the other side of the full size bed. “Should we move her?”
“I’m not sure.” I wasn’t either. “I think she wants to be in here, but-’
“You want her in our room?” he smiles.
“I know she needs to feel comfortable in her space. I know she does. This is so hard, Jax. So, the decision is yours.”
“I get the hard decisions?” he jokes.
“Yes, but you also get those stolen looks she gives you.”
“Stolen looks?”
“The Frisbee, the-”
“First time I saw her, she had missed one being thrown to her. Landed at my feet. I picked it up, she came over and we chatted. She apologized that she missed the damn thing. I told her I’m taller and would have missed it to. She asked my name. I told her Will. She seemed happy, Frankie. I would have never guessed she was dealing with all of that. I just wanted my little-” He stops and corrects himself. “Will’s little girl, to be happy.”
“She seems really happy now,” I say as I look at her.
“She is. I may get the glances, but you, Angel, she looks at you like you saved her and you did.”
“You saved her, Jaxson. We would have never known-”
“We all got her back.” He leans down and kisses her cheek. “I’m gonna go shower. If you want her in our bed, that’s fine.”
“Not fair,” I groan.
“It’s not fair that you’re telling me to make the hard decisions.”
At eight fifty five, there is a knock on the door and I hear Jax say, “Come in Ms. Sanchez.”
I slide out of Lily’s bed and use the bathroom, before walking out to meet Maria.
“PLEASE COME IN,” I SAY as I open the door wider, allowing her in.
“Thank you,” she says as she looks back at the cameraman behind her, “I’ll text if I need you.”
The dark-haired guy with the shoulder length mop nods and turns around.
Maria kicks off her shoes and sets them next to a pair of Adidas slides Lily had gotten today; she looks up at me without acting suspicious and nods to the living room, “Is there good?”
“Yes, wherever you are most comfortable,” I say.
“The shoes,” she says once she has her back to me. “Do they belong to the child you and Francesca are seeking custody of?”
I look over as Frankie walks out of the bathroom and stops dead in her tracks. When neither of us answers, she looks back, “Off the record, for now.”
Frankie walks over to me and neither of us say a word.
“Keep in mind, I just had a conversation with Deveroux this morning. Then I did some digging and pulled up to the Hilton as you two, Frankie’s parents, and Lily were getting into your car.
“Why? Why would you-”
“Look, I have a plan, a pretty amazing one at that, to get you into office. But the lies and secrets need to be exposed. My grandfather, who is completely white, had a promising political career until Senator Roberts,” she pauses and looks at us, “crushed his dream. He would have been a great leader. So, bottom line, I’m more into this for me than you. I’ve been following you, Jaxson Irons, through the past several months. I did a lot of digging, all the bones are buried in my closet. In fact, I have an arsenal of information that could bury the men who think they run this country; hell, they think they run this world. I was prepared to do just that, until I heard your wife and Mimi Deveroux in the bathroom not too long ago. So, I want to expose its vulnerability, I want those power hungry assholes and their puppets, to feel their powers slowly, painfully being torn away from them.”
“I won’t put my family in danger.”
“I won’t put my career in jeopardy. If I come out dragging that skeleton behind me and shouting from the roof tops that I have uncovered the corruption behind our political system, I will be the leader of the fucking crazies, the extremists who want to plow down the government. Who are pretty damn spot on, but I will never be taken seriously again. It would be career suicide. No wrongs will be righted. So I want to align mys
elf with the power. From what your wife said to Mimi that night, I know this is the side I want to be on. Since Francesca won’t run, and who can blame her, right now she wouldn’t win, so that leaves you.”
“What do you want, the promise of press secretary the-”
“No. I want to expose a version of the truth, which will swing the men who are going to support Deveroux to you without making him a bigger threat. I want to manipulate the situation, ensuring you win. That would be like taking one of the legs out from under the political power horse. They would find it painful but not a complete threat. It would give them the illusion that they had time to splint it, make it stronger and fully recover by the time you are old enough to become the youngest president of the United States of America. But I want to make sure every time they feel strong again, we take out another leg until they don’t know what hit them and they are left powerless.”
“Do you have something against horses, Ms. Sánchez?” Frankie asks.
“No, but I really adore puppies and couldn’t bring myself to take them out, even if it was only for visual imagery.”
Frankie smiles at her and she smiles back.
I look at my wife, “Do you trust her?”
“He says, as if I’m not even in the room.”
Frankie smiles at her again then looks at me, “Ninety-five percent.”
“What questions do I need to answer,” she asks Frankie.
“Do you find my husband attractive?” I am stunned when she asks this.
“Christ, Frankie,” I groan.
“What? I want to make sure she doesn’t want you, what’s so-”
“Jaxson is handsome. But I have no interest in men.”
“So you think my wife is-” Frankie elbows me.
“I think your wife is stunning and married, and not a lesbian. So where do we stand now, Francesca?”
Frankie looks back at me, eyes full of hope.
“Ms. Sanchez,” I begin, “I want to hear the plan.”
“Perfect. I want to make it fast because I have a camera crew waiting and I can promise you this plan is going to move swiftly.”