Everlasting Love

by M. S. Brannon

  “Jeremy!” I call out with panic flooding my voice. “Hunter!”

  I am instantly transported back to all the nights of pain I experienced. The hurt overcomes me as I recall my brother’s suicide, my mother’s suicide, Jeremy being bound and tortured by my father, his incarceration, and everything in-between. It’s all coming back to me, and I feel like I could throw up at any moment.

  I round the corner to find Hunter sitting on the toilet while Jeremy is washing his hands in the sink. I look to Hunter who appears to be fine then back to Jeremy.

  The first thing I notice is a large laceration on his scalp. The wound looks pretty deep; deep enough stitches may be needed. Jeremy connects his eyes with mine and slightly shakes his head. No? As in, he’s not going to tell me what happened? Or no, not right now? I am livid. I can feel my face heating with anger as all my anxiety turns into me being really pissed off.

  “Hunter, can you go to your room? I need to talk with daddy.”

  Hunter stands from the toilet and hugs Jeremy’s waist. My husband doesn’t hesitate embracing him in a hug, kissing him on the top of the head.

  I shut the door behind Hunter and glare at Jeremy. “What the hell happened?”

  I turn around to face my wife. I know it will be hard to tell her what just went down with Tank and Victor. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Cami as mad as she is right now. She’s a little spitfire sometimes, but right now is not the time to make a remark about how cute she is when she’s mad.

  “Look, before you freak out, I need you to calm down and then stitch up my head.”

  Before I can gauge her emotion, Cami lifts her palm and slaps me hard across the face. My skin ignites. However, before I can register how hard she hit me, Cami does it again, with a closed fist this time.

  I snatch her wrists in my hand and pin them to her sides. My eye is throbbing, and my rage is rising. Cami doesn’t break her gaze. She only sneers at me, and I can’t help thinking, what the hell?

  “How could you?” she whispers, fighting off the tears collecting in the corners of her eyes.

  “What? You don’t even know what’s going on.” I keep her wrists pinned to her sides, being careful not to hurt her.

  “You don’t need to say anything! You’ve been fighting. How could you do that when you are so close to being off parole?” Cami’s tears begin to run down her cheeks. Although she’s trying to remain strong, it slowly begins to fade as the tension in her body starts to melt.

  “Baby.” I kiss her cheek, tasting the salty tear resting on her skin. “Baby, please, just let me explain.”

  Once Cami looks to me and only nods her head, I let go of her arms. She finds her way to the toilet and sits on the lid. I get down on my knees and face her like a man. I’m going to tell her what happened, and then I will tell her we are leaving as soon as we can.

  “Tank and Victor have been following me for a while now.”

  “What?” The tears free-fall as her eyes widen, her mouth remaining open in shock.

  “Finally, I confronted them today. They want me to get back into the life, saying I owed it to Matt and them for all the crap they had to put up with. Before I knew it was happening, we were fighting. Tank fired a shot.” I point to my scalp and Cami gasps. “I was able to fight them off, but I realized they will never leave us alone. They will always want that part of me, and I can’t risk it. I won’t risk it.”

  “So what do you want to do?”

  I move closer to her body and kneel between her legs. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I wrap mine around her waist. My unborn son is pushing against my torso. Feeling her hard, swollen belly solidifies why I need to get my family out of here.

  I pull the parole letter from my back pocket and finish opening the envelope. I only read the first sentence, and know it is the news I wanted to read when I see the words “successful completion.”

  I smile as I scan the rest of the document and see my parole has been over for the last two weeks. Finally, I can let go of the past and have a future with my family.

  I look into Cami’s beautiful brown eyes, and I hold my unborn child growing in her stomach when I whisper, “Leave, baby. We can leave.”

  For as long as I can remember, change has not been something I have been able to manage. As a child, I had so much change happen that now, as an adult; it’s hard for me not to maintain control of my life. I need structure and routine.

  When Presley was suffering through her darkest days, I held tight to the little structure I had at that time to keep me functioning from day-to-day. That entailed my job and caring for Mia.

  However, in the last few months, change has been happening every time I turn around. And, in all honesty, I’m not really sure what is going on lately. All I know is Reggie and Darcie are set to leave tomorrow, Jeremy and Cami are already gone, and Jake and I are the only ones who remain in Sulfur Heights. Half of our family unit is gone. It’s been impossible to get my head wrapped around everyone leaving, and the old feelings of abandonment I have tucked so far down inside have resurfaced. That’s not all that’s left, though.

  This whirlwind ride all started with Reggie and the night he was shot. Zoe and I were baffled as to why the alarm went off, but when we entered The Slab, nothing could have prepared us for the scene we found.

  Darcie was screaming like I have never heard before. The sound rivaled the worst horror movie heroine. I looked at the end of the bar and saw Grady dead on the floor. Zoe pushed past me and fell to the ground next to Reggie’s lifeless body, wasting no time to give him mouth-to-mouth. Reggie was dying, and in that moment, I felt like I was, too.

  The sight was all too familiar: blood surrounding his body, Darcie wailing in agony by his side. The sight and smell of blood began to trigger the worst memories, plummeting me back to the scene of Presley’s murder.

  I stood still as Reggie’s body was transformed into Presley’s. My knees started to tremble, and standing upright was excruciating. I remember blinking and rubbing my eyes, trying everything I could to get Presley’s dying body out of my mind. Then I could suddenly feel the sticky, crimson liquid covering my skin, soaking through my jeans, and all I wanted to do was run. I knew none of this was real, that I wasn’t reliving Presley’s murder again, but all I could do was stand there and try to snap out of my trance.

  Darcie’s shrill scream finally broke through, snapping me back to the present. I severed my eyes from Reggie’s blood-soaked body and looked over to Darcie. I knew that was the only place I needed to be. It was challenging, yet I managed to swallow down all the horrors alive in my memory and attend to Darcie’s broken soul. I knew exactly how she felt.

  It was an awful night, and the next couple of weeks were just as bad. We didn’t know if he was going to live. However, like the stubborn fucker he is, Reggie wasn’t going to leave this world by the hands of Grady McGuire.

  Once we knew Reggie was going to be fine, it felt like life was returning to normal. Mia was coping with the situation, as was I, and Zoe was working extra hours at the bar to help cover for Darcie’s absence.

  Just as things started feeling like they were back in my control, from left field, my boss pulled me into the office, and I was let go permanently due to cut backs. I was one of the senior staff at the plant, and they couldn’t afford to pay me anymore. My job had been eliminated. It was like I was in a downward spiral to Hell. However, when Jeremy came over to our apartment, it was the hardest loss I have had in a long while. It felt like the last straw.

  Zoe and I were seated on the couch, watching a movie, when Jeremy began to knock on the other side. When he came in, he looked completely overwhelmed, yet happy. The sight was quite strange. Cami and Hunter followed behind him, both sitting on the couch. Mia came from her bedroom, and Jeremy asked Hunter to go back with her and play.

  “What’s going on, man?” I asked, knowing it was close to eight at night, and the kids needed to be in bed soon. Jeremy began messing with his hands, clenching t
hem into hard fists then relaxing them with a firm shake. “Why you here so late?”

  “I’ve just come to tell you we’re leaving.” Leaving? What the hell did he mean by leaving? My face must have looked confused because Jeremy wasted no time explaining further. “Tank and Victor have been following me and making threats on my family. I have to get out of here, and we’re leaving tonight.”

  “What about your parole? You can’t just leave until you’ve taken care of that, or you’ll be sent back to prison.” I stood from the couch and walked to the fridge where I opened a bottle of Guinness and began to chug it down. The cold ale woke me out of my trance, allowing me to really start processing what Jeremy was telling me.

  As Jeremy met me in the kitchen and stood in front of me, the look in his eyes told me he was worried I would hate him again, but I wouldn’t. I only needed a moment to understand what was going on.

  “Look, if I could stay, I would. But, as long as we’re here and they’re operating the underworld, it will never end. They will never leave me alone. I have to get my family out of this place.” He was pleading with me to understand. “I have to get far away from here.”

  I stood back and studied Jeremy’s face. The worry lines were prominent, and the panicked tone in his voice told me this would be the only way. I looked to the side of his head and noticed a fresh, stitched up wound, and his knuckles were scabbed over. He didn’t appear to be out of control like he used to be, but I knew those wounds had been inflicted by someone from his past.

  “What happened?” I asked, pointing to his head.

  “They confronted me, and I fought back. Look, I didn’t want to just up and leave without saying anything, but we’ve got to get the fuck out of here. Jake and Reggie already know we are leaving. You’re the last stop.” Jeremy moved in closer and held his hand out for a shake. I bent my head down and stared at his hand like it was covered with shit. I didn’t want to tell my brother goodbye, and I didn’t want to shake his hand. I simply wanted everything to remain the same.

  “What about your stuff and Cami’s job? Or Hunter’s school? How the hell are you dealing with all that?” I pushed his hand away from me then walked back to the fridge. I didn’t need another drink; I simply needed to move. We had barely gotten reacquainted, and it felt impossible to watch him leave.

  I was angry in that moment. I hated feeling like a pussy, but when someone I am close to leaves, it triggers the worst feelings. I hadn’t felt them in years, and then there they were, slapping me in the face. I hated him in that moment.

  “Reggie is moving our stuff, Cami called her boss and quit her job, and Hunter understands why we are leaving. This is not how I wanted to get out of this place, but once I confronted Tank and Victor, I knew this would never stop as long as I’m living here.” Jeremy turned on his heel to walk back to the living room, but my next question stopped him.

  “I assume, since Reggie is moving your stuff you’re moving to Eden Heights as well?” I asked; wanting to reassure myself he was not totally abandoning all of us.

  “Yes, we were going to head south, but after the great things Reggie and Darcie said, we decided that’s where our family needs to be. That way, when you visit, we will be able to see each other. If it were your family in danger, you’d do the same thing.” Jeremy clapped me on the back then headed back into the living room.

  We found the girls hugging and wiping tears from their faces. Once Jeremy motioned for Cami to get up and then called for Hunter, the family stood in front of us, and I felt like that was going to be the last time I would see my brother. The look on his face caused the hurt of being abandoned yet again in my life. I didn’t want him to leave, but I understood why. It would be hard not to.

  Jeremy opened the door, and when he turned, he nodded his head then disappeared. That was two weeks ago, and I haven’t heard from him since.

  Still, to this day, I can’t escape the loss I felt when Jeremy left. I spend my days at home because I can’t get a fucking job in this town, wondering if he’s okay or what he’s doing. I miss him and his family. I never thought that would be something I could say, but since his release, we have worked really hard to become friends again. Now I can safely say we are more than friends; we are brothers again, and I would do anything for him. However, now he’s gone, and soon Reggie will be gone. By the end of tomorrow, two of the greatest people I know will be gone, and Jake and I will be all that’s left in their wake.

  I am beat when I walk from The Slab to my car. Now that Gavin and Big Mike have possession of The Slab, I have been pulling double shifts until they can get things up and running fully. The customers were sad to see Reggie and Darcie leave; however, when I looked at Reggie and Darcie’s faces as they left for the final time, they didn’t seem sad at all. Both of them released a relaxing breath of air, waved goodbye, and walked out. Tonight, I am looking forward to relaxing with my family as we say farewell to Reggie and Darcie.

  I’m very grateful Gavin decided to keep me on the staff, especially since Drake lost his job, but he has me working more than I ever did before. The extra money is helpful, considering unemployment doesn’t give you shit, but my tolerance for people is slipping quickly. Luckily, Drake is a freak about money and always manages to have some saved, but it won’t last forever. If he doesn’t get a job, he will slowly go crazy.

  I suggested working at Jake’s shop since Jeremy is no longer there, but Drake doesn’t know cars the way Jeremy does. And I don’t know if it’s a good idea for Drake and Jake to work so closely together. They get along, but I’m not convinced that would last if Drake had to be bossed around by Jake.

  So, here I am, working my ass off to support my family. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but I love being at home more. We have a pretty great family dynamic, keeping it low key during the week. Mostly, we hang out at home and play board games or watch movies. I love this about us. I never imagined I would want this kind of life when I moved here, yet I couldn’t imagine not being here with Drake and Mia.

  As I walk to my car, I pull out my cell phone and see a reminder text from Drake about going to Reggie’s house to say goodbye. I fall into my Chevelle and yank my hair from the bun before scooping up the strands to retie my long, brown hair in a messy bun on top of my head.

  When I pull out of the parking lot, I make my way to our apartment. It’s the same apartment I moved into after I buried my aunt and began my relationship with Drake. We have had some amazing memories here, and watching Mia grow has been so much more rewarding than I ever expected.

  After I left Wisconsin, the last thing I wanted was a serious relationship, and a kid was out of the question. I wanted to live my life as a free spirit. I just wanted to go anywhere and be whoever I wanted. However, the moment I rolled into Sulfur Heights and spotted Drake sitting down at the bar, I couldn’t fight the pull. Then, when our eyes finally connected, I knew that was the moment I was forever attached to Sulfur Heights. At the time, I had no clue. As I reflect on it today, though, it was that moment. I love him more than anything in the entire world.

  When we met, we both were in very dark places. Yet, together, we decided to face those crippling pasts to move forward with a happy future. He is everything unexpected, yet perfect. Tall, dark, and handsome, he has brown eyes that will suck you in and shatter every wall you put up along with a body you only see in the movies. Ripped, toned, and chiseled, every inch of his body is pristine. Working a heavy bag has done wonders for him over the years. He’s not grotesquely huge but definitely cut. Oh, yeah, that’s my man.

  However, as flawless as he is on the outside, he remains broken on the inside. Regardless, I’ve been saying it from day one—he’s my kind of perfect. I love that about him. Actually, I think that’s what I love about him the most—he’s slightly flawed, like me.

  Mia and I are as close as a mother and daughter could be. She is a smart little thing and very perceptive. For as young as she is, it doesn’t take much for her to pick up on some
thing. She has been placed in advanced reading and math classes and loves school, but boy does she have her Uncle Jake’s temperament.

  Unlike her daddy, Mia is not shy and quiet. She will speak her mind to anyone, and if they aren’t listening, she will make sure they do. Case in point, we got called to the school for Mia sitting on a boy, pinning him down because he wouldn’t play by the rules of kickball during recess. Mia said she explained the rules, and when he told her to shut up, she decided to take matters into her own hands. From what everyone’s said, as well, Presley was the very opposite of this, so Drake and I have agreed she spent too much time with her Uncle Jake in her formative years, and now we are left with the aftermath.

  Before Jeremy and Cami left town, Hunter and Mia were as close as any kids I have ever seen. Actually, from the day they met, they have been close. Therefore, this transition has been hard for her, but she is trying to get a handle on it. Like her daddy, Mia is not good with change sometimes. We’ve seen a rise in her bad behavior, not only at school, but at home. I understand her loss, though. I lost my best friend when Cami left and now Darcie will be gone. I simply reassure her that, although Hunter doesn’t live here anymore, she will still see him and be a part of his life.

  One of the hardest conversations Drake and I had with Mia is when she asked what really happened to her mother. I will never forget that moment. We were sitting around the table eating dinner, Drake and I carrying on about our day, when she blurted out her question. Drake nearly choked on his food, and I froze in mid-bite, my gaze darting between Mia and Drake. We were stunned, not knowing what to say. She completely took us off guard, which is something that inquisitive girl does a lot. We knew the conversation was going to happen eventually; however, neither one of us where prepared. In fact, Drake still struggles talking about Presley all these years later. The night she died, he died a little, too. I get that.