Everlasting Love

by M. S. Brannon

  Mia looked between both of us and said, “I know Zoe isn’t my mom, because I would be calling her Mom if she was. Auntie D told me my mom was with my nanny, but how did she get there, Daddy?”

  I put my fork down and sat back, wondering how the hell Drake was going to talk to her about it. He swallowed hard and took a drink of milk. He didn’t know what to say for a while, clearing his throat about fifty times before he responded to her question.

  “Well, sweetie … Your mom’s name is Presley, but you know she’s in Heaven, right?”

  “Yes, like my nanny,” Mia acknowledged. She was attempting to process what Drake was telling her, and Drake was trying to make this as smooth as possible. But he knew just as well as I did the inevitable question that would follow. “How did she die? Was she sick like Nanny?”

  I literally could not say anything. I only looked between the two, wondering if I should intervene or not. If I had intervened, what the hell would I have said? In that moment, I didn’t know, and to this day, I still don’t.

  Drake looked to me, and I simply shrugged. Then I thought about it for a second and knew Mia was mature enough to know the truth. The conversation was going to be uncomfortable, but she deserved to know.

  “Tell her,” I said, hoping for the best, hoping she wouldn’t be scarred for life from this conversation.

  As Drake looked back to Mia, her wide, honey-brown eyes begged for the answer. I knew Drake wouldn’t be able to hold out for long. He pushed his plate away and pulled Mia’s chair closer to him. Then he picked up her hand and placed it in his. He kissed the skin on top of her hand before replying, “Mia, baby, your mommy loved you very much. I want you to know that, okay? Because that is what’s important to remember, not how she passed away.”

  “Okay,” Mia answered and then climbed into Drake’s lap, waiting to hear what he was going to tell her.

  It was like I was witnessing a twisted version of story time at the library. My nerves were on edge because this could go one of two ways.

  “Your mother made really bad friends, and they didn’t like Daddy too much. One night, they came to hurt me and ended up hurting your mom instead.” Drake’s voice was very quiet yet soothing. He knew she deserved to know the truth of what happened, but what I was wondering was if he was going to tie in Jeremy’s connection to the loss.

  “Why did my mom make bad friends? Didn’t she know they were mean?”

  “Your mom was sick. Not cancer like Nanny, but sick from drugs. You remember what drugs are, baby?” Mia nodded and then leaned her face up to look at her dad. “She needed these bad friends because she was sick from drugs, and these friends ended up hurting her.” “Did they shoot her?” Drake snaps his head up to mine, and his eyes open as wide as possible. “In school, my teacher said the people who use drugs have guns, and they shoot people. Is that how she died?”

  “Yes, sweetheart, that is how your mom died. The man was trying to shoot Daddy, but your mom stopped him. He shot her in the process. Your mom was a very brave woman, and she loved you so much. That’s all you need to remember, sweetheart. Just remember how much she loved you.” Drake kissed her head.

  I looked at Mia. She didn’t seem affected by the conversation; however, she hadn’t had time to really process what we had talked about.

  “Now, why don’t you finish your supper, and then we’ll watch a movie.”

  Mia hopped from Drake’s lap and cleaned her plate.

  Drake didn’t sleep for days after the conversation. He felt incredibly guilty, but I don’t understand why. Since then, I have made it a bigger point to connect with Mia. It’s important she have that positive female role model in her life, and with her mother dead, it’s my job.

  When I can, we go shopping or get our nails done. Mia loves spending time with me, and I love every minute of it. We’ve become very close, and I hope she realizes how much I care for her and her father. I love Mia like she is my own child, and a little part of me hopes she will recognize that I’m more than her father’s girlfriend.

  When I arrive home, I find my family hunkered on the couch, playing on Mia’s tablet. It’s probably one of the best gifts we could have gotten her. She loves to read and play games on it. I look to my man, who is staring at the electronic gadget like it’s the strangest thing in the world. Mia is trying to show him what to do, but Drake has no clue. It’s rather funny to watch.

  “Hi, guys,” I say as I walk through the door. I set my purse down and slip my boots off before walking into the room.

  They both look at me and smile as I fall onto the couch next to Mia and look at the tablet. I have no idea what the hell she is doing on it, either, and quickly realize I’m too tired to even process it.

  “Hi, Zoe,” Mia says, snuggling into my side. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her closer to me.

  Drake looks over and winks. The sight of his sexy, kissable dimples makes me swoon and melt into a puddle of goo.

  I am exactly where I want to be. My life once consisted of running from place to place, escaping someone or something. Since I have been in Sulfur Heights, I think I have finally found myself.

  My mother, as horrible as she is, will always have my love along with the rest of my family; however, that is a place I will never see again. I will never choose to be around her toxic way of life. Do I miss her? Of course I do—she’s my mother—but I know what’s best for myself, and it doesn’t include her. I highly doubt she will have a change of heart when it comes to me, and that’s okay. As long as I’m not around to see and hear her negativity, I will be fine. I’m with Drake, and he will always make sure I’m okay.

  Mia is in her room, getting ready to go over to Reggie’s, and Zoe is in the shower, washing the bar stench off her skin. When I walk into our bedroom, I can hear the faint, soulful sounds of Etta James playing from Zoe’s iPod in the background. I enter our master bathroom to see my very sexy girlfriend under the water. The image of her naked body is distorted through the hazy shower doors, but it leaves nothing to my imagination.

  Her figure is impeccable. She is tall and nothing except legs, curves, and soft skin. Her long neck accentuates the curve of her shoulders and breasts. At times¸ I can’t believe this woman is real. She is straight out of a Victoria Secret catalog, and she’s mine.

  I walk out to the hall and peek into Mia’s room. She is curled up on her bed, nose stuck in a book. Perfect. She will be distracted for hours, and it’s my time to capitalize on this very sexy moment with my girl.

  After I quietly walk back to my room and remove all my clothes, I move to the bathroom, shutting the door then locking it. We don’t need any little mishaps with Mia walking in on what I’m about to do.

  I look to Zoe through the cloudy glass doors, seeing she’s bent over, washing her legs. Again, this woman looks like a model. The very sight stirs my dick awake. My body heats from the steam coming off the hot shower water, and after a moment of staring, I open the door, startling Zoe on the other side.

  She smiles her breathtaking, gorgeous smile yet soon recognizes how she makes me feel. Inside and out, this girl makes me feel like nothing else would compare. We stand toe-to-toe, only looking into each other’s eyes. Hers are as blue as the ocean and gleam whenever she looks my way.

  My breaths start to become deep and fast. I’m not sure if it’s from the heat of our enclosed space or being in her presence. However, before I can even debate the thought, Zoe steps closer to me.

  She runs her hands up my torso as her fingers trace each muscle in my abdomen. She sucks in her bottom lip, lightly biting it between her teeth, and then her arms find their way around my neck. I can no longer contain myself when I crash my lips into hers.

  We devour each other as we connect through our kiss. I grasp her waist and yank her closer to my body. She is completely against me, my dick pressing firmly into her stomach. Then Zoe gives me a little nod, our sign that she’s ready to fuck. Hell, so am I.

  I bend at my knees and
pick her up. She braces herself as I carefully spin around then press her back into the shower wall. The hot spray from the shower marries with my hot, lust-filled skin, the sensation powerful, raw.

  When I’m with Zoe, nothing else in this world matters. She is incredibly special to me. I growl under my breath, knowing how good it feels to be in this very moment with this amazing woman.

  Zoe adjusts her hips slightly and then slowly attaches her body to mine. I have one arm around her waist and the other on my dick, gradually guiding it into her tight opening. She sucks in a breath as her head falls back against the wall. As she closes her eyes, I stare at her, knowing the pleasure she always has when I enter her.

  Once I’m fully inside, I move my hand to the front of Zoe’s body and begin to massage her delicate spot. Her legs clench tighter around my hips as I work her over on the inside and out. I rock my pelvis up, keeping my movement slow, deep, and deliberate. She will fall apart soon, and then I will follow.

  Zoe keeps her head resting against the wall and her eyes closed as she rides the high from my body. I look nowhere else but at her and become captivated by her face when she finally releases a small cry of pleasure, falling head-over-heels into her orgasm.

  She leans her head forward, tucking it into the crook of my neck and calls out in intense pleasure, the sounds of her cry muffled by my skin. It makes me drive harder inside of her until I am matching her, pleasure for pleasure.

  I pump my hips up a few more times and explode in unimaginable bliss. My body releases into hers, my muscles stiffen, and my head begins to float. When we finally catch our breaths, Zoe only smiles, and I can’t help joining her. She is simply perfect. And that perfection is devoted to me.

  ***

  While the three of us walk into Darcie and Reggie’s house for the last time, it feels like good times and memories coming to an end. This is my childhood home, a place filled with some of the best and worst moments of my life, and now it will be no longer. After tonight, Reggie and Darcie will be on their way to Minnesota to begin a new life away from Sulfur Heights.

  To our surprise, they managed to sell the house. For weeks, we’ve all been trying to get our heads wrapped around tonight and it being the final time we will gather here as a family.

  Three important people in our family are missing, though. Reggie will see them soon, but I’m not sure when we will get that chance.

  Tonight will be bittersweet for all of us, and from the looks of things, Jake will be having the hardest time moving on.

  He’s been against this from the beginning. The moment Reggie told us he was leaving, Jake shut down. He’s been drunk whenever he’s not working and has done nothing except sulk in his disgust of the situation. From what Zoe’s said, Jake’s been staying at the shop. It’s like he’s checked out on life, including the one he has at home.

  He and Delilah are visibly on the outs, which leaves me unsure if she can get him out of his loathing.

  Jake can manage change, but when his twin left, a little part of him left, too. I was deep in my own hatred of my brother when Jeremy went to prison, but I still recall Jake holding on to hope that he would come home soon. However, now he’s gone, and we all know there is no way he is coming back. Not now, not ever. He has yet to hear from him, and I know that too is driving him crazy. It’s driving all of us a little nuts.

  And our mentor, brother, and best friend will be saying goodbye tonight. It feels like we are living in a fucked-up dream that all I want to do is wake from. I don’t want any part of this dream to come true. I simply want my brother to be here, in my life, forever.

  The sound of screaming, happy kids passes through the back door as Jake and Delilah’s army of children marches through. The twins are first, wrestling as they come across the threshold.

  “Uncle Drake!” Hale shouts as he lets go of his brother and then runs full speed over to my arms. I pick him up and give him a tight bear hug.

  Before I know it, I’m being swarmed by his twin Kade. I yank Hale over my shoulder and grab Kade up by his waistband. I start to swing him by his pants as both boys laugh excitedly. When I begin to walk, my legs are instantly weighted down by three-year-old Jett and the littlest of our bunch, Quinn.

  I love this about being an uncle. I can roughhouse and spoil these little tykes then send them home to their parents. Oh, how the tide has turned, Jake. Now it’s your turn to deal with the aftermath of spoiled-rotten kids. He is infamous for spoiling Mia and Hunter to pieces.

  When Mia was little, she would come home from his house in the worst mood or be crazed out on a sugar high. As a result, it gives me great pleasure to do the same with his kids. It’s only fair, right? Then I remember it’s probably not Jake dealing with the kids, it’s Delilah. That’s a sad, unsettling thought.

  I start to spin with the kids all attached to my body, everyone laughing as Kade shouts, “I’m Superman!” He holds his arms out in front of him and mimics the superhero. Happy little giggles release from his mouth as he asks me to keep spinning again and again.

  “That’s the first high a person experiences right there,” Jake says as Kade starts to walk in tilted circles.

  All of the kids climb off and find their way down to the spare room at the end of the hall. Reggie and Darcie made a kids’ kingdom out of toys, books, and video games. Luckily, they have left some toys unpacked for tonight. All of our kids think my brother has the best house because there’s a room devoted just for them. Mia soon follows her cousins, shouting to keep them in control, being the little mommy she tends to be with her cousins.

  When I turn my attention away from the kids, I immediately notice Jake sitting on the edge of the couch. He has barely said anything to anyone, and you can practically choke on the tension-filled air in the room.

  Filled whiskey flask in hand, Jake takes sips as he continues to pay no attention to everyone. I choose to ignore him and enjoy this moment with my family.

  I move deeper into the living room and wrap my arms around Zoe’s waist. She is standing next to Darcie and Delilah, and it’s apparent they are upset about something. Zoe smiles then kisses the top of my arm when I touch her.

  Once Reggie moves to my side and pulls me into the kitchen, I walk to the refrigerator and grab a bottle of beer. I look to Reggie and he nods. His face is relaxed, but his eyes are telling me he is sad. And it is sad. We are ending an era. The Evans family is breaking up, and we will never be living together again. The family barbeques and gatherings, Christmas and Thanksgiving, will now be spent away from each other. Of course, we could always visit, but it’s not the same. I can’t just drive down the street and see my brother. When I’m upset or need advice, seeing him is better than talking to him on the phone. Yet, that is how I will need to communicate with my brother. I won’t be able to brood on my barstool at The Slab and speak to my brother on the other side of the bar. Those days are long gone. Gavin is a great guy, but I won’t be confiding in him any day soon. However, it’s Reggie’s time to finally to do what’s best for him. I get why he’s leaving. I think I’m mad because I can’t go, too. I am forever bound to Sulfur Heights.

  I grab another bottle then pass it to him. We don’t say anything, only look around the kitchen, the table and counters filled with boxes, and take in everything that’s happening.

  I’ve had some great memories in this room. When I was a kid and Mrs. Evans was passed out from her latest high, I would climb up and go on a hunt for Reggie’s treats. He always stashed away candy bars and shit like that, but I knew exactly where he hid them. To this day, I don’t think I have told him it was me who took all of his hidden candy.

  Then I start to think about the memories I had with Presley in this room, and my heart begins to ache. After she came home from rehab, she was trying so very hard to have a normal life and found a little happiness in taking care of all of us. She enjoyed cooking dinner, and many times, when I came home from work, I would find her at the stove.

  I lift the glass
bottle to my lips and swallow down the lump in my throat with the beer. I miss her. After all these years, I still think of her almost every day. She was so incredibly special to me, and I’m not sure if I will ever fully move on.

  Once a month, I go to her grave and lay flowers there. I always tell her I love and miss her, and sometimes I feel like she’s listening. I tell her about Mia and how proud she would be of our little girl.

  As hard as it was to accept she was a mother, Presley truly loved our daughter. It was very apparent, but it took awhile to get through her depression-clouded mind. However, once she did, she became a wonderful mother.

  As I run through the memories, I start to think I may be a little crazy, or maybe my healing over her death is crazy. I don’t know any other way I can keep her in my life. If my brothers or Zoe were to find out how often I think of Presley, they would probably want me to see a therapist or some shit. But this is how I cope. I may never be able to move past her death, and in all honesty, this is how I function. Of course, when I’m visiting Presley’s grave, I also leave flowers on Mrs. Fields’s headstone, too. She was such a special woman, and like Presley, I miss her every day. If it weren’t for her, I’m not sure where I’d be.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” Reggie interjects on my reverie, looking kindly in my direction.

  I look back at my brother’s blue eyes and know I will miss him greatly. If ever I needed him, Reggie would do whatever he could to be there for me. It’s because of him I’m still alive. He begged Mrs. Evans to keep me when I was a child and then helped pull me back from the ledge when I was overwhelmed by anger over Presley’s death. A great man we almost lost months ago. Then it dawns on my, I’d rather visit him several states away rather than at his grave. Some of the sadness of him leaving soon starts to leave as I have that thought.

  He’s not only been Darcie’s knight in shining armor, but he’s been mine, too. In fact, when I think of it, Reggie has singlehandedly saved all of us at one time or another. He truly is a great man.