by Megan Noelle
“Hello, everyone.”
“Hey man, didn’t know you were going to be making it today.” Joel said first. Onyx came up to the side of me and responded to his family.
“I had nothing better going on tonight and I know Kayne always likes when I show up.” Kayne gave an authentic smile while the women looked like they were going to explode.
“Onyx, need me to get you something to drink? I was just going to head to the bar now.” Kayne piped up.
Onyx shook his head, letting the smell of his hair waft my way. I felt my body chill at the scent. Even though it had only been a day since I last saw him, it still felt like too long.
“Sure, and while you are doing that, I think I’ll have Andie join me for a dance.” Onyx looked to me and I couldn’t help but let out the first real smile all night.
“Yeah, sure. Want me to take your glass, Andie?” Kayne asked. I finished off the rest of my drink and handed it over. Turning to Onyx I offered him up my hand and as I watched him I felt everything else fade away.
He moved us onto the dance floor just as the next song began. His hand raised above my head to twirl me around and into his grasp. There was no space between us as we moved about the floor.
“What a coincidence to see you here.” I teased.
“Yes, well, I heard there was some beautiful siren here. I had no choice but to come see for myself.”
“Have you found her?”
He nodded his head, smoldering eyes locked onto mine. “I think I have.”
Onyx danced us around the room until the song came to a close. “I want to keep you here in my arms all night but there are a few eyes watching us. Besides, Kayne may be suspicious if I decide to steal you away from him tonight.”
I laughed and dropped my hand from his shoulder. “Yes, that wouldn’t be good.” Reluctantly I released my hands from him, and we headed back to rejoin the group.
Kayne held up a whiskey on the rocks for Onyx and a fresh champagne for me. “Man, you are far better on the dance floor than I am, Onyx.” He only chuckled with a nod.
“A whole lot of practice.”
“Well, save me a dance later, Andie. I’m going to try and show Onyx up.”
I laughed with a nod. “You got yourself a deal.”
“Oh but first, I want you to meet my cousin Dustin. You just missed Taylor but she’ll be back later. Anyway, Andie meet Dustin Bryce. Dustin meet Andie Hawkins.”
I looked up from my drink with a polite smile and I froze completely. That blonde hair, that wicked smile, the scar over his eyebrow. I knew this man and I wanted to do nothing but run far away.
“Dusty,” I breathed out.
“Hello, Andie.” He extended his hand out to me with a wink that made my stomach churn. I was shaking, my skin was crawling, and everything around me swirled like I was in a cyclone. I didn’t take his hand, I could hardly move but my first instinctual reaction was to reach for Onyx. My hand shot backwards until I took hold of his wrist.
“Oh, you guys know each other?” Kayne asked, oblivious to my reaction.
I felt all eyes on me but all I tuned into was Onyx’s silent question. “How do you know him, Alexandria?” His eyes were already filled with rage because without a word from me—he knew.
I nodded my head to confirm his question and in an instant Onyx grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him. He stepped up into Dusty’s face while my fingers latched into the back of his shirt.
“Ah, I see she’s told you who I am.” He said, without fear.
“Wait, what’s going on?” Kayne asked. The others piped in too but I heard nothing but the slow breaths coming from Onyx.
“It’s been a long time, Andie. We go way back.” Dusty said with a smirk.
Kayne looked away from him to focus on me, cowering behind Onyx. “Andie, how do you know my cousin?”
My mouth wasn’t working, fear had taken over all of me. Every bit of terror I lived with each day was nothing compared to the way I felt right here and now.
“It isn’t a happy reunion.” Onyx chimed in.
Kayne tore his eyes off of me and zeroed in on Onyx. I wanted to step up and find a way to solve everything that was happening but I couldn’t. This was the one thing that could break me down and make me forget all strength I may have gained. Dusty was the man behind my deepest nightmares.
“How the hell do you know any of this, Onyx?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Polly butted in. Everyone turned their attention from me to her to wait for her interpretation. “Your girlfriend has been sleeping with your uncle.” She said in a huff.
“She isn’t his girlfriend.” Onyx clarified, only making things worse.
Kayne flipped his head around to his uncle with a deep fire building inside. “Is it true?”
“Kayne,” Onyx said with a sigh. “The intent was never to hurt you.”
“What a load of crap! How long has this shit been going on?” I somehow managed to find my voice. I couldn’t simply let Onyx take the heat of all this when I was just as willing to engage in our extracurricular activities.
“Since the birthday dance.”
As Kayne turned to me the rage subsided but he gave me a look like he was begging me to say this wasn’t true.
“It wasn’t planned, Kayne. There was just something that neither of us could turn away from.”
“So, you’ve been seeing each other this whole time?”
“Yes.” We confirmed in unison. There was a collective gasp from the women but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the heartbreaking look in Kayne’s pained expression.
“How could you do that to me, Onyx? I told you that night when my buddies dropped me off that I remembered her. I told you I wanted to pursue her because I knew there was a reason we met again after all that time.”
“Kayne, you were belligerent when you arrived at my house. How was I to know you meant all that you said?”
“You’re twice her fucking age!” Kayne yelled out, making the people chatting pleasantly around us stop talking.
“Can we take this outside?” Polly asked, her eyes darting around to the crowds of people now giving us their undivided attention.
“No! I’m tired of everyone lying to me. I’m not a little kid so treat me like a man. Be real with me, Onyx. When you had no one else to turn to, I was always there. How could you do this to me?” Onyx reached his hand out to touch Kayne’s shoulder but he jerked his arm back.
“No! Don’t try to comfort me right now. It’s too late for that. Just answer my fucking question.”
“Because I’m selfish, Kayne. That night when I left I ran into Andie outside smoking and I was drawn to her. There was a connection that I couldn’t describe but it was already overpowering. So when you spilled your guts to me later that evening I was already falling hard for that girl. I only hoped you woke up forgetting all about her so I could have her to myself.”
Kayne shook his head back and forth. “You disgust me. Now how the fuck do you know Dustin, Andie?”
Until this point Dustin had remained quiet, but that wasn’t going to last for long anymore. He cocked his head to the side and wiggled his fingers at me in a girly wave.
“Don’t you even fucking look at her!” Onyx seethed out.
“C’mon pal, don’t get all bent out of shape because you have my sloppy seconds.”
Kayne’s eyes bugged out as he turned to face me. “You’ve slept with my cousin too??”
“I didn’t know he was your cousin, Kayne. Listen to me, I know you’re pissed and that you’re hurt but you have to understand me. Remember how you got back into town for sophomore year and everyone acted differently? It is because Dustin showed up and spent the summer abusing me in every way possible. Our friends just about exiled me from their group and even when they found out that I wasn’t just the whore they had all considered me to be all summer—they left me hanging. Dustin made my life a living hell and I mean that as literally as I can. This man haunted my
dreams for so long because of that one summer. My fear of being touched, came from him. My need to put up a front was all because of what Dustin did to me.”
Kayne shook his head with doubt. “No, I don’t believe it.”
“You’re right, you shouldn’t. I didn’t torture her. She enjoyed every fucking minute of it.” Dustin said, throwing his arm over Kayne’s shoulder.
Kayne didn’t move, he just stared into my eyes and I knew why. He was trying to find truth. He needed to know if I was full of shit or if every horrible thing was true. When he realized that the scared look in my eyes wasn’t an act he pushed Dustin’s arm off his shoulder.
“What did you do to her?”
“Nothing she didn’t want me to.” I had it. Dustin was not allowed to walk into my life again and destroy it like he did before. He left me scared and all alone before and I was not going to let that happen again.
I pushed past Onyx and Kayne and without stopping I threw my fist hard into Dustin’s face. He stumbled back a few steps and let out a wild laugh.
“Oh, come on, is that the best you can do, whore?”
Just as I pulled my arm back to swing again, Onyx beat me to it. His fist connected hard against Dustin’s face sending him down to the ground. Before he could even blink Kayne reared his foot back and sent it hard into Dustin’s stomach. He let out a gasp for air and I wanted nothing more than to crawl on top of him and beat into his face until that evil smile faded away forever.
“Get out of here! All of you!” Kate chimed in, throwing her arms over her son’s shoulder. “None of you belong here!”
“Maybe we don’t,” I agreed. “But neither does your rapist of a son.”
I turned my back on him but heard a gasping laugh come from Dustin. “Hey Andie, before you go.” He paused to catch his breath. “How’s my kid? I’ve been meaning to ask you if it was a boy or girl. They’ve got to be five by now. I say that’s a good time to meet dear ol’ dad.”
Kate’s mouth dropped to the floor, Polly gasped but I paid attention to none of them. I turned back around to face Dustin and didn’t hesitate before sending my foot square into his crotch. That wiped the never faltering smirk from his face in a second.
“If you ever go near my child I will have you arrested. But this time if the cops do nothing to help me, I’ll kill you myself.”
With that I whipped around and didn’t stop until I was out the front doors. Kayne and Onyx were at my tail as I made my way away from the front doors. Finally, Onyx grabbed my arm and turned me around to face them. I didn’t realize I was panting profusely until he made me stop.
“You never told me you had a child.”
“Because I was protecting her. You see who her father is! I don’t even have custody of my own fucking kid! It kills me! She is my daughter and she was the one who saved me. I didn’t tell you the end of that story before. In the version you heard Dusty just moved on, finally deciding to leave me alone. Well, that isn’t true. He found out I was pregnant and decided he wanted nothing to do with me or that child. He beat me until I couldn’t open my eyes anymore. I called James and begged for him to come get me. Somehow I got him to show up and he managed to get me to the hospital. He gave me a half-assed apology but it didn’t mean shit anymore. Everyone I cared about left me in the dust after I recovered from my hospital stay. That was when I decided to disappear completely until my daughter, Daisy was born.”
“Andie, I am so sorry for everything that Dustin did. I’m sorry for how our friends acted and if I would have known sooner I would have done something. My heart is breaking for your pain, Andie, but that doesn’t change what has happened recently. You have been using me to get close to my damn uncle, all while I was falling for you.”
“Kayne, I told you I was just looking for a friend and that was true. I may have been excited to see Onyx when we were together but that didn’t change things. I spent my time with you and put myself into uncomfortable situations because I wanted to be your friend. I haven’t had anyone like you in my life in so long, but you wanted me as something more.”
He shook his head, running a hand down his face. “I just thought you needed time, Andie. I loved having you as my friend.”
“I do too.” I butted in, hoping to let him see how truly I meant it.
“But that doesn’t change anything now. I refuse to be a third wheel to your relationship with my uncle. I was falling in love with you and I can’t just make that go away. So I’m sorry for what happened to you, but I can’t change that now.”
“Kayne, don’t do that to her.” Onyx added.
Kayne looked at me and shrugged. “She told me herself that she’s a bitch. I guess I’m finally seeing it now. As for you, Onyx, we’re done man. You knew how I felt about her and you have lied to me and hid everything from me for a long fucking time. I guess you two are perfect for each other.”
He gave us each one final look and a shake of his head before he walked off toward his car. “Kayne, wait!” I called after him but he didn’t slow down or look back our way. This was all too much. Seeing Dustin, everything coming out, and now losing my first real friend in years. There was only one thing I could do now—cry. Maybe it made me weak but right now I felt that it was exactly what I needed to do.
Onyx pulled me into his arms, I buried my face in his chest. “Just let him go for now, love. We’ll fix it later, he’s just hurting right now.”
“For good reason.” I choked out.
Onyx cradled my face in his hands and looked down into my eyes. “Everything is going to be okay, I promise you.” He pressed a soft, chaste kiss onto my lips. It was hard to imagine that all would be okay, but I chose to give Onyx my heart and my trust. Just as long as I had him I was optimistic that things would get better.
We pulled away from the kiss, and I looked into his eyes feeling exhaustion taking over. “Just take me home, Onyx.”
“Alright, just as long as you let me come with.”
I brushed my fingers down the side of his face. Letting his dark, loving gaze heal my breaking heart. “It wouldn’t be a home if you weren’t there.”
That was all he needed to hear before he lifted me in his arms and carried me to his chopper. I wrapped my arms around his waist and let him take me far, leaving my pain and fears in the dust.
Two Weeks Later
A weight had lifted from my shoulders and from my heart. There were no more secrets in my life and that was a first for me. No dark clouds hung over my head. I no longer feared the shadows in the night. A light shined around me, and for the first time in ages I could be myself. At least that was what I imagined. For the first couple days I lived in this blissful bubble, wrapped up in Onyx every way possible. But as time passed by a nagging, dark feeling pulled at my heart that told me something wasn’t right. Finally, I realized what it was—Daisy.
How was I supposed to be happy, and feel complete in my life without my daughter? She was still trapped in my grandmother’s care and I needed to fix that as soon as I possibly could. I knew nothing about getting her back would be simple or quick. My grandmother was going to put up a hefty fight—guaranteed. This was one long ass road I would go down because it was worth it. Daisy will always be worth the fight.
For now though, I just needed to see her and assure her I was still here.
Onyx emerged from the shower with a towel wrapped low on his hips. He looked me up and down with those dark smoldering eyes, letting me know exactly where his mind was. Heat instantly spread deep in my core answering his wishes—that I would be ready for him. I yanked my favorite black oversized hoodie over my head to break the unfailing eye contact and hopefully the moment. Regardless of what my sexy man had planned for us there was something else I needed to focus on.
When I looked his way again his face dropped as he realized I planned on heading out.
“You tell me you’re going home and I’m going to tie you up and hold you hostage.”
“Promise?” I asked with a
wink. That dangerously sexy smirk returned and I couldn’t resist him anymore. I ran to him and jumped into his arms, grateful the towel stayed securely between us. If there was nothing but my pants keeping me from that thick cock of his, I’d be hopeless. I locked my arms around his neck and pressed a deep kiss to his lips. The passion and need swirled between us. I was lost to our surroundings and everything I was supposed to do. His hands massaged my back as I worked my tongue over every bit of his lips and mouth. A groan of pleasure rumbled at the back of his throat and rolled straight to my pussy. My panties were beginning to grow wet and the need for him was pushing away everything—but Onyx.
Something made my mission snap back and just like that I pushed away from Onyx. He moaned but this time it was out of frustration.
“What are you doing, love? We are just getting started.”
“You need to stop being so sexy because I need to leave.”
“You don’t.”
I forced myself out of his arms and pressed a parting kiss to the middle of his chest. “I do, though.”
“Fine, I’ll stop asking why and start asking where.”
He arms crossed over his chest and fixed a stern expression over his face. It failed miserably, making me smile at his cuteness instead.
“I need to see my daughter.”
In an instant everything about him softened. The sternness in his jaw loosened, his lips curled up, and he dropped his arms to the side. I never knew what to expect when I shared my motherly news with Onyx but I was truly blown away by him. He has been supportive, understanding, and always so interested. Even though he has yet to meet her something told me he was just as anxious to get her to us as I was. It was a far off dream but the thought of the three of us becoming a family was one that made my heart melt. I told myself to stop wanting it so much but everything in me wouldn’t listen.