Burning Ember

by Darby Briar

  “Look where you are, Ivy? This building isn’t safe. You’re too young . . .” My voice trails off as she disappears.

  I figured this would happen. I didn’t know what other way to offer her help, though. I know from our interaction at the shelter that she’s lived a hard life at such a young age, and that she doesn’t trust people in general.

  “Ivy, your dad was right. It really doesn’t rain all the time. But I think . . . I think sometimes you have to accept help from other people when you really need it. I have a friend that did that for me, and I’d like to do the same for you.

  “I don’t need a mother.”

  “Good, because I have my hands full as it is. I could be a friend though, if you’ll let me.”

  “And what about those bikers? The ones you came in with? Are you telling me there’s no strings attached to the help they’re givin’?”

  “My boyfriend and his friend? No. No strings. They want to help you too, because you helped me. They won’t hurt you.”

  “And I’m just supposed to believe you?”

  “No, but if you’ll give us a chance, we’ll prove that what I’m saying is the truth.” I move closer and grab my bag, slinging it over my shoulder. As I turn and head toward the door, I say, “I’ll wait outside for ten minutes and let you decide. If you don’t come out by then, we’ll take off.”

  I leave the dark interior and for a moment, I’m blinded by sunlight. Then Mav is there and he’s checking me over. He then pulls the bag from my shoulder, palms my face with his other hand. “How’d it go?”

  I shake my head. “We’ll see. Can we wait for a little bit?”

  He nods and says, “Yeah. Let me put this in my saddle bag.”

  I ask Mav and Taz to wait by the bikes in case she comes out, and I lean against the brick building. Every few minutes, I check my phone. When eleven minutes pass, I head toward Mav. He pulls me in for a hug and whispers in my ear, “We’ll try again after she’s had some time to think about it.”

  Taz throws his leg over his bike and starts it up. But then immediately he shuts it down. When I look his way, I notice his eyes are focused on something behind me. Turning, I see Ivy standing with one hand around the belly of a charcoal-colored cat, and the other clutching the strap of the gym bag she’s got over her shoulder. She’s standing in the open doorway again. Her gaze bounces from Mav to Taz, and then to me.

  I approach her slowly. Her leaf-like green eyes are striking against her pale skin, even though there’s a ring of black eyeliner surrounding them. She’s dressed in black like before and wearing those same laced up boots.

  “Hey,” I say, I didn’t think you we’re going to come out.”

  “Neither did I.”

  Her eyes roam over me. “You look good, Red. Healthy.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So you’re a biker chick now, huh?”

  A slow smile spreads across my face. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

  “And you’re really preggers?”

  “Yes, just over four months along.”

  Her mouth twitches. “So you didn’t really take my advice about buying some protection.”

  I grin. “I was buying condoms when I found that friend I was talking about.” The cat wiggles in her arms and tries to get loose, but she adjusts her grip on him.

  “Who’s this?” I ask and motion to the cat. Reaching out, I pet the cat, and it lifts its head to meet my hand.

  “I call her BB. Black Betty” She rolls her eyes. “And yes, I realize she’s not black.”

  She looks from me to Mav. “So is he the baby dadda?”

  “Yes. That’s Mav. Or people call him Luce. He’s my boyfriend.” Mav mutters a hello to her from behind me. Her gaze swings back to Taz. “And that’s Taz, his friend,” I say. “They’re only here because they wouldn’t let me come alone.”

  “For good reason,” Mav rasps in aggravated tone.

  Dropping her voice, Ivy asks, “How come that one is lookin’ at me like he wants to gnaw on my bones and spit them out after?”

  I shrug. “That’s just how Taz looks at everyone. But don’t worry about it. He’ll be on his best behavior. He owes me, so to collect I’ve asked him to give you a ride back to where we live.”

  “You’re gonna have to leave the cat,” Taz states.

  He pulls a toothpick from his pocket, but pauses when she says, loud enough for him to hear, “Look, I don’t know you from Adam, but fuck you asshole if you think I’m leavin’ my cat.”

  Taz growls and the toothpick falls from his fingers.

  I bite my lip to stifle my laugh.

  Taz glares at her and then me. Mav comes forward and offers, “I’ve got one empty saddle bag if you think she’ll be okay ridin’ in there. It’ll be about a fifteen—maybe twenty minute drive.”

  Ivy nods, but before she hands over the cat, she asks Mav, “No strings, right? If I want to leave—”

  “You do as you please. Consider it my way of sayin’ thanks for helpin’ Ember when you did.”

  “Ember.”

  “Yeah,” I answer. “That’s me. Ember Pierce.”

  She studies me for a moment and dips her chin. “Jett Rhines. But people just call me Ivy.”

  Endings are bitter and sweet like the scent of a garden.

  EMBER

  The truck stops and I hear Will giggle with excitement. I can’t see her because there’s a blindfold over my eyes. But I hear everything, even when Mav opens his door, and then shuts it.

  A few seconds later, my door opens and he reaches over me to remove my seat belt. He takes hold of my hands.

  “I still don’t see why if we’re going to an art exhibit, I need to be blindfolded.”

  “Because it’s a special exhibit. You’re not peeking are you?” he whispers into my ear. I open my mouth to answer, but his teeth nip my earlobe and my mouth falls closed. Shockwaves of pleasure skate down my body.

  “This is so not fair.”

  “Shhh,” he replies and gives me a chaste kiss.

  After he pulls me from the truck, he takes one of my hands and Will takes the other. They walk me ten steps before they let go and Mav moves behind me. He unknots the bandana around my eyes, and it falls away.

  “Oh, my God! Is it . . .” I spin around and take in Mav’s pleased expression. “You did it. You rebuilt it?”

  He grabs my hips and pulls me closer. “Not exactly. I had to make a few changes so it would better fit the family that’s gonna be livin’ in it. Changed the design some, because they’re not from around here. Made a few rooms bigger, the master, and the office. I also extended out the kitchen, dining room area, and added a shop in the back.”

  “Oh.” Trying to cover up the disappointment that immediately hits me, I ask, “Is she okay to go in there?” Will walks to the front door and opens it without knocking.

  “Yeah. They haven’t moved in yet. She was here with me last week when I had to come check on things, so she knows her way around.”

  “So you sold it already?”

  “It sold right away. Got a really good deal on it too. Do you like it?”

  Masking the sour feeling swirling in my chest, I reply, “I love it.” I turn in his arms and take in the beautiful house. It’s springtime now and bright colored flowers fill the flowerbeds. It was one of the first things I noticed, because it reminded me of home. But really the home itself is eye-catching. It’s two stories high, and is mostly a sand-colored stucco. A few of the walls have a more modern look with the small stone slabs, which are a mixture of colors, browns, reds, tans, and off-white. The red accents match the cherry wood of the lavish front door and the wood of the garage doors. Even the windows add a little something extra to make it stand out. It’s a perfect blend of the southwestern adobe style you see around here with the layered box design, but it also reminds me of the opulent homes in San Diego that you usually see by the ocean.

  “It’s beautiful,” I whisper.

  “Come on, let’s go
see the inside.” He grabs my hand and proceeds to give me a tour. Takes me through the upstairs first, the bedrooms, the bathrooms. We pass Will playing in what looks to be a little girl’s room that’s painted purple and has a window seat overflowing with pillows and stuffed animals. Mav continues to pull me forward before I can inspect it further. He shows me the master bedroom, and the space is enormous. Big enough for two king beds and then some. Next he leads me through a door that is attached to the master bedroom. I’m anticipating a bathroom, but when he walks me into a nursery, my feet stop moving.

  Because the first thing I see is the baby blue and white alphabet block wall, and the tree with a door in the trunk, and branches that are shelved with kid’s books. There’s also a moon light over a white crib with a familiar blue bedding. Throughout the room I see it all, the dresser, rocking chair, changing table, and bassinet—all things I’ve picked out in catalogs for our baby. Things he told me he would buy, and have shipped to our house a little closer to my due date.

  “Mav?”

  His arms circle me. His hands rest on my belly, which isn’t very big for me being six and a half months along, but it’s growing day by day. “Do you still love it?” he asks. I open my mouth a couple of times and then close it. “Because it’s yours and mine and Will’s.”

  Shocked speechless, my eyes burn with tears as they run over every item. The sailboats and the stuffed animals, the stocked shelf dresser and photo frames waiting to be filled.

  “You weren’t really heading to the clubhouse everyday were you?”

  He chuckles and I feel him smile as his lips press behind my ear. “Nope.”

  “And Will’s already been here. Seen this?”

  “Yes, I had an important question to ask her. She also picked out what color of paint she wanted in her room and her bedding and things. And then we went shoppin’ for a playset for the backyard.”

  “Mav.”

  ‘C’mere, there’s more. Will!” he calls out. “It’s time.” He takes my hand and leads me downstairs. Will runs in front of us. He takes me into the kitchen, which doesn’t look like any home I’ve ever actually been inside. It has the same cherry-color cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and hardwood floors. The island in the middle runs the length of the kitchen.

  “Will I be cooking for an army?”

  He flashes a smile. Then he lifts his chin and motions for me to look behind me. Will is standing in front of the fridge, her back is to me. She’s fixing a piece of paper. But what has me moving closer is there’s artwork covering the whole fridge. She turns and stands aside so I can inspect them.

  “Did you do these?”

  “Yes,” she beams and looks behind me to Mav.

  “Wow. These are really good, Will. Amazing! How did you . . .” I look back at Mav. The artwork on the fridge has shading, and minute details. Some are with crayon, while others are with colored pencils. I compare it to the artwork I put in the scrapbook that was stolen from me months and months ago. The difference is miles apart.

  Mav is leaning on the counter watching us with a grin. He shrugs. “We work well together. And occasionally, she listens to me.”

  My throat thickens with all the things I want to say to him. Thank you. I love you. You’re going to be the best father.

  “Can we show her the garden now?” Will pleads and pulls on my fingers, trying to lead me out a side door.

  “Yeah.” Mav follows.

  Will drags me along and we walk outside. The walkway is a red cement with a swirl design, and the farther we walk the more I’m surrounded by colorful petals from roses, begonias, daisy’s and a bunch of flowers I can’t name. There’s also greenery everywhere I look. And the scent of it all brings back memories of home.

  “Sit right here.” She points to a cute yellow rocking bench big enough for two. “You can see them all better from here.”

  Mav steps up beside her. He’s dressed in navy dress pants and a light blue collared shirt.

  When Will stands next to him in her baby blue dress, the nervous excitement I felt on the drive over returns. My stomach dips and weaves and a heady feeling of happiness fills my chest.

  Then Will tugs on Mav’s pocket and whispers loudly, “You have to get on your knees.”

  Mav pulls something from his pocket. He chuckles and looking down at her, says, “I was getting to that part.”

  His eyes shift to mine, and as he takes my hand from my lap, he kneels down on one knee.

  “Hey, Doll.”

  Two simple words and my world spins and my heart races faster.

  Breathe, Em. Breathe.

  “I’ve known for a while now that if you gave me the chance, I would share every one of your tomorrows with you. I knew, because when I was in a dark place you were the only thing that brought color and light into my life. The only thing that made me want to change and be a better man than the one I’d become.

  “I’ve had this ring for months, since Christmas, but I’m glad I waited to give it to you. I realize now, I needed to do this right. I needed to wait and prove to you that you could trust me again. With your heart. With your life. With Will and with the life of your child. My child.

  “I know to love someone fully, you have to trust them. I broke the trust you offered me before, and I almost lost you because of it. I promised myself I would earn it again and I think I’ve finally done that.

  “I also needed Will’s approval.”

  I look to Will and she’s staring at Mav, her puppy brown eyes full of admiration. Her eyes flicker to mine and she holds out her hand, showing me a little ring on her pinky with her birthstone, an amethyst. It’s tiny and fits her little finger perfectly.

  “Because when I ask you to marry me, I’m not only askin’ you to be mine forever in every way that matters, but I’m also askin’ you to let me be a father to Willow and a father to”—he lays his other hand on my stomach—“this baby boy who I can’t wait to meet.”

  I hastily wipe at the tears flowing down my face. And when he smiles, I smile in return. “I want to be your rock, Em. Your provider, your protector, your friend, and your lover. The angel you need at your side and the Luce you need in your bed. I’m askin’ you to let me take care of you, and that means trusting me to do so. You sacrificed so much for your family, and now it’s my turn to sacrifice for mine. That means if you want to go to college then go to college. If you want to stay home and be a mom, then that’s what you get to do. But only do what you love, baby, and what makes you happy. And let me worry about the rest.”

  For a long time he simply stares at me and smiles.

  “Doll?”

  “Luce.”

  He smirks and brushes my hair from my face. He pecks my lips, and whispers against them, “Nah, Doll. It’s Mav askin’ you to marry him.” A coy smile spreads over his face as he draws back. He holds up a ring. “A white-gold band, because light is what you brought into my life, a red diamond, because you were all I could see, you and your red hair when my world was so gray.”

  Tears trek down my cheeks and drip from my chin. I sweep them away, but more take their place.

  Mav helps me and once I have them back under control, he continues, “With all that in mind, baby, will you, please, marry me in front of God and all of our family and friends? Will you be mine for however long this life lasts us?”

  I let my eyes roam over this unbelievable man, who I could never deny even from the start. He is the perfect mix of light and dark, and he’s mine. When I look in his eyes, I know I’m his, and when he holds me, I know I’m home. He is my perfect. And yes, dammit, I’m going to hold onto him, fight to keep him, for as long as there’s a breath left in me.

  Because I want him in every one of my tomorrows too.

  “Yes. There is no one else in this world I’d rather spend my tomorrows with.”

  Words are beautiful.

  I wish I always had the right ones to tell you the story of my heart, but these are the ones
I have.

  I Believe ~ Christina Perri

  Lips of an Angel ~ Hinder

  I Hate Everything About You ~ Three Days Grace

  Words As Weapons ~ Christina Perri

  One Last Breath ~ Creed

  Restless Sinner ~ Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

  Scars ~ Papa Roach

  Say It Ain’t So ~ Mozella

  Last Resort ~ Papa Roach

  Wicked Game ~ Stone Sour

  It’s Not Over ~ Daughtry

  Cold ~ Crossfade

  Not Meant to Be ~ Theory of a Deadman

  Nothing Else Matters ~ Lissie

  So Far Away ~ Staind

  Dust to Dust ~ The Civil Wars

  Ain’t No Easy Way ~ Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

  Bread & Butter ~ Hugo

  Hemorrahage ~ Fuel

  Addicted ~ Saving Abel

  Ain’t No Rest For the Wicked ~ Cage the Elephant

  Thickness ~ The Black Keys

  Iris ~ The Goo Goo Dolls

  Sympathy for the Devil’s Little Helper ~ Viva Viva

  Broken ~ Seether

  Give Me a Sign ~ Breaking Benjamin

  Love is My Religion ~ Franky Perez & The Forest Rangers

  Headstrong ~ Trapt

  One and Only ~ Joshua Radin

  Wow! It blows me away that I’m even writing this right now. This was quite a long and difficult journey, but thankfully, I didn’t go through it alone. So bear with me, I have a lot of people to thank.

  First, I want to thank my SS. My sexy husband. You are my rock, babe. You get me like nobody else does. For two years you’ve been patient, supportive, and have played Mr. Mom more than your fair share. Thank you for giving me the time to write. Thank you for always bringing me a little somethin’ somethin’ to keep me going. You may never read this book, but you contributed to this endeavor is so many other ways. I love you madly.

  To my kids-You three are my world, and without you, it wouldn’t spin like it should. So thank you for being patient. Thank you for loving this crazy obsessed mom of yours. And thank you for being who you are. XO

  Tea-Holy shit girl, you are . . . you are seriously my biggest cheerleader. If I could, I would rent a plane and run a banner in the sky to tell you how awesome you are, and how much I love and appreciate everything you’ve done to encourage me and inspire me along the way. It sucks big cojones (yep totally Googled how to spell that) that we live so damn far away. But I swear, one day we will meet. Well, we must meet if for no other reason than to plan to our kidnapping scheme. Marco (Mav), Joseph (Edge), and Julian (Dozer), I’m just going to apologize now and get it over with. Don’t worry people, we will let them go. Eventually. Hahaha . . . no really, in all honestly, I am so glad I stalked you and begged you to be my friend. Your images made me see that this thing I was devoting so much time to could be amazing. Even when those images were sometimes only for my inspiration you still sent them my way and lit up so many of my days. Who does that? You do! Because you’re the bees knees. You made me laugh and drool and kicked me in the butt when I needed it. You also gave me some wonderful ideas on how to torture my villains. And I’ll have to use some of those on Davis when the HOCs find him. From the bottom of my heart . . . I love your guts, woman. <3<3<3