by Alex Grayson
“Trouble has a son?” she inquires, sounding surprised.
“Biologically, he’s not Trouble’s, but in every other way that counts, he is. It’s a long story. Maybe Remi will tell you about it one day.”
“Maybe.”
I caress circles on her hand with my thumb. “You’ll like Remi and Eden.”
“I’m sure I will. I’m looking forward to meeting them.”
“Maisy!” I call. When she spins around, I swear my damn heart sighs. She’s such a beauty, and she’s my daughter. I point to the house Ellie and I are standing in front of. “We’re here!”
Her eyes grow big and her mouth forms an O. She turns to the house, her expression awestruck. The house isn’t really anything special to look at. It’s just a house. It’s who’s inside that has her captivated.
Ellie pulls her hand from mine when Maisy turns and slowly walks back toward us, her eyes still fixed on the house. I glance over, but she avoids my eyes. I get why she’s averse to showing any displays of affection in front of Maisy, but I don’t have to like it. In fact, I fucking hate it.
Reaching out, I ruffle Maisy’s hair. “You ready to go meet your grandmother?”
“Yeah,” she whispers.
Grinning like the fucking Cheshire cat, I grab her hand and walk us up the driveway. Ellie falls into step beside us, looking all kinds of nervous again. She’ll see she has nothing to be worried about. Mae loves the hell out of Ellie, despite her keeping Maisy from me.
We’re almost to the steps when the door is flung open and Mae steps out, a huge grin on her face. When she spots Maisy, she lays her hands on her chest.
“Oh, my precious,” she breathes, her eyes flickering back and forth between my daughter and me.
Maisy squeezes my hand as we walk up the steps. I squeeze hers back. When we stop in front of Mae, she tilts her head back.
“Hi,” she says in a small voice.
“You are just the most beautiful darling I’ve ever seen.” Mae bends slightly and surrounds Maisy’s cheeks with her hands, tears glistening in her eyes. “I’m so very glad to meet you, Maisy.”
That brings a smile to Maisy’s face. “I’m glad to meet you too.”
“Would it be too weird if I hugged you?”
Maisy giggles and shakes her head. Not wanting to throw the chance away, Mae immediately engulfs Maisy in her embrace. The sight has my own throat clogging. The hug lasts for several seconds. When she pulls back, she brushes a few strands of hair from Maisy’s face, love already shining from her eyes.
She straightens back up, and her eyes come to Ellie, who’s standing beside me.
“I don’t need to ask for permission to get a hug from you. Get up here, young lady.”
Ellie laughs, some of the tension I felt radiating off her body evaporating as she walks up and does Mae’s bidding. Ellie nods when Mae says something in her ear. Mae does the same as she did to Maisy when she pulls back, pushing back the hair from her face. Her eyes drop to the barely visible scars on the underside of Ellie’s jaw, and something painful crosses her face. She wipes the look away and smiles.
“It’s good to see you again, Ellie,” Mae says, patting away a couple of tears from her cheeks.
“Thank you for having us tonight.”
“Oh posh. You’re welcome here anytime.”
Maisy smile and nods.
Mae turns her cheek to me, and I bend and place a kiss against it.
“Everyone here already?” I ask.
“They are.” Mae turns to the door. “Come, the food is almost ready.” She looks at Maisy over her shoulder. “Judge told me Maisy’s on a low-sodium and protein diet. I hope what I cooked is okay.”
“I’m sure whatever it is, it’s fine, but I’ll let you know if we need to make any changes for her.”
Talking and laughter can be heard as we approach the kitchen. All eyes fly to Maisy and Ellie when we pass through the door, and an awkward silence ensues. Remi and Eden, unsurprisingly, beam bright smiles.
Knowing my two girls are probably uncomfortable with the silence and stares, I make quick introductions, using the terms aunt and uncle when it comes to Maisy, because that’s what they are to her.
Eden steps up. “It’s nice to meet you, Ellie. Now that you’re both here, maybe Judge will stop being a grouch,” she says with a smile.
I narrow my eyes at the redhead and get a cheeky grin in return.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Ellie responds with a laugh.
Maisy looks curiously at the quiet girl at Eden’s side. “So, I guess that means you’re my aunt, huh? That’s sorta weird since you’re my age.”
Thea’s smile is small, but there’s no mistaking the amusement in her eyes. “Yeah, it is weird.”
“Maybe we can be friends and pretend like we aren’t aunt and niece?” Maisy suggests.
“That would be nice.”
Remi comes up next and greets Ellie before squatting in front of Maisy.
When she holds out her hand to Maisy, my daughter releases the tight grip she has on me and takes Remi’s hand.
“Hello, beautiful Maisy. Has anyone told you that you look a lot like your dad?”
She nods. “My mom told me.”
Remi smiles, lifting her eyes to Ellie before looking back to Maisy. “She was right. And you have exactly the same eyes.”
Maisy beams, and my chest swells with the knowledge that she likes that she has my eyes.
Trouble steps up next. “How have you been feeling?”
“A whole lot better,” she answers.
He smiles gently at her, then glances at Ellie. “I’d like for you to bring her by my office in the next couple of days. I’m sure her regular checkup isn’t due yet, but since I’ll be her primary physician, I’d like to establish a record for her.”
“I’ll call and set up an appointment.”
Emo stays in the corner, quietly watching the exchange of greetings. He nods at Maisy and Ellie but doesn’t step forward for a more personal introduction. I didn’t really expect him to.
When JW comes up, he has a smirk on his face. He shakes Ellie’s hand first before turning to Maisy.
“I personally think you look like your mom more.” He wrinkles his nose, and I know some smartass remark is going to leave his lips. “You’re much too pretty to look like your daddy. He’s kinda ugly.”
Eden smacks the back of his head, and he just chuckles as he rubs the spot.
Maisy, on the other hand, isn’t fazed. “My daddy is very handsome. More handsome than you.” She snickers, mirth twinkling in her eyes.
The room erupts in laughter. I fucking love my daughter.
DINNER IS OVER AND EVERYONE has moved to the living room. Mae’s in the recliner she always sits in—it was Dale’s chair before he passed. She refused to give it up when we moved her to Malus, even though it’s ratty and needs to be tossed in a dumpster. Emo’s in the newer recliner we tried to unsuccessfully bribe her with. Trouble and Remi are on the love seat, with Elijah sitting on a blanket chewing on a toy at their feet. Thea’s down there with him, her back to the couch, reading a book. JW has Eden on his lap on one end of the couch, and I’m sitting on the other end. Ellie, who was sitting beside me, just took Maisy to the restroom.
For the first time in weeks, I feel genuinely happy, settled. I like having Maisy and Ellie here with my family, and I’m glad they all get along. Not that I thought they wouldn’t. I knew Ellie and Maisy would find a place amongst my family.
Feeling their presence, I look over just as they come out of the hallway. Ellie comes back to the couch and retakes her seat, but Maisy stops in front of Emo’s chair, her eyes landing on the bandage on his hand. He hasn’t said much tonight, not that he says much any other time, but he’s been unusually quiet.
“What’s wrong with your hand?” she asks innocently, grazing the tips of her fingers over the cotton of the bandage.
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nbsp; The room goes quiet, and we watch as Emo stiffens in his chair. He would never harm or act rude toward Maisy, or any child for that matter, but he’s not much of a people person either. Everyone tends to steer clear of him, especially children. Apparently, Maisy can see past the troubling persona that he portrays.
“I hurt myself,” he grunts.
“Did you put peroxide and Neosporin on it?” she asks. “Mom always puts it on my scrapes. She said it keeps it from getting an infection and scarring.”
Scars are something Emo has in abundance, both from his father’s abuse and self-inflicted.
“Should I get her?” Ellie whispers out the corner of her mouth.
I put a hand on her thigh. “No. He’s okay.”
She nods. She doesn’t know the full story of what Emo went through as a child, but enough to know he was greatly affected by it. He hasn’t changed much since we were together twelve years ago, so his current behavior is nothing new.
He doesn’t answer Maisy, just continues to look at her fingers running over the bandage with a frown pulling his brows low.
“Does it still hurt, Uncle Emo?”
Something passes over his face when she calls him uncle.
“No,” he rasps.
Her eyes lift up to his. “How did you hurt yourself?”
He carefully pulls his hand away from her and squeezes his fingers into a fist. “I cut myself.”
Her little brows wrinkle as she thinks. She looks down at his other hand, free of a bandage, and sees the multitude of scars. Her eyes widen and her hands dart out to clasp his, turning it over to get a better look.
“You cut yourself a lot, huh?” she says, sounding worried. “And I guess you didn’t put peroxide and Neosporin on this hand. Grandma Mae might have some. If you want, I can get it and put some on your other hand so it doesn’t look like this one. Mama lets me do it sometimes if she hurts herself.”
My lips twitch into a small smile. Maisy’s only just met Emo today, but she already cares enough that she wants to ensure my brother’s wounds are taken care of. Has there ever been a more precious and nurturing child? I couldn’t be more proud of her. Or her mother for doing a damn good job of raising her.
Emo’s eyes flicker to me, a frown still marring his face, then he looks back to Maisy. “I promise to put some on when I get home.”
I have no idea if he’ll actually follow through with that promise, but I silently thank him for appeasing her worry.
Pleased with his answer, Maisy gives him a beautiful smile.
“And you should be careful, so you don’t hurt yourself anymore.”
He nods.
She puts his hand back down on the arm of the chair and turns away to walk over to sit next to Elijah, unaware of the powerful emotions radiating throughout the room. She laughs when he waves his toy at her, and it makes him giggle.
“Can I hold him?” she asks Remi.
“You can try, but he’s squirmy and may try to get down,” Remi replies.
Maisy grabs Elijah under his arms and slides him over her crossed legs. The boy is big for his age, so he covers her full lap. The happiness in Maisy’s eyes is almost blinding, but there’s not a person in the room who can look away as she takes the plastic toy he’s shoving in her face.
A mental image pops in my head of her playing with a little brother or sister. It’s an image that I damn sure plan to make a reality.
“I’m going to like having a little cousin,” she tells Elijah. He gives her a toothy grin, not once trying to climb from her lap. He’s just as mesmerized by Maisy as she is by him.
“She really is special,” I hear Mae murmur.
“That she is,” I say just as low.
I grab Ellie’s hand. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For coming to me.” I tip my chin to Maisy. “For giving me this.”
Her eyes soften and she squeezes my hand. She may not have come to Malus because she wanted Maisy to be part of my life, and she may have kept Maisy from me for years, but it doesn’t matter anymore.
She’s here with our daughter now, and I’ll cherish every moment I have with them.
Chapter Seventeen
ELLIE
I SIT ON THE SIDE OF THE BED with the small picture album in my lap. It’s one I haven’t seen in years. One I thought I would never see again.
My chest tightens as I run my finger over the gold-colored trim on the edges of the cover. I thought he would have thrown it away. Why did he keep it? He says he loved me back then, but what could have been so important that he would give up that love? Was I not as important? And why won’t he tell me now?
A couple of days ago when I gave in and agreed to give us another shot, the fear that came with that decision had my stomach twisting into knots. That was, until he kissed me. As soon as his lips touched mine, the anxious flutters turned into something else: basic need and desire. It felt so good, so right, to be in his arms again, like there was no time separating us. It was just as hot and dynamic as it always was.
Looking back down at the picture album, I mentally prepare myself to be assaulted by the past.
The first picture is of the both of us. I’m holding the camera out in front of us. He’s behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist. I’m smiling and looking at the camera, while he has his lips pressed against my temple, his eyes closed and his lips tipped up into a barely there smile.
With my heart aching, I flip to the next page. This one is just Judge. I was trying to get a candid shot of him. He’s bent over with his head in the fridge wearing a pair of sweatpants and no shirt. It was a perfect view of his ass, but that’s not what I was wanting to capture. I was waiting for him to stand and turn around, but he somehow knew I was there. Using his free hand, he put it behind his back and flipped me the bird. I couldn’t help it, I snapped the shot, and it became one of my favorites. It showed his playful side.
The next one is just me. I’m making a silly face by sticking out my tongue and crossing my eyes. I hated the picture because I looked stupid, but Judge made me keep it.
I flip through several more pages and come across the picture that I loved the most. It’s of both of us lying on the bed we shared. Our heads are together and we’re both looking at the camera, our mouths stretched in wide smiles.
I trace a finger over his face, an ache forming in my sternum. I missed him so much over the years. I put this album together for us to look over our past when we were old. To give to our children when they were older. We were supposed to add many more to it.
“That one was always my favorite too.”
I look up and find Judge several feet away, his eyes on the album on my lap.
I drop my eyes back down. “I can’t believe you kept it all these years,” I murmur.
He takes the album from my lap and sets it on the bed beside me. He then drops to his knees in front of me. I lift my eyes to him.
“I kept everything that was yours in my apartment. There were several times I tried to get rid of it, but I just couldn’t. Everything is down in the basement in boxes.” He tips his chin to the album. “Except for that.”
“I only had the one picture of you that sits on Maisy’s bedside table. I always regretted that I didn’t have more to give her. My wishes were selfish too, because I wanted them for myself as well.” I grab his tie and rub my finger over the silky material. “Sometimes I’d go to her room, sit on her bed, and just look at your picture.” My lips twist. “Pretty pathetic, huh?”
He chuckles and lifts one of my hands to his lips. The light scruff above his top lip rubs against my skin, sending tingles over my body. “Not pathetic. I fuckin’ love that you did that.”
“When will you tell me?”
I don’t need to elaborate. He knows what I’m referring to.
His lips tighten and his body stiffens. “Soon. I promise, Ellie. Just give me a bit of time.”
&nbs
p; “Am I going to hate it?” I ask, curiosity and unease mixing together.
Apprehension flashes in his eyes. “To be honest, I don’t know, and that scares the shit out of me, because I can’t lose you again. And I won’t give Maisy up.”
I purse my lips, my mind going a mile a minute, trying to conjure up what this secret is. It could be anything. I have no hope of guessing.
He gets to his feet and holds out his hand. “Come. You’ve got visitors.”
My eyes widen. “I do? Who?”
He taps the tip of my nose. “Remi and Eden. They’ve come to make you their new best friend. Their words, not mine,” he adds when my brow raises.
For some reason, this sends warmth running through me. Remi and Eden were really nice when we met at Mae’s house. They seem like they’d be good women to be friends with, and since Maisy and I will be here for the discernible future, it would be smart to get to know them. After all, they are basically Judge’s sisters-in-law, so I’ll be around them a lot.
I nod. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
He laughs and snags an arm around my waist. “I need something first.”
With that, he swoops down and takes my lips with his. I grip his shoulders and hold on tight, because he always knows how to make my knees weak with just a kiss. Right now is no different.
I moan against his mouth, desire pooling in my stomach. We’re taking a chance that Maisy will walk in on us with the door open, but in this second, I don’t care. I need to feel his lips against mine. After the turmoil of looking at our past, I need the comfort and reminder that I made the right choice by giving us another shot.
God, I really hope I made the right choice.
EDEN, REMI, AND I ARE on the back patio watching Maisy, Thea, and Elijah playing in the small kiddy pool they brought over. The pool is too small for the girls, the water barely covering their thighs, and there’s not much moving room, but they don’t mind. Remi said Elijah’s in the phase of transitioning from crawling to toddling around on his short, chubby legs. He tries so hard, but he only makes it a few feet before he tumbles down on his butt. I think he mostly does it on purpose, because he makes a splash, which causes an infectious giggle from us all.