Every Wound We Mend

by J. E. Parker

  “Deal!”

  Carmen smiled, and my heart nearly burst.

  “Mama!” Addie screamed to Ashley Jo, who stood on the porch, Chase’s arm wrapped around her lower back, hand resting on her hip. “My new CeCe is gonna teach me to talk Spanish!”

  On the verge of tears and with her chin wobbling, Ashley Jo nodded. “That’s good, Peanut.” I could only imagine the thoughts going through her head. In the space of only a few hours, she’d been through so much.

  Her entire world had been turned upside down.

  But in a hell of a good way.

  Still, it was a lot to process.

  One step at a time.

  “Alright, y’all,” Shelby started, swiping away her tears. “How about we take this in the house and grab something to drink, because I am—”

  The squealing of tires and the roar of a v8 engine drowned her words out. Jerking Addie and Carmen both behind me on instinct, I turned to face the road, only to see a familiar black Chevy parked beside Maddie’s 4Runner.

  “Great,” I mumbled as the driver’s door popped open and Tuck, the second biggest pain in the ass I had the fortune of dealing with daily, rounded the front end. “Here comes even more trouble.”

  Eyes locking on Jade first, then Carmen, who’d stepped out from behind me, her hand clutching Addie’s, he shook his head, his face pale, something I’d never seen from him before.

  Floundering for something to say, his mouth opened then closed before he found the words he was searching for.

  “What in the absolute fudge!” he hollered, watching his mouth since Addie was present, her sparkling stare locked on him and his five-year-old daughter, Lily Ann, who sat buckled in his backseat. “Would someone fill me in, please? Else I’m going to lose my mind!”

  Hendrix threw his arms up in the air, earning a giggle from Addie. “Welcome to the club, man!”

  “Hey, Tuck!” Jade yelled, waving like she hadn’t seen Kyle in years. Probably because she hadn’t. “Guess what? Turns out we’re not dead, after all!”

  Hand resting on Jade’s shoulder, Shelby bent forward, her other arm wrapped around her stomach, and laughed. Hard. Carmen followed suit, and before I knew it, so did I.

  Tuck scoffed.

  “I’m real glad y’all find this amusing.” Arms crossed over his chest, he shot a half-hearted glare in each of our directions, minus Carmen and Little One. “I don’t know what the H-E-double-hockey-sticks is going on or how any of this is possible, but—”

  “Sunshine!” Anthony hollered from where he stood on my front porch, interrupting Tuck, a single hand pressed to his lower back as he bent at the waist, clearly still in pain. “Is it safe to leave the porch?”

  He looked up and down the street, making a show of doing so. And people wonder where Gracie gets her dramatics from. “Or is the Crazy Old Biddy still on the loose? I may have partially blacked out, so I don’t know if she already left or not.”

  Turning to Carmen, a red-faced Shelby looked seconds from passing out as she continued to cackle, barely able to speak. “Do I even want to”—she fought to pull in a quick breath—“know?”

  Pixie shook her head. “Nope.”

  “Yo, Pop!” Hendrix’s booming voice carried over his sister and mother’s. “You realize this is going to be trouble, right?” He smiled as he nodded to Shelby and Jade, then Carmen. “I’m telling you, stuff around here just got a lot crazier.”

  I nodded, wrapping a single arm around my Pixie’s waist before she fell over while taking Addie’s free hand in my other one. “Yeah, Buddy, I realize that. But you know what?” He lifted his chin, waiting for me to continue. “I wouldn’t change a thing about it.”

  Every word I spoke was the truth. Our family may have gotten a lot more insane and chaotic in the blink of an eye, but with Carmen and Jade finally finding their way back to us, it was on the way to becoming something else too.

  Whole.

  14

  Carmen

  For hours, Guapo hadn’t left my side.

  It was only after we’d finished eating supper at Grandmama’s oversized farmhouse-style dinner table, where I’d sat between him and Ashley, my hand holding hers, that I’d detached his hip from mine long enough to spend time with another, whose heart I longed to get to know better.

  Shelby.

  Though I’d only spoken with her for a few minutes earlier in Chiquita’s yard, a titanium bond had quickly formed, and an unrelenting pull, one I could only describe as magnetic, had developed between us.

  I barely knew her, but already, I loved her.

  And it was because of that love, and the rock-solid relationship I was determined to help blossom, that I stood next to her, our elbows touching, at Grandmama’s kitchen island, while everyone else mingled outside.

  Sparkling blue eyes affixed to mine, one side of her mouth lifted in a crooked smile that reminded me of her father. “You overwhelmed yet? I know we’re a lot to handle at first since there’s so many of us and all.”

  Heavens, she was right.

  I loved that Chiquita had been taken in by such a large family, most of whom had come together and decided to love one another out of choice, not obligation, but I needed a printed family tree to study if they expected me to remember everyone’s names right off the bat.

  Otherwise, it would take time.

  I mean, mierda, some days I forgot my own names—both fictitious and birth given. Little One swore it was because of my advanced age, as she liked to always put it, but I’d never been one to remember such details.

  Faces, though, I didn’t forget those.

  Especially those of demons.

  “Si, a little,” I answered, squashing the dark thoughts that had begun to stir. “But only because I want to learn everything there is to know about everyone and yet doing so is—”

  “Daunting.”

  I nodded. “Exactly.”

  “Well, good thing you’ve got me then.”

  Not giving me the chance to ask what she meant, she wrapped a soft hand around my inner elbow and guided me around the island before coming to a stop before the white cast-iron sink.

  Turning on the pewter faucet, she reached to her left and yanked open the stainless-steel dishwasher. “Here, sugar.” Blonde ponytail bouncing as she moved, she slapped a yellow dish sponge into my palm. “Help me with the dishes, and I’ll give you a second rundown on everybody since the introductions before were quick.”

  Tucking a piece of errant hair behind my ear, I picked up the first plate and began rinsing it in silent agreement.

  “Alright, so, since you already know all about Hendrix, Maddie, and the three M’s, plus Tony, me, and Uncle Felix, who lives in the apartment above our garage, along with our troublemaking kids, we’ll start with Evan and Hope.”

  Pulling my eyes from her, I peered out the window above the sink, searching for the man I thought was Evan. A second later, I spotted him kneeling beneath an old oak tree, talking to a little boy who looked just like him.

  “Evan is the big guy, si?” I squinted, straining to get a better look at him. “The one who looked pissed off all throughout dinner?”

  “Yeah, that’s him.” Chuckling, she took the plate from my hand, then placed it in the dishwasher as I picked up another. “He oversees security at the shelter, and for the record, he isn’t the jerk he portrays himself to be. He can be a big ol’ grumpass, yeah, but he’s a major softie too. Especially when it comes to Hope and their three kids: Ryker, who he’s talking to, plus the wrecking-crew twins, Colby and Wyatt.”

  I didn’t need to ask her who Hope was.

  I’d only spoken to her for a moment when James had first led me into Grandmama’s house, but the petite, raven-haired beauty had rooted herself into my healing heart all the same.

  “Then we have Brantley and Clara. Brantley is Evan’s twin brother, making Clara and Hope sisters-in-law. Together, they have four kids: Liam, Declan, Bella, and Olivia.”

  “Bella
,” I whispered, head tilted. “She’s the little chica who is…” My voice trailed off as I searched for the word I sought to describe the beautiful pre-teen with gleaming brown eyes and enough sass to choke an elephant.

  “Dramatic?”

  It was my turn to chuckle. “Si, dramatic.”

  Shelby nodded. “Yup, that’s her. The hissy fit you witnessed her throwing earlier was the result of Brantley telling her that at twelve, she wasn’t old enough to get her belly button pierced.”

  I laughed. Bella sounded like me at her age. Very much so. I had a feeling that she and I would get along well and that with any luck, we’d become close.

  I could hardly wait.

  “Then we have Kyle and Carissa, but of course, you already know Tuck. Like Hope, Maddie, and me, C works at the shelter, along with Clara, though she’s only a part-timer now since she helps run Brantley’s law office.”

  I nodded. “And where do they live?”

  James had mentioned that most of the ladies employed at the shelter had bought up the properties lining the entire street, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Carissa was one of them.

  “Her and that pain-in-the-ass Tuck”—my shoulders shook with silent laughter—“live in the yellow house at the end of the cul-de-sac with their daughter, Lily Ann, and Kyle’s Mama, Dottie.”

  His madre lived with them?

  That was sweet. Majorly so.

  Nodding, I picked up a dirty bowl. “And what about the chica with black hair and blue eyes? The one who has been glued to Chiquita’s side ever since they walked in together, one of their hands holding each of Jade’s?”

  “That’s Heidi, Ashley Jo’s best friend,” she replied, a pensive expression flitting across her gorgeous face. “She works at the shelter as well and lives in the house next to Carissa’s. They’re sisters.”

  Her stormy eyes met mine.

  “The two-year-old little girl you saw following Chase everywhere belongs to Heidi and her husband, Ty…”

  Clyde’s eldest son, I mentally finished for her, mind conjuring up mental images of a man I had yet to meet. Busy working an overnight shift at the fire station, he was one of the few family members who hadn’t been present for dinner.

  I was relieved.

  Jade was doing amazing, but I was unsure how much weight could be placed on her shoulders before it became too much. And seeing him, a man that we’d been warned looked just like his devil of a father…

  Well, it could crush her.

  Shelby smiled reassuringly, reading the turmoil that flickered across my features. “He’s a good guy. A pain in the rear like Tuck and Hendrix both, but a good guy all the same. And he’s nothing like his scumbag father.”

  I dipped my chin. “I believe you.”

  And I did.

  Still, the fear was debilitating.

  “I just…” Closing my eyes, I inhaled, fighting to ground myself. “When he and Little One meet, I need for him to move slowly because the sight of him will trigger memories of what that pendejo, Clyde, did to her, and I’m afraid—”

  Unable to continue, I sealed my trembling lips as tears filled my eyes, refusing to give me the slightest reprieve before they fell.

  The bowl I still held clattered to the sink, nearly shattering on impact as Shelby knocked it from my fingers and turned, pulling me into her arms. Sliding her hand into my hair, she guided my face to her shoulder and rubbed small circles on my back.

  “It’ll be okay,” she whispered, her voice a hairbreadth from cracking as my tears wet her shirt. “I know it may not seem like it right now, sugar, but like my husband always says, we’ll just take it one breath and one step at a time.”

  One breath, one step.

  I can do this.

  “O-Okay,” I stuttered, the bottomless anguish and boiling rage I felt on behalf of Jade’s sake making its presence known despite my attempts to suffocate it. “One breath and one step. We’ll just—”

  “Pop is going to jerk a knot the size of North America in your ass for making his woman cry, Shelby Ray,” a voice, one I’d heard before but couldn’t quite place, said, taking me by surprise. “And so help me God, I may just let him.”

  Lifting my head, I snapped my blurred gaze to the left, where a stunning redhead—Clara—stood, fisted hands resting on her curvy hips.

  “What did you do to make her cry?” she asked Shelby, gesturing to me with French-tipped nails. “Come on now.” She tapped her foot on the ground, lips pursed. “Hurry up and tell me, so I know how much trouble you’re in, along with whether I need to take cover from the inevitable explosion to come.”

  Releasing me, Shelby winked before taking a step back and pasting a faux sneer on her face. “Oh, bite me, Red. I didn’t make her cry. We were just talking, and it happened. So zip those pretty little lips before I duct tape 'em shut.”

  A suppressed smile tugged at Clara’s mouth as I wiped away my tears. “Bend over and mark me off an acre,” she teased, “then maybe I will. As for the duct tape, I’d like to see you try, Blondie.”

  Shelby’s eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute. Did you just infer that my ass was big? Because if so, I’ll have you know that Tony—”

  “Oh, por favor,” I interrupted, shaking my head at their back-and-forth banter, which I loved. “If anybody has a culo grande around here, it’s me.”

  Pushing to my tiptoes, I arched my back and looked over my shoulder, brows knitted together. “Jade says it’s so big that it should have its own zip code.” I scrunched my nose. “I think she may be correcta.”

  Both women burst into a fit of laughter, and I followed, the melodic sounds that resounded through the air, working to erase all traces of pain I’d felt seconds before.

  “What?” I asked, smiling. “It’s true.”

  Fingers pinching the bridge of her nose, Clara closed the space between her and us. “You two are crazy.” Sidling up next to me, she bumped my hip with hers and pointed to the yellow sponge I still held. “Gimme that, Beauty. I’ll scrub, then you rinse, while Blondie loads. That way, we’ll have this mess all cleaned up in no time, and Grandmama won’t throw a fit thanks to the state of her beloved kitchen.”

  More than ready to help get everything cleaned up—it was the least I could do—I placed it in her hand, ready to do as she’d said. Only, instead of her grasping it, the sponge slipped through her relaxed fingers, dropping to the overfilled sink as she gawked out the window before us, mouth gaping open.

  Eyes bulging, she sucked in a breath.

  “Nevermind,” she snapped, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin. “The guys are picking teams for football. The dirty dishes can frickin’ wait until the second coming of Jesus himself for all I care.”

  Without waiting for a response, she slapped the plastic cup Shelby had picked up right out of her hand, sending sudsy water flying all over the counter and tile backsplash, before turning off the still-running faucet.

  Is this chica having an episode or…

  “Grandmama!” she hollered over her shoulder and toward the adjacent laundry room, where the familia matriarch had just strutted through the side door, carrying a basket of green apples, and singing what sounded like a church hymn. “Grab your cellar phone”—she snorted—“because the men are about to play shirts versus skin!”

  “Oh boy,” Shelby whispered. “Here we go.”

  Oh boy, was right.

  In all my forty-one years, I’d never seen anyone, an older woman especially, move as fast as Grandmama did when she dropped the apples without a second thought, sending the fruit flying in all directions, and bolted through the kitchen, her slipper-covered feet smacking the hardwood in time with each of her short, but lightning-quick steps.

  “Let’s go, hussies!” She didn’t spare us a backward glance before yanking open the door that led to the backyard. “We’ve got pictures to take and half a dozen men to ogle! Perfect timing, too, since my Tumblr needs some fresh material!”

  My chin nearly h
it the floor. “What in the…”

  Laughing so hard she could hardly speak, Clara grasped my elbow like Shelby had done minutes before. “She’s harmless, I swear, but don’t try to figure out her special brand of crazy.” She pulled me toward the door, causing me to nearly slip on a puddle of water I hadn’t seen. “If you do, it’ll fry your brain. So do like the rest of us and just embrace it.”

  I opened my mouth to speak but stopped short of doing so when she dragged me onto the back porch and into the waning afternoon sunlight. My eyes immediately found Guapo, who stood at the end of the yard, his fingers pinching the bottom of his fitted grey t-shirt.

  My heart jumped, leaping high into my tightening throat as his tongue rolled over his bottom lip, one I wanted to bite, and he looked up, the want on his face taking me captive.

  I watched helplessly, a whimper slipping past my dry lips as he ripped the cotton material over his head in one swift move and tossed it behind him, toward a line of trees.

  Mouth running dry in the space of a heartbeat, that same burning sensation that had filled my lower belly hours earlier as his tongue tangled with mine returned full force.

  Given my past, I was a stranger to both lust and desire. But right then, I wanted him so badly my throbbing center ached, pulsing with the need to be touched by him.

  “Oh,” Clara whispered, eyes locked on him.

  “My,” I added as Maddie walked up.

  “Shit-fire!” Grandmama finished.

  “Eww,” Shelby retorted from beside me, her disgusted expression the same as Gracie’s had been hours earlier when she’d caught Guapo and I kissing, lost in one another. “That’s my dad, you damn pervs!”

  Clara blinked and sunk her teeth into her bottom lip as Grandmama skedaddled away, practically drooling, her upper back hunched, undoubtedly looking for trouble.

  “He can be my daddy too.” She looked at me as Maddie chortled and Shelby repeatedly gagged. “Don’t kill me for saying that, Carmen. It’s just that, well…”

  Face flaming red, she fanned herself.

  One hungry look at a shirtless James, and I understood her flushing and teasing words. El hombre was sex on a stick—one that I want to lick—and that was putting it mildly.