Braxton settled down as soon as Kellan appeared in the bathroom. I quickly washed him off and got him out of the tub and into pajamas. He managed to take his medicine, followed by a few sips of apple juice and keep it down.
“Mommy, can I sleep with Nana and Papa?” Riley asked from the door.
“Did you already ask Nana and Papa?”
“Yes, and they said it was okay.”
“As long as it’s okay with them, it’s okay with me.”
“Thank you,” she beamed. “Goodnight, Mommy, Kellan, and sick brother. I’m blowing kisses because I don’t want germs,” she announced and kissed her palm three times before turning it to the side and blowing. “Love you.” She disappeared down the hall before any of us could respond.
“All right, little man, let’s get you into bed,” I said and scooped my sick baby into my arms.
“I wanna sleep in your room,” Braxton said quietly.
“I think that can be arranged,” I said and headed to my bedroom.
Placing him in the center of my bed, I crawled in beside him thinking he would roll toward me to cuddle while he fell asleep. Instead, he slapped his palm down on the other side of the bed and said, “Kellan can sleep here.”
Kellan’s eyes widened. “Oh, um, I, uh…”
“It’s okay,” I mouthed.
“You sure?” he mouthed back.
I nodded at the same time Braxton patted the bed again. Kellan scooted in behind Braxton, who immediately fisted my shirt as well as Kellan’s and pulled. We scooted closer and he kept pulling until we were essentially cocooning him between us. Braxton yawned and closed his eyes. “Night night, Mommy and Daddy.”
Kellan’s mouth dropped open in shock while I burst into tears.
45
Savior
I placed my hand on Avery’s upper arm. “It’s okay. He’s tired and sick. It was just a little slip.”
She shook her head. “He doesn’t even remember Ian. Riley barely does,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry,” I replied softly. There wasn’t anything I could say or do to make things better, not immediately anyway. I waited a few minutes to be sure Braxton was asleep before carefully sliding out of the bed. “I’m going to go,” I said, unsure if I meant downstairs or back to the home I shared with Coal. At her nod, I placed a kiss on her forehead and closed the door behind me.
The silence downstairs let me know that Frank, Claire, and Riley had already gone to bed. Feeling like an intruder, I grabbed my keys and locked the front door on my way out.
I couldn’t imagine what she was going through, but she knew I loved her kids like they were my own. I knew they weren’t mine biologically, and like I’d already told her, I would never try to replace their father; but, that didn’t mean I couldn’t fill that role in their lives.
When I walked through the front door, I was met with the barrel of a gun. “The fuck?” I asked.
Coal shrugged and put the gun on the coffee table. “Didn’t know it was you. You haven’t been here in weeks.”
“Sorry, man. I guess I should’ve called.”
“What’re you doing here? I figured you’d be with Avery after what went down this morning.”
I dropped into the recliner and sighed. “So did I. She’s not handling things well. Then, Braxton got sick and insisted I climb into bed with him and Avery.” I paused and pinched the bridge of my nose. “He called me Daddy as he was falling asleep.”
“Oh, shit. What did Avery say?”
“Nothing. She burst into tears. Again.”
“Fuck, man.”
“Yeah, I didn’t want to leave, but I got the feeling she wanted me to. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do,” I admitted.
“Call Harper,” Coal suggested. “You know she’d be happy to help. Do you think Avery would talk to her?”
“I don’t know, but there’s only one way to find out.”
I pulled out my phone and tapped Carbon’s name.
The asshole answered with, “If you’re in more shit, it’s not my turn.”
“Thanks, fucker. I’m actually calling to talk to your wife if she has a minute.”
His tone instantly changed. “She’s not okay, is she?”
“No, she’s not. And I don’t know how to help her, but I thought Harper would.”
“Let me get her for you, brother.”
A few moments later, Harper’s concerned voice filled my ear. “Savior, what’s going on?”
I didn’t know how much, if any, she knew, so I told her everything, starting with the night Ian died and ending with Braxton calling me ‘Daddy.’ “I know it’s not how you normally operate, but I wanted to know if you’d be willing to come to Devil Springs and talk to her. I don’t think she’ll go for it unless it’s sprung on her, you know?”
“I completely understand. I can’t force her to talk, but I’ll give it my best shot.”
“Thank you, Harper. I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. When do you want me to come up?”
“As soon as possible,” I blurted.
Harper chuckled. “Okay, how about tomorrow?”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Tomorrow’s great. Let me know when you’re on your way and I’ll see if I can get her to the clubhouse.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said and ended the call.
I had just leaned back in the recliner and closed my eyes when I heard a thump come from one of the bedrooms. My eyes shot to Coal. “Do you have a guest?” I asked quietly.
When he glanced toward the bedrooms, his jaw clenched. “Yes.”
I studied him for a brief moment. “You okay?”
“Just tired. I’m going to head to bed.”
“All right. Night, brother.”
“Night.”
I walked into my bedroom and glanced around the room, taking in the bare walls and meager possessions. It felt strange being in my room, almost like I didn’t belong there. Avery’s house was warm and inviting and felt like home to me. I hadn’t really felt like I had a home since I lost my parents, and I missed the comfort and peace it provided.
I sighed and sat down on my bed while I stared at the phone in my hand. I wanted to call her, to text her, to make sure she was okay, to check on Braxton. Fuck! I’d been gone for a few hours and I was pining for her like a lovesick puppy.
After finally falling asleep, I woke covered in sweat and gasping for breath. The nightmare was different this time. Instead of crashing my truck into Ian’s cruiser, I crashed into Avery and the kids.
My bedroom burst open and Coal started sweeping the room with the light on his gun. “It’s okay, man. Nightmare,” I said and wiped the sweat from my brow as I studied him. His muscles were tensed and he was on high alert. “You all right?”
“Yep,” he clipped and left the room.
Something was going on with him, but Coal was extremely levelheaded. I knew he’d ask for help if he needed it; otherwise, he’d talk about it when he was ready.
I made the mistake of looking at the clock and cursed. It was already five o’clock in the morning, which meant there was no point in going back to sleep. But, it also meant I didn’t have shit to do after showering and getting dressed. After having a cup of coffee, I decided to head to the clubhouse because it seemed like someone was always awake no matter what time it was.
I was right. When I walked through the front door around six o’clock, Tiny, Splint, and Spazz were in the common room eating breakfast. “Hey, look what the cat dragged in,” Tiny said.
“Morning, brothers,” I said and jerked my chin toward the food. “Any of that left?”
Leigh emerged from the kitchen with Splint’s father, Dean, right behind here. “There’s plenty left,” she said with a smile. “Help yourself.”
“Thank you,” I replied and loaded my plate with food. Leigh’s cooking was not something I ever wanted to miss out on.
“What’re you doing here so early
?” Splint asked.
“Couldn’t sleep and I got tired of staring at the walls in my bedroom,” I said with a shrug.
“Your bedroom? You weren’t with Avery?” Spazz asked.
“Not last night,” I said tersely, hoping they would let it drop. I didn’t feel comfortable talking about what was going on with Avery since it had more to do with her than me.
“How’s Sienna?” Splint asked.
I smiled like the proud father I was. “She’s getting bigger every day. If everything keeps going the way it has, she should be able to come home in a few weeks.”
“That’s awesome, man. I’m glad to hear she’s doing well.”
We continued to shoot the shit until everyone but Spazz had to leave for work. “Have you been able to find anything new?”
He shook his head. “No, but it’s not for lack of trying. Byte’s been hitting dead ends, too. It just means we need to dig a little deeper.”
“I just want whoever is responsible for hurting Claire to pay for what they did. Claire being hit is the reason I picked up the kids that day, and that led to Sienna being born weeks before she was ready. We all could’ve died that day.”
“But you didn’t, brother. Remember that,” Spazz said and clapped me on the shoulder right as Copper arrived.
“Church in an hour,” he barked and headed for his office.
“Sounds like he got in touch with Luca,” Spazz mumbled.
Spazz was right. Copper had been in contact with Luca Peccati and arranged a meeting at a restaurant in Cedar Valley at noon.
“Judge and Batta will attend the meeting with me, but I want the rest of you in Cedar Valley and on standby. I’m not anticipating any trouble, but it’s always better to be prepared for anything,” Copper continued.
Fuck! Harper was supposed to be coming up to talk to Avery. I was already having trouble figuring out how I was going to get her to the clubhouse without an explanation, and that was before I found out I wouldn’t be able to be there.
“You all right, brother?” Judge asked and clapped me on the shoulder.
Suddenly, an idea came to me. “Do you think your mom would be willing to help me out with something?” I asked and quickly explained my plan.
Judge grinned. “I’ll give her a call. I’m sure she’d be happy to help. And, you just saved your own ass by asking. If Mom found out Harper was in town and she didn’t see her, Mom would’ve been all over your ass like shit on Velcro.”
“Me? What about Harper?”
Judge laughed. “Harper can do no wrong in my mother’s eyes. She’s the daughter Mom never had, and she’s the baby of our blended little family.”
“Noted. Thanks, man.”
A few minutes later, Judge let me know that Leigh agreed to pick Avery up and bring her to the clubhouse for lunch. I hoped Avery wouldn’t be pissed at me, but more than anything, I hoped Harper would be able to help her.
We rolled into Cedar Valley thirty minutes before the scheduled meeting. Since I still couldn’t ride, I rode in the SUV Grant was driving. He seemed okay when we first left Devil Springs, but the closer we got to Cedar Valley, the jumpier he became.
“You good, man?” I asked before we got out of the car.
“Yeah, I guess I’m a little nervous. I’ve never been to anything like this, and I don’t know what to expect,” he admitted.
“Nothing to worry about. They’re just going to talk. No one’s going to start shooting in broad daylight.”
We followed the group into a small diner that was roughly a block or so from where Copper was meeting Luca. “You guys order something to eat and wait here. If things go downhill, I’ll send a signal to Bronze. If that does happen, follow his orders and be mindful of the general public. The main goal is to get out of there as quickly and safely as possible; we can worry about retaliation later if it even comes to that.” With that, Copper, Judge, and Batta walked out the front door and climbed on their bikes.
46
Avery
I tossed and turned all night. When my mind finally stopped running in overdrive long enough for me to fall asleep, my thoughts haunted my dreams. Thankfully, Braxton only woke up once and that was because his pajamas were soaking wet after his fever broke.
“Mommy, where’s Kellan?” Braxton asked when he woke.
“I’m not sure. How is your tummy?” I asked.
“Good,” he said and wrinkled his forehead. After a moment, he announced, “I’m hungry.”
“Okay, let’s try some toast for breakfast.”
“Can it be cinnamon toast? Please.”
“Sure, sweetie. Let’s go see if Riley, Nana, and Papa are up.”
I wasn’t surprised to find my dad and Riley in the kitchen. Dad had always been an early riser and Riley loved mornings. While Braxton was distracted by my father, I quickly peeked outside to see if Kellan’s truck was in the driveway, and my stomach sank when I saw that it wasn’t.
“He left last night, peanut,” he said quietly. “Did something happen between you two after we went to bed?”
I shook my head. “Nothing that was his fault.”
“A lot happened yesterday. No one would blame you if you needed some time to process everything.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I said and started making breakfast for the kids.
A few hours later, the doorbell rang and I was surprised to see Leigh standing on my porch. “Sorry to stop by unannounced, but I need some help preparing a big meal at the clubhouse. Layla was supposed to help me, but she woke up sick this morning. Any chance you’re free?”
“Uh,” I mumbled and glanced over my shoulder. “The kids are here, so—”
“Your mother and I can watch the kids for a few hours,” my father interrupted. “Leigh’s been such a big help to all of us. I’m sure you’re itching to repay the favor.”
I was. I would’ve felt awful if I’d had to tell her I couldn’t help. “I just need to put on my shoes and grab my purse,” I told Leigh.
When we arrived at the clubhouse, I was surprised to see the parking lot empty. The few times I’d been there with Kellan, there were several bikes and a few cars parked out front. “Is anyone here?”
“Yeah,” Leigh replied quickly. “The clubhouse is never completely empty.”
I wasn’t sure I believed her when we walked inside and it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Leigh continued on through the clubhouse as if everything was as it should be.
“Avery, you remember my niece, Harper?” she asked as we entered the kitchen.
“Hi,” Harper waved.
I smiled and nodded. “Of course, I do. What brings you to Devil Springs?”
She gave me a small smile and cut her eyes to Leigh. “Avery,” Leigh started and clasped her hands together. “I sort of lied to you, and for that I’m sorry. Layla is sick, and I could use some help, but that’s not the reason I asked you to come to the clubhouse with me today.”
Her confession caught me by surprise, but I knew Leigh wasn’t the kind of person to do anything with malicious intent. “Okay, well, why did you ask me to come with you?”
“Savior called last night and asked if I would come to Devil Springs to talk with you. I’m not sure if he told you that I’m a licensed clinical therapist. I’m more than happy to help, but I know he sprung this on you, so I completely understand if you’re not interested,” Harper explained.
“Crap!” Leigh exclaimed. “We’re out of butter, and it looks like we’re running low on milk, too. I need to run to the grocery store real quick. I’ll be right back,” she said and darted out the door.
Harper giggled and shook her head. “Smooth, Aunt Leigh,” she called before turning her attention to me. “Please know that anything you say to me will be kept one-hundred-percent confidential.”
“Why did you become a therapist?” I asked. I wasn’t about to deny my need for some professional counseling, but I wanted to know a little more about her before I decided to open up about mysel
f.
“I was kidnapped when I was a child. It took my brother a couple of months to find me and rescue me. During the time I was gone, my last living parent died. Needless to say, I was a traumatized child, and I soon realized there weren’t enough people out there trained to help other kids like me.”
“Well, shit,” I sighed. “I was expecting a generic reason like, ‘I want to help people.’ I wasn’t expecting you to be so honest.”
“Ah,” she said knowingly. “You weren’t going to share if I didn’t.” When my mouth dropped open in surprise, she smiled. “I work with teenagers. They’re much more difficult to crack than you are.”
“Yeah, I bet they are,” I laughed nervously. “Um, what do you already know?”
“When Savior called last night, he gave me a rundown of the major events that have happened over the last few years, starting with the death of your husband. Now, as a woman, I would probably be pissed if my man called a woman I didn’t know very well and shared everything about my past with her. But, on his behalf, he sounded so lost on the phone last night, and I truly believe he only has your best interest at heart.”
I smiled at the way she was trying to protect Kellan. “I know,” I said. “He’s a good man, and I know he wouldn’t share the intimate details of our lives without a reason.”
“He is a good man, and I’m glad to finally see him happy,” she said and shrugged. “I mean, no pressure or anything.”
I laughed. Harper was easy to get along with, and surprisingly, I felt comfortable talking to her. I just didn’t know how to start.
An awkward silence fell between us for a few moments, but she didn’t let it last long. “So, there’s a few ways to get this ball rolling. If you know where you want to begin, by all means, start talking. But, if you need me to ask a few questions to get us to where we need to be, I can do that, too.”
“How do you know where we need to be?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“Trust me; we’ll both know when we get there.”
Savior (Blackwings MC - Devil Springs Book 3) Page 22