by Blair Grey
Vance gave her a look. The two of them hadn’t gotten along in as long as I could remember, and even though they had managed to be civil to each other at the hospital, I had a feeling that was short lived. Lynne wanted nothing to do with my brother and wasn’t afraid to say so.
“This isn’t over,” he said to me. “I’m going to make sure you move back in with Dad. You don’t have a say here.”
“That’s what you think,” I said. He got back on his bike and left, and I rushed into Lynne’s arms.
“Are you alright?” she asked. “I was so worried about you all weekend.”
“I’m fine,” I said. “I picked out a rehab I’m going to visit on my way back out of town, just like I promised.”
“Oh, good! But you’re leaving again?” she asked. “When?”
“I’m just here to get some clothes, and then I’m going to head back to Zach’s. I can’t stay here with my brother threatening me like that, and I know my father is going to be watching the place. Zach’s is the only place I can go where they aren’t going to follow,” I said with a shake of my head. “He doesn’t seem to worry that anyone is going to come over, at least, he didn’t say anything like that over the weekend.”
“What did you guys talk about?” Lynne asked. “You look better than when you left the hospital; have you been eating?”
“Some,” I admitted. “Not as much as I should, but I’m getting there. I just know that I love this man, and I’m not going to run away because our families don’t think that we should be together. There is no reason for it!”
“I know,” she agreed. She wasn’t part of the MC, but she did understand some of the rules that I had to live by. But, I wasn’t going to go through with it anymore. I wasn’t going to give him my happiness to make my father happy, especially since I never felt that I was fully able to make him happy.
“Are you going to be okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “You are an adult, Vanessa. You can do what you want. Just remember, you need to be careful, and be smart. But you’ll always have a space here if you need to come back. I’ll keep it open for you.”
I hugged her again, holding her close. “Thank you so much. You have always been the one person I knew I could count on, no matter what kind of shit I was dealing with in my family.”
“I love you!” she said with a tight squeeze. “I’m going to make you something to take with you on the road while you pack up.”
“Okay,” I agreed. I didn’t want food, but I knew it would make her feel better to send something along with me. It would save me the need to stop along the way to get something, too. I didn’t want to let myself go all day without eating, and I knew that would happen if I didn’t have something in the car with me when I left.
I went upstairs to pack a few things that I’d need, and Lynne went inside to make me a sandwich for the drive back. It didn’t take me long to throw some clothes in a duffle bag, and I already had all the information I’d need at the clinic.
I gave her one more hug and got back in the truck, eager to be back on the road and out of town. Everything was already planned. I called a woman at the rehab center when I was on my way back into town. I would set up a schedule with them to head in for meetings and monitoring twice a week. It wasn’t as intense as I knew Lynne would want, but it was better than nothing. I couldn’t get myself in too much trouble if I was being monitored every couple days.
At the same time, this was going to give me the freedom to stay with Zach. I’d drive back to town for my meetings, and if things continued the way I hoped they would, I’d be able to transfer to another rehab center in Santa Rosa.
All I knew was that I was more than ready to start cutting ties with my father and brother for good. I’d use Zach as my emergency contact, or Lynne if she was the one in town. But I was done being one of The Enemies, and I had no interest in becoming a Folded Flag.
I just wanted to be with Zach. I loved him, and I knew he felt the same for me. It was time to tell our parents that they didn’t have any control over our lives, and it was time to start making decisions that were right for us.
I was done killing myself with stress and unhealthy coping mechanisms. It was time to take control, and that is exactly what I was doing. Come Hell or high water, I was going to stand on my own two feet and take care of myself from now on.
Zach was on my side. What more did I need?
23
Zach
“They aren’t so bad, if you ask me,” I said as I set two smoothies down on the table. There was a large bowl of fruit in the center of the table with a second plate of eggs next to it. I was learning I had better luck getting Vanessa to eat when I was there to eat with her.
I didn’t fully trust that she would eat anything if I was only eating my meals at work, so I made her promise to eat regularly as long as I was there with her. Of course, she still wasn’t eating as much as I wanted. Her plates looked like they were meant to serve a child, not an adult woman, but I was learning to pick my battles.
If she was eating anything at all, she was way ahead of the four days when she really had been on her own. I didn’t want her to relapse into that, so I just let her be. As long as I saw for myself her eating some solids and she drank the smoothies I’d been making for her, I was happy.
I found several recovery smoothie recipes online. They were crammed full of fruits and vegetables, so when I threw in the additional protein powder to make them almost worthy of being a meal themselves, I was happy to hand them over to her.
“Strawberry! I like that one better than the blueberry,” she said cheerfully as she grabbed the glass off the table.
“I like them mixed, but strawberry’s fine with me, too,” I said. I didn’t want her to start feeling as though I was merely copying everything she said she liked to get on her good side. I wanted her to work through this on her own, with my support.
“My therapist said that he thought these smoothies were fine for now. He doesn’t want me to stick with them long term, but he said if that’s what I can manage in the early stages, he’s not seeing any sort of problem with that,” Vanessa said.
She’d had her first rehab appointment the day before, and I was glad to hear that it had gone well.
“Good. I’ll see what I can do to mix it up for you. I’m sure the last thing you want is to get bored with flavors right now,” I said.
“The blueberry and strawberry are doing fine for now,” she said with a smile. “Really.”
“It’s a start, that’s for sure,” I admitted. “But I don’t want it to be where you stop.”
“It won’t be,” she promised. I believed her. She had driven the four hour round trip to get to her appointment the day before, and that in itself told me she was dedicated. However, I knew this was also something we needed to talk about. We hadn’t discussed what it was we were doing together.
She just sort of started staying with me, and I loved it.
But, if she was going to make this a permanent decision, I fully believed that she was going to have to switch her rehab to being local. And, a job would do her a world of good. I didn’t want her to sit around and worry about what her father was doing.
Being busy was a great way to start healing, we both knew it. But, neither of us had talked about it. I told her only briefly what had happened with Nathan, and she told me something about her brother confronting her in the driveway in front of her apartment.
It was clear to me neither of us wanted to talk about the situation, but at the same time, it was something we were going to have to address one of these days. As much as I wanted to just do my own thing and forget about my dad, I wasn’t going to disappear.
If he didn’t want me in the MC anymore, then I would formally be stripped of being a member. That was fine with me, but I was going to force him to actually do it. He was always telling me to be a man, I’d force him to also be a man and look me in the eye as he told me he no longer wanted me in the club.
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It wouldn’t be easy to hear, but at least then I would have my closure, and be free to do what I wanted with Vanessa.
My phone’s alarm went off, and I sighed. “Better get this day over with.”
“I wish you could just stay here with me all day,” Vanessa said as she popped a grape in her mouth. “I miss you when you’re at work.”
“Maybe one of these days, you’ll be able to come to the diner,” I said hopefully. “You never know.”
“I’m not going to get my hopes up,” she said. She stayed at the kitchen table and ate her fruit while I went to the bathroom and got ready. I didn’t want to leave her, she was right. It was hard. It was even harder since I’d been all but exiled myself.
Whether I told her or not, it was true. Nathan hadn’t been back in to talk to me after yelling at me that day, and though I still got a text from Aaron frequently, he hadn’t come around, either. I was trying to be understanding about the situation, but it was difficult.
I headed back out into the kitchen where Vanessa was taking care of the dishes from breakfast, but she stopped to walk me to the door. I opened it then leaned down to kiss her goodbye, but before our lips met, I suddenly saw them.
Standing on the lawn outside my door were both our fathers and another man I assumed to be her twin. They certainly looked enough alike. I wanted to yank her back inside and slam the door, but I knew it was time that we got this over with.
“I can handle this,” I said.
She grabbed my hand. “No, I’m going with you.”
Together, we stepped outside. My heart raced as we walked side-by-side toward the three. It was surprising enough to see them all standing together against us. But, I knew they were just as likely to turn on each other as they were to be pissed with our situation. As long as I stood with Vanessa, things would be okay.
My father looked like he was ready to tear into me, but I beat him to the punch. I wasn’t going to let him scream at me the way Nathan had. I was ready to stand up to him, finally.
“Dad, I know what you’re going to say, and quite frankly, I don’t want to hear it. I’m an adult, and I love this woman. I’m going to continue to see her, and I’m sorry if you can’t accept that, but that’s just the way it is,” I said.
He turned red in the face. “You will not! I’m going to make sure of that! I want the three of you out off my turf right now!”
He pointed to Vanessa and her brother and dad, but I stepped in once more. “Do you remember what happened when I got home? Does the name Fatima remind you of anything? Do you really want me to end up as depressed as I was back then all over again? That’s going to happen if you do this!”
I could feel Vanessa stiffen behind me, and I winced internally. It was high time that I tell her the truth. But that could wait until after we’d finished here. My dad sputtered then turned on his heel. He paused and glanced toward Marcus and Vance. “Get out.”
“With pleasure – and we’re taking Vanessa with us,” Marcus said. He took a step forward and I prepared to lay him on the ground. I wasn’t going to let him drag her away. But, Vanessa suddenly took a step forward.
“No, Dad!” he stopped. “I’m not going with you! Like Zach said, we are adults, and we want to continue to see each other. I’m sick and tired of you thinking that you can control my life. You can’t, and I’m not going to put up with the stress you put me under any longer. You already lost Mom – do you really want to lose me, too?”
I swelled with pride. It felt good hearing her tell her father off like that, but it didn’t have the same effect on her father that my words had had on mine. Marcus held his ground for a moment, clearly shocked that his daughter was finally willing to tell him off in front of his biggest rival. It had to be embarrassing for him, and he clearly wasn’t going to put up with it.
He squared his shoulders and set his jaw, taking another step forward. I once again prepared myself for the fight I knew was bound to happen, but before he got even two steps closer, Vance had him by the arm.
“Let her go, Dad. This is her mistake, and she’s going to regret it. Like you’ve always told us, pick your battles,” he said. Marcus hesitated, clearly uncertain now what to do. My heart raced in my chest, and I hoped it wasn’t going to come to an actual fist fight.
I knew I could take the man; he was old enough to lack the same strength I had. Not to mention, I could draw on my military training, and to my knowledge, he had none. But, I still didn’t want to get in a fight with my girlfriend’s father right in front of her.
And, I didn’t know what my own father would do if it did come to that.
Marcus shook his head. He clearly didn’t want to get into a physical fight with me, either, but it was hard for him to walk away. But, in the end, Vance’s opinion won out. They both turned and strode back to their bikes and the three of them rode off.
My father turned to the left, and they turned to the right, heading back in the direction of the freeway. Vanessa and I turned to each other. It had been rough, but it had gone so much better than I thought it ever could. She threw her arms around my neck and I lifted her from the ground, twirling her in the air before setting her down and kissing her deeply right there in front of my apartment.
“Come on, let’s get back inside,” I said. I put my arm around her and we headed back through the door. I kicked off my shoes and pulled off my jacket as she shook her head.
“What about you going to work?” she asked.
I shrugged. “It’s just flipping burgers. Someone can cover my shift.”
She smiled as I took her in my arms once more. I didn’t care what happened with the diner. I felt on top of the world, thrilled that I finally had Vanessa in my arms. My father wasn’t happy about it, but I wasn’t hiding it from him anymore, either.
We could have each other. As long as we did, we’d be okay.
I knew now without a doubt, we’d be okay.
24
Vanessa
I looked up feeling safer than I had in as long as I could remember. I was in Zach’s arms, and together we had just told both of our families that we were going to stay together. We weren’t going to let them tear us apart. Shit, we weren’t going to let anyone tear us apart.
I was willing to fight for him, and he made it clear he was willing to fight for me, and that alone would be enough to hold us together. Zach leaned down, pressing his lips to mine. The familiar shock ran through my body. Passion grew between us quickly and I wrapped my arms around his neck, jumping up and wrapping my legs around him as well.
He carried me into his bedroom, laying me on the bed and making me giggle as he did so. “What’s so funny?” Zach asked.
“I’m just so happy that we’re finally together. I mean, really together. No one is going to come between us now, I just know it,” I replied. “I don’t care what my father or brother try to do. I’m tired of the way they treated me, and I’m going to put my foot down for good.”
“Don’t worry about that anymore,” Zach said. He eased himself down on top of me, kissing me tenderly. “I’m here, and I’m not going to let anyone come in between us, either. I love you, Vanessa. More than anything.”
“I love you, too,” I said softly. I put my hands on either side of his face and continued to kiss him. His lips were soft, and the way his hands explored me body sent chills running through me. I loved the way he touched me, and I was growing to miss it.
We hadn’t had sex since I came to stay with him after leaving the hospital, and I was filled with a need. Of course, I had a feeling he was being respectful of me. He didn’t want to push me into doing anything when I was in such a fragile state of mind. Not that he would be pushing, that is.
I started pulling at his shirt, yanking it up and over his head, letting it fall to the floor. His hands were already under mine, grabbing my breasts, squeezing them and sending more thrills throughout my body. I put my hands to his jeans next, fighting with them to get them off.
> His hands were on my yoga pants, pulling them down and letting them fall to the ground. I never wore panties with my yoga pants, so my pussy was free for him to run his hand over, pushing two fingers inside and causing me to moan, arching my back and running my hands down his bare skin. He closed his eyes as he used his free hand to unhook my bra, freeing my breasts.
I loved it when he put his mouth to them. I loved the feeling of his soft lips over my nipples, the feeling of his teeth as he pinched them. He sucked lightly, goosebumps rose over my skin with the warmth of his breath. Zach kissed his way back up my neck, settling right in the crook.
I reached down, taking his cock in my hand. It was already rock hard, but he shuddered as I touched it. I ran my hand back and forth over it, sending the same waves of pleasure through him that he had through me. Our anticipation was building, it was clear that we needed each other.
Slowly, I guided him toward me, sliding him inside my tight pussy with a soft moan. I was so wet with need, and he was already so hard, that it was easy for him to glide all the way inside, stopping only when his balls reached me.
He started sliding in and out, the rush of his cock filling me with anticipation for the next time he pushed himself all the way in. He was so big, and I was so tight, we could hardly keep our voices down as he continued to thrust inside me.
Zach put his free hand on my breast, squeezing and teasing me all over again. He kissed me as he thrust in and out, his cock sliding fast and smooth. I spread my legs further apart, trying to take him as deeply as I could.
I couldn’t get enough of him, and with each new thrust, he was driving me closer and closer to orgasm.
I let my voice grow shallow, gasping with pleasure as he continued to slide hard and fast. It was more than I could take. The tension built inside me, and just when I thought I would burst from the thrill of it, I felt the rush of him cumming inside me as well.
His cock pulsed as he emptied his load in me fully, and I moaned, crying out with pleasure as my own orgasm washed over me. The waves reached every part of my being, running through me with an electricity that was unlike anything I’d ever felt before in my life.