Chapter Twenty-Two
Aspen
Diana stared at me, her mouth hanging open. Before she could ask, I continued, “Skinner, the president of the Death Dogs, said he had information about you. Information he would give to Dad if he aligned with them. Dad jumped at it and agreed to marry me off to one of his men.”
“Oh, Irene,” she sympathized.
“It’s Aspen,” I reminded her.
“I’m sorry, Aspen. That will take a little getting used to.”
I nodded, knowing that it wouldn’t be any easier for any of my family to accept me as anyone other than the baby of Kronos. Little Irene Cooper.
“For three years I endured his abuse. Beatings, name-calling, shaming. Until one day, when I’d planned to finally make my escape, he came home earlier and beat me so badly I ended up in the emergency room. He told the doctors and police I had been mugged, and he’d found me a mile from our home.
“I still remember the way he squeezed my hand when the doctor came in after I woke up. The way he threatened me if I didn’t confirm his story.
“I was in and out of consciousness for three days. When I finally woke up, there was a different doctor in my room. A woman. She saved me, Diana. She and the women who worked with her got me out of the hospital. They got me the help I needed to recover from my injuries. And she set me up here in Diamond Creek. With a new name, a new identity. And I’ve been safe for two years. Until now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your being here means Dad will know where I am. I haven’t spoken to him or anyone from home in three years.”
“Wait, if you’ve only been here for two years, why haven’t you spoken to them in three years?”
“The same reason you never came home. I pulled away from them to protect them. Pepper threatened them. He said if I ever told them anything, he would have Skinner attack and wipe them out. So, I kept my mouth shut.”
Diana’s forehead scrunched in confusion.
“Dad didn’t react the same way when I disappeared, Diana. He didn’t go to the Death Dogs’ clubhouse and burn it down looking for me, like he wanted to do for you. He knew the Soulless Sinners had something to do with your disappearance, but without proof, he backed off.”
By the look on her face, she still didn’t understand. She’d never see our father the way I did. We had different fathers. The father I had after she disappeared wasn’t the same man she grew up with.
Maybe it was the difference in our ages. Maybe it was because he was older then. Or, maybe Banshee was right, and it was because he was no longer the president. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter.
I didn’t matter.
Not to him. Not the way Diana did. Certainly not the way Zeus did.
“He knew where I was, Diana. He knew who was responsible for my disappearance. He did nothing.”
“That can’t be true, Irene. He—”
“IT’S ASPEN!” I screamed, my hands fisting at my sides.
I was sure to anyone looking in, it would appear that I was throwing a tantrum.
Diana startled at my outburst. Her eyes filled with tears.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.
My anger boiled inside me. Even my sister, who had been gone for decades, didn’t think I was important enough—to call me by the name I preferred.
“My name is Aspen Winters. Irene Cooper is dead.”
“I’m sorry, Aspen.” Diana looked distraught, and I had to remind myself that she had been through so much more than I had. She deserved my grace. I just wanted a little of my own in return.
“He let me down, Diana. He doesn’t love me.”
“Of course he does,” she cried, standing from the bed.
“I know he wanted Mom to abort me. When she found out she was pregnant, he begged her to have an abortion.”
“How do you know that?” Her face said everything. I’d known she knew. But she didn’t know I did.
“I overheard you and Zeus talking about it.”
“Ire—Aspen. It wasn’t that he didn’t want you. He was worried about losing Mom.”
“And he was willing to sacrifice me to prevent it. Just like he was willing to sacrifice me to find you.”
Diana sat back on the bed. She had nothing to say. What could she say? She knew I was right. Seeing the truth of my words on her face made me wonder if I’d ever be able to forgive my father for what he’d done.
“I love you, Diana. And I am so happy you are alive and safe. I hate what you went through. I hate that you lost all that time with us, with Bane, with Mimic and Kytten. And I know that Mom and Dad and Zeus will be so happy when they find out you’re alive.
And I want that for them. I do. But I don’t know that I can be a part of it. ”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I don’t know if I can be around them. At least, not right now. I’m not ready for them to know where I am. I’m not ready for anyone outside this clubhouse to know where I am.”
“Oh, baby sister.” She launched herself up from the bed and pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around her and laid my head on her shoulder. I was happy she was here. I’d missed her so much. But I couldn’t help but notice she called me baby sister. Not Aspen.
Not my name.
She wasn’t ready to accept me as Aspen. She wasn’t ready to accept what my life had become, and my father’s part in it.
This was where the grace I mentioned came in.
She’d missed out on so much, and I knew it was unfair of me to expect her to just accept and understand how life had gone on without her.
She needed time. It was the only thing I had to give her.
Diana and I talked a bit longer before there was a knock on the door. The door opened, and Kytten peeked her head in. Diesel growled low from his place on the floor.
“Diesel, stop it,” I chided.
“It’s okay. We have an understanding, don’t we, boy?
” Kytten came into the room and stood with her arms out.
“Come on,” she called out, and Diesel launched at her, sniffing her literally from head to toe.
When he couldn’t reach his nose higher, he jumped up with his paws on her shoulders and sniffed her head.
Satisfied, he jumped down and huffed as he made his way back to the corner.
“What the hell was that?” Diana asked.
Kytten lowered her voice and answered, “He senses the monsters.”
“The monsters?” Diana whined, looking between Kytten and Diesel. I knew what Kytten meant. She’d been through her own hell throughout her life.
“Mom, it’s okay. I have come to terms with what happened. Well, most of it. The shit with Val certainly will take some time to work through.”
I stayed quiet; I hadn’t told Diana that Valhalla was the woman that helped me.
“So, should I call you Aunt Aspen now?” Kytten asked with a smile.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” I chuckled back at her.
“Did you tell Mom how we met?”
I shook my head. “I told her about the women who helped me, but I didn’t tell her who they were.”
Diana closed her eyes and sighed. “Meredith.”
“The Nyght Nymphs,” Kytten corrected.
I smiled at my niece. “The Nyght Nymphs. What they do is important, and I hope you’ll still do it without her.”
“Oh, definitely,” Kytten assured me. “It will be hard to tell the others when the time comes, but once they know everything, they’ll adjust.”
“Where is your brother?” Diana asked.
“Downstairs. He asked me to come get you. He wants to introduce you to Sam.”
Diana nodded. This had to be hard for her, knowing her son called another woman Momma.
“Sam is amazing. She’s been a mom to all of us.”
I wasn’t sure if they were the right words to say to my sister, especially with her knowing how I felt about my own parents. But I never blamed my mother. It hadn’t been her decision, and while she was the only person I knew who could wrangle my father, she could still only do so much.
“I’m sure she is. And I am thankful she stepped in for my children while I couldn’t be there, I just...” She let her words trail off before voicing her fears.
“She would never try to take your place, Diana.” I looked at Kytten before continuing, “But she shouldn’t have to step aside completely.”
“No, she shouldn’t.” Diana looked at her daughter. “She really named one of the babies after you?”
Kytten nodded proudly. “Rosebud Delilah. Delilah was Jack’s mom’s name. He never met her; she gave him up at birth to save him from his father.” Kytten smiled brighter. “The other one is named after you.”
“What? Why? How?”
“Well, the day they were born, Sam wanted to name the second baby Josephine Vivian, ’cause that’s what we all thought your name was. But Thorne was being, well, Thorne, and said no. So, Sam named her after her grandmother—Diana.” Kytten chuckled. “I don’t think Thorne has realized it yet.”
“Okay, let’s go. Aspen,” Diana said with ease. “Will you come with me?”
I smiled at my sister. “Of course.”
We made our way downstairs and found Sam on the sofa. Her arms were empty as she read a book. As we moved in closer, she looked up and smiled.
“You must be Diana.” She set her book down and stood, pulling my sister into her embrace. “I am so incredibly happy to meet you. And I’m honored to have taken care of your babies for you until you made it home to them.”
Diana’s eyes watered, and tears slipped down her cheeks. “I wanted to hate you.” She laughed. Sam laughed along with her.
“Come sit down so we can get to know each other. I want to introduce you to someone.” Sam looked around the room and shouted, “Romeo, bring me my baby.”
“Come on, Sam. I just got my hands on her,” he whined as he made his way toward us.
“You can show her off to your old lady later.”
“Old lady?” I asked. “What old lady?”
Romeo handed the baby to Sam and winked at me. “You’ll meet her someday.” I stared at the man as he sauntered off. I couldn’t wait to meet the woman who had tamed him.
Focusing back on my sister, I watched as Sam set Josie in her arms.
“This is Josephine Diana. She was always meant to be named after you. It was something I wanted to do for both Mimic and Kytten. But he...”
“I told her, Sam,” Kytten said.
“Well, I guess it was meant to be after all,” Sam commented.
“She’s beautiful.” Diana looked up at Sam. “And the other one? Rosebud?”
“Mimic has her. He doesn’t give her up often. Even Jack has trouble getting his hands on her.”
“Thank you, Sam. For taking care of them.” Diana reached over and grabbed my hand. “All of them.”
I looked across the room and saw Bane staring at my sister while she held the baby. I leaned over and whispered, “Looks like your husband might be getting ideas over there.”
Her head snapped up, and she looked at Bane, blushing when he winked at her.
“I don’t know about that. I’m almost forty.”
“Still young enough to have more babies,” I teased.
“What about you?” she asked, her eyes landing on Banshee. He sat at the bar talking to Brandy.
Before I could answer, King shouted.