Celeste Chapter 19
Today has been a day filled with nothing but happiness, fun, family, and excellent food. It was as if the horror of two days ago had happened months ago. Nathaniel Erickson was no more, and I was relieved.
I had worried that the torture Hulk and then I had subjected him to would come back to haunt Capri.
I doubted I’d be upset enough about it to have that issue.
To our relief, so far, she hadn’t shown signs of it.
Her sleep had been undisturbed the past two nights.
Only time would tell if it would continue.
When I voiced to Hulk that I wished there were someone professional she could talk to about everything, including how the bastard had died, not just the rape.
He shocked me. It seemed that there was such a person.
His name was Dr. O’Herron. He was someone trusted by the Hunters Creek Archangel’s Warriors to keep their secrets.
He’d lost someone to injustice and was all for vigilante justice if specific rules were followed.
The rules that the Pagans and their friends adhered to.
He had helped other clubs out. Hulk promised to get Capri set up with Dr. O, as he called him, as soon as possible.
We had our private family breakfast and gift exchange at our house this morning.
Hulk had surprised us both with the gifts he chose for us.
We teased him that he had the old ladies pick them out, but he swore on his cut that he did it all.
They were so thoughtful and spot on. We loved them.
When he opened our gifts, he’d been equally blown away and thrilled by them.
His expression said it all, along with his words, hugs, and kisses.
Later, we made our way to the clubhouse so the Christmas meal could be prepared.
While it was cooking, we watched the kids enjoy the gifts others had gotten them.
And the single guys weren’t forgotten. I hadn’t been here yet when the decision was made on what to get them.
The old ladies, with help from their old men, had come up with two gifts they believed the bachelors would all love.
They were right. The guys had raved about the heated gloves and jackets they received.
Part of the celebration was more than just the club, their spouses, and kids. They had invited some extended family and friends to join us. Capri and I were introduced to all of them and found they were lovely and warm.
First was Cassandra, Bones’ mom. She’d divorced his dad early in the year and moved to the area to be close to her son and Blythe. Then there was Alfred. He was Blythe’s previous boss, who had gifted her his antique shop. He was the one who hired Leon originally to protect her.
Next was Austin and Micah, along with Micah’s cousin, Mercy.
Austin was a physical therapist who started as Eliana’s friend and later became the club’s friend, along with his husband, Micah.
Mercy was Micah’s cousin and one of the few people trusted to babysit the Pagans’ children. They were so sweet and warm.
We discovered through conversation that Austin and Micah had found, after a year-long search, a surrogate who was willing to carry a child for them.
They were over the moon about it, and so was the club.
They would start the process right after the new year.
The last two who joined us were half-sisters.
Lynzie was my age. She worked at the Pagans’ garage as a mechanic.
Her sister, Courtni, was the same age as Capri.
She was in college, too. And surprise, it was the same one as my niece in nearby Bryson City.
It was early nighttime. Capri, Courtni, and Aliya had gone off to another part of the clubhouse for girl time.
I was thrilled to see her forming friendships.
She needed them now more than ever, and with people she could trust. I was curled up on Hulk’s lap at a table.
I was feeling content and lazy. Not even the challenge of playing pool could get me to move.
The mess from the meal had been cleared away a while ago.
Going forward, if someone wanted leftovers, they could get them and clean up after themselves. Hulk had explained that rule to us.
Cassandra was fussing over her granddaughters, Cailynn and Calista, who were decked out in adorable matching outfits from their granny that they got for Christmas.
Those old enough to toddle around were still moving around the room.
It was still a slight surprise to me to see all the Pagans watching out for the kids, even picking one up to comfort them or correct them if necessary.
They were a big, communal family. I would’ve done anything to have had this when Capri was little.
“Hey, can we talk to you for a minute?” Agony asked. He walked up with Eliana tucked under his arm.
“Sure, take a load off,” Hulk said, pointing to the chairs across from us. Agony pulled one out from the table. After he sat, he tugged his old lady down on his lap to mimic Hulk and me.
“I’m not trying to ruin the holiday mood, but I wanted to tell you this and then give you time to consider it,” was how he began the conversation.
“You’re not ruining anything, Pres,” my man assured him.
“I promise we’ll keep it short. Celeste, remember when you got your tattoo, I mentioned working for the club? I know you’ve got a lot to process, so this is merely us asking you to think about something.”
“I do recall it. What do you have in mind?” I asked.
“Well, it’s something I thought of when we spoke, and then I talked it over with Eliana. She agrees with my idea. Medicine Woman, you wanna tell her what we talked over?” he asked his old lady.
“Sure can. You know that I run Pagan Promises. And we provide more than medical care,” she paused after the reminder.
“I do, and I think it’s awesome what you do for people,” I told her.
“Thank you, well, what Agony and I thought would be wonderful is if we could expand our offerings to people. Something that has come up more than a few times is people seeking legal advice on where they can find help with a variety of things, or recommendations on lawyers, that sort of thing. Most places won’t even talk to them without some kind of payment, even for basic questions.
And not everyone goes online. What we want you to consider is coming to work at Promises, providing that guidance.
You could steer them toward whatever they need. ”
“And if you want to go back to school to become a lawyer, the club would pay for it. Not only could you work at Promises, but you could also take over as the club’s lawyer.
Now, I don’t know if you have aspirations to be a lawyer, but if you do, we’d totally support that or any other degree or certification you want to get.
But we want you to know, if you say no to any or all of this, there won’t be any hard feelings.
You’ve got to do what’s right for you,” Hulk added hastily.
I sat there stunned into silence. Three pairs of eyes were aimed at me. It took a minute for my brain and mouth to reconnect.
“Are you serious?” I croaked.
“Serious as a heart attack. Now, we’re not asking for an answer right now. Talk it over with Hulk and Capri. I just know you’re quitting your court reporting job and starting to hunt for a new one. I wanted to get our offer in before you found a new job,” Agony stated.
“And if you say no, we’ll proceed with placing an ad. We’re going to get someone even if you say no. It’s so needed. Of course, we prefer family when we can, but that’s not always possible. And again, no stressing over us having hard feelings if you pass,” Eliana reinforced.
“You’ve all been so kind and supportive to Capri and me.
You took us in and treated us as family right away.
The fact that you want to do more is unbelievable.
Thank you so much for the offer. I would like to talk it over with Hulk and Capri.
I’ll have your answer within a week. How does that sound?
” I asked. My mind was whirling with possibilities.
Elaina smiled and clapped her hands. Agony grinned and nodded.
I glanced at Hulk. His smile was huge as he winked and nodded.
Utter joy filled me. I wanted to jump up and dance.
With that out of the way, we hung out with Pres and Eliana for the next half hour, just talking about this and that.
It was so good to be with family on a major holiday.