Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Adelaide
That day will be in my memories for a long time.
The way Asher kept his arm around my shoulders as we watched security escort her to the car. The nod and nervous smile Joseph gave me before he left with her. He was silently assuring me that he had it handled.
I personally think he has no idea what he’s in for.
How many lies will he unravel? And does it matter anymore?
Ash explained what happened on his side of the equation. What a damn mess. If even half of what he’s told me is the truth, this town is a cesspit, and I never knew.
When I started having doubts about this drawn-out, almost year-long drama, Gabriel backed him up. Then his girlfriend, the angry redhead.
Sadly, that insight led Poe to offer Tera a job at SoT to handle hacking and leaks. She politely refused, wanting to focus on her child.
She’s going to be an awesome Mom. I can already tell.
And the rest of the cake hovers around her so protectively that I’m not surprised I haven’t met them.
Trevor and Max. I prefer Frosting and Sprinkles, so it’s staying.
It’s going to take a little while before they lighten up around me. I’m the same way. Too many painful things went down the one time I saw them. It’s between us all like a ghost.
Plus, it’s going to take a while for me to convince Tera that she’s not to blame for not backing me up. She’s obsessed with the thought that it’s her fault. It wasn’t until I told her that William is the only one who should get the blame for it that she backed off.
She looked at Amanda with narrowed eyes, and they nodded to each other. Co-conspirators on my behalf.
I probably won’t see her for a while after that because Ash caught the look. I hope she enjoys her grounding. I’m sure Ash will make it fun.
Poe keeps his distance from them, which isn’t the best thing, but he’s wary. I can’t blame him.
He decides to accept Gabriel's offer on a trial basis. He explained it to me, but I’m still confused. Soldiers and trauma victims under one roof, with a bunch of seasoned SoT members thrown in. It sounds like a volatile mix.
They’re starting off small. Two men already live in the building across the street from Matthias LLC, soon to be Jefferson LLC. Ex-soldiers. They can add from there. Turning the office site into apartment housing is already underway.
When Poe comes back from meeting them, he’s convinced to give it a try.
Here’s hoping it works out.
As for me and the Broussards, that’s not complicated.
I don’t hear from Valerie at all. Joseph calls and checks in with me once a week with updates on her.
Daniella has joined Valerie in refusing to talk to me, and I don’t mind it one bit.
Sophia calls sometimes, but it’s awkward. We’re never going to be right with each other.
Suzette has lost her mind and is the most pushy. She’s determined to make amends for everything. I try to treat her respectfully, without all of the eager friendliness that I used to have. She hates it.
She’s trying; I’m just not there yet.
Asher.
Despite the fact that he’s still a cold lump, he’s making strides toward better communication. We hug sometimes. He says I love you without reserve. All things that I’ve been waiting on and have no idea what to do with now that I have them.
Everyone in the family has been bombarding him with calls. Some are trying to guilt him because he’s not bending in his anger at Valerie. Others are telling him to focus on his angel and cake. He complains about it endlessly.
We now have a set Friday night meetup at the diner. Sometimes, all of us. Sometimes, just Asher.
Life is carrying on until the next drama comes.
I glance up at Poe, sleeping with a smile on his lips.
“All done, yappy,” I coax him awake.
His eyes open, snagging my attention.
“What is it?”
I turn away to cover my grin, carefully setting the tattoo gun down.
I broke. I spent an entire day at the house by myself, filling up online carts with tattoo essentials. As soon as Poe got home, I pointed my finger and demanded he click buy now. I’ve never seen a man so happy to purchase more than a thousand dollars' worth of merchandise for a woman in less than thirty minutes.
He set up one of the empty guest rooms as a private tattoo parlor. I see SoT members only. I’m excited to be in next year’s expo.
Right now, my junkyard dog is lying on my table once again. Everything has come full circle.
“You didn’t want to know,” I remind him as I take my gloves off.
“Now I do,” he raises a sleepy brow.
“Go look then,” I sass back.
He takes his time sitting up and stretching his arms. I know he’s building anticipation on purpose. I can’t wait for him to see this, and he knows it.
The slow saunter to the mirror is runway-worthy. I let out a wolf whistle, which makes him laugh.
Then there’s silence.
“Addie,” he breathes in wonder and then starts laughing.
The tattoo isn’t big. It rides over his hip, a circle outline filled in with flowers and two figures. A raccoon and a cane corso. They’re leaning on each other with the leash for the dog in the raccoon’s paw. I even added some wadded paper trash and a tiny, knocked-over trash can. The pure glee on the two faces is just the right amount of chaotic.
“I love it,” he mutters, his smile staying in place.
“I love you,” I remind him as I clean up.
“Do we have to go to dinner? I want to stay home with you,” he pouts. I catch it as I look over my shoulder at him. The mirror has betrayed him.
“It’s Friday,” I sing-song.
He lets out a loud, dramatic sigh. “I guess.”
I crack up.
The drive to the diner is filled with warm, simple conversation. He gets a call from his lawyer about William that puts a giant grin on his face. I don’t know what was said, but his gleeful response was, “Drop the case.”
“Tell me what happened with William,” I insist, poking his arm as he drives.
That grin comes back full force.
“Today has been a perfect day,” he sighs.
“Awesome, now tell me why it’s been so perfect. I know I cover ninety-nine percent of it, but what’s the other one?”
He glances at me for a brief second and clears his throat. I wait with a pointed look.
“Mr. Bennet was assaulted a few days ago. He’s in the hospital.”
“The hospital?” I ask with wide eyes. “Damn. Doesn’t he know to just give up the wallet?”
“He did,” Poe starts chuckling. “Whoever attacked him didn’t want it. It was left at the scene, untouched.”
“Oh, this is getting good. Go on,” I gleefully chuckle.
“They broke both his legs and arms. Cracked several ribs. He has a concussion.”
“Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me everything already!” I smack his arm playfully.
“He never saw who did it,” Poe breaks into laughter. “In broad daylight, he got yanked into an alley and beaten. No one saw or heard anything.”
“Did you do this?” I ask suspiciously.
“I promised I wouldn’t,” he shoots me a glare, his humor still visible.
“Well, I didn’t do it,” I pout. “Couldn’t have happened to a better person, though. Thank you, mysterious vigilante.”
“Agreed,” Poe starts chuckling again.
“So you dropped the case?” I ask softly.
“Yeah,” he sighs. “With most of the judges gone and the lawyers too, it seems a little pointless. None of the other members wants to pursue it. You want nothing to do with it. But that phone call made everything alright again. It may not have been the right thing, but it feels good.”
“And no jail time,” I sigh as we pull up to the diner. Ash and his crew are already inside.
Dinner is more comfortable than it has been in a while. I’m relaxed because I did my first tattoo since I broke down. Poe is relaxed because William got annihilated by a ghost. He’s gleefully telling them the entire rundown. It’s the most he’s spoken in front of them.
Tera is cringing and sinking down in her seat. The guys are smirking and nodding with a few suspicious glances at Tera. As if that woman could lift a bat in her state. She’s way too pregnant to take on William.
“Ok, enough, yappy,” I smack his arm.
“What? This is the stuff that dreams are made of, siren,” Poe protests with a chuckle.
“He can laugh,” Max mutters with raised brows. “Over violent shit. He fits right in.”
“Shut up,” Asher glares at him.
“You be nice to Sprinkles,” I point at Asher menacingly.
“Yeah, Asher,” Max pouts. “Big sis is on my side all the way.”
“I can’t believe you never told her our names,” Trevor snarls at Ash.
“It was a joke,” he protests. The sound is so childishly defensive that I laugh.
The rest of the dinner goes smoothly. Almost like old times with a few added twists of humor.
Trevor is just as big a grump as Asher. It’s no wonder they argue. They’re two sides of the same coin.
Max is a sassy, sarcastic wonder. The things he comes up with to taunt Ash have me rolling with laughter. I want to adopt him.
Tera is sweet and understanding to a fault.
They round each other out perfectly.
When dinner is over, the rest of the group wanders ahead while Ash and I linger. We walk down the familiar sidewalk toward Asher’s car. He’s still parking near my old apartment building. Old habits die hard.
The others are talking and laughing ahead of us. Poe is behind them, giving me cautious glances over his shoulder. We keep our slow pace in silence for a moment.
“I’ll always love, Maman,” Asher admits in a rush. He sounds disgusted with himself over it.
I already knew that, so this isn’t the emotional blow he’s expecting me to get hit with.
I shrug a casual shoulder and tell him my honest opinion about it. “There’s nothing wrong with loving someone, Ash. Who you care about is your business unless you feel like sharing. Don’t let love go because someone else gets butthurt over it.”
He turns to me in surprise. Like he thought we were about to have a fight, ending with me walking away. My casual acceptance wasn’t a part of his calculations. I grin in his face without remorse.
“What’s the matter, little bro? Am I being too grown-up for you? Do I need to tone it down for your brand-new, sensitive feelings?”
His expression drops into a scowl, “Fuck you, Addie.”
“Aww, come on, Ashie-poo ,” I whine loudly. The nickname draws a cackle out of Max that’s menacing. Even from this distance, he heard me clearly.
“No more heart-to-hearts,” Asher grumbles and starts walking away.
“But, Asher,” I whine pitifully. “I’m just trying to help you find your footing on your emotional journey!”
“Can you put a leash on your wife?” Asher asks through gritted teeth as he passes Poe.
Poe gives him a casual, cold look.
“No.”
I give my own cackle at his predicted response.
“The leash is for him, little bro. Get it right!”
Asher shudders and picks up his pace.