Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Emerson
“What are your plans for today?” my da asks.
“Zio Enea asked us to stay on the property. So I was thinking of taking Sawyer and River to the campground. I was going to text everyone and see if the kids want to go with us and play.”
“Are we invited?” Eden asks.
“Yes.” River grins at my sister.
“Yay!” She laughs as she kisses his head.
“Did you know dere are otters here? Dat’s what Saoirse told me.”
“Do you want to see them today?” Eden smiles.
“Yes!”
“You can’t yell when you’re around them or you’ll scare them.”
“Otay, I won’t yell. Can I pet dem?”
“Yes, you can pet them and cuddle them.”
“Why don’t you all head over there, I’ll clean up,” Mama says to us.
“I’ll help you,” Sawyer says as she gets up.
“I’ll help too and then we can meet you guys after we’re done,” my sister says as she starts helping.
“Are you sure? We can wait,” I say to them.
“Go. We got this.” Sawyer smiles as she kisses me.
Emerson: Anyone want to meet us at the otter enclosure? We’re taking River to see them
Sebastiano: Yeah, I’ll bring Sansone and Kaia
Francesco: I’ll bring Saoirse
Giovanna: Bringing Rowan and Lorcán
Artemis: Orion and I are getting ready
Hollis: We’ll bring the kids, might take us a bit to get them ready cause they’re in a mood today. Maybe I’ll leave them home and come alone…
Emerson: We’re leaving the house now. See you all soon, River’s so excited
“Okay, looks like everyone’s going to join us,” I say as I kiss her again.
Sawyer kneels down in front of River.
“Please listen to what you’re told. If I hear you’re not listening, you won’t play for the rest of the day.”
“Otay, Mama. I’ll listen.”
Sawyer hugs River and we head out.
Sawyer
I want to be there when River sees the otters for the first time. But I also think this is a good bonding thing for Emerson and River. Plus, I want to help his mama. I want her to like me and I feel like if I don’t help, then she’ll think I’m lazy. And I don’t want that.
“Have I said how happy I am that you’re here?” Eden laughs. “I love my brothers, but Mama and I needed more women. I love my cousins, but most of them can’t travel all the time. Now I have you and you get to come to all the races. I’m so excited.”
“Do you go to all the races?”
“I do. I help my brothers get ready and make sure they have all their snacks and drinks. I rotate with each race, so the first race, I’ll be with Emerson and Easton.
Then Elias and Ezra. When they were in different classes, it was a little easier because they raced at different times.
But since they’re on the same teams, I can still help two at a time. ”
“That’s awesome. Did you ever ride?”
“I did. I stopped competing when I was about sixteen. I thought about going into motocross racing. But I love the track too much. And when I tried motocross for racing, I didn’t enjoy it as much. So I decided to stop and help my brothers instead.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Oh yes. And I do get on the track as much as I can. But I just don’t have as much endurance as the guys.
My brothers and I used to race all the time, but as we got older, I could see how much more they could do.
And I was offered a spot in the juniors and I did well.
But at the end of the day, I was so tired. More tired than my brothers were.”
“That’s fair, but I love that you still ride. I learned to ride with my last team. The rider I worked with taught me and it was incredible. But after a few laps, I was hot and tired.” I laugh.
élodie and Eden laugh.
“It’s a lot harder than people think. I hear people say things like, ‘What’s so hard? All they do is ride a motorcycle.’ And it makes me laugh. If only it was that easy.”
“Oh I know, right? I’ve heard people say that too. I love that you’ll be there, I was worried when I got the job. Because I knew there weren’t many women on the grid. But all the guys on your brothers’ teams are great. Not one of them has made me feel like I don’t belong.”
“That’s because of our da. He always made sure that the teams were a part of our family. Some of the guys that Emerson had were part of our da’s team.”
“Matteo said it’s not often that a spot opens up. My old teammates were the ones who told me about it. None of them wanted to move away. Most of them have families, but since it was just River and me, I needed to try. I honestly didn’t think that I would get the job.”
“Fate works her magic when you least expect it.” élodie smiles as she hugs me.
Unknown number: Don’t be stupid. I told you to come home and that I needed to talk to you. I’m still your mother. I brought you into this world and I can take you out
Holy shit. She’s threatening me.
“Are you okay?” élodie asks.
“I just got another text from my mother. I blocked her number and I don’t recognize this one,” I say as I show my phone to both of them.
“Holy shit. Did she just threaten you?” Eden frowns.
“You need to tell Emerson. Let’s get over to the sanctuary. I’m sure Sebastiano and Francesco will be there too. They all need to see this.”
We hurry to finish cleaning up. We jump into the four-wheeler and head over to the sanctuary. I see Emerson and River sitting together, Emerson’s teaching him how to skip rocks. I love him so much. élodie goes with me and takes River to play with all his new cousins.
I show Emerson the text that came in.
“What the fuck? I need to show Bastian,” he says as he takes my hand and we walk towards Sebastiano.
“Wow. That’s not a text I’ve ever seen a parent send before. But I do have some information. Let me get the kids situated and we can talk.”
I love how many little ones there are in the family. River fits in perfectly and watching him run and play is the best. I’m starting to see how much he was missing when it was just the two of us.
“Are you okay?” Emerson asks.
“I worry that I’ve hurt River by keeping him all to myself. Watching him play with the kids here makes see how happy he is now.”
“You could never hurt him. And he’s a really happy kid, you’re doing a great job,” he says as he kisses me.
“Thank you.” I smile at him.
“Okay, let’s talk over there,” Sebastiano says as he waves at Francesco to join us.
Sebastiano has me show Francesco the text message.
“After Emerson talked to all of us last night, I couldn’t sleep. So I started looking into your situation. I found that your mother hired a private detective. Which is probably how she got your number and how she knew that you’re back in Illinois.”
“So do I need to change my number again? And if I do, how do I keep them from getting it?”
“First, we need to know why your mother keeps trying to get you to come see her. How long has it been since you’ve spoken to her?”
“The last time we spoke was at least two years ago. Which was also the last time I saw any of them.”
“Are your parents and siblings your only family? And what can you tell us about them?” Sebastiano asks.
“Yeah, my father, Steve, is in prison. He went in when I was ten, so he’s been in for fourteen years. I suppose he might be out now, I’ve never checked. And then there’s my mother, Martha, and my two sisters, Krystal and Brooke. They’re three and five years older than me.”
Francesco is taking notes as I talk.
“I wish there was a way to find out what she wants without having to see her.” I sigh.
“I’m thinking that maybe you need to actually meet with her and find out. Not alone, of course. You should take a few of the family and tell her where you want to meet. Maybe even the bakery. We can monitor things better there,” Sebastiano suggests.
“That sounds safer than going to her or having her pick a place,” Emerson adds.
“So should I unblock her? Or answer this last text?”
“I’d say answer this last text. Most people don’t know that they’ve been blocked. But it feels like she does, and I don’t understand that one. Unless she’s good with technology?” Francesco says.
“Not that I know of. She hated computers.”
“How about your sisters?”
“Krystal barely finished high school and Brooke got pregnant her senior year. Other than that I really don’t know much about any of them, I moved out when I was sixteen.
At that point, Krystal was working at the grocery store near where we lived and Brooke lived next door with her kids and her current boyfriend. ”
Emerson
Listening to Sawyer talk about her family makes me sad for her.
I can’t imagine growing up with people like that.
My da didn’t have to raise me the way he did.
He could’ve treated me differently from my brothers and sister, he never once did did that.
But my beautiful Sawyer, she’s had to feel that way every day of her life.
I make a silent promise that she’ll never feel like that again.
“Why don’t you text that last number and tell them you’ll meet them at the bakery. We can do it today if you want. Or tomorrow,” Sebastiano says.
“I’d like to get it over with. I guess it’ll depend on what she says too.” Sawyer sighs.
I hold her as she sends the text. Her mother answers right away and agrees to meet in three hours. She even has the nerve to say she wants to see River.
“I refuse to bring River to the meeting,” Sawyer tells us.
“I agree, River stays here. I don’t want them anywhere near him.” I frown.
I can’t help myself, I don’t know if me speaking up will make Sawyer mad. But River is my son and I won’t let them near him. I look at Sawyer to see her reaction and she reaches up and kisses me. I breathe a sigh of relief.
“We can ask Mama if River can stay with her. And who should we have at the bakery?”
“First, let me call my mam and give her a heads up. The bakery’s open so I’m hoping that will make your mother be civil to you,” Sebastiano says as he gets on his phone.
“I think it should be Ares, Adonis, Celestino, Sebastiano and me. And we’ll have Seamus, Connor and Arturo as backup.”
In our family, every woman has a bodyguard.
Because Sawyer is mine now, she will have one too.
I don’t know who it’ll be yet, but I will be asking one of the family to be hers.
This thing with her mom is making me want to get that done sooner rather than later.
First, I need to tell Sawyer that she’s going to have one.
I don’t think she knows about the other women having them.
“So I need to talk to you about something and I was going to wait. But now that it seems like your mother is trying to make trouble, I can’t wait.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but every woman in the family has a bodyguard. And I need you to have one.”
“Are you serious? Why would I need one?”
“No matter what, you would’ve had one anyway.”
“But again, why would I need one? I’m not in any danger.”
“I feel like you are. And remember our conversation about who my family is?”
“Yes.”
“That’s why.”
Sawyer sighs. “Okay.”
“Oh and well…we probably need to tell you something. Or well, show you,” Ares says.
Sawyer stares at him. “Why do I feel like it’s something weird?”
“Weird? Why would you think that?” Ares smiles.
“Okay. Now I know it’s something weird.” She laughs.