Happiness
Travis
I walked into Creed’s house and paused at what I saw. Weston was on the floor rolling around with his hand over his junk groaning while Addie stood over him. She looked at me and her eyes lit up. “Uncle Twabiss!”
She jumped over her Uncle’s body and ran into my arms. “What have you done now?” I asked as she wrapped her arms and legs around me, just like a monkey. She looks like such an innocent angel with those blond pigtails and purple glasses. Nobody would expect the true power that kid had behind her punch.
I walked toward Weston who was still cradling his balls as Addie spoke. “He day I wud getting brother’s and they going to eat all da red snow cones.”
I looked down at Weston. “Why do you poke the bear? Are you stupid? That sh…stuff won’t go over well in the Army. If a six year old can kick you’re a…I mean kick your butt, you don’t have a chance.” I chuckled. “I don’t think the Army is the branch for you, kid. The Marines take the crayon eaters and marker sniffers.”
“Yeah!” Addie stuck her tongue out at her uncle.
“What now?” I looked away from Weston and saw Morgan.
“Weston’s a stupid Maween!” Addie answered then tried to spit on him, but I put my hand over her mouth just in time.
“Don’t spit on a man that’s already down, Addie.” I warned her.
Morgan groaned. “Come on, Addie. Let’s go talk to daddy again. This is the second time tonight you hurt your uncle.”
I chuckled. That was expected from a stupid Maween.
“Okay, I’m going to tell daddy how I punched the stupid Maween in the dick!” Addie hopped down and Morgan and I both gasped. Holy shit, she did not just say that!
Morgan’s eyes shot up to mine and I held my hands up in surrender. “She did not get that from me.”
Addie ran by her mom and toward the kitchen. “Daddy! I punched da stupid Maween in da dick!”
I heard a few coughs then laughter from the guys. Morgan looked at me and her jaw was still on the floor. “I don’t know what to say.” She looked devastated.
I shook my head and looked down at Weston. “I guess you can deal with your brother now. We aren’t dumb, we know where she picked that up.” Damn teenagers.
Morgan let out a deep and very defeated sigh. “Come on in, Travis. They’re all in the kitchen, we’re just waiting for Valerie, Uncle Darren, and the Grangers.” She then looked at Weston. “I’ll bring you an ice pack.”
Every Thursday night all the Originals hung out at Creed’s. Morgan always over worked herself in the kitchen and we would end up downstairs drinking a few beers in Creed’s bar after dinner.
I looked down at Weston. “Prospect! Why the hell are you letting a pregnant woman wait on you? Get your ass off the floor and suck it up.” I loved fucking with those two teenagers.
“Sir yes sir!” He mustered together the strength to push himself off the floor.
“You should be disgusted with yourself. A six year old?” I rushed him off toward the kitchen.
He was a good kid, just not the brightest. Everyone knew not to fuck with Addie. She was the loosest cannon on Creed’s Lake. The tiniest little badass on Creed’s Lake…well, besides Melissa. I was sure with her short stature she didn’t have an easy life at school and probably learned young how to fight back.
I walked into the kitchen and Creed was kneeled down to Addie’s height as she smiled proudly. “I punched him right in da dick, daddy!”
All the guys were turned away from Addie and trying their hardest not to laugh.
Creed shut his eyes for a moment and sighed before he opened them. “Who taught you that word?”
“Da stupid Maween!” Addie nodded real big.
“Addie, sweetie, all Marines aren’t stupid. Just the ones that eat glue and we have a lot of them around. Which one was it?” Creed asked.
She pointed at Weston who looked like a deer caught in headlights. Addie pointed at him. “Uncle Twaviss say he too stupid for Army and he should be a Maween.”
Creed chuckled and looked at me then Weston. “She’s right, you know? Picking a fight with a six year old about those damn snow cones again? Not smart, buddy. You know we are trying to break her of this kind of behavior.”
Weston pointed at Addie. “She’s evil! All I did was say no about taking her to the commissary for a snow cone. She started calling me names and I shot back.”
Creed looked at Addie. “We told you no about going to the commissary. You can’t bully the boys into taking you places. You know they’re scared of you.”
I reached in the fridge for a beer as Creed tried to correct Addie.
“Weston’s a pussy boy.” Addie declared.
The entire room fell silent, and I almost dropped my beer. I watched as Creed’s face slowly turned red. “No way, you said… wait…did that stupid Marine teach you that word?”
She shook her head. “No, you did, daddy.”
Creed’s jaw dropped. “Me?” He pointed at himself.
Addie nodded really big. “I wud at doggy twaining and you yelled at a pwospect. Say he was a mother fu…” Creed put his hand over her mouth and looked around for Morgan.
At that point I had to turn around and laugh as silently as possible so Addie wouldn’t see me.
“Addie, those are bad words daddy shouldn’t have said. If mommy hears you, she’s not going to be happy. No more bad words, okay?”
“But daddy.” Addie tilted her head. “It’s no bad word. You say da odder night you wuv mommy’s tight pu…”
“Oh my God!” I had to stop the whole damn thing. “Let’s go.” I made strides to the back door and opened it for all the guys to follow. I barely had the door shut before we all burst out into uncontrollable laughter. Except for Patrick, he was cursing and holding his ears. That in fact, made us laugh harder.
“Did you hear that, Rossi? Your sister has a tight pussy!” Axton was crying from laughing so hard.
“Fuck you, Axton!” I thought Patrick was going to start crying, but then I heard someone clear their throat. We all turned and saw Darren standing there with his arms crossed.
“What did you just say about my niece?” He must have just walked out and missed the whole thing with Addie, but we were laughing too hard to notice.
“Shit.” Axton rubbed his neck. “I didn’t say it, Addie said it.”
Darren lifted a brow. “Excuse me?” To make it worse Darren was in his Sheriff uniform and had a gun in his holster.
Axton pointed at Weston. “It’s all his fault.”
The back door opened, and I saw Addie. “Where’s your mom and dad?”
“In sheshon wif Auntie Vawerie. Mommy’s started cwying because Daddy say bad words. He in twouble.” She looked up and her eyes lit up. “Uncle Darewin!”
She jumped into his arms. “Addie, did you get Daddy in trouble again?” Darren asked.
She nodded real big. “Mommy earwatchinol. Babies make her cry.”
Darren tilted his head. “She’s what?”
I cleared my throat. “I think she’s saying irrational.”
Darren gave Addie one big nod as he held her. “Yeah, she is, but it’ll get better when the babies are born.”
I looked around at all the guys, and Addie. I loved that little girl so much. We all loved Addie, and she was our pride and joy. I loved my life and was happy, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have demons I fought on a daily basis. As the guys laughed, I remembered the hell we experienced together. What happened to Bolton was something that would never leave me, and probably not the other guys either. I had to seek help outside of Creed’s Lake to deal with the nightmares, and to also deal with the death of a fellow operative who was my closest buddy in Delta Force. A lot of us also had shitty childhoods. Probably more than most veterans. Most of us had no family to come home to when we left the Army. It wasn’t the Army that did all that much for me, it was Creed’s Lake. I had a stable home and one huge ass family in the guys and their families. There’s times I wished I could go back in time and tell that kid who woke up alone in that hospital that everything was going to be okay. That he would have to work hard and fight hard, even visit hell, but eventually he would love his life. I let go of the anger toward my parents years ago and moved on from it. I had no desire to communicate or see them because I really didn’t know them that well. When I left Oklahoma, I left all that behind, and only brought memories of Tony, Clint, and Wrenly with me. They were who mattered most, and the ones that still haunted me. I’d never forget Wrenly’s cries the day she watched them arrest me and take me away. That was the last time I ever saw her, and I hoped like hell she would turn Creed down. They had their vote then I had to sit there a few hours later while they designed their offer to her. Axton had a fit and made me come back and be involved with all the offers we were making. They weren’t even going to put her in the pile with the other people. She was someone they wanted more than any of the others. She was going to be offered a life at Creed’s Lake, a six digit salary, she wouldn’t prospect, she would get one of the single one bedroom homes, our great benefits and her choice in what sector she wanted to work. We also had a hell of a retirement plan that would beat out anything the FBI was offering her.
I left Oklahoma without a damn thing, but now because of Creed, I was considered comfortable for my age. At the rate I was going, I could retire by forty and live comfortably for the rest of my life if that’s what I wanted. Creed owned the biggest part of Creed’s Lake, but all of us Originals had partial ownership. We all invested, and I even drained my entire savings account and took out a loan. I didn’t have much because I was supporting the family of the best friend we lost.
A few hours after Morgan’s meltdown, we were playing poker and drinking beer. I barely had a chance to let what happened earlier in the day sink in. What would my life be like if Wrenly accepted? What would her life look like? What the hell landed her in the Marines? What happened to her? Special ops? What the fuck? I just couldn’t wrap my mind around it. She was constantly on my mind since the day I left. I told myself I would never look back. I brought too much pain into her life. Dammit, what if she finds out I’m an Original at Creed’s Lake and decides not to come? I wouldn’t blame her for hating me, but damn, it’s a good opportunity and safer than the FBI. Well, safer for everyday living, not the missions so much. Dammit, what of she’s a target of the Cartel? Fuck, I couldn’t just let it go.
Holy shit that photo I saw earlier was gorgeous. Drakos was right, she was just as gorgeous as Morgan. I knew she would be, but damn I thought she would be a wife and mother, not a veteran. Life was going to be hell since all I could do was sit and wait.
What the hell would she think when she learned about Club X? Would she think I fucked around with Felicity’s girls? I never got involved in it, never once. I wasn’t like Drakos and Magnus. I didn’t fuck around like them.
Shit, maybe having her around won’t matter. I had the motorcycle business to run and eight units to command. I traveled more than anyone else, so I wouldn’t be around as much anyway.