Memphis (Rojo Kings #2)

PROLOGUE

TWO YEARS AGO

MEMPHIS

“Are you excited to be going back out on the road?”

I glanced over at my dad and smiled before I answered, “I am, but for the first time, I think I’d rather be here too.”

“I’ll take care of everything while you’re gone, and it’s not like you’ll be out in the middle of nowhere with no cell service. If the Conners need to get in touch with you for some reason, they will.”

“I know, but I kind of want to stick around and watch my new house go up.”

“It’s not as interesting as you might imagine.

It’s sort of like watching paint dry. When they were building our house, your mom would sit on Mom and Dad’s porch and watch the builders work.

It’s funny now, but back then, she’d get so frustrated when it looked like there wasn’t any progress, even though she knew they were doing plenty of work each day. ”

“That would be irritating.” I looked around and then scuffed my heel in the dirt in front of my folding chair before I said, “Just think - by the time I get home, this will be my porch.”

”You’re so much like your mom it’s a little scary. Don’t get ahead of yourself, son. It’s going to be awhile before that happens.”

“Maybe you’re right. It’s probably a good thing I’ll be on the road,” I admitted.

“I like the house design you chose.”

“I helped them come up with it,” I said proudly.

“There are a lot of rooms for a single guy.”

“Hopefully, I won’t be single forever, but right now I’m enjoying all that the world has to offer. Someday my house will be full of kids and toys, dogs and cats, and lots of unnecessary screaming along with plenty of laughter, but until then, I’m fine roaming around in my underwear.”

“That’s the perfect description of what life was like when you guys were kids.

But man, I miss the days of being able to cruise around my house wearing whatever I wanted–or nothing at all.

I haven’t been able to do that since before I met your mom.

Obviously, Adam, Heath, and Josh didn’t appreciate seeing me on the couch in my boxers, so I had to cut that shit out. ”

“I’m glad they got you trained before we came along.”

“Someday you’ll have kids, and they’ll set you straight just like you guys did for me.”

“Maybe that will happen, but I’ve gotta find a woman I can’t live without first, so it’s likely going to be a while.”

“It’s very important that you find one who won’t end up killing you when you’re a dumbass. That is top priority.”

“You’re right. I know Mom has thought about it a few times.”

“So far she’s been able to resist. You’ll have to find a woman like that before you settle down.”

“She’s out there somewhere, I’m sure, but there are plenty of women in the world I can spend my time with until we meet.”

“Spoken like a true Forrester,” Dad said as he shook his head. “Good grief, the genes in our family are strong, but not always in the best of ways.”

“I got all the good parts from you, Dad. I’m sure you were a beacon of light and solid decisions when you were my age.”

“Yeah. We’ll go with that story.”

◆◆◆

CASSIA

“Isn’t she beautiful?”

“Oh, Ivan! She’s a sweet little doll!” I whispered as I leaned closer and studied my niece’s face. “What name did you and Regina finally decide on?”

“Ivy Cassandra Belushi.”

I looked up at my brother in wonder, and he was grinning when he said, “She’s named after me and you at the same time.”

Tears filled my eyes as I whispered, “That’s so sweet.”

“How is it possible that she’s only been here for a few hours and I already love her so much?”

Mom watched Ivan and me from the doorway and whispered, “That’s called parenthood. I loved both of you from the first second we met.”

“This changes everything,” Ivan announced. “It’s not just about us anymore. We’ve got to settle down to give our little girl the best life possible.”

“You can do that and travel at the same time. Mom and Dad gave us a wonderful childhood, and we went all over the place.”

“When she gets a little older, I’ll reconsider,” Ivan assured me. “But right now, I think it’s best that we settle down.”

“Really?” I asked in shock.

My brother and his wife met when they were both on assignments overseas, capturing the events that were molding another country’s future, and fell in love almost instantly.

Since then they’d traveled together all over the world, working together and enjoying their lives, with carefree spirits and no plans to settle down in one place.

That’s why it shocked me so much when Ivan announced, “Regina and I bought a house. We closed a few weeks ago. It’s being renovated right now, and while Regina recovers, I’m going to do a bunch of the work myself.”

“You are?” I asked with a giggle.

“It’s not like I’ll be building it from the ground up or anything, but there’s plenty of stuff that I can do to make it a home.”

I rested my head on my brother’s shoulder as I stared at his sleeping daughter. “I’m excited for you and happy that your little family will be close to home so I can visit all the time.”

“We are too,” Dad announced. “I’m not sure how much help either of us will be, but we’ll pitch in however we can.”

“You know I’m not mechanically minded at all, so I volunteer to watch the baby while the rest of you are working.”

“I hope so, since you’ll be her godmother.”

“I will?” I whispered as tears filled my eyes.

“Of course you will. Regina and I decided that months ago when we first found out she was pregnant. If something happens to us, there’s no one we would trust more than you to raise our children.”

“I’m honored, Ivan, and you’re right. I’ll do anything for your daughter, just like I’d do anything for you.”

“Let’s take a picture of this momentous occasion,” Dad said as he let go of Mom’s hand and lifted his phone. “I’m so proud of both of you, but you know that.”

“But you’re more proud of me today, aren't you?” Ivan asked. He grinned before he said, “After all, I did give you your first grandchild.”

Mom laughed softly before she glanced behind us at the bed where my sister-in-law Regina was sleeping. “It’s not like you put in a lot of effort to get her here, but since she’s yours, too, I suppose that makes you one of our favorite people.”

Dad waited until Ivan adjusted the baby in his arms so that she was facing the camera before he took a few pictures.

“Now we have a granddaughter who is going to steal our hearts just like the two of you did.”

“Our family is growing, and I am so excited about that,” Mom said as Dad rested his arm over her shoulders and pulled her close.

“Hurry and let me hold her before Iliana and Erisa get here to take their turn,” I said as I put my hands out to take the baby from my twin. “I get first dibs since I’m the godmother, you know.”

“Of course. You’ll be her favorite for the rest of her life, I’m sure,” Ivan said as he gently placed the baby in my arms.

“I better be, because I’m not going anywhere.”

◆◆◆

SIX MONTHS AGO

MEMPHIS

“Are you getting settled into your house?” Dad asked.

Before I could answer, my sister Scarlet laughed loudly and said, “You can’t have a hall pass, Mom! That’s just gross!”

“What are the odds of me getting to use it?” Mom asked. “Sam Elliott isn’t going to show up at our front door and whisk me away on his motorcycle, but a girl can dream, can’t she?”

“He doesn’t ride motorcycles, Mom. He's a cowboy.”

Dad frowned before he asked, “You’ve seen Mask, haven’t you?” When I nodded, Dad said, “We clearly missed the mark in your sister’s cinematic education.”

I ignored the conversation that was getting louder now that my brothers had joined in and said, “Me and the guys picked up my furniture the other day. Now I just have to figure out where to put it.”

“Inside the house is always a good option.” When I rolled my eyes he grinned and said, “It’s a crazy idea, but most people believe that a couch goes in the living room.”

“When you say shit like that, I understand why Mom threatens to smack you in the head with a wrench at least once a week.”

“She wouldn’t do it. She likes my hair long, and I’ve almost got her convinced that if she smacks me and they have to shave it off to give me stitches, it won’t grow back right and I’ll end up bald.”

“You are so full of shit. Mom doesn’t believe that at all, and you know it.”

“Probably not, but it’s the story I’m going with, and she lets me tell it the way I want to.”

“Who is your hall pass, Dad?” my brother Chevy asked.

“I don’t have one.”

“Why not?” Dahlia asked curiously before she tattled, “Mom’s got a whole list!”

“Yeah, but she wouldn’t follow through even if one of them showed up in the shower with her. I don’t need a hall pass because I’ve got the woman of my dreams next to me in bed every night.”

“That’s so sweet,” Scarlet said cheerfully.

“He’s also full of shit,” Mom scoffed. “He’d push me in front of a bus for Kelly Clarkson, and we both know it. Don’t even get me started on what he’d do for Salma Hayek.”

“Nope!” Dad exclaimed. “I wouldn’t touch either of them even if I had a chance. Wanna know why?”

“Because you’re married and so are they?” I asked rhetorically.

“Kelly’s a free agent,” Dahlia corrected.

“Dad’s not,” I reminded her.

“Exactly!” Dad yelled. “If Kelly or Salma gave me a chance, I’d have to come home sometime, and your mom would be here waiting.

I can guarantee it would end badly for me, hall pass or not.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to the fact that I made a vow, and I’m gonna keep it until I die.

Besides, she loves you guys too much for me to ever cheat on her. ”

“How does that make any sense?” I asked.

“Because she would never lie to you like that.”

“What does your hall pass have to do with Mom telling us a lie?” Loyal asked.

“She’d have to tell you something when I disappeared, because she wouldn’t exactly be able to tell you that she killed me and buried me in the yard.”

“I wouldn’t bury you,” Mom scoffed.

“You notice she didn’t say she wouldn’t kill me, right?” Dad asked.