Chapter 42
Changing the narrative was exactly what we needed.
We spent the rest of the day eating delicious food, and surrounded by great people.
It was nearly a dream. I finally felt happiness, amazed at the long road that got me here.
Even though there were plenty of bumps in the road, I had managed to surpass everything that was thrown at me.
I knew a piece of me would hurt forever.
But Jax was right. We had a fresh start after five years and we were going to make it count.
I was blessed with Birdie and my family.
I watched Jax play a tea party with her in her playhouse, barely fitting, and pretending to drink tea. It had me in a fit of laughter.
“Thank you, little lady.” Jax tipped his pinky up, crossing his bulky muscular long legs.
I was feeling incredibly lucky at this moment.
My heart strings strung in a perfect melody.
The rest of the family inside watched college basketball, Creed and Ryker still stuffing their bellies with our homemade casseroles and turkey while Ma and Rocky played LOTERIA over some beer.
Sadly, Penny was not in attendance. I was missing that cynical, sour-patch bitch.
Penny traveled to Italy with her parents every Thanksgiving to spend time with her grandfather, Stoker.
The man always gave me the ultimate creeps.
Not in a perverted way, but in a Count Orlock type of way.
He was a creepy-ass motherfucker who made my skin crawl.
But there was one thing for certain, Stoker loved his granddaughter, his precious little Penny.
We used to make fun of her growing up, mocking him during sleepovers while we fought over pillow fights.
Those were some of the best times of my life.
I had a lot of core memories with my primas.
Dancing to Selena and making up routines.
Penny was always the princess of the group and the youngest—the popular cheerleader, while Rocky and I had our own side quests.
We were different, but we were always close.
Always supporting each other's endeavors and differences alike.
Penny was always rocking the latest fashions and high-end brand names from her Grandpa Stoker, who happened to be super wealthy in Italy. I was wondering when she’d be back because I hadn’t heard from her in a while. A gut-wrenching feeling pulled in the pit of my stomach.
“Hey, Rocky, have you heard from Penny by any chance?” I asked out of curiosity.
Rocky lifted her dark eyes from her card. “She’s in Italy living her best life. Probably busy fucking some hot Italian piece of ass,” Rocky replied, chuckling.
“Language!” Ma smacked Rocky on top of her head with her card.
She was probably right, but usually she would be constantly sending us selfies in her luxurious rentals with her Givenchy bags.
She didn’t mean it, but Penny was a boaster, and why shouldn’t she be?
Yes, she was spoiled, but Penny was also a bad-ass business woman with a degree in law, who owned her own firm.
She deserved it all and more. She was a hard worker, maybe even a little too hard, with no time for play these days.
I missed that hoochie. A complete homebody if you’ve ever known one.
You wouldn’t find Penny at the saloon. She was always tucked away in her Victorian office, working.
I pulled out my phone to call her, but there was no ringtone.
It went straight to voicemail. She never answered, but was always good about getting back to you.
Her attention was constantly on her work. So I decided to text her instead.
Hey, prima, how's Italy?
Happy Turkey Day!
Bubbles appeared and disappeared.
Good so buzy will call soon.
I read the text over and over. One thing about Penny is she was a typo snob. Never in all the years I’ve known her, have I seen her text with typos. Her OCD wouldn’t allow it. I was also concerned about the vagueness.
Penny sent me a picture of her in a Versace dress at some luxurious penthouse, standing in front of the glass window as the city lights flickered in the background. It released some of my tension and worry. I hearted the pic, cheesing at her picture.
A sudden screech of tires pulled up to Ma’s wooden fence surrounding the property, the loud screeches from brakes and treaded tires catching everyone’s attention. Everyone looked at one another, confused.
“Ma, are you expecting any one else for dinner?” I asked her.
“I don’t know who it could be.” She said nervously from the kitchen table.
A car door slammed, making us all jump.
“I smell a deadbeat,” Rocky said, gagging.
“Faye, I know you’re in there. Open the damn door!” Vadon yelled from his SUV.
My eyes went wide in shock. It was Vadon, completely annihilated. Jax went for the door and I tried to stop him.
“No, Jax!” I blocked the door, pleading with him with my eyes.
“I am done with this piece of shit scaring you and ruining anything good in our life!” I shook my head no at him, trying to plead with the man before me who looked like a ticking time bomb.
“Faye, I’m not asking you, I’m telling you.
I am handling this right here, right now,” Jax spat.
I could see there was no talking him down this time. Vadon had gone too far showing up here.
“Come out, you fucking bitch!” Vadon’s verbal shouts in the background were loud enough to bounce off the farm’s wooden walls. Jaxon’s jaw strained as he moved me out of the way and opened the door. All I could do was peer from the window, paralyzed.
Ma grabbed Birdie from the backyard and brought her inside, putting a movie on in her room to distract her.
Pop and the Grimwood’s stood close to the door, making sure they weren’t too far in case they were needed.
Pop looked at me, comforting me. “Let him handle this, this isn’t your fight alone anymore.
” Pop was trying to ease everyone. I just shook my head in terror.
Creed looked like he was ready to attack like a starved wolf.
Pop tapped his shoulder. “He’s got this, son,” the old man said, calming Creed down.
They all stood guard by the door. Ryker was especially quiet, watching from the window, his instincts reminding me of an animal on the hunt, right before they attack their prey.
Silent and lethal. Ma stood in the kitchen with her hand over her mouth in worry, looking out the window as she watched anxiously.
“I knew I smelled something rotten. What the fuck is this bitter baby daddy doing here?” The hatred was imminent on Rocky’s face.
“Relax, Vicious, we got this,” Creed said, snickering at her, entertained by her fury.
Rocky rolled her eyes in disgust. “I am not afraid of him. He has some cajones showing up to my Tia’s calling my cousin a bitch. I’ll show him a bitch!” Raquel took out her silver daggers from her boot, ready to slice and dice.
“Please, stay out of this one, prima.” I attempted to calm everyone down before I was the one who detonated.
”Fuck that puto!” Rocky seethed.
“Listen to your cousin, Rocky,” Creed interjected. Attempting to demand Rocky was cute but scary, very scary.
“Shut up, nobody asked you, stupid vaquero (cowboy)!” Rocky huffed.
Creed pretended to be shot. “That one hurt real bad, Rocky.”
“Enough!” Bjorn shouted sternly, shutting them both up.
Ryker watched Jax and Vadon from the window like a menacing hawk.