Defying Fate (30 page)

Just then Max barges into the room and takes a double take at the scene he just walked in on.

Braxton grumbles at Max’s not so happy look. “As much as I love to have my girl ride my dick, she went and pulled her stitches out.”

“Fuck you two!” Max says fumingly.

“Yes, that is what happened.” I respond with a painful laugh.

Max comes over to look at my stomach.

“Can she at least get off my dick before you start to look? She needs to get some damn underwear on if you're going to be looking down their buddy.”

“Get over yourself, I have seen it all before.” Max makes the mistake of admitting this.

“What the hell?” Yeah, not a good thing to say to a very possessive Braxton.

“Long story, just get some clothes on I will be right back.”

Max and the rest leave the room so we can get off of each other and get some clothes on.

Braxton then clears his throat. “Izzy, not sure if I should be damn happy I just got laid or pissed off you hurt yourself over it.” He is frustrated while getting his jeans back on.

“Be happy, you gave me one hell of a ride,” I say as I put on my panties. To be honest, it hurts like hell right now. Shit, maybe not one of my best decisions, but it was such an enjoyable ride.

Max returns and inspects me with gauze and a pair of tweezers.

“Looks like a few stitches popped out. I’ll just butterfly them so you won’t pop these as well.” He looks at me with a mildly pissed expression.

“Can you blame me Max, honestly? I never thought I’d see him again, let alone ravage his body.” Raising my shoulders. “I love him Max.”

Max sighs closing his eyes. “Yeah, we all know. Listen, I’m having some issues trying to find Willow. I had a hold on where she was until they upped and left. I’m not sure if Dominic had a hand in it or not.”

SITTING AT MY DINING
room table are Liam, Kara, Brax, myself, Max, Travis, Dex and lastly Zeke - members of Liam’s club. Brax’s friends and co-workers Alex, Cage and Brody, left earlier. They are running the shop until Braxton decides he is going to go back to work. Honest to God, it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

While they chatted about work Kara, and I sat back just watching them all. Quite odd that I was seated in a room with a handful of these magnificent looking guys, I’m not talking good looking pretty boys either, I mean men who are built to look badass. Dressed in tight t-shirts, panty-melting jeans that showed off their assets Liam’s crew all wore their MC cuts over their shirts. My sweet Kara was in MC heaven, her mouth wide open as she stared at them from across the room. Priceless!

I admit I had a hard time deciding who was better looking than the other. Essentially my room was wall to wall muscles, tattoos, crew cuts, to my personal favorite as my hunk of a man wore his hair slightly longer on the back as it curled around his neck. Sweet Jesus, mouthwatering really. Brody and Cage shared their great news with Brax concerning the cars that Dominic brought in as a ruse. Dominic’s ruse with the cars was an ill attempt to obtain Braxton’s daily routines.

In the end Braxton got to keep those two very sporty cars to do with as he wished. Cage already got rid of them with the help of Liam, and got a pretty penny for them from what Brody was telling all of us. I wasn’t listening to all, I just kept smiling and acting like I was paying attention to what they had to say. Jesus, how the hell can a girl concentrate when all you see is, muscles and tattoos and the faces of men who, with one look alone, could melt your panties off. Who cared at the moment of what they were saying, it was all about the man-candy.

Tonight though, the conversation has shifted from work to finding out as much as we can as to where, Willow, my daughter could be. It’s as if she and the couple she was living with having upped and disappeared. I try not to get too emotionally attached as I have no idea if I will see her again. If I let myself believe I will, it could only shatter my heart once more. I’m too fragile as it is right now. I will never give up total hope though.

Small talk has commenced, and the subject we are all avoiding is sitting like an elephant in the room. I know no-one wants to talk about her in front of me, but seriously. Dancing around this one topic, they all look nervously around at each other before their eyes shift to me.

“Oh, come on people! Let’s just get it all out in the open.” Rolling my eyes, I sigh nervously. “What is happening with Tiffany?” I keep my stare between Liam and Braxton, but it’s the eye rolling and head shaking from Max and Zeke that catches my attention.

“I’m sick of avoiding this issue, so spill it.” I understand some of their apprehensions, at most. What I don’t understand is the underlying feeling some things are being kept from me. Braxton has been just a little too uncomfortable whenever we start to mention Tiffany.

“Bitch needs to go the fuck away for good!” Kara says it out like an afterthought, quietly, but we all look in her direction.

It’s Liam that clears his throat. “Well, my dad and I with our uncle had some serious talks with her. She knows she fucked up,” with a shrug of his shoulders, he adds, “she knows how much you mean to Brax. Well, how much you mean to all of us.” Liam says as he is talking directly to me.

“Thanks, Liam, but where is she?” I ask almost in a whispering plea.

“Not sure, bitch has gone into hiding. She is no longer allowed to see Eve, she knows it, and that is non-negotiable. After the shit… never mind.” He says rolling his eyes.

“What?” I’m surprised with the fact Eve is now off limits, but it’s the last part of his sentence I am confused about.

It’s Braxton that looks a bit nervous, but he speaks up.

“Had a long talk with her when you were held by that dick, I knew she was behind it, and shit got real. Found out, she has no real intentions with our daughter. She wants me, and that’s all she really cares about. Made me sick, and I made my decision right then and there. She no longer gets to see her own daughter.”

The way his face wrinkles I can see the pain and anger in his expression. I can only see in my mind the image of a little girl crying over her missing mother.

My eyes connect with him, so I decide to ask, “Oh God, what about Eve?”

“Not going to lie, it was a conversation I would have rather not had. Eve gets it though, that's the sad part. She knows her mother, she picked up on it a long time ago. I think she’s a bit relieved no longer worrying if her momma is coming by or not at all.”

“It’s never easy to know your mother despises you or just doesn’t give a shit. I lived it, I know.” Boy did I ever, going from being loved to, not being loved at all. Disappointment at every turn in their eyes, it took its toll on me and my parents. Being told you're not good enough, or a total screw-up, is not only mean, it’s wrong to do to any child no matter their age. My voice trails off as it’s a reminder how I felt and still do till this day.

“That’s why you will be the best thing for Eve and me. She will have a mother figure in her life, you!”

My eyes shoot to his, as shivers line my spine and goose bumps spread across my arms. I’m shocked to realize his words, I cover my mouth as tears now fill my eyes. Me, how could he think I would be a good mother figure for Eve? I love her, but I’m also all sorts of screwed up. Playing mommy was taken away from me years ago.

My fear spurs Braxton into action walking over to me he sits and adjusts me so I’m sitting in his lap on the couch. His arms wrap around me holding me tight.

“Braxton, I’m not so sure,” I whisper in his ear.

“I am.” He says as he kisses the top of my head.

Later that day we all were down at Braxton’s house, and I admit I was nervous to see Eve. To be honest, I had no idea if she would want me around. Not sure how she felt about the new situation with her so called mother. Seeing her the moment our eyes met, I got my answer.

“Izzy!” She hollers as she comes running to me and hugs my waist. I hardly get a chance to walk in the door.

“Hey, beautiful girl,” I say to her as I bend slightly to hold her against me not bothering my healing incision.

Her cries spill upon my shirt, and I hang on tighter. I know how she is feeling, not having your mother care for you is the hardest thing to accept. I knew if I ever were a mother for more than a few months, I would never treat my child with anything more than love.

She sat with me on the couch all evening. Her grandmother Emma, Braxton’s mom, was a constant in their lives. She was helping with Eve, and she was an incredible woman. She made me feel comfortable right away. I guess Braxton has telling her all about me. Emma Ryles was a tall woman, with curves. She is just stunning, her lovely black hair cascades around her shoulders. Her eyes matching the ones I have grown to love myself. Braxton has his mother’s eyes, and they sparkle just like his. She looked a lot like him, made me wonder what he inherited from his father. Braxton doesn’t talk much about him. I know he wasn’t around a lot, but not sure what that all meant.

“Oh honey, you look too skinny. Brax needs to feed you better.” Emma says as she is examining my body, head to toe.

Braxton comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my body. I rest back against him swaying back and forth. As he nuzzles my neck, I lean my head on the side to give him room to nuzzle. Being openly passionate with each other, well, it's awesome.

“Love having you here with me,” Braxton whispers in my ear. “Oh Izzy, just wait till I get you in my bed for a change. My bed will never seem so inviting as it will be with you all sprawled out on it.” Grabbing my hips, he pushes his now erect shaft against my backside.

“Hmm, the way you feel against me, its home Sparkplug.” He says with his lips pressed to my neck.

The feel of him is one thing, but add in the sexy words he says to me, I’m over the moon excited.

“I like the sound of that, not going to lie,” I whisper, closing my eyes letting my body melt into his. He’s right, this feels like home.

Emma announces that dinner is ready. She has this unbelievable spread on the table. Cold cut subs, chips, potato salad, vegetables, and dip. The sight of the incredible looking food has my stomach grumbling. I admit I am feeling pretty well, my bandages are off and healing nicely. Slowly I’m feeling more like myself, and even better Max informed me that my infection had cleared up so he took off earlier today. He was going to try and find some more information about where Willow is and would stay in touch. It seems his friendship with Liam has stuck, and Max might decide to join up with his MC. I have to admit, stranger things have happened.

Kara and I fill our plates and sit on Braxton’s couch relaxing for a change.

“It’s weird isn’t it?” Waiting to gauge her reaction, I’ve not had time to ask her how she is dealing with what happened. She puts up a good front, but all the same killing your own brother, it’s not easy, even for my strong-willed best friend.

Her face falters with a distant look. “It is what it is. There was no saving him, he was never going to change.”

The tears that welled up have me dropping my sandwich and grabbing her in a big hug.

“Shh, I’m so unbelievably sorry Kara. I made so many mistakes, would-a, could-a, should-a, can’t change the past, I suppose.”

Kara sobs, saying over my shoulder, “The worst of it is my regrets for my niece, your daughter. Where the hell is she? I just wish I could have done more, more for her, more for you, hell, even more for me.” She continually shakes her head, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

We share the same regrets and guilt, and I find it hard to say the right words to comfort her. Any mention of Willow breaks my heart. I can’t go there, can’t think of that sweet little girl, my little girl. She should be with me, she should have never been taken from me. My throat tightens with each swallow, and my rapid blinking is keeping my tears at bay.

I get up and brush off my jeans trying to gain my composure. Kara is looking at me trying to gauge my mood. Shaking my head at her I am trying to tell her, ‘not now, can’t talk about my daughter' the feelings are just too raw knowing my only connection to Willow now is dead. I’m not sure I’ll ever see her again.

A hand suddenly goes to my hip, and I spin around to face Braxton. He notices the look on my face, and instantly frowns. Wiping my left eye again, I try to smile and dismiss my tears with a shake of my head.

“I’m okay. Just, I don’t.” I huff out, “I don’t know.” It’s all I can say.

“Sparkplug, are you okay?” He says raising an eyebrow at me. Of course, him and his damn eye-raising.

“I will be in time,” with a shrug, I whisper, “maybe.”

Later that night, I’m in his bedroom. Braxton is putting Eve to bed so I decided to take a shower and while brushing my hair, I open a few dresser drawers looking for a t-shirt to sleep in. I pull one out and instantly smell it. Yes, it smells just like him.

His large t-shirt hangs right to above my knees. Perfect sleeping shirt, although I am sure by night’s end, I will be missing it. Preferably naked with his hard body pressed against mine.

Braxton comes strolling in and stops in his tracks when he sees me dressed in his shirt. His eyes rake up and down my body, and I all of a sudden get shy. Crossing my legs I pull the shirt lower. Snickering he shakes his finger at me as a no-no.