Into the Blackness (Blackness Series Book 4) (52 page)

When we come to a stop in front of the wedding officiant, Nick grabs Jake away from me and wraps him in a hug so tight I’m afraid he’s hurting my son. We’re all here. Every loved one is here to share in this moment with us. I take a breath and absorb the light and vow to myself never to run into the blackness again. I’ll bask in the glow of the light for the rest of my life.

Nick

I hold Jake so tightly I’m sure I’m crushing his ribs and I can’t bring myself to let up.

“Dad,” he mumbles against my shoulder. “You’ve got somethin’ else to do right now.”

I chortle before clapping him on the back and releasing him with a squeeze to the side of his neck.

“Love you, son.”

“Love you too.”

He moves next to me and hugs his brothers quickly while I take Kat’s hand in mine and get this wedding in gear.

She’s the most beautiful bride the world has ever seen. The glow coming off her skin is blinding in the best way. Her dress fits her like a glove and shows the tiny baby bump she now has. I run my hand along her back and find it naked other than a scrap of lace running down her spine. I stop listening to the wedding guy and take a step backward to look at her back.

I let out an audible hiss that earns me hoots and hollers from the men in the room. I think I hear something about a spank bank being filled, but I don’t pay attention.

Shanny sends me a warm smile before a suggestive eyebrow wiggle making me smile so big it hurts as I take my place at Kat’s side.

“Surprise,” she says through a shy smile.

“That is was. Sorry,” I apologize to the guy marrying us.

“It’s not a problem,” he assures me and continues with the ceremony.

“You may now kiss your bride,” he announces what feels like seconds later and I obey.

I capture Kat’s mouth in a searing kiss, dipping her back as she laughs against my mouth.

“I present to you Mister and Missus Nicholas Cooper,” he says and the place erupts in more raucous applause.

I race down the aisle, stopping at the front door of the mansion where the rest of the wedding party meets us and begins the never ending congratulating. I skip most of it for my son.

He’s bulkier and taller already. He looks like a man now and I’m filled with pride at the sight. I keep him at my side while I introduce him around. Kat fulfills my social duties until it’s time for pictures.

After a thousand photographs, it’s finally time for our reception. We start off with our first dance to “When a Man Loves a Woman” just like it was played when we got engaged. I hold Kat close and kiss her often as we sway to the music.

“I love you, Missus Cooper,” I purr into her ear as our dance ends.

“I love you, Mister Cooper. Thank you for giving me all of this. I was just existing before I met you. You’ve allowed me to thrive in a way I didn’t know was possible. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us, Nicky,” Kat whispers lovingly against my cheek.

“Sunshine, with you at my side, our lives will be perfection.”

I move my lips against hers, pouring all of my love into my wife. She’s mine. I have a treasure in my arms that I’ll never relinquish. I did this. I fought for the love of my life and while the battle was brutal, it was worth every wound.

When I pull back from our passionate kiss, my heart stops at the smile breaking across Kat’s face. There she is. Every piece of her. Just for me.

“Let’s wrap this thing up a so I can peel you out of this dress,” I murmur into her neck.

“Okay,” she mumbles against my cheek and slides away from me to get the show on the road.

Instead of a father daughter dance Kat elected to do a mother son dance. Each of the boys takes their turn with her, causing her to unravel into a pool of tears as they whisper words of love. When Jake gets her in his arms, his words wreck more than the others’. Of course it could just be his presence along with the pregnancy, but I’m sure my son is saying words that are filling her with those tears of joy.

Not having a mother to dance with, I decided to dance with Shanny and Cara. I start with Cara and she hangs onto me snugly as I lead her around the dance floor. She remains silent in my arms, but squeezes me with love before I let her go.

Shanny comes into me as closely as she can with her gigantic belly that’s about to burst.

“I’m proud of you,” she murmurs into my ear as we sway slowly. “You earned all of this love. You let yourself find the light and then you held onto it even when you thought it might burn you. I love you, Nicky.”

“Love you too, Shanny,” I whisper before pressing a long kiss into her cheek.

When the song finishes I go to my bride and take our seats at our table at the head of the ballroom. A room filled with the weirdest mix of people I’ve ever seen. Criminals and saviors mix together without barriers or concern for the other. An unconventional family built on love and loyalty.

I interlace fingers with Kat, rubbing my thumb across her wedding band. She gifts me that beaming Sunshine smile and I see it. That light I was afraid to live in, I now crave. There’s no blackness defining me anymore, only light that I’ve found and built on. I deserve the glow and I’ll let it warm my heart every day for the rest of my life. The monster within me is dormant, content to live in the peace that remains.

Blackness Within
September 2014
Continue reading for a sneak peek

Escaping the Blackness
Jake Cooper's Story
Winter 2014

Blackness Takes Over

Blackness Awaits

Shrouded in Blackness

Natasha

The end of three twelve hour shifts is the last time I want to hear from Darla Reynolds.

“Hey, Mom,” I huff into the phone as I fold into my silver Camry. I bought it used five years ago and I baby the damn thing like everything else that I’ve worked for. And I’ve worked for every single thing I have in life.

My mother really tried to help, but she’s barely been able to make it throughout the years. She got pregnant in high school and promptly dropped out, leaving her with a newborn, single and no skills. She made ends meet working two jobs as long as I can remember. It was usually a combination of fast food work during the day and cleaning jobs at night. It was a hard way to grow up. Goodwill clothes, cold winters trying to save on heating bills, no air conditioning in the scorching Midwestern summers, sometimes days without food and weeks where I wouldn’t even see my mother. If it wasn’t for Blake I’m not sure I’d be here today.

I’m three years younger than Blake, but he’s been my protector since the day I was born. We may be half siblings—call us that and I promise both of us will go off—but he’s everything to me. Blake’s a kind soul at the base of who he is. He protected me when no one else was around to do it. I wish that Blake was still around. Drugs have turned him into a muddled shadow of who he once was and now I have to look out for him. That’s why my mom is calling me at the end of my shift.

“Tosh, you need to go to Blake’s,” my mother orders in her gritty smoker’s voice.

“I just got done with three twelves. I’m beat, Mom,” I protest weakly.

“Well, I just got done with an eighteen hour day and I live in Cameron. I haven’t heard from your brother in a week. Are you really gonna make me drive a fuckin’ hour to find him?”

And there’s the guilt I’ve come to expect. I turn my car toward Midtown and roll my eyes at myself. I’m too easy. I should stand up to both of them and stop this crazy pattern we’re in. But I can’t. Blake is a drug addict and resembles something that I used to know and love. I know he’s still in there and someday he’ll come back to me. I wake up every morning believing today is the day. I’ve been doing that for nine years now. I would have been doing it longer, but I didn’t know things were bad back then.

Blake started out smoking pot when he was fourteen. All his friends did it and he was never one to be left out. The one time I tried to join in the seeming merriment my brother beat Josh Harding to a pulp for handing me a joint. That’s my brother. Destroying himself and saving me.

“Just go home and get some sleep, Mom. I’m headed to Blake’s now. He’s probably passed out in some chick’s boobs.”

“Not everyone can be as perfect as you, Natasha,” she sneers in return. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m tired and worried. You are perfect, Toshy and it’s harder for your brother than it is for you.”