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Once we found the clearing we paddled toward it with all of our strength to keep the tide from pushing us back. The second the boat made contact with land King jumped out first pulling the boat further onto the shore, scraping the metal bottom of the boat over the rock and shell.
Bear and I followed, each of us carrying backpacks with our stash. It only took us an hour or so to locate our hole, dig it up again, bury our stash and cover it back up.
As we made it back to the boat my flashlight again caught the yellow eyes of the gators surrounding the boat. One thrashed as it caught a fish in its mouth before diving back under the water with its meal between its teeth. “Great night for a swim,” I sang, looking back at King and Bear.
“You afraid?” Bear said, slinging his empty backpack into the boat.
“You’re the pussy out of the three of us,” I said. “Bet you wouldn’t dip your big toe in the water.”
Bear raised a brow. “Oh yeah? I’ll do you one better, I’ll run in, knee deep if you run in with me.”
“One lap around the boat?” I asked, already kicking off my shoes and rolling up my pants. Bear did the same. We both looked to King.
“Fuck,” he said, tugging off his boots. “The only reason I’m doing it this is so I don’t have to fucking hear about it for the rest of my goddamned life.” He stood at the edge. “Don’t tell Grace a word of this,” he muttered.
The three of us stood at the edge and Bear pushed the boat halfway into the water.
“Ready?” I asked, cracking my neck and rolling my shoulders. “First motherfucker to get eaten...well, dies.”
“I’m not scared,” Bear said.
“Me neither,” King chimed in.
“Okay then,” I said. “Ready. Set. Goooooo!” I shouted as the three of us splashed through the water like a herd of zebra running from a lion. It only took a few seconds for us to round the boat before we collapsed onto the shore, breathing hard from the adrenaline rush.
“All thirty fingers and toes accounted for?” King huffed.
“Yeah,” Bear and I both said at the same time. I held a finger in the air, “But Bear’s pinky toe on his right foot is weirdly smaller than the rest of his toes, so the ‘all finger and toe’ thing is subjective at best.”
“Shut the fuck up, Preppy,” Bear said, reaching for me to hit me but his fist fell short, smacking the ground instead.
“That wasn’t so bad,” I said, still gasping for air.
My life would never be like the perfect-looking family eating dinner in that window, but it didn’t have to be, because at that moment, with my friends by my side, I decided I’d much rather live the kind of life that had me splashing through gator infested waters, feeling very much ALIVE.
I glanced over to King and Bear who recognized the look on my face and cringed.
“Wanna go again?”
CHAPTER SIX
Dre
After Preppy left with Kevin I called my dad to reassure him I was okay. He sounded as if he’d been waiting by the phone so it took quite some time to calm him down and put his mind at ease that I was safe, which was hard when I wasn’t so sure myself. Apparently, I didn’t do that great of a job convincing him because he decided to stay in town for a while. At least until he was sure whatever threat was looming out there was gone.
After we hung up and I promised we’d get together in the next day or so, I realized that in all the confusion over what had happened the night before I’d forgotten a few things. Number one, I didn’t get a chance to give Preppy his surprise, but he’d seen it and thanked me for it with his tongue between my legs. The shiny black classic Chrysler was now sitting in the darkened back corner of the parking space under the house, covered with a tarp.
I’d also almost forgot that Mirna’s house was now mine again.
Not mine. OURS.
That thought made me smile from ear to ear.
I don’t know how Preppy and Ray pulled it off, especially without telling me for so long, but I was beyond grateful they had. That house meant so much to me and I couldn’t wait to get back in it. It was like the start of a new life and the rebirth of an old one.
Moving was the perfect distraction I needed to take my mind off the events of the night before. When the rental truck showed up at the house I immediately felt a sense of relief that I could focus on something other than who could be out to get me, although the stinging pain from the wound on my leg and other numerous scrapes and scratches, took the liberty of reminding me every other movement.
Besides one small scrape on the side of his arm you’d never thought that King had been in an accident the night before, never mind one where the truck flipped on it’s side. When I thanked him for coming to my rescue, he looked at me as if my thanks were ridiculous, and then him and Bear started loading up everything from the garage apartment into a we-haul rental truck, including the sofa, and the bed, which had already been dismantled. Come to think of it, the bed being in pieces was probably the reason I’d woken up in Max’s room that morning.
We didn’t have much by way of furniture, but we didn’t need it. Thankfully Mirna’s house was cozy and it wouldn’t take much to fill it up.
Everything else we owned, clothes and all, had already been packed up into boxes so it didn’t take long for the boys to get it all onto the truck.
Ray came back from the beach with the kids and when Bo came bounding out of Ray’s new SUV I hugged him tight and didn’t let go until he started to wiggle in my arms. “Are you okay?” I asked. The sound of him calling for me still echoing in my thoughts. I shook it off, not wanting to pass on any of my worry or fear to him.
Bo nodded and pointed to a scrape on my cheek.
“I’m okay,” I said, touching my fingers to the small scab. “It’s just a scratch.” I took his little hand in mine and we piled back into Ray’s car together.
After the ritual of making sure everyone was back in the car and buckled in their boosters and car seats, checking to make sure every buckle was at chest level and every safety latch was tight, we took off for Mirna’s.
Home.
Bear and King were already unloading when we arrived. Some of Bear’s guys were there as well, standing guard along the perimeter of the yard and at the end of the driveway.
“You remember this place?” I asked Bo as we un-piled all the kids one by one and set them free to run about the yard and house.
Bo nodded enthusiastically.
I crouched down next to him and hugged him close to my side. “Do you want to go pick your room? You can have either the first one on the left, that used to be my old room, or the room at the end of the hall.” Before I’d finished my sentence Bo was already up the steps and in the house, darting past King and Bear who were carrying the sofa inside.
It took less than an hour to unload everything. Bear and King checked with the bikers they’d left behind and took off. Ray stuck around for a little while to help put dishes away in the kitchen but it didn’t take long for the kids to grow restless.
“Thank you so much for all your help,” I said to Ray as we stood outside her SUV after packing all the kids away again. I’d left Bo in his room, the one that used to be the grow room, laying on his back staring at the ceiling fan spin round and round with a goofy grin on his face.
“No problem. Thia’s sorry she couldn’t help but Trey’s got another cold and she didn’t want the other kids to get it.”
“Tell her not to worry about it and when Trey’s feeling better we can have a girl’s night.”
“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Ray said.
“Thanks again, Ray,” I said, wrapping her in a tight hug.
“Is this pre or post kiss? Doesn’t matter. Either way, I’m very okay with your decision to step outside of our m
arriage...but only if I can watch.” I didn’t need to turn around to know that Preppy was standing behind me, but when I did, I was surprised to see Kevin still with him. Especially because Preppy had called to say he was dropping him at his place before meeting me at the house.
Ray got in her SUV and buckled her seatbelt. “I’ll see you later,” she said to me before turning to Preppy. “For the record, Preppy you showed up post kiss, and you missed it. It was pretty epic. Tongue and everything.” Ray stuck out her tongue as she backed out of the driveway. All three kids in the backseat mimicked her, sticking out their tongues as well.
“Can you just lie to me and tell me that really happened?” Preppy asked, wrapping me in his arms. He stared down at my lips. “Never mind. I like the idea of these lips being only mine.” He pressed his soft lips to mine then pulled back slightly. “Unless you really did do it in which case...”
I laughed and gave my man a quick kiss. “Hey Kevin,” I called
