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“Of course. If that’s somethin’ you’re interested in, we can certainly do that. Why don’t you pick out a book or two and read it. Mark some chapters for me to read and we can work out how to make it happen,” Anthony says, his voice going low and husky as he stares at me with an intensity that’s been missing for a long time.
Lust and desire fills his eyes and I can’t tear my own from his. For a long moment, we stare at one another and don’t say a single word. I get lost in his eyes and let them soothe me deep into my soul. I’ve missed this so damn much my eyes fill with tears and it takes everything to hold them back.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry, sweet girl. I’m just tryin’ to be open and honest with you. This is what we need. If you’re upset, I need to know what I’m doin’ wrong,” he tells me, his voice breaking as the lust and desire immediately vanish from his eyes.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Anthony. I’m glad we’re finally talking about this stuff. I’m crying because it’s been so long since I’ve seen you look at me like that. And the first time you do I’m covered in bruises, have a bandage on my head, and I’m getting fat,” I say, the tears finally spilling over and rolling down my cheeks.
“Sweet girl, you are so fuckin’ beautiful I can’t stand it. The bruises and everythin’ from what just happened don’t take away from your beauty at all. And you’re not gettin’ fat, Kasey. You’re growin’ our baby girl. Feelin’ your stomach is such a turn on because you’re once again givin’ our family a new member. Our little girl is gonna be as strong as you and just as beautiful. She’s gonna put me in an early grave when boys start payin’ attention to her because my princess isn’t ever gonna date or have her heart broken by such heathens,” Anthony states emphatically.
“What are we gonna do to fix this, Anthony?” I ask him, wanting the attention off of me.
“We’re gonna take things slow. I’d like you to move back home, but I understand if you can’t do that right now. I’ve hurt you multiple times and I can’t ever say I’m sorry enough for doin’ so. I’m gonna take you out on dates. We’re gonna spend time at the clubhouse and maybe go to a party or two a month. I’m not sayin’ we have to go to every Friday night party, but we will make an appearance. We’re still young, Kasey and have so much of our lives left to live. I don’t wanna stay in a rut the entire time and feel like shit because I’m takin’ what I’m feelin’ out on you. So, let’s change it up. Get back to what we were before we started havin’ kids and shit. When the time is right, I’ll claim you in the eyes of the club and put my ring on your finger. It’s somethin’ I should’ve done long ago. Instead, I kept makin’ excuses and puttin’ it off. That’s not gonna happen this time,” Anthony promises me, his voice showing me how serious he is about this.
“I think I’d like that. I’ll think about moving back home, but for now I think we need to remain separate. It will still give us time to be on our own in between dates and spending time together. I’ll show you where we live and you can spend time with us there. That’s the only way we’ll be able to get back to the beginning and be how we were before the boys and everything else. Does that make sense?” I ask him, not sure if I’m getting my point across.
“It does. This goes at your pace until we’re back on solid ground. I love you, Kasey. I don’t expect you to say it back. In fact, I don’t want you to until you’re ready to move forward with our relationship again. I just want you to know that I do love you. For a little while, I thought I had fallen out of love with you, but that’s not the case. You’re the other half of my soul. You and our children take up all the space in my heart. You’re my entire world and I’m gonna show you that on a daily basis. The way I’m gonna start doin’ that is by helpin’ you finish gettin’ your store ready to open. I’ll be there every single day and do everythin’ you ask of me. I want to see your dream come true and be a part of it no matter how small my role is,” he says, leaning his head on the bed so it rests against my thigh.
“I believe you, Anthony. One day, this will all be a memory. Just a fraction of our lives that we’ll look back on and realize maybe it’s something we had to go through in order to come out the other side even stronger than before,” I whisper, finally running my fingers through his thick hair.
Anthony lets out a moan as my nails scrape against his head. His eyes slide closed as I look down at him. We used to do this on a regular basis. Either I’d have Anthony’s head in my lap as we sat and relaxed together. Or he’d have my head in his lap. We’d run our fingers through the other’s hair and when Anthony would do it to me, I’d fall asleep in a matter of minutes. He’s always had that effect on me when he massages my head. Anthony might not fall asleep, but it makes him the most relaxed I’ve ever seen him.
“That feels so good, sweet girl,” he says, not opening his eyes as I hear the first sounds of little feet on the hardwood floor in the hallway.
It doesn’t take long for Andrew to make his way into our bedroom. He wipes the sleep from his eyes as Anthony opens his own up and sits up in the chair. Andrew makes his way right to his daddy and climbs up in his lap. Anthony cuddles our oldest son close to his body as he wraps his tiny arms around Anthony’s neck.
“Mom should be here soon,” Anthony says as he stands with Andrew in his arms. “Do you wanna come out for lunch or eat in here?”
“I’d like to come out to the table. Eat with the boys. Baby boy, do you need to go potty?” I ask Andrew as he nods his head.
Anthony takes him in our bathroom as I grab the pair of sweatpants that were left on the end of the bed for me. I listen to them talking and a smile covers my face. This is what I’ve been missing. Our family is starting to heal. It’s going to take much longer than having one conversation, but it’s a start. Every great story starts somewhere and this is the beginning of our second part. A new chapter in our lives starts right now and I can move forward forgiving Anthony or letting him go. I’ve loved him for so long that I don’t want to let him go. Time will tell how serious he is about fixing us and I have a feeling he’s going to make sure he puts in all the time, effort, and work it will take to make things right between us.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Shield
TWO WEEKS HAVE passed since Kasey was almost run off the fucking road with her friend. They were simply trying to go out and have a fun night together and it ended in some horrific happening. We still don’t have any clue who did it, if they were put up to targeting Kasey, or why this happened. Hell, for all we know this could have something to do with her friend and nothing to do with my girl at all. While I’d like to believe that, I know deep in my soul that’s not the case. This shit happened because of Kasey for some reason. Now, we need to figure out everything and take out the person responsible for trying to hurt her.
Venom has had people out searching for the truck. None have been taken in for repairs or anything else. We’ve searched the surrounding towns close to Cedar Bay and he’s been in contact with Vault. The Phantom Bastards are also helping us by keeping an eye out for any black truck matching the description Kasey gave us. So far, no one has come up with anything and all the leads we’ve gotten have turned out to be nothing. I’m beyond frustrated and trying not to take it out on everyone around me. Especially Kasey and the boys. I’ve been spending most of my time with them unless we have church or something else going on at the clubhouse.
For now, Venom has ordered all parties to be stopped and Kasey is to have men on her whenever she’s not at the house. She hasn’t gone anywhere so far because of the accident. Yesterday she had a follow-up appointment with Doc and was told she can resume all normal activity as long as she takes it easy. Doc also took the stitches out of her head and told her she can start washing and brushing the area. Kasey was so happy, I thought she was going to cry. Though, she still hasn’t looked in the mirror to see what her hair looks like now So, today we’re heading into town so she can work more in the shop to put the finishing touches on it. It will be the first time I see it since she’s started getting in all the inventory and things she plans on putting up. The most I’ve seen of it is through the front windows when she’s in there working. I’ve sat down the road and watched her make her dream a reality.
“Sweet girl, are you ready to go?” I ask her as I walk in the bedroom and find her brushing out her long hair.
“I’m ready to go. I’m excited to show you the shop,” she says, a smile on her face that lights up her eyes and makes her button nose scrunch up. She’s so fucking cute.
Grabbing her hand, we leave the bedroom and find our parents in the living room with Andrew and Griffin. Our moms are watching the kids today so the three of us can help her do everything that’s gotta be done still. After we’re done, I’m going to take Kasey on a date. She doesn’t know it yet, but it’s past time for this to happen. I promised her things were going to be different between us and this is just another step in making it happen. So, after working in the shop, we’ll be going out just the two of us while our parents watch the boys and spend the evening with them.
Andrew runs over to us, showing the new toy Rage got him yesterday when they went out shopping. I’ve already seen it, but to see the pure happiness and excitement on our little boy's face is the best thing in the world. This is the entire reason I get up every damn morning and go to sleep with a smile on my face every single night. There is nothing better than seeing your child light up for the simplest reason. Griffin soon follows his brother holding onto his new teddy bear. There’s a small smile on his face as he grabs onto Kasey’s pant leg. She wants to pick him up, but that’s one of the things I’ve stopped letting her do. Our boys weigh too much for her to be picking them up and carrying them around. When I go back to work, I’ll be making sure someone stays with Kasey at night so she’s not trying to do everything on her own.
“We’re gonna head out for a while, baby boy. You’re gonna stay with Nana and Mimi,” Kasey tells Andrew as our dads kiss our moms goodbye while the boys are distracted.
“Okay,” Andrew says, waiting for me to pick him up in my arms.
I hug him close before moving him so he can hug and kiss his mom. Kasey holds him close and presses a kiss against his cheek before I set him back down on his feet and pick Griffin up. We repeat the process with him before setting him down on the floor. He toddles over to my dad who picks him up and gives him his goodbye hug and kiss. Griffin snuggles into my dad’s chest and I know he’s getting ready to take his nap. He gets very snuggly when he becomes tired and doesn’t really care who’s holding him or what they’re doing as long as he gets his snuggles in.
My dad, Rage, Kasey, and I finally make it out of the house as my mom and Keegan sit down with the boys to watch a movie before they take their nap. I don’t think Griffin will last much past the opening credits. I open the passenger side door of my truck and help Kasey inside. I’ve thought about getting a stool or something to make it easier for her to get inside, but she told me if I did, she'd beat me with it. Kasey’s short as hell and it’s only getting harder for her to get in and out of the truck even with help. It’s hard enough to get in and out of the SUV before it was totaled.
We pull away from the house and head out of the compound. Making our way through town, it doesn’t take us long to get to the shop. Parking in the back, I shut the engine off and make my way around the truck to help Kasey get out. Rage has a key to the back door and he’s opening it up and turning off the alarm by the time I have Kasey’s feet on the ground. The four of us make our way inside and I walk through the store slowly. Our dads have helped Kasey put it together and our moms have helped her clean everything after putting up the inventory and getting things set up the way she wants them.
