Annabelle
Nathan walked out of Church and took a seat beside me on one of the sofas. “How did it go?” I asked.
“It went fine. I answered their questions as best I could and promised not to tell anyone about what happened. That was it,” he said.
I huffed. “Well, you’re going to tell me about it. What happened?”
“I left for the airport this morning and some guy ran me off the road. Then, he jammed a needle into my neck. When I woke up, I was tied to a chair in a warehouse with Octavius and another man he called Gnaw. A girl showed up. Then, Phoenix and everybody else showed up. That’s about it, Mom,” he explained.
“I’m sorry you had to see him. Did he say anything to you?” I asked, hoping that he didn’t say anything that would traumatize Nathan.
“Not really. Just that I was his son and should have grown up under his supervision. He said a lot of nasty things about you. That’s when the other man started arguing with him. They had been trying to kidnap you. One wanted to get money out of it while the other wanted to kill you. They were so wrapped up in arguing with each other that they didn’t even hear Phoenix and his club come in.”
“Do you know who the other man, Gnaw, was?”
Nathan shook his head. “No, just that he was a member of another motorcycle club and that he was looking for you.”
I wasn’t sure if I should tell him or not. I didn’t want to lie to him, but what good would come of him knowing that man was actually his grandfather. On the other hand, if he found out later, he might not be so understanding, particularly since he recently found out about all of the other things I kept from him. Taking a deep breath, I said, “That man was my father, your grandfather.”
Nathan leaned back against the sofa. “Ah, that makes more sense.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, they kept arguing about what to do with you once they got you. Octavius kept insisting he got to decide what to do with you because he bought you from the other man years ago.”
“Yeah, I just found out about that,” I said quietly. “Listen, Nathan, my father was a bad man. I knew that early on in life. Growing up, I never liked my parents, but I never thought my father would sell me. I hope you don’t think bad of me, but I’m glad he’s dead.”
“I am, too, Mom. Anyone who treats you like he did deserves to die.”
“Did Phoenix tell you about Octavius?” I asked hesitantly.
“You mean about you shooting him?” he asked bluntly. At my gasp, he continued, “No, he didn't tell me, but it wasn’t hard to figure out. The two of you went down to the basement and then we heard a cacophony of gunshots. Most men don’t empty the clip like that, Mom.”
I squeezed his arm as one tear slid down my cheek. “I killed your father, Nathan. And I’m in love with your uncle, who is the father of my other children.” A sudden realization had me gasping. “Your half-sister and half-brother are also your cousins! Our family is so fucked up.”
“Mom, are you serious right now?” Nathan asked incredulously. “First, that man was not my father. Biologically, yes, but not in any other way that counts. Yes, you killed him, but he was going to kill you and I don’t believe he would have stopped tormenting us until he was dead. As far as Phoenix being my uncle, it’s not like you knew he and Octavius were half-brothers when this whole mess was created. But, if it makes you uncomfortable, I don’t have to call him uncle. I’ll do whatever makes you happy, Mom. Just know that I don’t think any of this is your fault, or Phoenix’s for that matter.”
My sweet, understanding, mature, wonderful boy. “How’d you get to be so smart?”
He grinned. “I was raised right.”
“Nathan, what are you going to tell your team and your coaches?” I asked, suddenly realizing that this situation could have a devastating effect on Nathan’s life.
“I already talked to Phoenix about that. He’s going to have Patch write me an excuse to cover the bumps and bruises as well as whatever I was injected with. He wants me to stay in Croftridge for a few days to coincide with the story,” he explained.
That brought me a tremendous amount of relief. My baby boy had worked so hard to make the team and his dream was just starting to come true. I couldn’t bear it if the ghosts from my past ruined it for him.
Phoenix came out of Church and looked directly at me. “Let’s get the kids to the airport.”
It took me a moment to realize he meant Ember and Dash. They had canceled their flight earlier when we all learned that Nathan had been taken.
***
Three days later, we were once again driving to the airport, this time to drop Nathan off. Patch spoke with Nathan’s coaches and informed them of his car accident and gave them a list of medications administered at the hospital. Luckily, his kidnappers injected him with a very common drug used for sedation.
Once we were on our way back to Croftridge, Phoenix asked, “So, when are you planning on going back?”
I hadn’t given any thought to when I would return. Intentionally. I was quite happy living in the moment and I didn’t want to think about reality or the future. That was mainly because I didn’t know what to do. I made a home for myself in California. A home for myself and my son. But I had longed for Phoenix for more than half of my life. And I had two other children living in Croftridge. Two children whose lives I had missed most of.
“Uh, I’m not sure. I should probably give Wave a call and see when he’s expecting me back,” I hedged. Surprisingly, Phoenix let it go.
When we arrived at his house, Phoenix led me around back instead of going inside. “I thought we could take a walk out to the lake,” he explained. He grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him.
I noticed a blanket and a basket on the ground near one of the benches. “What’s this?” I asked, gesturing to the basket and the blanket.
Phoenix gave me a Cheshire-like grin. “A picnic. Have a seat.”
I sat down and enjoyed a nice picnic lunch with Phoenix. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew he was up to something. He was far too interested in what I was eating and how much of it I had eaten. He kept pulling things out one at a time instead of laying everything out at once. “Phoenix, what is your deal? You’re acting so weird.”
He ignored my questions and carried on with his odd behavior. When we were finished, I stood up and dusted my pants off. I turned around and reached for the corner of the blanket to start folding it and the whole world stopped.
Phoenix was down on one knee, holding a little black box in his hand, gazing at me with so much love in his eyes. “Doll face, I’ve been waiting 20 years to ask you this question. Will you marry me?”
I couldn’t move. I had wanted nothing more when I was 18 years old and, if I was being completely honest, I still wanted nothing more. Were my dreams finally coming true? Was it okay to finally embrace what was right in front of me without worrying that it would be snatched away from me? “Say something, doll face.”
I burst into tears and threw myself at him, literally. He caught me with ease and held me tightly. “Yes. Of course I’ll marry you.”
Phoenix jumped to his feet. “Good. Up you get. Let’s go.”
“Wait! What are you talking about?” I asked.
“I ain’t waiting around this time. You said yes, so we’re going to go down to the courthouse and get married. If you want to do the wedding thing later on, that’s fine, but you’re marrying me today,” he informed me.
“You can’t be serious,” I said.
“I most certainly am. There’s no waiting period in this state. We go down there, get our marriage license, sign it in front of a notary, and turn it back in.”
“Wait! I need to talk to Nathan about this. And Wave! What about my job?” I asked. He had lost his damn mind. I couldn’t just marry him and hope everything else worked out.
“I talked to Nathan before he left. He said he just wants you to be happy and if that’s marrying me, then he’s okay with it.” I stood there gaping at him. “As for Wave, I took care of that, too. He said you could work remotely from here, just like you did when you first started working for him. Though, I have to say, doll face, you don’t have to work. If you want to, that’s fine, but you don’t have to. Any other protests?”
“I guess not,” I mumbled.
“Good. Let’s go,” he said, taking my hand and speed-walking to his bike.
He drove us into town and parked in front of the only courthouse in Croftridge. We walked inside, filled out the necessary paperwork, and that’s how I finally married the love of my life.