Chapter 6

Life isn’t Burger King. You can’t always have it your way.

-T-shirt

Payton

“What’s his problem?” Cheyenne asked me.

 

We were all out on Max’s front porch. Cheyenne and Ember sat in lawn chairs beside me. We’d been banished from the house because Max didn’t like us talking during the movie. We were talking about the upcoming Thanksgiving parade, set for two days from today. Max had requested we “shut the fuck up” numerous times before we were asked to leave.

 

He was in a super pissy mood. The doctor had informed him that sex wasn’t an option until his checkup, and I made him stick to it. I wasn’t one of those women that broke at the first sign of neediness from a man. I wasn’t risking Max’s health for an orgasm. I mean, sure, it would blow my mind at first, but if I broke him in some way, it would only be that much longer before I could have him full time again.

 

Moreover, he was mad that I refused to move in with him. I wasn’t ready to move in yet. I wanted to move in for the right reasons, not because he was hurt and wanted me there. He hadn’t repeated the “L” word yet, and I didn’t want to push him into anything. I wanted him to come into this knowing all the facts.

 

“He’s mad because I won’t move in with him.” I explained.

 

“Well, why won’t you?” Ember asked.

 

I took a pull on the chocolate milkshake I was drinking, and answered, “Well, I want him to love me first. I don’t want to let my apartment go, only to be without somewhere to live in a few months when he gets tired of me.”

 

“Max has never ever asked anyone to move in with him. I’ve only met his girlfriend’s accidentally. He’s never even brought a woman back since I moved in with Gabe. In fact, I haven’t even heard about him seeing someone since he met you, now that I think about it.” She said right before belching like a linebacker.

 

“Six.” I said as I rated her.

 

“That was clearly a nine. You’re a cheater.”

 

“Don’t be a sore loser, Ember. It’s not becoming.” Cheyenne said, before turning back to me, “She’s right though, Payton. Maxiepoo hasn’t had any ass since he was injured. Sam said it wasn’t what he was looking for anymore. He told Sam that he wanted kids, and he wasn’t going to get them if he kept looking for easy p-u-s-s-y.”

 

Cheyenne spelled the word out of habit. Just last week Pru had told Sam that she was going to “have his balls” if he didn’t get her a snack right that instant. After Sam recovered from the statement, he immediately sent Pru to Cheyenne to tell her what she’d just said. Pru then proceeded to tell Cheyenne that she had a “fat ass.”

 

I’d been lucky enough to witness that part of the statement, and I about died laughing. Sam and Cheyenne hadn’t found it as funny as me, but I also wasn’t her parent. I was allowed to howl in hilarity and roll around the living room.

 

Cheyenne and Sam’s kids are all a hoot. The oldest, Pru and Piper, are twins. They were followed, closely, by their younger sister, Phoebe. Cheyenne has curbed her mouth significantly; however, Sam, sadly, has not. He’d grown up with a motorcycle gang as a family, and then followed that up with ten years in the army. He says some things are just so ingrained that you don’t fix them over night.

 

The first few notes of “MMMBop” by Hanson broke the quiet of the night, and I reached for my phone to answer it. My brother Bennett’s smile lit up the phone, and I laughed when I saw he changed the picture again. In this one he was wearing his ‘Welcome to the Gun Show’ shirt, flexing. He had my mom take pictures of him a few times a week, and then he’d send them to me reminding me that I loved him. He’d then call me and ask me for favors. Most of the time it was for me to bring him lunch to school.

 

I loved that boy with all my heart. “What do you need this time?”

 

“PP.” Bennett said softly.

 

Straightaway I knew something was wrong. Bennett was a ball of sunshine. He could make anyone’s bad day better. He didn’t even have to know you, all he had to do was smile at you, and you’d walk away with a smile on your face. Guaranteed. Therefore, for him to call me and have such a devastated tone to his voice, I knew something really bad had happened.

 

“What is it, Benny?” I asked alertly.

 

Alpha’s ears perked up beside me, and he went from his head resting gingerly between his front paws to all fours, watching me attentively.
 

“I went to a party tonight, and someone was hurt. Bad. She won’t let me take her to a hospital, and I can’t take her home. She won’t let me, nor will she tell me where she lives. What do I do?” Bennett asked.

 

Scenarios ran through my mind at a million miles an hour, but never once did it occur to me that Max wouldn’t know what to do. Decision made, I said, “Come to Free. Do you know where that is?”

 

“Is that Max’s place? If it is, then yes, I know where it is. Dad and I scoped it out last week when you told us about him.” Bennett informed me.

 

“That’s the place. Come. I’ll be waiting at the front gate to let you in. Be careful. I love you, Benny Bear.” I said as I scrambled up from one of the Adirondack chairs that Max had on his front porch.

 

I burst in through Max’s front door and ran up to where he was sleeping on the couch. I would hassle him later for kicking us out, and then having the nerve to sleep instead of watching the movie that he was all gung ho about watching.

 

Once I reached him, I shook his shoulder and said, “Max.”

 

He came awake with a start, and had our positions reversed in milliseconds. I was panting in fright, watching him cautiously. He had my arms pinned to the couch with both of his hands. His legs straddled my torso, and I was securely at his mercy. His eyes were wild for a few moments. Oh, so slowly, comprehension filled his gaze and he backed off me slowly.

 

“I’m sorry, Max. I didn’t really think. Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you did I?” I asked warily.

 

He regarded me with an intentness that made me squirm. “I just nearly broke you in half, and you’re worried about me?”

 

“Uh, yeah. Anyway, my brother just called, he has a girl with him and he says she’s hurt, but she refuses to go to the hospital. I told him to come here.” I rushed out.

 

He nodded, and then got up, walked to his bedroom, and came back out a few seconds later in jeans, a white t-shirt, and cowboy boots. He walked to the front door that still stood wide open, and stepped out into the night. I followed at a slower pace. My legs stood no chance against his long ones, and by the time I met him at the front gate, Bennett was already there, pulling his old Chevy into a parking spot near the front of the garage.

 

The rest of the members of Free were there as well. Each of them stood at the gate, waiting to see what was going on, waiting to see if they were going to be needed before going back to their homes.

 

Cheyenne wasn’t there, and neither was Ember. I assumed they’d switched places with their husbands, seeing as their children still needed twenty-four seven supervision. Their kids were hell on wheels, and if not closely watched, they would likely burn the place down. Just last week Cora, Gabe and Ember’s two year old, decided to paint her bedroom wall in shit. Although funny, I’m glad I wasn’t there to witness it. That’s just plain disgusting.

 

Bennett got out of his car, went around to the passenger side, and lifted out the weeping girl. She looked to be the same age as Bennett. The cute little girl was wearing the remains of a tattered sundress. Her hair was wild around her head, and gleaming pink and purple streaks stood out harshly against the light brown shade. I hustled over to them, and stopped about three feet from them. Alpha leaned into my side, but I’d learned to brace myself for it, because when I stopped, he leaned. That was just the way of it.

 

“Let’s get inside, Benny. Max, can we go to your guest room?” I asked while surveying the girl.

 

“It’s all yours, Bubbles.” Max said, as he stayed behind with the men allowing Bennett and I to have a few moments of privacy before he came to see what was going on.

 

“Bubbles?” Bennett asked.

 

“He was talking about my undies. Do you really want to hear the rest of the story?” I questioned.

 

“Jumpin’ Johosephats! Why in the hell would I want to know about that? Jesus Christ on a crutch.” He said uncomfortably.

 

A small giggle escaped the girl, and I smiled at her as our eyes met. “Tell me what happened, honey.”

 

Her gaze flicked up to Bennett, and then back to me, pleading for me to understand, and I did.

 

She didn’t want Bennett to hear everything that had happened. She wanted to tell me, but didn’t want to say it in front of him. Whether it was because she was embarrassed to talk about it, or if she had a crush on him I didn’t know, but I would find out.

 

“Bennett, I need you to lay her down on the bed in the second bedroom. Turn right at the T in the hallway. First door on your right. I’m going to go get some towels and the first aid kit. You need to go back to the garage and speak with Max. Tell him what happened.” I informed him before leaving in the opposite direction as him.

 

When I got to the bedroom, Bennett was leaving. His arms encircled me, and I was lifted off my feet by his massive six foot three inch frame. My feet left the ground, and I blew a raspberry in his neck to get him to let me down.

 

We played this game a lot, and I know exactly what to do to get him to leave me alone. When your brother outgrows you when he’s seven years old and you’re fifteen, you learn very fast what to do to get your way. Otherwise, your little brother terrorizes you and there’s nothing you can do about it; especially when your parent’s think it’s funny.

 

“I love you, baby brother.” I said to him.

 

He blushed slightly.

 

“I love you, too.” He murmured as he took off.

 

Teenagers didn’t share their feelings very often, so I felt something tingly spill through me at his words. I truly did love the little shit. I would do absolutely anything for him, and it saddened me when he was hurting.

 

I hope all of this wasn’t as bad as it looked.

***

Max

“Tell me what happened.” I demanded as soon as Bennett got within speaking distance.

 

He regarded me for a few tense moments before nodding and running his hands through his hair.

 

“I was at a pre-game party. There was a bunch of drinking going on, and that’s not my style. So I started to leave when I saw Amanda, a friend of Corinne’s, being hauled into the back hallway by some asshole senior. I followed them, and I saw him rip her dress before the door to the room even closed. I went in there and that’s when I saw Corinne. She was laying on the floor, her dress ripped open just as Amanda’s had been. I lost it. I beat the shit out of him until he stopped moving, got Amanda’s friend to take her to the hospital and then took Corinne to my car. That’s when she told me she didn’t want to go to the hospital. She doesn’t want to report it.”

 

“She’s probably scared. Why don’t you go grab a drink out of the fridge and come sit down? We’ll wait until we hear back from Payton before we do anything else.”

 

He did what he was instructed to do, and I smiled inwardly when I saw him grab one of Payton’s chocolate milks. She’d have a fit later, and by the pleased smile on his face, he knew it, too.

 

“Your sister tells me you’re going navy. Why you gotta go and do that?” I ribbed him.

 

“I want to be a SEAL. Always have. Just don’t tell my dad, he doesn’t know yet. I want to wait until I get the papers signed so he can’t try to change my mind. He’s formidable when he wants something to go his way and it doesn’t. He’ll probably give you so much shit. Especially if you end up marrying my sister. He’s always trying to introduce her to a marine that just moved to town.” He said.

 

My temper started to flare. “Who’s this marine you speak of?”

 

He looked at me with an evil glint in his eye.

 

“Some hot shit guy on the police force. She doesn’t want to date him though. She’s had the hots for you for a while now. She thinks your shit don’t stink.”

 

“Oh, his shit stinks. Just take our word for it. Is this guy Luke Roberts?” James asked.

 

“Yeah, how’d you know?” Bennett asked.

 

James smiled at Bennett. “He’s a friend of ours. Moved out here about two years ago.”

 

Bennett waved his hand as if that wasn’t an important fact. “That’s what I meant. So, what are your intentions with my sister?”

 

I decided to throw him a curve ball. “We’re getting married.”

 

“You knocked her up, didn’t you?” Bennett laughed.

 

“Not yet, but I plan to.” I snorted.

 

I would, too. As soon as she would let me.

 

“Is that right, Max? When are we getting married?” Payton asked from the doorway.

 

I didn’t miss a beat.

 

“When’s your next three day weekend?” I asked, while standing and making my way to her.

 

“This weekend. I took the next week off. My charge nurse felt that you may need more time with me, and told me to go ahead and take my vacation if I wanted to. Where are we doing this?” She asked, while backing away from my advance.

 

My eyes lit and I maneuvered around the couch she was trying to hide behind; unsuccessfully, I might add.

 

“So, we can go to Vegas this weekend?”

 

“You bet, big boy. Just gotta ask my daddy for my hand first.” She said gleefully.

 

Bennett threw his head back and laughed uncontrollably. I had a feeling I’d been had. They knew something I didn’t, but that wasn’t going to stop me. I was going to make her eat those words. I’d go speak with him tomorrow morning, let him kick my ass, and have her married by next week.

 

“Deal.” I said, my lips a hairsbreadth away from hers.

 

“Fuck me. I think I need to go take a shower after that!” James said, while fanning himself exaggeratedly.

 

Payton raised on her tippy toes, waiting patiently for me to kiss her. I didn’t disappoint. Taking her face in my hands, I leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. Just the slightest of touches. I didn’t want to start something I knew couldn’t be finished. She’d denied me for the past two days, and I knew it was a fruitless effort seeing as she said she would do nothing with me until I was cleared by the doctor first. I’d called and moved the appointment to tomorrow morning, just because I didn’t think I could wait much longer. I was tired of the never-ending erection. That much blood going to my dick couldn’t be good for my brain.

 

“So, what happened?” Bennett finally asked what we’d all been wondering.

 

“She wasn’t raped, per say. He started to, but then decided that he would need more than one girl. Therefore, he went to get her friend, Amanda, and she just had to sit there and watch. He gave her something earlier in the night and she didn’t realize it until after she started to feel off; but by that time, she couldn’t do anything about it.”

 

“Will she press charges?” Jack asked.

 

“She said she would. Do y’all know anyone who can come here, someone you trust?” Payton asked.

 

“Yeah, honey, we do. James, why don’t you go call Luke and get him to come over here.”

 

Luke pulled into the parking lot ten minutes later. He had his daughter with him, and I felt a twinge of remorse for calling him so late in the evening. He lifted her out of her car seat, and her limp body fell against his, and snuggled closer. You gotta love children. They have absolutely no worries in the world.

 

“Luke!” Payton said excitedly.

 

I scowled at her genuine happiness at seeing him. Luke smiled at her, and I narrowed my eyes at him before placing my arm around Payton’s shoulders, bringing her into my side. Luke smiled at the gesture, and nodded in acknowledgement at the show of possession.

 

That’s right, Lucas. Keep your filthy eyes off my woman.

 

Once he got within reaching distance of us, I leaned over and took the sleeping girl from his arms. She’d gotten big since the last time I’d seen her. Heavier, too.

 

She snuggled up into my arms, the same as she did her dad’s, and I walked towards the house. Everyone followed; when we got inside Payton and Luke went to the room where the girl was. She was bigger than Sam’s twins, or Gabe’s daughter. Then again, her daddy wasn’t a slouch in the big department.

 

The first time I’d met Katerina, it was in the hospital, the day after she was born. I’d gone up there to visit her because Sam couldn’t. Sam’s ex-girlfriend was pregnant with Katerina when she was killed. We never learned if she was dead or not when the baby was delivered. Feeling saddened that his ex-girlfriend’s baby was sitting in a hospital alone, Sam asked me to go since he couldn’t leave Cheyenne. The baby was waiting for her dad to get home from Iraq; I felt a kinship, and hoped that if that ever happened to me, someone would make sure my child wasn’t alone either. I came back day after day, just to make sure she had someone there with her, even after Luke returned from Iraq.

 

Luke wasn’t sure about me when we first met, but he was grateful to me for being there with his little girl when he couldn’t. Katerina had nearly quadrupled in size since the last time I’d held her, and it was a sobering thought.

 

As I was holding her, I thought about all of the things I wanted to do, and one of those was to have a passel of kids. I wanted to go out to the park on Sunday and throw a football around with my son. I wanted to teach my daughter how to ride a bike without training wheels. All of these scenarios revolved around one thing, and that was Payton being the mother of those babies.

 

“Those are some deep thoughts there, Max.” James said from the couch beside me.

 

I glanced at him and saw his eyes resting on the sleeping little girl. Janie was four now, and by the looks of it, he wished he could have her back to this size again.

 

“Just thinking about babies.”

 

“They are a gift, my man. Don’t waste time. I wish I hadn’t spent the younger years of Janie’s life deployed. I missed a lot. Being with her this past year, watching her grow and change, really made me realize what I’ve missed. What I can never get back.” James confessed quietly.

 

“You did what you had to do. Try not to worry so much, James. We’ll figure this out.” I assured him.

 

Just a few weeks ago, James had been served by Janie’s mother, for custody of their daughter. When Janie was a baby, she’d signed her rights away. We’d thought that would be the end of it, but she threw us a curve ball a few days ago. That curve ball being that James wasn’t Janie’s father.

 

What Janie’s mother failed to realize was that it didn’t matter to James. Janie would forever be James’ little girl, whether it was by blood, or by love. He would fight her until he died, and he would never give up. Seeing my best friend suffer like this really made my blood boil. I hadn’t realized that he was so low though. I would have to keep a closer eye on him just to make sure he didn’t do anything crazy.

 

“You don’t look old enough to be a father of a four year old.” Bennett supplied his two cents.

 

“I was young, barely twenty, when she was born. I was already enlisted, so I couldn’t back out without being court martialed. Sucked pretty fucking bad.” James told Bennett.

 

Bennett looked over his shoulder, and then looked back at us. He repeatedly opened his mouth, and closed it before anything came out. He looked like a fucking fish in a fish bowl.

 

He must have mustered up the courage, because suddenly he blurted, “We had unprotected sex three weeks ago; she thought she was pregnant, but we haven’t done a thingy yet.”

 

We watched him in silence for a few minutes. Jack looked like he was struggling to hold in his laughter. James was doing the fish thing himself now; I guess that left me being the grownup.

 

“Well, by ‘thingy,’ you mean pregnancy test, right?” I clarified.

 

He nodded, so I continued. “Well, then, she needs to see a doctor even more than ever. Payton will convince her though, don’t worry. Do you love her?” I asked bluntly.

 

“Yeah, like crazy.” Bennett insisted.

 

I didn’t have anything else grown up to say, so I stayed silent for a while, trying to think of what to say next. The thought “you’re fucked” kept crossing my mind, but I couldn’t do that to him. He was so young; there was no way he was going to be able to do this on his own. His sister was going to fucking flip, let alone his father. Hell, I haven’t even met him yet and I knew he was going to flip.

 

Jesus. Sometimes I felt like I lived in a fucking soap opera. Secret babies. Secret marriages. Hasty marriages, because you knocked up your girl. Lies. Back stabbing. Killing. Murder. Teenage pregnancy. I’m pretty sure I’m the only normal one in this bunch, and that’s not saying much. I’d just gone through my own amnesia, near death experience, forgetting the woman I loved.

 

“What are you guys whispering about in here?” Payton asked from the doorway that led to the back bedrooms and hallway.

 

“Ugh, well, um, you see, well…” Bennett sputtered.

 

“Your brother knocked his girl up, and now he’s not sure if he wants to tell you or not. I told him he needed to since she needed to go to the hospital. Yelling later, hospital now. Shake a leg.” I said as I marched to the front door and held it open.

 

No one moved, not that that surprised me much. Payton took over the fish expression. Bennett had his head buried in his hands. James was burying his head into the pillow on the couch, and Jack was still silently laughing.

 

Payton was the first to overcome her surprise. “Jesus Christ, Bennett! How many times did I go out and buy you fucking condoms? I even got you the flavored, lubed, ribbed for her pleasure ones! I showed you pictures of STDs! What the fuck?” She finished on a yell.

 

Bennett sunk deeper into himself, his head between his knees now.

 

“Now, Payton. We didn’t wear condoms our first time either. Sometimes shit just happens.” I said from the open doorway.

 

Shit really didn’t just happen. We’d had the talk a couple of weeks ago. She’d asked about my sexual history, and we had the “talk,” you know, the one where you list out all your sexual conquests? Which rather sucked for me, since I had not the slightest idea how many I’d slept with in my twenty-eight years of life. I did know that I had a clean bill of health as soon as I was released from the hospital when I was hurt in Iraq the first time.

 

“That is not the point! I’m twenty fucking four years old. If I have a baby, I can raise it. If he has a baby, he has to have mom raise it while he finishes high school!” She screeched.

 

“Do you want children?” I questioned.

 

She looked at me as if I was dumb. “Well, yeah. Why do you think I work with babies?”

 

“Your biological clock is ticking?” I teased.

 

“You’re such a schlong jockey. Bennett, get into my car. Luke’s got the girl. Max, have fun babysitting.” She sneered before following Bennett out the door, Alpha trotting close to her heels.

 

Luke followed with the girl, and nodded his thanks at me before leaving out the door I still held open. Shifting Katerina in my arms, I headed to the spare bedroom and laid her down in the portable crib that Ember kept at my place for when Cora or Luca stayed over. Gabriel Luca Maldonado, III was a mouthful and since there was already a Gabe in the family, we started calling him by his middle name.

 

Covering Katarina with the blanket that was in the crib, I closed the door quietly before going to my own bed. I was sure that they wouldn’t be returning for a while, so there was no reason I couldn’t be comfortable in the meantime.

***

Payton

“Night, Luke. Thanks for everything.” I said to him before closing the door.

 

I turned and regarded Bennett. He’d had a rough night. As the night wore on, and more information was uncovered, we found out that Corinne might not have been as innocent as we were led to believe.

 

When I was with her by myself, she kept asking me to call one of her friends so she could leave, and I had a sinking suspicion that something wasn’t right. When Luke had shown, she’d clammed up even more when he’d mentioned that he was a police officer. When she’d finally gotten to the hospital, and away from Bennett, she had to tell the officers that came to take her statement that she was actually a part of what went on.

 

My baby brother, the big-hearted bear of a man, was devastated. He’d been telling me about this girl for a long time now, and I thought that they had a wonderful connection when I’d met her a few weeks ago. Seeing how everything turned out today, I realized that I had bad judgment.

 

Two bad mistakes I’ve made in the past couple of years have made me think I’m not the best judge of character. The first was trusting Rory; that was the single biggest mistake of my life. I thought I loved him, but he singlehandedly stole all the innocence I had. He may not have committed the actual crime, but he did leave me there to suffer that fate.

 

The second mistake was trusting Corinne. When I saw her, I really thought she loved my brother. I was the one who told him that she looked like she loved him, and look where that landed him. He was likely going to be stuck with this crazy bitch for the rest of his life due to the fact that she was, indeed, pregnant.

 

We have yet to determine whether the child she carries is actually his though. Tomorrow we’re set to go see my parents. During the circus that Bennett and I call life, mom called. It was almost as if she had a sixth sense for trouble. Max would be meeting them for the first time in the middle of a shit storm. Lucky him.

 

After getting Bennett another blanket, I headed into Max’s bedroom. Alpha went and laid down next to the door, as per his usual routine, no matter where he was. Max lay in the middle of the bed. He was on his stomach with his face turned away from me. His casted arm was hanging over the side of the bed, as was his leg. The rest of his body was covered with the big micro suede comforter concealing the rest of his body from my view.

 

Learning from my earlier mistake, I said, “Max.”

 

He came awake with a start, his head whipping around to look at me. His eyes were clear and very much aware. He was probably just dozing while he waited for me to get home. I had called him and filled him in on the events taking place.

 

His sleep-roughened voice filled the silence. “Come ‘ere.”

 

I shivered a little, but obeyed. Stripping off my jeans, I walked slowly towards the bed. In nothing but a thong and t-shirt, I crawled onto the bed and settled under the covers. Max pulled me closer and I rested my head on his bicep as he spooned me from behind.

 

“I’m sorry. We’ll figure this out, Payton. Your brother is a strong man, and he can handle this. Go to sleep.” Max commanded.

 

I rolled my eyes at his high handedness, but was secretly grateful. His words made me realize that yes, it was a big deal, but it wasn’t the end or the world. My brother was a big boy, and he could handle a lot. Things could have been worse. Which, unfortunately, I was about to find out.