Mercy
The whole day has gone by without a word from Jude. I’m not sure what to make of it. And I have to admit I’ve not only missed the sound of his voice, I’ve missed seeing him too.
The man has managed to grow on me very quickly. As I went to check out the empty space where his training facility will be, I found myself thinking about running into him around the spa. And maybe little secret sessions in my office and his.
It had my mind occupied all day long as I thought about us taking lunch together every day except Thursdays when I eat with the kids at their daycare. And I did think about letting him do some personal training on me. It had my pulse going faster with just the thought of it.
Since I’m on my way to pick the kids up, I think I should give him a call before I have them with me. So I make the call and find it goes straight to voicemail. Just like it has the other five times I’ve called him today.
Man, I can’t believe I’ve turned into one of those women!
I’m sure he’s just very busy today with something. Or someone.
Please don’t let him be with another woman!
I know I’ve been holding him back with a ten-foot pole. But the fact is I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for the kids. I’d be all over that man if I didn’t have them to consider.
My phone rings and I jump as I see it’s him. “Hi!” I answer all fast and breathless. “I missed you today.”
Did that really just come out of my mouth?
“Good,” he says. “I’ve really missed you too. Wanna grab a bite to eat with me?”
“Damn it,” I say. “I can’t.”
“Oh?” he asks. “Well, that’s too bad. I guess I won’t see you until tomorrow then. I’m about to leave the place I’ve spent the day. I was hoping to take you to dinner but if you can’t then you can’t.”
“Wow, you took that awfully well, Jude.” I’m kind of surprised he isn’t asking me why I can’t go to dinner with him the way he usually does. “So where did you spend your day?”
“Just doing some community PR work for the company. You know how people love to hate oil companies. So from time to time we do things to reach out to the community to let them put a face to the company.” I hear a woman’s voice call out to him. “Honey, can I call you later?”
“Sure,” I say as he ends the call and I find myself feeling kind of lonely and sad. I do wish I could go out to dinner with him.
I wore this nice bra and panty set in hopes of him being at the spa today and I’ve been itching to feel his hands run all over my body like crazy. And now it seems he decided to spend the day with some other people, and at least one woman.
If I could let him in, I would. Why does this have to be so damn hard?
The daycare comes up on the right and I turn into the parking lot and get out of the suburban to go inside and get the kids. A melancholy feeling flows through me and I think I need to have a heart to heart with Jude later tonight.
Maybe I could let him in on the fact I’m getting pretty excited about seeing him at work every day. Maybe that will keep him interested in me. A fear is creeping in that if I keep being too distant he’ll move on and forget about me.
And I have to be honest with myself and say that thinking of never being in his arms again or feeling his lips on mine again is a thing I would miss more than I can even imagine.
As I go into Mrs. Jensen’s room to get Mia, I find her sitting in a corner of the little room designated for the two-year-olds, looking at a book. “Hey, Mia.”
She looks up and jumps off the chair, tossing the book on the floor, holding her arms out as she hollers, “I missed you, Aunt Mercy!”
Grabbing her up, I hug her tight. “I missed you too, Mia!” I give her chubby cheek a kiss then carry her over to gather her things into her backpack. “And how was school today?”
She giggles as she runs her hand along my ponytail. “It was pretty great. We got new books.”
“How nice,” I say.
The teacher’s chair turns around and I see it’s not Mrs. Jensen in it. “Hello,” the older woman says. “I’m Miss Daphne. The teacher got sick earlier and I came in to sub for her.”
“Is it that awful virus?” I ask. “Did it get her too?”
“I think so. They told me she hauled booty out of here. When I came in a couple of the other teachers were spraying disinfectant everywhere. I feel relatively safe.” She laughs and spins around in the chair like some kid would. “It was nice to be here today. I’m getting up there in age and my kids don’t come around much. I liked being around the kids today.”
“That’s nice. I’m glad you enjoyed your time with them instead of looking at it like a chore.” I gather up the filled backpack and head out to get Carter. “Bye. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you tomorrow. I had that virus the other day. It wipes you out.”
She waves at us as we leave the room. “Bye, Mia.”
Mia waves back as she looks over my shoulder then she says, “I like that lady. She’s very nice.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you liked her,” I say.
Then she wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me tight. “I really wuv you, Aunt Mercy.”
With a laugh, I hug her back and say, “I really wuv you too, Mia.”
Turning into Carter’s classroom, I see that it’s empty. I get his backpack and see a note on the desk saying they’re in the reading room so I head out with his things and go down the hallway.
“Do you know if Carter’s teacher got sick today too, Mia?” I ask as I’ve never had to go find any of the kids before.
“Nope. Some man brought the books and stayed all day. He’s very tall and I think he’s cute,” she says then giggles like crazy. “So the big kids went to the reading room to listen to him read. I heard one story when he came and read to us at nap time.”
“How nice,” I say as I turn into the door to the reading room. “Carter, I’m.”
When I see Carter and see him sitting on a man’s lap, I freeze. “Hi,” the man says.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I shriek.
Miss Abigail comes quickly toward me. “Miss Noland! Language!”
Mia turns her head and points at the man, I have already recognized. “That’s Mr. Hurts,” she says.
I correct her, “Mr. Hurst, baby. Carter, come on.”
My eyes stay glued on Jude’s as he smiles at me and Carter climbs off his lap. “You must be Carter’s aunt. He’s told me so much about you,” he says.
“How could you?” I ask as tears fill me eyes. “How could you do this?”
Carter comes to me and takes my hand. “What’s wrong with you?” Carter asks me.
I can’t even talk I feel so side-swiped by Jude. I just tug at Carter to come with me as I have to use everything in me to hold back the tears and rage I’m feeling.
Jude
I don’t know how I thought that would go, but I didn’t ever picture it going the way it went!
I jump up and hurry after Mercy as she hauls ass out of the building. Not saying a word to her, I stay just behind her as she takes the kids to her car. Then I step up as she unlocks the doors and offer my help. “Let me help you get them into their car seats.”
Mercy spins around and I can see the tears rolling down her red cheeks. “Don’t!”
“What’s wrong with you, Aunt Mercy?” Carter asks.
“Nothing, just climb into your seat, Carter,” she says with tear-filled words. “Get away from us, Jude.”
I can’t just get away from her, but I do back up and let her get the kids put in their seats, remaining quiet as I have no idea what I should say. This is not going well at all!
After she gets Carter in, she slams his door and takes the little girl to the other side. I follow and wait quietly. When she’s done she slams that door too and reaches for her door.
I reach out and take her by the arm. “Mercy, stop.”
Her body is shaking as she turns back to look at me with eyes filled with anger. “You get your fucking hand off of me right now.”
“Mercy, we have to talk,” I tell her.
“You need to get the fuck away from me. We’re done! I’m going to tell the Cofield’s that you’re some kind of a fucking stalker and to forget about doing any kind of business with you. Now leave me alone, forever, Jude Hurst.”
I have to let her go as I think she’s on the verge of having a stroke and there are also people looking at us now with their mouths hanging open. Taking a step back, I let her go and let her drive away then go get into my brother’s car and follow her at a safe distance.
I know this is just more stalking on my part but I can’t let her shut me out. Not now that I know why she’s been so closed off this whole time. The woman really does need me.
But I do stay back so she doesn’t figure me out. I’m not about to approach her right now. I just want to know her address so I can approach her later tonight. Much later when she’s had time to calm down.
After fifteen minutes, I see her pull into a driveway. The home is brick and in a nice neighborhood. A garage door opens on a four car garage and she drives in then closes it behind her as I stop a little ways down the street.
The garage is attached to the house so I know I won’t be seeing her again. So I make a note of the address and leave the area. I feel like a huge asshole and can’t really figure out how to fix this damage.
My father and mother keep coming to mind so I head home to talk to them about what it is I’ve done and how bad it really is. I didn’t mean to hurt her and it’s clear that I’ve done just that.
I call Mercy to see if she’ll talk to me at all and nearly faint when she answers the phone, “Jude.”
“Mercy,” I say.
“The thing you have done is unforgivable. I meant it when I told you I never want to see you again. I’m blocking your number.” Then she ends the call.
My body is shaking with fear. She can’t really mean it. So I call back and it tells me she has blocked my number.
I can’t believe she can cut me out this quickly!
Pulling up to our house, I see Dad out on his little Gator, riding around with his Longhorns. I stop and get out of the car and wave him down. Then climb over the fence when he heads my way.
“Dad, I think I’ve really fucked up.”
“Aw, come on,” he says as I get into the vehicle with him. “What could you have done so bad, son?”
“Dad, I thought Mercy was hiding something from me. I followed her this morning.”
“You did what?” he asks as he stops and looks at me.
“Not intentionally. I saw her at a stop light and I followed her. I found out she was dropping a couple of little kids off at daycare. Then I called the daycare.”
Dad stops me again as he holds up his hand. “You called the daycare? Son, why would you do that?”
Putting my head in my hands, I press my fingertips into my skull and whine, “I don’t know, Dad! But it gets worse.”
“What else did you do?” he asks, sounding very worried.
“I bought some children’s books and donated them to the daycare then stayed there all day reading to the kids. And getting to know her nephew, Carter.” I raise my head and look at my father. “Dad, he’s such a sweet kid. And he told me his parents had died in a car accident along with his grandparents, Mercy’s parents. She’s taken them on as her own and she doesn’t tell anyone about any of it. Only the daycare workers know the story.”
“Oh, son,” Dad says as he shakes his head. “How did Mercy take it when you told her what you had found out?”
“I didn’t get to tell her that. I guess I should’ve handled it like that. I suppose I should’ve left the daycare after I found that out and went to her and confessed everything but I didn’t do that, Dad.”
“What did you do?” he asks me as he puts his hand on my shoulder.
“She came to the daycare and I was still there. I had her nephew on my lap and was reading him a book. I just smiled at her as I watched her face fall and her spirit right along with it.” I am as close to crying as I have ever been. I look at my father and all I see is that I may have fucked up too bad to get her back.
“My, Lord, boy,” he says then starts heading toward the house. “You need professional help with this one. Your momma may be the only person who can help you. But I wouldn’t hold out much hope. You really have gone kind of crazy, stalker man on the poor girl.”
Dad’s words make me feel even worse. I know I’ve overstepped my bounds this time. I’ve really messed up.
“What if I told you that I really, really love her, Dad?” I look at him to see what his reaction is and see a frown cover his face.
“Boy, I’m afraid me and your momma always gave you kids what you wanted the moment you asked for it and it might have spoiled you kids a little. You don’t know how to wait for things. And people take time and patience. I’m not saying that you don’t love this girl, but you needed to wait to let her catch up to you with that.”
“I know,” I moan as we pull into the garage. “I wish I had realized that before I went and pulled such a dumbass stunt. But now I know.”
Dragging my ass into the house, I pray that Mom has some idea of what I can do to fix things.
Mercy
I’m throwing things around as I try to make dinner for the kids but find myself so fucking mad at myself for letting anyone into my life at all. Mia goes and picks up a small pan I threw on the floor and brings it back to me. “Oops! You dropped this.” She comes back and hands it to me and I stop.
“Thank you,” I tell her then put it on the counter and go to the fridge and pull out a bottle of wine that’s been in there since I came to live here. I have no idea if wine has an expiration date, but I have to calm myself down so fuck it!
My hands are shaking as I take the corkscrew out of the drawer as the kids climb to their places at the dinner table and watch me like I’m some kind of a television show.
I stop what I’m doing and walk to the living room and turn the television on. “You guys come watch this instead of me, okay?”
They trot into the living room and I see Carter has a book in his hand. He tosses it on the sofa and I see a puppy on the cover. He sees me looking at the book then says, “Mr. Hurts gave me that book ‘cause I like dogs and he has one like that. He told me that one day he’d like me to come see his puppy.”
“Hurst,” I correct him. “His name is Mr. Hurst. And we are never going to go see his stupid dog.” I walk away to get my damn wine I need more than any crack head has ever needed their fix.
“His dog isn’t stupid,” Carter shouts after me. “And why are you acting crazy? He’s a nice man!”
Little footsteps come up behind me as I grab the corkscrew again and a second set follows them. I turn back to see Carter looking at me with a frown and Mia is mimicking him, with her hands on her little hips.
“I thought I told you two to go watch television,” I say as I turn back to grab the wine from the fridge now that I have what I need to get it open.
“Well, I want to know why you are so mad and why you were so mean to him,” Carter says as he wags his little finger at me. “He has horses too. And even some ducks on a pond. He said he would love us to come over. He has a swimming pool and a big yard to play in and some cows too.”
Pressing the corkscrew into the cork, I feel it push in way too easily then the cork splits into dry pieces and a terrible smell comes from the bottle.
“Crap!” I hold my nose as I pour the sour stuff down the drain in the kitchen sink and feel like throwing a real tantrum. That was all the alcohol I had in the house. And it’s no good and now I have to figure out how to calm down all on my own and I’ve never been so mad in my entire life.
“Um!” Mia says as she shakes her little head. “You not posed to say that word, Aunt Mercy.”
I look at her sweet face with a big old frown on it and the one on Carter’s too and decide I have to do something about myself. “Who wants pizza?”
The frowns turn upside down and they start to cheer. I’ll call a cab to take us because I’m going to have a few beers while they play. I know it’s not a very motherly thing to do but it’s either that or tear the house apart as I throw things around until I feel like I’ve dealt with my anger and frustration.
Just as I pick my phone up it rings with a number I don’t recognize. I put on the professional voice I can bring up any time, any place as I answer it, “Mercy Noland.”
“Hey, sweetheart, this is Loretta Hurst.”
My heart stops and I know I can’t hang up on this nice lady but damn it I want to. “Look, I know what you want to talk about but it won’t do any good.”
“My son is a mess right now and I feel like I have a hell of a lot to do with that. So could you spare me a moment? Mother to mother, dear?” she asks.
So he’s told them everything I can see. I look at the kids and point them to the living room. “You guys go watch television while we wait. I have to talk to someone about business, okay?”
They nod and walk away as I plop into a chair at the dining room table and prepare myself to hear some shit about how her son is great and I’m an idiot.
“Can you talk now?” she asks me.
“Yes, ma’am,” I say as I sit back, kick off my heels, and put my feet up on the table.
“Look, my son has done something inexcusable,” she says.
“Great start,” I say as I’m impressed she can see his faults. “So you understand why I can’t see him anymore.”
“Well, I didn’t say that.” She pauses then says, “He told me about your family and darling, I want to tell you how very sorry I am to hear about that. It’s a terrible tragedy. I know there are no words to help you, I do know that. But I also know that you’ve shut yourself off from people. That’s not good for those kids. And I know you know that deep down.”
“He isn’t the answer either,” I say as I look up at the ceiling and wish this was all a dream and that I had never really met Jude Hurst.
“I’m not saying he is. All I’m saying is being alone with all this isn’t helping any of you all. Those kids need you, but they need more than just you. What would happen to them if something happened to you?” she asks me, making me take my feet down and sit up straight.
“Please don’t say that. You have no idea how much I’m afraid of that happening.” I can feel the anxiety welling up inside of me.
“I’m sorry if I’m upsetting you. But you need to realize that it’s hurting those kids to keep this up. I’d like to come visit with you and the kids. I’d like to invite you out to our place for Sunday dinner this week. Please tell me you’ll come.”
“It’s not you, Mrs. Hurst,” I say.
She quickly says, “Call me, Loretta.”
“Okay, it’s not you, Loretta. It’s Jude. He went too far.”
“He did. I’m not going to make any excuses for him. What he did was wrong. He’d like to apologize to you and the kids,” she says.
“No!” I say quickly. “I don’t want that and I don’t want to see him. You can tell him that you told me and that I said, thanks for the apology. I forgive him. I knew he was spoiled rotten and it’s all my fault for seeing him in the first place. This is all on me. You can tell him that. I have no hard feelings against him.”
“He’ll be glad to hear some of that,” she says. “But I’d like to say that I doubt you’ll find another man who cares so much for you.”
Her words hurt me to my core. I probably won’t ever find a man who tries so damn hard to get to know me than Jude has. But then again, I never wanted any man to get into my life, anyway.
Jude
“She’s going to need time, son,” Momma tells me.
I shake my head and have to disagree. “Mom, that’s all she’s had is time. It’s been a little over two years since they all died. She’s been alone with this for that long. She needs someone now. Not a month from now. Right now.”
“Well, she doesn’t want to see you. She did say she forgives you if that makes you feel any better.” Mom runs her hand over the back of mine as I sit at the kitchen table and look at the glass of Scotch Dad poured for me.
I can’t touch it, though. Mercy is over there all alone with the kids. Mad as hell at me. And I don’t deserve to be able to get drunk and forget that fact.
“I wonder what she would do if I just showed up over there,” I say as I look at the way the dark liquid makes swirls all on its own.
“She’ll most likely call the cops on you, Jude,” Dad says. “So don’t do that. Give the girl some time. Then maybe go see her at work or something like that.”
My cell phone rings and I see it’s Lester Cofield. “Shit!” I get up and walk away. “I have to take this call.”
Walking out to the back patio, I answer the phone, “Mr. Cofield, how are you doing?”
“I’m kind of confused, Jude. That’s how I’m doing. I called Mercy to see how things went today and she told me you had pulled out of the deal,” he says.
“Oh, she did. I see,” I say as I have no idea what the hell to tell the man.
“That doesn’t tell me a whole hell of a lot, Jude,” he says and waits for more of an explanation.
Only I don’t have one. “Lester, did you know that Mercy is taking care of her dead sister’s kids?”
“What?” he asks with a very high voice. “Since when?”
“For the last two years,” I tell him.
I know she’s going to be pissed at me, but let’s face it, she already is!
“No!” he says then sighs. “How did you find this out?”
“I saw her on her way to work this morning and fell in behind her. When she stopped at a daycare, I saw her drop off a couple of little kids.” I decide to embellish my story a bit so the man doesn’t find out I’m a complete stalker. “It just so happened that I had a box of children’s books my company had given us all to donate to various children’s daycares. You know a little good PR. So I made a quick decision to give my box to that particular daycare.”
“And you found out all of that about our Mercy?” he asks.
“Yes, sir. It seems her sister and brother-in-law were going out on a double date with Mercy’s parents while Mercy watched her then two and a half-year-old nephew and six-month-old niece. They were in a wreck and all four of them died. She took the kids as her own after that,” I tell him.
“My gosh, that’s terrible. I can’t believe she never told us that,” he says.
“When she came to the daycare to pick the kids up, I was still there. I was reading to her nephew. He’s four now. And she kind of lost her shit. She also doesn’t live at the address she has on file at work. That’s her parents’ home. I’m afraid she’s been hiding the kids to hide the tragedy so no one asks her about it.” I wait to see what he has to say and hope he has some kind of a great answer for me.
“Damn it. I guess we have no choice in the matter do we?” he asks. “I guess we have to fire her.”
“What?” I ask as that was not what I intended at all. “No! No, you can’t do that, Lester! I didn’t mean you to take it like she’s some type of a crazy woman or anything like that. I just wanted you to know she has a lot on her plate, that’s all! God, please don’t fire her!”
I pace around and don’t know what the hell to do. Every fucking thing I’m doing is fucking her world up even more.
“Jude, it’s just good business. Poor Mercy has been lying to us for two years. We can’t have that,” he says.
Then I hear his wife asking him what’s going on and pray she can talk some sense into him. I hold on as he relays all I’ve said then hear her terrible words, “Oh no, we have to let her go.”
Fuck me!
“No!” I shout again. “Lester, please!”
“Sorry, son. But we can still do our deal,” he says.
“No!” I tell him. “If that’s the way you do business, I want no part in your company. Please rethink things. Please. If you keep her on and never say a word about this, I’ll keep the deal.”
I cross my fingers and hope he takes the offer. But when I hear him clearing his throat I get prepared for the age-old speech about it all being just business, nothing personal.
“Jude, this isn’t personal, son.”
I let it all go and end the call as I fall to my knees on the ground and look up at the darkening sky. “Why, God?”
In some kind of answer to my desperate cry, I hear thunder off in the distance and then the weather alert goes off on my phone. As I look at it, I find there’s a tornado warning for the Dallas area.
Wouldn’t you know it? The suburban areas highlighted in red include the one she lives in.
I put my phone into my pocket and head through the house to the cars. I stop in the living room where Mom and Dad are watching the news. “Oh, son, look at this. There’s a tornado warning,” Mom says as she points at the television that’s hanging on the wall.
“I know,” I say as I make quick strides across the room toward the garage. “Dad, I’m taking your four-wheel drive to get Mercy and the kids and bring them out here.”
“Oh, that’s a bad idea, boy!” he calls out after me. “You’re gonna get yourself thrown into the jail for sure!”
“I hope not. Even if I do, I deserve it. I just managed to get Mercy fired from her job too.”
Mom shrieks, “How the hell did you accomplish that, Jude Hurst!”
I shrug and shout back. “I have no idea.”
As I get to the truck and hop in, I push the button to open the garage door and can already hear the sounds of sirens going off far away in town. I back out and head out as fast as I can to get to them.
The woman may not want me but I sure as hell won’t be leaving her alone with two little kids during a time like this. I may have completely fucked her world up, but damn it, I’m not leaving them alone to deal with a natural disaster too.
Mercy
So it seems God is completely against me getting any alcohol to help me deal with my anger. A sudden storm has come up and now there’s a tornado warning keeping me trapped inside.
To top off that fun, the kids are clinging to me as sirens go off outside constantly and the electricity has gone off. All I have is the flashlight on my cell phone and my battery was about dead when this all started so I have no idea when we’re going to be left in the complete darkness but I bet it will be pretty soon.
So I have us sitting on the sofa, wrapped together tight in a blanket to make sure they both feel really secure. Well, as secure as one can feel with this kind of shit going on.
The wind is howling so loud it’s hard to hear much else, except the loud sirens that I’m supposing, won’t stop until the tornado or tornadoes are back in the sky and off the ground.
It would be great to know if one was headed our way and about to turn us into Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. But then again, why would anyone want to know such a thing like that?
A pounding at the front door has me looking up and I pick up both kids and carry them on my hips as I go to see who the hell is at the damn door. I suppose it’s most likely a fireman or some other emergency person coming to tell us the tornado is headed our way and we’re about to die.
As I open the door, a tall man wearing a hooded, yellow raincoat pushes his way in quickly, closing the door behind him then pulls me by the shoulder. “Where’s the bathroom?” he asks with a gruff voice.
“Over here,” I say and point my phone light to the hallway.
He pulls out a big flashlight from his raincoat pocket and shines it down the hallway and pulls us along with him to the bathroom where he closes us all in together. “We’re safer here than anywhere else,” he says then pulls the hood back and I see who our emergency man is.
“Jude!” I shout.
“Not now, Mercy.” He looks at the bathtub and pulls us to it. “We need to get into that.”
So into the tub we go, standing side by side. Carter holds his arms out to Jude. “Mr. Hurts, will you hold me?”
Little traitor!
Jude takes off his wet raincoat and tosses it out onto the floor then takes Carter. “Hide your face against my chest. Mercy you hide her face in your chest.”
I move Mia around so she can hide her face and watch Carter snuggle into Jude’s wide chest then feel one of Jude’s strong arms pull me into him too and he holds us all against the wall. His body shielding us all.
He smells like sweat and rain and I’ve never smelled anything more comforting in my life. His warm breath is stirring my hair as he breathes calmly and steadily. He’s like a rock.
A sound so loud it sounds as if a train is coming right through the house has both kids covering their little ears. I think they might be screaming but it’s too loud to tell for sure.
I close my eyes as I hear some crashing sounds and feel Jude’s arm tighten around me. His head is pressing down on mine and then the sound fades. Both of our phones’ alerts go off, making us all jump and Jude grabs his, shutting it off then he takes mine out of my hand and turns it off too.
The wind is still raging outside but the crashing sounds and the train sounds are over. I look at him and mouth, “Thank you.”
He says, “You’re welcome, baby.”
My body is trembling as the sounds fade further away and I realize I’m holding Mia way too tightly. I loosen my tight hold and say, “Should we go see what happened?”
“I’ll go,” he says as he hands Carter back to me.
Carter looks at me with the widest I’ve ever seen the kid’s eyes. “What was that, Aunt Mercy?”
“That was a tornado, Carter,” I say as I hug him. “But no matter what, we’re okay, aren’t we?”
He nods and when Jude opens the door I almost fall down. All I see is rain falling in the darkness. The top of a tree isn’t that far from us and there’s a big, brown truck sitting in that tree.
“Dad’s not going to like where his truck ended up,” Jude says as he looks back at me.
I just start crying and hugging the kids. “You saved us. You saved us, Jude! If you hadn’t come at that moment, we’d have been right there on that couch and we’d have been.”
“Don’t!” he says as he closes the bathroom door and comes back to us, stepping back into the bathtub and gathering us back into his strong arms. “Just don’t, Mercy.”
He rocks us back and forth for a minute as I cry and then the kids join me and I know he was sent to us. I know it now. I look up at him and say, “I’m sorry.”
He merely shushes me and places his big hand on the back of my head and pushes it down so I have to bury it in his chest like the kids are doing. I really don’t know why he came here but I’m glad he did.
A knock comes on the bathroom door and I find myself saying, “Who is it?” Then I immediately feel like a fool.
“Fire department, ma’am. Can we come in?”
Jude smiles at me then kisses my forehead. “Come on in guys.”
The door opens and a bunch of lights shine in our eyes. And in that blinding light, I swear I see my sister standing behind one of the firemen.
“Hope?” I call out. “Hope, is that you?” I move around Jude as I hold the kids and I can’t see her anymore. “Hope?”
Jude wraps his arm around me and kisses the side of my head. “It’s okay, baby.”
I shake my head and blink as he takes Carter from me and we step out of the tub and let the firemen help us get out of the house. It’s still raining only nowhere near as hard.
The lights from the fire trucks and other emergency vehicles light the place up. As we’re led to a police cruiser, I turn back and see the front part of the house is just gone. The back part is there. The four car garage is there.
My purse is hanging from a tree limb so I point at it. “Hey, can somebody get that for me?”
Some nice tall man grabs it and I see it’s still zipped up and since it is leather I can be fairly sure all my important things are still there. Including the keys to all the cars and the motorcycles.
The officer who meets us at the car says, “There’s a shelter open at the high school. That’s where we're taking everyone.”
I hold up my purse. “I have the keys to my cars that are in that garage.”
“And when the electricity comes back on, you can get them,” he says.
Jude gives my shoulder a squeeze. “Come on, let’s go to the shelter and we can figure things out from there. The most important thing right now is to get us all to somewhere safe.”
I can’t stop looking at Jude with adoration. That and complete gratitude.
Jude
One phone call to Dad and he came to the high school gym and got us all. Then I took Mercy and the kids to my bedroom where we all are cuddled up after showers and everyone is wearing my T-shirts as the kids are snuggled in between us.
Mercy can’t stop looking at me with such adoration in her blue eyes and I can’t stop thinking about how I’m going to tell her how I cost her, her job with my fast-acting mouth.
Her hair is damp as I run my hand through it and gaze back at her as the kids fall asleep. “You okay?” I whisper.
She nods. “Because of you, we are.”
“Don’t go putting me up on a pedestal, Mercy,” I say with a light chuckle.
“I’m not. I’m putting you where you belong. You’re our hero, Jude. Our real life hero.” She takes my hand off her head and pulls it to her mouth and kisses my palm.
I frown at her. “Oh, baby, no.”
She smiles. “Sorry. I know we have these kiddos. Not the place or the time.” Then she mouths, ‘But damn it, you’re so sexy to me right now.’
I wonder if she’d feel the same way if she knew she was jobless now because of me.
I’m not about to tell her that right now, though. Instead I smile at her and run my fingertip over her top lip, outlining it then the bottom one and am beginning to make myself very uncomfortable so I stop.
Mercy looks down at the two, now sleeping, kids and whispers, “Why don’t you and I sneak out of this bed and go into the next room where you have that little living room thingy?”
Oh yeah, I’m liking having her here!
I give her a nod and watch her stealthily move out of the bed and I follow her actions and now I can see how she so easily left me in the hotel that morning. She’s a pro at it!
I wait for her to come around the bed then pick her up and carry her to the other room. The way she’s looking into my eyes is giving me chills. She softly strokes the back of my head and I can tell she’s going to really get into it tonight.
Who knew all I really needed to do was rescue her from something to get her to fall head over heels for me?
Sitting on the leather sofa, I keep her on my lap and she moves right on in. Her mouth is soft on mine. Her hands move over my face as she gently holds it in place while she delivers a mind blowing kiss with exceptional tongue action.
I move my hand under her T-shirt and lift it over her head, making her mouth leave mine. I’m met with a molten gaze from her as her pink lips are barely parted. “Jude, I love you.”
I can’t seem to move with her words. I know she means them but I never wanted them to come out of her just because I saved her from something. “Mercy, you don’t.” My words are stopped as her mouth crashes onto mine.
She pulls at my T-shirt and takes it off, our mouths parting again. This time, our breathing is beginning to get rough with desire and need. She looks at me again with such depth to her eyes I’ve never seen before. “I do love you, Jude.”
She tosses my shirt to join hers on the dark, hardwood floor then gets off my lap and hooks her hands into the elastic waist of my pajama bottoms. She never stops looking into my eyes as she pushes them down, letting my erection free.
Her soft hands move up and down the length of it, making me moan with the sensation. It grows a bit more, swells a bit, making it have more girth and when her sweet lips touch the tip as her eyes are still on mine I nearly die.
“You don’t have to do this, Mercy. I get it. You’re grateful,” I say. It’s not that I want her to stop because I don’t. I just don’t want her to feel like she owes it to me for what I did.
“I am,” she says, making her lips graze the top of my cock and sending sparks all through me. “But I’m not doing this for any other reason than I want you to feel how much I love you, Jude.”
Running my hand over her cheek, I can see it there. So clear. It wasn’t there before and now it is. “I love you, Mercy Noland. I think I always have. Even before I knew you, I think I had this place in my heart that was waiting for you to come into my life and fill it.”
Then I get up and drop my pajama bottoms and pick her up off the floor and lie her back on the sofa. Moving my body over hers, I run my hand up her side and feel the goosebumps pop up all over her warm flesh.
Her arms open for me as she can’t seem to stop looking at me. I move into them and as her legs spread open for me, I move into her, igniting a low groan from her.
“You feel like home, baby,” I whisper as I kiss her ear.
“You feel like, forever,” she whispers back to me.
I can’t believe this is happening. I wanted her like this since day one and now I have her. Just the way I wanted her. But my heart aches for some reason.
As I make slow strokes, she arches up to me and kisses my neck as her hands move over my back. Her body is warm and inviting. Everything about her is inviting me in. Telling me it’s all going to be alright from here on out.
I want to believe it so badly. I want her to be mine like I’ve never wanted anything in my life. Her insides start to quiver and she moans as she gives into me. “Jude, I am yours.”
Her words have me feeling voracious and I start to make harder thrusts, loving the way the hot air comes out of her mouth with each one as her breath is knocked back out of her lungs with the force.
“Yes!” she moans as her legs come around me so she can hold her body even closer to mine. “Show me, Jude. Show me what it means to be yours!”
Slamming into her, I find the urge to take her completely is overwhelming me. Over and over I claim her. My mouth runs over her neck then my teeth are biting her sweet tender flesh as she cries out in ecstasy, “Yes!”
Her tunnel squeezes me as it convulses with the ongoing orgasm. Her entire body is shaking and sending me deeper into the abyss. Pulling out of her, I turn her over and stand up to take her from behind.
Gripping her by the waist, I say, “Put your hands on the back of the couch and hold on tight.”
She does as I say with a nod of her head then I push my very excited cock back into her pulsing chasm. Her back is so pristine I can’t stand it. So I run one hand along it, leaving a trail of marks in its path.
The sound she makes is guttural and her insides go crazy as she hisses, “Yes.”
I rake my nails along the side of her ass as I slam my swollen cock into her. A light slap I give her. The groan she makes ends with her saying, “Harder.”
I give her another one and her juices really start flowing, making me slip in very easily. She likes it rough, that’s easy to see. I pull out of her again and pick her up then toss her onto her back.
Holding her hands over her head, I thrust back into her and she bites her lip as she squirms underneath me. Her eyes are big as I move into her with a roughness that seems to turn her on.
“You are mine,” I tell her.
“I am yours,” she says. “To do with what you want.”
As I slam into her and look into her eyes, I see something there I’m not liking. Complete abandonment. She really does seem to be giving herself to me.
I really thought I wanted that but now, seeing it on her face and feeling it in her body as she works her hips to grind up to meet my hard thrusts, I feel like an asshole. The last thing I want to do is make her weak.
Mercy
Slowing his deep thrusts, Jude looks at me. His expression goes from fierce to soft and he lets my wrists go, pulling my arms to go around him. Softly, he kisses my lips as he transitions from the rough way he was handling me to being extremely gentle with me.
One of his hands moves up my body and he cradles the back of my head with his hand. Then he pulls his mouth away from mine and trails kisses along my neck until his lips touch my ear. “You are my princess.”
Running my foot up the back of his leg as my hand runs up his back, I whisper, “I’m whatever you want me to be.”
He groans and grinds into me, making me feel better than I’ve ever felt before. Then his soft lips trail along my neck, coming back to meet mine and his kiss takes me further into the dream world I feel I’m in right now.
I’ve given it all up. No more fighting about keeping him out of my life. No more hiding the kids, my fears, anything. I’m done pretending that I can be everything to the kids. I’m done pretending that I don’t need or want this man.
I do need him. I want him more than I’ve ever wanted anything. And I’m done pretending I’m strong!
I’m as weak as a kitten. If he wants me then he can have me. I am his.
His body goes tense then his warm love pours into me and my body quivers with another orgasm, induced by his body. I can see a future with this man. I can see forever in him now.
“I love you, Mercy,” he whispers, hoarsely.
It feels so good to let these words free, finally, “I love you too, Jude.”
Little kisses move over my face and then he’s looking at me with tenderness in his green-brown eyes. His lips are bigger, swollen from our kisses. I lean up and take the bottom one gently between my teeth and tug at it playfully.
He laughs a little then kisses me again as our bodies pulse slowly together. Our love feels complete now. No more acting like what we have isn’t deep and real. I can be free with my love for him and feel confident he’ll always be here for me and the kids.
Lifting his head, he ends his kiss and looks at me then says, “Since I have you in this position.” I find his hands moving down my arms, then his hands clamp down on mine, holding them to the sofa. “And you can’t hit me. I have something to tell you. Something you need to know before the morning comes and you freak out about work.”
Taking in a deep breath, it runs through my head what exactly I am supposed to do about that. I can’t possibly go in. And the kids are kind of traumatized by everything so taking them to daycare is a terrible idea. I really need to take the rest of the week off to handle everything I’m going to need to handle. Maybe even next week too.
“Oh work, I really don’t know how I can do it all,” I say as I look away from him.
“So, it wouldn’t devastate you if you didn’t have to worry about that?” he asks with a little grin on his handsome face.
“Of course, it wouldn’t devastate me. But I will have to figure out how to do the important things I have to do there. And still find time to talk to the insurance company and stay with the kids. They’re pretty freaked out.”
His laugh stops me from saying any more. Then his lips touch the tip of my nose and he says, “Great. Well, you don’t have to worry about work. How about that?”
I laugh as I notice he hasn’t let my hands go so I say, “If only that were true, Jude. Now let me go, I kind of need to go tinkle.”
“It is true and I don’t want to let you go just yet. You see, I have something to tell you and I think the first thing you’ll do is start throwing your arms around.”
A sudden nervous feeling comes over me, taking away most of the euphoria the great sex had me feeling. “What do you have to tell me?”
“I got a call from Lester, your boss. He wanted to know why I was pulling out of the deal.”
“Oh, crap.” I shake my head. “I can fix that. You can still do it. It’ll be cool to work together. I jumped the gun with you being at the daycare and stuff. I overreacted. I can fix it all.”
“No, you can’t,” he says and his hands tighten on mine. “You see, I kind of told your boss everything and he fired you.”
“No, he didn’t,” I say with a laugh. “He didn’t call me or anything.”
“In situations like that, you aren’t told until you get to work. Then the boss shows up, usually with security to let you know you need to gather your personal things and hit the road,” he ends with a little kiss that doesn’t do much to stop the aching in my stomach.
“My God! Just because I have some kids I’m raising, he fired me?”
“I think he said it was because you’d been lying to them for two years. I tried to fix things, but he and his wife were very adamant, you are out of there. Don’t worry, though. I’ve got you, baby,” he says.
That should be making me feel better but it’s not. “Jude, I can’t let you do that.” My mind starts racing and I feel like crying. “I can’t face them. I can’t! I have two hundred dollars in the bank and there’s going to be some type of deductible for the insurance to fix our home and I’m out of a job!”
How did things go from great to completely shitty in a matter of seconds?
His hands loosen and he gets up, pulling me up with him. “Come on, let’s take a shower and I’ll make you forget about this. It’s great, really. Now you and I can make our own thing. Whatever you want, baby. Anything.”
As we walk, hand in hand, to his huge bathroom I realize that we didn’t use a condom. My heart plunges into my lower regions. “Jude how can you be two completely opposite things. On one hand, you’re a Godsend. Then on the other, you seem to have been sent to me by the Devil himself.”
So now what am I supposed to do?
Baiting the Trap Part 7
Mercy
With our home halfway blown away, I’ve decided the kids and I can move into the old house my parents and I used to live in. It’s only a small, two-bedroom but it will do while the home that was once my sister's and brother-in-law’s is repaired.
I swallowed my pride and let Jude pay the five-hundred-dollar home insurance deductible so the reconstruction could begin right away. I also swallowed my pride enough to take him up on the offer of staying at his place until I could get all of the utilities turned back on at the old house.
But now it’s Monday and I just received the call that told me the electric was on at the house now so I have to break it to Jude that we’ll need to be going. He’s playing with the kids in their massive swimming pool and all three of them are having a ball I see as I open the sliding glass doors to go out to them.
“Watch me, Aunt Mercy!” Carter yells as he climbs up on Jude’s wide shoulders and jumps off. “Yahoo!”
I laugh as I don’t recall the last time I saw that kid having so much fun. And I know I’m about to have three very sad faces looking at me when I break the news.
With the tornado and the helplessness, I felt with the destruction of our home, I had a lapse in my usually good judgment and leaned far too much on Jude. It’s not that he’s an unsafe man to place my trust in because he is. It’s because I need to stay self-sufficient.
If I learned nothing else by my family passing, I learned not to depend on anyone for everything. I need to meet with my bosses and let them know I’m not going to be fired without a fight. I didn’t do anything wrong. My personal life isn’t a thing that needs to be open to everyone.
So, I made a phone call while I was upstairs getting our things together and let my bosses know I needed to meet with them later this afternoon. I told Lester that Jude had told me everything and I deserved a chance to explain things to them.
He agreed and at four they’ll be in my office and I’m getting my life back on track from what I’m now calling, Freaky Friday. The day my world turned very close to upside down and now I have to make it right again. I’ve dealt with far worse so this isn’t anything new to me.
“Where’s your bikini, hot momma?” Jude asks me as he looks me up and down. “I thought you were borrowing one from Rose.”
As I get to the edge of the pool, I see how Mia is hanging onto him and running her little hand back and forth in the clear water. He looks so natural holding her as Carter swims all around him with his little arm floaties on. They look like a perfect little family and I’m about to make them all mad at me.
But I have to.
Taking a deep breath, I ready myself for the onslaught of protests, then say, “The electricity is back on at my old house. So it’s time to get over there and start cleaning it and stocking it with food. Later this afternoon I’m going to have a sitter come and watch the kids while I have a meeting with my bosses. So, I need to get going. So, it’s time to get out of the pool and get real life going.”
“Aw, man!” Carter says as he starts to swim toward the deep end of the pool. “No! I don’t want to get out yet!”
Jude pulls his aviator style sunglasses down and peers at me over them, looking like a sexy model. “I’ll send some of the staff over to clean up the other house and have our cook stock the kitchen for you. Plus, I’ll have them move all of your clothes and personal things from the other house to that one. I’ll watch the kids while you have your meeting. Okay?”
I fall back into a lounge chair and look up at the sky and ask whoever is listening up there if this man is an angel or a demon because he’s helpful to the point that is sure to spoil me.
A little voice speaks back to me inside my head, ‘Let him help you.’
Then I find I’m saying out loud, “But I need to be self-sufficient.”
Jude’s voice brings my attention back to him as he says, “There’s plenty of time for that, Mercy. I’m not trying to steal your independence. Things are tough right now. Let me help you.”
“Yeah, let him help you, Aunt Mercy!” Carter shouts at me as he climbs up on the side of the pool and jumps back in.
I nod, I know when I’ve been beaten. But I still need to be taken so I can pick up one of my cars so I make another attempt to get them out of the pool. “I need to go get one of my cars.”
“You can use my Jag,” comes Jude’s quick response.
“I’m afraid to drive that expensive car, Jude,” I whine. “What if I do something to it?”
“Then insurance will cover it,” he says with a laugh. “Go find Rose and get on a bikini and get your hot little fanny back out here so we can play with the kids together, Mercy. Scat!”
“Yeah,” Mia says with a giggle. “Scat!”
Getting up to go back inside, I find myself a mixture of happy and sad. I’m happy and appreciative I have someone in my life to help me now. But sad that I’m losing the strength I felt I had built up after my family left us.
The massive rooms of the estate are overwhelming. I haven’t ventured away from the path through some media room off the patio and through another room that seems to be a library, then there is a large staircase that leads up to the wing where Jude’s suites and those of his siblings are located.
Near the end of the hallway is Rose’s rooms. I knock and wait for her to answer. When she opens the door, I find her wiping her eyes which are red-rimmed. “Oh, hi, Mercy.”
“Hi, Rose. Your brother told me to ask you for a bathing suit. He’s adamant I join him for a swim,” I say then ask, “You want to talk about why you’re crying first, though?”
She shakes her head and goes to grab a suit out of one of her drawers. “Just man trouble. If you can call him a man.”
“What happened?” I ask as I follow her into her room.
“He’s been using me,” she says with a sniffle. “Donald has been using me all along! He has a wife back in England! I’ve been supporting that deadbeat and his wife all this time!”
“You have to get him the hell out of here before your brothers find this out. They’ll kill him!” I say as she starts to wail.
“I know,” she cries then grabs me and we hug as she lets it all out. “I thought he loved me!”
Poor girl, I think to myself. She’s so pretty and nice when she wants to be.
“Come on, I’ll help you line up a plane ticket for his rotten ass and we’ll get him out of your life forever,” I tell her as I pull back and look at her. “I’ll help you. This can be our little secret. You can tell your family that you decided to end it because he wouldn’t get a job. That way they won’t question your judgment and give you a bunch of grief about this.”
She sniffles and looks at me through the tears. “Thank you. You don’t know how bad they can be. This isn’t the first time a man has used me for my money and I know the whole family will treat me like an idiot if they find out I’ve been fooled again.”
“Your secret is safe with me. Now come on, let’s get the ass out of Texas,” I say then we get to work, making the arrangements to get him on the first flight out of Dallas.
Rose looks at me with a smile on her face. “You’re acting a heck of a lot like a sister, Mercy. I like that.”
I smile and nod but a lump forms in my throat as the thought of my real sister moves through my head. Will I ever get past missing them all?
Jude
An evening rain starts with a loud clap of thunder, sending Mia, Carter, and I into the house as we were just about to go on a ride with my father around the ranch. Abandoning the topless jeep, I grab Mia who holds my neck as if it’s a lifeline. “Oh no!” she shouts.
“It’s okay, pumpkin,” I tell her as Dad picks up Carter so we can get inside faster. “It’s not like the last time. Don’t you worry.”
Once inside we can hardly tell what’s going on outside. The kids perk right up and Carter laughs. “This place is like the mall. You have no idea it’s even raining!”
Mia wiggles to be let down, so I place her little feet on the floor and she and her big brother run to play with the toys I bought them. Dad and I take seats on the dark leather sofa in the playroom. Mercy’s at the meeting with her bosses and I’ve yet to hear from her.
I have to admit I don’t mind if she gets that job back or not. I have my own idea about a training gym and I’d like her to manage it. I’d like her to do more than just that, though. I want her to become my partner in it. If she’s able to keep the job at the spa, then I think that will have her holding off on my project.
“Where is everybody?” I hear my sister shouting.
Dad yells, “In the new playroom, Rose.”
Her eyes are a little puffy as she comes in and joins us on the sofa. “I have news I want to say only once so you two can let the rest of our nosy family know that Donald Pendergrass and I are over. He had a specific amount of time to find a job and he didn’t do it, so I sent him back to England, spending the last amount of money I will ever be spending on him again.”
I’m more than a little shocked. We’ve had to help her with the last three men she ended up taking care of. My sister is beyond naïve when it comes to men. They always take advantage of her.
“Are you growing up, sis?” I ask as I look at her and notice the end of her nose is red too. She was crying but at least she took care of the deadbeat on her own this time.
“I just might be,” she says then looks at the kids. “How are they taking the news they have to go away after Mercy gets back here?”
Placing a finger to my lips, I shush her then say, “We haven’t told them that yet. I’ll let Mercy deliver that bit of news to them on her own. And I do plan on trying to get her to stay at least one more night here.”
Dad sighs and I see he looks deep in thought. “You know, son, that young woman has a lot going on inside of her. Don’t push her too hard or you may end up driving her away. She’s been through a lot and I can see something in her that isn’t ready to give up and hand the reins off to anyone. No matter how capable they are.”
With a nod, I agree with my father. “I know. It’s so damn hard to not take over for her. But I know you’re right.”
Rose giggles out of nowhere then says, “She’s a good one, though. I’d love it if you got to keep her around. She’s the first real person any of us have ever brought home. I like her.”
“You do?” I ask as she was just telling me before the storm hit Mercy’s house that I should leave her alone so her turnaround has me a bit confused.
She looks at me and pats my hand. “I know I was against this at first. The kids, though, that’s what made me see you two in a different light. You’re doing so well with them. I’ve watched you four together a few times this weekend and you already seem like a little family. It’s cute.”
“But go slow, son,” Dad reiterates. “She’s fragile. I can see it. Too fast and she’ll bolt. She’s skittish.”
“Okay, I can hear people talking but I can’t seem to find you,” I hear Mercy shouting.
I jump up to go get her. The house is enormous and she seems to get lost in it very easily. “Stay put, I’m coming for you, baby.”
I find her only two rooms away and she looks mad and hurt so I pull her into my arms. “They said they couldn’t trust me. They said I could argue all I wanted and it would do no good. They told me if I used them as a reference they’d say I was dependable but secretive. So I can’t even use them. I’m back to square one, Jude.”
She lays her head on my shoulder and I feel her body shaking as she holds back the tears I know are threatening her. “It’s going to be okay. I’m in your corner. I have an idea anyway and if you had kept that job you’d never accept my offer.”
Moving to sit in one of the large chairs in the main dining room, I hold her on my lap and stroke her hair. She looks at me with worry-filled eyes. “Jude, I have to do this one my own. I have to. You can’t hand me everything. I have to know how to pull myself back up on my own. This is important to me.”
“And you will do it all on your own. You see, I want to partner up with you and open a gym, but one like no other. I want to hire personal trainers that I make out plans for them to follow. I want you to manage the entire thing. It’ll be a lot of work and will take a lot of ingenuity. But the best part is, I want it to have a childcare center. That way the kids will be right there with us.”
Her eyes are sparkling as she searches mine. Then she shakes her head and throws me into a tailspin.
Why can’t she just accept help?
Mercy
“I can’t be your partner, Jude. I have no money to invest,” I tell him as he holds me on his lap.
He looks dejected as he says, “But I want you to be my partner, fifty-fifty. I want it. Just say yes and don’t make me beg you to become rich, Mercy. In the end, you will accept it, anyway. It’ll be the best decision you’ve ever made to join me on this venture.”
“I’ll accept a job as the manager but how could I possibly accept a partnership without putting any money into it?” I ask him as he has that determined look in his dark eyes. He’s going to be bratty about this, I can already tell.
“Mercy, this is a great opportunity for you. Don’t let your foolish pride get in your way. If you were offered this deal by anyone else, you know you would take it.” He leans in and kisses me with a delicate, light kiss that sends my head into the clouds.
“But no one would offer me such an outlandish deal, Jude. So, you can accept my offer to become the manager or I can look for something else,” I tell him as he narrows his eyes at me.
“I need you to be more than that. I need you to make up a business plan, head up the whole thing with me. We’ll have to make this thing from the ground up and I’ll be counting on you to do the majority of the project management aspects of this endeavor. I need you, Mercy. I’ve never had one goal in my life and now that I have one, I need someone’s help to see it through. I want your help. I need you, Mercy.”
I cannot stand his puppy-dog eyes as he stares at me. So I finally say, “Alright.”
He’s elated as he gets up and tosses me into the air, making me scream then he catches me and hugs me. “You’ve made me the happiest man ever!”
If he’s this excited over giving me something like this, how much happier could I make him?
“Jude, you’re crazy!” I say as he spins me around with him.
Stopping the spinning motion and leaving me a bit on the dizzy side, he says, “First thing in the morning, we’ll go scout out places to either build the place or find a place that’s already built and we can revamp it. And tonight we can work on a name for the place. You need to stay here so we can do that.”
“I really should go to the house. The kids need to get settled in. I stopped by there and your staff has it looking ten times better than it had ever looked. They really know how to clean. And the bunk beds in my old bedroom are appreciated. The kids will love that since they have to share.”
He looks at me with a determination I’ve yet to see in him then he sighs. “Okay, let me come too.”
“To the new house?” I ask. “What will the kids think? I mean, you’d have to sleep with me and what would they think? Oh, no. You can’t do that.”
He pulls me in tight and rocks us back and forth as he presses his forehead to mine. “You and I and those kids have slept in the same bed for the last two nights. So what’s the big deal if I share your bed?”
“I don’t know. Damn, Jude! You just don’t understand. I feel like I have to keep a stable situation for those two. Right now, they think you’re my very good friend. We don’t kiss or touch too much in front of them. They’ll know there’s more between us if you’re spending the nights with me in my bedroom,” I say as he starts kissing my neck, making my knees go weak.
“They’ll handle the news we’re a couple just fine. Give the kids some credit. I’m positive they’ll be fine with us in that way. They already love me. Mia told me while ago, I was her cute boyfriend and that she loved me so much.”
“Great, see? She thinks you’re available. She’ll be devastated when she sees you and I as a couple. This is never going to work. I should just let you go.”
His arms squeeze me tight. “I never want to hear those words come out of your mouth again. Not ever! You can’t just let me go because I will never let you do that. I can be very determined when I set my mind on something and my mind is set on you, girl.”
“Your Jag is going to look stupid in that driveway,” I say as I know he’s going to get his way. “You know that, right?”
He laughs and kisses me. My arms wrap around him and I run one through his hair as his tongue moves around mine and his hips grind against mine. He’s going to come home with me, to my old house and he’s probably going to try to stay every single night with me.
And I shouldn’t let him. I should put my foot down and tell him, no. I know it’s not a word the man hears much but I know I should do just that. But his mouth is making me wet and making my stomach tighten. His hands move down my back and he cups my ass in them.
When he pulls his mouth from mine, we’re both breathing hard. “I win,” he says with a chuckle.
“Well, now you’ve gone and messed up, Jude. I can’t let you win,” I say with a giggle as he runs his hands up my sides.
“I won! Admit it!” His fingers move over my waist as he begins to tickle me and I giggle some more.
“I’ll never admit that! You didn’t win, I just changed my mind is all!”
His laughter along with mine has the kids seeking us out and I hear little screeches of laughter peeling through the air as they run into the dining room. Carter grabs my leg and looks up at me. “What’s so funny in here?”
Mia is tugging at Jude’s pants leg and holding up her chubby little arms. He lets me go to pick her up and kisses her cheek. “There’s my girl.”
She puts her little hands on both of his cheeks and kisses him on the tip of his nose. “My cute boyfriend.”
Jude cuts his eyes at me then cocks his head to the side and says, “You know I love you, Mia. But your Aunt Mercy is my girlfriend. You can accept that, right?”
Mia’s little eyes go wide as she looks at me. “Your cute boyfriend, Aunt Mercy?”
I nod, hesitantly. “Are you okay with that?”
She shrugs her little shoulders. “Sure. As long as he’s one of our cute boyfriends.”
Carter claps his hands and jumps up and down. “We have an uncle now!”
Jude and I lock eyes. And now there is nothing I can do to stop this from rolling forward. The kids are over the moon about him and he’s a part of us now, no matter what I say.
How can I be letting myself get so completely tangled up with this man so damn quickly?
Jude
The house is tiny and not anything I’ve ever stayed in before. But I want to be with Mercy so I’m trying to make myself comfortable here in these surroundings. It’s been a while since anyone has lived here and I swear it feels like it’s been abandoned and shadows seem to ebb and flow throughout the small house.
The kids have to share a bedroom so I had a set of bunk beds brought in and the old double bed that had been Mercy’s before her family was killed was taken out and given to the local thrift shop.
I also had new bedroom furniture put in the bedroom that had been her parents. I tried hard to erase some of the things that might trigger bad or sad feelings in her.
Mercy comes out of the bathroom with Mia wrapped in a towel and sighs as she walks toward the bedroom that was hers up until that terrible night when the accident left her with a couple of huge responsibilities. Responsibilities she’s taken great care of but it’s taken a toll on her. Anyone can see that.
Getting up off the couch, I call out to her, “I’ll start the water for Carter now.”
“Thanks,” she shouts back at me. “This one bathroom thing is a real pain in the badonkey-donk.”
I laugh with her colorful use of language. “Watch your mouth, young lady!”
She laughs and I hear Mia giggle too. “He told you to watch your mouth, Aunt Mercy. Unckie Jude is too funny!”
“Yes, he’s a real riot,” Mercy says.
After I get the tub ready, I go try to pry Carter away from the television and the cartoon he’s been watching. “Bath’s ready, Carter.”
“Okay,” he says without taking his eyes off the television screen. “I’ll go in a minute.”
“Well, the water’s warm right now. It’ll get cold if you wait. You should also hurry because the bubbles I put in it will all be gone if you wait,” I tell him in an attempt to entice him into the bath he desperately needs. The kid has played hard all day and he smells like pure little kid funk.
The bubbles worked I see as he jumps up and sprints toward the small bathroom. “Bubbles! Yes!”
His clothes are hitting the floor as he goes and his little butt is bare just before he gets inside the bathroom. I laugh and go along behind him, picking them up and putting them in the hamper. “Holler when you’re ready to get out and I’ll help you, buddy.”
He splashes into the bubble filled tub and smiles like a kid on Christmas morning. “Okay.”
Closing the door half-way, I make my way to see how Mercy’s coming along with Mia. I find Mia dressed in some cute little Hello Kitty pajama set and Mercy combing out her wet hair and putting it into a braid as they talk. Leaning on the doorframe and watching them without either realizing I’m there, I listen to their conversation.
“He’s so nice, right, Aunt Mercy?” Mia asks as she plays with a little Barbie doll I let her pick out before we came here. I let both kids pick out a toy to start their new toy collection here.
“Yes, he is,” Mercy agrees, making me smile.
“And he’s so cute,” Mia says.
Mercy makes a long sigh. “Yes, he is.”
“And he’d be a good daddy,” Mia says.
Mercy nods but doesn’t say anything. So I clear my throat to let them know I’m here and say, “Looks like you have her pretty much squared away, Mercy. I’m going to run over to that little store on the corner up the street and get you and I some adult beverages to enjoy after we put these little cherubs in bed. Do you want anything else? Some beef jerky or anything like that?”
“How about a bag of those hot pork rinds and get that low carb beer. I need to get my figure in check if I’m going to be the owner of a fitness club.” She looks at me and gives me a wink.
“Oh, I’ll get you into shape. We can start your workout tonight,” I say and give her a wink. “I have all kinds of great ideas.”
She blushes and looks away. “I bet you do.”
Stopping off at the bathroom to see how Carter is getting along, I ask, “You good for ten minutes, buddy. I’m running to the store?”
“I’m doing good. I’m going to be in here for a while, playing with these bubbles. And how about you get me a nice ice cream?” he asks me.
“Not before bed, but nice try, Carter,” I say with a chuckle and head out.
“Aw, man,” he says as I make my way out the front door.
The houses in this neighborhood are all older, wood frame homes and Mercy was right, my Jag looks out of place here. Night has fallen since we got here and the place takes on a whole new look.
I can see quite a few people sitting outside of their homes. The sound of music creeps around in the warm night air. I can hear some man cussing out someone then a screen door slams and a car starts up and peels away.
I slip into my car and notice a few men walking up the street. I pull out of the driveway and head toward the little corner store. As I pull into the parking lot, all eyes are on me and my car.
“You’re in the wrong part of town, mister,” some skinny, meth-head looking young guy says.
I nod and walk away, pressing the lock button on my key-fob. As I get to the entrance, I notice a young woman wearing the shortest blue jean cutoffs I’ve ever seen and a black bra. That’s it, nothing else, not even shoes.
Her dirty blonde hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail and she looks stoned. “You need a date, mister?” she asks as I make sure not to touch her as I go inside and shake my head as my answer.
This is not a place for Mercy and the kids to be living. I have to change this up and quickly.
Around ten people are milling around the store that’s too small for that many people to be hanging out. But they’re doing it anyway. I grab the beer and the pork rinds and make my way to the cashier who is a man behind a bulletproof glass window. “You want lottery tickets?” he asks me as he rings up my purchases with a handheld scanner he holds outside of a hole only big enough for his hand and the scanner to pass through.
“No, thank you,” I answer him as I notice I’m the center of attention.
“You’re not from around here,” he says. “You don’t belong on this side of town. Are you looking for a prostitute? I know of three right here, right now. I can get you laid if that’s why you’re here.”
“Oh, no thanks,” I say as I grab up my things and head out.
Wow, that is a man who wears many hats. Cashier and pimp!
Two scraggly looking teens are leaning on my car and I’m pissed off immediately but I’m not about to lose my temper here. “Hey, kids. Gotta go. Mind getting off my car? I don’t want to hurt you when I pull out.”
“Fuck off,” one of them says with a snarl.
I unlock only the driver door and get inside the car. As I pull away, one of the kids falls and starts cussing and shooting the finger at me as I drive off.
Nope, we are not staying the night here!
The neighborhood looks run down during the day but at night it looks like a third-world country. This is not a place for anyone with kids. So now I know I have to bait a trap for Mercy. I have to get her to agree to let me get us a place while the other house is repaired.
When I get to the driveway, I park all the way at the back of it so I can see the car out of the kitchen window. I go inside the door there and make sure to leave the porch light on.
Leaving the things on the kitchen table, I go find Mercy reading a book to Mia and Carter is still in the bathtub. I stop by the bathroom and say, “Hey, Carter, time to get out and get in those pajamas.”
“Aw,” he says. But I hear him pull the plug and the water going down the drain.
“Thanks, buddy.” I take a towel out of the cabinet and toss it on the vanity. “You got this from here.”
“Yep,” he says so I leave him in the bathroom and go into the living room to try to talk Mercy into letting me take us all to a nice hotel.
“So, what was life like here a couple of years ago, Mercy?” I ask her as I take a seat next to her on the couch.
“Quiet,” she says as she closes the book she’s finished reading to Mia. Mia takes the book and heads off to the pile of them to get another one.
“Well, it’s not quiet anymore. It’s pretty rough and not at all safe. So, let’s get the kids and let’s go to a hotel room. Tomorrow I can find us a nice place to rent while the other house is getting fixed back up.”
She laughs at me and says, “You’re just spoiled, Jude. This is an old neighborhood. Most of the people are old and the streets shut down as soon as it gets dark.”
“No, they don’t. Not anymore. Come here,” I say as I get up and take her out on the front porch, leaving the porch light off.
The eerie sounds of people arguing, televisions up loud, radios on, and dogs barking meet us. The squeaks from some bicycles come from the left and we look to see about seven young men riding them down the middle of the street and one of them throws a bottle right in the driveway. “Fuck you, motherfuckers!” one of them yells as they pass us.
“See,” I tell her. “It’s changed.”
She looks at me with a frown. “Jude, I can’t keep moving the kids from place to place. I can’t.”
“We can’t keep them here, baby.”
She nods and runs her arms around me. “My world is a mess. I hate this.”
Running my hands over her back, I say, “I know. Let me take care of things. Everything will be alright.”
Her arms tighten around me then she lets me go and turns away from me. “I can’t continue to let you fix everything.”
What the hell does that mean?
Mercy
“How can one tornado mess up my life so badly?” I ask myself.
Jude is standing next to me and I suppose he’s taking offense at my words. “Messed up? Mercy, I’m here with you. You’re not alone in this at all. And I can fix it all.”
Sitting on the cement stair of the small front porch, I feel like crying. The house Mom, Dad, and I shared is no longer the home I knew. The neighborhood has gone to shit, just like my life has.
Jude doesn’t understand me and that’s hard to take. He sits next to me and sighs. “Talk to me, baby.”
“You wouldn’t understand. No one can,” I say as I look up at the black sky. “You can’t even see the stars here.”
He puts his arm around me. “Talk to me anyway.”
“I managed to pull my ass out of shock and get a job within a month of my family’s departure from this world. I had to gain access to all of their bank accounts, not an easy thing to do. I had to call the insurance agencies that I had to dig through tons of files and paperwork to find in the first place. And I managed to get it all taken care of in a month’s time.”
“And, if you were all alone, you could manage it again,” he says. “But you don’t have to. I love you and I’m here now.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and whisper, “But what about if one day, you’re not?”
“Mercy, no one knows the future.” He kisses my cheek. “I’m not going anywhere, though. And the future I’m building with you will always be yours, no matter what.”
I look at him and have to wonder if this is all true. If this is real and if he was sent to us.
“No matter what, I’ll be a full partner in that business?” I ask. “Even if you and I don’t work out?”
He nods. “I’m going to make it legal. I can’t pull it away from you, no matter what.”
It’s not sinking in. Maybe because at this time, the new business is in the talking stages. There is nothing concrete to make it seem real yet. And maybe it will never get passed this stage and I will have wasted precious time.
“Jude, I’m having a hard time with everything. All of it. You, the new job.”
“Not a job, Mercy,” he says as he shakes his head. “Opportunity.”
“Okay, the new opportunity, you, the fancy houses, expensive cars, all of it,” I say then lean my head on his shoulder. “All of it. It doesn’t feel real. And now that I’ve lost all I’ve worked for, I feel lost. I don’t have the luxury of feeling lost. I have to stay strong for those kids.”
“And you are doing that.” He takes my chin and makes me look at him. “Mercy, you are an extremely strong woman. I don’t want to take that away from you. I merely want to be a part of your life. A person you can count on. Everyone should have that, shouldn’t they?”
“I’m beginning to feel like a burden. Two kids and myself, that’s a lot to ask anyone to take on. When you add in that I’m pretty much homeless right now and jobless, well, it really makes me feel like a freaking loser. You can do better and you know it.”
“No, I cannot,” he says then his soft lips touch mine. “You are the best, I can do no better than you. I don’t feel like you or the kids are burdens at all. I feel like you all are enhancements. I had no goals, Mercy, until I found you. Do you have any idea how boring it is to live a life with no goals or aspirations?”
“No,” I say. “I’ve always had them.”
“So, can’t you see how you and those kids are helping me too. You all are helping me to be more human, more present, more of everything. I need you guys just as much as you need me right now. So let it all go for a while. Take it easy and let me handle things. I’ll get us set up in a nice home and things will start falling into place. Just you watch.”
Gazing into his eyes, I want desperately to let him take care of me. Take care of all of us. But I know that’s not his job to do.
A little voice comes from behind us. “I’m sleepy,” Mia says through the screen door.
Jude looks at me and whispers, “Can you let me take over for a while?”
I nod and lay my head on his shoulder. “Take over, Jude. I’m giving in for now, anyway. I’m too weak to do anymore, anyway.”
He looks back at Mia and now Carter as he’s joined her at the door. “Go grab your toys and books and put them in your backpacks. We’re going to a nice hotel to spend the night and tomorrow we’re moving into a nice home because you all deserve that.”
I jump as the kids starts screaming, “Yes!”
Carter starts running off with Mia right on his heels as he shouts, “This place is scary, anyway!”
Jude gets up and pulls me up with him. “Thank you, Jude. I hope one day I can repay all this kindness you’re showing us.”
“Don’t even think about it, Mercy.”
As we go inside to pack up once again, I’m left with an odd feeling. I’ve given up. I’ve given it all to him to take care of but the weight is still there. Nothing feels awesome like I thought it would.
Why is that?
Jude
It took a whopping two days for my mother to track down one of her friends who has a house in Preston Hollow, a posh Dallas neighborhood full of mansions and much more like home to me. The owners actually live in Italy and the house is more of a tax write-off for them than a home they use.
Mercy and the kids love it with the tennis court, swimming pool and tons of spacious rooms. The first thing Mercy did was make a map of the house to help us get acclimated to our new surroundings.
The house had a skeleton staff but a full one was easily brought in to keep things running smoothly here. Mercy and I are lounging by the swimming pool while the kids are getting swimming lessons and I’ve never felt more calm and complete than I do right now.
Mercy’s on her notebook, looking at properties to build the fitness center on and holds it up. “Look at this place. It was an indoor shooting range. The owners closed it up three years ago and it looks spacious enough and in good condition. We could have it up and running in no time, Jude.”
She hands me the little thing and I look at the pictures. “I think you’re right. Would you like to call about it and set up an appointment?”
“I would,” she says with a broad smile. “Jude, this could be it!”
I smile back and say, “It could. Call that number, girl!”
She hops up and runs into the house to make the call and I watch her go, wiggling with excitement. Then a thought hits me and I ask the two women who are teaching the kids to swim, “How much longer will the lessons last?”
“An hour, sir,” one of them answers me.
“Cool. I’ll be back by then. Be good kids,” I say as I get up and go inside.
Mercy is just getting off the phone when I come in and her eyes are bright and so is her smile. “How about five this evening?”
“Great,” I say and pick her up. “And we have a free hour, so how about you and I spend a little alone time in our bedroom?”
Her arms go around my neck as her legs go around my waist and she kisses my neck all the way to our room. Kicking the door shut behind us. I take her to the bed and toss her onto it. “Strip.”
She nods and starts taking off the shirt and shorts she’d put on for the day. I have to get her and the kids some more appropriate clothing. I guess I could look at all of the sizes of their clothes and have a personal shopper get them because I know Mercy won’t ever let me take them shopping.
Her body is quivering with excitement as she lies on the bed and watches me undress. “Happy?” I ask her.
She nods. “Very. And you?”
“Very,” I say then drop the last of my clothes on the floor and pounce on her.
Her giggle makes my heart swell and I stroke her hair as I look down at her. “You’re really beautiful.”
She smiles and takes my face in her hands and pulls me to kiss her. I run my hand over her taut stomach then up to cup one of her breasts. The nipple gets hard right away. I give it a squeeze and she gives me a moan.
Her hands move over my cheeks and up into my hair where she completely messes it up as she runs her hands all through it. Then they roam over my back, all the way down until she has my ass in her hands and holds it with a tight grip.
I move my body in between her long legs and she arches up to meet me as I make my first thrust into her. We both moan with the sensation. Daytime sex is one of the best times to have it.
The pale peach curtains filter the afternoon sun, making her body shimmer with an iridescent glow. Her deep blue eyes are full of want for me as I look into them. “I love you, Mercy.”
She smiles as I make slow strokes and runs her hand over my cheek. “I love you, Jude.”
As I make love to her I can feel it building. Every time, the love for her builds up a little more. I find looking at her while I’m inside of her the most intense thing I’ve ever done.
I pull her long blonde hair out from under her head and let it splay out over the white pillowcase. The sun makes golden streaks in it and I whisper as I kiss her ear, “I want you.”
Her nails rake across my back as her knees go up higher. “You have me.”
One of her heels moves to the small of my back and she uses the leverage to move her body up to mine with each stroke I make. I kiss along her neck to the other side and nip her earlobe, making her purr. “I need you.”
She moans, “You have me.”
Raising my upper body, a bit, I look at her again and find her looking back at me with love in her eyes. “Tell me you’ll be mine forever.”
She smiles and my heart skips a beat. “I will be yours forever.”
I smile back and lean back down so I can feel all of her underneath me. Her body molds to mine as we both work our bodies to find the pleasure that lies within us both. Our hearts pound against the others.
Moving faster, a thin layer of moisture springs up between us, making our bodies glide along the others. Her moans grow into a continuous sound and I find my cock being squeezed by her canal.
Her breathing gets harder and it sends me into a frenzy to join her in the moment. I move faster and harder until I feel it welling up inside of me. I wait for her to completely climax then I let myself go and we both make horrible groans that fill me with joy.
She and I are something together. She’s made me so much more than I ever was before her and I’ll never be the same since she came into my life. I know it’s getting close to the time to ask her to really be mine forever, in name.
Laying still on top of her as our bodies slow their movements, I lean up on one arm and ask, “Isn’t life so much sweeter with someone to share it with?”
She nods. “It is so much sweeter sharing it with you.”
I run my hand over her shining forehead. “I made you sweat and your heart rate increase for ten minutes. That’s considered cardio. So we got that in today.”
“So you can go easy on me when you work me out later?” she asks with a smile.
“No way,” I say as I tweak her nose. “Tonight, I plan on really revving you up. So make sure you eat a lot of protein at dinner tonight. I think after our meeting with the real estate agent, you and I should go out for a little dinner at a very expensive restaurant in town. You know, to celebrate the first step of our venture together.”
She sighs and I see a little bit of inner conflict then she says, “I think that would be very nice. I also want to run this by you. The kids really like their babysitter, Becky. So how about if I send the car for her and have her stay here for the night to take care of them so I can focus on taking care of you? All night long.”
“Oh, baby, now you’re getting it. That’s exactly what I want. You take care of me, I take care of you. It makes for one happy family.”
Finally, we’re on the same page!
Mercy
For the first time in my life, everything is falling into place. I’ve found the perfect man and he’s brought so much more to my life than I knew was possible.
The place we looked at is perfect to turn into a fitness center and dinner was perfect too. Now we’re going back into our bedroom and I’m feeling like I’m drifting on a cloud or something. Life feels surreal to me right now.
Coming home after eating at a five-star restaurant with a gorgeous man, to a mansion in one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in this town is not a thing I saw in my future. And now I can look forward to plenty of days of living like this.
As we get into our bedroom, I find the staff has placed a bottle of red wine on the small table in our room and a couple of glasses to drink it out of. “The way the people who take care of this house do things is remarkable,” I say as I drop my purse on the chair near the bed.
Slipping off my high heels, I take a seat on the bed as Jude pours us some wine. The day was eventful yet I feel so relaxed. Jude hands me a glass and taps his to mine. “To the start of a great thing.”
I nod in agreement. “To new beginnings.”
He nods and we drink then he takes the glass out of my hand and sets them both down on the nightstand. He pushes me back gently and pulls my panties off, leaving my dress on.
His smile is crooked as he turns me over on my stomach and pulls me back to get on my hands and knees. Pushing my dress up to uncover my bare ass, he moves his hands over it, caressing it with slow movements that have my entire body tingling.
Warm, moist lips touch one cheek as one of his hands move around me to take my clit between his thumb and forefinger. With a gentle rolling motion, he sends a heat through me that has me gasping, “Jude!”
“Shh,” he shushes me.
I get quiet as he moves his fingers over me with deft precision. My body is aching to feel him but I can see he plans on toying with me for a while. I finally feel completely at ease having sex with him now that I took two tests. One pregnancy test that came back negative and one test to see if I was ovulating and I am not. So pregnancy is a non-issue at this time and I can feel free to experience sex with him without worry.
Next week, I’m going to get on the pill or some kind of real birth control but for now, I don’t have to do a thing but enjoy what he does to me.
And I am enjoying it, immensely!
His fingers are doing some major good on me and my body is shaking as the wave rises up inside of me. Two of his fingers find their way inside of me just as the wave crashes and he moans as his fingers come back wet and he runs them over my folds as he draws them back.
I hear his pants unzip then feel his cock pressing against me as he pulls me back by my waist. He thrusts in hard and makes a few strokes as he groans, “God, you feel amazing.”
Falling to my elbows to allow him to go in deeper, he groans again and moves into me harder. Our bodies slamming, fills the room along with his grunts and my little moans as he’s taking my body to Heaven.
He goes on and on, making my orgasm continue. My legs are shaking and my body is going crazy then he’s leaning over me and biting my back, sending me way over the edge and I scream with a new wave of complete pleasure, “Jude!”
A low grunt comes from him and heat fills me. Then he pulls out and tosses me onto my back. Stripping his clothes off quickly, I start to sit up and pull my dress off but he says with a stern tone, “No.”
I lay back and wait to see what he wants. Once he’s undressed, he picks me up and walks back to sit on a chair and makes me straddle him as he slides his still hard dick into me. My dress falls over us, covering us as he holds me by the waist, lifting me to move up and down his long length.
Our breaths mingle in the air between us as we both huff and puff. He stops for a moment, leaving me still on him as he unbuttons the top buttons of my dress and reaches in and pulls both of my breasts out of my bra. He smiles as he looks at them and puts his hands back on my waist and begins lifting me up and down again.
“Better?” I ask with a smile.
He nods and watches them bounce up and down with my movements. I run my arms around him and make sure one of my breasts gets to his mouth where he eagerly pulls it in and sucks it hard and wanting.
It takes my breath away as he pulls on it hard and sends a sensation to a place deep inside of me. I’m panting like a puppy who’s just run a mile as he goes stiff inside of me and bites down on my boob as he comes again and it makes my body quiver with another orgasm.
Just as I think that’s it, he gets up and carries me to the bed. We’re both short of breath and he cocks his head to one side. “Strip.”
I hurry to do that and find him climbing onto the bed and his dick is still miraculously hard. “More?” I ask with surprise.
“More,” he says as he takes my dress and tosses it away then my bra too.
His hand runs along the back of my left leg, pulling it up until my knee is beside my head. He pushes himself into me again and starts pumping away. I cannot believe his stamina.
But with all those muscles, I can definitely see how he can keep on going like he is. Now if I can stay up with him remains to be seen.
But a girl can try!
Jude
Mercy took the kids and went on a shopping spree with one of my credit cards but she told me I couldn’t go because it would make her too apprehensive with me there. So I’m taking the day to hang out with my younger brothers.
A little bar-b-queuing at the mansion Mercy and I are renting and some poolside brotherly fun are filling up this sunny Sunday afternoon. “She’s the one,” I shout as I do a backflip off the diving board.
When I come up, I see Zeek and Ram and they’re staring at me with their mouths hanging open. Zeek’s the first to say, “Are you okay, bro? We thought we heard you say something a little insane, even for you.”
“What?” I ask as I haul myself up out of the water to sit on the side of the pool. You mean about Mercy being the one?”
They nod and look at me with confusion riddled faces. Then Ram says, “You barely know her, Jude. You can’t know if she’s the one yet.”
“But I do know it. And she’s by far the best trophy I’ve ever brought home.” I get up and go sit on one of the chairs after grabbing a beer out of the ice chest Zeek brought that’s full of it. The guys join me, getting beers for themselves and taking seats on either side of me.
We all lie back and take drinks of the cold beers and let out simultaneous sighs. “What do you mean by trophy, Jude?” Ram asks.
“I mean, I put my sights on the woman, hunted her down, using my tried and true techniques and brought home the trophy. She didn’t stand a chance really. Not once I decided she was my prey. Once I’ve made my quarry, there’s really no getting away from me. I did have to use nearly every trap in the book, but I have her where I want her now.”
Zeek holds out his beer as he gestures to the house. “Setting her up in this place was a true piece of genius, I have to say. When you want to bring that prey in, setting up an attractive trap is the perfect answer.”
Ram laughs then says, “And acting like you accept their pack is pretty smart too. The way to a woman’s heart is through her kids, they say. Smart move on making the kids your best friends, bro.”
We all clank our glass bottles together and I say, “To the capture of a beautiful woman who will fill my bed every night and become the perfect trophy to mount in my home.”
Ram cracks up and says through his laughter-ridden words, “And mount her you will!”
We all laugh and clank our bottles together again as I say, “That I will, over and over again!”
Mercy
My heart has stopped.
I came to the back door to let Jude know I was back from shopping. I had Becky take the kids up to their rooms to help them put away the clothes. When I got to the room just off the patio I could hear them all talking.
The beer has them boisterous and loud. I heard Jude say he’d hunted me. I heard him say he used the kids to get to me. I heard it all and I can’t believe it.
Spinning on my heel, I hurry upstairs to stop the kids from putting all those clothes away. We won’t be keeping them!
My body’s shaking as I run up the stairs. As I get to the room that Carter is staying in, I see Becky and the kids are in there. “Hey, guys. Come on, we need to go. I forgot something.”
I try to steady my words but my face has to be flushed as it’s hot and I know I have to be exhibiting some signs of being upset. Because I can’t recall feeling exactly this way before. Not even with the death of my family.
I suppose I feel betrayed, or used, or something. I’m not sure. I just know I feel terrible and it has encompassed my entire body as I fly back down the stairs. At least I have my own car. I picked up the Suburban the other day so I can take it and get the hell out of here.
Everything we have here was given to us by Jude as traps to bring us in and make us his or some shit. I have no idea why he’d do such a thing.
And the worst thing of all is he used the kids to get to me!
How could he be so evil and deceitful? How could I have let my guard down?
His handsomeness, the killer body, that southern charm, his tons of money. It’s all too much. And I fell for him, hook, line, and sinker!
I grab up Mia and put her in her car seat as Becky puts Carter in his. “Hurry, Becky. We have to hurry,” I tell her.
She gives me an odd look but does as I’ve said. “Is everything okay?” she asks.
“Sure,” I say. “No problems. I just have to get somewhere. I forgot about. We made this plan last night. I just forgot. No big deal. No big deal at all.”
“Where are we going, Aunt Mercy?” Carter asks as I slide into the driver’s seat and start the car up.
“To our house where I used to live. We’re going to stay there. Jude’s got things he needs to do.”
I pull away from the house and just as I do, I see Jude open the front door and make a, ‘what’s up’ gesture.
I roll the window down and shoot the finger at him and keep driving. My phone rings and I see it’s him. I do want him to know so I answer the phone. “I heard every word you said. Your prey? Your quarry? I can’t believe you, Jude Hurst!” I end the call and look in my rearview mirror at the man I will never see again.
Not ever!
Reckless Pursuits Part 8
Jude
“I heard every word you said. Your prey? Your quarry? I can’t believe you, Jude Hurst!”
“What?” I ask. But she just drives away as she ends the call like that’s it for us.
Hell, no!
I call her back but she sends me straight to voicemail. So I take off, heading for the garage to get my car and follow the crazy woman. I don’t know why she’d take offense at anything I said.
Grabbing the keys off their place on the wall, I get into my Jag and haul ass after her. She doesn’t have but one place to go. The house she shared with her parents is it for her right now.
If she thinks I’m going to let her go just like that over some stupid words, she’s crazy!
My tires spin out as I put the car in reverse to leave the garage. Then I throw it in drive and peel out after her. She’s out of sight but I can easily catch up to her. As I get to the end of the long private road I still don’t see her but the black marks from her tires show me she went toward town.
So I go that way and step all the way on the gas pedal. Pushing the button on the steering wheel, I try to call her again. But she ignores the call.
I can’t believe her!
What was so bad about what I said? How could she just run off instead of talking to me like an adult? How can I get her to see reason?
The sun’s low in the sky and glaring into the windshield and I left my sunglasses by the pool. So I’m having to squint to see out and finally I catch the back of her black Suburban.
I have the pedal to the floor already so I can’t go any faster but she’s got to be doing the same thing as she’s staying a constant distance away from me. I try to call her again and she answers this time. “Go back home, Jude! I see you back there. Leave us alone!”
Before I can say a word, she’s ended the call. She’s nuts if she thinks I’m just going to turn around and go back home.
I didn’t do anything wrong!
If anyone did do something wrong, it was her. She shouldn’t be driving that fast with the kids in the car, anyway. So I pick up my phone and knowing she won’t let me talk, I text her.
-Slow down! The kids!-
Her brake lights let me know she’s seen the text and is, at the very least, going to slow down. She has to stop at an intersection anyway and now I can catch up to her.
Just as I get close enough to stop and get out and get to her, she takes off across the intersection. I floor it to follow her and hear the sound of a loud horn. Pressing the gas to get out of the way of the truck I didn’t see, I make it across just in time.
My heart is pounding and I see her brake lights come on again and she’s pulling to the side of the road. Then I hear another horn, this one is louder and makes a deeper noise.
Oh shit!
Mercy
“Jesus!” I scream as I see it all through the rearview mirror. “God! No!”
I slam on the brakes to come to a full stop and throw the car in park and get out of the car, running as fast as I can. I can’t think as I run toward him.
The car is upside down on the other side of the road. The truck that hit him is jackknifed, blocking the traffic and the driver is coming out of it. “Damn, that car came out of nowhere!”
Just as I make it to Jude’s car, I can hear the hiss of hot metal being sprayed with liquid. “Do you smell gas?” I ask.
The truck driver stops and grabs me, holding me tight and dragging me back away from Jude’s car. “Stay back here. It is gas. Any little spark could set it off. So do you know who’s in the car?”
“Yes, it’s Jude Hurst. You have to help me. I have to get him out of there,” I say as I struggle to get away from him. “This is all my fault.”
The sound of sirens starts to filter into my brain as the man continues to hold me tightly. “No, mam. I can’t let you do that. Let the pros do what they do best. They’ll get him out of there. You wait back here.”
“Jude! Can you hear me?” I scream.
There’s nothing moving in the car that I can see. The top is crushed against the ground. The car is still running and I think his foot is on the gas as it’s revved way up.
“Please let me go,” I say as I start to cry. “I have to get him out.”
The first police cars pull up on the access road and four officers get out and come running toward us. “Get back. We’ll handle this,” one of them barks.
“The man in the car is Jude Hurst. I’m his girlfriend,” I shout. “I have to see him.”
Another officer comes up behind me and I feel him take me away from the truck driver. “I’ll take her from here,” he says.
I look at the young cop and beg, “Please, let me see him. Please, don’t make me leave.”
“Calm down, ma’am,” he says with a commanding tone that’s doing nothing to calm me down at all.
Then I hear it. The sound of fire. It’s a quiet swishing sound then I see the yellow and orange flames as they crawl all over the car. “No!” I scream. “Get him out now! Now!”
A fire truck and an ambulance pull up and several of the firemen get out of the truck and run toward us with fire extinguishers. As they run past us, one of them looks at the officer holding me. “Get her out of here! This thing could blow!”
As he pulls me back, I try hard to stay where I am. I’m already too far away from Jude. I can’t just leave him. Not after all he’s done for me. I can’t just leave him.
But the man lifts me up and takes me back toward his car. “I’m going to put you safely in the back seat of my patrol car, mam.”
“No!” I shout. “My car is right there. Please, let me go to that. My kids are in it!”
Just as he turns to take me to my car, a loud sound makes my body shake. I can feel heat and I can hear the crunching and ripping sound of metal as I look back and see Jude’s car has blown up and the explosion has thrown the car into the air.
It comes crashing down, right side up, with flames everywhere. “Jude!”
Mercy
The seconds go by like hours as they fight to extinguish the flames. The police officer lets me go, to help the others. I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to see Becky. “The kids need you, Mercy.”
I nod and look back as the flames engulf Jude and his car. Then I fall to my knees and cry and look up and beg, “Lord, please don’t take him! Please! I will do anything! Don’t take him!”
Hands on my shoulders have me coming back to myself as Becky tries to pick me up. “Look, the flames are out.”
I let her pull me up and hang onto her for support. “Please, Lord. Please don’t take him away for us.”
The paramedics hurry to bring a stretcher as the driver’s side door falls off the car with a loud squeaking groan of melting metal. I see one arm fall out of the side. It’s limp but there’s no blood on it.
I can’t breathe as the people in different uniforms surround the car and then I see a bunch of movement and the paramedics have him and are hurrying toward the ambulance.
I bolt toward them and an officer tries to intercept me but I dodge him and make it to them. “Is he alive?”
They’re in a mad hurry and Jude looks like he’s asleep. I see no burns or injuries to his head, the only piece of him that’s showing under the blanket they’ve covered him with.
One gives me the briefest glance then says, “He has a pulse and is breathing some. Do you know this man?”
“I do. His name is Jude Hurst. I’ll notify his family. Where are you taking him?” I ask as I breathe in with a bit of relief. He’s not dead!
“Parkland,” he says as they load Jude into the ambulance.
I nod and run back to my car. Becky’s already made it back and the kids are crying incoherently. “It’s okay, kids. It’s okay. He’s alive. Jude’s alive.”
My hands are shaking as I pick up my phone. The only number I have is Rose’s so I call her. “Hey, Mercy, what’s up?” she answers.
“Rose,” I say as I try to steady my voice. “Where are you?”
“Home, why?” she asks.
“Rose, Jude was in an accident. I need you to get the family and head out to Parkland Hospital.” I hold my breath to try to steady my body and stop the shaking.
“Oh God! What happened?” she asks with a hushed voice.
“A semi-truck hit his car. He’s on his way to the hospital now. I can fill you all in on what exactly happened when we all get there.” I find I’m clutching the phone too hard and ease my grip. “Hurry, okay?”
“We will. See you up there, Mercy.”
Looking back at the kids, who’ve calmed down some, I say, “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
Carter nods at me and I look at Becky who’s pale as a ghost. “Let’s get to the hospital. I’m with you, Mercy.”
Placing my hand on her shoulder, I say, “Thank you, Becky. You have no idea how bad I need your help right now.”
She nods and I take a deep breath to try to steady myself. Then I wipe my eyes and put the car in drive. I’ve dealt with things like this before. Just stay calm and deal with things as they happen. That’s all I can do.
Going very slow, I make my way across the median and go up the access road to get to the hospital. I can’t believe what I’ve done. This is all my fault. How can I ever look at Jude in the eyes again after doing this to him?
He’s going to hate me!
He should hate me for what I’ve done. Why did I run away like a dumb ass kid?
“Should I drive, Mercy?” Becky asks me.
I look at the speedometer and see I’m going ten miles an hour. “Yes.”
I stop and get out of the car, passing her as we change seats. She stops and pulls me to her. We hug as she rocks me. “Don’t beat yourself up, Mercy.”
“If I hadn’t run, this wouldn’t have happened,” I say.
She lets me go and looks at me with a frown. “He didn’t have to follow you so recklessly. Don’t blame yourself.”
I lower my head and pull out of her grip. “I have to.”
Getting into the car, I look back and see Mia’s little nose running and dig in the glove compartment for a tissue. I turn around and hold it to her nose. “Blow.”
She does then she says, “Unkie, Jude?”
“He’s going to the hospital. We’ll see him there,” I tell her. Then I look at Carter who is pale and stunned. “It’s going to be okay, Carter.”
“I want to go home,” he says as he looks at me. “I want to go back home, Aunt Mercy.”
“Well, we can’t right now,” I tell him. “We have to go to the hospital.”
Carter starts crying then Mia joins him and I nearly start crying too. Then Becky says, “I tell you what, Carter, Mia, how about we drop Aunt Mercy off at the hospital then I’ll take you kids back to the house?”
Carter nods. “Okay. I just want to be home.”
I nod and pat Becky on the shoulder. “Thank you.”
“Not a problem. I think it’s best to take them to the place they think of as home. The mansion, don’t you?” she asks.
“I do,” I say.
But I wonder if I’ll be welcomed there after the family finds out this is all my fault. I wonder what Jude will do. I wonder if Jude will want me anymore. I wonder if he’s going to be okay.
Becky pulls into the emergency room entrance and I see Jude’s father’s truck is already there. “Do you want us to come in with you or head home?”
I look at the kids who’ve fallen asleep and say, “You head home. I’ll take a cab home later after I know what his condition is.”
She nods and I get out and go to face his family and tell them what I’ve done. I doubt they’ll even want me around once they know this is my doing. I don’t even want to be around myself. I’m a terrible person.
As I walk through the sliding glass doors of the emergency department, I don’t see his family in the full waiting room. So I go to the nurse’s desk. “Jude Hurst was brought in here. Where is his family?”
She points to the right. “In a waiting room down the hallway there. He’s been taken into surgery.”
“Surgery?” I ask as a knot forms in my stomach.
She nods and goes back to doing her paperwork. So I walk down the hallway and know I’ve found them as I hear women crying. I have to stop and lean against the wall to stop myself from falling apart.
The cool, tiled wall helps my overheated body to calm a little. Then I step away from the wall and go to face his family.
Mercy
All eyes are on me as I walk into the little waiting room. They’re all here. Zeek, Ram, Rose, Loretta, and Jim. And it’s Zeek that asks first, “What the hell happened, Mercy?”
I keep standing. I don’t deserve to get to sit down. “I overheard you guys talking out by the pool. I heard it all. The part where Jude said he had hunted me down. Where he said he got to know the kids and get them to like him to get to me. The part where I was his trophy.”
Ram shakes his head. “Okay, but why did you run off? I mean, that stuff isn’t that bad.”
“To me it was. At the time, it was that bad. Now, of course, it seems harmless. I can’t explain to any of you the guilt I feel over this,” I say then put my face in my hands as I can’t hold the tears back any longer.
I feel an arm go around me and pull me close. A wide chest is there and I lean against it as I cry. I can’t stop the sobs from coming. Then I feel more hands on me and I hear his mother’s voice say, “Mercy, you can’t blame yourself. The doctor told us he had a pretty high blood alcohol level. If he’d been sober, he wouldn’t have gone after you like that.”
I shake my head as I know that’s no excuse. “No, this is my fault. I accept the blame. Don’t blame him. If I would’ve stopped when I saw him going to his car, then this wouldn’t have happened. I was childish and now he’s hurt.”
“He’d drink some ten or so beers, Mercy. He knew he’d had too many to drive. He shouldn’t have done that,” Ram says.
I look up and wipe my eyes and can’t believe his family is rallying around me like this. After what I’ve done, they’re finding it in their hearts to look past it. I can’t believe it. And I don’t deserve it.
Jim takes my hand and pulls me out of the family huddle and takes me to sit in a chair. “Let me fill you in on what’s happening with him right now, honey.”
I sit down and he hands me a box of tissue. Taking one, I blow my nose then say, “Okay. Tell me why he’s in surgery.”
“It’s his legs. They were pinned and his pelvis seems to be crushed,” his father says.
I feel another wave of shock flow through me. His pelvis is crushed! “No,” I mumble. “No way.”
His mother sits on the other side of me and takes my hand. “Things could be so much worse. I’m thankful to have him alive. He may not walk again but he’ll be with us. He’s going to need you, honey.”
I nod. “I’ll be there. I’ll never leave him. Unless he sends me away for doing this to him.”
Zeek makes a huffing sound then says, “Don’t let him.”
I nod. “Did they give an idea of how long the surgery will take?” I ask.
His mother shakes her head. “There’s just no way to know that.”
I nod and get up. “I have to call the babysitter and let her know.”
Leaving the room, I make my way to the bathroom because I have to fall apart. I can’t let them see me when I let it all go. I turn into a puddle of a human being and no one should witness that.
I find a small bathroom that I can lock myself into alone without fear of anyone coming in and finding me. Then I call Becky. “How is he?” she answers.
“Well, he has a crushed pelvis and he’s in surgery. His family doesn’t think there is anything life threatening but they have no idea how long the surgery will take. I’m worried because they said he’d had a lot of beer and the bleeding that comes along with alcohol in the system gives me cause for concern. But I’ll keep you informed. How are the kids doing?”
“They’re playing quietly. They’re acting a little off but I’m sure that’s very normal with all that’s going on. I’ll be here. Don’t worry about a thing. How is his family treating you?” she asks.
“Great. They keep telling me it’s not my fault. It is, but they keep saying it’s not. They’re blaming the beer for his decision to chase after me.” I look in the mirror and see the dark circles underneath my eyes from my crying and know I’m about to look like a zombie after I fall apart. That’s how I looked for at least a week after my family was killed.
“That’s good. Mercy, this isn’t your fault. I know you think it was but it’s not. If he’d have been sober.”
I cut her off because I can’t stand that everyone keeps saying that. “I know. Hey, I’ve got to go. I want to get back to the waiting room just in case anyone shows up with a report on his surgery. I’ll call you later, Becky. Thanks again for all your help. Let the staff know what’s going on. They all love him.”
“I will. Call me as soon as you know anything and don’t worry about the kids. I’ll take good care of them for you.”
With the call over. I place the phone in my purse and lean my body against the wall then slowly move down it until I’m sitting on my ass on the floor. This is not an ideal place to have a breakdown but my choices are severely limited.
The emotion rises inside of me then bursts out like a volcanic eruption. I let it all out. The fear, the anxiety, the worry. I let it rise to the surface and feel every horrible little pain in every emotion that’s coming up inside of me.
Just like my therapist said to do. Don’t hold it in. Let it out.
Giving myself permission to be weak for this moment, I wail with sorrow for what I’ve done. I vow to spend every second of my life, making it up to him. I vow to always be there for him and I pray for him.
Pray he makes it out of the operating room. Pray he makes a complete recovery. And pray that he can forgive me for what I’ve done.
I cry and cry until no more tears flow. Until the sobs settle in my chest and my brain is a void of spent emotions.
I can cope for now. I’ve spewed out everything and can cope for a little while.
A knock comes at the door and I hear a woman say, “Mercy, are you in there?”
“Yes,” I say as I struggle to get up off the floor. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Okay, darling. You’ve been in here for over an hour. We’re worried about you,” Jude’s mother says.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you guys worry. I’m going to wash my face then I’ll be there.”
Looking in the mirror I see that same woman I saw in it a little over two years ago when my life changed, drastically. She’s still there, just underneath the surface. I knew she had never left. I knew she was there, waiting for the next tragedy to happen.
Expecting it to happen.
Jude
The sound of beeps and air flowing wakes me up. I try to open my eyes but they feel too heavy. I hear a man say, “He should be coming around soon.”
Another man says, “I don’t want him told until he has his family around him. Make sure of that please, Marcie.”
A woman says, “Yes, sir. I’ll make sure of that.”
I wonder what I need to be told and where the hell I am. It’s really cold. I can feel that.
I try to wiggle my fingers and don’t think I’m doing that. I smell something like rubbing alcohol and I’m reminded of a doctor’s office. But why would I be in one and why would I be unable to move?”
A snapping sound comes from right next to my head then I hear the man who spoke last say, “Poor man. Right at his prime. Such a shame. When will people learn not to drive under the influence of alcohol?”
I did that?
I don’t remember doing that. I don’t think that’s a thing I’d even do. If I’m drinking, I always hire a driver. So why was I drinking and driving?
And why did he call me a poor man?
The lady’s voice asks, “Before you go, doc, have you ever seen a case like his where the patient made a full recovery?”
“It can happen. I know that. I haven’t seen one myself but anything is possible, Marcie.”
“It would be a damn shame if he doesn’t recover. They said he doesn’t have any children yet,” she says.
“What a shame,” the guy near my head says.
Another woman in the room says, “Maybe, but maybe he never wanted kids. You never know.”
I want kids!
What the fuck happened to me?
Mercy
After several hours waiting and praying we all look up as a man in green scrubs comes into the waiting room. “The Hursts?” he asks.
Jim gets up and says, “That’s us. How’s Jude?”
“Um, he’s coming out of the anesthesia. His vitals are good for his condition. It’s going to be a while before he leaves the hospital, though. And when he leaves here, he’ll need to go to rehab for a while before he can go home. It’ll probably take near to a year.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. A year before Jude can come home!
Jim puts his hand on Loretta’s shoulder as he asks, “Will he be able to walk again, doc?”
“I hate to say yes or no. I hate to give false hope but I have to tell you that anything can happen. He’s in fantastic shape. He seems like he must have a determined spirit.”
“You have no idea,” I whisper.
The doctor looks at me and asks, “Are you his girlfriend or something?”
I nod. “I am.”
“Oh, well.” He stops and looks down at the floor and moves his foot over it in a nervous-like way. “I probably am not in the right by saying this but I’m going to say it anyway. He most likely will never be able to have children. There was extensive damage to some of his reproductive organs.”
Several gasps come from around me and one may have escaped myself. “Oh.”
He nods. “So try not to bring anything like kids up with him right now. He’s most likely not going to take the news he can’t walk real well. At his age, most don’t. Adding in the inability to reproduce too might cause him to go into a depression which hinders progress as one can imagine.”
“Okay,” I say and smile. “The most important thing is we still have him.”
He nods. “That you do. His injuries are not life-threatening. So there are multiple blessings and that would be best to point out as this news is given to him. I’ve instructed his charge nurse that his family is to be around him when he’s informed of his condition. I’m about to go into another surgery so my fellow surgeon will be coming into his room after he’s finished in the recovery room.”
“We’ll be brought in then, right?” his mother asks.
The doctor nods. “Yes, before he’s told anything, you will be allowed in. And just remember to keep good spirits. Upbeat attitudes help. But if he needs to cry, let him. Okay, Dad,” he says as he looks at Jim. “I know cowboys don’t cry but when they lose the use of their legs and their private parts, most do.”
I find the words coming out of my mouth before I know what I’m doing, “He can’t have sex at all? Even when the wounds have healed?”
The doctor smiles an embarrassed smile. “We won’t know until that time comes. Sorry, I wish I could tell you more but time will let us know more about what he’ll be able to do.”
Rose asks me, “Mercy, even if he can’t ever have sex again, you’ll stay with him, right?” She looks worried and it makes me feel terrible.
“Of course, I will. I love him,” I say as I look her in the eyes then move them to look at his mother. “Don’t even worry about that.”
Loretta gives me a nod and then Ram says, “He’s going to fucking hate that. Probably worse than not being able to walk. Shit!”
The doctor says, “But you don’t need to act like that’s a big deal. Remember to remind him that he’s alive and well loved by you all. Don’t commiserate with him. That’s never a good thing to do. Let him know there is more to life than those things.”
Ram looks away and puts his hands in his pockets as he bites his lower lip. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Well, I’ll leave you all to talk. Someone will come get you when he’s put into a room. Goodbye,” he says then leaves us to look at one another.
My cheeks are hot with a flush as I think about the talk of him not being able to have sex. He’d really hate that his whole family was just talking about that. I think he’s going to hate so much about his new condition. I think he’s going to hate me.
Zeek goes to the vending machine in the little waiting room and gets himself a coke and takes a long drink. Then his eyes land on me. I know what he’s thinking. He’s thinking the same thing I am. He’s thinking that Jude is going to hate me.
Then Ram just blurts it out, “Jude may not want Mercy around when he finds this out.”
“Hush!” Loretta says, sharply. “You just hush up. What’s wrong with you? Your brother loves this woman. He’s not going to blame her. You’ll see.” Her eyes cut to me. “Don’t you worry. He’ll deal with this just fine. He’s a fighter. If he wants something bad enough, he makes sure he gets it. Don’t you worry at all.”
The sound of the aluminum can as it’s thrown into the trash can has us all looking at Zeke. His eyes are narrowed at me as he says, “You better not leave my brother, Mercy. After all this, you better not leave him.”