Captivate Me (31 page)

My daughter. I swear, some days, I love her, and other days, I want to strangle her.

“I’m telling you it’s safe. I’m telling you there is no danger. You trust in those words,” I tell both my children, and they sit back in their seats and collectively blow out a breath. They haven’t done the unison thing since they were young kids. It makes Ma chuckles. I give her slight squeeze, remembering.

Long seconds pass, and then Princess turns to Cruz. “You cool with this?”

His eyes stay focused on his woman. “Yep.”

She lifts her chin then faces me. “When’s this happy little family reunion going to happen?”

I turn to GT. “You in?”

He reaches his arm over and pulls Angel close to him, kissing her temple. “Yeah.”

“Great. Tomorrow at three.”

“Nothing like some advanced notice,” Princess grumbles, and I smile.

We pull up to my parents’ home, and I instantly see my mother on the porch, a wide smile and tears running down her face. The car barely stops before I jump out and rush to my mother, wrapping her in my arms. It’s almost like she died and now came back to me. The feeling is so monumental I sob.

“Give me some of that,” my father says, but I don’t release my mother. All those times during my marriage, pregnancies, and troubles that I wanted her advice and strength but never could get it come crashing around me. For once in my life, I let it all out, allowing the tears to consume me.

My knees feel weak. Heat arrives at my back as my man’s strong arm goes around my waist. He doesn’t pull me away from my mother, just gives me the stability to stand there and cry everything out. He has known my struggles and hurt. He knows how much this means to me. And since he knows, I love him all the more.

“I hear you’re GT,” my father says, and only then do I pull away from my mother and wipe my face. I draw in what has made me strong all these years and put a cap on all the pain.

“Yep,” my son says. My father holds out his hand, and GT takes it.

“Man of few words?” he asks.

“Don’t know you. Don’t got much to say,” GT retorts, releasing my father. “This is my ol’ lady, Angel.”

Angel steps forward with a smile on her lips and takes my father’s outstretched hand. “Hi,” she says quietly.

“Well, aren’t you a pretty thing?” my father remarks, which makes GT growl.

My father smiles at the reaction.

My mother isn’t quite as curious. No, she goes full bore at GT and wraps him in her arms.

GT’s eyes come to mine, and I lift my chin. Slowly, he puts his arms around her, but he doesn’t fully commit to it. My mother doesn’t care in the least as she lets go of him and looks all the way up at him.

“You are so handsome. That comes from our side of the family.”

GT actually cracks a smirk.

“The hell it does,” Pops announces.

“Youz my gate-pawpaw?” Cooper asks, running up with Princess and Cruz on his heels.

My mother’s eyes fill with tears again as she releases GT and kneels down to the ground right in front of Cooper. “You must be Cooper.”

“Yeps. Dats me,” he says, grinning.

“Well, I’m Nana Helen and that”—she points to my father—“is Pawpaw Richard.”

“Hi,” Cooper says happily. “Dis is my mom.” He looks up at Princess. “And dis is my dad.” He looks over at Cruz.

My mother doesn’t look at either of them. Instead, she pulls Cooper in her arms and gives him a big hug. It doesn’t take long before he does the same.

When she releases him, she says, “I made cookies just for you.”

“Yay!” he screams. “I wants ’em.”

“In a minute,” Cruz’s baritone hits us, and all gazes sweep to Princess and my mother.

It’s funny how my daughter is the spitting image of my mother when she was younger. I hope Mom still has the pictures so I can show my daughter.

“Hey,” Princess says. “Guess you’re my grandma.”

My mother waves her hand. “Helen is fine. I’m not old enough to be a grandma.”

I chuckle. She so is.

“So, you’ve been hiding out all these years? From whom?” Princess asks boldly as my father steps up behind my mother.

“Can’t tell you that. Just know it’s over. Everyone’s dead. That’s all you need to know.”

Princess studies him for a long moment as her brain works. My girl and her thinking.

“Where’s the cookies?” she asks, making my mother chuckle.

“Come, let’s go in,” my mother says, and we pile into the house.

I have the ones I didn’t think I would have again back. It’s the best feeling in the world.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about your brother!” my mother, Kathy, shrieks as I drive her into the clubhouse lot.

I waited on calling her. I shouldn’t have, but in the moment, I thought I was doing the right thing. Guess I misjudged that since my mom is pissed.

“I wanted to give him time to heal,” I tell her.

“Heal? That right there is the word that means
call your mother!
” she yells, getting out of the truck and slamming the door.

I move fast to catch up to her as she stomps toward the clubhouse then stops, her furious eyes coming to me. “And look at you. Are you putting stuff on that burn?”

“Yeah, Mom, I’m fine.”

She turns to move again then stops again. “Where am I going?”

I move up in front of her, grab her shoulders, and wait until her eyes connect with mine.

“Mom, listen. He’s doing better. I get that you’re pissed at me, but you can’t go in there all half-cocked. Breaker doesn’t need that shit. His woman, who’s lying in the same bed with him, recouping, doesn’t need that shit. So check it.”

Her eyes narrow. “Trey Daniel …” she warns, using my real name, and I want to laugh, but I know it will only stir her up more.

“Just chill, alright?”

“There you are,” I hear Bella say as she comes through the clubhouse door. The sun shines off her midnight hair, and her wide smile welcomes my mother. She holds out her hand. “Hi, I’m Bella.”

My mother takes it and then wraps her other hand over Bella’s. “Oh, sweet girl, you make my boy happy. He’s told me.” She looks over at me, and I wink. “You have no fear; Momma Kathy is here.”

I told my mother about Bella’s non-existent mother and her dead father. It broke her heart, but just like I knew she would, she steps right up to the plate, taking on the mom role. That’s the type of woman my mother is.

Bella’s eyes tear up, but she breaths out and sucks it up.

“How are those eyes of yours?” my mother asks.

“Back to normal. Thanks.”

“Breaker’s waiting for you,” I cut in, receiving glares from both the women. It’s a strange thing to see when your mother and your woman give you the look of death.

Bella doesn’t let go of my mother’s hand the entire way to Breaker’s room, and I thank Christ that my family—all my family—is safe.

“Any feeling?” I ask Shaina as I sit in the chair next to the bed, touching her foot.

Tears form in her eyes. “Nothing.”

“But you can move everything else except this foot?”

She lets out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, Breaker.”

“Smartass.”

She turns her face to me, and a small smile plays on her lips. I love that damn smile.

“I’ll work my ass off to get myself moving,” she tells me just as the door to the room opens.

“You decent?” my brother calls in.

“Nope,” I respond, and Shaina gasps.

“Good. I brought Mom,” Buzz says, coming through the door, and my mother darts around him like her ass is on fire.

“Timmy, my boy,” she calls out, coming toward me.

It takes me a moment, but I get myself upright, and she wraps me in her arms. I breathe in the vanilla scent my mother always has on and finally feel complete.

My mother, brother, woman, and our club, all in the same place.

“Trey tells me that you’re healing well, but you need more rest.”

I glare at my brother, who chuckles.

“Look at your face. Are you putting stuff on that?”

“Yes, Mom.” The burn on my face isn’t pretty, but I’m hoping, in time, it’ll heal.

“Now, how are you supposed to …” My mother’s words die off as she looks over at Shaina. “Well, aren’t you a tiny, little thing. Man, my boys sure have great taste in women.” She turns back to me, kisses me on the cheek, and then moves over to the bed where she sits down next to Shaina. “Momma Kathy is here now. I’ll make sure you both get better.”

Shaina begins to cry.

“Buzz told me on the car ride over that your momma is out of the country,” my mom says.

“Yeah. I’ve called her, and we’ve talked. She’s trying to rearrange her plans to come home, but it’s taking longer than she thought.”

My mother turns to me. “See? She calls her mom when she’s almost killed. You should have, too.”

Shaina chuckles. “Technically, I called her a couple days later if that’s any consolation.”

Mom turns back to her. “Not really, but we roll with things around here. I’ll tan their hides later.”

Both Shaina and Bella burst out laughing.

I have to admit, after all the shit that’s gone down, it’s one of the best sounds I have heard.