Norma Jean (16 page)

He dropped to his knees at my words and I honestly feel for the guy. “He’s just like his dad. Our fathers were a lot alike, but Uncle Greg was worse than mine. I’m not really that surprised, though I didn’t see it coming.”

I just nod my head. Both of their dads are scum and deserve the place they went to. Enough said. “What’s going on inside?”

“Marley came in yelling and it scared Macy even more, so I brought her up front so she wouldn’t have to hear any of it. I don’t know, I just hope he’s not dead. He can go to jail for a really long time for taking Macy. He could get life.” I stare him down. Creed may be Dean’s family but Creed seriously fucked with mine and he’s not going to jail. He’s going 6 feet under.

“I figured you wouldn’t want what is about to happen. You know who he pissed off don’t you? Marley would never let him live with this. He’s going to die, and I’m sorry to have to say that to you. You need to learn to live with it.” The look on his face is sad and I hesitate with what I want to happen. Dean doesn’t have much and Creed is a part of that. Though he’s not much.

I’m about to say something else when honking starts coming from down the street. Then a little pink car pulls into the driveway. Mrs. Davis, Norma’s grandmother. “Dean, Chance.” We nod as she walks over to us. “My grandson in that house?” we both nod again. And she walks her little body right into the house.

Mrs. Davis is no one to fuck with. She’s known around town for getting into everyone’s business. The thing about it is, she knows everyone’s business. Everyone’s secrets and dirty laundry and we all learned a long time ago not to doubt she wouldn’t tell. Plus she runs a shooting range and always has a shot gun in her car. I even think she knows martial arts. She’s not that old, yet.

Her graying head sways back towards us and we look up when she begins to speak. “Y’all coming? You’re going to miss all the fun.” And she winks. She is the same height as Norma and I believe her hair was that chestnut color like her daughters and grandchildren before she started graying. Her violet eyes are crazy looking though. Like she can’t think with all those secrets in her head. I wouldn’t doubt it.

“Yes ma’am.” we say at the same time and chase after her.

We find everyone in the kitchen. Mason stands in the background of course watching over everything, taking in every single detail. Creed is tied to a chair and half his face is bruised. Marley stands over him with hate and murder in his eyes. “Marley Davis, you step away from that boy right now.” Mrs. Davis bellows out.

“Grams? What the fuck are you doing here?” Marley questions with total surprise in his voice. I’m not though. The woman knows everything. I’m surprised no one called her to ask who had Macy.

She smacks Marley on the back of the head with her palm. Hard. “Watch your mouth boy. Don’t make me spank your ass in front of all these people.” She glares and Marley backs off of Creed, walking over to stand with Mason.

“Now, Creed Donovan here is what we are going to do.” She pulls up a chair right in front of him and takes a seat. “These boys are going to untie you and you are going to walk out of here. I’m a woman of many means but I still believe in second chances.” She looks over at me and winks. Umm okay. “You will stay away from my grandson and my granddaughter. In fact you will stay away from anyone they care about. If I hear about you in this town or if I hear you messing with someone, I’ll hunt you down boy. And when I kill you no one will know where to find your body. I don’t play around. You’re young and I think you can change. And if you don’t, well I’ll be after you so fast.” She turns to look at Mason and raises her eyebrows. “Well untie him Mr. Hebert.” Which Mason does.

“What the fuck Grams!” Marley exclaims. My thought exactly.

“Watch your fucking mouth Marley. I will not tell you again. Like I said, he gets another chance. Don’t argue with me.”

Chapter 11

Norma

When Paige walked through that door with Macy, I think most of the house breathed a sigh of relief. Now we are left with what to tell everyone. Do we admit who her father is or do we lie? It’s a hard decision to make. Cassie doesn’t want anyone to know, and I really don’t blame her. I wouldn’t want anyone to know that kind of thing.

“Macy! Where have you been? You scared mommy and Mimi to death!” Stacy exclaims the moment she gets her hands on the little girl.

Tears fall out of Macy’s big blue eyes and all I can do is feel guilt. This is all my fault that she is scared. I hope they take care of Creed for causing her so much distress. “This scary man came and took me. He put me in this basement and I cried forever, Mimi. Then Paige found me and let me out. Please don’t make me go with that man again!”

“No one will make you go anywhere with him again, I promise sweetie.” Stacy says as she rubs her back. Then she looks up at Paige. “Who. Was. It.” The steel in her voice has most of us giving her surprised faces.

Paige looks over at me and I shake my head yes. We shouldn’t lie. This is Macy’s life we are talking about. She needs us to protect her and we can’t do that if no one knows the truth. “Creed Donovan.”

Chance’s parents gasp and exchanged shocked faces. “Why in the world would he take her?” I look over at Cassie and the tears are pouring out of her eyes as she gets a hold of Macy.

“I’m going to go take Macy upstairs, Mom. Norma will fill you in. I’m sorry.” She sobs, taking Macy and running up the stairs.

Then all eyes are on me. “Umm…He’s the father.” And don’t I sound like Maury from day time television.

“You have got to be joking right now. There is no way Cassie would do that to her brother.” Stacy states looking through the emotions in my eyes. This part Cassie will have to tell her. I’m not announcing to the entire room how he is the father.

“I’ll let her explain it to you. Not my story.” An officer comes over and takes my statement and then asks Paige where to find Creed. She tells him at Dean’s house but I know by the time they get there, he will be gone. There isn’t anything anyone can do to save him. He made his bed and now he has to die in it.

*****

I’m not all that surprised when my Grammy walks into the Duncan household. That woman is in everyone’s business. I honestly think she could become a billionaire with all that knowledge in her head. Selling secrets to husbands and wives about cheating spouses, or using it as blackmail. Though I know she will die with all that shit. I, to this day don’t know how the hell she does it. I’d go crazy with all that information. “It’s nice to see you Grammy.” I tell her as I hug her neck.

“You to
o Norma Jean. You should go see your momma now that all the excitement has calmed down.” She pats my back before breaking away.

She pushes some of my hair behind my shoulder and starts meddling. “After that you should go have a talk with that boy. I always thought you were a dumb
ass for running off.” Then she kisses my cheek and walks off to bother someone else. I love her but I wish she would mind her own business.

I shake my head and walk towards the front door. As Chance walks in I find my entire body freezing. Standing there with his hands in his jeans pockets. Looking vulnerable, which I haven’t seen in years. I thought it was his best look. It makes him look real what with those beautiful hazel eyes and the rest of his perfect face. I’m still trying to get used to th
e really short hair. “Smalls.” he whispers out. The nickname flows over me and the goose bumps erupt over my skin. I can remember him calling me that while he was hovering above me about to come.

Okay let’s not go there.

“Chance.” I refuse to play that game with him. He just got his niece back and we can talk later.

“Can we go somewhere and talk?” he steps closer to me and I take one back.

“I have to go see my mom.” I try to push around him but he lightly grabs my elbow.

“Then I’ll come over later. Okay?” I’m looking straight ahead but I can feel his eyes looking down at me. So all I do is nod.

I leave the house and realize I don’t have a way to leave. Shit. “Need a ride?” I about jump out of my skin because I didn’t realize anyone was around. Harley Maxton stands about three feet in front of me swinging her keys around her finger.

“Yeah. You don’t mind?” I ask eyeing her up and down. The tall red head with her curves and trademark smirk turns around and heads toward her car. I follow and hope she doesn’t start talking about what she went through.
It’s bad enough I had to hear about Cassie. I, like everyone else in this town couldn’t believe what happened to her, or the truth about her family. It makes that Creed is Macy’s father look like nothing compared to her.

In a way we have a little bit in common. While I wasn’t truly raped, not like she was, it was her boyfriend’s best friend who did it. Not that Chance is my boyfriend. Then it turned out the towns head gangster was her brother and her dad wasn’t her dad. To say she is kind of infamous in this town is an understatement.

She is quiet on the drive to my house but I know she’ll start talking soon. Harley was never one to keep quiet about anything. She is feisty and strong, something I will never be. “I know you are going to start talking about crap I really don’t want to talk about, so I’m saying right now, I don’t want to talk.” I turn my head to look out the window and hope that wasn’t insensitive.

“That’s fine Norma. I didn’t want to talk about it either. And I know it’s hard, but you went through so much more than I did. I only had one thing happen, you had something every day to live with. I can’t imagine that kind of pain. Mine is enough but I honestly hurt for you. I know people say they wouldn’t let a man hit them, but I wouldn’t know what to do in the situation. I love Spencer to death and if he ever hit me, I wouldn’t stop loving him. Not that he would, I’m more likely to hit him.” She giggles and I can’t help but to smile. That is so true. “I’m just saying, we love who we love. Just because he is a bad person doesn’t mean you don’t love him. There was something that made you fall in love with him in the first place.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t love Creed. I had love for him, but I was never in love with him. I mean how could I be if my heart belongs to someone else?” I slap my hand over my mouth and look over to see her smiling big. “What?”

“I just wanted to hear you say it. That your heart belongs to Chance. People in this town look up to you. You made one of the biggest names in this place fall to his knees when you left. I’d like to see you pick him back up again.” She looks over at me and winks.

I’d like to see him get picked up again myself. Only if he stops this stupid shit about being with me to protect me. I don’t need him to protect me, I just need him to love me. I think I always needed him to love me. And long after Harley drops me off and I’ve talked to my mom, I lay in bed wondering if maybe he always needed me to love him too.

*****

“Norma.” Chance whispers my name pulling me close and kissing me on the forehead.

I shake the sleep from my head and blink my eyes at him. I guess mom let him in. Crazy woman. “What are you doing here?” I ask voice still rough with sleep.

“I came to talk.” He pulls me against his chest and lays his forehead against mine. My stomach is full of butterflies and my breathing has become labored. “Norma Jean…” he whispers again staring down at my lips. Okay when did he get sexy like that? I’m used to the hot demanding kisses we shared as teenagers, not this intense wanting he is evoking in my body.

I clear my throat and back away. “So talk.” I crawl all the way out of his arms and sit up on the bed. I make sure the covers are over my legs, since I’m only wearing a shirt and boy shorts.

He clears his throat as well and sits up against the head board. “Why did you leave me?” he asks very softly bringing out pain I don’t want to feel right now. I don’t want to feel anything. All this shit is starting to become too much. It’s taking over my entire life. All I wanted was to be free. Seems I can’t out run my past no matter how hard I fucking try.

“That day at graduation Creed walked up to me and said you were cheating with Tess. He seemed so pissed about it and you were talking to her looking at her like you looked at me. I believed him, but now I know he was just trying to come between us. And I let him.” I feel the tears collect in my eyes and I blink them away. I brought it on myself.

“I was talking about you. That’s why I was looking at Tess like that Norma Jean.” His hand comes around my neck pulling me closer to his face. “I loved you so fucking much then. It physically hurt to be away from you. I couldn’t ever do something like that. If I have to prove it to you I will. I had to witness my dad cheating on my mom first hand. It’s not pretty and I would never put another person through that shit. Its ugly and it can ruin your entire life.”

“I know you wouldn’t do anything like that, now at least. I was young and I was scared what we had wasn’t real.” I look away from the intense look in his eyes. “It all started as revenge but you weren’t that guy who bullied me anymore. You changed. Much like Creed changed. I was insecure and I let him make me believe what he wanted.”