by L. Wilder
“As long as you want me to.” I took off my cut and boots, then pulled off my jeans before lying down on the bed next to her. “I’ll be gone before the boys wake up.”
“You don’t have to.” She curled up to me as she said, “They’ll like knowing you were here after what happened.”
“Okay.” I reached down and took the bag of peas she was still holding in her hand. I placed it on her swollen eye, then gave her a soft kiss on the lips. The room fell silent, and as I lay there holding her in my arms, I found myself thinking about my mother and all the hell she’d been through. I hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but I muttered, “I wish I could’ve done more to help her.”
“Who?”
“My mother.” I stared up at the ceiling as I whispered, “Maybe if she had someone there to help her she would’ve left him.”
“Maybe, but you were just a little boy, Roman. There wasn’t anything you could do.”
“I know, but I can’t help feeling like I should’ve done something. You know, I can still remember the defeated look in her eyes. It’s like she’d given up on trying to make things better. If she’d just left, maybe we all could’ve had a better life.” I looked down at Frankie as I said, “I want to be able to forgive her. I know she went through hell, but I’m not sure I’ll ever get there.”
“And that’s okay. You have every right to feel that way, Roman, and trust me. I understand better than anyone how hard it is to forgive.” She took the bag of peas off her eye as she looked up at me and said, “That doesn’t mean you can’t move on from it. Maybe you should try talking to her.”
“I do. I check in with her and Madden both. They have their own lives now. Madden is married and has two kids. Mom’s remarried. He’s an older fella and seems to take good care of her. It seems they’ve been able to put it all behind them where I haven’t.”
“I’m sure they still have their own issues with it. No way they couldn’t, but they’ve tried. Maybe it’s time for you to do the same.”
“I think I already have. I just didn’t realize it until now.”
“I love you, Roman.”
“Love you, too.” I took the bag of peas and put it back on her eye. “It’s time for you to get some sleep.”
It didn’t take much coaxing. Her encounter with Marc had taken a toll on her, so it wasn’t long before she drifted off to sleep. I lay there listening to the soothing sounds of her breathing, and it wasn’t long before I gave in to my own exhaustion. The following morning, I awoke to Frankie’s warm, curvaceous body sprawled over mine. Her arm was across my chest, and her leg was resting on mine. I loved having her close. I wanted to spend every night with her in my arms just like that. I lightly brushed my nose against her cheek, then kissed her neck. She was so warm and soft it had my cock straining against my boxer briefs. Unfortunately, he’d have to wait.
Her eyes fluttered open as she glanced up at me with a sleepy smile. I could see the love shining in her eyes, and it got me right in the gut. No matter how long I lived, I would never get tired of her looking at me like that. She snuggled closer as she whispered, “I like waking up in the bed with you.”
“That’s a good thing, ‘cause I plan on doing it often.”
“Did you sleep okay?” she asked.
“Like a rock.” Being careful not to touch her bruises, I slowly brushed my hands over her back and grazed the top of her ass. I had no doubt she could feel my erection at her side, but at that moment, it wasn’t about the sex. It was simply about being close to her. “You?”
“Better than I expected to.”
“Good...You hungry?” I asked, loving how she looked lying there next to me with her hair down over her shoulders. She was so fucking perfect. “I could make some coffee and toast.”
“Coffee sounds great, but I’d rather have you,” she whispered as she inched a little closer, being sure I knew what she meant.
It was hard. Seriously, I mean it was really fucking hard, but I put my hands on her hips and stopped her. “None of that, Frances Sullivan.”
“But….”
“Not until you’ve had time to heal.”
“I’m fine. It’s just a couple of bruises.”
“Then, it shouldn’t take long.” Before she could convince me otherwise, I tossed back the blanket and got out of bed. “You sure the boys will be okay about me being here?”
“I’m sure.” She glanced over at the clock and stretched. “They should be getting up for school soon.”
“You stay put. I’ll go check on them.”
“I need to get up. I’ve gotta get to the coffee shop.”
“Not today, you don’t. You’re going to stay put like I told ya,” I ordered.
“But...”
“No buts, Frankie. Either the shop stays closed for the day, or Sydney can go in and cover for you. Your call.”
“Well, aren’t you the bossy one this morning.”
“Just trying to take care of you, even when you don’t make it easy to do.” I pulled on my jeans as I asked, “So, what’s it going to be? Stay closed or should I call Sydney?”
“I hate for her to go in and see all the mess.”
“The mess has already been taken care of, but Sydney is going to have questions about why you aren’t going in. How do you want to handle that?”
“I’ll call her and let her know what happened. That way she can be the one who decides about opening the shop today.”
“Sounds good.” Figuring she’d want to have the conversation with her sister in private, I said, “You talk to her and I’ll go see about the boys.”
“Okay.”
I left her to make her call and went to make a pot of coffee. I was standing there waiting for it to brew when Sean came shuffling into the kitchen. He didn’t seem the least bit surprised as he gave me a chin lift and mumbled, “Mornin’.”
“Mornin’.”
He looked like he was still half-asleep as he opened the refrigerator and took out a jug of orange juice. He carried it over to the counter, and after he poured himself a drink, he asked, “Mom doing okay?”
“Yeah, she’s gonna be fine.”
“She told us she fell, but she was scared...Scared like she used to be.” His eyes filled with emotion as he admitted, “We know it was Dad.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“It’s not the first time he’s done something like this.”
I heard the pain in his voice as he spoke. There was a time when I’d felt that exact pain. Mine continued through my entire childhood. The same wouldn’t hold true for him. I’d make sure of that. “Maybe not, but it will be the last.”
“We’ve heard that before. From both Mom and Dad.”
“Maybe so, but you haven’t heard it from me.” Sean’s eyes widened with hope, and it was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders as I said, “I’m not going to let anything happen to you or your mom. You don’t have to worry. Not anymore.”
“Okay.” When I turned to make my coffee, Sean called my name. “Widow?”
“Yeah?”
“I like having you around, and I think Mom does, too.”
“Thanks, bud. I like being around you guys, too.”
“You should move in with us.”
I could’ve told him that I’d already had that conversation with his mother, but I simply replied, “Maybe someday.”
“Cool.”
With that, he got up and darted out of the room. Half an hour later, the boys were getting on the bus and heading to school. I went back to Frankie’s room and was pleased to see she’d fallen back asleep. The rest would do her good, and it would give me a chance to check in with the club. I had to let Viper know that I’d be looking after Frankie and the boys for a couple of days. As I’d expected, he didn’t give me any grief about it. He knew how much she meant to me—even before I did. I didn’t know if Frankie was my soulmate, and fate had finally brought us together or if it was the simple fact that out of all the men in
the world she’d chosen me to love. Either way, I was going to be the man she needed me to be—the man she deserved for me to be.
Chapter 20
Frankie
When I was married to Marc, I didn’t have many friends. He was always so suspicious of every move I made. If I happened to go to lunch with an old college friend or someone I knew in high school, he’d call a million times trying to catch me in a lie. At the time, I didn’t realize it was because he was cheating. I just assumed it was another way he was trying to control me and just gave up on trying to have friends altogether. I focused on spending time with my boys and getting the coffee shop off the ground. There were times when I was lonely, very lonely, so needless to say, I was excited about my girls night out with the ol’ ladies. I had such a great time with them at dinner. They were all so sweet and funny, and even though we’d really just met, they made me feel like I was part of the group.
When they mentioned going to the club to have a drink with the guys, I immediately agreed, thinking it would be a great way to get to know them a little better, and I’d get to spend some time with Roman. I thought it was a win-win until we arrived at Stilettoes—the strip club, not the clubhouse. I’d never been to a strip club, but I didn’t tell any of them that, fearing they might think I was a prude. I simply did my best to feign a smile and followed them inside. But as soon as we walked through the door and I heard the loud music, saw the flickering stage lights and beautiful women, my smile vanished as my mouth fell open with surprise. I’d hoped none of the ol’ ladies noticed my startled reaction, but no such luck. Marlowe started to giggle as she leaned over to me and said, “It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, a little.”
“This your first time at the club?”
“Actually, this is the first time I’ve ever been to any strip club.”
“I was the same way. Girl, I can still remember my first time.” Delilah laughed as she said, “All the boobs had me feeling a little insecure, but now, it doesn’t bother me like it used to. We’ve all gotten to know most of the girls, and they’re all really sweet.”
We made our way through the crowd and over to the table where the guys were sitting. As soon as he spotted us, Roman got up and grabbed me a chair, placing it right next to him. Once I was seated, he asked, “You girls have a good time at dinner?”
“Yeah. It was really nice. They’re super sweet and kind of filled me in on their side of the club stuff.” I glanced around at all the scantily dressed waitresses as I said, “They didn’t tell me much about this place, though. Just that Marlowe bartends here a few days a week.”
Delilah leaned across the table as she teased, “I tried to tell her that she’d get used to all the boobs, but I’m not sure she believed me.”
After a round of laughter, Remington leaned over to me and said, “Alcohol helps a lot. After a shot of tequila or two, you won’t even notice all the boobs and perfect asses anymore.”
“Makes sense.” I leaned over to Roman and whispered, “I’m going to need a shot. Maybe two.”
“You got it.”
When he motioned over to the waitress, Delilah announced, “I’m going to need one, too.”
“Me, too,” Remington chimed in.
It was good to know I wasn’t the only one who needed a little desensitizing. After Roman ordered our drinks, Menace looked over to Country and said, “Hey, why don’t you tell the guys about your little run-in with Viper?”
“Thought you weren’t gonna tell anybody about that shit?”
“I’m not.” Menace smirked as he pushed, “You are.”
“I’m too fucking traumatized to talk about it.” Country ran his hand over his face. “After what I saw, I may never be right again.”
Rafe gave him a puzzled look as he asked, “What the fuck are you talkin’ about?”
“I saw Viper’s...you know....”
“Nah, not sure that I do.”
“His one-eyed snake.” Country’s face grew pale as he leaned in and whispered, “He stepped out of his room at the clubhouse, and for whatever reason, he was naked as the day is long. I was just minding my own fucking business and going to get some fuckin’ coffee when I got an eye full.”
“Wait! You’re saying you saw his goods?” Marlowe asked, sounding intrigued. “His long John? His penetrator?”
Remington was next to chime in. “His shlong? His...ah....man meat?”
“Ooohh...his wooly mammoth?” Delilah teased. “His looo-ve muscle!”
I might’ve thrown in my own commentary, but I was laughing too hard to even speak. I could only sit there and listen as they continued throwing out different nicknames for their president’s manhood. When they finally got stumped and couldn’t come up with any more, Marlowe turned to him and said, “Well, you still haven’t told us why it was so traumatizing.”
“’Cause the damn thing looked like a fucking tallboy...policeman’s flashlight from the 1980’s...damn near a five-dollar foot long.” He shook his head and grumbled, “I’m telling ya, I think we should’ve called him King Cobra instead of Viper.”
“I think we got the picture, brother,” Rafe chuckled. “Thanks for sharing. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at Prez the same again.”
“I know I won’t,” Country mumbled. “That shit scarred me for life.”
Another round of laughter ensued, but quickly died down when Danny approached the table. I hadn’t seen him since the night I’d picked Corry up from the clubhouse. He’d seemed like such a friendly, easygoing guy at the time, but as he sat down at the table, he looked like he’d seen better days. There were faint bruises under his eyes, much like the light bruise I still had from where Marc had punched me—only my concealer had worked wonders to hide mine. Country gave him a pat on the shoulder as he asked, “How you making it, brother?”
“I thought my roughed-up look might give me an advantage with the ladies, but it hasn’t helped for shit.” He took one of the tequila shots from the table and quickly downed it. “I mean, damn. What’s a man gotta do to get laid around here?”
“Maybe if you were packing like Viper then you’d have better luck,” Country grumbled. “Hell, we all would. We’d have to beat the bitches off with a fucking stick.”
Danny’s brows furrowed. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Ignore him, man,” Rafe replied. “He’s still recovering from a traumatic event. Might even have a little PTSD.”
“Not sure I’m following.”
“Probably best that you don’t.” Rafe took a sip of his beer as he told him, “Just give it time. Things will change when you get your patch.”
“God, I hope so.”
Everyone continued to banter back and forth, and even though I was loving every minute of it, I needed to get back. I’d promised Sydney I’d only be gone a few hours, and I had to get up early for work. I leaned over to Roman and whispered, “I really need to get going.”
“Okay. I’ll take you home.”
“You don’t have to leave. I can...”
“I’m taking you home, Frankie.” With that he stood and announced, “We gotta get going.”
“So soon?” Marlowe complained.
“Yeah,” I replied. “I hate to rush off, but I’ve gotta get back home to the boys.”
“Okay. We’ll get together again soon,” Marlowe promised.
“I’d really like that.” I gave them all a quick wave as I said, “I really enjoyed tonight. I’ll see you all again soon.”
“Looking forward to it.” Remington smiled as she said, “You make a great addition to the group.”
“Thanks, Remington. That means a lot.”
Roman and I said our final goodbyes, then headed out to his bike. When we got home, the boys were in the living room watching TV with Sydney. They were so enthralled with their scary movie they didn’t even notice when she got up to leave. Roman and I nestled up on the sofa and finished the movie with them. It se
emed so easy, so natural, being there with him. It continued to feel that way over the next few months. Roman had quickly become a fixture in our lives, and the boys truly seemed to enjoy having him there, especially Corry. Between the continued counseling and the time he’d spent with Roman, he was really coming out of his shell.
Things with Marc had also improved over the past few months. I never got the full story of what happened with him and Roman. I just know that whatever went down had caused Marc to make a dramatic change. He was friendly with the boys and actually seemed to be making an effort with them. He’d even gone so far as to tell them they didn’t have to come to his house unless they really wanted to. Marc had also left me alone. Other than an apology note and some flowers, I hadn’t heard from him since the night of the attack, and I was good with that. The boys were, too. The change in their father had truly made all of our lives better—and I owed it all to Roman.
It had been seven months since the day fate brought him into our lives, and I was feeling really good about things. The weather had turned warm, and I was sitting on the front porch watching as Roman took the boys for a ride on his motorcycle. Knowing how careful of a driver he was, I’d overcome my fear of them learning to ride, and they were taking turns going around our subdivision. They’d been at it for over an hour when Roman finally told them he needed a break, and he came over to join me on the front steps. He gave me a quick kiss before asking, “How ya doing, beautiful?”
“Couldn’t be better.” I leaned over and placed my head on his shoulder. “I really like having you around.”
“Is that right?”
“Um-hmm. I’m thinking it’s time we talk to the boys about you moving in.”
“Too late.” He chuckled as he said, “They’ve been hounding me about it for a couple of months now.”
I sat up straight as I gasped, “What?”
“Sean was the first to bring it up. It was right after the shit with Marc.” He shrugged. “Corry brought it up a few weeks after that. Then, they both cornered me a few weeks ago asking what was the big hold up.”
