Smiley

by LeAnn Ashers

  The Next Morning

  It’s around eleven o’clock in the morning, and I am in a store stocking up on beach toys for my babies. I talked Smiley into getting some more swim trunks because he only brought himself one pair.

  The moment he is out of sight, a guy steps up beside me. He is standing so close to me that if I moved over an inch, I would be fully pressed up against him. I move across the room, and he moves with me. What is he doing? I feel him staring at me when I’m not looking, but when I try to catch him, he looks away.

  I look around trying to spot Smiley, and I see his back across the room. I turn around, about to go in Smiley’s direction, and the lurker is directly in front of me.

  “Excuse me.” I try to scoot around him and play it cool, as if I haven’t actually noticed him. His hand shoots out and wraps around my forearm hard enough that I bend over double.

  “Let. Me. Go,” I tell him.

  He laughs loudly. “I don’t fucking think so, you’re coming with me. I have big plans for you.”

  Pure panic shoots through me. Flashbacks of my old life blind me. I scream; that is the only thing I can think of to do. His other hand shoots out like he is about to punch me in the face, but Smiley catches his fist before it touches me. Smiley continues to grip his fist; he is pissed off.

  “Let go of her arm,” Smiley tells him, in a voice I haven’t heard before. The guy lets go of my arm. With his free hand, Smiley gently pulls me behind him.

  Then I hear a snap; Smiley has wrenched the guy’s wrist around until it broke. He hits the floor. “What were your intentions with my woman?”

  “He planned on taking me, he had big plans for me,” I whisper, shivering at the idea of what his “big plans” could have been. I really don’t want to think about it.

  “Baby, why don’t you go in the dressing room for a moment.” Smiley’s voice is softer when he speaks to me.

  I go into the dressing room, locking the door, and I sit on the small bench with my head in my hands, trying not to go into a full-blown panic attack. It’s scary that there are so many people in this world who are messed up, and that I can encounter these people on a vacation like this.

  Smiley

  I know the owner of this store; I look over at him and he nods. I wrap my arms around the fucker’s head and snap his neck just like that.

  No one, I repeat, fucking no one tries to take her and lives to tell about it. I will not let a threat like that live; that is undebatable.

  I take out my phone and send a text to the local clean-up service, owned by a friend of mine, and then I send him the correct amount of money. I take the fucker by the hair, dragging him to the storage unit in back. “Clean-up will be here,” I tell the store owner.

  “Smiley, I would expect retaliation. This is the son of a drug boss here.”

  I nod my head in thanks and go to the dressing room I saw Adeline duck into.

  Let them all fucking come. I will destroy all of them.

  Adeline

  There is a knock at the door, and Smiley tells me it’s okay to come out. I unlock the door, and he pulls me straight into his arms. “You okay, baby?”

  “I’m okay.” And I am. Smiley protected me, and I will be going back home, so I won’t be seeing that guy ever again.

  Smiley picks up the toys that I picked out and puts some cash on the counter. “Money on the counter!” he yells to the cashier. With his arm wrapped tightly around me, we walk outside to the rental truck. He helps me into the truck before he puts the stuff in the backseat.

  Considering what just happened, I am not as shaken up as I would have expected. Yeah, it freaked me out big time but, because I feel so safe around Smiley, I am not as affected as I might have been.

  He gets into the driver’s side. “Ready to see your babies?” He smiles and the man who tried to take me is all but forgotten.

  Smiley

  The moment we are back at home, Adeline rushes into the house to change, because everyone will be here any minute. I am already in my swim trunks, and I set the bag of toys out on the beach.

  Vehicles roll up, and everyone gets out and walks down the beach. “Where’s Mom?” Alisha asks me, setting her bag down on the sand.

  “She is upstairs changing.”

  Alisha studies me. “You really care about her, don’t you?”

  “I love her,” I tell her bluntly.

  She grins happily. “Good, she needs that.”

  She needs so much more than that. She deserves the fucking world.

  I look over catching Kyle’s eye. He needs to know that there are people in the business of trying to take women here, in this small town in Hawaii. A huge part of the reason we love this part of Hawaii so much is because of the low crime rate.

  Not any fucking more.

  Kyle walks over with his brothers.

  “We were at the surf store in town, and some fucker tried to take Adeline right in fucking broad daylight.”

  “WHAT?” Techy says and the other brothers cuss.

  “Where is he?” Kyle asks, pissed off.

  “Dead, and the body is being disposed of by Braken.”

  Kyle nods his approval, and the guys are looking around, waiting for fucking trouble.

  I hear the door shut, and Adeline walks out of the house in her fucking red bikini, which should not even have been made because of how good it looks on her.

  “Gigi!” They all run for her at once, and she laughs and hurries down the stairs to meet them.

  God, she is fucking beautiful.

  She talks to each one, giving them their own special time, and they take turns holding her hands as she walks over to the girls. The guys and I walk over too.

  “I am going to take them down to the water!” Adeline yells, grabbing the bag.

  Every single person’s face whitens. “Control your fucking selves,” I tell them. I don’t want her to look back and see them like that.

  They all control themselves, but I can tell they are hurting for her. It still fucking kills me that she had to go through all of that, and I know that it always will.

  “She has been through hell and we never even thought,” Crystal says, sitting on the ground, her voice hitching.

  “She’s always been so happy, she is the club mom,” one of the of the newer members says. I haven’t caught his name yet.

  My daughter is next to me, holding my hand; she just arrived. Tiana is full out sprinting toward Adeline, trying to join in the fun.

  “I found her asleep in her bathtub a few weeks ago,” Techy says.

  “Right under our fucking noses, she was struggling,” Kyle tells everyone; then he looks at me. “Not any fucking more.”

  I know she did everything in her power to hide that from everyone. “She didn’t want anyone to know, she has this fucking guilt that was eating her up. She thought she didn’t deserve to be happy.” I know she would be pissed if she knew I told them this, but they need to know.

  “Fuck, man,” one of the guys says.

  We all watch Adeline take care of the kids; she has the biggest smile on her face. The babies are all looking at her like the world rests on her shoulders. She is meant to be a mom. She loves taking care of people, and I want to make her dreams come true.

  “You know what her dream is?” I ask. They all look at me and I fucking smile.

  Adeline

  Tiana walks over, stumbling, and her eyes are barely open. “Is someone sleepy?” I ask her, and she nods, lifting her arms for me to pick her up.

  Smiley lifts her for me, and she curls up in my lap. Smiley smooths her hair out of her face. “Hi, Pop Pop.” Her eyes widen, and she crawls out of my lap onto his.

  I laugh because I think she had just not noticed him. Butcher and Shaylin are still here with us, sitting on the opposite couch. I love seeing them together. Butcher is a huge badass guy, who is honestly scary to look at, but he isn’t scary with Shaylin. He is
so gentle and sweet with her.

  “Pop Pop, why are you holding Gigi’s hand?” Tiana is looking at our hands.

  “We are together, sweet baby.” He kisses her forehead, and my poor heart explodes right then and there.

  Her eyes light up, and she sits up and looks at both of us in amazement. “You mean I get my Pop Pop and Gigi together?” Her small hands are clasped together.

  I laugh under my breath because of how excited she is. Smiley looks at me, smiling so widely, and I swear I can feel the happiness flowing off of him.

  Spending time with the kids, Smiley, and the MC together—this has been one of the best days of my life. It kind of hit me as I was sitting on the beach. I looked up at Smiley, and it made me realize how happy I am. How much he completes my life. I love sitting here surrounded by everyone.

  A couple of weeks ago, I was hoping and praying that I could have someone in my life. I never expected Smiley. I never expected to be treated this way. I never knew good men existed until I met the MC guys.

  Is it bad of me to admit that I was scared when I first heard my daughter was in a relationship? Every single male figure in my life had been bad, and I thought that was just a fact of life. I was in a twilight zone for so long. I was shocked to see the way the men in the MC treat their women. These women never flinch when their men’s hands reach out for them; they know these guys will never hurt them. Their men hover around them in a protective way, not to be controlling, and they are so thoughtful and nurturing. Techy takes care of his babies like a mom would; in my old life the guys never did anything for their kids. And I love the way these couples are always laughing and are so happy.

  Laying my head on Smiley’s shoulder, I look down at Tiana. I wish that I were able to have kids. I want to see Smiley holding our baby in his arms. I want to do it all over again. Yes, these babies mean the absolute world to me, but I want a baby of my own.

  I raised Alisha until she was about six years old; then it went blank. I lost so much with her.

  A little while later Butcher and Shaylin tell us goodnight. Tiana didn’t want to leave, but she finally relented when I promised she can come stay with us once we are home.

  They leave, and Smiley and I are still on the couch. “You want to officially move in with me?”

  I smile at him. I want nothing more than to spend all the time I can get with him. “Oh yeah, baby.”

  He laughs and stands up, throwing me over his shoulder, and races up the stairs. “What are we going to do?” I tease.

  “I need a firsthand recap of what happened last night,” he says, and I pinch his butt.

  “Is my baby feeling frisky?”

  “Yeah, frisky for the dicky.” I can barely get it out through my laughter.

  He stops right in the middle of the hallway, sets me down, and bursts out laughing— bending over, holding his stomach.

  “Baby, don’t even say that again,” he manages to get out, leaning against the wall.

  I shrug. “I can’t help it that I am frisky for the dicky.” I eye his dick and he bursts out laughing again.

  “Come on then, baby, come get the dicky.” He laughs again, stumbling to the bedroom.

  Adeline

  We just got on the plane. Bailey was waiting for us at the airport with her daughter, Gabby. Smiley helped her with her bags and with Gabby, who hasn’t taken her eyes off of him. I settle into one of the seats, and Gabby stares around the plane, soaking everything in.

  “Hey sweetheart, I have something for you.” I smile at her, grabbing my bag. She smiles at me, running over as I hand her a doll with some baby accessories. She gasps. “Oh my gracious! Thank you.”

  My heart. I am falling in love with this little girl. She is so adorable. “She is the best person to give a gift to.”

  Gabby takes the baby, holding it so gently, and sits by herself on a small couch. She has long brown hair, in ringlets down her back. Her doe eyes are brown with some gold in the middle.

  Smiley comes out from the back and sits beside me, putting his arm around me. “Are you excited to start your new life, honey?” I ask Bailey. She looks unsure. She sits back in her seat, like she just realized how tense she looks. I am sure she is scared. I would be scared moving somewhere so far away from where I was living.

  “This is a huge leap of faith. I have been wanting to do this for so long. Start new. But now that it’s here, it’s kind of terrifying. I don’t know where I am even going to stay…” She trails off, thinking. “But I need this fresh start, get rid of the negative in my life and start new.”

  I can tell her ex played a rough role in her life. In a way, he controlled her life. He did what he wanted and, as long as it benefited him, he was fine.

  “I have a house that you can stay in, you don’t have to pay rent until you’re on your feet,” Smiley tells her. Bailey looks down, trying to hide her tears.

  This man is just so amazing. I kiss his cheek.

  “At the airport, my nephew will be taking you to your house. The kitchen is already stocked with food,” he tells her, shocking her all over again.

  “I don’t even know what to say,” she whispers and wipes her eyes. “Thank you so much. I have never had a family.”

  His face softens, and I know instantly that he is thinking of his daughter. “You got one now,” he says gently.

  At this point, I am ready to take my heart out of my chest and just hand it to him, but it would be useless, because it’s already his.

  When we arrive in Texas, it’s almost dark outside. I am so exhausted I want to curl up in bed and sleep for a couple of days.

  We walk down the steps, and standing in the airport lot are Travis and Lane. I guess Lane is our ride, and Travis is Bailey’s.

  Hmm.

  Bailey is still inside the plane trying to wake up Gabby who is, apparently, a really heavy sleeper. Smiley puts our bags in the SUV, and Lane walks over and hugs me. “How was the vacation?” I hug him back. He looks so much like his father.

  “How is Gigi?” Travis lifts me off the ground in a hug.

  “Put my woman down,” Smiley growls from the back of the SUV. I laugh, because Travis hugs me tighter and moves closer to the back of the SUV to make sure that Smiley sees. Smiley slams the trunk shut and glares at Travis. “Down.” Travis sets me down, laughing. “Another one bites the dust,” he teases.

  Travis turns around, and his knees buckle like he tripped over something. He grabs the back of the SUV, and I see him staring at Bailey, who is walking over. Another one bites the dust. Smiley is grinning ear-to-ear, and Lane has his mouth covered.

  I think we just witnessed Travis almost getting put on his ass at the sight of Bailey. Gabby is grinning ear-to-ear; I can’t even tell she was asleep for four hours.

  “I guess you’re my ride?” Bailey asks Travis, her face red.

  How cute is this? I sigh, silently leaning back against Smiley, watching all of this go down right in front of me.

  “Yeah.” Travis clears his throat, and I can tell he is flustered. He opens the door, and there is a car seat for Gabby.

  “Oh, thank you for the seat,” Bailey says and, before my eyes, he blushes. Did he really just do that?

  Bailey is absolutely gorgeous; I mean she could be a Victoria’s Secret model. She doesn’t have a drop of makeup on, and she doesn't need it.

  Travis bends down. “Can I help you into your seat, doll?” He smiles at her, and Gabby smiles and walks away from her mother. Travis helps her into her seat and buckles her in like a pro. I may be older, and I feel like all of the guys in the MC are my boys, but I am not blind. I’ve noticed how good-looking Travis is.

  He opens the door for Bailey, who looks surprised. She thanks him and climbs into the SUV. Travis turns around and looks at Lane and me. “Why are you smiling like that?”

  “Oh nothing,” Lane says, and Travis rolls his eyes as he gets into the SUV. They drive off, and I laugh because I think
we just witnessed the rest of Travis’s life.

  “I told him many times a woman is going to come along and knock him on his ass.” Lane laughs and we get into the vehicle, heading home.

  Smiley

  We arrive outside the fucker’s house. While Adeline and I were on vacation, our tech guy kept on digging for information, and now we have him.

  Tonight one of the guys that hurt Adeline gets what he deserves, and guess whose trailer he is living in? The one that Adeline, apparently, spent almost twenty years in, the place that held all of her fucking pain. I can still see the fucking boards on the windows; she was trapped in his house. Lane and Techy are here with me tonight, along with Butcher.

  I wanted this to be more personal, because I am literally walking into Adeline’s hell.

  I turn off my bike, and Lane and Butcher follow suit. I look at them and they nod. They are ready. I walk straight up to the fucking front door, and Butcher goes around back to make sure the fucker doesn’t sneak out the back. Techy is right by my fucking side.

  I kick the door in. The fucker is sitting on the couch, watching TV like he doesn't have a care in the world.

  But oh, he does.

  He jumps up, looking around frantically. He looks at the gun on the table, and Techy is there in an instant, stopping him from going for the gun. Techy’s hand is around his throat, choking him, and I smile at the panicked look on his face. Fucking good, he is going to suffer.

  “I think we need to talk.”

  Techy lets him go, throwing him back on the couch. He looks at both of us, sweat already pouring down his face.

  I look at the house, sick to my fucking stomach that this is where she lived. Sick that she suffered so fucking much here. After this I am going to make a visit to her parents. I want them to fucking know how she had to live because of their selfishness. They were the first people in her life who failed her.

  “You know a woman that used to live here named Adeline?”

  The guy sits back, smiling. “I see why you are here. She moved about two hours away. We miss the bitch. I know he is in the process of bringing her back. They don’t make them like that anymore.”