Finding Peace

by Emilia Finn

  Fresh plaster is like a magnet to people like him. It’s almost not even his own fault. It’s like catnip. He doesn’t mean to do it, it just happens.

  “So what happened?” Bobby asks once we’re all seated and Kit has poured all the girls coffee. Most of the guys opted for protein shakes with berries and peanut butter. Gross.

  “Broken arm,” I tell them and watch as they all wince. “Near her bicep. She’ll be in the cast for a few weeks, then I think she gets a new one.”

  “Oh, cool.” Jack smiles and winks at Evie. “Means I get to draw on another one in a few weeks.”

  “Tina,” Jon begins from his spot leaning against the counter. “We’ll get some paperwork started for you. It happened in the gym; we have insurance for that stuff. We’ll help you with her medical costs.”

  “Oh, no, it’s--”

  “Actually, guys. Hold up a sec,” Aiden says, then his arm squeezes me and his beautiful eyes meet mine. Damn. “We talked about this, yeah?”

  Yeah. We did. We spent a lot of the night talking. Preparing. Making plans for our life together.

  Aiden agreed, for now, not to push the legal marriage thing. Not until our safety is guaranteed. I’m not sure it ever will be, but we both agreed anyway.

  I want to marry him. I would right now. In a heartbeat. I’m not stopping this, I’m not hesitating.

  Sean is stopping us.

  But we did agree to tell everyone everything. Aiden knows it all. And the girls know it all.

  Since the guys; Jon, Bobby, Jim, and Jack are the only ones left in the dark, we decided it was unfair. They deserve to know. This is their lives, their families too. I owe it to them to know.

  And I trust them not to betray us. They love Evie like family. They wouldn’t hurt her.

  “Alright,” I nod. It’s time. I look at each of the guys as they watch me curiously, and the girls who watch me sympathetically. I nod again, resigned. Taking one last fortifying breath, I look at Evie and mentally plan my words to keep her in the dark, but to explain to everyone else the danger they’re in just by knowing me. “Okay, so there was once this chick we’ll call Princess Peach…”

  And so it began.

  I told them of the girl not much younger than Iz is now, who fancied herself in love with a rich businessman.

  The girls listened along, but they already knew it all, so they mostly watched the guys; their hardening faces, their bulging muscles as adrenaline no doubt filled their bodies.

  I’m really glad now that I’m telling them my story while the girls are here. They’re small, but they soothe them. They keep the guys calm when they want to break out of their skin, Hulk style.

  I explain how Sean controlled everything, everyone… me. I explained how my parents chose money over me.

  I explained about my accidental pregnancy, and my suspicions that he messed with my birth control.

  By that point, Jack had already picked Evie up from her chair and held her close.

  That was just the pregnancy, I hadn’t even gotten to the early labor or broken bones yet. When I did, Jack looked like steam was trying to break out of his ears and eyes.

  “Who is he?” Jon asks, his heavy brow furrowing, his eyes glaring daggers through me as though I was the enemy.

  I sigh. “Sean Frankston.”

  Jon’s brow furrows. “I don’t know who that is.”

  “That’s what I said,” Aiden explains, but his eyes dare him to think a little harder. “I bet if we turned the TV on right now, you’d figure it out. I’ve seen about a million of his ads since she told me.”

  “Ads on TV?” Jon asks, looking from my eyes to Aiden’s.

  “Four hundred and ten stores, nationwide.”

  “Twelve.” I correct Tink’s recitation. “Four hundred and twelve stores nationwide. Actually, thirteen as of the last ad. I guess he’s expanding.”

  “Holy shit,” Jack murmurs. “Frankston Industries? I bought a new car stereo from there just the other day.”

  “Yeah, well, perhaps don’t give him any more of your money.” Just the thought of my new family giving him a single cent of their hard earned money makes me sick.

  “Frankston Industries. So white goods, TV’s…”

  “Yeah,” Kit nods, slipping under Bobby’s taut arm and pressing against his side. “Plus kitchens. I’m pretty sure they even do tires, right?”

  I nod again. “Yep.”

  “So how do we stop him?” Jim asks, and I notice his body may be the most rigid of all the guys. Not that I blame him, he has a wife and a daughter to think of.

  “I guess we don’t. Evie and I just stay on this side of the country and we don’t use our old names.”

  “But you can’t do that forever,” Iz argues. “You’re probably going to end up in the ER again at some point. Or Evie. Not all visits are going to costs five grand. What about when you decide to have another baby?” She looks toward Aiden and my stomach cramps when his arm comes tighter around me. I’d already decided it was okay about the marriage thing, because we would still be together, but I never even stopped to think about babies. He would want his own babies. I know he would.

  “Home birth, anyone?”

  “Not friggin likely,” Jim snaps and Izzy’s hand comes up to hold his jaw.

  I feel like a dick. The home birth thing was a joke, but it was tasteless.

  “If Iz had Bean at home, they’d both be dead,” he snaps again. “We need to fix this.”

  “And when we do, we’re getting married.”

  “You’re… what?” Bobby’s eyes bug out of his head at Aiden’s declaration. The room has turned silent, stock still and everyone’s eyes are glued to Aiden and me. I have to work hard not to hide my face against his chest. “Who is?”

  “Me.”

  “And who else?” Jacks asks and I smile.

  “And me.”

  “I told you you loved her!” Jim shouts on a laugh, his earlier upset forgotten as he hugs Iz and snorts.

  My eyes go wide. “He told you?”

  “No, Peaches. This was all me.”

  “I did! I told him yesterday, while we watched Evie break her arm.”

  “You watched my baby break her arm while you gossiped about love?”

  “You sound girlier than girls.” Kit teases and Bobby guffaws.

  “So he tells you you love her,” Jon points at Jim. “Then next minute, you’re getting married?”

  “Well,” Aiden shuffles awkwardly. “There was a bunch of stuff in between, but yeah, that’s the general idea.”

  “I get to keep you, Evie!” Jim’s excited words remind me of our conversation from long ago, when he teased about this exact thing.

  “Ah no,” Aiden adds gruffly. “I get to keep her.”

  Bobby chuckles. “Technicalities, little brother. We all get a new niece and a sister. It’s a good effing day.”

  “Yeah.” Aiden pulls me closer against his side and kisses my brow. “It’s a good day.”

  Twenty Three

  Aiden

  Jabberwockies

  I follow Peaches out of Evie’s bedroom, closing the door most of the way then I take her hand and lead her down our stairs.

  The guys and I helped them move their shit in today. We’re all settled in, I have girly clothes in my washing hamper and they’ll never sleep away from me again.

  Tina is keeping her studio for work, and she’ll keep her darkroom upstairs in the apartment, although I intend to make her one here too when I get the chance.

  But aside from keeping it for work, their personal stuff has been moved out. She’s mine now. They’re mine. And I’m damn happy about it.

  We reach the bottom of the stairs but instead of letting her go, I walk us both to the kitchen, I grab a couple beers, and even though she has a smug look on her face, she doesn’t argue and she doesn’t tease my attachment issues.

  I walk us to the living room then finally releasing her hand, for only a second, I slump down onto the co
uch and I pull her down on top of me.

  She laughs softly. “You done?”

  I look back up to her smirk, her dancing eyes, and I find my own smile spreading across my face.

  I nod, even as I knead her ass in my spare hand. “Mmhmm. I just wanted to make sure you sat where I wanted you.” I place our drinks on the table beside the couch, then I use my second hand to grab her ass too.

  “You got me where you wanted me?”

  “Yeah.” I lean up, kissing her jaw and inhaling her unique scent. If I could bottle it and keep it forever, I would. Instead I get the real thing. It’s a million times better.

  Tina hums as my mouth works. “Tell me something?”

  I nod against her neck. “I’ll tell you anything. I’m an open book.”

  Her hands move around my head, her nails scratching my nape and sending tingles to my pants. “Why didn’t you go pro?”

  I lean back, studying her eyes as they study mine. I shrug. “Dunno. Just didn’t want to. My brothers hotdog enough for the whole family. It’s just not what I wanted.” For a short second a thought hits me, but I brush it away. She wouldn’t care. But I ask, simply to assuage the curiosity. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Mind?” Her brows pinch together adorably. “Mind what?”

  “That I’m not like Bobby and Jim. I don’t get multi-million dollar paydays. I’m not a celebrity. I just train the fighters.”

  “God no.” She giggles, her face turning a beautiful shade of rose and my heart beats anew. “I definitely love you exactly the way you are. I’d probably strangle Bobby and Jim in their sleep after a few days.”

  I chuckle at her words. “Yeah. I tried a bunch of times. They’re like cockroaches. They’ll never die.” I’d never hurt my brothers. But I enjoy choking them out and breaking their faces every now and then. It keeps them humble.

  “Fun fact,” she announces, bouncing on my lap.

  I kiss her collarbone. “Tell me.”

  “Do you remember that first time we… ah…” she trails off nervously and I smile big, loving her book report nerves.

  “Yes, Peaches. I remember the first time I fucked you blind.”

  She laughs awkwardly, slapping my shoulder lightly and I chuckle again. “Yeah, that time. Remember the ‘would you rather’ game we played?”

  I nod.

  “You asked something about sleeping with my celebrity crush, versus my real life crush.”

  “Yeah, I remember.” I swear to Christ, if she thinks now is a good time to tell me her celebrity crushes name, I might hunt him down and break his face. Jason Mamoa, I’ve heard about you. Watch yo’ back.

  “Yeah,” she smiles softly. “You were my celebrity crush. And my real life crush.”

  My eyes flash up to hers and I scoff, though I can’t deny the warm feeling spreading in my gut. “I’m no celebrity.”

  “You have sexy pictures on Google. Your last name is Kincaid. I’ve seen you on the TV. You’re a celebrity to me.”

  I turn my eyes down, studying her chest so she doesn’t see the bitch emotion in my eyes.

  “Aww.” She kisses my cheeks softly, both sides, even as her voice is smiling. “I love making you blush, Mr. Kincaid. It’s so sexy.”

  “Mmhmm.” I bring her chest toward me again, nibbling along her collarbone and nipping at the skin. Anything to avoid being told I blush. I don’t blush. Men don’t blush. “Alright, now you tell me something.”

  “Anything.” She smiles even as her breath comes a little faster. “I’m an open book.”

  “Why’d you choose the name you chose? Why Tina? Why Cooper?”

  Tina’s smile comes easy, wistfully. “My best friend from middle school’s name was Christina.” She shrugs. “It’s a pretty name. Worked fine.”

  “Okay. What about Cooper?”

  She chuckles softly. “It was late at night one time, about a year after Evie and I left. I’d been through a few different names by that point. Anyway, I was exhausted, I was sick of running. But this particular time, I’d been doing reasonably okay with money. I’d done a few jobs. Our rent was paid. Evie was fed. I was drinking a beer. One single beer. A mini celebration that I’d made it that far. It was a Coopers beer.”

  I laugh at her silly face. “You named yourself after an Australian beer?”

  She smiles wickedly, shrugging her shoulders easily. “Yep. It was a good beer too. That was the day Christina Cooper was born. The very next day we bought the car I drive now, and we loaded our few things up and we found ourselves here.”

  “Thank god.”

  “Yeah.” She presses my face against her chest, holding me close. “Thank god.”

  “Tell me something fun about you. About the old you, before Sean and Evie.”

  “Umm…” She readjusts herself on my lap, no doubt feeling my hardened cock under her but not minding. “Oh, I know. One time in seventh grade our class went to a chocolate factory, like on a field trip.”

  “Okay.”

  “So we did a tour of the factory. We got to watch them make it. How it was all melted and then poured into the molds and stuff. I was, I am, a giant chocaholic. Like, if you filled a tub with melted chocolate, I’d bathe in it.”

  I laugh at her silliness and the picture she paints in my mind. “You’re a nut.”

  “Yeah.” She laughs softly. “Anyway, that day almost ruined me. The melted smell in the air, no matter what part of the factory you were in, it turned me off chocolate for ages. I was so disappointed in myself. I got home from the field trip and for weeks I couldn’t stomach it. I had to give myself pep talks. You can do this. Don’t be a wimp. Eat the chocolate.” She laughs at her stupid story, her facial expressions comical, but the fact she is carefree enough to be silly makes me feel good. She feels safe with me, and that’s all I want. “I don’t know why I forced it. My butt would probably be smaller if I ate less chocolate.”

  “Oh but Peaches.” I squeeze her ass, laughing when she giggles at my touch. “I love your ass exactly the way it is.”

  “Yeah, so I’ve heard. Okay, your turn.”

  “My turn what?”

  “Tell me something about young Aiden. You weren’t always this grumpy were you?”

  She squeals when I squeeze again, her sassy remarks turning me on even as I laugh.

  “Yeah. I probably was always this grumpy. Umm… the young Aiden. I’m not sure.” I nibble along her collarbone again, wracking my brain for a story that won’t get me in trouble. Perhaps the time when I flipped Jim over my shoulder and onto the coffee table, breaking his arm when he was six isn’t the best story for now, considering poor Evie’s predicament. Then there was that time Bobby and I built bike jumps, then we made Jim lie underneath them so we could jump him. That time also resulted in Jim tattling to Mom and me and Bobby being grounded. “Oh, okay. One time in fifth grade, I was in the school play--”

  Tina laughs. “You were in a play?”

  “Yeah. It was an Alice in Wonderland play and I was a tree.”

  Tina snorts out loud. “A tree! You must’ve been awful if they made you a tree.”

  “Can you stop interrupting my story?” I tickle her ribs, catching her before she falls to the floor in a fit of giggles. “I was a tree, so, for authenticity sake, because I was always this serious,” I tell her in a deep, serious voice and she giggles again. “I dyed my hair green, ya know, because I was a tree. But I thought the green would wash out after a single shower. It took two full weeks to fade out. My brothers got a good laugh out of that.”

  “I bet they did.”

  “Yeah. But none of the other kids laughed. The Kincaid boys were fearsome even then.” I wink at her, tickling her ribs again when she laughs at me.

  “But you were a tree! How is that badass? How did they not tease you?” She snorts again. “Did you even have a line?

  “Yes, smartass. I had a big line. One two! One two! And through and through,” I recite my lines, lines that have never faded from my me
mory no matter how many years pass. “The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!”

  “Okay,” she laughs hard, a belly laugh rumbling from the very bottom of her stomach. “I believe you. Please stop.”

  “I could keep going. That went on for another four paragraphs. Then there was the acting! I had to sway my arms and talk all ominous and shit.”

  “Please don’t torture me.”

  “You think you’re so clever.”

  “I am clever.” Her beautiful eyes pin me down, innocence shining through them despite her past that was anything but innocent. “I found this hot guy in the store, and from a single conversation about Cap’n Crunch, I snared him in my web and now he loves me. I call that my smartest move yet.”

  “Thank god for Cap’n Crunch.”

  Tina lays her forehead against mine, her soft breath fanning my face, intoxicating me, dragging me under a surface I never want to break above again. She nods softly. “I’m so thankful for Cap’n Crunch.”

  “You gonna marry me soon?”

  “Yeah. As soon as I can.”

  Twenty Four

  Aiden

  Life goes on

  It’s been three months of having my girls in my home officially. Three months of pink shit everywhere. There are little kiddy bowls and cups in my cupboard, because apparently it matters which bowl you eat from; the My Little Pony one with the built in straw to drink the leftover milk in the bottom, or the Frozen bowl because it’s shaped like a snow flake and impossible to clean or stack.

  I fucking love it.

  Tina and I have slept every single night in the same bed, except for one when the guys and I had another fight camp. And on that night, my girls were till safe behind the gates, and Tina was still in my bed.

  My almost married life is amazing.

  Kit and Iz have both had a few more fights each. They’re both burning up the circuits, neither of them losing yet.