“Just wait until the MTF kids get this age.” Her eyes are sparkling with excitement. “We’ll have Stella and ours, and probably by then you and Anthony will have one, Blaze and Tank will hopefully have one, and who knows with Mason.”
“Wait a second.” I laugh. “What makes you think that’s going to happen with me and Anthony?” I glance over my shoulder, checking to see if he can hear this conversation going down. I don’t want him to think I’m making plans or assumptions about him without his knowledge. While I would be interested in being married again if the circumstances were right, I don’t want to set myself up for failure.
“Stop lying to yourself.” Leighton grabs hold of her back, rubbing the middle deeply. “The two of you heat up any room you’re in, and the way you look at each other? It’s special, Vi, don’t discount it. You’re allowed to have the kind of romance people write about. You are.” She puts her arm around me. “Just because your first attempt sucked ass, doesn’t mean your whole life will be measured by your past. I’m the perfect example of that.”
I think for a moment about what she’s telling me. Leighton knows better than most anyone how past indiscretions (that aren’t even yours) can ruin a life. If she’s telling me to live for the moment, then who am I to tell her no?
We hand out another batch of bags, and she goes to stand up.
“My back is killing me, I’ve got to move.” She grimaces as she tries to lift her weight up. “Even if it’s just for a minute, I need to stand.”
Offering her my arm, she stands, screams, and then falls back down beside me. In a flash, Anthony is over to us.
“Are you okay?” we ask at the same time. The fear is mirrored in both our voices.
Wide, scared eyes gaze back up at us, before they lower down to her lap. There I see a darkening of the leggings she wears.
“Leighton, did your water just break?” I gasp, my heart pounding.
“I think-I think so.” She grips my hand in hers. “It’s too early. He’s not due for another two weeks,” she cries.
It’s a he – I’d been right. How does that not surprise me with her and Holden? Two weeks isn’t a big deal, but I have a feeling she doesn’t want to hear that from me right now. “Let’s get you to the hospital and get Holden there to help you. You good to walk?” I stand up, holding onto her hand.
My eyes meet Anthony’s. He’s already on the phone, presumably with Holden. He’s nodding, handing me his keys because his truck has more space than my compact car. As he ends his phone call, he grabs hold of Leighton, carrying her to the back cab of his truck.
“Holden’s on his way, I’m gonna lock up here, and then I’ll come join you two. Everything’s going to be fine.” He gets her situated, kisses me on the forehead, and off we go.
“I’m scared, Vi,” Leighton says from the back seat. “I never had a mom, what if I’m a shitty one?”
“You take care of everybody in your life, Leigh. You’re going to be fantastic. Now just lay back, relax, and get as much rest as you can. The next eighteen years of your life are going to be a whirlwind. Especially if your son is anything like your husband.”
She groans. “I can’t believe I caved.”
“I think all will be forgiven as soon as you hold him in your arms.”
“I hope Holden makes it,” she worries. “What if he was on a stop, what if he gets into an accident trying to get to the hospital? This has been my fear since I found out I was pregnant. That he’d be on shift when I went into labor, and it’d put him in danger getting to me.”
“Trust me.” I reach back with my hand, grasping hold of hers. “He’s going to get to you anyway he can.”
We’re quiet as we continue the journey to the hospital and as I pull up, I see Holden already waiting at the Emergency Room entrance.
“He’s here, Leigh, you don’t gotta worry.”
Before I even have the truck stopped, he’s opened the door and has his wife in his arms.
“Baby, are you okay?” The fear in his voice is palpable, and I feel as if I’m intruding on a private moment, but there’s nowhere for me to go.
“Scared, but so glad you’re here.”
“I’m scared too, but I wouldn’t miss this for the world and there’s no one else I want to go through this with, other than you.”
With a thank you to me, he picks her up, places her in a wheelchair, and they wheel her through the doors. I have to park the truck what feels like five miles from the entrance, because I can’t park Anthony’s truck that well. When I see my car pull up with Captain America driving it, I laugh harder than I probably should. He looks so uncomfortable.
“Did you by any chance grab us a change of clothes?” I giggle.
He looks down at himself and then at me. “Fuck no,” he groans and laughs. “Well here’s one for the record books. Welcome to the world baby Thompson.” He entwines our fingers, and we proudly walk into the hospital as superheroes.
Seven hours later, as the MTF has gathered at the hospital and is crowded in the room with the new family, I know that all is forgiven. And I also know that I’ve never seen a boy as handsome as Ransom Thompson – named for Leighton’s mom’s maiden name. He’s undoubtedly going to live up to that name, and I love knowing I’m going to be around to watch him grow up.
If anything, this has solidified my spot in Laurel Springs more than anything else ever could have.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Violet
Thanksgiving
Most of my adult life I’ve been nervous. Nervous about what I would do to piss Brent off. Nervous about starting a brand-new job, nervous that someone would see right through the lies I wove around myself and my situation. What I’ve never been nervous about before is meeting parents. Back when I met Brent’s, I was so numb to everything going on around me, I don’t even remember it. Then after we high-tailed it out of town, we never went back.
Today, though, is a very important day; I’m meeting Anthony’s family. The entire MTF crew has opened up their base of operations for everyone’s family to share in the holiday together. Spearheaded by Blaze and Whitney, it’s the first get together of its kind, but I can tell that most everyone is very excited about the families getting together. Anthony had to go help set up, so I’m grabbing the sweets I baked and the turkey we deep-fried last night that’s now been sliced, for anyone who would prefer to have a cold sandwich.
A text message comes through, right as I’m about to head out.
A: Don’t even be thinking about skipping this. I know you’re nervous, but I’m telling you, my family will love you. It’s just my parents.
V: Easy for you to say! I’m nervous, but I’ll handle it well. I promise.
A: I have no doubt. Let me know when you get here, so I can help you.
V: I will. Love you!
A: Love you, Vi, you have no idea how much.
It’s sentiments like those that prove to me what he and I have is the real thing. It’s also the type of words that can sometimes put fear in my heart. Brent used love as a kind of bargaining chip. Like if you do this, I’ll love you more, or if you loved me, you would do what I ask of you. I’m working hard on knowing there’s a difference between this love and that love. It’s hard, but I’m doing it.
* * *
Driving up to the headquarters makes my heart pound. I wasn’t aware there were this many people in the MTF member’s families. It looks like the high school football game parking lot. Caleb is literally out front directing traffic. When he sees me, he motions me into a more private part of the lot. Next to Anthony’s truck is an empty space, which he motions for me to park in. When I turn the car off, I look up, seeing a sign that says “Ace’s Woman” – which not only makes me laugh, but warms my heart. As I look down the row of cars, I see all of us have our own parking spots. These guys are nothing if not romantic.
Just as I’m about to let him know I’m here, Anthony’s arms wrap around me from behind. “Hey.” He drops a k
iss on my exposed neck, tightening his arms around my waist. “I saw you pull in.”
“Hey yourself.” I turn in those arms, wrapping mine around his neck. “Are there as many people in there as I think there is?”
“It’s not that bad.” He chuckles as he leans in for a kiss. For a minute I let myself melt into his embrace, give myself over to the attraction and feelings we evoke in one another. “I see you didn’t take my advice and wear a dress.” He grabs my car keys and goes to unlock the trunk, where the food is.
My face heats thinking about the words he spoke to me while we were getting ready. “You said you’d have your hand up my skirt and your fingers in my panties. Jesus, I can’t be having that meeting your parents for the first time, are you crazy?”
“About you? Yeah, but I guess I understand where you’re coming from.” He hefts one of the heavily-laden plates before whistling toward Caleb. “Come grab this other one.”
“What am I supposed to carry?” I feel weird not doing any of the work, considering I serve people almost every day.
“Yourself, inside that door with your head held high.”
I have to fight back tears. Anthony will never know what those words mean to me, and he’ll never know how lucky I am. But I vow right now to make sure he knows how much I love him every day. Offering me his elbow, we walk into the building.
Ace
Inside, it’s barely controlled chaos, which is to be expected when all of us, and our families get together. Not to mention, I kind of like it. This is where I’m at my best. Glancing around the room as I move to take the food over to one of the long tables we’ve set up, I realize how thankful I am for this day and this life. A few years ago I wasn’t even home for Thanksgiving; today I’m celebrating with everyone who means everything to me. In one corner, I see Havoc with his wife and son. It looks like he’s just finished feeding Ransom, because he’s now burping him as Leighton looks on.
Tank is running around, chasing Stella and causing her to giggle and hide behind Menace’s legs. The smile on Menace’s face is enough to make Scrooge smile back. Then there’s Whitney and Renegade, sitting at their table sharing some wine, watching their daughter have a great time. It’s the stuff you see in Hallmark movies, but it’s happening, right here in Laurel Springs, Alabama.
“I can’t believe all the people here.” Violet puts her arm around my waist, leaning against my chest.
And here we are, cozied up to one another without a care in the world.
“Anthony, is this your friend?” I hear the voice of my mom coming up behind us.
“It is. Mom, this is my girlfriend, Violet. Violet, this is my mom, Ellen. My dad was here, but he had to run and get some ice, because the ice machine can’t keep up. You can meet him later.”
My mom is the type of person who has never met a stranger, and she quickly pulls Violet into an all-encompassing hug. “I’ve heard so much about you. It’s such a pleasure to meet the young woman who’s putting a smile on Anthony’s face.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet the woman who raised him to be such a good man.”
I pinch Violet’s side to let her know she did good, and my mom will eat this shit up like peanut butter on a spoon. The noise in the room is deafening as everyone is greeting everyone else, until we hear a very loud whistle.
All attention turns to Havoc, who now stands in the middle of the room. “Sorry, but I needed to get everyone’s attention. I wanted to thank you all for coming out to this get together instead of hosting a bunch of separate ones. I know over the last couple of years, my team and I have thought of each other as family. We’ve seen a lot together, done a lot together, and lived through things other people can’t fathom. For better or worse, they are my brothers. When we came up with the idea to bring all of you into this for the holiday, we wanted our two families to meet. Thank you all for agreeing to be here, we hope you enjoy the food, and the company. Hopefully this will be a tradition for years to come.”
There’s a very loud round of applause as everyone starts getting in line for food. “C’mon y’all, let’s eat.”
* * *
“Did you make this turkey?” Mom asks as we sit at one of the long tables.
“The one for sandwiches? Yeah, I deep-friend it yesterday, carved it up, and we refrigerated it overnight. I was hoping there would be some left, but with this crew, I’m not sure that’s possible.”
“If you only knew how much you all eat, you should see Ernie’s order every week,” Violet jokes at my side.
“That’s where I know you.” My Mom snaps her fingers. “You waitress at The Café. I play Bridge in there once a month with my book club.”
“Yes, I remember you.” Violet is genuinely happy as the two realize they’re more acquainted than they thought.
“I hope you don’t mind me saying so. What happened to you was a shame, and I’m thankful you’re with Anthony now. He may be a lot of things that aren’t great, but he is a great man.”
“Spoken like a mother who loves her son.”
“No.” I put my arm around Violet’s chair. “Spoken like a mother who had to deal with a juvenile delinquent and still manages to love him after all these years.”
“You’re my favorite.” Mom winks.
“Shit.” I laugh. “I’m her favorite until I piss her off, and then my sister becomes her favorite,” I say loudly to Violet.
“One of the perks of having two children. When you two get to that point, remember that two is better than one.” She winks.
I share a look with the woman sitting next to me. All this togetherness, all this family, and all this love is almost too much to take sometimes. Especially for a man who lived so much of his life on the front line, but when I see her grin so hard her lips almost disappear I know I’m where I want to be, where I need to be, and where I’m supposed to.
In years past I couldn’t say that, but now? It’s one hundred percent the truth.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Ace
“Did you have a good time today?” We’re lying in bed, on my side of the duplex, snuggling together after working off some of the calories we consumed in the huge meal we ate.
“A great time, which surprised me, because I was so nervous about meeting your parents.”
A grin spreads itself across my face and a happy warmth takes up residence in the middle of my chest at the pleased tone of her voice. “You and Mom got along like gangbusters as soon as the awkwardness wore off.”
“The awkwardness didn’t last as long as I thought it would.” She stretches beside me, hooking her leg around my waist. Lifting it up with my hand so that it rests comfortably, I relax against the comfortableness of the bed.
She yawns as I push my hand through her hair, cuddling her up next to me. “When I first saw you, I imagined this,” I whisper.
“What did you think when you first saw me?” she asks as I feel the smile against my shoulder.
“I’m starving.” I rub my hand across my stomach as Havoc and I get out of the squad car and enter The Café. It’s been a long day on shift and I ran late this morning, so I wasn’t able to eat breakfast like I normally do.
“Same, but I’m excited to see my wife too.”
I shake my head, a rueful look on my face. “Whipped dude, totally fucking whipped.”
“You will be one day,” he promises as we cross the street, coming to a stop in front of the glass doors of The Café. “You won’t be expecting it, and it’ll hit you like a right hook across the face.”
“Yeah, okay.”
We enter The Café and have a seat at one of the booths. Havoc goes to flirt with his wife, and that’s when I see her. A woman I’ve never noticed before. She’s about the same height as Leighton, but she’s got hips for days. Her long, dark hair, is pinned severely behind her neck, giving her the look of someone much older than what she probably is. I’m checking her out as she brings food out to the table beside us. Her arms show strength as she lif
ts the heavy plates, setting them down on the table. And when she speaks, I feel goosebumps appear on my arms.
“Is there anything else I can get y’all?”
The voice is Southern, but not from around here, but it’s the tone that gets me. It’s a husky, just-had-sex sound that I want to hear every day of my life. When she gets done with them and comes back to our table? I face her, and I know immediately that I’m gone. This is the woman I’ve been waiting to meet for my whole life. My eyes rake her face, and I take in signs of unhappiness, stress, and fatigue. When they flit down to the ring on her finger, my good mood sinks, but as she uses that hand to push her hair back, I glimpse fingerprint bruises on her bicep under where her uniform comes to a stop. This woman is unhappy, and I make a vow to myself at some point I’ll make her happy again. I’ll show her what a good man is like, and I’ll put a smile on that face. If it’s the last thing I do. In this small exchange, she has my heart, and I know I’ll never get it back. Because I don’t want it back – I want her to have it all.
“You knew all that from like a three-minute glimpse of me?” She sounds like she doesn’t believe me.
“Hand to God, Vi. I knew the minute I saw you. It just took me a long time to convince you, and that’s okay because I’m patient. I would have waited another year for you.”
“What did I do to deserve you?” She caresses my stomach.
“You dealt with a lot of shit you never should have, and I’m your prize for it.” I turn us over so that I’m stretched over top of her.
“You’re my prize? I think I won first place.” She pushes her fingers up my skin, tightening them in my hair and yanking my face to hers for a kiss.
“Claim it baby, please.”
And with a smile on her face, she does.
Violet
“Thank you all for being a great class for this semester, I’m pleased to say that you all passed,” Karina tells the group of us who have gathered in the classroom that’s become such a huge part of my life.
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