Chapter Nine
Zoey
All from a girls’ night out, really? I knew it was a bad idea, yet I went anyway. Wanting to fit in, wanting a night to relax, but no, did I get to do that? Of course not, I got a trip to the hospital, a brother who currently seemed to want to be responsible for a double murder, and thanks to Ms. Honeychil, parents of the men who helped in knocking me up were at the front door. What else could possibly happen?
I looked toward the guys as they held the ice packs on their faces but they were looking toward the door that Mrs. Honeychil was opening, their expressions matched—ones of complete dread—which didn’t give me any warm and fuzzy about what we were about to face. Ranger stood as the door was opened. This was so not how I wanted to spend my day.
“That didn’t take long. Come on in. Nice to see everyone, it’s been too long.” I watched as Ms. Maddie walked in followed by a woman and man who I assumed was Michael’s parents. The woman was beautiful, brown hair with a touch of gray, her brown eyes taking in everything around her and as I watched her smile at Velma, I realized that was where Michael got his smile, the only thing he shared with his mother evidently, because when his father came into view, I got a front row seat to how Michael would look in thirty years or so. The man was tall, broad shouldered with hair the color of fire burning at it hottest, his temples the only area where the gray was making an appearance, and the greenest eyes that were focused directly at me. Shit.
“Hey, Dad.” The man never moved his eyes from me when Michael spoke to him.
“We will talk to you boys in a minute, right now, I want to know how this beautiful woman is feeling.” If he hadn’t been looking at me, I would have asked who he was talking about.
“Umm… I’m fine, Mr. O’Malley.” My skills of speaking amazed me. There was no way I could have been wound any tighter. And it hadn’t escaped me that I had just recently found out my baby’s daddies last names. The moms hadn’t said a word, Ranger stood beside Rucker, neither of them making a sound as they all watched the formidable man who now stood directly in front of me.
“Dad, I think—” Michael tried again but was immediately cutoff.
“I said, I would talk with you in a minute, Michael, and don’t feel left out, Reese, because you will be included in the conversation.” If I had any clue where this was going, I might have laughed at the apparent discomfort Reese and Michael had to be feeling as both shifted in their seats.
“Stand up, sweetheart. Let me get a good look at you.” Mr. O’Malley held his hand out and I put mine in his as he helped me to stand. Once I was standing, a huge set of arms embraced me and I found myself leaning into his warmth. I rested my cheek against his chest and let my mind float to my own dad doing this to me when I had a bad day or just out of the blue when he walked past. I hadn’t realized I’d missed that part of him being gone until this exact moment and I even felt the pressure behind my eyes, indicating that tears were close.
Mr. O’Malley squeezed me, then loosened his grip and held me at arm’s length, “I know my wife, Olivia, and Madeline want to speak with you and they will get their chance, but I wanted to make sure that the woman who will be giving me my first grandbaby was doing okay. Don’t let these women scare you with their excitement. You, young lady, have my approval. You are going to make a fine daughter-in-law.” When I opened my mouth to tell him I had no plans to be married at the moment, he leaned down toward my ear stopping what I was going to say. “I have to give Michael and Reese a little of a hard time for being careless under the circumstances, but…what can I say, I think they chose well, you are going to make a fine addition to my family. However, make them work for it, they shouldn’t get off too easy.” He chuckled and I couldn’t help but smile at him when he leaned away from me and winked.
“Before I let these women at you, because I can feel the vibration of the room as they’re trying to hold themselves back, I want to say thank you.” I had no clue why I was being thanked.
“For what?”
“I’m retired, my kids are grown and on their own and yes, I love my wife as I did the first time I met her, but our house is too quiet these days. I wondered with my boys if I would ever get to hold or bounce a grandchild on my knees before I was too old to enjoy it. So I thank you for giving me that opportunity. And, honey, my knees are strong and sturdy, I will bounce it and any other grandchildren you grace me with a few extra times for your dad.” The tears I held at bay slid down my cheeks. Hormones or the man? I thought a little of both.
“Oh for goodness sakes, Reilly, you made her cry.” Before anything could be done or said, the women advanced on me, Ms. Maddie reaching me first.
“Oh you sweet child, if I had known when I was talking with you last night, I would have had this all taken care of then. These two may have been careless but I can guarantee they will be beside you one hundred percent.”
“You bet they will. You’re carrying our grandbaby so you don’t even worry about doing this on your own. I’m Olivia by the way, Michael’s mother.” I stood there not really knowing what to say but figured if I nodded it should be enough because the way the women continued talking there was no need for anyone else to speak.
Poor Ranger just stood there with Rucker beside him, my brother and nephew evidently felt like I did. Ranger and I had no family, so when our mom and dad died it was just us. No aunts, uncles or grandparents. Ranger had at least had Noel and her parents but after she was gone, her parents moved out of state because they couldn’t deal with the constant reminder that their daughter was dead, which included their grandson as part of the reminder too. They hadn’t called or even come back to see Rucker since the day they left and told Ranger and Rucker goodbye. So I was sure everything going on around them left them a little out of sorts. When I looked down at my nephew his eyes grew wide and I noticed the women had suddenly stopped talking.
I turned back to them to see what was going on and it was like they’d just noticed my brother and Rucker were in the room with us and their eyes were set on them.
“Well look at that little darlin’, is he not the most precious little boy you have ever seen, Maddie?” Michael’s mom, Olivia, moved to stand in front of Ranger and Rucker with Ms. Maddie beside her.
“Olivia, this is Zoey’s brother, Ranger, and I assume his son. I told you about them on the way over here.” Ranger looked at me as if for some help. I stared back with the get pissed, try to run my life, and then punch the men who are to be fathers of my unborn child in the face glare. That will teach him. I was kinda of glad their focus was off me, if only temporary.
“Oh yes, he is raising his son all by himself and that is why Zoey moved here. I’m glad to have Zoey brought to us but sorry you and your son lost so much for us to gain her. Now what is this darlin’ boy’s name?
“Rucker, ma’am, and thank you?”
“Don’t ma’am me, please call me Olivia. And we don’t plan to take Zoey into the fold of this family alone. You and Rucker will be right along with her so you might as well start out like that.” Olivia, I had a feeling, was one woman who was used to getting her way and definitely capable of handling men, no matter what age they were.
“Dad?” My nephew was a rambunctious boy, even growing up without his mom hadn’t slowed him down for long. I heard kids were resilient and he had proven it with how he bounced back from losing his mother and then this grandparents walking out on him and his dad. If I thought of all they’d been through, me being pregnant from a one night stand really wasn’t that bad at all. I might not know where any of this would go but right then, I knew it would be alright.
“Are we getting a new family?” The hopeful look Rucker gave my brother threatened my tears again.
“Son, they are here for—” Ms. Maddie cut Ranger off.
“For all of you. You better get ready to have more family than you can shake a stick at. You’re going to have so many aunts and uncles you won’t be able to remember their names. And one o
f Olivia’s boys has a gym that is going to have classes to teach kids your age to box and do other fun stuff. You need to sign up for that. I will let them know you will need a spot in one of his classes.” Rucker’s eyes grew big and then his smile followed.
“Ms. Maddie, this is about Zoey and those two over there.” Ranger sneered at Reese and Michael, then looked back to Ms. Maddie. “You don’t need to include Rucker and me in the mix. I just want my sister and her baby to get the support they are going to need. I will be here for Zoey but they need to take responsibility for what they did to her.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, Ranger’s response reminded me what had been taking place before the parents arrived.
“Young man, do I need to tell you that it takes two, or in this case three, to be there. You have a son, I’d like to think you know how they are made.”
“Now wait a minute, that there is what I want to talk about. I know you said last night that your daughter was in a ménage but that doesn’t mean my sister should be in one.”
“Do you think your sister is better than my Brooklyn? Is that what you are implying, Detective Marshall?”
“And might I add, one of Brooklyn’s fiancés is my eldest boy, Fin.” For a brief minute as Ms. Maddie and Olivia gained up on Ranger, I thought poorly of myself for kind of enjoying his discomfort but really not enough to take the heat off him. He was digging in deep and at the very least he may get taught a very good lesson on humility.
“No, that is not what I am saying, damn it.” I couldn’t think of the last time I’d seen Ranger flustered.
“Ranger, you made detective in the NYPD, I’m thinking you have a few brain cells working in that head, and don’t get me wrong, I know you take your job as big brother seriously, but so did my Reese with Brooklyn. But isn’t happiness what most brothers want for their sisters? Where does it say only one person can love and make another happy? Why not two?”
“Two isn’t what the world accepts. One is.” Not that anyone had asked me or even Michael and Reese what we wanted, I still had to admit Ms. Maddie was finally getting through to Ranger. I imagined it was why she was said to be good at her job at Southside Haven.
“I want her to be happy. I just don’t want others thinking badly of Zoey because of it.” Ranger and I might fight as siblings do and yes, he at times could be overbearing with his protectiveness of me but I’d never once doubted his love or that it was what fueled everything he’d ever done for me.
“Oh, Ranger, I know you don’t know me or Madeline, but you will. When it comes to family, son. It doesn’t matter if it is conventional or taboo as some call it. No one is entitled to dictate what makes another happy, whether it is two men, two women or happiness in the arms of the same sex, judgement will be made on everyone’s final day, not a second before that. And if they feel they need to pass judgement, then maybe I could help them to get to their final day. Nothing touches any one in my family without it touching me first and if I don’t like it, I flick it off and it doesn’t get to touch my family. So put what people think and say out of your mind because if there is breath left in myself, Madeline, Velma here, and Sonia, that’s Tony’s mother, whom I’m sure you will meet later,” Olivia stopped and she and Ms. Maddie looked at each other and chuckled before she continued, “no one would dare say or do anything to Zoey. Not unless they have a penance for pain. Sonia has a Taser and we are not afraid to use it.”
“A taser? You do know civilians are not supposed to own those, right?” My brother, forever the cop. From the way the two women chuckled, he probably should be more worried about Sonia than her owning a Taser.
“Really, son? Everything these women said and that is the part you pick up on? There are things that men, and that includes policemen, have to weigh the importance of; keeping your woman happy or following the law to the letter. I tend to lean toward the first, the law doesn’t cook for me so they wouldn’t have an opportunity to poison me, where an unhappy woman would poison you and smile while you ate the food.”
Ranger chuckled and looked at me and smiled. I knew then that we were going to be okay, our bout was over and he would support me no matter what happened or didn’t happen between Michael, Reese, and I. I’d always have him and he would do whatever it took to look after me.
“Okay, let’s sit down and I will get some more cups and everything can be discussed over tea.”
“Mrs. Honeychil, I don’t think tea is—”
“Ranger, sit down. I will bring more beer out for you men since Reilly is enjoying what I brought out earlier.” Sure enough, I turned and looked at Mr. O’Malley. He sat in the recliner at the end between the two couches in the room, he was reclined back with a beer in his hand as he watched everything going on in the room. When I looked at him, he tipped his beer toward me and smiled. First thought to enter my mind was the man had done this more than once around these women as though it was routine.
Velma headed toward the kitchen while Ms. Maddie and Olivia sat on the couch by Ranger who had Rucker sitting on his lap. I had planned to sit on the arm of the couch beside Ranger but when I walked past Michael, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me down between him and Reese on the other couch. And dang it, when they crowded me and their thighs touched against me a shiver ran through my body. I looked between them and they each smiled, they’d felt my body betray me and they were enjoying it. Jerks.
Michael squeezed my leg, then looked around the room, “Can we speak now?”
“Well, son, why not, the women seem to have lost a little steam and I haven’t finished my beer. You do know I love a good show.” Mr. O’Malley chuckled and took a drink of his beer, then stared at his son, confirming my first assumption. Not his first rodeo as they say.
Chapter Ten
Michael
Yeah, I’d sat there long enough watching our moms do what they do best, take control. Reese was on his last ounce of patience too. When I’d placed Zoey between us, we’d crowded her on purpose, the response of her body to our touch was a welcomed surprise. One that more or less told me we were right in Vegas; she was made for us. The baby was just a bonus and if I had to use it to sway the mother to give Reese and I a chance—you bet your sweet ass I would. When he/she grew up we could tell him/her how because of their help—we got to love and have the best woman on the planet as ours.
I looked at Reese and he nodded for me to go first. I had no problem, he and I both were used to fighting for what we wanted and had never been afraid to go after it, no matter what the cost. However, nothing had ever been more worth fighting for than the woman sitting between us, carrying our child.
Mrs. Honeychil brought in more tea and a few more beers and sat them on the table in front of everyone, then she grabbed Rucker’s hand and said they would go in the kitchen and have cookies and milk while the grownups talked. I waited till they left the room to start.
“I’m going to talk and everyone is going to listen.”
“Son, I don’t think—”
“What, Ma? I’ve, we’ve sat here and listened to you, Dad, Ms. Maddie talk. We let Ranger get his hits in, and yes, Ranger, we let you, you were owed that pleasure as Zoey’s brother, but that was your one free shot, the next one will come with payback. Cop or not. Now, back to what I was saying. No interruption till I’m done.” When no one said a word in reply, I took it as a good sign.
“Going to start from the beginning so maybe everyone’s questions will be answered and we can save anymore ranting from anyone. About three months ago I went out to Vegas to visit Reese. We went out, we drank, we went to a bar and danced with a beautiful woman.” I looked at Zoey and she put her head down but not before I saw the blush form on her face. “You can use your imagination on what we did after we danced with Zoey. The next morning, I woke and couldn’t wait to spend more time with Zoey to get to know her. I’d felt something with her and so had Reese when we talked that morning after I realized Zoey had left, no number, no note. We looked for you,” I stopped talking t
o the room and turned to face Zoey. When she looked up at me, I continued.
“I realize you don’t know Reese and I really well but, Zoey, you can’t deny what happened that night, for us, it’d never been that way. And no, that is not a line. Reese and I talked the next morning and if we could have found you, we would have moved Heaven and Earth for you to give us a chance, a chance for us to see where it could all go.” Her face was flushed and tears threatened the corner of her yes but she kept contact with my eyes.
“We saw you at the pub and no we hadn’t recognized you right off but for me, I think I tried to block you from my mind to forget the feeling of loss I experienced when we couldn’t find you. Coming here to see you, we planned to pursue a relationship with you. Reese and I had every intention to have you, finding out about the baby was an added bonus in making you ours.
“Ranger is worried you will be hurt with talk from others about being with two men. We can’t promise bad words won’t reach your ears but I can promise, that if they do, you will smile because you will feel sorry for them for being on the outside looking in, missing out on being happy, cherished, and loved every minute of the day. I can promise our child or any that follow will be loved and cared for and it won’t be out of obligation, it will be because we are a family and that is what families do.
“Have we done everything out of order? Yes, we have. Does it matter? Not one fucking bit.”
When I finished, I looked at Reese and we smiled at each other before I turned to look at everyone else in the room. My eyes landed on my mother as she dabbed at the corner of her eyes. Me having spoken this many words at once had to be a record.
“Will you give us the chance to show you what we can be together?” I looked back at Zoey to wait for her answer, I watched her blue eyes while every emotion seemed to float in their depths, she had expressive eyes, they were one of the things that had drawn me too her the night at the club. If Reese and I were blessed with a daughter with those eyes, we’d have to take shifts to protect her from the world.
Pierced and Inked (KO Ink Book 2) Page 7
