by Delisa Lynn
“Please tell me there isn’t.” I roll my eyes. I walk out into the hallway and open his bedroom door. I gasp when my eyes land on all the bags on the floor. I hug Lila. “You all sure know how to spoil a girl.”
“That’s what family does. We love you, Ans,” she says into my hair.
“I love you all too,” I choke out.
“Come on, let’s go grab some food. I’m starving,” Ashton says, leading me down the steps.
“What else is up your sleeve, Ellis?” I joke.
“Trust me, you’re going to love what we have planned,” he says as he rounds the stair case.
“Oh,” I whisper. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get it all out now.”
“Not just yet, shorty. Soon, though.” He winks. “Come on, I want some cake.”
***
When we walk into the kitchen, everyone is gathered around the table and breakfast bar. I didn’t know our gang was this big. There’s Toom, Taz and their families. Then the Ellis’s and Meg. Ashton has been all smiles since we walked into his house. I have no clue what he is up to. Then I see AJ. He has this big grin on his face and a gleam in his eye. I smile as he approaches us.
“Hey, little man.” I ruffle his hair. It’s about the same color as his dad’s and it’s styled with gel so it comes up in a peak.
“Ansley, can I ask you something,” he says as he stands in front of me.
“Sure, you can. Anything, buddy. What’s up?” I ask as I bend down to his level.
“Well, my dad and I really love you. Donatello and gran and pops love you too.” He looks around the room, then back up at his dad. “We want you to be with us, always. Will you marry my daddy and be my other mommy,” he says, pulling the biggest diamond I’ve ever seen out of his little pocket.
“Oh. My. God.” I gasp. “I, um…” Shit, I can’t talk through all my tears.
“Is that a yes?” he asks, holding the ring out.
I nod my head and hug him. “Yes, I will,” I say between sobs.
“She said yes, Dad. She’ll be ours,” he says, looking up to his dad. I stand up and grab Ashton.
“Yes, yes, yes. God, do I love you so much, Ellis, so fucking much.” I kiss him.
“I love you more, shorty. Now, can I cut this damn cake?” He laughs into my mouth.
“About damn time,” I hear Liam say from behind us. Liam hugs me. “Ansley, we all adore you and are so glad you walked into this man’s world.”
“Y’all sure do know how to make a girl ugly cry.”
Chapter Nineteen
Ashton
It’s been two days since Ansley accepted our proposal. She’s been on cloud nine since then. I hate that I have to leave her today, but I need to shoot some ink for a client. Lila and all the kids are hanging out with her. They are going to start redecorating. I am totally okay with her rearranging anything she wants. It’s now our home. When I pull into the shop, I see a police car. That’s odd.
I turn my truck off and stroll into the shop. My phone chirps. I see that it’s Kade.
“Hey man, what’s up?” I ask as I open the door to the shop.
“Have you seen the news today?”
“No, why?” Then I see an officer talking to Taz.
“Dude, shit...” He sighs. “Your ex-wife is dead.”
“What?” I yell.
“Yeah, look, come to the office when you get done.”
“Okay, later.” I shove my phone in my pocket.
“Mr. Ellis?” The young cop asks.
“Ashton. Mr. Ellis is my father.”
“Sir, can we talk? We have a bit of bad news.” He flips open a tablet.
“Sure, we can go into the break room. My client won’t be here for another ten minutes or so.” When we get in the break room, I pour a cup of coffee and offer the cop one.
“They found the body of Christabella Ellis last night. It seems to be an overdose. Her body was discovered by some prostitutes on the corner of Sullivant Avenue. It looks like she had been there sometime.”
“Fuck, I knew this shit was going to happen. She wouldn’t listen.” I sigh. “We have a seven-year-old son.”
“I’m so sorry. We will need you to identify her. You were her next of kin. She was arrested last month for solicitation and she listed you as her husband, but after doing some searching, we saw that you two were divorced at the beginning of the year.”
“I’ll do it. She was a mess. I hate to say this, but she is better off dead. My son isn’t going to understand this shit. Fuck,” I groan.
“Just come to the county coroner’s office on Oakley. Will you be the one that we release the body to?”
“I guess so. She had no family, really.” I run my hands through my hair. “Look, I better reschedule my client. Can I meet you in the next hour?”
“Sure, no problem. Take your time.” He walks out the door.
Taz places his hand on my shoulder. “Some fucked up shit, brother. I am so sorry.”
“Thanks…I need to cancel my appointments today.”
“I got you covered. Go do what you need to do.”
“Shit. Kade said the news?”
“Yeah. Here, I’ll show you,” he says, flipping on the TV.
The reporters face pops up and she starts talking. There is a picture of Christa’s last mugshot plastered next to her.
“Thirty-two-year-old Christabella Ellis, daughter-in-law of Gill Ellis of Ellis Winery, was found on Sullivant Avenue late last night. She seems to have overdosed. Authorities aren’t saying if there was foul play involved. Please stay tuned for the latest on this investigation.”
“Fuck,” I roar. “I have to get to my son before he sees this shit.” I sprint toward the door. I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Ansley.
“Baby, please don’t let AJ watch TV. I’m on my way home.”
“We just heard. He is out back with the kids. He doesn’t know.”
“Please, keep him away from the news until I get there. I have to go identify her body. I’m going to be there as soon as I do. Let me talk to Li, please.”
“Okay, love you,” she says.
“Love you more, shorty.” I breathe into the phone. Then I hear Lila clear her voice.
“Hey, Ash. I am—” she starts, but I cut her words short.
“Make Liam stay with you all and bring all the kids in the house,” I say as I start my truck.
“Okay. It was an OD, right?” she asks.
“So they say, but I trust no one. You know that.” I spin out of the parking lot. “Please do as I asked. I’ll be there soon.” I hang up and dial Kade.
“Brother,” he answers.
“Yeah, picking you up now. Be waiting,” I say. No way am I doing this alone.
***
“Jesus Christ,” I say to the man in the white coat. “That’s her. This is Christa.” My stomach turns as I see the mother of my son lying there, naked, with bruises up and down her arms and track marks on her chest.
“Sir, we will perform an autopsy to confirm the cause.”
“I want to know ASAP,” I order.
“We can do a rush and have it to you within seventy-two hours.”
“Thanks,” I reply.
“Doing my job, sir.” He shakes my hand.
I look at Kade, who’s as white as the man’s jacket. I nod toward the door. I can’t believe this fucking shit. I warned her. She knew that someday this was going to happen. Did she care? Fuck no, she didn’t.
“How am I going to tell my son this shit?” I ask Kade as we get in the truck.
He blows out the breath he’s been holding in. “Not sure, man. I know she wasn’t around much, but I know he loves her. Hell, I feel sick and I wasn’t a fan of hers.”
“Yeah, I think I’ve thrown up in my mouth more times than I can count, but I have to tell him. My other concern is watching out for everyone. This may not have been on OD, ya know?” I say as we drive down the highway.
“That’s what I w
as thinking too. Shit, I am so sorry, brother.”
“Telling AJ is going to be so hard.”
Chapter Twenty
Ansley
“Lila, what are we going to do?” I ask her as I sit at the table. I sip my beer. “AJ is going to be so upset. He isn’t old enough to quite understand it all.”
“I know, babe. Ashton will be here and handle it all. Don’t worry yourself about it. I hated her, but I didn’t want her dead.” She squeezes my hand.
I think back to the last time we saw her. We were at Slices and she must’ve seen Ashton’s truck there. She’d walked up to the three of us.
She snorts. “Is this your whore of the week? She looks young enough to be your daughter.”
“Mom, what are you doing here? I missed you,” AJ says, hugging her waist.
“Yeah, me too, kid. Go play so I can talk to your daddy and his play date.”
“Seriously, Christa? When the hell you going to grow up. Good God, you smell like sweat,” Ashton says.
“It’s hot out. But look, can I get some cash? I’ll pay you back.” She holds her hand out.
“No, just go. Please don’t cause a scene. AJ will see that you did.” He turns his back to her and places his arm around me. “This is my girlfriend and AJ’s teacher.”
“Oh. Well, I guess you are old enough to date my ex-husband. Look, can I borrow some cash, hun?” she says to me.
“Just go. Here, take this.” Ashton hands her a wad of cash. “You going to tell your son bye?”
“Thanks, ass wipe. No, I gotta get going. I’ll come see him soon,” she says over her shoulder.
That was the last time any of us saw her. I know she wasn’t the best, but my heart is breaking for my little man. Ashton comes storming through the door.
“I love you, baby. Where is our boy?” he asks, hugging me.
“Downstairs,” I say as I look to Lila. “The other kids are with him.”
“We will go home and give you all some time,” she says sympathetically.
“You all don’t have to leave. He’ll want the girls around after I tell him. You know they are like his sisters,” Ashton says to Liam and Lila.
“How about I take the other kids outside and you two can talk to him?” Liam says.
“That works,” Ashton says. He walks to the game room.
I sit and twist my hands, then realize what I am doing. I watch as Ashton brings AJ up the stairs. Everyone else goes outside. We walk him into the family room and sit him on the couch.
“Buddy, we have some bad news. I know you may not understand it right now, but please know that we love you and your mom loves you,” Ashton says, then turns to me. I swallow the gulp that has formed in my throat.
“What’s the matter, Daddy?” he asks. Ashton’s face has pain written all over it.
“Son, you know how your Aunt Addie and your other grandma are in heaven?”
“Yeah, they are my angels, right?”
“AJ, your mom is now your angel too.” He sighs and wipes his own tears. “Buddy, I am so sorry. She died last night.” He hugs his son. AJ cries into his neck.
“Daddy, you’re hugging too tight.” He pulls back. “I won’t ever see her again?”
“No, son. She is gone to heaven now.”
“Okay, can I go play now?” he asks us both.
“Of course you can. If you need to talk, you know Ansley and I both are here for you.”
“I know. Ansley, you’re my only mom now. Please don’t go to heaven,” he says, wrapping his arms around me.
“Oh, baby, I love you so much. I will never leave you,” I cry.
“Thanks. I wanna go now,” he says, walking out of the room.
“Ashton, I’m so sorry.” I hug him. “Please let me know if there is anything you need me to do.”
“Be strong for our boy. He is confused, shorty.”
“I will stay as strong as I can, but this is breaking my heart. I know you hated her ways, but you had to have loved her at one time,” I say, rubbing circles on his back.
“I never loved her. I stayed because of my son. She was a deceiving, back stabbing, worthless whore. The only good thing she did was give birth to my son. She was evil. You saw how she treated him. Now she dies and leaves us to clean up her fucking mess.” He walks over to the fireplace. I never noticed it before, but there is a picture of the three of them. It’s old. AJ is a baby. He picks it up and slings it. “She fucking did this. She did this to her goddamn self. Now my son is hurt because of her,” he roars. “I fucking hate her.”
“I’m so sorry.” I grab his arms. “He needs you. You’re his strength. Please don’t break when he needs you the most,” I say through my own tears.
“I can’t believe she is dead. She is gone, and I have to clean up her shit,” he whispers.
“I know. We will, though. We will plan her service and make sure it’s all taken care of.”
“You’re amazing. You know that, right?” He presses his lips to mine. I feel his tears hit my face. “I don’t deserve you, but he does.” He kisses me hard.
“You deserve a lot more than I can give you, Ellis. You have made me see that there is life after the storms I have endured.”
“I can’t wait to make you my wife,” he says into my mouth.
Chapter
Twenty-One
Ashton
It’s a week before Christmas and we buried Christa last week. Turns out it really was an overdose. She had every known drug in her system. I’ll never know what caused her to do the things she did. She had some strong demons, somewhere. I hate that I could never help her, but, in the end, she couldn’t help herself.
I met her eight years ago. She was hot as hell, but I knew she was trouble. Still, what she gave me was worth everything she put me through, worth every fucking thing she did or took from me. I have the most important thing and that is my son. He’s hurting right now and he isn’t showing it. Hell, she treated him like shit. I know he saw it. He’s smart.
“Hey, what are you thinking about over there?” My shorty asks, crawling up my lap. She’s wearing one of my t-shirts. She’s so short it comes to her damn knees.
“Just the fucked up shit we’ve been through.”
“Well, what if I told you that I forgot to take my birth control?”
“You saying you want to have my baby?” I grin at the thought.
“Well,” she straddles my lap, “I’m saying that I’m going to have your baby.”
“We’re pregnant?” I ask
Nodding, she smiles against my lips. “Yes. I am a little over seven weeks”
“Best fucking thing I’ve heard all day. God, I love you.”
“How much time do we have until your mom brings AJ home?” she asks as she slides her shirt over her head.
“Plenty enough time for me to fuck that sweet pussy.”
“Good God, I love when you talk like that,” she says, freeing my cock. “Fuck me from behind.” She gets on all fours.
“Fuck, you didn’t have anything on under that shirt?” I smile as she shoves her ass in my face.
“Nope, my pussy has been ready for you all day.”
I smack her ass. She jumps a little and slides her hand to her center. “Don’t you dare touch yourself,” I groan.
“Mmm, I need you now,” she says as she slides her hand over her clit.
“Jesus, you are soaked,” I say as I slam into her.
“Ahh, yes,” she cries. I smack her and she cries out again. “Harder, Ellis. Fuck me harder.”
“You like that, baby? Come for me, sweets,” I say as I rub her clit.
“Don’t stop, please.” I slam into her again. My hand goes to her hair. I thrust in and out of her as her pussy tightens around my dick. I feel my balls growing and my cock thickening.
“Ready for me to fill you up?” I ask as I pull her hair tighter.
“Feels so good. I’m so ready.” She moans. Just as she is about to let out another moan,
I release and pour myself into her. “I love your cum,” she mumbles before collapsing on the bed.
“And I love you and your sweet pussy.” I lean over her and kiss her.
“I’m going to have your baby.” She smiles.
I lay next to her. “Yes, and if it’s a girl, I’m gonna have to hire body guards.”
“Yeah, you are.” She laughs. “Thank you for completing me. You saved me when I was at my worst.”
“We’re destined.”
Epilogue
Ansley
“Lila, he is going to shit. He doesn’t want me out this close to my due date,” I say as she pulls me out the front door.
“Please, I can deal with Ashton Ellis. I’ve had four kids. I know what to do if you go into labor. I need you to see this.” She pulls me in the direction of her yard.
“What is so important that you need me to walk to your house?” I ask as I waddle behind her.
“Just waddle your happy ass and find out.” She laughs.
I’m due at any moment. My ankles are as big as five-pound weights and I swear I waddle like a mother duck. All I need to do is quack. While walking up her front steps, I wonder why she couldn’t just bring whatever this is to me or tell me what it is. She smiles and walks into her kitchen.
“What in the world?” I start to say, but then I stop in my tracks.
“Do you like it? It was delivered today and I wanted to get your ass over here so I could show you.” She smiles and my hand flies to my mouth.
I walk to the table and run my hand over the huge glass box that used to hang in the hall of Poland High. Inside of it is a yellow and black letterman jacket. It isn’t just any letterman jacket. It’s my brother, Angelo’s, jacket. The school always had it displayed in the hallway and I would look at it every day I walked past it. It looks the same. The box has his senior picture and his number, sixteen, in it as well.
