Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology

by Anthony, Jane

  My Zippo.

  A brilliant shard streaks across his blood-smeared cheek as Austin faces me with a smile. His boot lifts me off the floor with the force of his kick. “Y’all can burn in hell, you sum’bitches!”

  The Zippo sparks. With an evil sneer, Austin drops it to the ground. The tiny flame catches the dry straw covering every inch of the floor. It ignites fast, spreading through the stable like a brush fire. The horses scream in their stalls, bucking and clamoring to find their way out.

  Smoke fills my lungs. My eyes tear and burn. Austin comes toward me, walking through the inferno like the Devil himself. The second he’s close enough, I take one last chance. I lunge again and catch him in the knees. He falls hard, smacking his head on the corner of the shelf with a nauseating crack. The blaze burns all around him, melting the saddles, devouring the dry wood, and licking up the walls of the stable, but he doesn’t move. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead, and I don’t care. I only care about Casey.

  I cover my nose and mouth with my shirt and drag her outside. Knowing she’s a safe distance from the fire, I run around the stable and unlock all the doors. My lungs are on fire, and my whole body aches. The horses dart out one by one, running to the safety of the pasture as I run back to where my girl lies still bound in the grass.

  “Casey!” I tug at the rope, loosening the knot, and her arms and legs fall dead at her sides. “Wake up, Case. Come on,” I urge.

  With clumsy fingers, I search her neck for a pulse as I call 911. She’s alive, but I’m afraid to touch her. Her breathing is too shallow. I don’t know if she hit her head, suffocated, if he choked her ... Giving her a quick onceover, she appears okay, but I can’t tell for sure.

  I fix her clothes and gently slide her onto my lap. “God,” I start, looking up at the sky, “I know we’ve been on shit terms, but if you’re there, please, please make her all right.”

  Ash blows across my face in the wind, lifting my messy hair off my forehead. I lost my hat in the fight, but it doesn’t matter. She is the only thing that can’t be replaced.

  Heat rolls up my cheeks. It stings my swollen eyes and blurs my vision. I can’t breathe past the lump in my throat. Even my nostrils burn. At first, I think it’s from the raging inferno that’s encompassing the stable, but when I wipe my face, I find it wet.

  Fuck.

  My cheeks, my chin, even the neckline of my shirt, all of it covered in the salty water leaking from my eyes. Now that it’s started, I can’t get it to stop.

  “Don’t do this. Don’t take her from me. I can’t handle losing her, too,” I sob.

  I jam my eyes shut in an effort to hold back Niagara Falls from pouring down my face, but all I see behind my closed eyelids are my mom, my dad, Jillian, Casey—everyone I love, vanishing before my very eyes. I can’t live through it again.

  Tears break through my lashes and fall down my face as I finally grieve for the first time in fourteen years.

  Quiet sirens fill the distant air, getting louder the closer they get. Cops, firefighters, paramedics—they all run toward us doing their jobs, but I’m glued to the ground, crying like a bitch. The stable is gone, and so is Austin.

  Everything’s going to be fine. I chant it repeatedly as they strap Casey to a gurney and load her into the ambulance.

  It’s going to be fine.

  It has to be.

  Because if she doesn’t recover, neither will I.

  Epilogue

  Moans rocket out of my wife’s mouth. My face is buried so deep between her thighs that I’m going to have to come up for air soon. I know she’s close, and I don’t want to break the rhythm that has her sucking wind and tearing the hair from my scalp. It’s early, and she’s so tired, but it’s been so long, and I want her to come. Not having been able to touch her for weeks has made me a little overeager.

  A cry tears from the monitor near our bed, and my head pops up on instinct. Casey lets out a drawn-out sigh and flops both arms over her face. “Dammit!”

  “Don’t worry, cowgirl. I got it.” I rise to my feet, stretching my body—and my overworked jaw—before heading out of our bedroom.

  “How’s my girl this morning?”

  Gabriella’s scrunched up face matches her pink pajamas as she cries and kicks her cotton covered feet. Gabby was a surprise, one neither of us expected. After three boys, a little girl finally graced our home, making our family complete. She’s just as pretty as her mama is, and she stole my heart just as fast. Cradled against my bare shoulder, she begins to root. Babies this young are like animals. It’s all about food to them.

  Shoving the pacifier into her tiny mouth seems to appease her for the moment. After the first three kids, I’m a pro at this. I can change a diaper in the dark and have her back in her pjs before she even realizes the tiny hunk of silicone isn’t going to start spouting milk anytime soon.

  “Here you go, baby. Breakfast is served,” I murmur, placing my newborn daughter into Casey’s arms.

  Ten years ago, I never, in my wildest dreams, could have imagined my life would turn out the way it did. A gorgeous wife, four amazing kids, and acres of farmland as far as the eye could see. It’s light years away from where I came from, but it’s perfect. I wouldn’t change a single thing.

  Except for Austin.

  Getting past it was hard for both of us. It took months of therapy and good old-fashioned time to move on. Casey and I never talk about it anymore, but it’s there. Lodged in my brain, unable to forget no matter how hard I try.

  Casey has let it go. Exonerated him for his sins and absolved him of his crimes. She says the only people her anger was hurting was us. Austin isn’t around anymore to feel her pain. He’s gone, and we need to thank God for the second chance he’d bestowed upon us.

  I’m not that forgiving.

  For a long time, I blamed myself. Thoughts about what would have happened had I not returned when I did still haunt me. Visions of my girl bound and tied, almost raped and burned by a violent lunatic replaced my dreams of wreckage. Paramedics said the blanket saved her. Without it, she would have inhaled enough smoke to suffocate for sure. It worked as a filter, keeping her airway clear. For that, I’ll always be thankful.

  “Luke! Jackson! Up and at ‘em, kids. Animals ain’t gonna feed themselves!”

  Bleary eyed, my two oldest boys ooze out of their beds. Ranch work never ends, and I need to have Mr. Pritchett’s truck fixed by noon, which means I need a little help from my homemade crew.

  I make sure the boys are on their way to getting dressed then go wake up the little one. “Come on, buckaroo, daylight’s wasting!”

  “But, Daddy, I’m tired!” His little voice is raspier than usual, as he jams his tiny fist in his eye and shifts under the covers.

  “I know, buddy. But we got work to do before Aunt Jill and Uncle Jameson get here this afternoon.”

  He shoots up in his bed. “They’re comin’ today?”

  “Yep. It’s April second.”

  My own smile reflects back at me on the smooth face of my four-year-old. Between the three boys, Beau is the most like me. Same dark hair, same eyes, same olive skin. Ironic, since he’s the one who carries my name.

  Anthony Morello III but we call him Beau after Casey’s grandfather. He emulates me, from his ball cap to his work boots. He’s my shadow. Wherever I am, Beau is sure to be right behind me.

  “Are you and Mama playin’ a jig tonight?” His little hands touch the sky as I help him pull off his pajama shirt.

  Once a month, Casey and I headline a show at The Wander. Covers mostly—heavy metal/country combos recreated by a strong Southern chick and a hard rockin’ guy whose combined love of music couldn’t be suppressed. It’s not the neon dreams Casey once fantasized about, but up on that silly plywood stage in a local bar in nowhere Texas, she shines like a star.

  “I think you mean gig, buddy.” The look he gives me is so innocent that I can’t help but smile. He has trouble with words. I try to correct him but he
aring him substitute F for the TR sound in truck always makes me snicker. I may be almost forty, but I’m still a big kid myself. “And yes, we are.”

  “Does that mean Miss Sally’s comin’ over to watch us?”

  Dark waves spring up out of the neck hole on his tee as I pull it over his head. “Sure does. I don’t want to hear that y’all have given her trouble like last time, ya hear?” Beau pulls up his socks with an overstated nod. “All right, then. Let’s go get some grub.”

  After a quick breakfast, the boys and I get to work. We have two ranch hands helping with our day-to-day tasks. Good men who’ve been with us for years. They work the land then go home to their families at night, but we trust them enough to leave the ranch in their care on the rare occasions we head back East. Today’s a special day, though, and Brock and Jorge have the day off.

  In addition to horses, we also have chickens, a dairy cow, and a small vegetable garden. Casey gives riding lessons, but she’s on maternity leave at the moment. We each do our jobs, and the morning goes without a hitch.

  Casey’s shrill whistle echoes from the back door. That’s her way of calling us all in. The boys grapple over one another on their way up to the house, and I meander in behind them, already exhausted from my half-day’s work. When it’s just us on the porch, I press my lips to hers. Moments alone are so infrequent these days, but I never miss an opportunity to kiss my girl whenever I want.

  “You still owe me one later, city boy. Don’t forget.” She giggles.

  The hair on my arms stands on end. Ten years together, and that little laugh of hers still makes me tingle all over. “Don’t you worry, cowgirl. I’m gonna plow you like fertile land,” I joke, patting her on the ass before I head into the kitchen door to greet the family waiting there for me.

  It’s been a year since we've all been together, and I’m happy they’re here. We try to talk as often as we can, but life gets in the way. They’re busy, we’re busy; it is what it is. The visits are never as long as I hope. Morello and Tate is left in good hands, but business awaits and they can’t stay. However, we all agreed this day is the one day of the year that we will all be together, no matter what.

  “Hey there, bumpkin.”

  My sister’s embrace is so tight it strangles me, but I don’t pull away until she does. I feel the wetness in my eyes, and it doesn’t embarrass me. Dad was right. Family is everything.

  “I hear your dad’s got you helping out at the shop. Don’t let the old man boss you around,” I say to Zakk, whose lazy smile reminds me so much of his father I want to smack it. He still resembles me a little, but this kid is a Tate in every way. Sarcastic as fuck and super chill.

  An original Morello and Tate tee hangs on his slender frame as he casually leans against the counter. At ten, he’s almost as big as his mother is already. He’s even gotten in trouble at school for kissing girls, too. I always said Jill was going to have her hands full, and I was right.

  “Can I hold the baby?” My niece, Nikki, bursts into the room. She’s six, the same age as Jackson, but she’s not shy like he is. She’s just like her mother: little but with a personality that can suffocate a room with its size.

  “Me first,” Jill coos, cuddling Gabby in the crook of her neck. “Jameson, look how sweet she is. I want another baby.”

  “Oh, jeez. I’m going to have to get a vasectomy after this trip, aren’t I?”

  “Y’all are crazy. C’mon, I set up lunch outside.” Casey grabs a platter of salad and ushers everyone out the back door, while I head to the sink to wash up.

  Through the window, I see them all laughing and playing. Talking like no time has passed at all. The bitter sting of emotion hits me as my gaze falls on the pasture. It is a perfect day. The sky is like a painting. It’s one of those stop-and-take-it-in kind of moments. Everything I ever wanted is here, except for the one person I miss most.

  “What’d I miss?” I ask, joining them in the yard.

  “Jameson was tellin’ us about the time y’all were sellin’ Christmas trees by the shop.”

  Laughter cracks the sky as I throw my head back; encased in a memory I’d long forgotten yet remember like it was yesterday. Business took a hit that year, so to supplement our income my dad got the brilliant idea to sell Christmas trees off our lot after the shop closed for the day. He hired Jameson and me, only fifteen at the time, as his lackeys. “We froze our asses off! What a nightmare that was!”

  “Seriously, dude. Your dad was a sheisty bastard!” he cries, rolling with laughter so heavy it’s pooling in his eyes. “To this day, the sound of Christmas carols still gives me the chills, and not in a good way.”

  “Man, the things he used to make us do. Remember when he took us down the shore and insisted we all wear matching sweatbands? Mom refused because she was worried about her hair.”

  Jill smacks the table, sucking in wind while cackling like a hyena. “Oh, yeah! Mine was pink. I was so pissed!”

  I grab a plate of uncooked burgers and carry it to the grill, still laughing. He would have loved this. I feel his presence all around me and see it in the smiles of my children, but it’s not the same. He should be here. Laughing about old times and sharing a cold Bud with us. The life I live isn’t the one he’d planned for me, but I know he would have been proud of the man I’ve become anyway. He would have been sixty today, and not a day goes by that I don’t think about him.

  The cold meat sizzles on the grill, and I turn to back toward the table. “To Dad.” I raise a beer, and everyone follows suit. “Thanks for the laughs, old man. Until we see each other again.”

  * * *

  The End

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  Playlist

  Playlist

  * * *

  Twisted Sister – “I Wanna Rock”

  Judas Priest – “Touch of Evil”

  Johnny Cash – “Ring of Fire”

  Pantera – “Cemetery Gates”

  Jason Aldean – “She’s Country”

  Tim McGraw – “Meanwhile Back at Mama’s”

  Luke Bryan – “Move”

  Lee Brice – “I Don’t Dance”

  Queensryche – “Spreading the Disease”

  Luke Bryan – “Pray About Everything”

  Carrie Underwood – “Heartbeat”

  Metallica – “Fade to Black”

  Randy Houser – “We Went”

  Florida Georgia Line – “H.O.L.Y”

  Jason Aldean – “Burnin’ it Down”

  Kansas – “Dust in the Wind”

  Tesla – “Love Song”

  Rush – “La Villa Strangiato (An Exercise in Self-Indulgence)”

  Carrie Underwood – “Starts with Goodbye”

  Iron Maiden – “No More Lies”

  Guns N Roses – “Estranged”

  Lee Brice – “You Don’t Sound Like You”

  Eric Church – “Springsteen”

  Jennifer Nettles – “Unlove You”

  Scorpions – “No One Like You”

  Dierks Bentley – “Say You Do”

  J. Geils Band – “Love Stinks”

  Maren Morris – “My Church”

  Cam – “Burning House”

  Metallica – “The Four Horsemen”

  Tim McGraw – “The Highway”

  Zebra – “Tell Me What You Want”

  Chris Young – “Who I Am With You”

  Garth Brooks – “You Move Me”

  Cole Swindell – “You Should Be Here”

  About the Author

  Jane Anthony is a best-selling author of contemporary/erotic romance. She writes hot blue-collar dudes, raunchy rockstars, and fun feisty heroines. Her work is gritty and real and will have you cursing her name and begging for more
. Jane gives a bit of herself and her quirky knowledge in each novel by incorporating her love of music through a book-specific playlist and adding things uniquely Jane to the plot, like her crazy family or '80s trivia. When she’s not busy being mom or Mrs. A, you'll find her at a concert, lost in a book, or watching horror movies with her husband.

  Click here for Jane’s Website

  My Captain

  Andy Wayne

  A Pleasure Cruise Second Chance Romance

  My Captain © 2019 Andy Wayne

  * * *

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  My Captain

  The only person I knew on that pleasure cruise was my captain…

  * * *

  I had everything I wanted. I had love. We had food, a house and steady work. We were going to have a child. Then it was over—no warning. I don’t know why she left. But I’ll never stop missing her.