“I went straight to Romy’s apartment. I never told her what Diamond said just that I needed to leave. I told her things where getting too heavy with me and Axle and if I didn’t get out now I never would. I dreamed of being a rock star remember. So with a few changes of clothes, my car and the cash the two of us had on us I made my way to the bright lights of California.”
“Holy shit batman. Romy helped you leave? She’s never said anything. She plays just as stupid as the rest of us wanting to know why you left and haven’t been back. I’ve seen Hyde beg her for any information on you. This is a lot to take in chick,” my friend said staring at the road ahead.
“Don’t be mad a Romy. I promised her to secrecy but the only way she agreed was if I checked in regularly. She’s helped me a lot over these last few years. Heck, she was the one sending me money when I couldn’t work after having Hunter. She paid my bills for two months. She thought I was battling postpartum depression brought on by giving the baby up for adoption, when I was really just trying to recover and get in the swing of being a mom.” I needed to get back on topic. “Anyway I left that night and drove to California. It took me three days. Three days of sleeping in my car and eating fast food. I stayed off the interstate and yanked the battery out of my phone. When I rolled into the outskirts of LA I found a seedy motel to crash in. For two days I let myself fall apart. I left the battery out of my phone because I was fighting hard to stay away. One sound of your brother’s voice and I would be running back to South Carolina. I couldn’t do that.”
“On my third day in that slimy motel I woke with a new outlook. I was determined to make my way into the music world. I found a job waitressing at a bar that had live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. In a month’s time I was able to save enough for a tiny one-bedroom apartment. It was still in the shitty part of town but at least I paid by the month and not by the week. By the end of April, I started getting sick. For weeks I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. Being pregnant never crossed my mind because I was on the shot and wasn’t due for another until the middle of May. I collapsed at work one night and was carted off to the hospital. I was informed at the hospital that due to the joys of morning sickness I was severely dehydrated. After a twenty-four hour stay in a hospital bed I was released with vitamins and something for nausea. When I left the hospital I was so scared. I had no family to come take me home so I called the only person I knew in the state. Thankfully the old broad who owned the bar, Rachel, took pity on me. Apparently she was a single mother for most of her life and took a liking to me as well as Hunter when he was born. The bar had a small apartment above it where she used to live when she first opened. I moved in upstairs and worked off my rent.”
“I was about six months pregnant when Romy came to find me. Thankfully I wasn’t that big and was able to fudge the timeline of when I got pregnant. Romy stayed with me for a few days before returning home. She begged for me to come back with her but I couldn’t. I couldn’t face Axle. I know he wasn’t ready for kids. Hell neither was I until I heard my little guys heart beat for the first time in the hospital. I needed to make a life for him and I did the best I could.”
“Avery you shouldn’t have gone through that alone. Fuck what my brother would have wanted, we would have supported you. I would have helped you any way I could if I had known,” Madison said apologetically.
“It’s okay Mads. I made out okay. When Hunter was born Rachel appointed her sixteen-year-old daughter to babysit for me while I ran the bar. Hunter was always close enough that if something happen I could be to him in an instant. A few months before Hunter’s first birthday I took the stage at the bar. The band Rachel had scheduled canceled and she needed a fill in fast. Her oldest son was a roadie for some up and coming band but he knew his way around a guitar. That’s how I met Trevor. Trevor sat on that stage with me with nothing but an acoustic guitar while I sang. The people went wild which led me to covering Thursday nights on a regular basis. With the help of Rachel, we found a house band and I was able to build from there.”
“Trevor never said you worked for his mom. He just told me he met you one night at his mom’s bar back in LA,” Madison said quietly.
“Yeah his mom was a hoot. Anyway, one night Trevor approached me and asked me to come back to the table to meet a few of his friends. At first I thought he was in to me, I had no idea he was gay until a few months later. Either way I walked with him to a table siting in the dark corner of the bar. At the table a few members of the band Break Away sat chatting away. I was shell shocked. After a while we were all bullshitting like old friends. That night Layla offered me a chance at stardom. She wanted to take me to the record label and demand they listen to me. When I declined and explained my situation to the group, over a lot of tequila, they offered me another gig. They had been in the studio recording their latest album but felt like it needed something more. That my dear is how I got the gig to sing back up to Layla Marco.”
When Madison remained silent I finished my story. I hoped like hell I have gotten through to her. I could really use back up when facing my family in a matter of hours. “That was almost four years ago. I’ve been with them ever since. The band and Trevor have become a family for Hunter and I. They looked after us and I will always be grateful. Hunter refers to the girls as his aunts, as well as most of the key guys as uncles. He knows he has other aunts and uncles as well. I made a photo album for him with everyone’s pictures back home. I send birthday gifts, emails and phones calls from everyone. I never wanted him to not know you guys. He thinks because of all the touring we don’t have time to get home to see everyone. It worked when he was younger but now he’s getting older it doesn’t seem to be working as well. That’s why I was planning on coming home for a visit. Trevor was supposed to come with me. The plan was I would come in and announce to everyone that I had a son while he stayed back at the hotel with Hunter. When the smoke cleared and everyone was up to speed I would bring Hunter to meet everyone. You just showed up a week too early for my plan to go off without a hitch,” I said hoping to get a smile out of Madison.
“Yeah leave it to me to fuck shit up,” my girl said letting me know we were okay. “Just tell me that when we get back here you’re going to come clean. You’re going to let people say what they have to say. Let them be mad but don’t fucking leave again without telling anyone. The two of you are a part of this family and family sticks together.”
“I promise not to run off without letting you guys know but I can’t promise that we will be here forever. I have a career and a support group back in California that I’ll probably return to once the club gets this shit settled. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Hunter before Madison but keeping him a secret seemed like the only way to make things work. I hope in time you can forgive me.”
“Avery I know that you didn’t do this for revenge. I know in my heart that you wouldn’t keep Hunter from us on purpose. I forgive you, babe, but I’m still pissed. I’ll help you get through this I promise. If my brother or the rest of the assholes can’t get past it, then it’s on them. For now, though we need to get our asses home. Well get cleaned up and face this shit together. At least we should be home before everyone gets moving. That’ll give us some time to get a game plan together. I’ll call your dad first. We need to get him to check us out. I’m still a little woozy from the blow to the head and you look like you’ve gone three rounds with Tyson.”
I flipped the sun visor down to inspect my face. I had a black eye and bruising moving down my neck. My clothes were torn and I have scratches from the gravel on my arms and legs. I began to feel the pain I was in just as I looked down at myself. With all the adrenaline and stress gone I could feel the damage that asshole inflicted on my body. I needed a hot bath, couple shots of whiskey, and a bottle of ibuprofen. After that I would face my family.
Chapter 6
Madison
I pulled the GTO in the drive way of the clubhouse just after seven in the mornin
g. Avery had finally fallen asleep about an hour ago. I wanted to take her home before we saw anyone but my phone had died along the way and I needed to get a hold of Doc. When I came by his house on the way out of town his truck was missing which meant he must have crashed at the club house last night. Which brought me to my current dilemma. I was about to walk in the lion’s den.
Avery looked like shit and I was afraid I might have a concussion. It was still early enough that the guys should be sleeping off the night before. Hopefully one asshole in particular. I was in no mood to listen to Wall’s bullshit. I’ll deal with his ass later. I needed to help my friend and my nephew get settled. My plan was to leave both of them in the car long enough to go inside to find Doc. When I went to open the door a little voice in the back seat startled me.
“Where are we,” Hunter said just above a whisper from the back seat.
I jumped at the sound of his voice before I slowly turned to see the little blonde hair boy looking at me. When I looked at him I knew he was Braxton’s. At four and a half years old he had his father’s chin and dimples. The look on his face could mirror his fathers but his eyes are what told the truth. Hunter had the O’Shea baby blues. It was the same eyes my grandfather, father, my brothers and I all shared. What the hell do I say? I don’t want to scare him.
“Hi there sweetheart. We’re headed to my house but I had to stop to pick something up first,” I hope that was enough. Avery said he knew who everyone is. Would he know who I was or would he see me as a stranger. “Do you know who I am sweet pea?”
“Aunt Madison you’re silly! Where’s momma?”
“Oh sweetie she’s right here. She fell asleep on our trip back home. You were asleep when I got there to pick you two up last night. Mommy wanted to surprise you with a trip home while the band was close enough,” I said feeling like a big ole liar.
My nephew lite up like the fourth of July. “Really! Yay I get to see daddy! Can we go get daddy now? We can let momma sleep while we go find him.”
Thank goodness Avery sprang to life. I couldn’t speak for the emotions that overcame me. It was love at first sight with this little dude. You couldn’t help but love his little face. He was wide awake and ready to go see his daddy. I made a mental note to kill my brother if he let this little boy down.
“Good Morning baby boy. Did you sleep okay,” Avery asked Hunter?
“Yes momma! I get to see my daddy! Can we go find daddy momma? You said he miss ‘te’did me like crazy. I know he wants to see you too.” Thank god the little guy was excited because he wasn’t affected at all with the way his momma and I looked.
Avery looked to me for help. I felt like the Grinch who stole Christmas lying to Cindy Lou Who. I thought of a little white lie that would hopefully buy us some time. “We’ve got to go over to my house first buddy. Daddy doesn’t know you’re coming and we were planning on surprising him with dinner tonight. He’s a little busy and won’t be back til later baby,” I lied to my nephew.
“Yeah you’re going to need to stay with me baby boy and be very quiet. It’s a surprise! You can’t let anyone see you okay,” Avery added to my story. It seemed to fool the little boy for the time being.
“Ok momma I promise. I’ve got to pee. Can we go in with Aunt Madison to the bathroom momma?”
From the looks of things nobody was up yet and as long as we were quiet we should be able to get in and out without anyone knowing. I nodded my head to Avery. I got out of the car and waited for the two of them to get out. Avery was having a hard time. She must have taken quite a beating from those dickheads last night. I helped her out of the car and gave her my shoulder to lean on. Hunter must have finally picked up on the fact his momma was hurt. He knew something wasn’t right but didn’t ask any questions. I helped them in the door of the club house that lead to the bar area. I was expecting to get them to the bathroom in the corner and go find Doc. I’d tell Doc to meet me over to the house in an hour and beg for him not to say anything. I’d use Jacoby as an excuse if I had too. What I wasn’t expecting was to throw the door open and see the happy family sitting at the table. I froze when I saw my best friend sitting with her daughter and boyfriend at one of the tables in the bar. When she looked up I knew she was putting two and two together.
Carrin
"Are you hiding from mommy baby girl," Zeus asked as my daughter babbled her response back. "I thought so little one. Let's get your cereal baby. I know you’re hungry and mommy misses you like crazy. Daddy misses you too. Don't be mad at daddy but after we have breakfast, daddy will be caught up here for the rest of the day. Hopefully I'll be home to eat dinner with you and mommy tonight. I love you little girl." I stood in awe as my daughter stared at him like she understood every word he just said before she pulled the pacifier out of her mouth to place a sloppy kiss on his cheek.
When I heard Zeus' feet begin to move towards me I quickly ran back in the bar area. If I didn't want to get caught listening in I better get back to the table. I made it back to the high chair, removing the tray, just in time for Zeus to plop Tivie in place. Once she was settled in her seat with her breakfast I sat down to enjoy my coffee. Sitting in between my daughter and my man I felt a wash of peace come over me. In that moment I knew my future would include both of them and I couldn't be happier. For the first time in a long time I could feel myself getting excited for what was to come.
Just as we were settling in with light conversation the door to the clubhouse opened. My eyes did a double take at the three faces making their way inside. Two of them I had known since I was born. The third couldn't be much older than a five and was a spitting image of Avery but, those blue eyes I would know anywhere. Those deep blue eyes were the mark of an O'Shea. I stood in silence as I looked at a very shaken Madison holding a battered Avery next to her side while the little boy clung to Avery's leg.
I broke my stare at the three in front of me to turn back to Zeus. Without words I let him know he needed to round up the family. Something big is going on and the shit is going to hit the fan. Zeus began getting up from the chair to make his move when Madison's voice stopped him.
"Zeus please no. I promised her I would get her cleaned up before having to face everyone. Please call Doc and have him meet us over at the house. We need to get her checked over before we fill everyone in on what happened last night," Madison pleaded.
"If Axle finds out that your here and I didn't tell him it's going to be my ass C.B. you know that," Zeus said calmly. There would be hell to pay if he didn’t alert his president not only because of his sister’s return but the blonde blast from the past that just stumbled in. He was going to lose his shit when he sees what I see. One look at that little boy and I now know why Avery has been gone for so long. She better get ready to do some explaining or I would willingly beat her ass for keeping a child from his father. The only thing keeping me from passing judgement right now is the fact that Madison is standing beside her defending her. If Madison’s crazy ass was helping her something tells me there’s a reason for Avery’s secret. I’ll make sure to pull Madison aside as soon as we get over to the house.
"Yes I know and I’m begging you to just give us a few hours. If he sees her like this your president is going to go off the chain before anything gets explained. Not to mention I don’t need to deal with Wall’s shit on top of it. We’ve had a long fucking night and what seems like a longer trip here. We're hole, just a little bruised and shaken. Let us get cleaned up before the over protective assholes swoop in. I promise you we won’t disappear; we just need to pull our shit together." She must know how torn Zeus was because she continued to plead with him. I stood and made my way over to Zeus to whisper in his ear.
"I know what you’re supposed to do baby, but I'm asking you to give me time to get them over to the house and freshened up before their attacked with questions. Doc is Avery's father. He's going to need to check them over anyway. Just give them time for him to meet us at the house before you wake the devils."
Zeus said nothing just gave me a slight nod as he pulled his phone out of his pocket to make the call. I turned back to our unexpected guest to speak. "Madison get them out to the side by side while I grab Tivie. We'll get you guys over there before all hell breaks loose. Everyone is stirring and if you don’t want anyone to know you’re here we gotta get out of here,” I said before focusing my next words to Avery alone. “Avery I can see looking in the eyes of that little boy you've got more to tell then just what the three of you endured last night. I hope like hell there’s a reason why you kept your little secret but, even we can’t save you from the wrath that will come."
Madison and Avery nodded their heads in agreement as they turned around and went back out the door. I sent up a silent prayer for peace. Peace I knew that would only come if we were granted a miracle. Axle will take one look at that cute little boy and know why Avery has stayed away. I just hope that he keeps his shit in check or I have no doubt Avery will be running again. From the looks of her, whoever has been fucking with the club, managed to find her. If they found her once they'll find her again. She needs a safe place and support. I only hope that place is here.
I took Tivie from her high chair and followed the others outside. I saw Madison helping Avery in the front of the GTO. I waited until the little boy and Avery were situated before walking to face Madison. “Are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on,” I whispered.
“I’ll tell you everything I know when we get to the house. Just help me get them over there and situated before the chaos takes over.”
Coming Home: Dominant Devils Book 2 Page 8
