Copyright © 2014 M.S. Brannon. All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without written permission from the author. The exception would be in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews or pages where permission is specifically granted by the author.
This book is a work of fiction and the events surrounding this book are fictitious. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any similarity to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons live or dead, is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.
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Disclaimer
This book is intended for a mature audience due to strong language and adult situations.
Table of Contents
Reggie & Darcie 7
Chapter One 9
Chapter Two 24
Chapter Three 36
Chapter Four 44
Jeremy & Cami 55
Chapter Five 57
Chapter Six 69
Chapter Seven 78
Chapter Eight 89
Drake & Zoe 92
Chapter Nine 94
Chapter Ten 104
Chapter Eleven 116
Chapter Twelve 123
Chapter Thirteen 133
Jake & Delilah 140
Chapter Fourteen 142
Chapter Fifteen 154
Chapter Sixteen 168
Chapter Seventeen 174
Chapter Eighteen 185
Chapter Nineteen 196
The Evans Family Epilogue 203
Epilogue 205
Everlasting Love Playlist 216
Acknowledgments 218
About the Author 219
More from the Author 221
My body tingles as I feel the vibration of the motor against my back and legs. The pulsation sends a trembling sensation as it tantalizes my skin. I can feel the movement, identifying when the car turns to the right and back straight and then merges to the left and straight again.
We are not traveling fast, yet I can’t see where I am going. My vision is blacked out, and the familiar smell of vanilla lingers through the air. My nerves are anxious, and my mind wanders. Questions are rambling around in my head.
Where are we going? What will happen when I get there? Who else is in on this?
As I ride in the passenger seat of my Camaro, my wife drives, and my vision remains blacked out. All I can hear is the faint sound of Cake coming from the radio and the growl of the motor as we drive down the road. The intoxicating smell of my wife’s vanilla perfume mingles pleasantly with the air freshener dangling from the rearview mirror.
Darcie’s warm hand slowly sweeps up my thigh, making its way up my leg, her fingers massaging my jean-covered muscle. I’m struggling to keep control of my desires right now. I want to rip this blindfold off my eyes and forget wherever the hell we’re going.
“You know,” I say as I clear my throat. “You get any closer to my dick, and I won’t care how late we are or where the hell we’re going. I’ll have no problem jerking the car to the side of the road and having my way with you.” I turn my head. Although I cannot see her, I want her to see me. I want her to know how much I’d rather be fucking her than sitting in my car driving to some unknown place.
Darcie releases a deep sigh, and I envision her eyes glazed over with pleasure. Her jade eyes shine like emeralds whenever she’s turned on. However, I know she’s doing this to torture me. She has something up her sleeve, and my outburst will not stop her plans.
“I tell you what.” The singsong, sultry voice does nothing to dissolve my desire. “If you play nice and do as you’re told, I assure you it will all be worth it.” Her hand moves to the crevice of my legs, and then she gives my hard-on a squeeze.
That damn woman! She’s such a little tease. I fucking love that about her. She always knows how to keep me dangling yet always makes it all worth it. In everything she does, Darcie is always worth it.
The car moves to the left as she turns sharply and my body lurches forward when the car comes to a halt then slams back into the leather seat. When I move my fingers to the cotton scarf, a hard crack slaps my hand away.
“I don’t think so, mister. I will tell you when you can take it off.”
I roll my eyes, knowing she won’t see behind the fabric, and then flop my hands down into my lap. The driver’s door opens and mine follows soon after. The cool air grazes against my skin, and the infamous smell of grease and smoke still lingers in the air, which tells me we are still in Sulfur Heights. I’ve lived here my entire life, and the smell is a constant reminder of this place. It’s a smell of horrors and comfort all in one.
I remember Jeremy talking about the day he came home from prison. He said he distantly remembers that smell, and although it was unnerving for him, he also realized it was comforting. And I happen to agree.
Darcie’s fingers thread inside mine, reminding me of what is going on—my surprise. I’m being led across a gravel parking lot or driveway, her hand warm and lightly damp with sweat. It makes me wonder if she’s nervous for what is about to happen. Then my mind starts racing through what the hell she’s up to.
Life has been so good the last five years. However, I can’t ignore this horrible feeling growing in my gut. And this is why I hate surprises. I’ve had enough shit in my life to take me by surprise; I’d rather not have to live through anymore. But life in Sulfur Heights always has a way of bringing me some of the best and worst moments I could imagine.
Lately, it’s been all good moments: from the marriage of Cami and Jeremy to the birth of Jake and Delilah’s army of babies to Drake finally being happy again. It’s all been good. In fact, it’s been perfect, which is why I am freaking out right now. We all know how delicate life is, and at a moment’s notice, we could lose it all.
“Step up,” Darcie instructs as she guides me from cold air into heat.
“Angel, you know I’m not big on surprises. Can you just get this over with? My mind is driving me crazy,” I ask as I expel a deep, calming breath.
I slowly raise my hand and feel her warm, slightly gloss-covered lips as she kisses it, and then she cups it between both her palms. Her very touch is comforting, and over the years, she has been the only reason I have my sanity intact. Through all the shit we’ve endured, it was Darcie who has been the strong presence in my life. It is her, my angel, who has held my hand and reassured me with one connection from her lips. The rush of panic disintegrates when I think of this woman and the curiosity peaks.
Where the hell has she taken me? The smell surrounding me is familiar, citrus and booze. It’s then I realize I am at my home away from home—The Slab. She’s taken me to work? It’s Sunday, so I know we aren’t open to the public…
Before the thought can land, my blindfold is jerked off my head.
“Surprise!” the room erupts as my eyes adjust to the light. I see my entire family staring back at me. Each one of them has a big smile spread across their faces. Big Mike and Gavin are here, as well.
I shake my head and look over to Darcie, who is smiling from ear to ear. We’ve never done anything special for our birthdays, but she must feel this one warrants a celebratio
n.
The bar is decorated in black streamers with signs of ‘Over the hill’ and ‘Look who’s forty’ plastered to every surface. When I look to my right, I see a giant cake shaped in a grassy mound, and resting on top is a tombstone reading, ‘RIP Reggie’s Youth.’ Surrounding the cake are wrapped birthday presents. I’m not really sure what to say to my family, since I am not big on speeches or surprises; therefore, I simply smile and nod my head in acceptance.
“All right, big man, you ready for your birthday beating?” Jake asks as he pulls away from Delilah’s side and punches me on the shoulder. “I think payback is in order for all those mornings you woke us up on our birthdays by slugging us.”
When the boys were in high school, I liked to give them their birthday whooping, which equated to me punching them awake. Jake of all people hated when I woke him up on his special day. For years, he tried to catch me off guard and finally gave up, knowing I was always one step ahead.
The thought makes me laugh out loud. “Sure, if you can land a punch, I’ll let you give me forty in the arm.”
We move to the middle of the bar where Jake begins moving tables and chairs out of the way, clearly thinking he has a shot at beating my ass. I simply laugh. Jake can hold his own, but he’s not as good as me.
Of all my brothers, Jeremy is the one who has surprised me the most with the one on one bouts. When I worked with him as a teenager, I never knew he would use the techniques in the manner he did. I never knew he would be a killer. I still feel incredibly guilty for how he turned out. I had no idea he was suffering so much pain. As his protector, I should have saved him before he became what he was.
Jeremy holds no ill feelings toward me or any of us. He constantly says he will never regret anything he has done, because of what he has with Cami and Hunter. It took me a while to accept this, but when I look at Jeremy’s situation from his point of view, I can understand where he’s coming from.
The clapping of Jake’s hands brings me out of my trance and back to the makeshift boxing ring. When he rips his shirt over the back of his head and pulls his fists up in front of his face, I pull my own shirt off and mirror his stance.
“I thought that, by the time you turned forty, you’d have saggy muscles and a beer gut, Reg,” Jake says as he stares at my torso. “I will say time is on your side in that respect, but I highly doubt you’re as fast as you used to be, old man.” Jake starts punching the air as he bobs his head back and forth while shuffling his feet.
“Well, I have to say I’m glad you’ve retained something I taught you.” I note how skilled he still moves after all these years. The thought makes me swell with pride.
Jake is an asshole most of the time, but he’s one of the most loyal people I know. I’m extremely glad I am here to witness that, not just with Jake, but with all my brothers. I’m simply glad to still be here.
“Is this like a tattooed Clash of the Titans or something?” Gavin shouts.
Jake and I look down at our bodies and back to each other, smirking before we concentrate on our upcoming sparring session. Both of us are covered in inked pictures with barely any visible untouched skin. It’s funny how much we look alike right now.
Ready to spar, just as Jake comes forward to land his first punch, Darcie shouts from the other side of the bar.
“Knock it off!” She comes around the bar and stands between us. “For fuck’s sake, can we get through a family function without you guys trying to compare dicks?” I look to her and stare dumbfounded. She will say the most random things, and after all this time, it still stuns me. “Reggie, you’re forty fucking years old, and Jake, you’re not getting any younger, either.”
“Darcie, Reggie deserves this. You seem to forget that you were always worshipped and waited on by this pussy, while the rest of us were tortured,” Jake snaps to my wife. “We had to watch Reggie give you presents, cake, and balloons, while we got a beating for our birthdays.”
“Oh, you were so abused, Jake. After I whooped you, you never came into the kitchen with presents or any of that shit, did ya?”
He can be such a whiner sometimes. I always made sure to treat my brothers and Darcie like they were royalty on their birthdays. They always had a present or two to open, cake from the local market, and of course, balloons. Jake just can’t get past the fact that I used to kick his ass before all of that happened. I was making him strong. He should be thanking me for beating his ass, not bitching about it.
“It was always Darcie and Drake who were spoiled. And you know it, Reggie!” Jake playfully shouts.
“How’d I get involved in this? I got the slugs to the arm, just like you guys,” Drake says between sips of beer. He leans over and begins to fill Zoe in on all the drama. She can definitely hold her own with my family, but sometimes, we forget she hasn’t been around as long as the rest of us.
“Life is so rough, isn’t it, Jake?” I tease.
“Bro?” Jakes says to his twin.
“That’s true, Darcie,” Jeremy pipes in. I look over to him and glare, but he shrugs his shoulders then leans over to kiss Cami.
“Shut the fuck up, both of you!” Darcie comes around and punches Jake in the arm. “We are not doing this tonight. Let’s just have one Evans Family gathering without the wrestling, boxing, and slugging. Just. One. Night.”
“My wife’s right,” I agree and start moving the tables and chairs back to their normal positions.
Jake rolls his eyes and picks up his glass of beer, chugging it down, before he moves back over to Delilah and kisses her on the lips. He’s still mad about her and she’s still mad at him. Again, there is something I never thought I would see happen.
Darcie pours four pitchers of beer then sets them on the rectangle table we’ve all collected around. Next, she comes back with a tray of shot glasses filled with liquor of all sorts.
While we each take the small glass in our hand and hold it up in a toasting fashion, I look each one of these people in the eye and smile. I wouldn’t be here without them, and I wouldn’t want my life to be anywhere else at this very moment. They are my family, my blood, and I will forever be thankful for their presence in my world.
“Happy Birthday, Reggie. May the next forty years of your life be as amazing as your first!” Darcie toasts then leans down, kissing my lips. She is right. I wouldn’t change a single thing about the first forty years, although I could do without all the tragedy we’ve had to live through.
“Happy birthday!” everyone shouts in unison. Then we all tip our heads back and take our shots. The smooth, sharp burn of the whiskey coats my throat as it moves down to my stomach.
As the family all gags down their shots, I look over my shoulder to get a good look at the cake sitting on the bar top. The words, ‘RIP Reggie’s Youth,’ get my attention. I can’t help smirking. Yeah, my youth was buried long before I was forty. Try when I was a kid.
Even before my mother died, I was responsible for the care of my brothers because I knew she couldn’t do it. She was always too cracked out of her mind to know which way was up. She was at her worst with her addiction right before she was found dead in an alley. I could safely say my youth was long gone by the time I was ten years old.
It took me a long time to get over my mother’s death, especially the anger. I never showed that feeling to my brothers, but I was so mad at her for what she did to our family.
When I was a kid, I wanted her to love Jake and Jeremy as much as she loved me, but she never did. She hated them. She hated their father and took all of those angry feelings out on them. And Drake, she just treated him like he was nonexistent. They never really knew what it was like to grow up truly happy like I did.
Before the twins were born, my mother was a different woman. She was excited for life and what each day brought. Actually, Delilah’s demeanor reminds me of her at times. She was always optimistic and happy. Then my asshole father left, and she fell apart. The dark days of our childhood were all I was left with, and it’s t
hose dark days my brothers know. The thought makes me ache.
I love my brothers, and I tried to make their lives as easy as possible, considering our circumstances, but it turns out life was still hard anyway.
Darcie’s hand brushes across my back as she looks over at me with the happiest look on her face, one I will never get tired of seeing. She is my forever and always.
The way people would scowl at me in disgust when we first announced we were a couple would send me into an enraged state. Even the regulars at the bar were sharing their glances of disgust. They all knew I am almost ten years older than Darcie, and she lived with me when she was a teenager. I guess, to an outsider, it would be hard to comprehend, but you can’t help who you love. You’re not supposed to, because you love who you love. And Darcie is the woman who captured every part of my soul. I will never regret telling her I love her and making her my wife.
Nonetheless, the looks really bothered me at first. I would get incredibly angry when assholes would give their judgmental glares. However, now I really don’t give a shit.
“Hey, you okay?” Darcie whispers into my ear, returning me to my family.
I lift her hand to my lips and kiss the top. “Yes, angel. I’m perfect.” And I am. This night and these people make everything in my life perfect.
We all sit around the table and shoot the shit for the next few hours, talking, laughing, and simply enjoying being together as a family.
***
Gavin is the last to leave after he finishes putting the glasses away under the bar. It’s been a night I will never forget. A night of fun and laughter and a birthday that is equally memorable.
Delilah insisted on singing to the jukebox after she had a couple of shots, which led to Jake getting pissy with her. He has a point, though; her singing voice is shrill, and the less she does it, the better. The two of them still have the same hot and cold relationship from when they first met. If they’re not fighting, they’re fucking and making more babies.
Everlasting Love Page 1
