Bad Seed

by Rye Hart

  “Well, I guess congratulations are in order,” the lawyer said. “As awkward as it might be right now.”

  I turned to him. “It's not awkward,” I said. “I made a choice and I'm happy to see this through. Plus, it just gives me all the more incentive to keep my nose clean inside, and better my life once I get out. I've got a good woman and now, two kids, to look after.”

  “So, can I tell the DA you'll take the deal?” he asked.

  I nod. “Yeah,” I said. “You can.”

  “Great,” he said.

  He walked out of the room, no doubt, happy to have a case off his pile. Kara and I sat there, staring into each other's eyes. Though she looked happy, I could still see the hesitance.

  “I was afraid to tell you,” she admitted. “I wasn't sure how you were going to react. I mean, we both said it wasn't a good time to – ”

  “And I meant it at the time,” I replied. “But, we're past that situation now. Killian and Rory are headed to prison for a long time. Your dad is going to do a little time, but he's come back to you as well. Once I get out, we are going to have a fresh start. A whole new chapter of our lives to spend. Together. The idea of spending my life with you and raising a family – I can't think of anything better than that.”

  “Together,” she said. “I like the sound of that.”

  “You better,” I said. “Because we're going to raise our family together. We're going to raise good kids. Honest kids. We're going to give them a good life.”

  “I know,” she said as another tear – this one, I assumed, of joy – ran down her face. “I know that.”

  I wasn't sure how I was going to give them a better life. But, I was going to have a few months to figure it all out.

  “It's all going to be okay,” I said and surprised myself by actually meaning it.

  “I believe you,” she said. “I actually believe you.”

  I nodded. “Good,” I said. “Because it's true.”

  She leaned forward and kissed me, letting me feel all of the emotion she carried inside of her for me. It was going to have to sustain me for a few months. But, I vowed that once I got out, I would never be apart from her or our kids again.

  “I love you,” I said.

  “I love you too.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  KARA

  THREE MONTHS LATER...

  “Daddy is going to be home soon,” I whispered to the baby in my arms.

  Jack just smiled up at me, reaching out, he let his little hand touching my face. I kissed him on the top of his head, holding him close to me as we waited outside the gates for Declan to step out. Today was the day. He was a free man. Finally, our family could be together. Whole. For real this time.

  When the gate opened up, and Declan stepped through it, my heart felt like it was about to burst as my eyes filled with tears. I stood and hurried over to him. No, more like I sprinted over to him. As soon as I reached him, Declan wrapped his arms around Jack and me and held us close.

  “I've missed you,” I sobbed into his shoulder.

  “I've missed you too,” he said.

  He pulled back a little and smiled down at his son. Jack cooed at him, making us both laugh.

  “God, he's gotten so big,” Declan said.

  I handed Jack over to him. The baby was so small in Declan's big, powerful hands, and seeing how gentle and tender he was with his son filled me with a joy I couldn't even begin to explain.

  “He loves to eat,” I laugh. “Just like his daddy.”

  Declan's gaze moved lower on me, to the soft pooch of my belly. There was still some fear in his eyes. A soft tremor of uncertainty. Still, he smiled and reached out, resting a hand on my stomach.

  “Sometimes it felt like a dream, you know?” he said, meeting my gaze again. “All of it – from Jack, to you, to hearing that you're pregnant. I'd wake up sometimes and wonder what was real and what wasn't. Then, you'd stop by and I knew – I knew it was real, and that soon, I'd be getting out of that place. It was the thought of you and Jack – and our new little one – that kept me going. That and nothing more.”

  “This is still all real. Very, very real.”

  I rested my hand on his where he still had it resting against my belly. There was a small trace of sadness in Declan's eyes, and I could tell there was something he wasn't telling me. He tried to smile, and he seemed happy enough, but something was still very wrong.

  Then again, he'd flipped on his own family and turned them all over to the authorities. They were all doing some long, hard time, and I was sure there was a lot going on inside of his head right now.

  “Mind if we stop by Meredith's and see the kids?” he asked.

  His question should have surprised me, but for some reason, it didn't. I nodded.

  “She's been extremely apologetic since everything went down,” I said. “Who knows how much she actually knew about what Killian really did, but I'm glad she can still raise her kids. Someone has to. And despite her flaws, she's a good mom.”

  “Yeah,” Declan said, his voice lowering. “Killian fucked her up royally. I don't blame her – she was just trying to be a good wife to him. Now she just wants to take care of the kids, and I've decided, I want to help.”

  We started walking from the building, but I stopped and stared at him, cocking my head to the side. His words hit me like a freight train and I wasn't sure what he meant, let alone what he planned to do.

  “Help, how?” I asked.

  “Well, I'm going to be taking over the bar now,” he said. “I'm going to turn it into a legit business, of course. Figured I could help with the kids some. Make sure they turn out okay, you know? I figure they could use a good influence.”

  A smile pulled at my lips and stretched wide as my heart filled with emotion once more. I smiled so long and so hard, my face nearly hurt from the effort of it. I leaned in and kissed him on the lips, holding his face in my hands.

  “You're a good man, Declan,” I said. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

  “I love you too, Kara,” he said. “But what did I do to deserve that? Not that I'm complaining, mind you.”

  “The fact that you want to be there for them, to help care for your niece and nephews, even after all the bullshit,” I said. “Not to mention, I've always wanted a large family one day – ”

  “Let's not get ahead of ourselves,” he chuckled, giving me a quick peck on the lips before we started walking again.

  We headed toward the car, and I buckled Jack into his car seat. Once he was safe and secure, Declan pulled me into an embrace. He kissed along my jaw until he got to my lips, and this time, when we kissed, it was passionate and full of fire. It was the kiss of a man who'd been gone too long and was making up for lost time. He slipped his tongue into my mouth, stealing my breath away.

  “Forget what I said,” he whispered. “If you want a bunch of kids, we'll have a bunch of 'em. I'd do anything for you.”

  My heart stopped, I couldn't even breathe. I stared into his eyes and knew he meant every word he'd just said.

  He continued. “I want that too, in fact. A family. With you. An entire life,” he said. “I want you to be my wife, Kara. I may not have a ring right now – hell, I may not have much of anything – but – ”

  “Yes,” I said before he could finish. “I want that too. I really, really want that too.”

  “Really?” he said, sounding surprised. “But I don't have much of anything right now.”

  “We'll figure that out together, Declan. I'll go back to school, you can run the bar,” I said, running my hands down his chest and I reveled in the sensation of feeling my fingertips over that hard, well-muscled body. “Whatever we do though, I know we'll figure it out and make it together.”

  “I don't even have a place for us to live,” he stammered.

  “Yes, you do,” I smiled. “The cabin that belonged to your family? That's where we've been staying for now. It's not much, but it'll do, right?”

&
nbsp; I leaned against him, my arms around his neck and our foreheads touching. My heart pounded inside of my chest and emotion churned within me.

  “You're right, it's not much,” he said, frowning.

  “No, but it's enough to start our family off in,” I said. “It's already filled with happy memories, so why not fill it with even more?”

  A soft smile crossed his face, and there was something I hadn't seen before in his eyes – hope. He had hope for the future. Hope for a better life – and so did I.

  We were just starting out, but already, we were on a better path than Killian or his father ever were. Declan was twice the man either of them were, and for that, I was proud. It might be rough for a little while, but I had every faith that we'd come through it happier and successful beyond our wildest dreams.

  “I am so freaking happy,” I said, staring into his eyes. “You have no idea.”

  “I'm happy too,” he said, kissing me again.

  Jack let out a small cry in the car, and we both stopped and chuckled. “Probably should continue this at home, huh?” I said.

  “Oh, we will definitely continue this at home,” he said. “It's been three months since I've –”

  I playfully slapped him on the chest. “Hush. Your son is right there.”

  Declan looked over my shoulder and grinned. “He doesn't understand what I'm talking about yet. Do you, Jack?”

  Jack just garbled something at us, and again, we laughed.

  “See? He's oblivious to the things I'd like to do to you,” Declan said, his warm breath brushing along my neck and sending shivers along my body. His hands roamed my body and I shuddered, relaxing into him.

  “Good thing we'll have plenty of time for all that,” I said.

  “The rest of our lives, in fact,” Declan said.

  The End

  BEAUTIFUL DISASTER

  PROLOGUE

  Drake

  Four Years Ago

  “Dinner’s ready, babe!” Shannon called. Her sweet southern voice echoed up the staircase, as I stepped out the shower.

  “Just finishing up baby, be right out!”

  I stared into my reflection in the mirror, quietly thanking the cosmos for blessing me with more than I’d ever deserve. I had best fucking wife known to man, and I didn’t deserve her or that precious little girl that was waiting for me to come downstairs and join them for dinner.

  I smiled as I threw on a shirt and my jeans, a nervous energy running through me as I thought about the night ahead.

  I dashed down the stairs like a bat out of hell.

  “Daddy!” Ava called from her seat at the table next to my wife.

  She shot me a toothy grin, throwing her hands in the air as I passed by. I picked her up, and Ava squealed with delight, a high-pitched laughter bubbling up out of her. It was the best sound. I hugged her tight and spun her around. Shannon shook her head at our antics, trying not to laugh.

  “Oh, you two. Sit, eat,” she said. “We're gonna be late as it is.” The frown lines on her beautiful face told me she meant business. She always had the cutest expressions when she was serious.

  “Gotta do as mommy says. She’s the boss, you know?”

  I kissed Ava on the head before putting her back down into her high chair. Her smile quickly turned upside down. Her second-year birthday had just passed, and she was growing up too damn quickly.

  “Hey now, don't be sad, darlin',” I said. “You're gonna see daddy play guitar tonight. Won't that be fun?”

  “Daddy plays guitar?” she said, eyes wide. “Can I play?”

  “After the show, baby girl, promise,” I said, ruffling her blonde hair.

  She'd gotten her blonde curls from her mama, but her big, brown eyes were all me.

  “You’re gonna knock em dead, sweetheart,” Shannon said.

  “Thank you,” I said, kissing her on the cheek.

  “Be careful driving in the rain baby. I’d drive you myself, but I need to be there early for setup, and you’d be bored to death waiting for us. Just remember, there's a band on before me, so no need to rush.”

  “Thank you, babe. We won’t wait too long. I want to get the best seat in the house. Hey, have I told you lately how proud I am of you?” Her blue eyes sparkling as she took my hand and squeezed it tight.

  “You work all day in the fields, and then burn the midnight oil at night in practice. I don’t know how you do it. I'm in awe of you. Really babe.”

  “You're both worth it, trust me. Besides, Paul’s my helping hand, and he helps to pick up where I leave off every day. Don’t know what I’d do without him.”

  Shannon passed a delicious platter of meatloaf my way, and I loaded my plate up with steamed veggies on the side, along with a healthy dollop of mashed potatoes. She'd been trying to get me to eat greens for a while now, so I humored her and put a few pieces of broccoli on my plate – hidden behind the mountain-sized mound of mashed potatoes.

  Shannon chuckled but didn't say anything, and I winked at her. “Hey, at least I'm eating some greens. Baby steps, darlin'.”

  “Baby steps,” she said with a grin and chuckled at my comment. It always filled me up to see her laugh. Her smile went all the way to her eyes.

  God, she was beautiful.

  We had been high school sweethearts. Friends told us, first love, never last, but there we were – happily married with a daughter, and many more babies in our future – if I had my way.

  I'd inherited my dad's grand ranch after he passed. It was a lot of upkeep, but it provided a good, steady living. We had a roof over our heads and food on our table, but I wanted more for my family. I wanted Ava to grow up knowing that she could follow her dreams, whatever those would be.

  My dreams were obvious. Outside of being a father and husband, I wanted to play music – and make a living doing it. Sure, ranch life was nice, but music was what brought me to life.

  As we ate, Shannon had to urge Ava to eat more veggies. The apple didn't fall too far from the tree.

  “I wrote a song for you,” I said, looking directly at Shannon.

  “You did?” she said, her cheeks flushing. “Another one?”

  “I saved it for tonight,” I said. “About you and baby girl. You two have make me the luckiest man alive.”

  Shannon leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder. Her long, silken blonde hair was pressed against my face and smelled like orange blossoms. I kissed the top of her head, and we went back to eating.

  I looked at the time. “Shit,” I muttered, then I noticed Ava watching me. “You didn’t heart that from me. Sorry, darlin'. I'm running late.”

  I stood, plate in hand to take it into the kitchen, but Shannon stopped me. She grabbed my arm, and I stared down into those heavenly blue eyes of hers.

  “I'll get it, babe,” she said. “You go on. We'll meet you at the club.”

  Leaning down, I kissed her lips, holding her face in my hands. I pulled back and looked into her eyes. So deep. So blue.

  “God, I love you,” I said.

  She smacked my ass gently with a coy smile on her face. “You better be up for showing me how much you love me later this evening,” she said. “Don't wear yourself out too much up on stage. I have a surprise for you tonight.”

  I felt a growing tightness in my jeans as I pictured the night ahead. I imagined Shannon in her sexy little nightie, laying on our bed, waiting for me. She was the only woman I'd ever want in this world. Her sweet face stared back at me, and while she looked sweet and innocent, I knew she enjoyed being a naughty kitten behind closed doors. She was damn good at it too. She knew how to rile me up in the best way.

  Ava had mashed potatoes all over her face, but I leaned down to kiss her anyway. She smeared potatoes all over my shirt and made a huge mess of things. Shannon handed me a napkin, and I tried to wipe it up, but it was all over. All I could do was laugh.

  “I love you, baby girl,” I said.

  “Lah you, daddy,” she said, her brown eyes
cheerful and happy. I ruffled her blonde little head one last time before I hurried out the door.

  Shannon shouted behind me, “Love you. Drive safe.”

  “You too, babe,” I said. “I'll see you soon.”

  “And don't forget your guitar!” she added.

  Shit. I closed the door and ran over to where I kept my guitar in the corner of our small living room.

  “Guitar!” Ava cooed. “I play guitar?”

  “Later, sweetie,” Shannon said, wiping the potatoes off our little girl's face. “After daddy's show, okay?”

  “Okay,” Ava said, pouting slightly.

  I waved as I hurried on out. I rushed to my pickup truck and threw my guitar in the back. Thankfully, tonight's show was at a family-friendly restaurant in town, not the usual smoky bars and clubs. It was one of the first shows Ava would get to attend, and I was looking forward to seeing my daughter in the crowd. She'd be up past her bedtime, but both Shannon and I agreed it’d be worth it. She'd finally get to see daddy perform, in front of a crowd. It might be a small crowd for now, but one day, we’d fill stadiums.

  I pulled up to the restaurant and parked, my drummer, Landon, was already waiting for me by the back door.

  “Took you long enough,” Landon joked.

  “Yeah, well, when you have a wife like mine, you'll get distracted sometimes too,” I said with a grin.

  “Nough with the monkey business. Big crowd tonight,” Landon said. “Hell, I'd say most of 'em are even here to see us.”

  “Or maybe it's the half-price appetizers they're serving at the bar,” I said. Landon was the optimist, while I was the realist.

  “Maybe, but I'll take it.”

  The band that was on had just finished their set and were leaving the stage. We exchanged greetings as Landon and I hit the stage, and I felt that old familiar energy filling me up.

  “Showtime,” I said.

  Landon handed me a beer from the cooler he'd brought along, but I shook my head. I might have the jitters before going on, but with my wife and baby girl in the audience, I wanted to be my best. I didn't want my senses or energy dulled in the least.