Honor Me (Men of Inked #6)

by Chelle Bliss

  “I’ll give you a pass this once.”

  I’d probably had fifty passes over the years.

  “Let’s do a toast.” Anthony held his shot glass in the air and waited. I grabbed a bottle of water and joined everyone with my bottle high above my head. “To the Gallos, one kick-ass family that even a gunshot doesn’t stop.”

  Mia cleared her throat and grinned. “Gunshots, punches, and everything else, but don’t mention a vasectomy without them scurrying away like little rats.” She raised her glass higher.

  “Salute,” everyone murmured, not willing to make a comment after that.

  “What a bullshit day,” Anthony said, pulling a stool up to the counter and making himself comfortable.

  Max stood behind him with her arms wrapped around his neck. “I kept waiting for Thomas to move and hear someone in the church scream.” She laughed, nuzzling her face into his neck.

  “That would’ve been kick-ass,” Anthony said, turning his face to kiss her forehead.

  Izzy leaned on the counter and wound her fingers with James’s. “Don’t ever make me go through that.”

  He grinned. “I have it in my will that you’re to be buried with me like the slaves in Egypt. You’re coming to the afterlife with me, baby.”

  She punched him in the gut and he hunched over. “Bull-fuckin’-shit.”

  He laughed and held his stomach. “I thought you’d love the idea.”

  I giggled and glanced over at Joe, who was digging his fingers into his eyes.

  “Where did Ma and Pop go?” Thomas asked as he walked back into the kitchen with Angel under his arm.

  “They were exhausted and headed home,” Izzy told him and picked up the bottle of tequila again. “Shot?”

  “I think I’ll stay sober tonight.”

  Izzy’s mouth fell open and she gawked at Thomas. “Why?”

  “Just fuckin’ with ya. Pour me a shot.” He laughed and nudged Izzy in the shoulder.

  “Christ, you scared me.”

  There was a low hum in the kitchen as everyone stood around chatting like it was normal. Everybody seemed to forget that we had a funeral today…one for Thomas. Fake or not, that shit was scary as fuck.

  In true Gallo fashion, they went on as if it were another day.

  Frequent Customer Card

  Joe

  My head had just hit the pillow when the phone rang. “Joe,” Izzy said, out of breath and gasping for air. “Ma’s is in the hospital. Hurry.” She hung up without telling me anything else.

  “Suzy.” I shook her, but she didn’t respond. “Suzy,” I said again, shaking her harder.

  “What?” she groaned. “I knew I shouldn’t have had that shot of tequila.”

  I hopped out of bed and grabbed my pants off the floor, trying to put them on. “Ma’s in the hospital. I’ve got to go.” My legs were shaking so badly, I could barely keep my balance.

  She shot straight up in bed and covered her mouth. “What? Oh my God!” The look of horror on her face probably matched my own when I heard the news. “Is she okay?”

  “I have no idea.” I yanked a shirt over my head, not even bothering to see if it was on right. “I’ll call as soon as I know anything.” I kissed her, leaving her in the bed, and ran out of the house.

  * * *

  By the time I got to the ER waiting room, I looked like roadkill. My hair was standing on end and the shirt I had on was one of Suzy’s oversized sleep shirts that said: “I’m Sexy and I Know It.”

  “What the fuck are you wearing?” Izzy asked as her eyes traveled up and down the length of my body.

  I waved my hands. “It doesn’t matter. How’s Ma?”

  “They haven’t said anything yet. Daddy’s back there with her. Everyone is on their way, but you’re the first to make it here.”

  My hands were shaking and I struggled to breathe. “What happened?” I tried to tame down my locks after a nurse walked back and smirked.

  “I don’t know. Dad called in tears and said the ambulance was there. He said Ma couldn’t breathe.”

  “Fuck,” I whispered and glanced down at the ground. “This can’t be happening.”

  “Joe,” Mike said as he ran toward me with Anthony and Thomas, dressed in a hoodie and baseball hat, right on his heels. “What’s the word?”

  “No news yet.”

  “I’ll get to the bottom of this,” he said, pushing me to the side and strutting up to the nurses’ station.

  I sat down next to Izzy, resting my face in my hands and starting to pray. God and I hadn’t been close in years, but with my ma in the hospital, I was willing to grovel.

  “They said a doctor will be out to talk with us soon.” Mike sat next to me and started to shake his leg and fidget.

  Thomas paced the small waiting room area with Anthony. No one spoke, just waited for any tiny shred of hope from the doctors.

  My eyes kept going to the clock, checking to see how many minutes had passed since the last time I looked. Minutes turned into an hour, one tick at a time.

  Me: No news, sugar.

  Suzy: I can’t sleep. I’m too worried. Text me when you hear anything.

  Me: I will. Love you.

  Thomas stopped in the middle of the floor and pulled at his hair. “What’s taking so damn long?”

  “Maybe you can sweet-talk that old biddy of a nurse.” Mike sneered and pointed toward an old woman sitting behind the reception desk who looked like my grandmother.

  “I’ll see what I can do.” He marched off with his shoulders pushed back. He leaned over the desk and the woman smiled at him, resting her hand under her chin.

  Moments later, she stood and walked off to the back. Thomas smiled and blew on his knuckles before rubbing them on his shirt. “Hook, line, and sinker.”

  “What did you say to her?” I asked, curious how Thomas made headway while Mike didn’t.

  “Just told her that we’d been waiting an hour and hadn’t heard a thing about Ma. She said that someone should’ve spoken to us by now and she apologized.”

  Mike’s nose wrinkled. “That’s it?”

  “That’s it. I also told her how pretty she looked tonight too.”

  “Liar,” Mike grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Whatever. It worked, asshat.”

  “Everyone just shut the fuck up,” I said, wiping my hands on my pants and trying to calm down. My heart hadn’t stopped racing since the moment the phone rang. “I can’t listen to you bicker like little kids right now. Ma could be dying, for all we know.”

  “Don’t you dare say that!” Izzy shot up from her seat and shrieked. “You shut your fucking mouth.” Tears pooled in her eyes before breaking free and falling down her cheeks. “I couldn’t deal with losing Ma.”

  “Izzy,” I said and held my hand out to her. I pulled her into my lap like I had so many times when she was a scared little girl and comforted her. “She’s going to be okay, Izzy. She’s a tough woman.” I rocked her gently and tried my best to calm her down.

  “Gallo?” A nurse standing near the doorway to the patient area said.

  We all stood, moving toward her quickly. “Yes?” Izzy was the first to talk.

  “Follow me, please.” She waved us to follow and we did, not speaking but just moving.

  The more steps I took, the harder it became to breathe. Every step took effort as we moved down the corridor. Alarm bells went off, beeping from the heart monitors made my ears hurt, and the staleness of the cold air made each breath a struggle.

  The nurse pointed down the hallway. “Room six at the end.”

  We picked up the pace, unable to wait another moment to find out if the glue that held our family together was alive or dead.

  “Mommy,” Izzy said, standing near the doorway before disappearing inside.

  I inhaled and held the air in my lungs. Please let her be alive. When I entered the room, she was sitting upright clutching her left side.

  “It’s her ribs,” Pa s
aid and hung his head, kicking his feet absently. “She broke one and couldn’t breathe. I thought she was dying.” He rubbed his forehead and grimaced.

  “Thank fuck,” Mike said and staggered backward, holding his chest.

  “Sal, why did you call the kids?” Ma said, trying to adjust, but wincing and grabbing her side.

  “Mar, they had a right to know you were in the hospital.”

  “How the hell did you break a rib, Ma?” Thomas asked, grabbing her hand and holding it in his.

  “It was an accident,” she said through gritted teeth, her eyes cutting to my father.

  “It’s my fault.” He put his head in his hands. “It’s all my fault.”

  “What did you do, Pop?” I rubbed his back and my heart ached for him. One thing I knew is that he loved her and would never do anything to hurt her.

  “I was changing a light bulb and he let go of the ladder,” Ma explained, but her eyes shifted.

  “Why the fuck were you changing a light bulb this late at night?”

  A nurse walked into the room carrying a pair of scrubs for my mother and not paying attention. “Here you go, Mrs. Gallo. This way you don’t have to wear that French maid outfit home.” When she looked up and noticed us all staring at her with our mouths hanging open, she froze. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

  “It’s okay, dear. Thank you for the clothes.”

  “What the fuck, you two?” Izzy ran her fingers through her hair, pulling on it gently. “What really happened?”

  “We kind of got a little out of control after a bottle of wine. I went to flip your mom over, she wasn’t expecting it, and when I landed on top of her, I may have broken her rib.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to get that visual out of my head. “Jesus!”

  “Way to go, Pop.” Mike punched him in the shoulder and my father’s body rocked back.

  “You two really need to find a hobby.” Izzy made a gagging sound.

  “Or maybe a sex swing,” Anthony added.

  I walked into the hallway to catch some air and calm my nerves.

  Me: She’s fine. Broken rib and will heal.

  Suzy: How did she do that?

  Me: You don’t want to know.

  Suzy: I do.

  I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the mental picture of them having sex and Ma wearing a French maid getup.

  Me: You don’t.

  Suzy: I do.

  Me: Ask Izzy. I’ll be home soon.

  When I walked back in the room, everyone was kissing them good-bye.

  “Want me to stay and help you get her home?” I asked, shoving my phone back in my pocket.

  “No, son. I can do it. Go home and get some rest.”

  “Okay, Pop.” I hugged him tightly and turned my attention toward my ma. “No more craziness for you, young lady. Just rest and Suzy will come over tomorrow to help take care of you.” Kissing her on the forehead, I thanked God for sparing us from losing her.

  “I don’t want to put her out.” Ma twisted her hands in her lap and frowned. “I can’t believe this happened. I guess we’re not as young as we used to be, huh, Sal?”

  He winked at her and she blushed. “You still got it, though, Mar.”

  Izzy shook her head and pursed her lips. “And you were giving us shit about our sex lives.”

  “I don’t have little ones at home, Izzy.”

  “If I remember correctly, that costume is really old.” Izzy giggled and covered her mouth.

  I pulled her out of the room with me and waved over my shoulder. “Night!” I yelled to them. “Shut up, Izzy.” I smacked her on the back of the head for being a doofus.

  Snip Snip

  Suzy

  “Joe, you should be resting.” I pushed him back onto the bed and moved the pillow behind his head. “You just had surgery and are on bed rest.”

  “I had an in-office procedure and I’m fine,” he said and sighed, pursing his lips out of frustration.

  “The doctor said you needed to take it easy, and I’m going to make sure you do.”

  “Sugar,” he said, pulling me down on top of him. “It was five days ago. The doc said I just needed to avoid strenuous activity for a day or two, not the rest of my life.” He swept my hair behind my ear and stared into my eyes. “Wanna make out?” He waggled his eyebrows and smirked.

  I smacked his chest and waved my finger in his face. “It’s too early.”

  “It’s not,” he argued and pushed my hand down.

  “It is.”

  “Doc said usually about a week, but I’m no ordinary man, sugar. My body wants you now. I can’t go another day without being inside of you.”

  I rolled my eyes and tried to get away, but he trapped me. “It’s not happening, Joe.”

  “Suzy,” he whispered and put his hands on my face, holding my cheeks in his hands. “I think I deserve a reward for all the pain I went through.”

  I laughed. “It wasn’t that bad.”

  His thumb caressed the corner of my mouth, and my tongue darted out to taste his skin. “Come on. Since I’m trapped in this bed, I figure we could make use of the time while the babies are asleep.” His hips thrust in the air and my eyes followed, noticing he already had a hard-on. “Just like that, but a little lower.”

  “Do you need me to kiss it and make it better?” I asked, blinking rapidly and playing up the fact that he was in no way in pain.

  “Kisses always make everything better.” He smirked.

  When my eyes glanced over at his length hidden by the sheet, he pulsed his cock, making it almost beckon for me under the sheets. I peeled the sheet back, setting it free, and rubbed my hands together.

  The spot was the size of my thumbnail and almost healed. Joe hadn’t complained about it for a moment. He wanted to go back to work days ago, but I liked having him with me. I babied him and tried to find ways to keep him at home. I’d use any means necessary, even sex, to have him close for a little while longer.

  After I palmed his shaft in my hands, I scurried down the bed to come face-to-face with the reason I fell in love with him in the first place. He made me want him. After a single night in bed with him, I couldn’t get him out of my system. It all started with his dick. He knew exactly what he was doing when he took me to bed. Even to this day, he claimed he never meant for me to fall for him, but I called bullshit every time.

  My tongue poked out, flicking his piercing, and his hips jerked forward, wanting more. “You have a greedy cock tonight, Mr. Gallo.” My cheeks heated and my mouth salivated after just the slightest taste of him.

  “My cock is always greedy for you, Mrs. Gallo, but not as greedy as that pussy of yours.”

  I wiggled my hips, letting my nightie fall forward and exposing my ass to him. “It’s lonely,” I said, spreading my legs and giving him a glimpse of my wetness.

  He smirked and stroked my thighs. “Put your mouth on me.” He nudged my lips with his cock and I opened willingly.

  Before I had worked my way down his entire length, he stroked my opening and I moaned around his dick, faltering in my movement. I pushed back against his fingers, being the greedy whore that I am, and took him deeper, hoping to be rewarded.

  He smacked my ass and I yelped, almost biting down on his cock. I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate as his finger slid into me. I’ve never been a multitasker, and having his fingers inside of me while trying to blow him threw me off my game.

  Using my hand as a guide, I rested my lips against my fingers and pushed myself up and down. My mind started to go hazy, especially when his finger stroked my G-spot.

  He grunted, thrusting his cock deeper into my mouth because of my lackluster performance, but he only had himself and his fingers to blame.

  I paid special attention to the tip, toying with his piercing with my tongue. He moaned, stroking me deeper and pushing me closer to the edge. I rode his finger, needing just a bit more to get me there, and used the momentum to suck hi
s cock with my lips.

  When my body tightened and my orgasm was in reach, I sucked harder, bringing him over the edge with me. We both moaned as our strokes became unsteady with the pleasure.

  “Come here,” he said as I wiped my lips.

  I turned and crawled up his body on shaky legs and arms. “Sorry.” My cheeks flushed and I tried to catch my breath.

  He grabbed me under the arms and helped me forward. “For what?”

  “For doing a bad job.”

  He laughed softly and pulled my face to his. “Your mouth is perfect. There’s no such thing as a bad job when your lips are wrapped around me, sugar.”

  I smiled and stared into his eyes. “I love you, Joe.”

  “I love you too.” He kissed my lips before adjusting our bodies.

  I settled into the crook of his arm and felt at peace for the first time in months. The turmoil seemed to follow us, seeping into our lives when we least expected it.

  “Do you think we’ll be like your parents when we’re old?” My fingers touched his piercing, turning it gently.

  His hand wrapped tighter around my shoulder. “You mean wearing French maid outfits and breaking ribs?”

  “Yeah.” I giggled at the thought.

  “I hope so.”

  “Me too.”

  His hand stopped moving against my skin. “Sugar?”

  I curled tighter against him. “Yeah, Joe?”

  “Can we not talk about what happened to my parents again?”

  “Sure. We’ll never talk about it again.”

  “Thank fuck,” he growled. “It’s an image I’m afraid I’ll never wipe from my mind.”

  I wanted to grow old with him, surrounded by our children and their children and driving them insane with stories like this one.

  Ten years ago, I never would’ve dreamed that this would be my life. I felt like an outsider in my own family growing up, but being with the Gallos made me feel like I belonged to something bigger and better.

  I had everything I’d ever dreamed of and more.

  I’d finally found my home.