by KL Donn
“He was, huh?” There was a false humor in her voice. “Well, a lot can change in seventeen years.” The numbers just hit her then. It was silly and stupid, but she spun to look at him, whispering, “You’re twelve years older than me.”
A perplexed expression crossed his face. “Uhh, yeah?” he said it like a question. She couldn’t blame him. She didn’t even know where she was going with that.
“You don’t think I’m too young?” Now she was feeling insecure.
Laughter had wracked his body before a dark light entered his eyes. Seizing her by the back of the neck with one hand and cupping her cheek with the other, he damn near lifted her off the ground to show just how he felt about her age with his mouth.
All she could do was hang on for the ride. Catching his forearms, she held onto him for dear life as he took her mouth in nothing more than a display of ownership.
When he finally let her go, she was in awe of the man for no other reason than he was hers. “Wow,” she whispered. The cocky bastard smirked. He seemed more in control of himself and his emotions after that little show.
“Let’s try this again, shall we?” he asked his parents. They never got a chance to say anything before he continued. “This is my home. This is my woman. A woman who, God-willing, will one day marry me, and if I’m a lucky bastard, is now carrying my baby. We live in sin, so get over it. I won’t for one second let you disrespect her for any reason, so I strongly suggest you think before you speak to her. She is one of four people who have accepted me for who and what I am. Not judged me for what I’ve done. Are we understood?”
Was it wrong that his speech left her panties wet and wanting to jump his bones right there?
“Yes, yes, of course,” his mother rushed to agree. After a moment of silence, his father nodded.
“Good. Ma, Pop, this is Evelyn, the love of my life. Ev, this is my mother Carolyn and my father, Porter.” She could tell he wanted to say more but bit his tongue.
“It’s nice to meet you both.” She wouldn’t make the mistake of trying to shake their hands again. “Would you like to come inside? I’ve just made a pot of coffee, or I can make tea if that suits you better?” She could be civil-ish.
“That would be lovely, Evelyn.” Carolyn followed her inside as Casey and his dad stood in a face-off of sorts.
“What would you like?” Ev asked her nervously.
“A tea please, dear, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Not at all.” Busying herself making the tea, Carolyn sat down at the table to wait.
To Ev, she seemed just as nervous. She also looked a lot frailer than she’d anticipated. When Case had described his parents to her, she’d picture big and boisterous. A loud woman of sorts. Someone harder. Meeting the other woman now, she seemed sad, tired.
“How long have you and Casey been together?” she asked quietly.
“A little over a month.”
“He knew right when he met you, didn’t he?” Her quizzical look had Carolyn laughing softly. “Casey was never one to mess around. When he wanted something he went for it, and nothing would stop him.” Her tone was wistful as she spoke of her son. “He was the one I never had to worry about.”
“Is that why you were so hard on him?” The question popped out without thought, shocking them both. She wouldn’t take it back, though. They made a lot of mistakes with him.
Sighing, she sounded almost defeated. “I’d like to think we weren’t too hard on him. It was never our intention. Our priorities were skewed, and Casey took the brunt of it. I’ll regret it forever.”
“I can understand that,” Ev whispered.
Carolyn studied her like a bug under a microscope until the whistling of the kettle interrupted them. Turning, she made Carolyn’s tea. Handing it to the woman, she sat at the table in silence. She had no idea what to say.
“I can see that you do. Someone has hurt you deeply, too.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah, I guess.” Uncomfortable with the direction they were headed, she tried to change the subject. “Where are your other children? Casey doesn’t talk about them much.”
“Miranda and Aiden have devoted their lives to do God’s work. They are both in Africa on a Mission. They’re helping to build a new school for small villages.” She smiled with pride.
“Oh wow, that’s amazing.” It truly was. Ev couldn’t imagine doing it, and perhaps that was selfish of her.
“How did Casey find you?”
A smile tugged at Ev’s lips with her question. Find her…he sure did. “His friend, Dominic. I know his fiancée from my nephew’s Mommy and Me class, and she got worried about me. So they came to my work one night looking to ensure I was safe.”
“What do you do for work?”
That was the one question she dreaded. She didn’t want to be judged for doing something she loved, even though it was in a way she despised.
“I’m, uhh, the headliner at a strip club.” She refused to bow her head in shame.
Carolyn was caught off-guard by her answer. “Oh, so you’re a stripper?” Before Evelyn could answer, Casey and Porter made their way inside, apparently catching the end of our conversation.
“She’s a stripper?” Porter asked his son. While Carolyn had asked, there was no repugnance in her voice, only genuine curiosity. Porter’s question, however, was full of revolt.
“Yeah, she is,” Casey told him coldly, coming to stand behind her. “She’s well sought after because of her unique choreography.” Pride swelled in Casey’s voice. She wouldn’t say her routines were well-choreographed, but bringing her ballet to the show was certainly an eye-catcher for many.
“Well, I guess it’s fitting then,” Porter mumbled.
As Casey was about to defend her again, she shook her head and responded, “I dance because it gives me freedom. I’m a whore’s daughter that cared more about drugs than about educating me. So when Case told me how nasty the pair of you were to him when he came home to heal, when he came to you a war hero, and you turned him away, I’d never been so confused in my life.” Taking a breath, she continued with her pent up frustration. “I couldn’t understand how good Christian folk such as you, people who worshipped a man that was all about forgiveness and second chances, would tell Casey that he was no longer their son because he gave a huge part of himself for his country. You see, even though my mother was a hooker and a drug addict, and I will never know the man that spawned me, she at least did the best thing she could for me; she left me to the DCFS.”
Waiting for that to sink in, she needed for them all to know how they fucked up with raising her incredible man. “Some foster homes absolutely sucked. They were horrible and never should have known the love of a child. But every once in a while, there was always a caring couple, and I was lucky enough to find one. They loved me with their whole heart. The mother, she loved ballet and would dance with me hours on end. Taught me everything I know in a few short months before she was taken from us. I was sent to another home after that, and it flat-out sucked.”
“Evelyn.” Casey could obviously tell she was getting emotional.
“I’m fine,” she said with a wobbly smile. “You’re graced with one of the most selfless men I’ve met, and yet, you’ve tossed him aside like he’s nothing.” Carolyn began crying, and she could see some emotion seep into Porter’s eyes. Good. What she was saying was finally sinking in. “My point is; some people would kill to have your children. Please don’t treat Casey like he’s replaceable. I will tell you this one time only; he is my man. Nothing will change that. I will protect him from harm with everything in me, be it emotional or physical. That includes from you.”
Emotionally drained, she stood to leave when Porter shocked them all by grabbing her hand. “Please,” he begged, “Don’t go. You’re absolutely right. We weren’t the best we could be. We devoted ourselves to the wrong cause. God didn’t need everything we had, our children did. Do. It’s why
we’re here.”
Casey had sat in Ev’s chair when Porter began to speak, so she was sure he dragged her onto his lap and held tight so she didn’t try to leave again.
“Not gonna lie, this is weird as shit,” Casey said to them. “So why are you here?”
Case was so fucking proud of his girl. The way she not only defended him but herself as well. She listed all her faults. Well, what she thought were faults, anyway. And left no guessing as to where she came from and made his parents feel like shit.
Admittedly, he found that to be a little funnier than it should be. Does it make him immature? Probably. Except they needed to have things put into perspective on how other people lived. On how others fucked up and still managed to do at least one thing right by their child. And she’d proven that while her mother was a piece of shit, she’d at least finally given Ev the freedom to be better than she could be.
His mother cleared her throat before speaking. Twisting her hands together. “Four months ago, I had an episode.”
“What kind of episode?” Caution rang through his words.
“Well, I had a heart attack.” He hadn’t been expecting to hear that. “I’m fine now. With a diet change and some medication, I’ll be just fine,” she was quick to reassure.
To say he was surprised would be accurate, but he still wasn’t sure what that had to do with them being there. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he responded slowly. “But I’m still not understanding what that has to do with you being here now.”
“An epiphany of sorts, I suppose,” his father responded. “Being in that hospital with no family for support, no children praying for a quick recovery. We realized we’d pushed you all away in an effort to make you believe in what we did.”
“Okay.” He still wasn’t sure how to respond. He could tell Ev was a bit confused and speechless as well.
Carolyn continued. “We want to have a relationship with you, Casey. With Evelyn, also. We want to be around when you have babies. We are asking for your forgiveness. I know that we did you wrong. We pushed you away when you needed to be held close, and I will live with that regret for the rest of my life.”
Case had always considered himself a good judge of character. His mother’s words and actions seemed sincere. He believed she’d seen the light so to speak.
The only question left was; could he forgive them for the harsh way he was treated? For the way they’d tossed him out like trash? Was he prepared for Ev to be treated in that same manner?
“I would like to,” he told them. Smiles lit their faces. “But I won’t put Ev in the position to be hurt.” Their smiles disappeared just as quickly.
“We understand, son. I can’t promise we’ll be perfect. Lord knows we aren’t. What I can promise, though, is that we only want the best for you, and Evelyn seems to be best.” His mother sounded far removed from the woman he’d been raised by.
“We can take this in slow increments,” Casey told them. At their nod, he continued. “You have a lot to make up for. You have to know I won’t put my trust in you until you earn it.”
“Fair enough, son.” Porter sounded almost relieved.
They spent the rest of the evening getting to know Casey’s parents again. And them learning all the struggles Casey had gone through to become the man he was now. Evelyn was so proud of the way he’d accepted the two back into his life.
If she were given half a chance to see her mom or meet her dad, she’d take it in a flash. Watching the way they interacted had her yearning for that connection. She would even take Lacey’s attitude to have family around.
After his parents had left late the night before, Casey seemed somewhat centered about life. There was a weight lifted off his shoulders he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. They’d talked for a while about how he felt with them making this sudden appearance and coming with shocking news.
This morning Case had told her he was looking for her sister, exhausting all outlets he could. She hadn’t shown up in hospitals, morgues, or jail cells. Ev was torn between relief and dread. Glad Lacey wasn’t hurt or arrested, but fearful that she could be in a ditch, or Andy was left on his own.
She was supposed to go have a girl’s day with Dee and Pixie in the afternoon, but she’d begged off. Between her sister’s disappearance and the fear of the news she might one day get, her stomach was in knots, and now, not able to keep anything down, she was just not feeling well.
Casey was at the main house with Dom still searching, calling everyone they could, but it was no use. She knew that unless Lacey wanted to be found, they wouldn’t.
Deciding she needed to move around and try to get rid of whatever bug she had gotten, she went outside only to see Ace pulling up. “Hey sugar, how are you?” he called climbing from his SUV.
“Good. The guys are at the main house, though.”
“Walk with me, I’ve got some news,” he told her.
Silently making their way to Dom’s, Casey was opening the door just as they walked up the back steps. “Hey man, what’s up?” he asked Ace, pulling Ev into his arms.
“Great, look, I haven’t got much time. I’m leaving to my cousin’s in Canada tonight. Luckily, I found Lacey.” Relief had her body sagging.
“Where?” She let out a queasy breath. “I’m gonna be sick.” She ran into the house, just barely making the garbage can before she tossed the contents of her stomach. Casey’s warm hand rubbed up and down her back as a cool cloth was placed on the back of her neck.
Embarrassed, she took a moment longer to gain her composure. “Sorry,” she mumbled, “I’ve been worrying myself sick.”
“Take your time, sugar.” Ace handed her a glass of water while Casey helped her up.
“Where is she?” Case asked him.
“Admitted to Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis. Someone beat the hell out of her.” He seemed pissed about it.
Drawing in a sharp breath at the news, she would like to think it couldn’t be her sister, but she knew the life she led. “Where’s Andy?”
“Still at the hospital. She was only admitted this morning. Nurses were waiting on records to find next of kin so you might be getting a call.”
Looking up to Casey, she didn’t even have to ask him. “Let’s go.” He was pulling her behind him while calling to Dom and Ace. “Good luck with the cousin, Ace, and thanks for the help, guys!”
The drive there was quiet as she bounced with nerves. Sitting still was more difficult than she imagined. Casey tried to comfort her by holding her hand or massaging her leg, but she was a giant ball of stress.
Forty minutes, a near-miss speeding ticket, and bad parking later, and she was running into the almost empty emergency room, asking the nurse, “Where’s Lacey Moore?”
“Who are you, miss?” Her bored tone almost pissed Ev off.
“I’m her sister,” was her quick response.
Clicking on the keyboard, she finally responded, “This way, please.”
“Calm down, Ev,” Casey whispered in her ear. She wanted to throttle the man.
Ignoring him, she followed as the nurse turned the corner at the end of the hall, passed several exam rooms and, walked through a set of double doors. “Put these on, please.” The nurse handed them both booties and a mask from a bin to the side of the room.
Having to put these types of items on, Ev was frightened of what was to come. What had happened to her sister that she had to wear them?
Walking into the room, the nurse moved aside to check the machines Lacey had been hooked up to, and she nearly collapsed in devastation from the sight before her. Lacey was unrecognizable with so many tubes hooked up to her chest and face. IVs in both hands. One leg was in a cast, blood coated her hair, and her face was so bruised her eyes were swollen shut.
“What happened to her?” she cried silently.
“We don’t know. A little boy was found crying outside an apartment building, and when the police were c
alled, he led them up the stairs to her. As for what’s wrong with her, I’ll get the doctor in here to explain.”
She left like she hadn’t just imploded Ev’s world. Explaining that a two-year-old boy had to witness such devastating destruction to his mother.
“Oh, Lace.” She didn’t know where she could touch her. “What happened to you?” She sat in the chair Case had pulled up for her, watching her heart rate on the monitor, listening to the persistent beeping of the machines.
A soft knock was heard just before the doctor entered. “Hi, I’m Doctor Simons. I’ve been taking care of Ms. Moore since her arrival earlier this morning. I understand you’re her sister?”
“I am,” she whispered, looking back to her broken sibling.
“She’s sleeping off the effects of the anesthesia right now. We had to do surgery on her leg and reinflate her right lung. She is lucky that’s the worst of it. Her nose is broken, which is why there’s so much swelling around her eyes. Jaw has also been dislocated. Other than that, she’s in good shape.”
“Good shape?” What she was looking at didn’t look like good shape; it looked painful.
“Relatively speaking. What I mean is the lung could have collapsed completely, and that would have been a whole slew of other problems.” He explained gently.
“Where’s my nephew?”
“In the nurse’s lounge with a few off-duty nurses. He’s safe.”
“I want to see him,” she demanded.
“Of course. Come with me.”
Kissing Lacey’s forehead, she followed along with Casey, his hand at her back in support. Fighting off tears, she knew she had to be strong when she saw Andy. He was so sensitive when it came to her and his mom.
When the doctor opened the lounge room door, she broke. Tears streamed down her face. Her knees buckled, and she hit the floor. Andy was curled up in a ball on the couch, tear marks on his dirty face. Blood coated his shoes on the floor.
“Aunty Evie,” he cried, jumping up and racing towards her. He threw his body into hers so hard that if Casey hadn’t caught them, she would have fallen over backwards. Andy had been stripped down to his underwear, presumably because he had blood on his clothes.
