by Tigris Eden
“Jackson, you and my brothers are probably the only ones getting ass, and I gotta tell you, man, it’s not fair.”
“Speak for yourself,” Oliver said, taking a sip of his drink.
“Who are you fucking, man? The island is dead. There are no women here. Like, at all,” Dorian said. Jackson knew the answer to Dorian’s question but didn’t say anything, opting to see what Oliver would say.
“Well, there are women in the spa.”
“They’re all married.”
“All of them except one,” Oliver said, toasting the air and winking.
“Fucker, how did you even pull that off? You’re talking about the pretty Asian with the jade eyes? She wouldn’t give me the time of day.”
“Because her nights belong to me, brother.”
Rudy didn’t say anything, and Jackson knew that since he’d landed on the island, he hadn’t been himself.
“Rudy, what happened to the girl you were dating, I thought she was coming?”
The guys turned their attention over to Rudy, who was looking out at the beach. When Jackson looked over, he noticed India and the twins. They weren’t doing anything that would be overly friendly, but there was definitely something there.
“Had other ideas, and besides, I wasn’t serious about her. Not going to show up with a random at your fucking wedding.”
Yeah, he was pissed.
“Well, if you’d gotten your head out of your ass, maybe you’d be here with the person you want to be here with.”
“What the hell are you even talking about?” Rudy asked. Jackson could tell he was annoyed, but decided to dig further anyway.
“Man, you know what I’m talking about. The only reason she’s here with the twins is because she wanted to make sure her feelings didn’t get hurt had you brought your recent blonde to the island.”
“She’s not doing it because of me.”
“She’d better not be,” Oliver said jokingly. “My brothers don’t deserve to get their hearts broken.”
“You talk as if she’s with both of them,” Rudy tossed out.
“Oh, shit, man, sorry. I thought you knew.”
Rudy looked between Jackson and Oliver, and Jackson wasn’t so sure it was the conversation they should be having at the moment.
“Thought I knew what?”
“That’s she’s with both my brothers. Can’t you tell?” Dorian asked, looking out at the three of them as they played in the ocean.
“Did you honestly think she’d wait around for you to get your act right?”
“Hold up, I need everyone to back up a moment. All of you knew she was dating both brothers and didn’t think to say anything about it?”
“Didn’t know we needed to,” Jackson responded, finishing the last of his drink. “I don’t know about the rest of you sappy suckers, but I’m going out there on the beach with my soon-to-be wife. Our agenda says we have time to relax before we go to the engagement dinner tonight. Then rehearsal dinner tomorrow, and the day after that, I’m getting fucking married to the best woman in the whole damn world.”
“Actually, we’re supposed to be enjoying water sports.”
“Oh, I plan to play in the water, and do it sportingly, just not with y’all meatheads.”
“Whatever. Go play with your family,” Catch grunted and ordered another beer.
Jackson stood and made his way down to the beach to where Anna and Ava were playing in the sand. Anna was wearing a black two-piece bathing suit that showed off more than he wanted anyone else to see. When he made it to her, Jackson bent down so he was eye level.
“There a reason you showing so much ass?”
“It’s a beach, and I’m wearing respectable bottoms.”
There was nothing respectable about the fabric stretched over the globes of her ass.
“Can you at least put the cover-up on?”
Anna laughed, and Jackson almost forgot his original request. Ava was building a sandcastle just a few feet away from them.
“Hey, I meant to tell you, we’re all going over to the Gloucester.”
Jackson looked out at the water before responding to Anna.
“Bachelorette party I take it?”
“You know Lola wants us to have some fun, celebrate my last days as Anna Macon.”
“You girls be careful. The guys are having a hard time.”
And they were. Dorian especially. It may be a good idea to take them out for a true bachelor party. They deserved to have a good time, he had brought them out to a place that boasted beautiful, clear blue water. And the locals weren’t bad looking either. The photos Anna had taken of Eleasha were very flattering. He knew her husband appreciated her a little more because of Anna’s photos.
“We’ll be careful. Bertrand is giving us a reliable guide, and I already told the girls I wanted to be back to the hotel before midnight.”
“What for? You should enjoy as much free time as you can, baby, because once you get back, you’re stuck. I plan on keeping you tied down to the bed for a long while. May not let you come up for air.”
“Poppycock.”
Jackson burst out laughing. He’d never heard her use that term before, and he couldn’t help it. The laugh went on and on, so much that Ava was even distracted by it and joined in on the fun, laughing and giggling just as loud as he was.
“What the heck is so funny, Jackson?”
“You are a dork. No one says that word anymore.”
Anna sniffed before saying, “Well, I say it, so get used to it.”
She really was a dork. She’d taken out her contacts and was wearing her black glasses that added to her geeky charm. Her beautiful brown skin glowed underneath the sun’s rays as she looked at him from her spot on the sand.
“We have this engagement dinner thing in like two hours. You want to go out on the water for a bit?” Jackson asked.
“Out on the water where?”
Jackson pointed out towards the water where there was a cove around on the other side of the mountain that Bertrand had told him would be a great place for a private lunch. Jackson was hungry, but not for food.
“There’s a cove just around that mountain. Bertrand told me about it. It’s private and very secluded. I thought we could head out that way, maybe do some snorkeling.”
Anna stood and dusted the sand off her legs and thighs before she bent to pick up her wrap to shake the sand off of it. Yeah, he was hungry. And he planned on eating well.
“Ava, you want to hang out with Aunt Joey and Uncle Treat?” Jackson asked.
“Daddy, I’m building a castle.”
Anna popped a knowing smile on her face. She must have thought Ava was coming with them until he’d mentioned his sister.
“Joey,” Anna called.
His sister was in one of the cabanas with Xavier and Pearl. His sister stood, yelling “What?”
“Jackson and I are going out on the water, can you watch Ava?”
Instead of Joey coming closer to the waves, it was Pearl. She wore a bright yellow sun hat, and a long white dress that dragged in the sand. She was holding a glass of berry tea that she’d constantly complained about since her arrival.
“I’ll watch the little lovebug, but you two need to listen up here for a moment.”
Anna moved closer to Jackson so she could hear what her mother had to say.
“You’re getting married in two days, and I know you got a fire in your pants, Jackson. But haven’t you ever heard of the saying, ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder?’”
If Jackson didn’t love Anna’s mother like his own, he might have used some choice words that she’d have taken offense to.
“Momma, really?” Anna groaned. Clearly embarrassed by her mother’s insight.
“What? I ain’t saying nothing y’all haven’t heard before. You’re acting like rabbits, fornicating whenever the mood suits you.” Pearl looked to Anna. “And you, silly girl, you’re supposed to discourage your man. Stop giving him
the gold before it turns to dust. You want your woman parts to work on your wedding night, not be so exhausted you can’t experience all this strong man has to offer.”
“Oh my God, Mom. Stop. Just stop talking right now.”
Pearl smiled, not caring that she’d completely embarrassed her daughter.
“We’ll take that into consideration, ma’am.”
“No you don’t, Jackson Storme. You’re not going to ‘ma’am’ your way out of this. You better consider it. You’re getting married at Rose Hall day after tomorrow, jumping the broom and all that. Trust me, you want the White Witch to bless you.”
“The White Witch?” Jackson and Anna both asked at the same time.
“Why do you think India picked this place?” Pearl asked.
“Jackson picked the place, not India.”
Pearl thought about it for a moment before whispering, “Then it really is fate.”
“Momma, what are you going on about?”
“Well, we’re related to the White Witch, baby girl.”
This was news to Jackson. He’d been coming to Montego Bay for years, and never once did he know that the Macons were related to the Halls.
“How am I just now hearing about this?”
“Simple really, it’s not a piece of history us Macons are proud of, so we don’t really speak about it, but your grandmother told me the story, just like her momma before her and so on, right down to when Annee wrote the letter to her daughter Nisale before her father Takoo took her. That’s four generations of history being told to the daughters. You make five.”
This was really interesting, and now that Pearl had their attention, Jackson wanted to hear the rest of it.
“How do we ensure we get the blessing of the White Witch?” Jackson asked.
“Well, the blessings have already started, haven’t they Anna?”
“What are you talking about, Momma? You’re starting to creep me out,” Anna said, grabbing hold of Jackson’s arm. He pulled her to his side and kissed the top of her head.
“Baby, you didn’t tell him about the feathers did you?”
“The feathers?” Jackson asked.
“Yeah, the ones that cradled my baby while she was in between.”
“In between?” Anna whispered.
The hairs on the back of Jackson’s neck stood on end. They lived in Louisiana, and although they weren’t close to any of the bayous or even Cajun country, it was still steeped in mysticism and witchcraft. There were some in town that would even put out milk and honey to ward off what they called obia.
“Was it warm or cold where you were?”
“Where I was?” Anna asked.
“When was this?” Jackson asked confused.
“When she was slumbering in her coma. You don’t think she wasn’t conscious do you, Jackson? I can see from my baby girl’s face that she hasn’t told you about the feathers. Or what brought her back. But I know.”
Jackson looked down at Anna, who was teary-eyed. He pulled her in front of him, brought her close to his body, and wrapped his arms around her.
“I haven’t said anything yet because I barely understand it myself.”
“But you got the mark on your back now, girl, so you understand something.”
“I’m still lost. I want to know what we need to do to get the White Witch’s blessing,” Jackson said again. He wasn’t a true believer, but he knew something was out there watching over him and his family.
Pearl clicked her tongue.
“Of course, you be lost boy, this isn’t your cup of tea, talking about things of the spirit world. Takoo and Annee need to give their blessing.”
“You said Anna? Her name was Anna?” Anna said, taken aback. Jackson too thought it was a little weird.
“Her name was Annee, but yes, Annabelle, there is a reason for the name. You are destined for great things, and it was your grandmother Mamie Lee Macon who gave you the name Annabelle. Now, Takoo and Annee were having a forbidden affair. He was a slave, and she was the plantation mistress. The mister didn’t take too kindly to his wife stepping out on him, let alone with a slave. He tried to have Takoo killed, but your ancestor intervened. They say she killed her first, second, and third husbands. But that’s not what happened. Her husband hanged himself when he found out your ancestor was carrying Takoo’s child. He’d rather die than be talked about. It was okay for the men to get the female slaves with young, but for a mistress of the house to have a slave’s young was unheard of. To protect her baby, Annee paid for Takoo’s freedom, and he carried the baby off to the Americas. He settled in Louisiana and never looked back. Nisale was raised with the last name Macon. Her picture is in the album back home in the roll-top.”
Well, that wasn’t at all what he’d expected to hear.
“So, to not piss off Annee, what do Anna and I need to do?”
“Well, for one, you need to keep your britches on until the wedding. Sweep out the old, and embrace the new. And promise, truly promise, to love each other until your end days,” Pearl said with a twinkle in her eye. For a moment, Jackson thought she’d come back with a smile, saying she was pulling their legs. But she never did.
“I’m suddenly feeling unenergetic. I may even be a little tired,” Anna said.
“You serious?”
Anna turned in his arms and looked up at him. A look of incredulity on her face.
“Did you not just hear my momma?”
“Yes, I heard her.”
“Then you know we’re not even going to step on the toes of my ancestor. No way.”
Was she really serious? Jackson was all about a good story, but this…this was just not cool on so many levels. They’d been making love almost every day.
“Better listen to my Anna. Y’all get in that room and burn up the sheets, as you young people like to say, and well, your marriage could be in for some serious heartbreak and gloom.”
“Way to spoil the moment, Pearl,” Jackson said seriously.
“It is what it is, Jackson. y’all still need me to watch little Ava?”
Anna shook her head, and Jackson didn’t say a word. Next thing she’d want is separate rooms, and he wasn’t going for that. If he couldn’t be with her in the way he wanted until after the wedding, the least she could do was let him hold her.
Anna stepped out of his arms, pulling her cover up over her head before walking towards the cabana where Joey was with Xavier. Dammit. He should be about to bury his face between Anna’s silky thighs. Except he’d been thwarted by a little old lady in a big fluffy hat, and stories of heartbreak and gloom.
India
Engagement Dinner.
“I didn’t realize you were so hard to please. It takes two?” Rudy asks me as I stand in the back of the banquet room where I admire my work. Putting this wedding together for my cousin has been amazing. I’m finally in control and get to make my own decisions about what goes where. Turning, I take in Rudy, and immediately wish I hadn’t. He’s wearing a suit. I’ve never seen him in a suit before, and why, but why are the heavens seeing fit to make sure I know how good he looks in a freaking suit now. Unbelievably so. It’s like the suit was tailor-made to fit him. Then I realize, it is. He’s in the wedding. Opposite of me. Seriously. Is there anything else you’d like to torment me with today? I ask the ceiling.
“I’m right here, you gonna look me in the face?” he asks. I can tell he’s serious. But if you’d ask me a month ago, or even a few days ago, I could tell you that I was nowhere on his radar. Like not even a blip. But now, all of a sudden, everywhere I turn, there he is.
“Why should I look in your face?” I ask him. I know why he’s interested. It’s because the twins are interested. He could have cared less when I was hugged up on Lyriq, not that I was with her to draw attention. Lyriq and I would hook up on occasion. I don’t discriminate. I appreciate all things beautiful, male or female. But Rudy is jonesing to find out all there is to know about me and the twins. Men. Stupid species most of
the time if you asked me.
“I’m curious.”
“Oh really?” I say back. I’m annoyed, and I hope he can tell. The twins and I are not serious, but we are exclusive, and because of that, I really can’t be bothered with Rudy.
“Yes, really, I want to know why you were holding out on me. If I’d known you were such a party girl, I would have brought you around the compound a long time ago. The guys and I love to have a good time.”
I want to throw up in mouth. One because he thinks I’m like one of his biker hoes, and two, seriously, he’d want to share me? It doesn’t bother you with Finn and Sawyer... It doesn’t, but that’s a different story. Those two are up front with their intentions, and the three of us said it would be for the duration of their job. After they were done with the construction on both Event Pics and my cousin’s new home, they’d go back to where they came from, which in their case was the eastern seaboard, and I’d stay right where I was. In the south.
“I’d call you a bastard, Rudy, but you already know that. Right, Rude Boy?”
It’s what’s written on the side of his bike, and the back of his helmet. It was just as well. This foolish crush I’ve had for as long as I can remember, needed to stop, and stop at this very moment.
“Do you really need to be that way, Queen?”
“Queen?”
I look around as if he’s talking to someone else because I know he’s not calling me a queen.
“Yeah, you’re all high and mighty. Acting like you’re too good for anyone, most of all, the likes of me. Like I’m not fit to lick your boots.”
I don’t know about lick, but he definitely wasn’t coming anywhere near my shoes, now or ever.
“You’re stupid,” I say, and my voice is raised a bit. It catches the attention of Sawyer, who’s talking to his older brother, Catch.
Sawyer walks over and touches my elbow before kissing me on the side of the cheek.
“You good, Indi?”
“Yup,” I say, turning towards him. With my eyes, I plead that he take me from my current conversation.
