Freedom Ride, page 3
“Don’t you dare!” she screamed.
King glanced back at us. “What do you think?” he called to us.
“Do it!” we cheered.
“Traitors!” Meg screamed. “I plan this amazing party for you, and this is how you repay me?”
“Toss her!” I yelled.
“Rude!” Meg protested. “How dare you!”
I shrugged, and Hero put his arm over my shoulders. “Happy to be back to the craziness?” he asked.
King tossed Meg into the water next to Royal and Marco. Meg’s arms and legs flailed, and a huge smile was plastered on her lips. She may have protested King tossing her in the water, but she was having a hell of a time.
“Rude!” Meg screamed again.
King pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the ground. He jumped into the water, and Meg dove for his legs. She knocked him over, and he went down on his ass like a ton of bricks.
King grabbed Meg’s ankle and dragged him over to her as she fought to get away from him.
“You think this is what we’re gonna be doing when we’re old?” Luna asked.
“Who are you calling old?” Fayth laughed. “I think we’re all still pretty young.”
Slider grabbed Fayth and lifted her into his arms.
“Slider,” she scolded. “I’ve got Kane in my arms.”
“Not anymore,” Royal laughed. She grabbed Kane and swung him around in the air. “Let’s watch Grandma get wet,” she cooed to Kane.
Kane flailed his arms and let out a peel of laughter.
“You better not throw me in that water!” Fayth protested.
Slider must have realized Fayth wasn’t playing and instead headed to the bounce house.
“That’s not fun,” Frost protested. “Just toss her in the water once,” he suggested.
Slider pushed the opening to the bounce house to the side and tossed in Fayth. She helplessly bounced with her hair plastered to her face and her shoes flying off.
“No shoes in the bounce house,” Meg laughed. “Otherwise, I won’t get my deposit back.”
“She really thinks neither of these is going to get popped,” Troy laughed. “It’s like she doesn’t know any of us at all.”
Slider toed off his boots and dove into the bounce house.
“Anyone driving by and watching us is going to think we are crazy,” Hero chuckled.
I folded my arms over my chest and felt something settle inside of me.
Sure, this was all crazy as hell and not something you ever see, but it was mine.
This was my family.
This was my home.
Chapter Eight
Lennox
“Why does she hate me?”
“Who?” Melody asked.
“Mindy. She keeps putting me on the closing shift, and I absolutely hate it.” I locked the back door and slid the keys into my pocket. “I don’t know what happened, but it’s been like this the past month where she only puts me on closing. I even asked her if I could have a few day shifts, and she said she needed me on closing.”
Melody quirked her lips. “I mean, maybe she does need you on the closing shift. You’re good at your job, and she can trust you.”
I frowned and hitched my purse further up my shoulder. “I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but it’s not working. Cool, she can trust me, but I don’t want to work the closing shift. When she hired me, she said I would be working days, and now I’m not.” I know I was whining and annoying, but I just didn’t like it. Not getting off work until nine sucked. All I had was my mornings, and then I was off to work until pretty much bedtime.
“Maybe you should talk to her again?” Melody suggested. “Maybe she thinks since you are single and that working late isn’t a big deal.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re not single, and you just closed with me, Melody. I don’t think that is the reason why Mindy keeps giving me the closing shift.”
Melody put her arm around my shoulders. “I’ve been married for seventeen years, Lennox. Perry and I are very comfortable in our ways. And I asked to be on the closing shift when Perry has card night with the guys almost every night.”
“So you’re telling me Mindy listens to you when you asked to work certain hours but doesn’t care about me when I asked to work certain hours?” I threw my hands in the air. “See, she totally hates me, and I don’t know why.”
“Maybe we should open our own business, and then we can make our own hours?” Melody suggested.
“I’ve been trying to find a new job, but I can’t find anything. I want to stay close to home, and there aren’t many options in Clinton.”
“So then look somewhere else,” she suggested.
I unlocked my car and ran my fingers through my hair. “I just said I want to stay close to home, Melody.”
“Then maybe move where home is.”
I flattened my lips and leveled my glare at her. “Are you really going there again?”
Melody shrugged. “Why not go there? The there I am talking about is a free man now, right? You’ve lived in Clinton your whole life, Lennox. Maybe it’s time for a change? A new job and a new place to call home,” she suggested.
“If I do that, then you’ll never see me.”
She flitted her hand at me. “Girl, if you move, that will give me an excuse to use my vacation time to come visit you. I’ve only ever passed through Wisconsin. It might be nice to visit and explore.”
“You’re crazy.”
She shook her head and leaned against her car. “No, I’m a hopeless romantic. That is not crazy.”
“Yes, that is crazy because you want me to follow my heart to a man that I have never met and who might never call me now that he is a free man.”
Melody rolled her eyes. “The man is hooked on you, Lennox.”
I pulled out my phone and held it up to her face. “No, he is not because he has been out for almost a full day, and I haven’t had so much of a hello from him.” My phone vibrated in my hand, and Melody squinted at the screen.
“He just said hello.”
“What?” I gasped. I fumbled with my phone, and my jaw dropped when I opened up my first text from him.
Hey.
“I mean, he’s obviously not a man of many words, but you can’t tell me that he forgot about you.” Melody pulled out her car keys and beeped open the locks. “Text him back.”
“What am I supposed to say?” I whispered.
“Uh,” Melody laughed. “I would start with hey. Maybe try hello?” She chuckled and patted me on the shoulder. “Maybe Mindy being a butt to you and Jonas getting out of prison is the stars aligning over you, Lennox. Maybe a fresh start is right in front of you.”
“I, uh.” I licked my lips and felt my heart flutter. “I don’t know what to do.”
Melody opened her car door and slid inside. “Well, you thankfully don’t have to decide anything this second. I think you should start with replying to Jonas and see what happens.”
“What if he doesn’t want to talk to me anymore?” My heart plummeted to my feet at the thought of never talking to Jonas again.
“If he didn’t want to talk to you, Lennox, then he wouldn’t have just texted you. Get out of your head, and maybe follow your heart for a little bit.” She slammed her door and started her car. She rolled down her window and smiled. “You might be surprised at where it leads you.”
She pulled out of the parking lot, and I watched her taillights until they faded into the night.
Lennox?
I licked my lips and stared at my phone.
Follow my heart. That wasn’t a bad idea, but it was also terrifying.
Hi. I replied. It wasn’t poetry, but I at least replied.
Done with work? He wasn’t exactly spouting poetry at me, either.
Yup. My god, this was painful. It had been so easy to write to Jonas because I could pretty much just word vomit all over the page, and I didn’t have to wait for a reply. I knew it would be a few days or even a week before I would hear back from him.
Now I had instant gratification at my fingertips, and it was scary.
Headed home?
My fingers hovered over the screen. Yup. I cringed and hit send. Why was I so lame? I mean, yes. I closed my eyes and wondered when I started to lose brain cells so rapidly. Yes was the same as, yup, Lennox.
Gotcha, babe. I’ll give you a call tomorrow, okay?
Waiting to talk until tomorrow was probably for the best. I refrained from saying yes three times and actually typed more than one word. I look forward to it.
Okay, that might have sounded a little too formal, but it was better than saying yes two times.
I shoved my phone in my pocket and opened my car door.
Now I could go home and worry all night about what I was going to say to Jonas when he called.
Fun.
Chapter Nine
Snapper
“Did you get enough to eat?”
I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my stomach. “I think I ate more tonight than I have in six years, Meg.”
“Well, I’m sure you still have a little room left for dessert.” She traipsed into the clubhouse and walked back out with a large two-tiered cake balanced on her hands.
“Dude,” Zig drawled. “I didn’t know it was your birthday.”
“This is bigger than a birthday,” Meg called. “That’s why you get an amazing cake.” She set the cake on the table and smiled proudly. “This is your freedom day, Jonas.”
Meg was about the only one who got away with calling me Jonas. Well, and now Lennox. I always told her to call me Snapper, but it didn’t really bother me too much that she called me Jonas.
“I need a lighter,” Meg called. She reached into her back pocket and stuck two long sparklers into the top of the cake.
Four hands reached out with lighters in them. She snatched the purple one to her left and grumbled. “I’m not happy any of you had a lighter handy, but I’m grateful I don’t have to go back inside to get one.”
“She asks for a lighter, and then she guilts us for having one,” Luna grumbled. “What the hell?”
“Why do you have a lighter?” Ransom asked. “I thought you quit smoking when you found out you were pregnant?”
Luna glared at Ransom. “I did. I just carry it around because you never know when you’ll need one.”
“Yeah,” Greta agreed. “Who knows when you’ll need to light candles or something? Just the other day, I was walking down the street, and BAM,” she shouted, “a cake fell from the sky, and I lit the candles on it.”
Bear smothered a laugh with the back of his hand, and Luna flipped off Greta.
“Remind me again why I asked you to be my kid’s godmother?” she growled at Greta.
Greta smirked. “Because you know you love me.”
“More like I have to love you because you’re my cousin.”
“Knock it off,” Meg called. She lit the two sparklers and tried to hand the lighter back to Luna, but Ransom grabbed it.
“I’ll just hold on to this for you,” he grumbled. “At least until you give birth to our kid.”
Luna huffed and folded her arms over her chest.
“So, is he supposed to try to blow out the sparklers?” Zag asked. “Make a wish for something?”
“He got his freedom back,” King called. “I don’t think he could wish for anything better.”
That was the damn truth.
“Ahh,” Meg hollered. “Blow them out before they set the table on fire,” she laughed. “King said the last time I set the clubhouse on fire that he would kick me to the curb if it happened again.”
“Again?” I laughed.
Meg flitted her hand in the air. “It was really nothing.”
“Yeah, setting the pool table on fire is nothing,” Birdie shrugged. “We do that at least once a month at our place.”
“When did you get so sassy?” Meg asked. “It’s like you’re preparing for when Haley gets older, and you need to give as good as you get.”
“Can we figure that out after Snapper blows out the sparklers?” Easy suggested.
I easily blew out the sparklers and sat back in my chair. “No burning down the clubhouse on the day I get released.”
“Yeah, save that for tomorrow,” Greta laughed. “We don’t want to steal Snapper’s thunder.”
Meg snapped her fingers at Greta and Luna. “Both of you come help me cut the cake.”
“Do it right here,” Luna insisted. “What was the point of bringing the cake out if you were just going to take it back inside?”
“Because I could only carry the cake out here.” Meg grabbed the cake and headed back to the clubhouse. “Everything else is still inside. Move it, girls,” she ordered.
Luna and Greta grumbled, but they both followed Meg.
“Mind if I sit here?” Birdie asked.
I motioned to the seat. “It’s all yours, Birdie.”
She sat down heavily and let out a sigh. “I can’t believe all of the food we ate, and Meg just pulled out a cake.”
I chuckled and finished my beer. “Yeah, well, this is typical Meg. Feeding people is how she shows she cares. That didn’t change in six years.”
“Yeah,” Birdie agreed. “Granted, I’ve pretty much only known her for six years, but whatever.” She cleared her throat and leaned on the table. “Everything kind of happened fast after,” she cleared her throat and looked down at her hands, “Layla, but I never got the chance to say...”
I tipped my head to the side.
“I don’t know what I’m trying to say.” She closed her eyes, and a smile curved her lips. “Thanks for killing Aaron? It didn’t bring back Layla, obviously, but he got what he deserved.” She opened her eyes, and a tear streaked down her cheek. “Thank you for being the type of guy she deserved. She deserved the type of man who would do anything for her.”
“You don’t need to say thank you, Birdie. I just... I just did what anyone would have done.” If I wouldn’t have killed Aaron, Easy would have, and he would have spent the past six years without Birdie.
“I know,” she whispered. She reached out and squeezed my hand. “Thank you for doing what Easy would have done. Thank you for giving me Easy for the past six years.”
“Cake?” Luna interrupted. She plopped two plates on the table and wandered off without a response.
“Has she gotten bitchier being pregnant?” I asked.
“Uh, I think Meg would call it sass.” Birdie grabbed a plate and dug her fork into the thick cake.
“Sure, sass,” I laughed. “Luna is just full of sass.”
“I know you’re talking about me,” Luna called. “And for the record, I’m not bitchy, just six months pregnant, and the smell of buttercream is making me nauseous.” She curtsied and tipped her head to the side. “Enjoy your cake.”
Birdie scoffed, and I couldn’t help but smile.
I was home, and everything was just like it should be.
Meg and Bristol cooked a feast, the guys acted as if no time had passed, and I was surrounded by family.
I was truly home.
Chapter Ten
Lennox
“You answer it.”
Marty tipped his head to the side.
“I’m serious.”
My phone stopped ringing, and Jonas’ name flashed on the screen under missed call.
Doc let out a bark and flopped down on my pillow.
“Why didn’t you answer it?” I asked Doc. “What good are the two of you when you can’t even answer the phone for me?” I demanded. “You gotta earn your kibble, boys.”
Marty scooted forward and rested his paw on my arm.
“Don’t look at me like that, Marty. You know I’m nervous, and I just know I am going to ramble like an idiot with Jonas. This is why I never wanted to talk to him on the phone all of these years. I’m much better with pen and paper.”
It was half past nine, and I was still in bed. Partly because I hadn’t been able to fall asleep until well after three because my mind wouldn’t stop racing about Jonas calling me this morning.
My phone lit up, and Jonas’ name flashed on the screen while my ringtone sounded.
“Oh boy,” I whispered.
Marty laid down and rested his head on my leg.
“Not going to answer it again?” I asked him.
Marty’s eyes fluttered shut, and I knew he wasn’t going to be any help for me.
I snatched my phone off the bed and connected the call. “Hello?” I called when I pressed the phone to my ear.
“Lennox?”
My heart fluttered at my name. Oh, boy. All he said was my name. “Uh, that’s me,” I chirped.
His low chuckle sounded in my ear. “You had me worried for a second that you gave me a fake number.”
“Fake number?” I tittered. “We’ve been talking for three years, Jonas. I think we moved past giving each other fake numbers.” Hey, that was pretty good. Maybe I wasn’t going to suck at talking on the phone.
“Yeah, yeah,” Jonas agreed.
And silence.
Long awkward silence.
“Glad to be out of prison?” I blurted. I closed my eyes and wished for a time machine so I could go back forty seconds and just shut my mouth.
“Uh, yeah. I think there might be something wrong with me if I wasn’t,” he laughed. “It’s good to be back with my family.”
“I’m happy for you. Did you get your meal and bed?”
“Did I,” he sighed. “I’m still full of the feast Meg and Bristol made.”
“I’m glad.” And that was the little bit of conversation I could come up with. I was so glad he had called me, but I had no clue what to say. I needed a pen, paper, an envelope, and a stamp. That seemed to be the only way I could talk to Jonas.
“So,” he sighed.
“Yeah, so.” Seriously, did I have no clue how to talk? I did it every day at work, but as soon as I heard Jonas’ voice, my mind blanked.
“Lennox,” he laughed.
“Oh, Jonas,” I sighed. “I don’t know what to say because I want to say everything at once, and instead, nothing is coming out. Obviously,” I drawled. “I can’t believe I asked you if you were happy to be out of prison. Of course, you are. I mean, of course, it’s going to be an adjustment for you, but duh, Jonas, you’re glad to be home. Did you like being back in your bed?”
