VOLUME SEVEN: BEGINNING OF FOREVERMeredith Blackfoot tensed as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and did her best not to bite down. Her hand gripped that of her husband, who stood at his full height next to her, as still as she was. They were both, it seemed, holding their breath. In actuality this breath had been held for the past eighteen months: the length of time since Addalynn had come to live with them, how long it had taken for their petition for adoption to be seen before the court, and how long they had lived their lives looking over their shoulders.The obstacles they faced had, at times, seemed overwhelming—yet here they stood. As one united front."Whatever they say, we'll make it through."She heard the soft words spoken by the man who held her heart, who'd held it since he'd saved her on the most awful night of her life. He was right, they would, but goddamn, it would hurt if they took Addalynn away. Their attorney had cautioned them before they walked
"We're gonna head out."Meredith glanced up, seeing Layne and Jessica standing together holding hands. She knew that given his past, Layne sometimes couldn't handle loud noises and flash booms…it didn't happen every time, but on those rare occasions that it did send him into a flashback, it could be hard to get him out of it. He wasn't a fan of giving it a try and just assuming he would be okay in the end. He'd had a few flashbacks with Jessica around, and he was always worried he'd hurt her. When children were around, he was even more careful, which was probably why he was making a quick exit tonight."Thanks for comin'," Tyler stood up, hugging the younger man. Liam, Travis, and Rooster were in the field, getting things set up, and it was customary for the other members to say their goodbyes before heading out. Jagger was talking shit with some of the teenagers that had come with Drew and Mandy."It's always a great time," Jessica grinned.They still lived at the clubhouse
"Go on, enjoy that piece of man meat you call yours. I'll make sure Addie is taken care of, if she needs anything. I'm pretty sure she won't, but don't worry about it," B told Meredith, grinning at her like a lunatic as she held up the baby monitor in one hand."Why are you so happy I'm going to go have alone time with Ty?" she asked, her eyes squinted together in question."I just have a really good feeling about tonight. I've thought about it the whole night…every time I look at you, I think it's a special night.""Whatever." Meredith laughed. "Thanks for watching her."Not waiting for B to spout off more weird words to her, she high-tailed it back down the hallway and to the dorm room they called their own. She closed the door as quietly as she could. "B and Jagger got it if Addie wakes up; let me just change real fast."When she turned, her mouth went dry, like barren desert dry. "How is it that every time I look at you without a shirt on, you're hotter than you were the
Meredith felt like she was on fire as Tyler reached around and grabbed the tie that held the top of her bikini in place. She felt the give of the string as he pulled on it, then she pushed back against his strong forearm so that it could fall away. Her eyes met his before he broke the gaze and looked down at the flesh he'd just bared. There was something about the look of concentration that fell into place over his features that excited her."You get more beautiful every time I see you," he whispered before bending his head so he could capture her hard flesh in between his lips.This was what she loved about him. Before him, she'd been extremely self-conscious about herself, especially after the attack. He had taken all those feelings and thrown them into a box, shoving it somewhere she would never be able to find them again. With him, she did feel beautiful, she did feel wanted, there was no doubt in her mind that her husband loved and wanted her. Those feelings were worth more th
Meredith awoke to the sunlight streaming brightly between the blinds of the dorm room. Wrapped in Tyler's arms, she was content and at peace—more than she'd been in a long time. She sighed deeply, allowing herself a few moments to think about the changes that had come about in her life. If this had been a time not so long ago, she'd be lying here wondering why she was defective, why she couldn't give herself and him the one thing they both wanted. Not being able to get pregnant had been a major blow to her self-esteem, in some ways even more so than the rape. It had made her feel like she was less of a woman, like something was wrong with her. That only doubled the frustration she felt when she went to the doctor and they told her there was absolutely nothing wrong with her or Tyler. In her darkest days, she'd fallen to her knees and questioned God. She'd not only questioned, but she'd begged. Promises had flown from her lips like a river. If God would give her a child, then she'd do a
"Do we have any new ones today?" Meredith asked as she went over some of the paperwork that greeted her once she got to CRISIS. She'd quietly worked her way up from volunteer to director. She wasn't sure how that had happened, but she knew that things were getting done, and that's all that anyone cared about."Yeah," one of the volunteers told her, picking through the packets the new people filled out. "This one." She handed her the packet. "She came in late last night. Looked familiar to me, but I couldn't put my finger on it. She's already gone for the day, said she wanted to go find a job."That was good. It never did any of the newbies any good to sit in the house and think about how they'd gotten there. That never did anyone any good. "Does she have any family nearby?" Meredith asked, doing a once-over of the registration forms."She mentioned a sister somewhere, but that was it. They aren't close, and she refused to name her, only said that they were actually half-sisters a
"Are you sure you don't wanna go to the clubhouse and hang with everybody? We'll probably be pretty late tonight," Tyler questioned Meredith as he put his leather chaps on over his jeans and shrugged into his leather cut. She admired the view for a moment before shaking her head. "This isn't the first run you've ever been on at night. You forget we've done this a long time."There had been times in the past few years where they hadn't done many runs and she'd not had to worry about him or be alone at night, but these runs had picked up significantly in the last few months. He couldn't tell her anything and she was okay with that, but she didn't feel as if she had to be treated any differently now."I know that." He had a seat, slipping his boots on. "I worry now that you're here with Addie. It seems pointless to me, since there's a clubhouse full of people who would love to see you."The argument she voiced was gentle. "And I want to stay here in my pajamas, going over my budg
"Why did Mandy run outta here like her ass was on fire?" Liam asked Denise as he grabbed his leather cut. He'd been tucking Tatum in and had heard raised voices, but knew if anyone had the details, it would be Denise.She sighed. "Drew and Dalton. I'm not sure what all was said, but they were bragging about getting girls.""Were they braggin' about gettin' girls or bangin' girls?" He grinned and blew out a gust of air as she smacked him in the stomach."As long as I have no proof, my son is still my little boy," she told him, running a hand through her hair. "Anyway, whatever they said really upset Mandy. She threw some stuff in a bag and was gone.""These teenagers are gonna be the death of us," he breathed out, pulling her into his arms, circling her in his embrace.She melted there a few moments, letting the stress of the day go away. It was the best place she had ever been and the best place she ever could be. "Don't I know it? I don't understand what happened. I moved in