Chapter  1

Oakdale, Georgia – The Parents’ House

Zoie

Present Day

Z

oie, what are you doing right now?”

I roll my eyes because this is the fourth time I’ve been interrupted within the last two hours. My mother has asked me that same question twice this morning. My father came in to ask me if I needed anything. Even my sister came over and bugged me. Ilona literally drove from the other side of town to this house just so she could bother me. most days, the woman doesn’t even like me.

I need to stop. I’m being mean for no reason. I’m irritated with the situation. I didn’t enjoy being held hostage the first time around and I damn sure don’t appreciate being made to feel like I’m on house arrest now and it isn’t even my house.

“Zoie? Are you asleep?”

“If I were asleep, I’d be awake right now with your incessant pestering,” I mutter as I begin the job of sliding off of my childhood bed. Yes, it’s actual work for me in my eighth month of pregnancy.

“She probably heard you, you know?” I hear a male voice question.

Quickly turning to face my doorway, I find my little brother, Ziaire, posted against the door frame like the model he is. His name is pronounced with a long “i” in the beginning and the “e” being silent at the end. He’s little “Z” in our household. It is an ongoing joke that he was the shortest of the family until puberty hit. I was taller than him for the longest time. He’s the baby of the family. I’ve got him by five years.

Ziaire is the brother the eldest two siblings and my parents don’t really talk about. That automatically pushes him out of the light and into the shadows. The fact that he’s my mother’s child but not my father’s is the reason his family tie is kept under wraps. Dad’s decision, not anyone else’s. He’s also the one who spends the most time in the shop.

I choose to call him a nickname which refers to his middle name. He’s my Wally, short for Wallace.

“Hey Wally! What are you doing here?”

He’s all smiles when I finally extricate myself from the bed and move to his open arms. This is the second safest place for me. Chuckling, he wraps his big arms around my waist.

“Your mother told me you were here.”

“My mother?” I smirk up at my brother who has a full foot on me.

“Yep, all yours today,” he’s all bright smiles as he tells me this.

“Thanks so much.” I give him another squeeze before stepping back. “Didn’t like the new neck tat, huh?”

“Nope. Not one bit. Told me all about a plastic surgeon she knew who could quote, ‘put my skin back to rights. After laughing until I cried, I walked away. Anyway, she figured you were ignoring her since she’d already stopped in to check on you fifteen minutes ago.”

“Ma is crazy. She’ll never understand why we like tattoos. As far as my ignoring her or not, she would be correct. I can’t believe I’ve been trapped in this house for a week. I’m so going to kick Trevor’ ass for doing this to me. He knows how much I hate being in this house.

“That may be true big, little sister, but this is the safest place for you while he deals with everything else. You can’t be touched as long as you’re here. You know why. Plus, we all decided on this course of action.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. It doesn’t mean I have to like it, does it?”

He chuckles again, and I feel it in my arms since I’m still being held close to him. We’ve gotten closer throughout this whole ordeal. We were already the closest of the siblings, but this situation made us lean on one another in a whole new way. I don’t think I would’ve survived without my brothers and Trevor. The closeness we share doesn’t stop me from worrying. It doesn’t stop me from missing everyone I’ve come to know at the shop.

“I have a surprise for you.”

Shifting in my brother’s arms, I look up at him with a hopeful glee.

“What? What’s my surprise?”

Shaking his head, he takes my hand. He helps me sit on the bench. Grabbing my shoes, he helps me put my shoes on before helping me to stand. Wally doesn’t say another word until that task is complete.

“Still the biggest kid in the household. Come on! Follow me. We’re taking the elevator. I’m not getting my ass kicked doing this.”

Now my interest is definitely piqued.

“Who’s going to kick your ass? What do you mean? Oooh, tell me what my surprise is!”

He’s right. I am the biggest kid and I’m not ashamed of it. Wally shakes his head as he leads me out of my bedroom.

“Come on Nikki. Let’s go!”

I can’t help but smile because Nikki is short for Nikita. It’s also short for Nicole, but I prefer telling anyone who asks me the other story. All of my brothers have called me Nikki since I was younger. Nikki short for Nikita.

I beat three boys up for trying to take my gym bag. I’d been coming from gymnastics practice at the recreation center where I volunteer, and they cornered me. My brothers were late—as usual—meeting me, so I’d started walking. I’d passed the three idiot boys while walking the four blocks to my father’s then office. I had the gall to ignore their taunts. I guess that gave them enough reason to try to find another way to get my attention. They thought it would be an easy thing to get over on me. They were quickly taught a lesson.

I’m the youngest girl in my family and second from the bottom in the line of kids. I had to learn to hold my own or I’d get trampled. None of my brothers cared that we were girls. My sister could’ve cared less about my being one of the youngest.

My sister and parents call me Watts or Zoie. I was given the name Watts because that group said they foresaw me having a bright future. I don’t think they believe that anymore. What I’ve chosen for my life and who I’ve chosen to be with doesn’t make them the least bit happy or hopeful. I don’t care because this is my life and I’m going to live it to the fullest. 

Guiding me to the elevator, Wally practically floats. His big, bouncing frame brings me back to the present. His excitement can be felt as we arrive at our destination. I am happy to see one of my other brothers waiting with the doors open.

“Hey Ricky,” I say in greeting to my second oldest brother, Lucian, who is standing by the elevator. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Making sure our baby brother doesn’t get us all killed by a certain tattoo artist for something happening to either one of you on this journey.”

“Really? I’m finally getting out of this house. Where am I going?”

“What to go, Genius! That’s why we wait until the last minute to tell you anything. You’d spill the beans before they even had a chance to be picked,” Zaiare folds his arms in front of his chest and shakes his head.

“Don’t poke that Herculean chest out at me and point fingers. I have a bigger one than yours. I’m the older one here,” Lucian tells our little brother as he presses the button for the elevator.

“Yeah, I know, Dwayne. You can’t miss that brick wall you call a chest. I’m telling you your neck is going to disappear altogether if you don’t lay off the roids.”

“Kiss. My. Brown. Ass! I have a neck and a fist. I’m going to show you one in a way you’re not going to like if you don’t stop talking shit.”

“No way in hell that’s about to happen. You may as well throw the punch now.”

“Nope. Oh no! that’s not how this is about to go down. I’m finally leaving the confines of Stephanieville. You too asshats aren’t about to ruin that for me. Besides Ricky, you know Wally is able to kick your ass.”

Lucian throws back his head and laughs, so does Ziaire. We all know Ziaire has been trying his damndest to find a way to best Lucian, but hasn’t successfully done so to date. Lucian has street training as well as mix martial arts training under his belt. Zaire is fast and tries to use his speed and agility to get over on Lucian, but it never works. Lucian is big but he’s quick on his feet. The famous names they referenced are the perfect depictions of what the two of them look like.

“Anyway, I didn’t tell her what we were doing. The fact that she has on her sneakers should tell her that we’re leaving the house.”

“That’s true. I’m hoping I’m not about to be taken outside and having the leash removed just so I can roam freely in the yard.”

This time both laugh. I realize they sound so similar to one another that I would be able to tell them apart if I didn’t know how each of them spoke. We head to the garage where a car with dark windows is sitting idle. I’m led to the back door then helped into the seat. Once I’m secure and my brothers have joined me in the car, Lucian knocks on the patrician.

“Let’s go. She’s in.”

A familiar voice responds.

“All right Watson crew, let’s get this show on the road. Trevor owes me big.  I can’t believe I’m out here playing chauffeur while they’re all having fun,” Drew gripes before he starts the truck.

It’s been a long road getting myself and Trevor together. I knew where I belonged the first day I saw that man climb off his motorcycle all those years ago. Inked to the Max—the shop were we work—was in the early stages of becoming the greatness that it is. We were deciding where to put the final signage when that beautiful man with all of those gorgeous, golden curls strutted up to us.

I swear I nearly choked on my own tongue when he spoke to me. That day I had to look like the biggest dodo bird. I couldn’t get anything to come out of my mouth correctly, besides my name. introductions were made, and he cordially smiled but nothing else.

Only humble beginnings for the two of us. I spent so much of my energy trying to get his attention. Years of torturing one another. Now, here we are and I’m still in a place of humble recognition.

Eight months pregnant and so much has happened in the last year ... more like the last ten months. In order to get to the place where we are now, we have to go back to the night that changed everything for us. I need to go back in order for everything to be understood.

Braxton Bryant is my gorgeously stunner of a cousin who makes me want to scream.

“There’s a sight.”

Of all the places I expected to find him, I didn’t expect him to be in my guest bedroom. With the waves of frustration I felt pouring off him after our disagreement yesterday, I swore he wouldn’t want to be anywhere near me. My bedroom is right next door to the bedroom he’s now fast asleep in. it makes me wonder if he knew I slept downstairs or next door so he could be near me.

“Get a grip, Zo,” she muttered to herself before releasing an exasperated breath that blew the loose curls out of her face. “Could your head get any bigger, Chicka?”

Trev shifted slightly and the vision before her got a hell of a lot better. The prior vision was of a gorgeous, sleeping, completely naked, and tatted man with a book tragically covering the most vital part of his anatomy. The full frontal portrait that could’ve been all by it’s lonesome. It’s absolutely cruel and unusual punishment to know someone who looks this good without clothes and aggravates her as much as he does is lying there. He was available for her eyes to take in every, single inch of him that wasn’t hidden by that infernal book.

A slight dreaming stretch and change of position changed that situation within a manner of seconds. Her eyes now feasted on the very reason she stood in the doorway full with his seed growing inside of her. Two of his little munchkins were nestled into her womb and fairly comfortable. Something he still didn’t know because he’d pissed her off.

Seeing all of that wood waking up and greeting her had her fighting against her better judgment. There was an internal battle going on inside. Things were reacting to just the sight of him being very happy this morning. He didn’t even need to see her in all of her ...

Yep. She was practically naked herself. She’d been on her way to the guest bathroom to grab ... something she’d needed at the moment.

What the hell had she needed?

It didn’t seem to matter when she’d walked by this room. Had she actually forgotten he was in her place?

Given her on state of undress, one might believe she’d been on her way to proposition him or something. It had been the furthest thing from her mind. Or had it been? She had to have recalled he’d been in her house. There’s no way she forgot about that. If she hadn’t forgotten he was in the house with her, why did she leave her bathroom to traipse through the house in her bra and panties with nothing else on?

Because it was her house, Dammit! She could wear anything or nothing if she damn well pleased.

She shouldn’t be made to feel bad for walking around comfortably in her own home, even though there is a man inside that very space. A man whom she’d already had sex with and was carrying his babies. It was her house and she could be naked if she ... half-naked if she wanted to be half-naked.

Turning on her heel, she intended to go to the other room and figure out what she’d needed. His voice stopped her in her tracks. Actually, his words halted her exit.

“You stand watching me sleep, get me excited, then try to slip out before I get to have you take care of what you caused? That doesn’t seem fair, Z. Not at all.” His deep voice that just seemed to ooze sex pour out like strawberry drizzle all over her body.

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