Page 8 of Under the Mistletoe

“So, you bust out of here and go off to college, cut us all off, and never even think to tell us that...” He threw his hands up and groaned. “Ah, forget it.”

Without saying anything more, Torch turned and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him. “Well, that went well.”

“I don’t know what you expected.” There was no missing the annoyance on Mom’s face as she added, “You kept something very important from the people who loved you most. And just so you know, it was very hard for your father and me to keep Ava a secret from the brothers. He’s so proud of her and wanted to share that with them.”

“Well, he didn’t keep it a secret from everyone. You told Stitch and Wren. And Cotton and Cass, and Maverick and Henley. I’m sure there are others,” I argued. “Regardless, thiswas something that happened to me, and I’m sorry if I didn’t want everyone to know about it.”

“I understand that, but...”

Before she could say anything more, Dad called out, “Hey, Josie! We need you back here!”

“Coming!” Mom started past me but stopped long enough to say, “There are going to be a lot of hurt feelings over this, Beck. You might as well get prepared for it.”

I wanted to ask her about my feelings and why they didn’t seem to matter. But I already knew the answer. Dad was a member of Satan’s Fury, and his brothers and the club reigned supreme. For the most part, it wasn’t that bad. In fact, it was nice. We had a family who always looked out for one another,

But when you grow up with a massive crush on Dad’s best friend’s son, and he doesn’t even know you are alive, it tends to make you feel insecure and guarded. The whole thing was humiliating. I didn’t want him or anyone else to know that he’d broken my heart, so I feigned a smile and pretended all was right in the world. No one seemed to notice that it was all a ruse.

Not my parents.

Not my friends.

No one.

So, when I got the opportunity to get out, I did.

I went off to college and made a new life for myself. All was going well until I discovered I was pregnant. It was a time when I should’ve wanted to turn to my family and friends, but that was the last thing I wanted to do. I didn’t want them to know anything about me.

But once Ava started to get older, she started to ask questions about her family and why none of them lived nearby. That’s when I realized that my past heartbreaks didn’t have to be her heartbreaks, and I decided to move back home. I felt good about my decision until Torch walked in.

Our little exchange made me realize just how hard this whole thing was going to be, and I wasn’t sure I was prepared for it. I wasn’t sure my folks were either, so I went down the hall to ask them their thoughts. But when I got to Ava’s room, Dad was on the floor with his legs in the air, and Ava was propped up on his feet, zooming through the air like an airplane.

“You’re going to throw your back out doing that.”

“I’m fine,” Dad argued. “Besides, she’s light as a feather.”

“If you say so.” I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed with Mom. “Did you take care of the spider?”

“We sure did, and it was a good thing I was here.” Ava giggled as Dad lifted her up even higher. “He was a nasty little booger.”

I laughed as I told him, “I don’t know what we would’ve done without you.”

“Me either. It’s a good thing Torch lives so close.” Dad lowered Ava to the floor and pulled himself up. “Something like that comes up and I’m not around, you can just get him to give you a hand.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, looking back and forth between him and Mom.

“He lives right next door.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I gasped. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I just did.” He and Mom took hold of Ava’s hands and led her towards the door. “Sucks when people don’t tell you stuff, huh?”

Mom gave me a knowing look as they walked out of the room. Feeling as if the rug had just been ripped from under my feet, I sat back on the bed with a sigh. Damn. Karma can be a real pain in the ass.

Torch

“What’s up with the truck?”

“Alternator is flaking. Figured I’d swap it out before it gave out on me.”

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