Page 112 of Axton
“There’s always a moral to the story, Morgan. There’s no need to live on the edge when your lover says their tummy hurts. Don’t insist on eating their pussy, because all it takes is one sneeze to change your life forever. I’m not sure Scott will ever go down on me again.”
There was nothing but blank stares and blinking eyes looking at Melissa.
Steph spoke up. “Moving on to a less traumatizing topic, did you all hear a new hottie is joining Creed’s Lake as an operative?”
“Who?” Heidi asked.
Morgan answered. “Caleb, otherwise known as Sniper. The president of the Devil’s Rejects.”
“That’s no surprise after what he did up north.” Melissa was still filing her nails.
“What did he do up north?” Kayla asked.
“Taking that bullet for Axton. They said the guy had a clear headshot on him until Sniper distracted him then jumped in front of the bullet.” Melissa answered.
“He did what?” My voice shrieked.
“Axton didn’t tell you?” Melissa asked.
“Not yet.” I answered. Kayla and I kept what was going on with Michael to ourselves. He wanted privacy when it came to his life outside Creed’s Lake, so we respected that for him. That meant my friends didn’t know I was dying on the inside. They might not have understood that I was fighting an internal battle between my heart and my mind. I couldn’t stay married to a man who would eventually need more than I could give him. But learning how close I came to losing him, it made my chest hurt and the only thing I wanted was to be in his arms. I wanted to listen to all of his breaths and heartbeats. I shut my eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks.
We all went back to Morgan’s to get dressed. Morgan was excited for the evening, although Creed was having a tantrum because he wanted her to get some rest. Her parents were staying with all four kids, and she was ready for a night out.
I didn’t care what Morgan said, she looked absolutely gorgeous in her maternity gown. It had spaghetti straps, a sparkly silver wrap bodice and the bottom flowed with sheer black fabric. She looked far from a woman who gave birth a week ago.
My dress was a baby blue and sparkly silver A-line spaghetti strapped dress, with sequence and white snowflakes throughout the sheer and flowy material that laid over liquid satin. My hair was up with loose curls, and my makeup was way heavier than I ever had it before. I was wearing fake lashes and pink lipstick, and I loved the waviness of my hair before it turned into a braided bun at the nape of my neck. Morgan’s jewelry matched my skin tone perfectly, and I felt like a princess.
All the girls looked absolutely stunning, but I was trying to hide my sadness. I was still heartbroken and my date for the evening wasn’t my husband, but my sister in law instead. Creed teased about escorting all three of us into the ballroom and being the luckiest man alive. But I could have cried because I would havedone almost anything to be on Michael’s arm. I wished I knew if we could fix things. I understood why Michael wasn’t able to see me that morning. I wanted him to be with Magnus, and hated the idea of Michael not being there when he woke up.
Creed proudly escorted us inside the ballroom where my eyes didn’t know where to look first. There were flowers everywhere, granted they were fake and ordered months ago, but they were still beautiful. Candles were lit on every table and there were also balloons. There was even a corner that was setup to take pictures with a New Years theme on the backdrop. I giggled when I saw the prospects in tuxedos walking around with trays of champagne and hors d’oeuvres. I saw things very similar in some movies I watched. I graciously took a glass of champagne then stood with Kayla as we talked with various people in attendance. A look around was a reminder of how handsome and beautiful the men and women that made up Creed’s Lake were.
Then I saw my brother, who didn’t have a tuxedo but wore a shirt and tie with a pair of slacks. He was standing off to the side with several women trying to get his attention, so I rolled my eyes and looked away. My eyes kept scanning the room for any sign of Michael, but he wasn’t there yet. It was okay, he was with Josh Magnus, and he needed to be there for him. I could wait another day, and I knew he wasn’t with me for good reason because Josh needed him.
Axton
Baros was late getting to the hospital. He was supposed to sit with Magnus, and I’d drive his truck back. Magnus did well through surgery, but was still running a slight fever. His dad showed up and sat with him for a few hours, but I still needed Baros to come be with him.
I waited in the parking lot, pacing and going clear out of my mind. I had too much to think about, one being my truck totaled up north, and getting home to Belle. I hoped she didn’t think I abandoned her on the night of her first New Years celebration. Baros was living life up on a damn tropical island while we ran shit up here and couldn’t even be on time when he was home for a visit. I was sure he was enjoying the money we made for him while he lived it up on the beach down there.
I saw his truck and I waved him over so he wouldn’t drive around looking for a parking spot. “You’re welcome.” He said after I practically pulled him from his truck.
“You’re late despite living with almost no responsibility all year, so eat shit.” I shut the door and took off. I had an hour to get home, then get a shower and throw on my tux. Belle was probably already at the party. It wasn’t a comfortable trip home. I was looking over my shoulder constantly because we were on lockdown for a reason. Once I made it into my driveway, I jumped out and dashed inside for the shower.
Twenty minutes later, I patted my pocket and made sure I had what I needed. Quickly, I made my way back out to the truck, not even bothering to tie my tie. The drive to the community center never seemed to take as long as that night. After parking the truck, I dashed inside.
“Stop right there!”
I stopped and turned to see Morgan, who looked amazing by the way.
“What? I need to get in there.”
Morgan’s jet black hair was long and styled as if she came straight from the 1940’s and I was sure Creed loved the red lipstick. “You aren’t stepping foot in that room until you put yourself together. Let me take care of your tie, then tuck that shirt in and put that jacket on. I swear, you boys are driving me insane tonight. It’s one night in a tux, it’s not that bad.” She started tying my tie.
“I need to get in there to Belle.”
Her eyes lit up and she smiled just a little. “Well, you should prepare yourself, she’s absolutely stunning. She also understands you were taking care of Josh, and I’m grateful. How was he when you left?”
“He was getting IV antibiotics, and his dad was there, which is good. The surgeon thinks he’ll be doing better by morning. Baros is there so he’s safe.”
