That year, I fell even deeper in love with the sexy bastard. He effortlessly juggled club issues and family obligations without losing his cool.
When Zodiac was home, he was completely present with us. He played with his boys and always made me feel like the sexiest fox in the world.
Despite Zodiac’s inability to get flustered, I made sure he knew he wasn’t alone. We had his back, even if he didn’t need anyone to lighten the load. Zodiac used to say that no one loved him more than he loved himself. I made it my mission to ensure he knew that was no longer true.
Sutter and Trent were crazy about their dad. They stopped whatever they were doing once he arrived home. He took the boys for walks around our large property. Once the observatory was completed, he spent hours in there with Sutter and Trent.
With Zodiac often at home with us, the Black Rainbow members were always rolling up to the property to check in with him. I got to know the guys well, often having them stay for dinner. Feeding men was a good way to win their hearts.
Alabama and the other two old ladies weren’t so sure about me in the beginning. I didn’t feel comfortable being overly honest with them about Zodiac. He was the club president, and I was protective of his image.
The old ladies grew edgier once Goldie moved to Baton Rouge. The first few club parties were organized by Lula, Goldie, and me. There was a building “us vs them” vibe brewing between the original old ladies and the Crimson Guard foxes.
Shay played peacemaker by inviting Alabama and the old ladies over for lunch. Rather than talk about men, we kept the conversation focused on easier topics like kids and pets.
Over the years, more women married into our Black Rainbow family. Growing up with my wild friends made me a natural leader of the wives. Many of them helped me at the local branch of the Sabine Women’s Center that I opened when Trent was four.
By then, Zodiac and I felt our family was complete. Years had passed without an oops baby.
When Trent got old enough for sports, Zodiac and I became coaches for several local teams. That was how we met Ashleigh.
The feisty little brunette attached herself to me during soccer practices. She and Trent became fast friends, often talking over each other in their silly way. Ashleigh’s mom was young and single. Wanting to help out Erica, Zodiac and I offered to keep Ashleigh overnight when she needed to work extra shifts.
Ashleigh’s hazel eyes shined the entire time she was at our house. Soon, we kept her through entire weekends and turned a guest room into her space. Zodiac even asked Ojai to paint cat murals on her walls.
Early on, we realized Erica was really out partying rather than working. Zodiac and I let her lie because we liked having Ashleigh at our house. That summer, Erica claimed she needed to stay at her aunt’s home in another state for several months. Would we be okay keeping Ashleigh for that long?
The girl fit into our family so perfectly. She was crazy about Trent and Sutter, often exploring with them on the property. She loved cuddling with me like I had done with Shay. Her behavior with Zodiac was just like mine with Ford.
One warm day that summer, Trent, Sutter, and Ashleigh were helping Zodiac work on his motorcycle. At one point, she ran inside and said, “Dad needs a cold drink.” The way she said those words erased my common sense. For months, I had been telling myself Icouldn’t keep her, just like I had once tried to convince myself that Zodiac and I couldn’t work.
“I love her,” I admitted to Zodiac that night. “I want to keep her.”
His blue eyes sharpened, and he nodded. “I do, too. She feels like our kid.”
“What do we do?”
Zodiac replied like a man who had already worked out the problem long ago. “The worst part of being a foster kid is the uncertainty. I never knew if I would stay anywhere long enough to unpack my things or make friends. If we do this thing with Ashleigh, we make it official and have Erica sever her rights. I don’t want the bitch to come back years from now and try to steal our girl.”
Erica didn’t take much convincing to give up her rights. She had a new boyfriend with a job in Alaska. That was apparently where she had gone during the summer.
“I don’t think Ashleigh would like it there,” Erica said as if she were doing her daughter a favor.
I worried Ashleigh would be hurt by Erica’s rejection. Instead, she had already accepted her mother’s shortcomings. Ashleigh was like Zodiac in how she dealt with the bullshit thrown at her and made the best out of every situation.
We threw a party at the compound when Ashleigh officially became our daughter and a member of the Reed Bondi family. As we set off fireworks, seven-year-old Trent and Ashleigh ran around high-fiving everyone. Fifteen-year-old Sutter carried our lazy senior dog, Hobbs, while our Golden Retriever mix, Styles, followed behind. Clint’s boys—Hank and Gus—stared in awe at the fireworks while Lil Paxton rode Exile’s shoulders and wore his daddy’s cowboy hat.
I stood with Zodiac and admired everyone together. The journey to this moment had been filled with doubts. I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to live so far from my family. I also worried a wild man like Zodiac would get bored with marriage and fatherhood. We were both in uncharted territory.
Yet, loving my husband felt easy, like he was put on this earth to be mine. I really did hit the jackpot by owning the heart of a man like Zodiac Bondi.
ZODIAC’S EPILOGUE
Unlike the rest of the Roberts clan, I had zero trouble with parenting. I was a man who thrived on responsibility. If I said I’d be home at a certain time, Elle and the kids could trust I’d roll up at that time. I kept my cool when Trent raced into his terrible twos. I never let his hellion ways affect me when he bulldozed into his more obnoxious terrible threes.
I couldn’t ever remember being such a wild child. Maybe I never felt safe enough to goof off in the way Trent did. Or maybe he inherited his wild side from Elle.
“Were Elle and Clint rowdy children?” I asked Shay during one of her visits to the Mouth of Madness Compound.
