“You will never make me feel as if you don’t need me any longer, Baby Girl.I’m your dad and I will always be the holder of your secrets and the healer of your heart.Matt already knows this and understands I will be there for you when you need me.It’s why I’m the one in the house with you each day and no one else is allowed inside.Seth is the only other man besides Brick who can step foot through the door and not have the shit beat out of him by Matt.Let him in and help you work, through the commotion and chaos in your mind.It’s what he wants to do and he’s just waiting for you to tell him it’s okay and to talk,” my dad says, giving me the words of wisdom I never knew I needed to hear right now.
“I’ll let him in, Dad.Promise,” I tell him just as the front door opens and I hear my mom and sister laughing and talking loudly as they make their way inside the house.
“That’s all I ask, Sweetheart.Matt will stand right there with you as long as you don’t keep him shut out.Let him in and be there for him when he needs you.He has an entire clubhouse full of men to talk things through with, but they aren’t you.The woman he wants at his side to share everything with him.The good and the bad,” my dad says as Mom and my sister enter the kitchen with us and take seats next to me after giving me a hug in greeting.
“How are you feeling today, Sweetheart?”my mom asks, accepting the plate of food my dad offers her with a smile before turning to look at me.
My mom and dad have the kind of love that has overcome everything thrown in their path.They’ve weathered being broke and having nothing to their name, living in a cramped apartment with two small children.Now, they’re comfortable and living the life they want full of love and happiness with their daughters and grandchildren surrounding them.If you ask them, they’ve always had every single thing they ever wanted in life no matter what their circumstances were.They were happy when they had nothing and will continue to be happy when they’re comfortable and don’t want for anything.It’s the kind of love I hope to have with Matt.
They used to have a date night once a week at least.Even if it was them in the backyard while we were watching movies on the TV in the living room.No one ever got them down or tore them apart.My grandparents tried to offer my mom a ton of money to come home and leave my dad and us behind.She refused and angered them to the point they stopped talking to her and she hasn’t seen them in almost twenty years.I’ve never met them and I can’t say for sure my sister has either.None of our kids have met them and I hope we never do.I have no interest in being near people who only care about wealth and status over all else in life.That’s exactly the kind of people my grandparents seem to be.At least my grandma sounds that way.
“I’m feeling okay today.A little better than yesterday if I’m being honest.I’m not sure if I got more sleep or not.Matt has been waking me up when I have nightmares so I don’t get lost in them and relive everything that’s happened.The worst part of this situation is that I can’t help but feel as if my husband is still alive and faked his own death for some reason.Why the hell would he do that?”I ask my parents and sister as they look at me with eyes filled with sympathy.
“I don’t know what the hell is going on,” Jennifer says more to herself than any of us sitting here with her.“That asshole has always been a stupid fuck who doesn’t ever want to do anything for himself.Did he ever take out an insurance policy on himself?What about you thinking he was cheating on you?Was there ever evidence of his infidelity?”
“Yes.The woman sent me messages and pictures outlining their relationship in explicit detail.The only reason I never told you before is because I was so ashamed I wasn’t enough for Clark.As far as any insurance policies go, I never saw any.He could have taken out a million of them and never shown me a single thing.If he was cheating on me, maybe his mistress was the beneficiary of them.I only got left with debt in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.I’ve been working to pay it off slowly and haven’t had the money to spend on the kids to take care of them the way I should be.That’s all I got from my husband.I don’t know that the kids even remember him much these days..They’re all about Matt these days.Even Caydence falls asleep more often on his chest than with me or alone in her crib,” I inform my family as I look at them with a smile on my face.
I’ve got more pictures than I can count of Matt and the kids sleeping as he holds them.He doesn’t know, but I’ll put them up in the house at some point.He should be able to see them when he comes home or walks through the halls.
“Do you think I should sell the house we lived in before?”I ask my parents and Jennifer suddenly as the thought hits me.
“Is that what you want to do?You’ve never even considered it as an option until right now.What’s changed?”my dad questions me because they’ve brought that up in the past when I’ve been trying to pay off the debt my husband left me buried with.
“I think I do.There’s nothing but heartache and pain for me there.Yes, the kids have lived there until now, but it doesn’t mean they’ll remember anything about the house as they get older.Especially toward the end when all we did was fight and argue about everything,” I tell them, letting the possibility of getting rid of the house settle in my mind.
“If that’s what you wanna do, you know we’ll support you,” my mom says, her voice as sweet as always.“We can contact the realtor for you and pack up everything.You’ve already taken care of his stuff so that’s not anything we have to worry about.You won’t have to step foot in the house for any reason.Stay here at Matt’s and let him take care of you.We can rent a storage unit and put everything in there until you’re ready to figure everything out.”
“I’ll get some of the guys from work to help out.They know the situation and will be more than happy to help us take care of things for you.You know they love your sister and you as if they were your aunts and uncles.You worry about the babies and yourself while we take care of everything else.If you have to sign anything, we’ll bring it here to you and then take it back to the office,” my dad says, his voice slightly indifferent as he realizes I’m ready to let go of the past completely and look toward my future.
“Are you gonna stay here with Carbon?”Jennifer asks me, as I hear the front door open and close.
“I don’t know if that’s what he wants.He’s letting us stay here with him for now, but long-term is something else completely,” I say as a pair of strong arms wrap around me from behind and hold me tight.
“You’re not goin’ anywhere, Tutor.You’re my woman and those are my kids.Not just the twins you carry, but the two at Rooster and Marie’s house.Now that I have you here, there’s no gettin’ away from me,” Matt says, his voice soft and gentle before he presses kisses against my neck and sending a chill through my body.
“I’ve brought so much shit to your door, Matt.Shit you shouldn’t have to deal with because you chose to be with me.Look at how angry you’ve been lately.And the shit that was done here at the house.Everyone in the compound is on guard because of my mess and there’s no real reason for it,” I tell him, tipping my head back against his chest so I can see him.
“Don’t give a fuck what you brought to me, Peyton.You’re my ol’ lady and will become my wife as soon as you’re ready.We’ll deal with this situation first and then worry about everythin’ else.For now, just let me be here for you and help in any way I can.I’m ready to battle all of your demons for you and get rid of this fuckin’ stalker before anythin’ else happens.I told you before I’d give my life to protect you and our family and that’s the damn truth,” Matt says before leaning over me and kissing me as if we’re alone in the house and my family isn’t over for lunch.
Matt joins us for lunch just before Marie and Rooster show up.Rooster and Matt leave the kitchen to talk while my parents and sister fawn over my kids and spoil them rotten.My mom and Marie talk about something and I have a feeling she’s letting her know I’m selling the home I shared with my husband.If that’s the case, I know the club will do everything in their power to make sure I don’t have to lift a finger when the house sells and everything needs to be packed up and moved.That’s just who they are and how the club works.It’s something I’m really honored to be part of.Even if it’s for a short time only.
