Everybody Falls (28 page)

"I don't know that it's silly. It's what you wanted and Pete listened. I'd say that's pretty cool. Sounds to me like you got yourself a good one. A man that listened when you talked," I replied. "Those kind of men are hard to find, Edie. Especially now days."

I gazed down at the rings as I tried to imagine what it would be like to have that kind of love with another person. The kind of devotion where you made promises and plans for a future together. The kind of love that, when it was your time to go, the symbol of the intimacy between the two of you was placed in a velvet lined box next to the others, celebrating the connection, the longevity of your family.

"Where do you want it to go?" I asked finally.

Her eyes came back to mine and held my gaze for a few quiet moments.

"I think I'll just keep it out for now," she said slowly, before shaking herself breaking the spell the rings had put us under. "How we doing on the rest?"

"Almost done, I think," I replied, moving back to the large hutch. "Were you planning on having the guys move this? Because I'm thinking it make a great dresser."

I turned back as she took in the lines of the large piece. "You're right, it would. And I think there'd still be enough room left over for my bed. When are they due back?"

"I think Jack said two or so," I replied, opening and closing each of the doors, the drawers to ensure they were empty.

"Grams? Lace?" I heard Jax call and felt my heart pick up its pace.

My man was home.

Chapter 23

Jax felt he'd been on the fucking phone all fucking morning.

The first call was to Sarge to see about getting help to shift Grams' bedroom to the dining room.

"No worries, Slugger. When do you want to do this?" Sarge had rumbled down the line. Jax didn't know if he'd woken the man or not however he was still surprised by the younger sounding female voice in the background of their call. Maybe the old fucker hadn't been kidding about needing the extra condoms.

After Sarge, Jax had called one of the local auto repair shops as he arranged the tow for Lacey's car to get the tires replaced.

Then it had been texting Boots regarding soundboards and speakers. Auburn really did seem to be the place for older rockers to settle when their careers hit the skids. Boots was trying to negotiate with a couple of folks that had things the new band would need and wanted to see if Jax had anything to barter. While he didn't fully understand the concept, Jax had texted back he'd come up with whatever was needed.

He was starting to get excited about playing again, especially if it'd help Turner out of his jam. Who would've thought that Turner was a gambler?

Then there were the actual calls with Turner, the man they were trying, scrambling to help.

"Remember the song, 'Please Don't Leave'?" Turner had asked in the first conversation.

"You mean the one Denny screamed about?" Jax answered with a question of his own.

"Yeah, Dude. He hated that song. Hated it and let everybody know. I wrote it except the treatment he gave it was nothing like my original intention," Turner had admitted. "I know you said no Wynter's Vicious tunes, so what if we play it as the ballad I originally intended it to be?"

Jax thought for a moment. He barely remembered when Turner introduced the song to the band. The biggest part of that memory was of Denny going out of his fucking mind, yelling that "love" had no business being a part of their music. That women were to be thoroughly banged and then forgotten.

Hit it and quit it.

It was what the Wynter's band was supposed to be.

Christ. Denny had been such a asshole about that shit.

"I could go with a ballad," Jax admitted. "I just don't want…"

"Yeah, Dude," Turner cut him off. "I get it. No retrospective. No cover band type of shit."

"I'm done with that life, Turner," Jax said quietly.

There was silence down the connections of their phones.

"After what I witnessed yesterday in your grandma's kitchen, I can see why."

"She's something, isn't she?" Jax asked. He hoped he wasn't the only one that got Lacey's sweetness.

"Which one, bro'?" Turner asked.

Jax smiled because it was a fair question. He had two wonderful women in his life now.

"Both," he affirmed on a lighter note.

"I'll be over later with Sarge. Do you think it'd be okay with Ms. Dennison if Ricki showed up after her shift?"

"Seems like you've got it bad, brother," Jax could hear the smile in his voice as he tried to figure out where Turner's head was regarding the 'love connection' that had happened right at his feet.

"Almost as bad as you, dickhead," Turner admitted with a chuckle.

After talking with Turner the first time, he'd gotten out the different telephone books, trying to find someone that could help add to the downstairs bath so Grams would be comfortable. How did you choose?

He called Sarge but was handed off to speak with his old band mate for a second time. Apparently, Turner had done construction when the band was still playing out of garages or the local shit bars that they'd snuck into because most of the band was underage.

He'd said he'd do it for just materials. Which was really something coming from a selfish prick like Turner.

"Bring receipts," Jax had warned him.

Funny how when you'd been around someone for so many years, you almost didn't see them. Then, when they came back into your life and you were at a different place, you discover that old friend was different, too.

It was kind of cool, Jax decided.

Jax opened up the front door as he waited for the guys to show. Both Boots and Sarge said they were bringing people to help out. So, to keep them out of the way, he'd asked Lace and Grams to hang on the back porch. The old woman had given him detailed instructions on what was to go where. He'd already stacked the different kitchen and dining room chairs out on the back lawn to keep them, too, out of the way.

It seemed his grandmother wanted to use the solid oak dining room table for everyday now, which was strange. That had been their 'special occasion' table, used only when there was company or for birthdays and shit. Now, though, she'd had Lacey put Grandma Lisa's good china in the cupboards after being told the good table was going to be used for every goddamn meal.

Maybe the old gal was starting to get 'weird old'
, Jax thought. He'd heard about it but he wasn't quite sure what to watch for, in case it was dementia or something.

The guys arrived and he sent Boots, Sarge and Boots' grandson, Tom, upstairs to dismantle Gram's old bed, while he and Sarge's guy from the motorcycle shop unscrewed the legs from the heavy oak table so they could move it into the kitchen.

Once the room was cleared, Lacey ran in to do a quick run with the vacuum. She was just winding up the cord when Jax realized they were alone. Not one to lose a moment, he decided a kiss and full body hug could be accomplished without prying eyes.

"Uhm, Jax?" he heard a voice say from the doorway and turned. When he did, he felt Lacey's body, firmly pressed against his, go completely tight, completely still.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he heard his girl growl, her eyes on the young man at the door to the dining room.

"Lace?" the man who'd been introduced as 'Tom' was staring at Lacey. He was staring at Lacey in a way that raised the hackles on Jax's neck.

"Get out," she demanded, struggling to free herself from Jax's arms. "Get the hell out of this house right this damn minute."

"What the fuck?" Jax breathed. He had no clue what was going on but he'd never seen Lace like this.

"I see you traded up," Tom drawled with a sneer.

"What's going on, Baby?" Jax asked, trying to hold on to the wildcat in his arms.

"He's the asshole that…" she yelled.

"I'm the asshole?" Tom yelled back. "You are such a whore, Lacey! A lying two-bit, cheap fucking whore just like your mother."

Say, what?

Jax heard the clump of large boots coming quickly down the stairs. Saw arms grab Tom's shoulders from behind as he was swung quickly out of the doorway.

Lacey yanked herself away from him, storming after them. Jax was only a half-step behind.

Everyone was out on the front lawn, except Grams who he could hear yelling from the back porch. Sarge was holding Lacey back while Boots was dragging Tom away.

Jax had no idea what this was or what started it.

He was going to. Oh, fuck, yeah, he was going to.

"Who is he, Lace?" Jax demanded coming down the steps to join the group. Never taking her eyes of the tall, young man, she spoke through clenched teeth.

"He's the one I told you about. The guy that wouldn't let me out of my house without his prior approval," she ground out. "He made this huge scene at Mercy's. He tried to yank me out of there. When I didn't go, he hit me."

"And you filed charges, you bitch!" Tom yelled.

Oh, fuck, no.

The stupid bastard didn't just admit to hitting his girl.

Jax's girl.

"You hit Lacey?" Jax heard Boots say over the thundering in his ears. He saw the older man release the grip on his grandson's shoulders and watched everyone take a step away from the two of them.

One punch.

That was all it took to drop the ass clown to the ground and had given Jax the satisfaction of seeing blood squirt out of the bastard's nose.

"C'mon, asshole. Stand up. Or do you only like hitting girls, you fucking pussy?" Jax bellowed, fists still clenched. "Either stand up or get gone!"

The entire group, except for Lace who had gone back inside to see to Grams, watched as Tom went scrambling for his truck. Their eyes followed the dust as the vehicle quickly left, spewing gravel until the tires squealed and smoked as it hit the asphalt of the small road.

"Fucking A, Dude," Turner breathed, breaking the silence, his eyes still on the road.

"Downed him with one punch. I'm impressed, Slugger," Sarge grumbled. "I was hoping to get a piece of that action. But, one punch?"

The bald man grabbed Jax behind his neck and gave him a shake.

"I didn't know about them," Boots said, his hands on his hips. "Had no clue, Jax, or I wouldn't have brought him."

"Is it always like this with you Rockers?" Sterling, the guy that Sarge had brought, who everyone called 'Trike', was still standing on the porch. "All this drama? Shit, I thought I was just going to be moving furniture. You guys take this stuff on the road?"

There were chuckles all around, the tension releasing.

"I need to see about Grams," Jax mumbled. "Are we about ready to move the bed down?"

His mind, though, was on his girls and how they were doing.

*.*.*.*.*

"Lacey, sweetie? That steak is already dead. There's tenderizing, then there's mangling," Edie grumbled from her place at the huge table now ensconced in the kitchen.

I'd found some round steaks in the freezer, enough to feed everybody. I was going to make swiss steak for dinner with mashed potatoes and corn. Not quite Jax's favorite meal, but close enough.

I stood back and looked at what I was doing. Yeah, Edie was right. The steak was beaten almost to a pulp.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "I guess I'm still pretty wound up."

"Well, you had reason to be," I heard her say.

The back screen door banged, announcing Sarge as he came into the kitchen before plunking down in the nearest chair.

"I'm too old for this shit," he grumbled. "Any more iced tea, Lace?"

I poured him a glass and freshened Edie's.

"I have something for you," he said, turning towards the older woman. "I don't want you to get all bent out of shape, except I've got something that you might be able to use and would like to barter for."

The screen door creaked open. I heard Jax and the others stream in. It must be getting hot out on the back lawn where the guys had gone to continue planning their upcoming event.

"What would that be?" Grams answered, thoughtfully smiling.

I glanced at her, my eyes roaming in assessment. When I'd quit the scene earlier on the front lawn and ran back to her, she'd been madder than a wet hen at being left out of, what she'd called, 'the festivities'. Now she seemed to be back to her kind, gentle and flirtatious self.

"A wheelchair," Sarge rumbled, leaning towards her, eyes sparkling with a huge grin on his face.

"Oh, hell, no," Boots interjected, forcing his way between Trike and Jax to step up to the table. "I brought her a walker. You can't barter away a wheelchair when I done brung her the walker."

I saw Edie blink really fast which usually meant she was thinking very fast. I shot a glance at Jax. He was watching the tableau unfold between the three seniors.

"I've got six of those quart-sized beer steins for the walker," Edie said with a chin lift to Boots.

"Done!" the old man chortled in glee as he slapped a hand to Sarge's back.