UNBREAKABLE (ABLE SERIES) (34 page)

“I’m one hundred percent, boss,” LT’s answer comes seconds later after Cody’s, but his tone is not strained, it’s sincere…almost at peace.

I take two steps back, processing what I just heard. After taking a few deep breaths, I walk toward my girls wanting to tell them, but knowing I can’t. I need to talk to Jake first. In the meantime, I’m not letting what I heard ruin the most important day of my life. If we’re in danger, so be it. Our boys can and will take care of us. My crazy-self asks me if I’m afraid. Am I? Of course, I have four babies I have to think about now. I’d like to think after what I’ve been through, I can get scared, but be rational at the same time. Jack is handling whatever it is, and I have complete faith in him.

Jake tips his head toward the water. We walk hand in hand and stand a few feet away from shore. With my back to his front, his hands splayed on my tummy with my hands over his, and his nose nuzzling my neck; we watch the water hit the shore, enjoying the peace and comfort it brings.

“Thank you, babe. You’ve thought of everything to make today so perfect. I want you to know, I love my surprise. I love them so much already. I can’t wait to hold my four munchkins. I love you, Tricia Ann Oliver, until I take my last breath,” He whispers in my ear.

“Hmmm, you’re welcome. Nothing I can’t handle. Thanks for teaching me to be strong.” I laugh out loud. “God knows, I’ll need it with our four angels.” I slowly face my husband. “For the record, they’re our chickadees, not munchkins.”

He narrows his eyes at me, and a slow grin appears on his face. Something smart is going to come out of that mouth of his.

“How about we call them our dick-kins,” He says grinning.

I gasp. “No one calls my babies dick-kins! Fine, munchkins it is! I hope you didn’t tell Cody, because Roxy’s already calling them dicksicles!”

My husband just laughs at me, I laugh at me…we finally laugh at us.

With our friends and family surrounding us, we celebrate the night with a greater reason than our wedding. It’s a celebration of Jake’s life, plus four more. He calls me his gift, but really, we’re each other’s gift. A gift we’ll always cherish. A love we’ll always protect. A bond that will never be severed by anything or anyone….a bond that’s
unbreakable.

Epilogue

Roxy
(1 week after the wedding)

“Roxy, dad just called, we need to go to his office, right now. He said it’s important. Get ready, yeah? We’re leaving in five,” Tami says after she shakes the shit out of me.

“Is it about the sperm donor?” I try to wipe the sleep off my face, but my tone is full of contempt. The asshole, sperm donor is the first person I think of because Uncle Jack never calls us for a meeting in his office unless it is of utmost importance,
and the asshole’s level of importance is code red…DEFCON 1.
As I sit here, I start thinking of what is going on. I hate being in the dark, thinking everything’s okay, and then, boom! Someone plays God and decides when to fuck up my life. That’s exactly what my son-of-a-bitch father did to me. He lied to me my entire life…he made me believe I was wanted, loved, only to find out that I wasn’t. I was just a pawn…a means to an end…an end filled with lies, deceit, and pure evil coming from the bowels of hell.

Twenty minutes later, we walk in the board room and seeing Cody sitting across from Damien immobilize me. My eyes remain locked on Cody, trying to gauge his demeanor. I want to run to him, to ask what’s going on, but Uncle Jack and Brian walk in and my attention switches to them. I’m glad Tami guides me to sit because my brain is only functioning in crazy mode at the moment.

Uncle Jack wastes no time and gets down to business. “Alright, since everyone’s here, let’s start this. There’s no way of saying it other than telling you straight. Roxy, your dad’s illegal activities finally caught up with him, and unfortunately, it affects you, kiddo.” He looks at me with sadness in his eyes. “It actually affects all of us. We were promised this nightmare would be over five months ago, but with our luck, it’s not. Now, I am forced to address a situation that involves you, ASAP. LT is now working for me. He’ll be helping the boys ensure your safety as well as the girls. I need you, Roxy, Cody, and Damien to be able to live together without killing each other. Now, I don’t know the dynamics of what’s going on between you three, but what I do know is that we’re dealing with a far greater problem than these boys busting each other’s balls. Roxy, they ironed their shit out. So, in front of you, I’ll ask them again, if they can leave the bullshit out for now. I need an answer, boys.”

“I’m good, Gunny,” Cody answers first without looking my way.

“I’m fine on my end. We talked it out; both of us know what’s at stake here. So, we’re good to go,” Damien’s straight to the point answer infuriates me.
Hello! No one asked for my opinion! I object! Move to strike!

I stand abruptly, surprising everyone. I don’t care, I need to move. Everything is happening all at once, and I need time to process everything without staring at Cody and Damien. How did Damien end up here? He must have been referred by someone my uncle trust in the Corps. It has to be. My uncle prefers ex-military men to work for him. How is Cody handling this? How long has this been going on and why has no one bothered to tell me that my sperm donor managed to mess up my life…again. I can’t believe they’re causing this. I thought I’d escaped them. I haven’t seen them since I was ten, never heard from them, never spoken to them, and now, my life has been turned upside down because of them.

Uncle Jack’s stern and loud voice echoes in the room. “Sit.Down. It’s not a request, Roxy.”

Left with no choice, I park my hiney back in the chair. Fighting Uncle Godzilla is useless, but hey, they want to see me go crazy, well then, they won’t be disappointed. Bat shit crazy is happening in ten seconds.

“How long has this been going on? Is this why all of a sudden you…” I point my finger at Damien. “…showed up at the hospital that day? Not because you were there for a consultation like you said. Is there really something wrong with that brain of yours, or is it your hobby to make a fool out of me?” I turn my attention to Cody. “Is this why you’ve been on my ass all this time? You knew, and you didn’t tell me? Instead you questioned me about Damien while you’re texting Portia!” I glance back at my uncle. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? How can you keep this from me for five months? What did he do this time? Tell me!” My voice changes decibels at the same pace as my emotions. “Unbelievable, the people I trusted the most kept something from me. You can’t level with me, Uncle Jack?” My accusatory gaze switches to every single one of them.

I’m on high alert, and I’m firing at will. They better have an answer before I take another breath.

Damien answers first, thank God, because if he stayed quiet, the phone that is currently on the table would be in direct contact with his face. “No, I wasn’t there because there’s something wrong with my brain.” He shakes his head and stares me down. His eyes full of conviction, the force of which causes me to stay put in my chair. “I was doing recon, making sure the area was safe for everyone, including you. Also, I needed to give Jack a report of the intel I gathered while in San Diego. I wasn’t trying to make you look like a fool; I was trying to protect you. I still am.”

Then my uncle speaks. “What do you think, Roxy? It’s the same thing, nothing has changed. In exchange for votes and control of certain districts, your dad has been helping the drug cartel mule their drugs across the border. His wife’s numerous businesses are fronts to smuggle in the drugs. Someone in your dad’s office tipped the cops on your dad’s involvement with the cartel. The evidence is solid, your dad was offered a deal by the FBI, and to be honest, that’s his only way out of this alive. These are bad people, Roxy. They kill for fun and won’t think twice about putting a bullet through your head. I didn’t tell you sooner because I thought the FBI would clean it up for us, but unfortunately, we have to deal with this.”

I feel numb. Instead of worrying about myself, my focus is the safety of the people I love so much. The fear of the unknown smothers my heart, and while Tami’s comforting presence calms me a bit, its Cody’s stormy gaze that lights up the embers of worry in my heart.

“Dad, how come the FBI couldn’t fix it? What happened?” Tami asks while gently rubbing my shoulder.

“They hoped to catch a bigger fish by using John as bait, but it was a no go. Two meetings were set, but whoever they were gunning for didn’t show up. Now, your stepmother is missing, and who knows what’s gonna happen next.” He looks on the floor and swings his gaze back at me. “I’m sorry, Rox, we have to assume the worst, so we have to act accordingly. The FBI can’t provide extra manpower, so your security, and everyone else’s, depends on us until there’s a resolution to this.”

Cody finally speaks, and my heart sinks to the floor because his voice is void of emotion, his baby blues are missing their shimmer, the way they usually do when he talks to me. “I didn’t tell you because I couldn’t. My hands were tied, Rox. Plus, we were all dealing with Jake’s situation. You wouldn’t have been able to process everything. Everyone in this room didn’t lie to you; we all tried to solve it without involving you, so you wouldn’t get hurt, again. If lying to you means saving you from pain, I’ll lie every single time.” He slowly takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. “The last two questions, I will answer when it’s just you and me…it’s no one else’s business, but ours.”

“When did you know about Damien? When we were in the hospital? When you walked out on me?” I yell back, self-control flies out the window, and accusations are flying like sharp arrows aimed right at him.

Damien looks at me, his eyes pleading for me to stop. He is shit outta luck, they can’t drop this on me and expect a thank you, and I go on my merry way.

“I knew about LT the day after the hospital incident. He needed to be introduced without bringing in suspicion from you or the girls. However, everything I said that day to everyone there was true. I left because I couldn’t take seeing you with him. I didn’t walk out on you, love….you decimated my heart that day.”

Damien stands and says. “We aren’t beating each other down, because your safety as well as Tami’s, Trish’s, and your aunts are far more important. If Cody and I can come to an agreement, you need to get with the program, Roxy. He’s not going anywhere, and neither am I.”

“Are we good here?” Uncle Jack asks me.

As everyone files out the room, Cody clears his throat and looks at me. His eyes are telling me he wants me to stay behind, so I do. He doesn’t waste a single second, and with no warning, he spells everything out to me.

“Let me tell you, finding out Damien is LT and LT is Damien almost killed me; however, I’m left with no choice but to accept it because of you. I told you Portia’s been texting me when we celebrated Jake’s transplant results, and I also told you it meant nothing to me. I can sit here and grill you about what’s really going on between you and LT, but I won’t because I don’t want my heart to be ripped apart more than it already has been. If you want me to leave you alone, I’ll go. I won’t stay where I’m not wanted. So, I’m asking you…do you want me gone?”

The look he’s giving me is like acid melting my heart. I don’t want to be like my father who uses and takes all the love out of a person. That’s not me…I don’t want it to be me. How can I choose? Do I have to choose? Both of them give me the love I’ve wanted all my life. The times I’ve spent with Damien, though few, has impacted me in a way I can’t possibly explain, but the bond I’ve shared with Cody leaves me yearning…wanting…needing more. For a while, we just stare at each other. Both of us not willing to move, but wishing the other to yield, so I do….I always do; before he makes the decision, I jump at the chance to be the one to say it.

“I don’t want you to go….I need you to stay. Stay with me.” I stand still….waiting...my eyes stare…begging…my mind blank…hoping…for an answer my heart will accept.

He walks toward me, with purpose…with hope, and a whole lot of love that I don’t deserve, but my selfish heart is willing to accept. “Thank you, love, I don’t know what I’d do if you ask me to leave you.” He pulls and holds me tight, and I savor it with every fiber in my being. “Brian’s gonna drive you and Tami home, so I’ll see you in an hour. I just need to talk to LT about something.”

I pull back, wanting to see his face. “Why?”

He snakes his arm around my waist, his hands giving my ass a squeeze. “It’s work, love. Don’t stress. As he said, if we can come to an understanding, you should get on board as well. You’re here, I’m here with you. It’s all good.”

I can only nod because I suddenly remember what he said earlier. Hearing Cody call me
love
softens me, but to hear that I decimated his heart cripples me. Anger and self-loathing fill my heart. Desperation to claw myself out of feeling I’m turning into my monster of a father is pushing the tears out I’ve been trying to hold back. Then, my armor cracks, and the tears break, freeing me from many years of anguish and rejection as Cody’s strong arms instantly cradle me…they shelter me from feeling unworthy. His hold is strong…formidable…his love is true… undeniable…his commitment to me solid…
unmistakable
.
But he hasn’t said anything about loving you? You’re just seeing what you want to see. Until he tells you…you can’t believe!
My bat shit conscience tells me, momentarily killing my buzz.

“Hey, look at me.” He gives me another squeeze, so I do.

Cody

I know Roxy will have a hard time understanding this fucked up situation. I did in the beginning, but my love for her over powered the insecurities that have slowly weaved their way to my heart. They are still weaving at a continuous pace until she finds out the
real
truth. It’s an awkward situation, but it’s only uncomfortable if we let it be….if I let it be. Admitting to myself that I love her is the easiest thing I’ve done, but telling her would be a monumental feat. Trusting someone doesn’t come easy for her, but to move forward with her…to finally have her completely, I need to tell her. She hates being in the dark, for her to trust me, I need to trust myself that what I feel for her, what we have, and what we’ve shared is nothing, but pure love.