Page 5 of Jude's Story
“I can’t afford to move,” I admit, scrubbing at my cheeks when he picks up River who is once again awake and crying for attention. “We’re barely scraping by since the babies’ father refuses to help. This was the cheapest two-bedroom I could find that was still decent.”
“My family owns Cartwright Construction,” Jesse says surprising me entirely. “We own several condos and houses all over town and use them in a variety of ways. I think with the babies, one of houses would be the best option for you all.”
“I really can’t afford…”
“Eden, I’m not taking any money from you. When you know us better, you’ll realize what I mean when I say Maddie’s my life and how much it means to know she was protected. Now, we need to make sure you’re protected in return. While the bastard can’t evict you for the babies crying, he can falsely make complaints to CPS in order to try and force you out, or have the babies taken from you. I won’t let that happen, so, let me make a couple calls while you pack whatever you don’t want someone else to, and let me handle that jackass,” Jesse says, not letting me argue but right now, I’m simply too exhausted to begin to try.
Half an hour later there’s a parade of large men moving our things out to a truck as Annie helps me pack up the babies’ things. My head’s slightly reeling still, and it only grows when Annie turns into a driveway for a giant house on Kaslo Lane. It’s one of the nicest neighborhoods in town, the opposite side of town from where I grew up and where the apartment was. The side of town I’d never be able to afford in my life. “This can’t be right.”
“My son doesn’t do anything he doesn’t mean, Eden,” Annie says, patting my hand when the garage door opens and Jesse waves Annie to drive my SUV into it. I don’t know what I’d do without it. There’s no way I’d be able to get all the babies around without it, and it’s paid for thanks to the insurance settlement.
“This is way too much,” I state when we have all the babies carried into the house, thankfully still asleep giving me a minute to compose myself before the men get here to unload all our things.
“Compared to my wife being safe and happy, this is nothing,” Jesse says as I stare at the living room of the house in shock still. “You’re family now Eden. You became family the second you kept my wife safe, and no one in our family is left to handle things on their own. Maddie and I are two blocks over. Johnnie and Carly are three blocks in the other direction. Jackie and Ethan are about a mile down the road, and Mom and Dad are about two miles further down from them. If you need anything, you call one of us and we’ll be here.”
I don’t know what to say to that at all but based on the smile on Annie’s face, he’s serious, which just makes this crazier yet.
“Let’s get the playard set up for the babies,” Annie suggests giving me a hug around Emma’s carrier I’m still holding. “We can set it up in the family room down here, that way we’ll be out of the way for them to bring in the furniture and boxes.”
My tongue is still tied but I don’t really want to argue. I never was a fan of that apartment so even if we only stay here a few weeks until I can figure out what to do next, it’s worth it.
That evening, my throat is tight as the last delivery vehicle leaves, and I stare in shock at the huge bed in the master bedroom. I was still using a full-size bed but it’s now in one of the extra bedrooms and in its place is a king-sized bed with brand a new mattress, bedding, and décor I’ve fawned all over, and it’s even more amazing that its designer is Jesse’s sister-in-law Serena.
“I’ll stop back by later this week, and we’ll sort out the nursery and family room with things that will work for the babies,” Serena says as she and Julie round up their kids to head out.
I nod, unable to speak again around the lump in my throat, and amazingly for once, the babies and I sleep the entire night through.
Chapter 3
Jude
My phone rings pulling a sigh from me. I barely manage to hold back a groan when I see Mom’s name on the screen. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to her, I’m merely too angry and frustrated to be nice to anyone right now. It doesn’t help that Johnnie’s still in new baby mode and is working from home more often than he’s in the office. I’m not really complaining about that, but it does mean the people that usually report to him come to me for urgent matters because I’m here in person versus calling him like they’re supposed to.
Add in Maddie being pregnant again and almost getting hurt when she nearly fainted, and Jesse’s been hyper vigilant since he got home last week. I know the family’s been helping out the woman that kept Maddie safe, but I’ve managed to avoid having to join the mix.
I just can’t right now. Not when all my thoughts are constantly straying to my kitten. Needing to find her and unable to even with the help of the security firm that helped Johnnie keep Carly safe when they first met. Without more to go on, all they can do is keep going through footage from security cameras they can find around the health club and see if it’s my mystery girl.
Every night she comes to me in my dreams, and I wish I could draw, because at least then I’d have something to go off of to find her finally. I draw like shit though, and when I tried to describe her to one of the guys from the security firm to create a likeness of her, it was a total mess. None of the faces he created, matched my kitten, and I stormed out furious when the man had the nerve to insinuate that I didn’t remember her as well as I claimed if we couldn’t even get close to her likeness.
I would have decked the man if I didn’t need the company’s help so fucking much. I was almost tempted to track down Daniel Frick, just to ask who the member was that complained about my girl, but considering he listened to directions and left town, I’m certain he’d only lie to get back at me.
It’s driving me crazy not knowing, not having answers. I haven’t even told anyone in the family about her because I know they’re going to think I’m insane. I don’t want any of them talking shit about my girl and even knowing she was a virgin when I claimed her is bound to have them say something that will get their asses beat.
Well, maybe not Johnnie or Jesse, definitely not Dad, because they all pretty much claimed their girls the first moment possible. Julie might question it, but she wouldn’t say something nasty about us getting together instantly either, since she and Serena didn’t even last a day before they were getting close. Jackie definitely wouldn’t say anything mean my girl, she’s too sweet for that, but she’d likely be angry she ran and comment on it.
Mom would likely give me that glare she does that says she’s disappointed at me for being the stupid shit I was and not getting my girl’s name before I claimed her sweet virgin pussy as mine. Maddie and Carly would probably say I deserve it for mauling the girl before getting her name.
Mostly it’d be Jennie I’d have to shut up because no matter how old she is, she’s still an absolute brat.
Joe’s still in his having fun phase, but he’s only twenty-eight, and it’s possible that he’d say something he shouldn’t. Same with Jamison. He’s twenty-three and doesn’t think before he speaks. Especially since he spends his day in a woodshop with men that have no filters.
Jordan…he likely wouldn’t be listening to begin with. He’s almost twenty-one and oblivious to women somehow. It’s not even like Jesse was where he shut them down. Jordan simply wants to play basketball and nothing else. Well, other than tinkering with the classic cars he’s bought and working to restore. People keep asking if he’s going to go pro and there’ve been professional teams coming looking at him, but he doesn’t talk about it so none of us know.
Jeffery is the last of the boys in the family. He’ll be twenty early next year, and loving life at college. He’s probably more of a shit than I was at that age, so he’s bound to say something I won’t like.
Our other sisters likely wouldn’t though thankfully. Jasmine is Jamison’s twin, but she’s busy running a party planning business. Considering how many nieces and nephews there are in our family, there were tons of other adults that attended their birthday parties. Jasmine’s killing it since they all go to her to plan their events now, bringing in more business than she can handle.
The babies of the bunch are still in high school. Jaime is seventeen and Jillian turned sixteen in May. It’s crazy to think she’s old enough to drive considering I was fifteen when she was born. I’ll be thirty-two soon and now, all I can think about is finding my girl, and getting her back where she belongs—in my arms.
