CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Erica sat on the grass at the edge of the grove, watching as Jennifer laughed at the biggest dog she'd ever seen in her life. They called him Beast, which seemed appropriate. He would run around her in circles, then plop down in front of her, licking her bare toes. It was adorable.

"Hi," said Lane, walking toward her with Carsen, Juliette, and Eva.

"Oh, hello. We can leave if this is your spot," she said quietly. The women smiled at her, shaking their heads.

"No. Please don't leave," said Eva. "This is everyone's spot. It's beautiful here with all the shade and the scents from the garden. Jennifer seems to be enjoying it."

"She's enjoying Beast," smiled Erica. "This place is so beautiful, so magical, I don't think I'll ever be around anything like this again."

"How are you doing with all this?" asked Carsen.

"I don't know," Erica said, looking pensively at the women. "I just don't know. How long have you been here?"

"Well, I was born here," said Lane. "My parents are Titus and Olivia. I married Frank Robicheaux, who I'd known since we were babies. This is all I've ever known, and it's the most remarkable, unbelievable place in the world."

"Have you been other places?" she asked.

"Yes," smiled Lane. "I've been many places, but none compared to this. I was a bit of a screwup, Erica. I was a woman who didn't care if I slept with someone different every night. I was protected, but somewhere along the way, my self-esteem was destroyed. I realized what a fool I was and got my life together. Or so I thought.

"I worked for a newspaper as a writer and found myself in the wrong place, wrong time. My entire face had to be reconstructed, but it was Frank who found me. He didn't even know it was me at first. I had amnesia, couldn't remember a thing. Then suddenly, all these men were there to escort me home, and I knew those faces. I recognized them."

"My God," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. It changed me forever and made me realize how much I love Frank. I'm a better woman for what happened to me, horrible as it might be." Erica stared at her, wondering what her face looked like before. She was remarkably beautiful.

"What about you?" she asked Carsen.

"My grandmother is Ruby." Erica made a noiseless ‘o' with her mouth, and Carsen knew she understood. "It's alright. I'm proud of her."

"Proud of her? Wasn't she a prostitute?" asked Erica. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me to ask such a question."

"It's okay. Even my grandmother would tell you she did what she had to. Her husband left her with six children and no job skills. That was a time when her kids could have been taken from her. So, my grandmother did the only thing she knew how to do. Sexually please a man. She protected her children, fed them, loved them, and provided for them.

"When she was making good money, she had a good base of clients that always came back to her, so she went out on her own. A few years later, she opened her first strip club. Then it was erotic toy shops. She made millions, helping to make fantasies come true. I'm proud of her."

"You should be. I'm sorry for my judgment."

"Don't worry about it. She sold everything to my mom and aunts and uncles, her children. They're running it all now, and she's here, happy with Sven. He's a wonderful man, and I'm happy for her."

"How did you come to move out here?" asked Erica.

"I was working in Mexico when I had some trouble. They sent Fitch down. Patrick Fitch, now my husband."

"I see," she grinned.

"I was studying Mayan culture, and I happened to find something I shouldn't have. Or, I should say, someone found me and put something in my body." Erica frowned at her. "Some bad men were tattooing messages on people and inserting things to bring across the border. They sent Fitch down to rescue me, and we fell in love."

"Just like that?"

"Yes," smiled Carsen. "Much to my dismay. I wasn't a fan of love. Patrick changed my mind. Have you ever been in love?"

"No," she whispered. "Except with my daughter."

"I loved CC from the moment I saw him," smiled Eva. "He's a lot older than I am, but I knew when I was only a kid that I was going to marry him. That was almost taken from me. A psychotic dentist was impregnating young college women and selling the babies on the market."

"Is there such a thing?" gasped Erica.

"I'm afraid so. We stopped them, and although it nearly gutted me, I gave birth to a child for a couple that couldn't have children. It was beautiful and horrible all at the same time."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I thought about giving Jennifer up many times while I was pregnant. Then I saw her face, and I just couldn't. Fortunately, she doesn't look a lot like her father," she smirked.

"That can be a good thing. She's adorable, Erica. Truly," said Carsen.

"Thank you all for using my new name. I've hated having my father's name. Your legal team is pretty amazing."

"They are special. How are you liking the cottage?" asked Eva.

"It's wonderful, but I think someone lives there," she said, frowning.

"Oh, it was Moose and Ece's cottage. They're not married, but she has family in London and Turkey. They went up there around the holidays to handle some things. They've been gone a few months now. They're both great. If they return, we'll move you guys to another cottage."

"If? Are they not returning?" asked Juliette.

"We're not sure," said Eva. "Ece was really missing her family and wanted to get back on the road, working as a reporter. I'm not sure how Moose feels about that."

"Is Moose his real name?" asked Erica.

"Oh, no. It's worse. It's Major Sculler," laughed Juliette. "A lot of the men have call names they used while in the military. For instance, my father's name is Wade, but his call name is Whiskey. That name has stuck for him. We have Tailor, Cowboy, Gator, Nine, so many. It's kind of fun."

"Fun and confusing," smirked Erica. "I like your family. I like them all."

"Good, then maybe we can convince you to stay with us," smiled Eva. "There's a place for you here, and you'd be safe. You and Jennifer."

"But what would I do? How would I make a living?"

"From what I understand, Amanda and Mia are already writing some music that they hope you'll record with them. You could live and work here. We have our own recording studio, so you'd never have to leave or go out on the road."

"Never?" she whispered.

"Never," the women said in unison.

Erica stared at her daughter, laughing with the big dog as he lay beside her on the blanket. Jennifer lay back, placing her head on the big dog's belly, slowly closing her eyes. This could be a great start for the two of them.

"Can I think about it?" she asked the women. Juliette nodded, smiling.

"Take all the time you need."