Chapter 4 Trish

" D on't forget Faith is flying in today," I reminded Dex. "I need you to pick her and Jessa up."

My sister lived in Ohio. She left Nevada long before the drama with our father and my stepbrother Moby could harm her. Faith met and married a Marine. They had Jessa one year after they married. Everything about her life was perfect, from her beautiful home to her amazing husband and her precious daughter.

I wasn't jealous of her life, but I had been envious in the past. Those were dark days. The months after Moby beat me, and I miscarried Grim's baby. A time when I thought we'd never find our way back to one another. The war with the Bloody Scorpions MC and Razr had taken a toll on our relationship. Just when I thought I lost him forever, fate gave us one last chance.

I couldn't be happier now with my son and the man I loved.

"I remember," Grim answered, poking his head through the doorway as I made our bed. "Plane comes in at two p.m."

"Yes. Thanks, babe."

"Of course." He walked in and kissed me, smacking my ass before he headed out the door. "Love you, angel."

"Love you more."

"Impossible."

A smile stretched across my face as I finished fluffing the pillows on the bed, tackling a basket of laundry next. Creed's blowout two days earlier caused a massive cleaning spree in his room. Luckily, he didn't touch many of his toys, just the bedding, wall, and his body. I managed to finish most of the things on my list before my son's voice spilled through the monitor.

"Mama! I'm up!" Creed announced as I heard him bouncing on his toddler bed.

He was such a good boy. He never left his room when he woke up, even though he could turn knobs and open them. It scared me that he'd try one day, so Grim had installed a deadbolt and a chain on our apartment suite's door. I latched it at night as a precaution. If Creed ever roamed through the rooms, he couldn't get hurt. I babyproofed all of them before he was born.

Even Grim kept his things high up and out of reach, using drawers my son couldn't open. Guns and knives were locked up. We had latches on every cabinet. My son's curiosity would never place him in danger here.

When I approached his door, I heard him talking. Creed often spoke to himself. Maybe he liked the sound of his voice. His little imagination went wild when he played with his toys. He frequently put his little plastic superheroes to sleep or placed them in timeouts for being naughty. So creative.

I paused, leaning against the wall to listen.

"No. Grrrr."

That was new. I couldn't figure out what he meant when he made that growling sound.

Sometimes, he would laugh, and I had no idea what was going on in his little brain or what ideas were forming.

"Grrrr," he repeated as the bed made squeaking noises. "Sleepy for you."

When Creed said the word sleep , it sounded like sēp .

"Shhh. You go nigh-night."

I peeked into the room. Grim decorated it with a motorcycle theme—shocker. He spent a small fortune on the toddler bed, which had wooden side rails painted like a Harley with spinning wheels. Colorful motorcycle-shaped pillows in shades of green, red, and blue had fallen to the floor. The sheets and comforter matched. Creed loved having a bike like Daddy.

He held up his bear and hugged him before placing him in the middle of his bed. "Grrrr."

Maybe my son was making bear noises. Cute.

I entered his room, and he slid off the mattress, running toward me as I reached down and scooped him into my arms.

"Huggies."

"Huggies," I confirmed, squeezing him as he laughed. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes!"

"How about some fruit and oatmeal?"

Creed rubbed his stomach. "Yum!"

I carried him into our little kitchen area and placed him in his booster seat at the table. Once he was secure and had a bowl of Cheerios, I made his fruit and oatmeal. Our morning routine sped by in a blur. We watched a few Scooby-Doo movies and played with his toys. After lunch, I placed him down for a nap.

When I finally dropped into a chair, it was almost two. My eyes slid shut as I yawned. No one ever told me how exhausting it was to be the mother of a young child. Of course, I saw that firsthand with my sister, my best friend Sasha and her son Maverick, and some of the other ol' ladies and children of club members. Still, until you experienced parenthood yourself, you didn't have a clue.

I wouldn't trade this for any amount of money, though. After the miscarriage, I worried I would never have a baby. A lot of sleepless nights and nightmares followed that horrific loss. But now I had Creed, my beautiful boy, and I loved him more than I ever thought possible.

Keys jangled inside the lock on the apartment door, and I jolted awake on my feet in an instant. A bit disoriented, I realized I must have fallen asleep. One glance at my phone confirmed I had taken about an hour's nap. I smoothed my clothes and walked toward the door as it opened.

My sister's bright smile greeted me as Jessa rushed inside.

"Auntie Trish!"

"Hi, doll baby. Oh, wow! You've grown so much since I last saw you."

Jessa beamed a grin. "Where's Creed?"

"He's napping."

"Creed!" Jessa shouted, running toward his room.

"Jessa!" Faith admonished, but her little blonde twin had already run inside Creed's room. Faith and her daughter looked so alike that it was like stepping back in time to see my sister at that age.

"It's fine. He was due to wake up any minute."

Faith held out her arms for a hug, and I nearly tackled her. "I've missed you."

"Me too. I'm glad you're here."

My sister planned to stay for two weeks—a perfect visit.

"Trish, I'm gonna run and pick up some pizzas. You all need anything?"

I hardly noticed Grim as he stood at the door, watching us. Of course, he was the one who unlocked it. "Salad mix and ranch."

"What about you, Faith?"

"Anything zero sugar to drink. Milk for Jessa if you don't have it."

"Got it. I'll pick up another gallon. Creed loves milk, too." He strolled forward and popped a soft kiss on my lips. "Back in a few, beautiful. Leave the luggage. I'll take care of it when I come back."

"Thanks, babe."

Faith had arrived with several suitcases, a carry-on bag, and her purse. It was no small task traveling with a child.

After Grim left, we settled on the couch. "How long is Jim on ship for this time?"

"Nine months. It's so long. Jessa really misses him."

"And you?" I couldn't imagine taking that long of a break from Grim.

"I miss him too. But we make up for it when he's home," she laughed. "I'm pregnant. Just found out before he left."

"Oh, wow! Congrats!" I tugged her into another hug as she laughed.

"I'm thrilled. Hoping it's a boy this time."

"Boys are wonderful. A handful, but fun. At least until they dig into their diaper." I explained about the poo incident and the blowout to Faith, describing Grim's reaction in detail.

"Oh my God," she laughed, clutching her sides. "My cheeks hurt. That's hysterical."

"I swear he nearly got sick. Funniest thing ever," I agreed.

"Jim has gagged before, too. He tries to act like it doesn't faze him because he's a Marine. Jessa just got out of that stage, and now we'll dive back into it soon."

We both dissolved into giggles.

"The kids are awfully quiet," Faith observed.

She was right. I stood, and my sister followed. We approached the room and peeked inside.

While we were talking, Jessa managed to find her pink tea set and brought it to Creed's room. They had cleared off one of Creed's Lego tables and arranged the cups, saucers, and teapot on the surface, seating stuffed animals, including Cuddles, around them.

Creed held onto a cup and pretended to drink from it.

"You have to hold out your pinky, Cree."

She never said the last letter of his name.

He mimicked her, lifting his chin like she did.

"Now we sip tea and smile and pretend to be rich."

Faith snorted.

I couldn't hold back a giggle. Kids were so unpredictable.

Later, after pizza, we spent the evening catching up as the kids played. Creed loved having his cousin Jessa stay with us. We made plans to take the kids to Millie's Diner for breakfast and shopping the following day.

After I set up Faith and Jessa in the spare bedroom, I stripped and slipped under the covers, opening my tablet to read before Grim came to bed. I knew he was playing pool downstairs and would likely be up late. He wanted to give me space with my sister, and I appreciated his willingness to provide us with girl time.

Halfway through a chapter, my phone alerted me to an incoming call. The ID registered the call as spam. Ignoring it, I went back to my book. Five minutes later, it rang again. This time, the ID came up as unknown.

Frowning, I wondered who was calling. Could it be important?

I decided to answer, swiping across to open the call. "Hello?"

Silence.

"Hello?" I repeated.

I heard a click. The call ended.

Weird.

My eyes grew heavy as I rolled onto my side. I turned off the volume and placed it beside me in case Grim called or texted.

My phone vibrated in my hand as my eyes snapped open. I'd fallen asleep for another fifteen minutes. Another incoming call from an unknown number.

I swiped across, answering before anyone could say a word. "This isn't funny."

Someone panted on the other end of the line, breathing heavily as if they just finished running a long distance.

"Rael? Is that you? Nylah will kick your ass."

Sometimes, Rael drunk-texted or called the wrong person. He dialed me more than once instead of his woman. She thought it was hilarious when it happened.

No reply. More breathing.

Another click. The call ended.

By now, I was annoyed. I decided to place the phone on my dresser where it wouldn't bother me when a new call flashed on the screen. No spam or unknown number. This time, it was someone I knew. A dead someone.

Moby. My stepbrother.

What the hell? Who was messing with me?

I refused to answer and threw my phone across the room. It skidded over the rug in front of Grim's dresser. For the next hour, it rang every five minutes. No voice mail.

I couldn't figure out how someone had Moby's phone. Grim destroyed it when he reaped Moby's soul. After Moby kidnapped me, he went after Grim. It didn't end well for my stepbrother.

Did someone new have his number? Did it go to a random person who thought I was someone else? Probably. This was just a case of mistaken identity. Creepy, but it had nothing to do with me.

I slid from the bed, powered off my phone, plugged it in to charge, and climbed back into bed. Tomorrow was a new day, and I closed my eyes, slipping into a peaceful rest.