Rebirth (RAW Family 3)

And I had to quell the urge to squeak from excitement. Rushing forward in my Pikachu slippers, I saw him and threw my arms up, beaming, “You’re home!”

Happy was scowling at Molly. “Ease up, lil bit.” Then he came forward, sparing a tired smile. “Hey, beautiful.” He was slow to wrap his arms around me, and when he did, I felt the weight of him settle on me, squeezing me tight. My hands came up to grip the back of his jacket, and I held him as firm as he did me. Rubbing my back, he pulled away but only slightly to look down at me through smiling eyes. “How you doing?”

I looked up into his weary face and my smile fell. “Are you okay?”

With his sigh, he closed his eyes, and his thick lashes looked remarkably long against his cheeks. After a moment, he ran a hand down his face and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” Then he forced another smile. “I want to hear about you. How’s my boy?”

Something didn’t seem right. Happy had been away for a week, and that was a long time for us. Usually a day or two didn’t go by without us seeing each other. At least once a week, he, Nikki, and Dave came by for dinner. I was curious as to why he seemed so glum.

I jerked my chin at him, softening my smile. “Why don’t you see for yourself? He’s been asking about you.”

Happy’s smile widened before he kissed my cheek. “Be right back.” Before he went to A.J.’s room, he pulled something out of his jacket pocket and took it with him down the hall.

And then I heard the little monster exclaim, “Uncle Happy!”

This was followed by laughter and muted conversation. Molly and I exchanged an amused glance before getting back to our assigned tasks. We were having a full house tonight, and that meant lots of food, lots of conversation, and lots of laughter. On the menu was spaghetti and meatballs, and I made this knowing it was Happy’s favorite.

A.J. rushed out of his room holding something bulky in his hand. “Look what Uncle Happy got me!”

He held out the Grim Reaper themed Matryoshka doll and I huffed out a laugh. What a morbid gift. Unfortunately, after inheriting quite a few of his father’s things, A.J. now had a fascination with skeletons. His most prized possession in the world was Twitch’s skull-and-crossbones cufflinks. There was a while where he’d take them everywhere with him.

“Oh, honey. That’s so—” My eyes widened as I struggled to find the word. “—cool.”

Molly came over, eyeing the nesting dolls with avid interest. “That’s awesome, little dude.” She gently cuffed him on the chin, smiling. “That looks hand painted. I’ll bet it’s the only one like it. Lucky.”

A.J. looked overjoyed at the news and went over to the couch to open it up and explore the macabre present. It took me a while to notice Happy hadn’t emerged from A.J.’s room. When I made it to the open doorway and saw Happy lying on A.J.’s small single bed, his face soft with sleep, I smiled, but my eye caught something sticking out of my son’s underwear drawer.

Gently pulling it open, I took out the cool metal and blinked.

It was a watch.

A very male, very bulky watch. One I’d never seen before.

Frowning down at it, I held the heavy silver in my hands and turned it over, examining the beautiful timepiece. “Where did this come from?”

I didn’t hear A.J. come up behind me. He spoke quietly. “It’s Dad’s.” I twisted back to look at him, and the little monster smiled a toothy grin. “I’m holding onto it until he comes back for it.”

My eyes closed and I spun around, swallowing hard through the sadness his words evoked.

Damn it, A.J.

Daddy is not coming back.

I fought the thickness in my throat.

Stop.

My heart began to ache painfully.

Please... you’re killing me, baby.

Without a word, I shoved the watch back into the drawer, shut it with a light slam, then took a deep breath and changed the subject. “Quiet, honey. Let Uncle Happy nap.” As I moved past him, I put a gentle hand to his back and led him back to the kitchen.

How long was this going to go on?

I needed advice, and tonight, surrounded by friends, was probably the best place to get it.

Not long after, the sound of the lock turning let me know we had another guest. When Nikki rushed in, wide-eyed and elated, she completely ignored us and said, “Where is he?”

With a roll of my eyes, I pointed down the hall, and with a swoosh of her long, red hair, she went looking for her man. The moment she looked in the room and saw his sleeping form, her expression went from excited to sad. She put a gentle hand to her heart and walked into the room. I heard her gently wake Happy. “Aw. You’re sleepy.”

Then a just woken Happy. “Hey, baby. I missed you.”

I smiled at their cutesy banter and went back to preparing the garlic bread. About a minute later, the front door opened again, and Dave strolled through looking a little more than excited. “Where is he?”

Was everyone that walked into this house going to ignore me?

With a soft laugh, I pointed down the hall, and Dave jumped, clicked his heels, then strode down the hall just as Nikki and Happy emerged, holding hands. Dave barely spared Nikki a glance, patting her on the head, forcing an indignant sound out of her and making Happy chuckle. Dave looked down the hall, making sure A.J. was out of sight before he leaned into Happy and pressed his lips to the other man’s.

I tried not to watch, but it was hard. It was still strange to me, their arrangement, but somehow they made it work.

Happy, Nikki, and Dave lived as a ménage, in which Happy was shared by both Nikki and Dave. And surprisingly enough, it wasn’t Happy who suggested it. It was Nikki.

Speaking of the devil, she looked on happily as the two men shared a sweet moment.

Happy gripped the back of Dave’s neck, bringing him deeper into the kiss before pulling back and smiling. “Hey.”

“I missed you,” uttered Dave quietly.

Happy sighed. “I missed you too.” He pulled Nikki into his side. “Both of you.” When he uttered a husky, “I can’t wait to get home tonight,” my brows arched.

Something told me they weren’t going to play a nice game of Parcheesi.

Ugh. Lucky.

I missed sex.

That was the hardest thing about being a single parent. I didn’t trust any man enough to let them near my son, and I wasn’t into the casual fling. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’d been on dates, and they were nice guys.

Maybe that was the problem.

Nice didn’t seem to do anything for me anymore. Being with Twitch had changed me and my—ahem—preferences. Once, Nikki told me she’d met a Dom I might like, and I literally flung myself across the table to throw a hand over her mouth while I shushed her frantically.

Why didn’t anyone understand?

I had my one in a million. I’d never find anyone like him again. And, to be honest, I didn’t want to.

There was only one infuriatingly bossy, hot as hell, downright maddening Twitch.

And it wasn’t like I was completely sexless. I still had a hand and my memories, and, for now, that was enough. I did miss that physical connection and craved to be touched at times, but that was life.

Truth was, I lived and part of me died. I mourned my loss and often times mourned it still. But moving on?

Yeah right.

God knows I’ve trie

d.

A slight, achy melancholy filled me.

It was hard to forget somebody who gave you so much to remember.

At the very moment the oven dinged, the doorbell rang, and I called out, “Coming!” When I opened it, Julius and Ana stood there, and I threw the door open, smiling openly. “Hey, you guys. Come on in. I hope you’re hungry.”

Ana came forward, hugging me gently, and I was touched at how happy she looked to see me. Julius was patting his belly cheerfully. “Baby girl, when am I not hungry?”

I made a face of agreement, nodding lightly. “This is true.”

He grinned down at me before enveloping me in his arms, and I took all the love he gave. Truth was, I was kind of an affection whore. Always had been. Whenever someone needed a hug, I was the first to throw myself on them. Sometimes, I wondered if I was a little too handsy with some people. I knew how situations could be misread. I was uber cautious about touching men, but with Happy and Julius, I accepted all they gave because I didn’t have anyone else and I loved them dearly.

Whenever I was having a general home issue or needed some brawn, they were the first people I called.

They were kind of my “house husbands.”

I was thankful for their partners being so understanding in that sense. I seemed to borrow them all the time.

We all sat down at my barely big enough eight-seater table. Molly and I placed the food in the center of the tabletop, and I contentedly watched everyone dig in.

It was nice to share a meal with family and friends.

Nikki scooped out some spaghetti for the little monster, and when she held out her cheek, A.J. smacked a kiss to it before forking a huge amount of pasta into his mouth. Nikki smiled down at her godson. “You’re welcome, sweetie.”

Happy stole a piece of garlic bread off Ana’s plate, and I watched in amusement as she glared at him, smacking his knuckles with her fork. He pulled away, looking sore and shaking out his hand. And Julius chuckled, scooping a meatball onto his plate. “Don’t steal her food, man. She don’t like that. Only I’m allowed to do that.”