Page 52 of Stone
“What about my wife?” Aaron whined, his voice thick and nasally.
“She’ll be getting a visit from a group that deals with battered wives and offered a place to heal. It will be up to the girls if they ever allow her near them again. If she wants a divorce, you will sign any papers she requests,” Locks responded.
Stone had a burning question that he still couldn’t figure out.
“Why did you force Naomi to marry Jared? She said she finally gave in because you wouldn’t quit badgering her,” Stone asked.
“I needed a cash infusion to pay back one of my suppliers. I’d lost at the ponies. Jared wanted Naomi, and he paid fifty thousand if I pushed her to marry him,” Aaron confessed, not looking either man in the eye.
Aaron had basically sold his daughter. Stone’s stomach turned at the thought of a father thinking in any world that selling their child was okay. Stone wanted to strangle Aaron, but without Jared, Naomi wouldn’t have Beck, Taylor, and Regan. He despised what Naomi had gone through, but he was grateful for the daughters he was gifted with.
Stone waited in the SUV as Locks turned Aaron in. While he waited, he thought about the things he’d like to have done to the house. He’d love three more hanging swing beds so if they all wanted to have sleepovers outside, everyone had a bed.
With Naomi planning on opening his wedding gift when school started in the fall, he could see the summer being busy, but he wanted to check into taking his family on a vacation. He wondered if they could figure out how to cover the studio or if they could close it. His brothers and sisters had missed out on so much too. Maybe they all could go on a vacation.
He should check what type of sports or classes were available to the girls when they started school. He wanted them to have every opportunity they dreamed of. His daughters would want for nothing.
Last night in bed, he and Naomi had been talking before falling asleep. He’d broken down and cried because he’d beenso happy. When he’d apologized for crying, Naomi had shushed him and told him to never apologize for feeling deeply; his feelings poured out. Her accepting everything about him was freeing. With Naomi, he could be himself.
His phone beeped with a text. He chuckled when he read it. It was from his daughters. They’d found a drive-in movie theater that was having an Avengers movie weekend with eight films being shown. They wondered if they could make it a family event.
He typed back the answer that every husband knew was the right answer—let’s check with Mom and see what our calendar looks like.
Locks slid into the SUV and started it up.
“You okay?” Stone ventured, keeping his voice quiet.
“Not really, but I’ll survive. So many wasted years while he thought I wasn’t good enough to be around, but he’s the one who’s a criminal and wife abuser,” Locks bitterly muttered, staring out at the road ahead.
“I’m sorry. Sometimes family sucks, then other times you find the one you were always meant to have and it’s a beautiful life,” Stone offered.
“You’re right. It’s a beautiful life when you find the people that brighten your life. I thought I was done raising kids after my girls, but then Hope and Benji entered my life. After I finally pulled my head out of my ass, I got a second chance with Hope,” Locks confided, a soft smile breaking through his grim expression.
“We’re lucky men,” Stone agreed softly.
“Yes, we are. Let’s get on the road. We’ve got family to hang out with and fireworks to see. There are a lot of things to be thankful for today,” Locks concluded, shifting the SUV into drive.
There were indeed, and it had all started with an impromptu concert on the compound by a beautiful, slightly intoxicated woman.
He wondered if the girls would like a pet. He could see one benefiting, especially Beck when she was nervous and needed something to hold. If they wanted one they could cuddle. Maybe he should table the pet discussion until he asked some questions. He didn’t care how much he loved those girls; hell would freeze over before he allowed them to have a pet snake in a house he was sleeping in.
Chapter Thirty
Naomi let Stone apply the clear wrap on her finished tattoos. It was the third week of August, and the girls had started school this week. They’d been invited to a first-week-of-school sleepover tonight at Faith and Slice’s with Deborah. When Faith had asked her if it was okay, Naomi had thrown her arms around her and hugged her.
Being alone was at a premium with three girls in the house. Stone and she still made love, but muffling their moans so their daughters couldn’t hear wasn’t her favorite. She’d made sure that no one was tattooing late tonight. She’d also locked the doors because Stone was making one of her fantasies come true tonight. She’d worn the thong underwear, and as soon as he finished the wrap on her other thigh, he was going to make love to her.
“Wraps are on, and they are beautiful, but then you were always beautiful,” he said, turning to take his gloves off andstart cleaning his space. They’d done this enough; she knew his routine.
While his back was turned, she slipped her shirt off. She had the red thong underwear and a matching peek-a-boo bra he hadn’t seen yet that had openings for her nipples.
“Are you hungry? Do you want to grab some food from the diner, or I guess we could go home and fix something?” He questioned, turning around. “Oh, fuck!”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I want to do. You’ve spent weeks running your fingers over the back of my thighs, with your warm breath close to my core. Now, you need to bend me over this tattoo chair and bury yourself in my pussy,” she purred, knowing that Stone loved dirty talk, but she’d had a hard time getting used to saying stuff. But if the hard dick in his jeans was any indication, she was doing pretty well.
Stone stood up, cupped her face, and kissed her lips before trailing kisses down her neck.
“You’re so sexy telling me exactly what you want and hearing you say ‘pussy,’” Stone whispered, shivering.
