Forever Lo (Devil's Knights Book 9) Read online

 “She said it must be so great for me to be able to spend time with my grandson.” Her eyes bugged out, and she tossed her hands in the air. “And then I realized that I was old enough to be someone's grandma, and to top it off, I look old enough to be someone's grandma!”

   And there it was. Now it all made sense.

   I gathered her in my arms and pulled her close.

   “Squeezing me is going to give me more wrinkles, Lo!” she squawked.

   “Shh, babe. You’re gonna wake up Jonas and then I’m not going to be able to show you just how not a grandma that you are.”

   She huffed and relaxed in my arms. “The only thing that is going to change that is if you can turn back time about twenty years.”

   “You were married to Hunter and had a seven-year-old twenty years ago.”

   She smacked me on the chest. “I just mean so I can get my body back that I had then. I’d like to keep you and my life.”

   “Can’t do that, babe. You can’t have this life and not have the body to show for it.” I ran my fingers up her arm. “Every inch of you is the way that is because of everything you went through to get here.”

   “I would have liked to have skipped Hunter being an ass to me for like ten years. Pretty sure I’d still be old without that.”

   “But you never would have left him, figured out who you were as a person, and then met me.”

   She tipped her head back. “I see the point you are trying to make, and while it is a good point, I would just like to deny the fact that I am old enough to be someone's grandma.”

   “Any little baby would be damn lucky to have you as their grandma. Just like Jonas is damn lucky to have you, his Mama Meg.”

   She blew out a raspberry and laid her head back on my shoulder. “I hate when you’re all logical and make sense.”

   “Well, that’s better than drinking a six pack of wine coolers and giving yourself a new middle name.”

   “It made sense at the time,” she mumbled.

   “So are we over the crisis and I can continue on with the plans I had for you?”

   “I suppose,” she grumbled.

   “Good. Stay here and don’t move. I’m gonna shutdown the house and make sure Jonas is asleep.”

   “I’ve got six wine coolers in me, Lo. Hurry it up or I’ll be out in five minutes.”

   I rolled into her and pressed a kiss to her lips. “One minute.” I rolled back, brought her with me, and slapped her ass. “Now keep that ass awake.”

   She muttered something about Gloria and ice cream then rolled over onto her belly.

   I flipped off all the lights, locked the front and back door, and then pushed open Jonas’s door.

   He was flat out on his back, arms spread wide, and his mouth hanging open. “Sleeps like his dad,” I mumbled out loud.

   I pulled his covers over him and tucked his stuffed animal under his arm. He rolled to his side and something fell from his hand and hit my foot.

   “What in the world?” I grabbed the object and was surprised as hell to pick up a purple and black lighter. What in the hell was Jonas doing with a lighter?

   I searched around him to make sure he didn’t have any more lighters or things to destroy the house with and pulled his door halfway shut.

   “That was way longer than a minute,” Meg complained.

   I tossed the lighter at her. “What in the hell is that?”

   She grabbed it and turned it over in her hand. “Um, well, this would be a lighter, Lo.”

   “It is, Meg. You want to take a guess on where I found it?”

   She rolled her eyes and tossed it back at me. “Is this the game you wanted to play with me tonight after Jonas went to sleep? My tipsy brain isn’t into this, Lo.”

   “I found it in Jonas’s room, Meg. He rolled over, and it dropped out of his hand.”

   “What?” she squawked. “Where did he get that?”

   “Seeing as you were the one who was him all day, I figured you would be the one to better help figure that out.” A three-year-old and a lighter didn’t mix. Especially since neither Meg nor I smoked.

   “There’s gotta be a reason why he-.” Meg’s mouth dropped. “Oh no.”

   “Oh no, what, babe?”

   She scrambled out of the bed and pushed me out of the way. She dropped in front of the sink and pulled open the cabinet doors. “It can’t be,” she muttered. She pulled out all the plastic bags she squirrelled away down there and looked in each of them.

   “Meg, what in the hell are you doing?”

   She pulled a crumpled receipt from the bag and read it out loud. “Pasta, chicken, cinnamon rolls, eggs, soda, flour, sugar, baking soda, coffee cake, mini muffins, bell peppers, bacon, cat treats, licorice, seven donuts, ligh-.” she crumpled up the receipt and tossed it on the floor. “Son of a bitch, I bought him the damn lighter.”

   “You bought him this?” I held up the lighter. “Are you freaking kidding me, Meg? I’ve never done this parenting thing before, but I’m pretty sure buying the kid a lighter is a no.”

   She hung her head and sighed. “We were at the checkout, and Gloria was talking to me about being a grandma. Jonas asked me if he could get something and I was in the denial zone about being old. I told him yes but didn’t look at what he wanted.”

  “Babe.”

  She tipped her head back and looked at me. “What? I was in a panic, Lo. What did you want me to do?”

  “Pay attention to Jonas and not your midlife crisis.” Jesus. Meg was a full blown nutcase.

  “Papa Lo?”

  I spun around and saw Jonas standing in his doorway. He was rubbing the sleep from his eye and holding his teddy bear under his arm. “You’re up.” Obviously.

  “Why do you have my toy?” He pointed at the lighter in my hand. “Mama Meg bought that for me.”

   “Jonas,” Meg moaned.

   “This isn’t a toy, little dude.” I flicked the lighter and Jonas’s eyes bugged out at the flame.

   “But Mama Meg said I could have it.”

   “Ugh,” Meg groaned. “I did, Lo. You can’t be mad at him for it. This was my stupid mistake.”

   “I’m not mad at him, Meg, but I do need to let him know that lighters aren’t toys.” I glanced at Jonas. “Even if Mama Meg buys them for you.”

   “Why are you on the floor?” Jonas asked Meg.

   “Because I’m a fool.” Meg stood up and shoved all the bags back in the cabinet. “Remy always had questions for me like that when he was growing up. I’m afraid you are going to have a weirdo raising you, Jonas.” She slammed the cupboard shut and propped her hands on her hips. “You and Remy can commiserate together when you’re older.”

   Jonas cocked his head to the side. “What’s comomsrate?”

   “Commiserate,” I chuckled, “and that means you and Remy are going to have an awful lot in common.”

   Jonas smothered a yawn with the back of his hand. “Do I get my toy back?”

   I shook my head. “That’s a negative, ghostwriter.”

   “Huh?”

   Meg giggled and scooped Jonas up in her arms. “That’s just Papa Lo showing his age.”

   “Hey,” I called. “Mama Meg is waaay older than I am.”

   She slugged me on the shoulder and turned back to Jonas’s room. “Sometimes Papa Lo needs to learn to keep his trap shut, right?” she asked Jonas.

   “Woman.” Meg was treading a thin line.

   “Can I sleep in your big bed?” Jonas asked Meg.

   “I, uh, well.” She glanced at me. “It’s up to Papa Lo.”

   I glowered at Meg. Of course she would leave it up to me to be the bad guy. The joke was going to be on her. “Sounds good to me, little dude. We can put a movie on and chill out.”

   Meg’s jaw dropped and Jonas clapped his little hands together. “Hooray! I’ve been wanting to jump on your bed fo
r forever.”

   I held up my hand. “Whoa there, jumpy pants. We’re watching TV and falling asleep. Got it?”

   Jonas tried to smother his happiness and nodded his head. “Okay.” He failed miserable when he looked at Meg and smiled wide.

   Meg took him into the bedroom and for the second time tonight I shutdown the house making sure everything was locked up and the lights were off.

   I climbed into bed with Jonas laying in the middle of a pile of pillows like a little king while Meg flipped through the TV channels. “Put something good on, babe.”

   Meg rolled her eyes. “I’m trying, honey.”

   “Paw Patrol!” Jonas shouted.

   “Not tonight, buddy. Paw Patrol is for the daytime. When it’s movie time, we gotta find something that we all like,” Meg mumbled while she kept flipping. “What about Transformers?” she asked.

   “Fine by me.” I settled into the pillows and knew I was going to be sleeping soon. With the TV on and Jonas sleeping in our bed, all the plans I had for the night were out the window.

   Meg stopped flipping through the channels and tossed the remote on her nightstand. “This is my favorite one,” she whispered to Jonas.

   Jonas scooted closer to her and rested his head on her shoulder. “Why?” he whispered back.

   “Because it has Mark Wahlberg in it.”

   I rolled my eyes. “Really, babe?”

   “Go to sleep, Lo,” Meg giggled.

   I tried to fall asleep but after fifteen minutes of trying to ignore the movie, Jonas was the first one to fall asleep.

   “He’s out,” Meg whispered.

   I turned my head and watched Jonas snore lightly. “He snores like you, babe.”

   Meg reached over and pinched my leg. “Keep it up, honey, and I’ll make sure Jonas sleeps with us every night.”

   Now that was not going to happen. “I’m a selfish man, babe. I don’t mind sharing you now and then during the night, but you gotta know this is not going to be happening often.”

   “Lo,” she hissed. “He’s just a little boy. If he wants to sleep with us now and then that’s fine.”

   “Yeah, now and then is good, babe, but I can tell you right now tomorrow night your ass is mine.”

   Meg huffed. “You can’t talk like that when he’s sleeping right next to you.”

   “Not like I’m trying to get fresh with you while he sleeps between us, babe. Just giving you a warning for tomorrow night.”

   “You’re crazy.”

   I shook my head. “Nah, babe, that is you all the way. You are the one who bought him a lighter for a toy.”

   “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

   I looked back to the TV and put my arm behind my head. “Not a chance in hell I will ever let you forget that.”

   “It’s all Gloria’s fault,” Meg mumbled.

   “Yeah, yeah,” I chuckled.

   Ten minutes later Meg joined Jonas snoring softly, and I glanced over at them.

   This was my life now.

   Crazy Meg and adorable Jonas.

   I was more than okay with this.

  *

  Chapter Eighteen

  Meg

   “And what is your relation to the child?”

   “I, uh, well…” My brain froze trying to think of what the right word was. My first instinct was to say I was his Mama Meg, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t an option on the paper in front of the school secretary. “I’m his guardian.” There we go. At least I hoped that was an option.

   “Okay. Registration isn’t for another two weeks, but having all of this info now is good to get the ball rolling. We’ll send a packet in the mail with everything we’ll be needing when you come in.” I listened to papers shuffle over the phone for a second before she continued on. “We will be needing his social security number and vaccination record.”

   I scribbled that down and felt the panic start to sink in. It had been about twenty-five years since I’d done this. Thank god the lady on the other end of the phone was taking pity on me and not treating me like an idiot.

   “Well, Jonas,” I called after I ended the call. “Looks like you’ll be starting PreK this year.” As long as I was able to get his social security card and get him into the doctor.

   “You and Papa Lo will come with me, right?” he asked.

   I dropped my phone on the kitchen table. “Uh, well. For the start of every day, yes, but then you’re going to have to be a big boy.”

   Jonas popped up and rested her arms on the half wall between the kitchen and living room. “I’m not going if Papa Lo can’t come.”

   “Like I said, honey, he can take you to school every day, but he can’t stay.”

   “Why not?” Jonas asked.

   “Because he has a job, and he’s already been to school. Now it is your turn.”

   Jonas shook his head. “We can skip my turn. I’m okay with that.”

   I walked into the living room and lifted Jonas up in my arms. “Oh my god, did you grow overnight?”

   Jonas giggled and shook his head. “No, silly.”

   He was growing. I swear to god in the past two weeks he had at least grown an inch. Turtle and Mal both had been tall, so I had to assume that Jonas was going to be like them. “I’m just gonna have to squeeze you tight to stop you from growing out of my arms.”

   Jonas wrapped his arms around my neck and laid his head on my shoulder.

   “Tired?” I whispered.

   Jonas nodded his head. “Yeah.”

   “No time to be tired,” I laughed while I tickled his sides. “We’ve got brownies to make, a walk to take, and playground equipment to play on.”

   “We’re going to the park?” Jonas exclaimed.

   I nodded my head and set him back on the couch. “Yup. Lo said he’ll come pick us up from the park when we’re done playing and take us to the clubhouse.”

   “Woo!” Jonas pumped his fist in the air. “Best day ever.”

   I had to agree with him, though it seemed like lately every day was the best ever. Jonas living with us was completely different from the normal we were used to, but I had to admit the new normal with Jonas was pretty damn good.

  *

  Lo

   “Again,” Jonas screeched.

   I pushed him high on the swing and stepped to the side next to Meg.

   “He’s never going to want you stop pushing him.” She bumped into me and I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. “You need to do this half as good as you can so you’re not stuck pushing him on a swing for four hours.”

   “Is that your parenting advice?” I chuckled. “Half-ass it?”

   Meg laughed. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

   I sighed and watched Jonas try to pump his legs, stay high as he swung. “Well, I guess I better listen to you since you’ve done this before. Remy did turn out pretty well with your half-assed plan.”

   She laid her head on my shoulder and sighed. “I called the school this morning.”

   It was crazy to think that Jonas was old enough to start school. “How’d that go?”

   “Well, we need to get his social security card and into the doctor.”

   “Which means we need to go through all of those boxes for Mal and Turtle’s place.”

   Meg nodded her head. “Yup.”

   We had both put off going through them. It seemed like once we went through all of their stuff that it was done. They really were gone.

   “We can do it tomorrow.”

   Meg sighed. “Okay, honey.”

   “You’re doing good with him, babe.” Jonas giggled like a loon and hollered for me to push him again.

   “We’re doing good with him, honey.” Meg laid her hand on my chest and raised up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to my lips. “Now go give him another push because you’ve
created a monster.”

   Jonas shouted when I pushed him again and I glanced back to see Meg had a huge smile on her face.

   Two months ago Meg and I didn’t have a reason to be at a park in the middle of the day, but now we were here having the time of our life. Life has a funny way of changing in the strangest ways, but in the end it always worked out.

   Meg was happy.

   Jonas was happy.

   And as long as they were happy, you can bet your ass that I was more than happy.

  *

  Chapter Nineteen

  Meg

   “I need absolutely everything you can find that has Paw Patrol plastered all over it. Let’s move, ladies.”

   Cyn and Fayth both grabbed carts and headed in opposite directions. I trailed behind Cyn while Marley and Paige followed Fayth.

   “Meg?”

   I whirled around wondering who the hell would know my name in the party supply store and was stunned as shit to see Cherry.

   Cherry fucking Kratter.

   She was wearing a dark khaki pants and a bright blue Party Supply polo shirt.

   “Uh, hi, Cherry.”

   “Cher,” she corrected. “I go by Cher now.”

   I nodded my head dumbly not knowing what to say.

   “So, uh, are you here by yourself?”

   I tipped my head to the side. I had no idea how to take that question. Cherry and I were never on good terms and after the Knights killed her brother, I never expected to be standing in a party supply store talking to her. “I’ve got some girls with me.”

   Cherry nodded her head. Or I mean Cher. “Well, if you need anything just holler.” She walked back toward the registered and I watched her till she was behind the counter.

   “Cyn!” I hissed. Where the hell was she when I needed her. It has been over ten years since I had laid eyes on Cherry, and of course when it happened, Cyn was nowhere to be found.

   A bird caw sounded loudly.

   “Why you bitch,” I mumbled under my breath. I moved down the aisle and listened for the caw again.

   After two more caws I found Cyn and the rest of the girls two aisles over.