Phoenix’s Plight by Tiffany Casper

 

“I’ll name the babies.

You name the dogs.”

- Heathen

 

Chapter 20

Heathen & June

Heathen hadn’t been this excited for something in years.

Picking her up from her house, he glanced in his rear-view mirror. His brothers were pulling into her driveway and packing up her stuff.

And she had no damn clue.

Heathen had Linc found out who her landlady was and called her. The moment he had told her that he had a home he wanted to give June, she hadn’t argued about the early termination of her lease. Not one bit.

“Where are we going?” she asked him.

“Remember a couple of months ago that you told me you wanted to go to the beach when it warmed up?”

The wide-ass smile that she gave him was worth everything he owned.

He just simply smiled as they took that all-familiar drive from her house. Heathen placed his hand on her thigh and pulled her closer to him so that she was riding shotgun in the front seat of his truck.

This was the reason he had bought this particular truck, because he could raise the center console so that she could sit in the middle and be close to him. Not as close as she would be on the bike, but this was the best he could do.

Three days after he found out she was pregnant, and after she sent him from the hospital, he hadn’t given up—he went out and bought a truck. There was no way she was riding on the back of his bike while pregnant. It was much safer in here in this huge ass truck, which he had gotten a hard-on from when he watched her climb up into it. God damn.

Smiling when he heard a song she fucking loved, he reached forward and turned the volume up for her.

The kiss she gave him was worth it all. Then she started to sing along. With the windows down and her hair all a mess, she had never been more beautiful than she was at this moment.

“Down on the corner, out in the street . . .”

They sang along to the radio as they made the four-and-a-half-hour drive to the beach. They had stopped four times for her to use the restroom.

As soon as pulled onto the beach house drive, June’s smile was fully lit.

“Whose is this?” June asked as they stared at the white beach house with blue shudders and a wraparound porch.

“Cotton’s. I reached out to him when I heard he bought Novalie a beach house as a push present for having the baby.” Heathen hadn’t told her, but he had something in the works for her too. Not only was she pregnant, but she was pregnant times two.

They both got out of the truck and made a beeline for the shore.

Toeing off her flip flops, she ran for the water and dipped her toes in the salty mix.

“Cold?” He laughed as she pulled her toes back out of the water like lightning.

“A little.” She laughed with him.

They went back to the house and Heathen unpacked two bags. He had gone and gotten her a few things. He always took care of her, and he wasn’t changing now.

However, he had planned to take her out on the town, but the first touch of her hand on his arm ended all thoughts.

Finally, two hours later, they strolled hand in hand down the boardwalk.

She loved the movie Forrest Gump, so he took her to Bubba Gump’s.

The restaurant had little contests, and damn it all, she knew all of the answers. They got their meal for free.

Heathen sighed as he felt the tips of her hair gliding over his chest as she made her way down his body. He knew what she was doing.

The moment her hot mouth wrapped around his cock, he groaned.

He was addicted to that mouth and he made no qualms about it.

“Babe . . .” He closed his eyes at the sensations she was giving him.

She hummed around his cock and he almost blasted into her mouth.

The moment she added her hand with her mouth and fastened her pace, his cock hit the back of her throat and his whole body coiled, then he let out his load in her mouth.

She sucked the last of his cum from his tip and then she swallowed it all.

“Fuck but I love your mouth.” His eyes were still closed.

“I love you, and your cock.” She came up his body and kissed the side of his mouth.

Half an hour later, they were dressed and walking along the beach as the sunrise came over the horizon.

He grinned the moment she bent and found a sand dollar. He had the perfect place for that sand dollar.

As they headed home, she fell asleep with her body curled against him, her head on his thigh.

He never imagined that after the life he led, that he would be given something this sweet. Something this pure. And to see his property kutte on her back, it did something to his heart.

He loved her more than yesterday. How that was possible, he didn’t know. She was ingrained into every fiber of his being.

“Wake up, beautiful,” he whispered into her hair.

When she stretched and yawned, she had never looked more beautiful. You could just barely see the protruding belly that she had under her shirt.

The moment they made it to the end of the drive, he said, “Close your eyes, beautiful.”

The confused look she sent him was priceless, but she had complied and closed her eyes.

He waited until she had her eyes completely closed before he turned onto their paved drive. Rocks played hell on a bike.

When he had the truck parked, he said, “Keep them eyes closed, beautiful.”

As he rounded the truck and opened her door, he grabbed her and carried her to the front steps that he had stained a dark walnut color.

“Okay, baby. Open ‘em,” he murmured at her side.

The moment she opened them, she gasped, and her eyes widened.

“Where are we?” she asked huskily.

With all the love he held for this woman, he said, “Home.”

She didn’t say a word as he grabbed her hand and pulled her up to the front door.

When he turned the knob and opened the door, “Surprise!” was shouted at them.

She jumped back two feet and into his chest while he wrapped her up in his tight embrace.

All of the brothers and their friends were inside the home, all of them sporting big smiles.

Even Shiloh was in attendance.

“Well, what do you think?” he asked her as he led her through the living room where she saw pictures of them she had taken and her books were on the shelves next to the big screen television.

“I love it.” Then June got a look at the kitchen.

“Johnny,” she let out in a low whisper.

It had everything a woman could ask for. It was magnificent, with a double range oven, a farm sink, all stainless steel appliances, and an island.

This man. She brought a finger up to the corner of her eye and wiped the tear away.

“Come on. This is the best part,” he told her as he pulled her behind him and up the stairs to the last door on the right.

When he opened the white door, she gasped.

The nursery for their twin boys was set up and ready for when they wanted to make their appearance in the world and be all they want to be.

Heathen saw the moment she laid eyes on the mural. Shocked, she turned to him.

“Skinner,” he muttered.

The silent man had been standing in the doorway and Heathen smiled when he saw his woman give his best friend a hug. The smile that was on Skinner’s face was perfect.

“Johnny, I don’t know what to say.” She had tears running down her cheeks.

Leaning down, he kissed the tears away and licked his lips at the salty texture, and then, and only then, did he drop to his knee and place a kiss on her belly.

From that spot, he asked, “Marry me?”

June

She looked down into eyes that held her whole world in their deep green depths.

He held up two baby kuttes for their twin boys tied together by a ribbon that held a beautiful engagement ring.

When she looked down at where he still was, she had fresh happy tears in her eyes and that bright ass light was still alive in them.

Whispering, she answered, “Yes.”

She smiled wide as Heathen untied the ribbon from the kuttes and put the engagement ring on her finger.

Standing, she smiled as he placed his massive hands on her face, tilted her head back, and kissed her.

She kissed him back with everything in her, all the love that she held for this man.

“Come on, babe. I’ve got one more surprise for you.” He smiled at her as he grabbed her hand and led her to the backyard.

Through the French doors, they went hand in hand.

As soon as they entered outside, the sun caught on her diamond ring. Though that wasn’t the only thing that the sun had set on.

It was beautiful. It was a five-rung ladder that had pieces of different colored glass on each of the rungs. It was the exact one she had seen in the little shop.

Smiling, she jumped into Heathen’s arms and he was ever so careful to not put pressure on her belly.

That night, they laid down in their king-sized bed, and Heathen surprised her when he grabbed the Palmers Cocoa Butter lotion and began rubbing it on her belly to help with stretch marks.

“I love you, June,” he said as he placed a tender kiss on her belly.

“I love you, Johnny. More than I ever thought possible,” she said to him softly.

Two Weeks Later . . .

Two weeks later, before she got too big for a wedding dress, she smiled at her reflection in the mirror in their bedroom.

Lil had just finished the back sweep of her hair and curled a few strands to wisp around her face. She was due the week after June and Heathen had planned their honeymoon and she hoped they would make it back in time.

Shiloh had done June’s makeup and Whitney had helped tie up the back of her dress.

Nodding at her reflection in the mirror, she was ready. Ready for her forever after.

As soon as she nodded to Linc, he started the wedding song they had chosen.

‘I wanna love like Johnny and June. Rings of fire burnin’ with you. I wanna walk the line. Walk the line. ‘Til the end of time.’

Her forever stood just in front of her, all dressed up in black and looking delicious.

Skinner stood as his best man. Then Gage. Then Savage. Then Clutch.

Shiloh was her maid of honor. Then Lil. Then Whitney. Then Laura.

Powers smiled at them as he said, “And now, it is my pleasure to announce for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Johnny ‘Heathen’ Haywood.”

The moment they had danced down the aisle, June tossed her wedding bouquet and Cam had caught it. Everyone busted out laughing as Cam came waltzing down the aisle, snapping his arms at his sides.

The moment after they cut their cake and fed it to one another, June had told Heathen that he better not try to mess up her wedding day. He had listened. Yes, he was a good man.

As they sat down in their chairs, June turned to her husband.

“And your wedding present, husband, is naming our twins.” They had been going back and forth on the names.

It meant more to Heathen than it did to her.

His eyes lit as they got misty.

“And for you, honey.” He smiled as he bent forward and signaled to Skinner.

Skinner came forward carrying a baby rottweiler in his arms.

“Johnny. He’s beautiful,” she said as Skinner handed her the puppy and she gave the quiet man a smile. “How did you know?” She grabbed the puppy and smelled his puppy breath. He was perfect.

“You talked to me in a dream, babe. I listened.”

“What’s his name?” he asked her.

“Deacon,” she said with a soft smile that was only for him. Her heat. Her love. Her life.

Heathen

At their reception, after they had their first dance as husband and wife, they filled their plates with a delivery from Oscar’s. He had taken their order. Normally, he never catered to events, but he had made an exception for them. Hell, the man had even stayed and danced and carried on with the best of them.

The party was raging full into the night, and a couple of brothers even dove into the lake, then they came running out at the cold temperature.

What Heathen had noticed was that Savage hadn’t brought a woman to the reception like normal. No, he had his eyes on Shiloh. He wondered what their story was.

He knew Shiloh had a rough upbringing. It wasn’t that he had meant to eavesdrop on their girls’ night they had at June’s house, but the moment he’d heard the start of it, he really understood why the two of them had become real good friends.

It was when he looked in the direction they were walking as he carried his wife down the aisle of bikes to the waiting SUV he had bought it for her so they could go on their honeymoon that he saw Deacon lift up his little paw.

“Heathen, your dog is about to be shot,” Cam said. “Deacon, quit pissing on the bike tires, you idiot.”

Heathen roared with laughter all the way to the SUV.