Trial By Fire - Bouncing Back, Book 1

Thirty-Five

“Shut. Up! And you didn’t tear the place apart? What’s happening to you, Kennedy?” Skylar exclaimed as they walked down the street to Latoya’s bridal studio.

Jaxon had decided to join them, and he was enjoying the outing so far. As he looked at Kennedy, he noticed that her temper and her martyrdom were practically non-existent. Smirking at his sister, he said, “Sky, lay off.”

“No.”

Raising his brows, he stared her down. “Sky, I’m not kidding – lay off. I think it’s amazing that she’s finally happy. She’s going to be a great mom, and Mem will be a wonderful father. You have to consider the fact that Kenni’s pregnant, she just had a bit of a rushed wedding with his family, handles an MC club, and still finds time to help everyone else.”

Kennedy laughed again. Her life had taken a new turn, and now she was actually invested in living it for once. Her hand brushed her tummy. At three and a half months pregnant, she was only now starting to show. Jellybean, her nickname for the baby, moved again, as if he or she were having a hard time getting comfortable. Her stomach growled, and she stopped as she looked down at her watch.

“I think Francis is hungry, and so am I. Can we grab a bite to eat before we get to the shop?” She asked.

Jaxon laughed, “I’ve already got you covered, Red. I told her to have an assortment of goodies you liked available. Since she loves my fashion sense and thinks I’m the most adorable thing she’s ever met, she agreed right away.”

“Well, at least there’s that. Callum and Amber cornered me and Memphis separately and got the full story. Memphis wanted to come, but your boyfriend was being a big baby and whining about feeling like he lost his bestie.” Kennedy told them.

Getting to the shop, she reached to open the door before Jaxon grabbed it out of her hands. He glared at her, “Ken, before you say anything, I’m well aware you are so not a lady in any sense of the word, but let the rest of us finally take care of you for once in your stubborn life? Please?”

Letting out the breath she was holding, Kennedy bit back the snarky comeback that was on the tip of her tongue. Thinking back over the last eight years of her life, she realized he was right. Not once in the years that she’d known them had she ever allowed any of them to take care of her. The only one that was permitted to take care of her was Nix.

Even then, he did it only when she was too out of commission to fight him over it. She hated that it made her feel weak. Anything that made her feel like that only fueled the fire inside her. Now she knew her friends were angry that she never let them help. They were obviously pissed that she tended to take on more than she could possibly handle on her own and still manage to pull it off.

Yet, as she looked back on the years of their friendship, she realized that no matter how or who asked, she refused help.

Skylar shook her arm gently. “Hey, come back, Ken.”

“Mark wears girlie underwear.”

Blinking, her mind ground to a halt. With a blank expression, she moved through the emotions she was feeling. Shock, confusion, understanding, then amusement flashed in her eyes until she started laughing at the random statement. “Nice. It’s good to see you’re getting a backbone, Jax. Looks good on you.”

“Well, hey, I learned from the best,” he remarked. Moving to a rack of men’s clothes, he sifted through them slowly.

While he did that, she and Sky found an empty couch to sit on. Pulling out her phone, she answered the incoming call. It was Memphis, of course, but she didn’t mind as much as she used to. “Yeah?”

“Just checking in. How’s the trip going?” He asked.

She glanced at Sky, “I’m going over by the door for a minute.”

“M-kay,” the brunette replied as she played the game on her phone.

Leaning against the steel bars that made up the framing for the glass front doors, she sighed. She knew that she had to come clean, that she had to own her biggest mistake. “We’re good. Memphis, I was talking to Sky and Jax and he brought up a really, really good point. I’m pissed that I didn’t see it before, but maybe getting pregnant was a good thing after all.”

“Babe, you’re scaring me. You’re actually calm and making sense. What the hell did Jaxon say?” He asked, concern lacing his voice.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, she smiled sadly. “It’s nothing bad. I just realized something when he told me to let you guys take care of me for once in my stubborn life. He’s right. I’m stubborn, and I don’t let anyone take care of me. There’s a real reason behind it.”

“You want to talk about it later?” He asked, somehow knowing that she didn’t want to get into it over the phone.

Kennedy sighed, “Yeah. That sounds great.”

“Okay, well, call me when you’re done, and we’ll go to supper or something. Just the two of us,” Memphis said.

She knew he was trying to help her in his own way, and the thought made her smile. He wasn’t as gentle when he was talking to others. Only her. It was only ever her he never lost his patience with.

“I’d like that,” she told him. Noticing Latoya coming to the front of the store, she smiled. “Mem, I got to go. Think you can make reservations at Diego’s Steakhouse?”

“Absolutely, I’ll pick you up when you’re done. I love you,” he said.

Her heart fluttered. She didn’t think she would ever get used to hearing those words out of his mouth. She wouldn’t get tired of it, either. “I love you, too, Memphis.”

Hanging up, she realized that talking to him actually calmed her down. Walking back to Skylar and Jaxon, she grinned. “How’s it going, Toya?”

“It’s going,” the woman said as she hugged Kennedy. “So, what’s this I hear about you and Memphis being married and having a baby?”

Her eyes narrowed on Jaxon as he squeaked comically and hid behind his sister. “Seriously?”

“Oh, sugar, it was not that lil’ angel over there. My cousin was so excited that the Golden Child got a family of her own that he called to tell all the other Mafia’s. Just giving you a heads up, but Xander, Xena, and Damien know, too.” Latoya said with a laugh.

Standing five-foot-nine, Latoya Victors was a local fashion icon with her bridal lines for every make and model. Though she was already from a top-class family and made millions a year, she knew how to stay humble, offering her services to people from all walks of life.

“Of course, he would. Ok, so I have a really clear view in my head of what I want, but you probably already got options lined up for me.” Kennedy said.

Laughing, Latoya nodded. “You know it! Come this way, darlings. So, Kenni, I got four options for you. All of them are pant-suit style. I’m assuming you would have wanted a colour array, correct?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Opening a private fitting room, she led the friends inside. Kennedy whistled as she spotted the four options. Pointing out the first one, Latoya said, “This is a somewhat popular option. As you can see, the bottom is separate from the top, which has a sweetheart neckline, and a duster-style lace train attached.”

“What do you think, Sky? Think I can pull that off?” Kennedy asked, turning to look at her friend.

“It’s definitely an option,” the brunette replied.

Kennedy nodded, “We’ll set that one to the side for sure.”

“Okay, the next one is a full piece. Nothing overly flashy, and very simplistic in design.”

Pursing her lips, Skylar shook her head. Kennedy caught the grimace and laughed softly. “Pass.”

Loving that the girls were so easy to get along with, Latoya moved on to the next suit. “Option three is this gorgeous straight-cut pant and maxi overcoat that buttons between the breasts and the belly, you could wear a tank or a white bra underneath if you want to let the baby bump breathe during the reception or the actual ceremony.”

Something clattered to the floor, and the women turned to see Jaxon practically drooling as he blushed. Picking up the phone he dropped, he wiped his mouth and giggled. “Sorry! I’m sorry! Mark sent me… um… a pic.”

“He what?” Skylar hissed. “Does he want my stilettos up his ass? He better not be pressuring you.”

Rolling his eyes, Jaxon shook his head. “No, he’s not. Ken, that one. That’s your suit.”

Being the same as his sister when it came to fashion, his opinion was the reason she asked him to come along. Looking the piece over, she chewed her lip. Wondering what it would be like to actually ask for help, she pulled out her phone. She took pictures of the two suits and sent them as a poll to the group chat. Nix, as usual, was the first to put in his vote. One by one, each of her friends sided with Jaxon’s thoughts on the suit.

A notification came through, and she breathed a laugh at the message Andromeda sent her. ‘You’ll totally rock that. Can’t wait to see everyone again!’

She breathed easier as a feeling of relief washed over her. Realizing that it made her feel less stressed to ask for help, she finally came to understand it was definitely a good thing. That it actually made her feel stronger than ever.