Damaged and the Cobra (19 page)

The double wedding in Vegas was perfection. Raven even
came along with the rest of the crew. The only one not with us was Vaughn who
couldn’t leave Kentucky. We sent him photos of the wedding and he sent us
photos of his topless one night stands.

For the wedding, Judd and Tawny showed up in jeans
and matching Harley tees. I wore my favorite pink and white polka dotted dress while
Aaron was in his best khakis and plaid shirt. After our vows were performed by
an Elvis impersonator, Tawny threw her bouquet at a waiting Bailey. I threw
mine at Raven who dodged it. Instead, Bailey caught my bouquet then screamed
and danced like she’d scored a touchdown.

Becoming fast friends, Raven and Bailey ran wild
the whole trip. Meanwhile, Cooper and Farah spent most of their time swimming
or in bed. After the wedding, Judd and Tawny ditched the group for the rest of
the trip. I spotted them at a poker table once, but Aaron was in a hurry to see
Cirque du Soleil where we met his parents. We didn’t see the newlyweds again
until on the way back to the airport. Tawny and Judd were silent, yet smirking
like they were in on a fun secret. Their smiles likely had something to do with
the big roller suite Cooper said they moved into after the first night.

For our honeymoon, Aaron and I played tourists. We
visited casinos, saw shows, played in the themed pools, and ate like pigs. After
our three days in Vegas, I swore off eggrolls. A promise I kept for two weeks.

A lot of young people would have hated their
in-laws hanging out on their honeymoon, but Maryann and Dick made me feel special.
The four of us explored the city and took a million pictures we would one day
show our kids. While Aaron played it cool and his tats made him seem like a
rough guy, his eyes danced on our trip.

After all, I was his muse and he was my cobra and
we were creating an amazing life together. Vegas would be just the beginning.

After a difficult pregnancy, Lark delivered our
twins early. Not long into the emergency c-section, Lark began hemorrhaging.
Phoebe and Leo were whisked away to neonatal unit while I watched my muse fade
away.

Having no faith in fate, I was certain I lost my
love. I sat in the waiting room as the doctors fought to save her life. The
whole time, I imagined someone emerging to give me the bad news. I wasn’t even
certain the twins were healthy. Sitting with my friends and family, I waited to
see if my dream would die.

Instead, he appeared nearly an hour later to say Lark
was recovering. The babies were doing well too. Fate had finally played along.

The next months, Lark was weak and in pain. We
moved into my parents’ house and hired a baby nurse. My girl was smart enough
to take advantage of the help. She rested when tired and bonded with the babies
when she had the energy. Even though the doctors were forced to perform a hysterectomy
to save her life, Lark never allowed this news to dampen her good mood.

My muse’s name was Lark and she faced death and
won.

By the time the twins were three, Sundays at the
Johansson property was a regular event. Farah, Maddy, and I helped Jodi cook
while the men and Tawny watched the kids played. During the summers, we’d swim
late into the evening.

Sitting with our feet in the pool, Farah and I
smiled at Judd. The enforcer rested on a lounge chair with Tawny and three
month old Gunnar asleep against him. Even exhausted, he grinned back at us.

Listening to our kids laughing nearby, Farah ran
her finger over my pink cobra tattoo. I remembered how it was my roller derby
captain Sarah who suggested instead of making my worm a sissy butterfly that I
get a cobra like my man. As soon as I was back in fighting shape, I was back
skating for the team and sitting for Aaron’s artistic touch.

Nearby, Aaron held Phoebe and talked to Cooper who
cradled a sleepy Lily. My little girl had her dark curls pulled back into a
ponytail as she traced her daddy’s tats. She especially liked the heart with
her and Leo’s names inside. Mine was above theirs and space remained for more
possible children. Every time I looked at that heart, I remembered how empty it
once seemed. Now, it was filled with the names of those Aaron loved.

Sawyer ran past her mother with a blonde Scarlet
and little Leo chasing right behind her. Holding a dozing Miranda in her lap,
Jodi told her daughter to keep the noise down. Sawyer muttered something before
disappearing into the yard to roughhouse with the dogs.

Watching my little guy work to keep up with his
older buddies, I felt pride at creating such beauty. Aaron worked magic with
his art. Together, we’d created two works of art.

“Is Aaron looking to shave off Leo’s curls yet?”
Farah asked, sliding into the pool.

I followed her lead and sighed at the warm water on
my skin. Glancing at Aaron, I shook my head. “He hasn’t even hinted. I think he
knows how much I love those curls. It’ll be Leo who asks one day to have them
cut off, so he can look like his daddy. Until he begs me, I’m going to enjoy my
boy’s curls.”

Farah dunked her hair into the water then smiled at
a grinning Cooper. “I’ll be happy to finish school. I’m ready to get in the
classroom as a teacher.”

“It won’t be long,” I said, wrapping a pink lock of
hair behind my ear. “I still hate school, but the business and accounting
classes are helpful. I wouldn’t get a degree in them though.”

In a few months, Jade and Tony planned to move to Lexington and open Aaron’s second shop. As a result of the expansion, I was handling the
business’s finances. With the twins getting older and enjoying their time at
Aunt Maddy’s, I wanted to help Aaron more. He was even teaching me to do flash
tattoos, so I could take on clients one day.

Our life was perfect and I wouldn’t have changed
anything. Even though the twins would be the last babies I carried, we’d grow
our family in a few years. Once the new business was settled, we would find a
bigger house that suited our eclectic tastes along with space for Aaron’s
studio. We weren’t in any hurry though. If nothing ever changed, our lives were
perfect.

As perfect as the smile Aaron gave me as he talked
with Cooper and held our little girl.

When I was a kid, I believed I would never find a
place I fit. After losing Phoenix, I gave up on being a mom. I thought a job or
dress code would give me value and I could be happy alone.

Instead, I became someone I never dreamed. These
days, I was never really alone either. Whether relaxing at home, taking
classes, or skating with the Storm Babes, I was always part of something
amazing and I never had to smile when my heart was broken.

His name was Aaron and he was the answer to all my
prayers.