Page 1 of Zac

Prologue

Zac

I didn’t have a rough childhood. In fact I had the kind that most kids dream of. I was an only child to loving parents that were kids at heart. They loved video games, junk food in front of the television for movies nights, and staying up late telling ghost stories by a flashlight.

My father and I tossed a football in the backyard while my mother watched from the window that overlooked the backyard above the kitchen sink. She’d laugh and end up out on the back porch watching us until the sun started to set.

I was a lucky kid, but that changed around the time I turned ten. Two men broke into our home, and while I hid in the closet my parents were brutally murdered. Those sounds, the cries and terror that took place, forever haunt me.

I remained in the dark closet until eventually silence set in and hours later, I emerged. The scene I was met with, those images can never be erased. My heroes, the two people that gave their lives to protect mine, were taken from me.

With no living relatives or family friends to take me in, I ended up in the system. Foster care was rough. No one wanted to adopt a lone boy with an attitude bigger than this world. I hated everyone, I was angry and hateful, no one could reach me. I created havoc wherever I went, I acted out because I could.

I spent years feeling like I was alone, even though so many were trying to reach me.

Until I met Jace, I never let anyone in. But he reached me, it wasn’t him trying to pretend he understood what I was going through. It wasn’t because he too had no one. It was because he fired back during a group session where one of the many doctors was attempting to make me share my feelings.

What he said could have been perceived as harsh but to me it was the first real honest thing I’d heard in years.

“How about we leave the guy alone,” he interrupted Dr. Lewis, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. A silence settled over everyone as their eyes shifted between Jace and the therapist. “His parents were murdered while he was forced to listen. He hid in a closet knowing he was going to die too, or hold his breath to keep from being heard. So until you are forced to listen to the screams of your parents as they fight for their lives, maybe you should back off. When he is ready to talk, he’ll talk. Quit pretending you know anything about what any of us are going through or have gone through. When you leave here you go home to your cushy life and sit down for a home-cooked meal your wife has ready for you. Meanwhile we remain here, eating food that tastes like cardboard reliving the nightmares of our lives, wondering if it will ever get better.”

From that moment on, Jace and I have been friends. My ride or die, and the only person in my life that didn’t sugarcoat shit. But he was also the guy I knew would always have my back. In good or bad times, we were a team.

ChapterOne

Zac

Had anyone told my ten-year-old self that I’d have the family I had now, I would have thought they were crazy. But here I am, living through years of hell, and having the most devoted people in my corner.

Daxton, Oliver, Luna, and Jace are my brothers and sister, and with that came Bree and Aurora, and who could forget Piper. My life may not be whole, but it is full.

Through the good and the bad, we had each other. We fought, we laughed, and at the end of the day, we were solid.

Daxton started Deranged Ink when he and Oliver found their way to Beer Creek, escaping the hell of Chicago. They found each other after fighting over a girl that wasn’t worth either off their time, and soon after came Jace, Luna, and myself. I’m not a spiritual or religious guy but in my heart I truly believe the five of us were meant to find one another. The hell we’d each gone through, either from birth or later in life, we needed each other. We balance out all the darkness, we keep one another afloat.

Every year Beer Creek holds a music festival, hundreds of bands come together to create one hell of an event. It was that event that led Bree and Aurora to Deranged Ink. Daxton lost his shit fast over Breanna. He’s acted like an ass, treating her as if she hadn’t just knocked the wind from his sails. They struggled, and things got rough for a while, but in the end, they are here, together, married with a sweet baby. Living above Deranged Ink, raising their daughter and giving us all inspiration to find our own happiness.

Aurora is a girl with fire, and Jace was instantly burned. He tried to deny it, hell he even tried to run away from it, but through a lot of chaos they’ve come out on top. He and I even had our own falling out when he thought I wanted his girl but truth is, Aurora is like another sister to me. She is the female version of Jace in my mind, a best friend, someone I know I can trust. It was never more.

Luna and Oliver danced around one another from the first day she started at Deranged Ink. She’s got talent through the roof, a badass that fought literally to come out on top. She is amazing, and Oliver knew it from the start, and it terrified him. But today they are completely inseparable and no one can walk into a room and not see how much Olly loves her.

Each one of them is my family and they hold a special place in my heart.

As I sit on the barstool looking around my place, I feel content. It’s hard to believe that the place I now call my home was once a deserted warehouse with broken windows and rusted car parts piled in every corner. I smile to myself remembering the first day I brought Jace into the space. He thought I was insane, but I knew the second I stepped inside I wanted it. I had a vision, I knew it would take time and money, but I couldn’t wait to get started.

After years of blood, sweat, and even a few tears, it was more than I ever envisioned. All the windows are replaced with a reflective coating allowing light to fill the space, but maintaining my privacy. It has an industrial feel, masculine and rugged, but it’s homey. Iron railings surround a decent sized landing about half the size of the space below making the perfect bedroom overlooking the rest of the living space. There’s two full baths and a huge kitchen with a center island handmade and crafted by a local guy that captured the warehouse feel perfectly. It’s stainless steel with a deep earthy tone, and the original brick restored to its original beauty.

The space is open, huge, and inviting. It’s the perfect bachelor pad, with large video games and a pool table, bar, and a couch so big it fits everyone comfortably.

All my family is in one place, laughing and enjoying themselves. Well, almost everyone.

Presley, Aurora’s cousin, still trying to find her way in the group, sat quietly on the couch, staring down at her wine glass. I noticed long ago she hadn’t even taken one sip.

I don’t know her well, but I know the girl I first met wasn’t the one that was here at my place tonight. In fact, the last several get-togethers we’ve had she has barely spoken a word and hides more than she interacts.

I try not to take it personal, but how can I not.

Several weeks ago, after a night where she and Aurora forced me to be their chaperone while they got tipsy and danced in a club, things changed. The night started out with two sassy women determined to have a good time. Jace showed up, took Aurora home, and I volunteered to take Presley home to her place. Problem was she couldn’t find her keys.

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