An Education for Amy [Men of Kinsey 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (12 page)

“You see me still as I used to be, a scared little girl who, because of you, had almost given up on life. But let me tell you something, I’m not now, nor will I ever be again, that scared little girl. These people”—turning, she stretched out her arm to encompass all of her friends that had come to stand by her for moral support—“these good people have shown me that I am worthy. I am worthy of giving and receiving love, true love, the kind of love that you could never possibly comprehend, and for that, I pity you.”

Turning to face the judge, she said, “Your honor, sitting there on that bench gives you a great deal of power, but with that power comes responsibility. Only you can sentence this man to a lengthy prison term. He doesn’t want to be rehabilitated. He was given that choice before he tried to kill me but turned it down. As much as it pains me to trust your judgment, that is what I have to do. The legal system has let me down time and time again. Are you going to let me down as well?”

Folding up the speech that she had written, which she never did get around to reading because after standing in front of Jasper it didn’t seem to be what she needed to say, she walked back to sit between Adam and Ethan, and without further thought, the judge spoke.

“Please stand, Mr. Collier,” the judge said. “Jasper Collier, you have been found guilty of the following offences, ten counts of attempted murder, one count of attempted kidnapping with intent to do bodily harm, numerous parole violations, and that’s just to name a few. And just for shits and giggles, the Crown Counsel decided to throw in carrying a concealed weapon.
Like that would make much of a difference.
I sentence you, Jasper Collier, to the Federal Prison system for the remainder of your natural life.”

Jasper jumped up and started screaming and trying to get to Amy, but the guards were on him right away. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. From the look of things, he’d have to fight his way through half the town to get to her, including one tough as nails, little girl, who stood tall beside her mom.

Shay Kinsey, Tia’s young daughter, was a character, that was for sure. When she was old enough to date, she was going to make her daddies crazy. Amy laughed out loud at the thought, and all eyes turned to her. Blushing, she quickly turned and headed for the exit, her men right behind her.

Outside the courthouse, they all gathered on the steps and decided they’d meet back at the diner to celebrate.

Amy had noticed three people in the courtroom that she didn’t recognize, and it kind of bothered her. She didn’t want any more trouble from anyone and was afraid, by the way they were staring at her, that they were friends of Jasper’s and were here to cause trouble.

When she noticed them exiting the court house, she decided to take matters into her own hands and approached them.

“Hi there, I’m Amy, and I noticed you in the courtroom today. I just want to let you know that if you’re friends of Jasper’s and have come to cause problems, you might as well turn around and head back under the rock you came from. I won’t allow you or anyone else to hurt my men or any of my friends.”

The woman burst out laughing and gathered Amy into her arms for a big hug.

“Oh, my dear, you are so perfect for our sons,” she said.

Amy felt like she was going to faint. Never in her wildest imagination would she have believed that her first meeting with Adam, Ethan, and Jordon’s parents would happen like this. She could feel the heat in her face and knew that she was probably a bright red.

Adam cleared his throat and stepped forward to greet his parents.

“Hi mom, dads, I see you’ve met the little firecracker.” He laughed.

Amy looked up at him and wanted to slap the silly grin right off his face.

Poking her finger into his chest instead, she snarled, “Why the hell didn’t you tell me that your parents were coming? I’ve made a complete ass of myself. I can only imagine what they think of the crazy lady that loves their sons.”

Turning back to the three older Kinseys, she started to apologize, but before she could say anything, his mom cupped the sides of her face with both hands and said, “You, dear girl, have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about or apologize for. It does my heart good to see that my sons have chosen their woman so wisely. They need someone who is full of fire and will kick their asses when needed, and after meeting you this way, I know you are exactly that woman, so enough worrying, we adore you, and welcome to the family, Amy.”

* * * *

When they arrived at the diner, almost everyone was already there. Ryder, Dan, Sam, and Shay sat with their dads, who were proudly holding their grandbabies and cuddling with Shay and showing them all off to anyone and everyone they could.

Turk and Kane were sitting in another booth talking with Sasha and Mikhail Dalhousie who were married to her friend Sienna.

Her mens’ parents were over cooing at the babies and wistfully looking back at Amy and their sons.

And Ryder, Dan, and Sam’s sister’s husbands were also there talking and laughing with everyone.

As Amy looked around, though, she noticed that none of her girlfriends were there. Tia, Sienna, and Simone had become very close to her over the last couple of years, and she wanted them to share this with her.

Abruptly, the whole room went quiet as the swinging doors to the kitchen opened up and her three friends stepped through carrying the largest cake she’d ever seen.

Carefully, they placed it on the table in front of her and smiled.

Simone, being the lawyer that she was, was the first to speak, “Amy, we made this cake for you to celebrate your freedom. You’ll never have to worry about Jasper again and are now free to live your life in peace. The three of us…” she indicated her two other friends, “want you to know how damned proud we are of you. When I first met you, you were this frightened, little girl who jumped at any noise. Now you’re a strong woman who can take on my three cousins and bend them to your will with just a bat of your eyelashes.”

“Hey now, cous, you make us sound like wimps.” Jordon smiled.

“No, not wimps, cousin, only men who love their woman without pretense, with open hearts and souls, and that makes you stronger than most men. But you know that most of the men in this town will do anything that their woman asks them to if it will make her happy.”

“Well, okay then, I’ll take that,” Jordan said.

Tia and Sienna stepped forward and both women looked like they were on the verge of tears.

Simone tried to wipe the tear from her eye without anyone noticing before she spoke.

“Now, don’t you two get all weepy eyed on me. How do you expect Amy to want to come and work at the Daphne’s House with a bunch of teary-eyed women hanging around?”

“What are you talking about, Simone? You want me to work at Daphne’s House? But I don’t have any qualifications to work with the people there.” Amy would love to go and work with her friends.

She’d helped set up Daphne’s House when it first opened, and she did volunteer a couple of days a week, but to work there, she thought you needed a degree.

Tia stepped forward. “Actually, Amy, I want you to come and be my executive assistant. Since Daphne’s House has grown so quickly, I have fallen further and further behind in the paperwork. I’d also want you to help me set up new programs and help to get new clients settled in and comfortable. You have been through exactly what most of the people who come to the House have been through, so you’ll have an idea of what they need. And sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone who’s been through the same type of thing.” Tia sat down in the booth beside her and put her arm around Amy. Batting her eyelashes at her with a big-ass grin on her face, she looked at Amy and asked sweetly, “Please…?”

Sienna gently kicked her friend’s foot and said, “That look only works on Ryder, Dan, and Sam, you idiot.”

Amy couldn’t help but laugh at the way her friends acted sometimes.

Turning to her men, she asked, “What do you all think? If I take a job at Daphne’s House, I won’t be able to work at the club anymore.”

Ryder cleared his throat and said, “Here’s the thing, Amy, as much as we have loved you working for us, it’s time you moved on. You’ve become so strong, and we think you’re needed more at Daphne’s than at the club. You still have full lifetime membership, and now you can come and be treated like a princess by your men.”

“He’s right, baby, your ability to touch the hearts of people will help so much over at Daphne’s House and besides,” Ethan leaned in and whispered quietly in her ear, “they pay probably a hell of a lot better than what my cheap-ass cousins were paying you.”

Amy smiled and pushed against Ethan chest. “The money isn’t important to me, and you know it. Besides, I’ve got me three wealthy ranchers to take good care of me.”

“Damn straight, little bit,” Adam said. “But you wouldn’t be happy being a kept woman, and you know it, so take the job, and make yourself happy.”

“Okay, I’ll take it.” Loud cheers and clapping erupted, and everyone came forward to congratulate her on her new position.

After about another hour, Amy was starting to feel the effects of the day and asked her men if they could head home. She wanted to be at home on the ranch with her men that night.

“Sure, baby, I’ll go say our good-byes, and you let Adam and Jordon take you out to the truck and settle you in,” Ethan was off before she could say anything else.

Adam kissed the side of her head as he stood up and helped her to her feet. Looking around at all the people who had come to the diner, Amy gave a tired smile and headed out to the truck in between Adam and Jordon.

Ethan joined them about five minutes later and climbed in driver’s seat. Before he started the engine, he turned in his seat and lifted a piece of paper up to show them and dramatically shook it out so he could read it.

“They wrote it down for me so that I wouldn’t forget. Do all women think men are complete idiots? No, do not answer that…” he smiled and started to read from the paper.

“Number one is from Tia and Sienna. You start work in three weeks. That gives our cousins time to find your replacement and for you to train her. Number two is from Mom and Dads, they want to take you to lunch next week so they can give you some tips on how to
keep us in line
.”

Adam, who was sitting behind him, laughed. “All she has to do is shake that cute little ass at us, and we’re toast.”

Jordon laughed and agreed.

“What else is on the list? It seems like there’s more,” Amy said.

“There are a couple more things. Ryder wants you to teach him how to work his appointment scheduler because he figured it was about time he took over that duty. Sam and Dan want time with you so you can show them what you use to keep the front entrance so clean, even in the winter. Sam says that the floors in the front entrance are so clean you could eat off them, and he figured you had some kind of magic potion. And the last is from Shay, she wants to come out to the ranch and go riding with you soon. She snuck that one in at the last second.” Ethan sighed and then turned back to start the truck.

Jordon said, “They all love you, baby, and I think they just want to make sure they don’t lose touch with you.”

“Aw, everyone has been so incredible to me, from the moment I started working at the club. The ranch and the club are home to me. Ryder and his brothers were there when I really needed help. First Sienna and then Tia took me in like their little sister. And even your parents have been great. I have a wonderful life now, but there is still something missing.” Amy smiled and looked down at her hands as they rested in her lap.

Adam put his arm around her and pulled her close, asking, “What’s missing, baby? Just tell us what you need, and we’ll try our best to get it for you.”

Lifting her head up and smiling as she said, “The only thing missing is for the three men that I love with all my heart to take me home and make love to me.”

The truck was pulling away from the diner and headed home before the full statement was even out of her mouth.

* * * *

The drive to the ranch usually didn’t take very long, but she was so anxious to get home and into bed with her men that the time seemed to drag, and after the big day they had, Amy was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

“Hey, little bit, we’re home.” Ethan kissed the top of her head as she snuggled in close to his chest. She was still groggy but felt Ethan pick her up and start walking into the house with her.

“Take her straight up to bed, Ethan. She’s had a rough few weeks, and things are starting to catch up with her,” Adam said as he stroked her cheek.

“Not going to bed unless you all come,” Amy murmured.

“Whatever you want, baby. Ethan’s gonna take you up and help you get undressed while Jordon and I jump in the showers.”

“’Kay…but don’t take too long. I want to fall asleep with all the men I love surrounding me.” Amy reached out and grabbed the front of Adam’s shirt and pulled him in for a kiss.

“C’mon, vixen, you keep kissing my brother like that you won’t be getting
any
sleep tonight.” Amy had to release Adam’s mouth when Ethan started to move around him and head for the stairs.