Stolen Beauty

Chapter One

"I hate double standards. Burn a body at a crematorium your 'being a respectful friend' but do it at home and you're 'destroying evidence.'" Marcus groaned as he sat next to me.

"Son you can't burn a body out in the open like that." I chuckled at him.

"Yeah you gotta wait till it's dark, dig a hole then do it." Silas added.

Silas and Marcus are definitely my kids but I'm pretty sure most of their anger is from being abandoned by their drug addicted mother. Their also twins.

"Daddy, nana is here." My fourth and youngest son Linus, said as he walked over to me.

Linus is only four years old but seems very unhappy for a child of his age. I've brought him to multiple therapists and they all tell me he's depressed because he doesn't have a mother.

I want him to have a mother, all my boys deserve that but their 'mother' is a piece of shit and I can't force her to be a mom when she so clearly doesn't want to be.

"Hi mom." I greeted her with a small hug before she sat on the couch.

"Derek honey how did your date go last night?" And it begins.

My mother is constantly trying to hook me up with people and I never go.

"I didn't go." I shrug.

"Why not?"

"Because we asked him not to." Marcus interrupts.

"Don't you want your father to be happy? Don't y'all want a mother figure?"

"Yeah because our first one was top notch." Silas adds, sarcastically.

"No need for attitude." My mother says.

"It's the truth." I reply.

We don't want nor need a woman in our life just for her to bail on us like my ex did.

"Boss we got to go." My right hand man and oldest son, Tobias comes walking in.

Me, Silas and Marcus get up and I grab Linus. "Okay mom as much fun as this conversation was, we have something's to do."

We all walk out to the car and leave.

"Why was grandma here?" Tobias asks, from the passenger seat.

"Same as always." I huff.

"Yeah trying to whore dad out." Marcus snorts.

I would argue but their not wrong, it honestly feels like that's exactly what she's doing.

Whoring me out.

"I hope birdie is there." Linus says softly with a smile.

"Birdie?" I question.

"A girl that Bobby recently hired, her name's Elizabeth but she told Linus to call her birdie since he had trouble saying her full name." Tobias explains.

A girl who actually makes him smile? If there is one thing all my boys and myself have in common is that we hate the company of women.

If they aren't after only sex then their after our money, so we stay away.

So for Linus to actually smile at the thought of this girl, she must be something special.

"She's actually really sweet and a little shy but not with Linus." Marcus adds, also with a smile.

She now has two of my boys smiling, I have to meet her.

Not too much longer I'm pulling up outside the small diner we frequent a lot.

"Slow down Linus." Silas says, grabbing his hand before we cross the parking lot to head inside.

Opening the door, I'm immediately hit with the smell of burgers and baked goods. This place has been open since I was born and I'm pushing 35 years old now.

"Birdie!!" Linus yells out, running towards a waitress with orange hair, pale skin, freckles from head to toe, big frame glasses that she has to push up on her nose, and a beautiful smile that grows ten times bigger when she sees Linus.

"Linny!" She bends down to scoop him up into her small arms before standing back up with him on her hip. "Hi buddy, how are you doing?"

That voice, it's so angelic I can't even put into words how her voice makes me feel.

"I'm good. Me and bubba's and my daddy came for lunch before we had to run errands." He says excitedly.

When he points in our direction she looks up and her eyes lock onto mine. They are the most beautiful shade of green I've ever seen.

"Hey Elizabeth nice to see you again." Marcus smiles before giving her a small hug.

"Marcus please call me birdie." She smiles back.

"Well then birdie, this is our dad Derek. Dad this is Elizabeth or Birdie that Linus told you about." Marcus introduces us.

"Hi it's nice to meet you, your boys have told me so much about you." She smiles at me, sticking her hand out for me to shake.

I can feel the onlookers holding their breath, watching the interaction.

It's no secret that me and my boys stay away from women. It's also no secret that I shot the last woman who touched me without my permission.

So I'm sure it was quite shocking for them to see me willingly grab her hand and bring it to my lips. "Pleasure to meet you miss Elizabeth. My boys have also told me about you." I smile at her softly.

"How's the baby?" Tobias interrupts.

"She is very rowdy but perfectly healthy." She rubs her free hand down her stomach while holding Linus with her other arm.

How am I just now noticing she's pregnant?

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Silas asks.

Before she can answer, Robert Lenard, Bobby's son, walks up to us. "Elizabeth I don't pay you to stand around and flirt with customers. Get back to work."

"Yes sir." She replies softly.

Her demeanor has taken a complete one eighty from her previous happy face she held just moments before.

"I'll see y'all later." She said quietly before kissing Linus on the cheek and setting him down.

She wonders off and starts serving table after table of rude customers but never looses her smile.

She definitely is something.