Chapter Twenty-Nine
Cal
One month later…
“J ordy is such a pussy,” I complain. “It’s just a bachelor party. It’s not like we were going to make him fuck strippers and send incriminating evidence to Little Hornet. I swear to God that dude has been pussywhipped by her since way before she was legal.”
Sonya laughs from beside me. “I think it’s romantic.”
“You would,” Trey says, shooting her an annoyed look.
They get into another heated discussion about the reason Sonya left Rockford. Trey was pissed when he found out what happened. He wanted me to help him kill the guy she sent nudes to—his uncle’s coworker. Sonya told him to drop it. Of course Trey will do nothing of the sort. He’s only getting started. My boy woke up from a coma to learn that his cousin was involved in a scandal with an old man that resulted in a bully shitstorm. Hell yeah he’s pissed.
“Is your girl limber in bed?” Trey asks, ignoring Sonya’s yapping to point onto the football field. “I mean, fuck. She can do the splits.”
“Gross, T. You’re fucking nasty. I’m right here. Don’t talk about Cal and Charlotte’s sex life in front of me,” Sonya grumbles, swatting at her cousin.
I laugh at their antics. “Charlotte has many talents, all of which are for me to know and you to never find out, man.”
Trey pretends to pout. It’s good to have him back. He still hurts and battles with some depression, but I think he’s going to be okay.
“Oh, look,” a familiar voice chirps. “It’s Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dumbfuck, and Smash.”
“Don’t call me Smash,” Trey says, shooting her the bird.
Penny grins at him. “Sorry. I forgot you prefer when I call you Roadkill.”
“If he’s Smash,” I say, frowning at Penny. “Which one of us is Tweedle Dumbfuck?”
“If you have to ask, you already have your answer.” Penny plops down beside Sonya. “Fucked any old dudes lately?”
At least she dishes out her insults in an even manner.
Little adorable bitch.
Sonya smacks her thigh. “You’re such a psycho.”
“Love you too,” Penny says. “I had to get away from Dad and Jace.” She cringes. “I think they’re besties now. That’s weird, right?”
“Considering how completely opposite they are, yes,” I agree. “But look at the rat and Roan.”
“They’re not those kind of besties,” Penny assures me, “though it’d be a royally fucked up dynamic to the family tree. Unfortunately, they’re the normal kind of besties. Kind of like you two idiots. Always finishing each other’s sentences. Doing the whole ride or die thing. Checking out chicks together. Should I make them matching friendship bracelets?”
“Jace is so hot,” Sonya says. “I’d go gay for him if I were your dad.”
“My dad won’t ever go there. Trust me. It’s super gross, though, to watch them get dressed up to go pick up chicks. Jace thinks it’s his sole mission in life to find Dad a girlfriend,” Penny reveals. “Dad’s still hung up on Mom.”
“Tell your daddy if he needs a more capable wingman, I’ll help,” Sonya offers.
“No,” both Trey and I say at once.
“I agree with the idiots,” Penny says. “You might accidentally offer yourself up instead.”
“A Jace and Garrett sandwich,” Sonya says with a smirk. “I’m into it.”
Penny pretends to gag. “Subject change. Who’s going to embarrass themselves at the wedding tomorrow with their speeches? My bet is on Roadkill.”
“Fuck off, brat,” Trey grumbles. “My speech is amazing.”
I chuckle, my eyes finding Charlotte once again as she shakes her yellow poms in the air. I wonder if I can get her to bring them by the cabin later and do some naked cheers while she rides my dick.
“Oh shit,” Penny grits out. “Douchebag, twelve o’clock.”
I follow her pointed finger to a guy on the sidelines. Right in front of my fucking girl . I’d recognize that fucker from anywhere.
“Cuntingham,” I growl, rising to my feet.
“No way,” Trey snarls. “Let’s kill him.”
When Charlotte told us about what really happened a while back, I thought that asshole would get some sort of punishment. Samantha quickly informed us that because of how they found her and the drugs in her system, it’d be impossible to prove otherwise. Regardless, she took Charlotte’s testimony of that night and took the appropriate actions. Yet, once again, this guy gets away with whatever the fuck he wants because her account of what happened isn’t enough.
“Don’t get a black eye before the wedding,” Penny calls out as Trey and I charge down the bleachers.
We make it halfway down when the buzzer blares. The game is over. And fuck my life, everyone decides to bail all at once. T and I start pushing past people. My eyes are on Charlotte. Cuntingham walks right up to her and starts speaking to her. Whatever he says makes her shudder.
Oh, fuck no.
“Get out of the fucking way,” I snarl, pushing past a group of laughing people.
I’m almost to the bottom when a big, tattooed psycho jumps off the bleachers onto the field. Thank fuck. Jace stalks toward them, his body tense and poised for a fight. Surprisingly, Garrett follows after him, equally as coiled with anger. Jace or her dad must call out to her because she and Ryan both turn to look at them.
The pussy bolts.
I hop over the railing and rush past Jace and Garrett, scooping up my beautiful cheerleader. She smells like sweat and her sweet girly perfume. I inhale her before I set her to her feet.
“What did that motherfucker say to you?” I demand, pinning her with a worried stare.
Trey, Jace, and Garrett crowd around us.
“He was pissed,” she says, trembling. “He said I was trying to ruin his life by filing the police report about the attempted rape and telling them about him driving the night of the accident.”
“He can be pissed all he wants,” Garrett snaps, pulling her to him for a hug. “You’re safe, sweetheart.”
She forces that fake-ass smile of hers.
I scrub my palm down over my face. “He wasn’t just pissed, was he?”
Her body deflates as she shakes her head.
“What did he say?” I demand, grabbing her hand.
“That I’m his. I’ll always be his. One day, he’ll be back to collect me, and when he does, he’ll make sure I pay for every single thing I did to him.” Her eyes water. “I hate him.”
“I know, Charlie girl. I do too.” I squeeze her hand. “You’re mine, though. Don’t forget it.”
It’s mostly cleared out now as Trey and I wait for Charlotte to finish up with her meeting after the game with Coach Jenner. Penny and Sonya took off to grab dinner with Jace and Garrett. I told Trey to go with them, but he thinks Ryan might show up and I might need some backup.
If I get my hands on Ryan, I won’t need backup.
It’ll take everything in me not to bash his fucking skull in.
“Hi, Mr. Hutton,” Heidi says, waving to me as she passes. “Looking hot tonight.”
I roll my eyes, not bothering to acknowledge her.
“The bitches really are hot for the whole teacher gig,” Trey says with a laugh. “Here I thought you were fucking lying.”
“You ignored my ass that day at the hospital but heard every word,” I complain. “You know I don’t lie about my magical dick powers.”
Charlotte bounces over to us at the end of that statement. “I can attest to these magical dick powers.”
I grip her jaw and pull her to me for a claiming kiss. “Hell yeah you can.”
“Is that…” Trey curses. “That’s Moaning Lisa’s dad. I’ll be right back.”
He trots, limping slightly—something I hadn’t noticed until now—off toward Jack Henderson, who’s walking with an older woman and a child.
“What’s up with that?” Charlotte asks, taking my hand as we walk.
“Probably wants to ask about Jack’s stepdaughter Lacey.” I shrug. “They fucked the summer before our senior year and then she moved. Slept with my boy and left. He pined over her for the longest ass time until he gave up. Kind of a bitch move if you ask me.”
Trey fists his hands, his only warning that he might hit that dude.
“Shit,” I hiss out, letting go of Charlotte’s hand to run over to back up my best friend.
By the time I approach, the woman and child have walked off, leaving Jack to face off with Trey. It’s no match considering Trey towers over Jack.
“Tell her to call me,” Trey barks out.
“Sure,” Jack grinds out. “I’ll pass on the message.”
Jack turns on his heel and storms away. Trey starts after him, but I yank at the back of his shirt.
“Don’t,” I warn. “You’ll get yourself in trouble.”
“I think she owes me an explanation,” Trey spits out. “They leave for years and finally show back up like they weren’t ever gone? I just want to talk to her. To know why she left so abruptly.” He rubs at the back of his neck, glaring after Jack’s disappearing form. “That asshole wouldn’t talk to me at first, but when he sent his family to the car, he finally spoke up to tell me to get fucking lost. What the hell did I do?”
Charlotte hooks her arm in mine. “Some people are just dicks,” she offers. “Now that she’s back, maybe you can seek her out and talk to her. When that asshole’s not around.”
Trey remains tense. “He’s sketchy as fuck.”
“I agree. Dad knows him, though, T. So does Jace. Maybe we can get some information out of one of them.”
We walk back to my truck in silence as Trey stews. He climbs into the back seat as I open the door for Charlotte. I grab her sexy ass and toss her into the truck like I know she loves.
“You just wanted to see up my skirt,” she teases.
“I already know what’s up that skirt.” I give her thigh a squeeze. “And later I’m going to be doing a helluva lot more than look at what’s under it.”