Chapter Seven
Pee Wee
I was sitting at the bar at the Underground, nursing a scotch and smoking a cigarette.
And I was in a really foul fucking mood.
After the boys left for school, I went upstairs and knocked on Diana’s door. I stood there like an idiot for ten minutes before finally opening the door and going in.
Diana was in the same spot I’d left her the night before. I spent another ten minutes trying to wake her up, but she was still sloshed from the night before .
Go figure.
Pissed that I was having to tell the mother of my kids that she didn’t need to be drinking all fucking day long, I left the house and came to work.
It was fucking ridiculous. She was a grown ass woman.
Don’t get me wrong, I did my fair share of drinking, but I handled my fucking business. Diana didn’t even have a job.
Her only responsibility was taking care of my boys. Something she couldn’t be bothered to do.
But that was how it always was with my wife.
She was a selfish bitch and didn’t care about anything but herself. Not even our boys. Diana Reid didn’t have one maternal bone in her body.
Which was why I had to leave McKenna and go home every night. It was up to me to make sure the twins were taken care of.
Sighing, I grabbed my cigarette from the ashtray and took another drag, letting my thoughts drift to McKenna.
God, I had majorly fucked up with her.
All day, I had hoped that she would come in so we could talk.
She hadn’t, of course .
Not that I blamed her. It was her day off.
I could still see the look on her face when I’d launched the lamp across the room. She was afraid because of me, and that fucking ate at me.
I knew better, but my temper had gotten the best of me.
My girl was tough as nails, but she grew up with an old man who didn’t give the first fuck about putting his hands on a woman. Those demons didn’t go away. They lingered under the surface, and when an asshole like me lost his cool and did some dumb shit, they reared their heads, creating doubt.
I knew this. I fucking knew, and I’d still blown up.
I had to do better, or I was going to lose her.
“You see the text from Denali?” Beast asked, pushing up to the bar.
Grabbing my burner phone off the bartop, I read the message.
Denali: We’ve got a guest coming to stay for a few days
I arched a brow and typed out a reply.
Me: Who ?
I stared at the screen as three dots bounced up and down as Denali typed.
Denali: Saint’s Outlaws Nomad
My lips tipped up. There was only one nomad from the Saint’s Outlaws that made it a point to stop by any time he was near St. Louis.
Pee Wee: Is it Odin?
Denali: Yep.
Fuck yeah. I knew Odin from way back. He was a good dude.
I was about to reply and ask what time the party was going to kick off but before I could type the first word, my phone started ringing in my hand.
The caller ID lit up with Brody’s name and picture. I quickly glanced at the time.
Fuck.
It was already almost five.
Quickly sliding the bar across the screen, I answered, “Hey, bud. What’s up?”
“You gotta come home, Dad,” Brody rushed out.
The hair on the back of my neck stood straight up at the frantic sound of my son’ s voice.
“The house is flooded.”
My brows snapped together. “Say that again?” I could have sworn he said the house was flooded.
“You heard me, Dad. There’s water everywhere.”
What the fuck? “Where’s your mom?”
I could hear Brody say something to someone in the background and then Bentley was on the phone.
“She ain’t here, Dad. All her shit is gone.”
I had to admit, I was a little slow on the uptake, but then it hit me. That fucking bitch actually left, and no doubt she’s the reason the house was apparently flooded.
I could feel my temper rising again. “I’m on my way,” I growled.
“Okay, Dad, hurry,” Bentley said before the line went dead.
“Fuck!” Shoving my phone into my pocket, I climbed to my feet.
“Everything cool, VP?” Beast asked, his brow lifted.
“Diana is pulling her shit again,” I called out as I hot-footed it to the service elevator.
Eighteen minutes later, I turned onto my street, spotting my boys sitting on the tailgate of Brody’s truck.
“What the fuck?” Water was pouring out from under the front door and down the driveway. I’d seen a lot of fucked up shit in my time, but this was something else.
“What the hell happened?” I barked, hopping out of my truck.
Brody ran a hand through his hair—a habit he’d picked up from me. “Mom’s gone. She left a note saying she was never coming back.” He swallowed hard. “And... you should see the house.”
The fury coiling in my chest threatened to erupt. That bitch had finally done it—finally left. But she couldn’t just walk away. No, she had to destroy the house first.
“Show me,” I growled, following them up the driveway.
The second I opened the front door, water rushed over my boots. I stood in the entryway, trying to process what I was seeing.
You couldn’t make this shit up. Water was literally running down the walls and flowing down the staircase like a fucking waterfall. The floors were completely submerged, and the furniture was soaked through.
“Jesus Christ,” I muttered.
I jogged up the stairs, taking them two at a time, sloshing through the ankle-deep water.
When I reached Diana’s bathroom, the scene made my blood boil.
The tub was overflowing, water still pouring from the faucet at full force.
Rushing over, I quickly twisted the knobs and pulled the lever to drain it.
“What the fuck was she thinking?” I whispered to myself. It would cost a fortune to make the house liveable again.
Moving to my bathroom, I found the same fucking thing, and the same with the boys’ bathroom, too.
Jesus.
She’d turned on every faucet in the house and blocked all the drains before she left.
Heading back down the stairs, I found the boys standing in the middle of the living room, taking in the mess.
“I can’t believe she did this,” Brody said, his eyes huge.
Bentley snorted. “I can.”
The water had already ruined the hardwood floors. The furniture was beyond saving. The drywall would have to be replaced.
I pulled out my burner phone and sent a text:
Me: Send a clean up crew to my house
Klutch: Who’d you off ?????
Beast: I’ve got a couple of guesses
Undertaker: I can think of a few people
Me: Very funny. Not that kind of clean up though. My house is flooded.
Denali: I’ll send a few prospects
Me: Thx
I shoved my phone back in my pocket and looked at my boys. They shouldn’t have to deal with this shit. They’d been caught in the crossfire of Diana’s and my fucked-up marriage for too long.
“Go pack a bag,” I told them.
“Where are we going?” Bentley asked.
I ran a tattooed hand over the back of my neck. I’d been avoiding this moment for a long time, but I was out of options.
“You’ll see.”
I knocked on the door, holding my breath.
I could hear banging around inside, and then it opened. McKenna stood there in a tank top and yoga pants, her dark hair piled on top of her head. Her eyes went wide when she saw who was standing behind me.
“Uh, hi,” she said, clearly confused.
“Hey, baby,” I said, shoving my hands in the front pockets. “Can we come in?”
She blinked, then quickly opened the door wider. “Yeah, of course.”
The boys followed me inside, their eyes taking in everything as they stepped into the living room.
“McKenna, these are my sons, Brody and Bentley,” I said, gesturing to each of them. “Boys, this is McKenna.”
They both nodded, mumbling hellos. I could tell they were trying to figure out exactly who McKenna was to me, and why we were at her house.
I pointed down the hallway. “Pick a room,” I told them. There were three other bedrooms, and they all had beds and dressers, but that was about it. “We’ll get TVs and whatever else you need tomorrow.”
They exchanged a look, then headed down the hall, duffel bags in hand. I watched them go, then turned back to McKenna, who looked like she’d been hit by a truck.
“What’s going on?” she asked quietly, her eyes darting toward the hallway .
I grabbed her hand and pulled her to our bedroom, closing the door behind us.
“I’m sorry about last night,” I said, needing to apologize first. “I fucked up.”
Her face softened, and she nodded. “Me too. I shouldn’t have pushed.”
I pulled her into my arms, inhaling the scent of her hair as I pressed a kiss to her temple. “I don’t deserve you.”
She leaned back to look at me. “You want to tell me what’s happening? Why are your sons here?”
I sighed, releasing her and sitting on the edge of the bed. “Diana left. Took all her shit and disappeared.”
McKenna’s eyebrows shot up. “Just like that?”
“Not before flooding the entire house,” I growled. “Every faucet turned on, every drain blocked. The whole place is fucked. It’ll take weeks to repair.”
“Jesus,” she breathed, sitting next to me. “That’s insane.”
“That’s Diana.”
“So... you brought them here?” She asked carefully.
I nodded, feeling like a complete asshole for not giving her any warning. “I’m sorry for showing up like this, but I didn’t know where else to take them. Odin’s coming to town, which means the clubhouse is going to be one hell of a party zone. And with school tomorrow...”
McKenna held up her hand. “It’s fine, Pee Wee. This is your house.”
I shook my head. “No, baby. This is our house. I know I didn’t stay here much, but it was always our house.”
I watched tears gather across her lashes before she quickly swiped them away.
Sighing, I went on to explain more about Diana leaving a note saying she wasn’t ever coming back.
McKenna’s brow furrowed. “But why would she destroy the house like that? That hurts the boys more than anyone.”
That was the twenty-six million dollar question.
“Fuck if I know. She’s fucking nuts.” I ran a hand through my hair. “The boys and I are going to crash here until the house is livable again.”
“Of course,” she said, shrugging.
My body relaxed. I’d been worried that after our fight yesterday, and the way I’d overreacted, she would tell me to kick fucking rocks. Thank fuck she was nothing like my psycho wife.
“Dad!” Brody yelled from the living room.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Duty called .
Opening my eyes, I threaded my fingers through McKenna’s and pulled her behind me to the living room.
Both boys’ eyes went to our clasped hands, and I could see the questions forming in their heads.
“I’m hungry,” Bentley said, breaking the awkward silence.
I ran my free hand over the top of my head. “Shit. Yeah.” It was after six. They were probably starving. “What do y’all want? I can order something.”
Before the boys could answer, McKenna stepped forward. “I can cook dinner.”
Bentley and Brody looked at each other hesitantly, and I couldn’t blame him. Diana wasn’t much of a cook.
I chuckled. “McKenna’s a great cook,” I assured them.
“I have stuff for stuffed pork chops and mashed potatoes,” she offered.
The twins’ eyes lit up. “Hell yeah,” they said in unison.
“Watch your mouths,” I scolded, making McKenna giggle as she turned towards the kitchen.
My sons pulled up seats at the island, and McKenna went to work, pulling ingredients from the fridge .
They watched her every move, asking her questions about what she was doing, and she handled it all perfectly. Answering their questions, and not at all bothered that they were talking to her like their mother would get.
A strange feeling washed over me as I stood there watching them.
My worlds were colliding—my sons and my woman—and it wasn’t the disaster I’d feared.
It felt... right.