Chapter 3
CHAPTER
THREE
Jersey
LoneStar and Britton join me for breakfast this morning. I ruminate over the phone call with Slayer, and the more I think on it, the surer I am that this is for the best. Initially when I started working toward my teaching degree, I wanted to specialize in special needs classes.
That was the goal up until I visited an elementary school and fell in love with the kids.
Their exuberance for life thrilled me and ignited a fire inside of me to help them learn and grow.
But that doesn’t mean I didn’t continue my classes to assist those who think and do things different than the average Joe.
Average—I’ve come to loathe that word. Especially in regard to people. It makes it sound as if some are superior over others and that brings up thoughts of the assholes who are the entire reason I’m alive and prospering.
Just because somebody has to think longer on how to accomplish something doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with them. I love the differences between human beings. If we were all the same and did everything the way our neighbor did them, life would be dull and transparent.
Snapping fingers sound off in front of my face which has me batting my eyelashes as I come out of my trance. “Jersey, you still with us?”
“Of course,” I reply, glancing up at Britton. “Sorry, I was thinking about a phone call I had with Slayer and my thoughts spiraled from there.”
“He’s been called home, but needs to wrap up some legal things with his brother first,” LoneStar informs me.
“From my understanding, it shouldn’t take long to get things taken care of and wrapped up,” Britton inserts.
“I told Slayer that his brother and his girl could stay with me. I think the clubhouse would be too overwhelming for them,” I admit.
“I think you’re right about that,” Britton states. “It can get pretty rowdy downstairs.”
“Riptide had a quick church session this morning. The guys are well-aware that Boston and Carolina can’t be overly stimulated and when they’re around, we need to watch our antics,” LoneStar advises.
“Think the guys will be able to do that?” I ask, unsure about that.
I’ve been around for several of their get-togethers and the guys really know how to let loose and party like rockstars.
Pretty much, anything goes. From the loud music to the occasional fistfights that pop up whenever one of the guys feels the need to let off a little bit of steam.
Then, of course, there are the club girls.
I feel pretty confident that both Boston and Carolina have been somewhat sheltered, even considering what happened at the facility they were in, so seeing scantily clad women that come to the clubhouse from time to time, when the brothers invite them, drop to their knees to give one of the single brothers some relief isn’t something they’ve encountered.
LoneStar shrugs and says, “They’ll try. That’s really all we can ask them to do. Years of living without being under someone’s thumb is a hard thing to reverse with the snap of fingers. We really don’t know how they’ll handle the lifestyle until they’re exposed to it.”
“They could surprise us and adjust well to it,” Britton voices. “There’ll be plenty of eyes on them that can usher them out if not.”
“Yeah, but what will the fallout be if they can’t handle it?” I question.
“It’s going to be a trial and error thing,” LoneStar adds. “For now, we’ve all agreed that they should be kept from the after hours and only be brought to the barbecues until they get used to us.”
“That may help keep them from getting frightened,” I say. “If they can put a face to a name, it should ease some of their anxieties.”
I watch as Britton grabs one of her ginger candies and pops it into her mouth. When she sees the concern on my face she tells me, “Some days the anti-nausea medication works better than others. For the most part, I’ve been keeping more things down than what comes out.”
“She’s been drinking those sugar free electrolyte drinks to help her keep from getting dehydrated. So far, they’re working,” LoneStar states.
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help,” I plead. “I don’t like watching you struggle.”
“Pregnancy is no joke,” Britton says, snorting. “I’ve both read and written about the symptoms, but until you live with them, you can’t understand the struggle.”
“I’m not in any rush to experience those first-hand,” I tease. “I’ll live vicariously through you.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s vicarious,” Britton mumbles. “I wouldn’t wish this on you, sis. But I do wish we were able to keep our plans.”
“What plans would those be?” LoneStar asks.
“We already broke the first half of that plot, Britton,” I point out before turning my attention to LoneStar and confessing. “We made an oath that we’d get married together and have our kids around the same time so they could grow up together as cousins.”
“I think that would’ve been broken anyway. Britton had no plans of settling down before she met me,” he boasts.
“At the time we made those promises, I had good intentions,” Britton defends. “I thought I’d marry a man who would want to travel the world and we’d come to Jersey’s house for holidays, birthdays, and vacations. I’d be there, but not all the time.”
I gasp before accusing her, “You found a loophole in our vows!”
“Don’t blame me, Jersey. You know how my mind works, I can’t always help it when it goes into survival mode and looks for a way out.”
LoneStar leans over and whispers, “But not anymore.”
“No, not anymore,” she whispers back.
Feeling like an interloper, I stand up and start clearing the table. Over my shoulder, I ask, “Do we know when to expect Slayer, Boston, and Carolina?”
“During church, Rip got a text from Slayer. In the message he stated that it shouldn’t be more than a couple of days.
They already have the therapist’s report and a time scheduled with the judge.
Carolina’s grandmother will be moving a few towns over at the retirement complex.
That way, she’s close enough to see her granddaughter but won’t be in the thick of the impending war. ”
Britton snorts before mumbling, “Impending my ass. It’s an ongoing thing. I wish those assholes would come out of hiding so y’all can take care of business and the lockdown can be lifted.”
“It’s not a hard lockdown, not anymore,” LoneStar reminds her.
“Hard or soft, it’s all stifling,” she argues.
Not wanting their banter to turn into an argument, I decide to pipe in and remind Britton of a few things that she seems to have forgotten. “If you’d been under lockdown and adhered to it, you wouldn’t have been taken and held captive.”
LoneStar barks out in laughter before inserting, “We were under lockdown when she took off.”
I glance at him, place my hands on my hips, and say, “You’re right, but you also have to remember that neither one of us understood what that meant. We believed that was for members and their old ladies, not those of us who are here for a different purpose.”
LoneStar narrows his eyes at me and harrumphs before stating, “Once you crossed those gates, got a key to a house, and unpacked, that made you family. We made that pretty fucking clear.”
“Y’all need a handbook to pass out to those of us who don’t have a clue about this life, LoneStar. Saying something and explaining it with bullet points is different. I need to see things in black and white… I’m a visual person,” I explain.
“Ditto,” Britton agrees.
“And with people, like my sister, loopholes can be found in anything,” I point out. “And they will take that and run with it.”
“Touche, sis, to-motherfucking-che,” Britton grumbles.
I toss her a wink before replying, “Truth hurts sometimes. But you and I promised each other a long time ago we’d never beat around the bush when it comes to being honest with one another.”
“You’re right. I don’t like to wade my way through bullshit if I can walk around it,” Britton remarks.
“Back to the topic of Slayer, how do you feel about his brother and his girl staying with you, Jersey?” LoneStar asks.
“I’m actually pretty excited about it,” I confess. Turning to Britton, I ask, “Do you remember me telling you about my childhood friend, Charles?”
“I recall you mentioning him a time or two,” she states. “Why?”
“He’s the reason I wanted to pursue a special education degree.
When he was two, he was left unsupervised and fell into the family’s pool.
He had to be revived and ended up with brain trauma due to lack of oxygen.
He had an in-home care teacher and she’s the one who inspired me to go down that path.
It’s what I wanted to do when I enrolled in college.
She was so damn patient with him and she was the only one, outside of me, that could get him to smile.
He was the only friend I was allowed to have and he called to my soul. ”
“Why him and not other kids from school?” LoneStar asks.
Seeing as he doesn’t know a helluva lot about my history, I decide to give him the abbreviated version so I don’t have to go into full detail and relive some of the more destructive things due to my parents.
“Our fathers grew up together. They were best friends so we spent a lot of time at their house. Charles and I are only six months apart, so we learned to do things together. Anyway, our fathers were close, and our mothers were both materialistic so they got along too. Unlike my folks, they kept their fortune even while joining in on the partying life. They had the funds to hire in-home care and staff while mine didn’t.
So Yolanda, Charles’ teacher, taught me about compassion and helped me learn to think outside of the box my parents kept me inside of.
I helped her with Charles and that’s where I found my happy place.
Being his friend was the highlight of my life until I met Britton. ”
“He was your family, your brother,” LoneStar muses.
“He was and to a degree, still is,” I state. “Unfortunately, every time I call and check in on him, his parents tattle to mine, so I’ve had to limit my interaction with him.”
LoneStar leans back in his seat and says, “Boston and Carolina will be in good hands with you, Jersey. Thank you for volunteering to let them stay with you.”
“You’re welcome,” I whisper, choked up as I begin putting the dishes in the dishwasher. I’m not used to people believing in me, and when they do, it hits me like a sledgehammer and causes my emotions to go haywire. “I hope I don’t let anyone down.”