Chapter 49 – Meggie
Once Christopher told Meggie what happened, they decided to cut their date short and hurry home.
Luckily, they’d been nearby. Knowing Rebel would be at the clubhouse, Meggie hadn’t wanted to go very far, so she and Christopher picnicked at the creek Meggie once lived by, talked, laughed, and made love.
Fia and her friends ruined Meggie’s night and Rebel’s night, so Meggie texted Rebel and told her she was on the way.
Axel had been sitting with Rebel in the foyer. The minute Meggie opened the door, Rebel jumped up, ran to Meggie and sobbed as if her heart was so shattered, it would never recover.
Meggie had never been more furious. She wanted blood. Heidi, Yarrow, and Cara’s death barely satisfied her. But Meggie wanted Fia alive. She vowed to repay Fia, if that was the last thing she ever did.
Rebel wanted to go to her suite, where Meggie consoled her while she changed into bedclothes, then Meggie brushed and braided her daughter’s hair. By the time Rebel fell asleep, Meggie was too angry and guilty to do anything but stalk to the kitchen for tea.
She’d excused Kaia and Fia being together the first time because he and Rebel hadn’t actually been an item, but the minute Meggie discovered the latest incident she should have sent Kaia packing. Instead, she feared Rebel making an even worse decision so Meggie had kept her mouth shut.
Wanting more than a few heads on a pike, Meggie got as far as filling the kettle with water before Christopher, CJ, Axel, Ransom, Ryder, and Diesel—still bloody—trooped in and surrounded the island.
They claimed they wanted to know how Rebel was, but when she bit out, “fine,” Axel’s chin started trembling and Christopher shifted.
Only time—and her own revenge—would take away her fury, which she told them before she hugged them one by one and sent them away. Christopher hadn’t left her—the boys did.
When he took her in his arms, Meggie cried over Rebel’s pain. Christopher led her to the mud room, closed the door, and made love to her against the wall.
Back in their bedroom, after more sex, she listened to her husband’s even breathing and finally fell into a restless sleep.
In the intervening hours, Meggie’s temper cooled enough to get through the evening.
“You look so pretty, Jana,” Meggie complimented when Christopher guided her soon-to-be-daughter-in-law into the den, then released her hand so she could sit on the sofa. “The gray jumpsuit complements your eyes.”
Jana swung her gaze to Diesel where he stood at the bar with Christopher and CJ. Gunner sat on the counter, close to Christopher. The Triplets sat around the coffee table, while Rebel looked deceptively calm on the chaise lounge.
Unsure if Jana was asking Diesel permission to speak, Meggie waited patiently until Jana made her decision.
“Rebel lent me this,” she finally said.
“You wear it well,” Meggie said, trying again.
“Thank you,” she mumbled. “She was too tired to do my makeup. I-I asked to borrow her stuff—”
“I’m out of unused brushes,” Rebel cut in. “And I don’t have extra makeup that looks good on both of us. I don’t know what mood I’ll be in on any given day, so if I give you my stuff outright, that’s unfair to me. Sorry.”
“I don’t have anything wrong with me,” Jana said, “but you wouldn’t even lend me your lipstick. I don’t need a brush.”
“First? Gross. Second, you don’t have to have anything wrong with you,” Rebel retorted and thrust her chin toward Diesel. “You kiss him. That’s enough.”
“Would you please stop taking digs at me, Rebel?” Diesel said tightly.
“If you and Jana would leave me alone, it would be my pleasure to never talk to you or about you again,” Rebel said.
“Enough,” Meggie ordered, glad to see Rebel out of her room, where she’d moped all day, but wishing Diesel listened to Rebel for once in his miserable life. “One thing I’d like to discuss is your father and I have decided to undertake additional renovations to the house.”
As expected, groans and grumbles rose up. During the picnic last night, Christopher informed Meggie he’d chosen the contractor and preliminary work would began after the returned from the cabin.
“Jo will be home in a matter of days,” Meggie said, unable to keep the anticipation out of her voice. “Your daddy and me have already chosen her nursery and our bedroom on the West Hallway.”
Their bedroom was the only ensuite on that side. Jo’s nursery would be directly across the hall. Closet space would be a problem, but Meggie would figure that out.
“We’re completely redesigning the second and third floors,” Meggie continued.
“And addin’ a fourth,” Christopher put in. “That’s gonna be for me and your ma. She gonna finally have fuckin’ windows in our bedroom. It’s gonna have same shit we got now, except a lil’ bigger.”
Understatement. What Christopher proposed would be insanely huge.
“We’re gonna have nurseries for Jo and Gunner that we can turn into something fuckin’ else when they ready to be not as close to your ma.”
“MegAnn?” Gunner asked.
“Yeah, boy,” Christopher answered. “Third level still gonna have Megan’s Museum.”
The walls with her pictures that he insisted on having.
“I’m probably gonna have some type of hallway or atrium in our suite, so I can add to my collection of your ma.”
“The third level will have suites,” Meggie said, wondering how her kids would like Christopher’s idea of having this as a family residence.
“Reb got a suite,” Axel said.
“What your daddy wants is for this house to be our compound,” Meggie said. “You’d each have mini suites with sitting rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, and closets. If you wanted another room, we’d see what we could do. Everything else would be the same.”
“No, thank you,” Rebel said. “Give me the treehouse if they don’t want it.”
“Rebel—” Christopher started.
“I’m not living the rest of my life under your roof, Daddy. You’d either never let me get married or you’d set me up to meet a man of your choice. No.”
Meggie stiffened and sniffed, on the verge of telling Christopher or Diesel to cut Fia’s tongue out even if they didn’t kill her.
“If you want the treehouse, love, it’s yours,” Meggie said calmly, hoping her baby girl changed her mind when she put things into perspective.
“Thank you, Momma,” Rebel said morosely.
Meggie nodded. “Anyone else has any objections?”
Clearing her throat, Jana raised her hand.
“Yes, sweetheart?” Meggie asked.
“Could I stay with Diesel if he lived in the suite?”
“As his wife, I’d expect you to live wherever he’s at,” Meggie responded. “Would you have a preference, Jana?”
“Wherever Diesel wants to live is fine by me,” Jana said. “I don’t have a right to disagree.”
“Do you have a motherfuckin’ right to fuckin’ breathe without this motherfucker’s permission?” Christopher snapped.
Meggie smiled at Jana and patted the place next to her on the sofa. “Come on, love,” she encouraged when Jana didn’t move. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Sniffling, Jana got up and sat next to Meggie. Immediately, Meggie urged Jana’s head on her shoulder and hugged her while she cried.
“Feel better, Jana?” Meggie asked several minutes later when Jana’s sobs subsided.
“A little.”
Meggie stroked Jana’s hair. “My mother was abused,” she said softly. “It destroyed her.”
“Diesel doesn’t abuse me,” she sniffled. “He’s the kindest, most loving, honorable man I know.”
“Where the fuck you been livin’?” Christopher asked. “In outer fuckin’ space? Diesel a lot of fuckin’ things, but kind and lovin’ not it, Jana.”
“He is to Axel,” Meggie said with a straight face. It wasn’t that it wasn’t true. She just couldn’t get over the conviction which Jana said that about Diesel. “It’s possible he is to you, too.”
“He is, Meggie,” Jana told her.
“Why don’t you call me ‘Aunt Meggie’? I think we’ve all had a chance to acclimate ourselves to your presence and your role in Diesel’s life.”
Jana’s eyes widened. “Truly?”
“Yes, sweetheart. But it’s what you want.”
“Thank you, Aunt Meggie.”
Meggie smiled. “When I was younger, I dreamed of becoming a meteorologist. Mama forced me to focus on a profession because what I really wanted to be was a housewife.” She cocked her head to the side. “What did you want to be as a child?”
“A nurse,” Jana said without hesitation.
“Your Aunt Zoann was an RN,” Meggie confided, glad Diesel wasn’t interrupting and breaking the tenuous connection. “She’s an NP now. Nurse Practitioner. We have a home healthcare business. I take care of the administrative side.”
“That sounds amazing,” Jana said.
“Would you like to be my office assistant? We work here, so we won’t be going off premises, but it’ll give you something to do and your own money.”
“I don’t—” Jana swallowed and more tears filled her eyes. “Um—”
“That isn’t a good idea, Aunt Meggie,” Diesel said. “Jana isn’t the best with money.”
“She can’t be good at what she doesn’t fucking have,” Rebel said.
Meggie ignored Rebel and Diesel, and hugged Jana again.
“I’m making arrangements to get you into drug treatment, sweetheart,” she said quietly.
“I think an intensive in-patient treatment is what you need to address your abuse, anxiety, and addiction. But there’s a very good place in Portland.
I’ve already talked to the director. She will make an exception at my request if you feel better staying close to Diesel.
One of us will drive you there daily and then pick you up.
You’ll be in a very structured environment for twelve hours a day, seven days a week.
We will hire a lifestyle coach for you if it’s needed.
Whatever is necessary so you can live your best life. ”
“Thank you, Aunt Meggie,” Jana said, hugging Meggie tightly. “Thank you so much.” Lifting her head, she swiped her cheeks and looked in Diesel’s direction. “Is that okay with you?”