Chapter 38 – Christopher #2
“Shut the fuck up, both of you!” Christopher ordered, addressing Johnnie to give Mortician a chance to cool off.
“Mort right, motherfucker. You drove Kendall to where she at today. You asked me to talk to her when she stopped takin’ her meds, but that’s where your concern stopped.
You wasn’t happy I let her call me by my name after complainin’ for almost seventeen goddamn years that she couldn’t.
You wasn’t happy I named her as lead attorney when all she ever wanted was three things: her children happy, stickin’ her nose in club business, and your fuckin’ love and approval. ”
Johnnie swallowed and bowed his head. “Maybe Mortician had every right to pummel me on her behalf.”
“You want—”
Christopher’s glower shut Mort the fuck up and he clenched his jaw.
“I was, am, jealous of her relationship with you, Christopher,” Johnnie admitted. “It feels as if I can’t measure up.”
“Cuz you the only motherfucker engaged in a fuckin’ contest, John Peter.
I ain’t givin’ a good fuck. I’m happy with my wife, my kids, and my life.
Megan a fuckin’ handful. You think Ima go after another girl, especially another motherfucker woman?
My brother? My club brother, too?” Christopher added before he stopped himself.
Mortician glanced away.
“I’m sorry,” Johnnie repeated pitifully, stuck on those fucking words and not noticing Mort’s undercurrent of guilt. “I’m so sorry for everything. Help me. I love Kendall so much. How can I get her to stay? What do I need to do?”
With the situation under control, Diesel returned to his seat and gnashed his teeth together. Christopher suspected what the fuck he’d say since the answer was so fucking obvious.
“Uncle Christopher is right. She shouldn’t be away from her family. Tell Kendall if she stays, you’ll build yourself a house on club grounds and allow her to live in your current home. Tell her she is too fragile to live away from us but you want a fair chance to win her back.”
Christopher eyed Mortician to see his reaction. Normally, he was the voice of reason about Kendall and Megan, but he still didn’t say one motherfucking thing. Instead, he looked ready to pummel Johnnie again.
Johnnie blinked. “I always told her I’d take the kids if she left,” he said finally, a stupid motherfucker to the fucking bone.
The shit Diesel suggested was so fucking easy to come up with, Axel would’ve figured it out immediately.
“Her mental state would work against her. Wouldn’t it? She thinks she doesn’t need me.”
Diesel glowered at him. “She might not need you, but she needs us. Think about what she needs, forget your fucking threats, and you might win your wife back.”
“Thank you.” Johnnie sounded sincere, but a motherfucker always revealed his true colors when he thought he had the upper hand. “I owe you.”
Val stood. “I got to get home to Puff.”
Christopher snapped his brows together, picking up on an odd note in Val’s voice. “She and the baby okay?”
Shoving his hands in his pockets, Val nodded.
Mort clapped Val’s back and held out his hand. “In case I didn’t say it before: Congratulations, brother.”
“She so fucking excited,” Val said, accepting Mort’s hand. “But…fuck…It’s a fucking baby. The kind that keep you up all fucking night. And, fuck, Puff high risk because of her age. Suppose something happen to her?”
“Chester strong,” Mortician said. “As long as she follow her doctor advice, she’ll be fine.”
“The idea of another baby didn’t bother me until she actually said the words.
Since Harley moved in, she started longing for a daughter.
I hope that’s what this kid is so she won’t be disappointed.
But, fuck, a girl. My nieces give me fucking gray hair.
What the fuck my own daughter going to do to me? ”
“Give you fucking white hair,” Christopher said. “But she okay, yeah?”
“She got bad morning sickness and cry for everything. Other than that, she’s fine.”
“The boys know?” Christopher asked.
Val shook his head. “Puff want to wait. I’m just following her lead.” He bid everyone goodnight and headed out.
Shoving his chair back, Diesel stood and thumped Easton’s shoulder. “Come on, fuckhead. It’s time for me to inspect your room.”
Easton looked at Christopher. “Does Roxanne beat everyone’s ass with her baton or just family?”
“She beat anyfuckinbody she want to,” Christopher answered.
Grabbing his collar, Diesel snatched him to his feet. “That means, motherfucker, you better be on your best behavior.”
Even after everyone else cleared away and it was only him and Christopher left at the table, Mort didn’t move. He didn’t talk either, so Christopher ordered a setup of vodka and tequila, and lit a cigarette. Once the liquor arrived, he snatched his tequila and drank from the bottle.
“Looked at the security footage,” he started.
“For?”
Christopher sucked on his cigarette, released the smoke, then drank again.
“To make sure no motherfucker fucked with Kendall. I wanted to see if she was at the clubhouse and left with anyone. If she was naked when she left the clubhouse.” Silence.
“When I picked her up, she smelled like your fuckin’ cologne. ”
Heavy fucking silence.
“It don’t take a fuckin’ genius to realize Bailey sent you home, Mortician. Probably not in the nicest fuckin’ way.”
“It still don’t excuse what the fuck I did. It would be one thing if I wanted to leave Bailey. I don’t. I want my marriage to work.”
“Well, you can’t want that motherfucker to work alone. She gotta want it, too. Between Bailey and motherfuckin’ Johnnie always accusin’ you and Kendall of cheatin’—”
“Still not a fucking excuse, Prez.”
“But they planted that seed in your head. If they would’ve shut the fuck up and backed the fuck off—”
“Would you say that if Meggie fucked another motherfucker? Would she say it if you fucked another woman? You didn’t sleep with Torie and your marriage almost fell apart.
We both know the right thing to do is to divorce my wife.
Yeah, I thought about it before now. Things are just so fucking bleak and my heart is just broken, Prez.
But I don’t deserve Bailey no more. I cheated on her. I cheated on my fucking wife.”
“Mortician—”
“Nothing you can say because you’d do the same. You wouldn’t want to stay with Meggie knowing you betrayed her.”
That was a possibility, though the probability was low. The guilt would eat him alive. Not to mention the fear that Megan would find out. But how could he ever survive without her?
“You know how I know you didn’t fuck Torie? With one hundred percent certainty no matter what the rumors was?”
Christopher lifted a brow.
“You didn’t file for divorce.”
“No guarantee I would have.”
“No, there’s not. Yet…knowing…you wouldn’t have done that to her. Your wife. The mother of your children.”
“I probably would’ve just bit it, Mort. I can’t imagine a world without Megan at my side.”
“Exactly. Now do you see—”
“The difference between me and Megan and you and Bailey and Johnnie and Kendall is we ain’t functionally single. We fought hard to save our marriage. Johnnie been a motherfucker that stopped deserving Kendall a long time ago. And Bailey just lost her way—”
“I don’t know what happened to my wife. She hate me.”
Christopher tasted more tequila. “Possibly, but don’t be too fuckin’ sure. Her main fuckin’ problem is guilt and self-hatred. Bailey not forgivin’ you or Harley ‘til she forgive herfuckinself for what happened to Harley.”
“It still doesn’t excuse what I did. I’m nothing but a fucking cheater. How am I going to face my mama-in-law, Prez?”
“You sleepin’ with Kendall again?”
“Fuck no! I shouldn’t have done it this time, but I was…never mind. It don’t matter.”
“Have you talked to her?”
Mortician nodded. “I told her I don’t remember anything.”
“You do, though.”
“Yeah, Prez. She’s so fucking hurt and upset, I couldn’t let her worry about if I’d think about what happened and look at her differently. Or, worse, have her ashamed.”
“Kendall love Johnnie. Her sudden decision to leave immediately make a lot of sense. Howfuckinever, Johnnie doin’ as Diesel suggested is probably the only way to get her to stay so we can get her through this.”
“I agree,” Mort said, subdued and weighted down.
“You both just about fuckin’ divorced, Mortician. As harsh as that fuckin’ is, it’s fuckin’ true. You and Kendall always had a special bond. It make sense you turned to each other when you both so fuckin’ hurt and lonely.” Christopher finished his bottle. “You want to sleep with her again?”
“Not under the circumstances. I regret betraying Bailey and I’m afraid this’ll change me and Kendall’s relationship forever.”
“It already did, but as busy as she always been, she’ll follow your lead, Mort.
That’s where Johnnie always fucked up. She needed a guiding hand.
Somebody to force her to befuckinhave and to keep her steady.
Just do what you always do where she concerned.
She’ll get it through her head that you still her friend and what happened didn’t change that. ”
“You don’t hold it against me?”
“Nope. I know your heart. You love your family. You risked death on Digger’s behalf several fuckin’ times.
You gave up an officer’s position for him.
You can’t measure love by money, but with you bein’ such a stingy motherfucker, I say that don’t count for you.
And Bailey just had you wrapped around her finger.
Which lead to here and now. She so used to having her fucking way, when she said she wanted a baby and you wouldn’t give it to her, it made her unhappy. ”
“A baby not a possession, Outlaw,” Mort said in frustration. “Bailey got to know that.”
“In theory. But let her heal, then see if your marriage salvageable.”
“You don’t know what she said,” Mort said quietly.
“I don’t have to know. You wouldna slept with Kendall if it wasn’t completely fucked up and I’ll stake my fuckin’ life on that.”
Mort bowed his head but didn’t say anything.