Chapter 44 – Christopher #2
“We’ve all been there, CJ,” Grant told him. “Another piece of advice. Teeth carry germs. Use an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment.”
CJ opened his bottle of beer and drank, then looked at Ryan. “Should I tell Harley? Do I owe her anything?”
“It’s better coming from you than Jaleena,” Ryan advised. “Who has been trying to get you back since you broke up with her.”
“Didn’t you say I didn’t owe Harley anything?”
“I did, so why the fuck ask me if you didn’t want honest clarification, cuck?”
“Obviously, it’s bothering me.”
“Because you’re not fucking happy unless you’re wallowing in misery or second-guessing yourself,” Ryan scoffed.
Christopher snapped his brows together.
“Hey, boy, that’s enough,” Val barked.
“I’m not disrespecting him. I’m telling him the truth, Pops,” Ryan said irritably.
“I spent a whole fucking hour trying to get it through his thick fucking head that he’s Christopher Joseph Foy Caldwell, and he doesn’t owe a motherfucker anything.
Not even a fucking hello. Yeah, Harley deserves respect and consideration.
As his friend. He doesn’t even know if he wants to be with her.
But CJ wants to please people. Who cares if you’re a fuckhead, cuck?
Women will want you more. Men will respect you more. Jesus Christ, stop it already. Please.”
“I can’t help it if my mom taught me how to think about other people’s feelings,” CJ sneered.
“Bro, fuck you,” Ryan responded. “You have Aunt Meggie so fucking high on a pedestal, you don’t even know the real her.”
“That’s my mom and I’ll punch you—”
“Shut up, CJ. Aunt Meggie is fair, but she’ll cut you down with a fucking look.
She will cut you to fucking pieces with a statement.
Yeah, she considers people, but she puts them the fuck in their place.
What the fuck is wrong with you, dude? Seriously.
You disrespect her more by not standing up for yourself then you ever could if you were a motherfucker. ”
CJ glanced at Narci and lowered his gaze.
Sighing, Christopher got to his feet and unholstered the .9mm strapped to his side. “Here, boy,” he said, holding it out to CJ, butt-first. “Shoot Narci.”
“What?” CJ and Narci cried.
“For his role in your fuckin’ overdose. Shoot him.”
“Outlaw—”
Christopher’s glare cut Narci off.
“I don’t want to shoot Narci, Dad.”
“You ain’t got to kill him, son. Unless you want to. But whatever those motherfuckers said that night affected you as much as almost dyin’.”
“Shoot me too if it’ll make you feel better, CJ,” Diesel volunteered. “Kill me if you must, since I was the one who encouraged you to do it.”
“You’ve been protecting me since I was two and you were fifteen, Diesel,” CJ said, panic in his eyes.
“What…have all of you motherfuckers lost your fucking minds? Narci helped to save me. If you hadn’t picked me up and brought me to the hospital, Diesel, I wouldn’t have survived.
You protected me as always.” He reached out and lowered Christopher’s hand. “Put the gun away. Please, Dad.”
Christopher looked at Narci and bared his teeth, slipping his gun back into the holster.
“I swear to you, CJ, I won’t ever say any of what I said that night,” Narci promised.
“No, you’ll only think it and laugh behind my back,” CJ responded. “I’m sure you can’t wait to tease me about my virginity.”
“Nice, CJ,” Ryan interjected. “You just gave the asshole ammunition. You let him know it’ll bother you.” He patted CJ’s back. “Good work.”
CJ shrugged him off. “Would you fucking be quiet?”
“I was almost eighteen the first time I was with a girl, CJ,” Easton interjected.
How true that was, Christopher couldn’t say, but it piqued CJ’s interest.
“Yeah,” Easton said with a nod. “It was awkward because I was so fucking nervous. I thought I was a fucking freak. All my friends were quite active. One of them even became a teenaged dad. But I didn’t know how I’d look my mother in the eye.
I thought she’d somehow know. When I got my first real girlfriend, the only thing my mother said was ‘practice safe sex’.
That’s it. I was mortified and relieved at the same time. ”
“I bet,” CJ said with a swallow.
“Not only that, I regretted my first time. I wasn’t ready for that.
She ended up having more feelings for me than I did for her.
The aftermath was as unsettling as the act.
Yeah, my friends teased me. Called me gay.
A loser. A mama’s boy. And so much more.
Sometimes, I laughed with them. Other times, I threw fucking punches.
I only allow the disrespect to go so far.
Ryan’s right. You have to set boundaries.
Not only for girls. For everything, so you can be happy and strong. ”
“Meggie’s here,” Potter called from behind the bar and nodded to the monitor, showing her exiting her Corvette.
A moment later, she walked in and headed to the table.
Christopher scowled, swearing fucking tongues were hitting the table at her tight jeans and crop top. Her messy bun made her look so fucking sexy, despite her hi-tops and no make-up.
She reached the table, patted Diesel’s back, kissed Christopher, and waved at the table at large, not beelining to CJ to hug him.
“I won’t be long, Christopher,” she said, cutting her eyes at him, “but while I waited to talk to Kaia and Bishop, I realized I could come to the club.”
“Why you ain’t found a fuckin’ jacket?” he asked sourly.
“The woman here, Outlaw,” Val said, frowning. “And you still fucking complaining?”
Fuck, Val was right. She’d come to the fucking club without his urging.
She turned and faced the brothers. Christopher resisted squeezing her round little ass, but fuck if he couldn’t stop staring. She wore the fuck out of those jeans.
“If Christopher and I go on our anniversary trip—”
If? What the fuck she meant by ‘if’?
“I’ll miss Axel’s birthday,” she continued, unaware of his glower because her back was to him. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Bishop and Kaia. “That’s why I was waiting for you two. Rebel has the menu, Bishop, and the list of what she wants you to buy, Kaia.”
Diesel stiffened. “Axel’s my little brother. I’ll buy whatever he needs.”
“Rebel wants Kaia to do it, son,” Megan said with a shrug, missing Kaia’s smirk and Diesel’s responding murderous look. “Axel wants the party here at the club. He gave me his guest list and he wants as many brothers as possible—”
“No chicks, Aunt Meggie?” Grant asked, laughing.
“None.” Megan giggled. “He does want Rebel, Harley, and Mattie, but has forbidden Winnie.”
“Awww, I’m so sad,” Ryan said, then made the sound of a gameshow buzzer. “Not. That young one can cry.”
“She didn’t steal it, Ryan,” Megan said with a little sniff and faced the brothers again. “Jo will be home Monday. Late afternoon or early evening. I can’t wait for you all to meet her.”
“We stoppin’ with her at the club, baby?” Christopher asked carefully.