Chapter Sixteen
“Hey, you.”
Smiling at the sound of his woman’s voice, Christopher leaned back in his seat to allow Megan to slide onto his lap and plant a sweet kiss on his lips.
The clean up from the sprinklers lasted well into the night. For most of today, Sparrow and Pike worked on the HVAC, finishing an hour before dinner began. Thankfully, it no longer felt like Frosty’s castle.
Once Reb dared anyone to disturb her ma and then left, Christopher used the opportunity to find out about Easton Love, so he pulled Stretch to his mancave, called Riley, and put them on the case.
Within an hour, Stretch discovered Easton was new to the area with a financial planning degree from the University of Virginia.
He’d also minored in accounting. Later, Riley told Christopher the assfuck had been a male dancer in Florida and went by Easton Love; his actual name was Easton DeLuca; and he was thirty-seven years old.
He’d never married, had no kids, and recently purchased a Maserati.
Long after everyone left and Christopher opened Rebel’s door with the master key to reclaim Megan, his wild imagination kept him awake.
Megan wasn’t a fucking pushover. From the time they met, she drove his ass.
If he lost her to death, he’d never recover.
But if she ever decided his life, and all the bitches always around him, was too much?
If she ever decided she needed a man with a good education and a white-collar career?
Someone who wasn’t a criminal, a killer, or a psycho?
He’d step aside.
Fuck, he’d try to step aside. Maybe, years ago he would’ve selflessly let her go. As much as he loved her then , it was incomparable to how he felt now.
Yet he had to be fair to her and try to allow her to find her happiness with that motherfucker. The first time he made her cry, Christopher could kill him.
She leaned in and kissed him again. “What’s up?”
She looked edible in her white cashmere turtleneck, pink leather pants, and pink Uggs with bows, her golden hair falling around her in a silky mantle. Considering all her work just to make tonight special, she appeared rested and happy, love and warmth sparkling in her too blue eyes.
“Hey, baby.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and stole a longer kiss from her. It didn’t matter that they had an audience in his mancave because dinner was over and they’d moved to the get-tofuckingether that took place after the meal.
Instead of everybody converging on the den, Christopher took his boys in one direction and Megan and her girls went in the opposite. He felt as if they needed time in their own respective camps to get back on track since this was their first family night since the week before Thanksgiving.
“Reb wants her locks changed so that only she and I have a key.”
Christopher scowled. “Not happenin’, baby.”
“I told her. She’s just annoyed that you stole me from under her nose.”
When Christopher went into Rebel’s room this morning, he’d found his woman and their girl sleeping side-by-side, an ethereal angel and her protective cherub.
“I told her I would’ve gone with you whether you awakened us or not.”
Satisfaction shot through Christopher and he kissed her again.
“MAAAAAAAHHHHH!” Gunner whined in his heavy little voice, running into the room. If the little motherfucker changed that ‘m’ to a goddamn ‘b’, he’d sound just like a fucking sheep. As it was, he was making fucking goat sounds.
“MAAAAHHHHHHH,” Gunner called again. “I wanna fugging shing.”
Christopher had never heard a goddamn kid that sounded like he had a fucking frog stuck in his throat. Usually that shit was reserved for adolescents on the fucking verge of a fucking voice-change or old motherfuckers with thick phlegm caught in their throats.
“Fugging shing, MAAHHH,” Gunner demanded, stomping his foot.
Christopher frowned at him. “Hey, boy, if you ain’t wantin’ my ass to spank your lil’ ass don’t talk to your ma like that.”
He poked his lip out. “But, ‘Law, I bored.”
“I’ll take you to the swing, baby boy,” Megan responded, kissing Christopher’s cheek and pulling Gunner closer to ruffle his hair.
Megan had shed her hell goddess facade and was turning back into his sweet angel again.
She’d fucking cried . Although the reasons hadn’t come about because of the usual bullshit, her tears still came.
That was the important thing. He could breathe easier.
Really investigate whatever the fuck happened between her and Nyx.
If Megan said the video wasn’t pretty, he could only imagine what it contained.
She slid from Christopher’s lap and crouched down to their son’s level. She kissed their boy’s cheek again. “That’s what I came to tell Daddy.”
Gunner walked around Megan and tugged Christopher’s sleeve. “’Law, Ma taking me outshide to fugging shing.”
“Blade wants to go outside, too,” Kendall announced, striding into the mancave and heading straight to Johnnie.
Christopher and Kendall’s weekly meeting would happen the day after tomorrow.
He hoped she’d discovered all the secrets surrounding Ma and Cee Cee’s marriage.
The more Kendall uncovered, the more the threat against Megan seemed overblown.
That fact allowed Christopher to relax and turn his interest to the lies his mother told rather than Bash’s misinformation.
Motherfucker was probably just jerking Johnnie’s chains because they pegged him as an easy mark.
“Did you hear me, Johnnie?”
Johnnie tapped the ashes from his cigar. “I did.”
Kendall scowled.
Megan got to her feet. “Let’s leave them to it, Kendall, and take the boys outside.”
She smiled at Christopher, his very own earth angel.
Johnnie puffed on his cigar. “You heard Megan, Kendall. Leave us be.”
“How about you leave me be when we get home and you find a fucking doghouse to sleep in, motherfucker? You aren’t changing my fucking mind with your fucking behavior and you aren’t fucking impressing me. ”
“I doubt you’re trying to impress me .” Johnnie narrowed his eyes at Christopher, then smirked at Megan. “How does it feel to see your husband and my wife so buddy-buddy?”
“Shut the fuck up, Johnnie,” Christopher ordered as the others grumbled.
Megan smiled serenely. “I don’t remember you asking how Christopher and Kendall felt when you and I were so buddy-buddy.”
Incredulity widened his eyes. “It isn’t the same thing!”
“How do you want me to feel?” Megan demanded, lifting Gunner into her arms.
“Outraged,” Johnnie said. “Put upon!”
“May I ask why ?” Megan asked with irritation.
“Because…because…” Even Johnnie didn’t know why and floundered for an excuse for his assfuckery.
“ Because he thinks I want to fuck Christopher as he wants to fuck you,” Kendall said.
The sadness in her voice reminded Christopher how vulnerable she was, a fact Johnnie once recognized. He’d been so kind and patient with her. Somewhere, he’d lost that as he metamorphosed into Logan, little by little, with each passing year.
Mort gave her a half smile, forever her friend and big brother.
Megan hugged her, pulling her to the side and talking quietly to her.
They all had reactions—Val, Cash, Stretch, and Digger included—except Johnnie.
Motherfucker didn’t even deny her accusations.
Didn’t remark that Kendall used the present tense.
A muscle ticked in Johnnie’s jaw. “I love you, Kendall.”
“Love isn’t always enough,” she said quietly. “Respect, consideration, and kindness helps. Not feeling like a second choice.”
“You aren’t my second choice, gorgeous. I love you. ”
“Yeah, like Logan loved you and Zoann,” Val growled. “You keep fucking over Kendall because you turning into that motherfucker.”
Johnnie stiffened. “I will never be Logan Donovan.”
“You killed the man,” Val retorted, “but not his memory. Not his influence. Kendall’s a good bitch.
She turned into an awesome mama and aunt.
A solid friend. I’d written her the fuck off, but she worked so fucking hard.
It was for her, but it was for you , too, motherfucker.
Now, work for your woman and act like you got fucking sense. ”
Christopher wished Megan and Kendall hadn’t resumed whispering amongst themselves. Kendall needed to hear how much they all respected her now, not only him.
Johnnie snapped his brows together. “You feel the way Christopher does, Val?”
Val shook his head and sighed.
“You really love Red?” Mort asked.
“I resent that fucking question.”
“I don’t give a good fuck what you resent, pardner,” Mort replied.
“It’s a fucking solid question. You been trying to get your bitch ass killed.
You disrespect her every fucking chance you get.
Prez see your woman like a sister and you throwing a fucking tantrum when she had to watch you pant behind Meggie girl for fucking years , motherfucker. ”
Digger shoved M&Ms into his mouth and chewed. “You still pant behind Meggie,” he said around a mouthful of food.
“Let’s talk about you , Mortician. You wanted to fuck Kendall,” Johnnie said.
“I wanted Kendall,” Mortician acknowledged, “but you wanted her too, and motherfucker, I thought we was good enough friends where you saw I stepped the fuck out of the way, so you could have her. ”
“Sometimes, I wonder what the fuck you see when you’re smiling in her face,” Johnnie snarled.
“A gorgeous chick and a good fucking friend,” Mort replied. “A woman I always admired and did my fucking best to protect.”
“What do you see when you look at her, Johnnie?” Stretch asked.
Johnnie narrowed his eyes. “Not you, too. You don’t even like Kendall, so shut the fuck up, fuckhead.”
Cash sipped his beer and eyed Johnnie. “Rein in your fucking temper. Don’t want bloodshed because not only are you stupid but you’re fucking blind. Talk to Stretch like you have fucking sense.”
Johnnie made a face at Cash.
“Kendall and I made peace some time ago, Johnnie,” Stretch said coolly.