His jackass friends razzed him during their toasts. The club girls complimented him. Roxanne and the other women offered him love and well wishes, while their husbands cheered him.Uncle Christopher and Aunt Meggie both said how proud they were of him and how much they loved him.
“Anyone else before I hand the mic to Diesel?” Aunt Meggie asked, looking around the crowd.
“Yeah, Mom,” CJ interjected. “I have something to say.”
“All right, potato,” Aunt Meggie said, handing him the mic and stepping aside.
“I want to start off with an apology, Diesel,” CJ said. “I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you and made you feel. When Uncle Digger left me in your care, you could’ve left me, but you didn’t. You followed his instructions and called Dad. I have never, ever regretted having you as my big brother. You’re Mom and Dad’s son as much as any of our brothers and sisters. Even when you’re pissed with me, when I’ve acted like a spoiled, jealous fuckhead, you never let me down. You don’t hesitate to protect me or to help me. I love you and I’m so happy you’re part of our family. Happy birthday, big brother.”
As Mortician said, CJ was a good kid. He was hurting inside for so many different reasons. But even if that conversation had never happened, Diesel couldn’t deny how much CJ’s words meant to him. He pulled him into a bear hug, smiling at the cheers when CJ hugged him back.
Aunt Meggie hurried over and hugged them both. She took the mic from CJ and said, “anyone else?”
Everyone looked at Rebel, sitting on a barstool. It had long been a tradition for her to offer him birthday wishes and to make a production out of whatever gift she gave him. They always thought it was cute and a highlight of the family-friendly party.
“Nobody else wants to say nothing, Mom,” Axel said impatiently. “I want to give him my gift.”
“Go ahead, son,” Aunt Meggie said.
Grinning, Axel snatched an oversized birthday box from the table of gifts and brought it to Diesel. It was surprisingly light for its size.
“Open it,” Axel said, grinning.
Diesel obliged and found a pen decorated with poop emojis and topped by a3Dpoop emoji. Axel snatched it and pressed, filling the room with a farting sound and eliciting laughter.
“There are seven different ones,” Axel said happily. “Lawyers sign a lot of stuffs. I thought you needed a cool pen. Happy birthday, D.”
Still laughing, Diesel hugged him. “Thank you, Ax.”
He got everything from alcohol to clothes to gadgets. Over the course of an hour, he reduced the pile of gifts to just a lone one, leaning against the table. Rebel hadn’t given him anything, so he suspected it was hers. Instead of stepping up, Rebel beckoned Jana to the table, confirming his suspicions, but Uncle Christopher and the other uncles struggling to bring a big banner in, drew Diesel’s attention away from those two. Narci, Torrin, Huck, and Potter took over from the men and brought it to where Uncle Christopher directed.
“Happy birthday, boy,” he said.
When they unrolled the vinyl, Diesel read the words and squinted, wondering if he misunderstood.
He re-read it a third time and foundDonovan, Redding, and Caldwell Law Officesstill emblazoned on the white background.
“I’m a partner?” he croaked.
Uncle Christopher nodded.
Diesel straightened and held out his hand, not knowing what to say. “Thank you, Uncle Christopher.”
“Ain’t nothin’ but a thing. And you ain’t got to say a fuckin’ thing, Diesel. I know this mean a lot to you. I see it on your face. Just do your fuckin’ job and continue to make us proud.”
“I will.”
“I think this calls for another toast,” Aunt Meggie said. “We’re out of champagne.”
“Hell yeah!” Torrin cried.
She laughed. “Whatever you want—”
“There’s one more present, Momma,” Rebel said.
“Okay, love. Get it.”
“It isn’t from me. It’s from Jana.”
