“I don’t know what to tell you.”
“The truth.”
What was the truth? She wished she knew.
“Suppose I promise I won’t fuck him up? Obviously, he hurt you in some way. Did he cheat?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I’m all ears.”
“If I was willing to go into detail.”
“Okay.” Bash nodded. “You’re entitled to your privacy,but—”
Her laughter interrupted him. “Of course there’s a but.”
Bash smiled. “Do you know what it means to me to hear my little sister laughing? She’s here for me, missing her motherfucker, trying to keep Tio in line. Worried about Easton. She hasn’t had much to laugh about. But you and Meggie and Roxanne,Zoann, just accepted her like she was family. And Axel? I wish that kid squirted out of my cock.”
“Do you have to be so fucking disgusting?” Kendall thought of how her nephew would respond to that comment. “And I dare you to say that to him.”
Bash laughed. “No fucking thank you. He’s a little psychopath. I refuse to have him gnawing my fucking ankles. If I accidentally fuck him up, Christopher might take exception to that.”
“As would all of us. We adore Axel.”
“My point is I won’t fuck up Johnnie unless you told me to. I can’t believe thatI’mturning into a bleeding cunt but this was nice. The arguing those motherfuckers did in front of me made me feel like I was part of the family.”
“They always argue. Especially Outlaw’s sons.”
“Why aren’t you calling him Christopher anymore?”
Kendall shrugged. “Does it matter?”
“If it has to do with the brainless fucking blond, fuck yeah.”
“Johnnie isn’t as bad as you make him out to be.”
That motherfucker was worse.
“That brainless motherfucker is worse,” Bash growled as the thought ran through Kendall’s brain.
Before she responded, Abel stuck his head in. “Mrs. Donovan?”
Kendall stood, Bash’s visit easing her somewhat. She wasn’t sure how he’d done it, but he had. Smiling, she waved Abel in.
“Everyone’s test results are in,” he told her.
Kendall rubbed her temples. She still hadn’t looked at the tests that had been taken in advance. Only one mattered the most to her. Jana’s, where she could confirm once and for all that she was Johnnie’s daughter.
Bash got to his feet. “I’m glad to see you smile, gorgeous,” he said, and sauntered out.
She’d wasted enough time moping. Deciding to wait until later to stress about Johnnie, she looked at Abel. “Do you have Jana Reynolds’s results?”
He flipped through a small stack of pages, then picked up three sheets.
Kendall frowned.
“Mr. Caldwell asked me to test four potential fathers.”
