She nodded, determined to hold back her tears, though her eyes stung. “I promise.”
Christopher studied her, then sighed. “Leave Gunner, baby. I swear Ima keep track of him. Take Axel.”
“That isn’t fair, though,” CJ said, giving his father a death stare. “If she takes Kaia or Axel, how is that spending time with Rebel?”
“They’ll be in one room and we’ll be in another room,” Meggie answered, exhausted suddenly.
“I ain’t too sure about you, boy,” Christopher said, “but I’d prefer Ax go with your ma. He pretty fuckin’ upset. He might think we made her leave.”
“It’s cuz of Diesel!” Axel blared.
Diesel looked at Meggie, unease on his face. “Uncle Christopher’s right,” he blurted. “Axel will be too sad if you leave him behind.”
“Yeah, Mom,” CJ agreed, nodding vigorously. “Take him. We’re fine. We’ll look after Gunner.”
Swallowing her laughter at their about-face, Meggie pushed back from the table, stood, and said, “okay,” then walked out. As she reached her bedroom, she realized Axel hadn’t told her the punishment for DEFCON 3.
“You fucked with Mom’s birth control, didn’t you, Dad?” CJ waited until Axel left the table before he hit his father with that question. Dad’s calmness at her announcement sounded the alarm. It wasn’t what he said as much as it had been what he didn’t say. “Have you lost your mind?”
“Shut the fuck up, boy,” Dad barked. “This between your ma and me.”
“Keep it up and it’ll be between a lawyer and you,” CJ clapped back. “Mom will leave. What the fuck is wrong with you? Have you learned nothing from when she walked the fuck awaya fewfucking days ago?”
A muscle ticking in his jaw, Dad glanced away. Ryder, Ransom, Kaia, and Bishop shifted uncomfortably while Diesel sighed and laid his fork down. CJ had been too upset to resume eating. Now, his cold food no longer appealed to him.
“I know you’re afraid, Uncle Christopher,” Diesel started, “but this isn’t the way to keep her. This is the way to lose her.”
Dad glowered at Diesel. “Shut the fuck up before I blow you the fuck away. Whatever the fuck you did to Rebel makin’ Megan leave me, boy. Stay the fuck outta my goddamn business. It just fuckin’ remind me I need to fuckin’ castrate you.”
CJ glanced at Jana, sitting in silent misery as she finished the last of her sausage, laid her fork down, and shoved her plate aside. He was beginning to understand why Rebel wanted her to stand up for herself. He was also realizing why he couldn’t get with the idea of Jana as his sister-in-law. If she married Diesel, her life would be ruined unless she developed a backbone.
Outside of Mom, Rebel was ickily the only girl who stood toe-to-toe with Diesel and proved victorious. Sometimes, if not all the time. At least Tabitha had tried, which Jana refused to do.
“What did you do to Rebel, D?” Ryder asked into the silence.
In CJ’s mind, he hadn’t reasoned with Dad or got the entire truth from him. Listening to his mother discuss her fear about another pregnancy so soon and watching how his father brushed her off sent outrage and guilt through CJ. They’d all tried to take away her agency.
“Yeah, tell me, Diesel,” Dad ordered. “How the fuck you set up Reb?”
Diesel’s nostrils flared and he glared at Kaia before shrugging. “Rebel is very sheltered, Uncle Christopher. She doesn’t realize how dirty men are and how they’ll use her innocence to their advantage. To kiss her, for instance.”
If Kaia hadn’t flushed, CJmight haveconsidered Diesel’s speech as he held Kaia’s gaze, a figment of pervy jealousy.
“I can explain,” he blurted, raising his hands and solidifying Diesel’s assertion without being asked.
“You kissed my sister?” CJ asked, so appalled his fucking eyes bulged, unimpressed that Kaia folded under zero goddamn pressure. “You kissed Rebel?”
Disgust crossed Ryder’s face and he spoke before Kaia responded. “You kissed the Blonde Viper?”
“Gross,” Ransom complained. “She’s our sister. I can’t imagine any guy species wanting to put their lips to hers, let alone a human dude.”
Jana giggled. Diesel glared at her and she clapped her hands over her mouth.
“YousawKaia kiss Reb, Diesel?” Dad demanded.
“No, sir. I walked in on them and she told me I was ruining her first kiss. I couldn’t make him disappear so soon afterwards because Rebel would suspect me.”
Kaia choked. CJ didn’t give a fuck. Diesel was right.
