“I ain’t took your fuckin’ birth control!” Dad roared, letting the cat out of the bag in front of everyone.
Mom shoved him, a win for Dad, especially when she eyed the silver platter before addressing him. “Did I mention them again, jerk?” she yelled. “If you called me down totellme that Kaia isn’t coming, you could’ve saved that text. He’s coming or when I walk out that door, I’ll be gone for a month at the least, so what’ll it be?”
Dad paled. “Megan—”
“Save it,” she growled. “Wejustwent through this. Not even an hour ago—”
“Before I knew what the fuck happened.”
“And you’re mad at Kaia, instead of Diesel?” Mom gasped.
“Why the fuck would I be mad at our kid when he was just tryin’ to teach Rebel not to trust motherfuckers and show her how fuckin’ naïve she is?”
Mom’s mouth fell open and CJ cringed, scrubbing a hand over his face, the situation deteriorating by the fucking minute. Hearing Dad repeat Diesel’s excuse made it sound as lame as it was.
Picking up Dad’s water glass, Mom lobbed it at Diesel’s head. Motherfucker ducked, so she snatched a plate, tossing it like a fucking frisbee before Dad set his gun on the table and grabbed her.
“Die,” she snarled to Diesel, so fucking furious she was turning purple and struggling against Dad’s hold so violentlyhestruggled to contain her. “You stinking jackass, Diesel Caldwell.” She bit Dad’s arm.
“Ouch, fuck!” he said, losing his grip on her.
She rushed Diesel and punched the side of his head. If Dad hadn’t grabbed her in a bear hug, she would’ve hit Diesel again.
“Megan, listen to me,” Dad panted. “Listen, baby. Just listen.”
“What, Christopher?”
“Ain’t no motherfucker need to be kissin’ ourfourteen-year-olddaughter. Maybe I shoulda handled Kaia better, but how the fuck you expect me to react?”
“Like you would if it was one of the boys,” Mom said.
Even CJ identified with Dad’s outrage. That was unacceptable.
“Fuck you. Fuck no. Rebel a kid. A girl.”
“You can’t manipulate Rebel’s life to suit your standards, Christopher.”
“You not Rebel’s bestie. You her ma. Act like it and do better by her. Gigglin’ and overlookin’ her kiss a nineteen-year-old motherfucker bein’ a shit ma.”
“You’re calling me a bad mother again?”
“You ain’t a bad ma,” Dad snapped, although that’s exactly what the fuck he’d called her even if he was too caught up in the moment to realize it. “I already apologized for that. That don’t mean I ain’t callin’ you down when you fuckin’ up.”
The moment Dad loosened his hold on her, Mom yanked herself out of his embrace. Folding her arms, she made a point of looking around the room, at the floor and the ceiling. “I love your glass house. Where’s your stone?”
Glaring at her, Dad sat back down.
“Rebel isn’t even talking to you, Christopher,” she huffed. “You refuse to make up to her and you have the nerve to callmedown? Make up with our daughter before youevermake that mistake again.” She turned to Diesel, sank her fingers in his hair and tried to pull that motherfucker from his scalp. “Your daddy and the boys are firmly on your side, son.Ihave toprotect Rebel. Know this: if you ever hurt her like that again, I will have you tortured and murdered.”
Diesel gritted his teeth, which was just what the fuck Dad was doing.
Mom shook him, using his hair as her guide. “Am I clear?”
“Yes, Aunt Meggie,” he grunted.
She shoved him away and glowered at Kaia. “I have a question for you. You have a lot riding on how you answer,” she said darkly.
Kaia gulped. “Y-yes, m-m’aam?”
