Ral laughs him off and looks at me. "Money bags, as daddy like to call her might choose sides." He motions to Bright and both she and Noah bust up laughing at him continuing to call Noah daddy.
"One day he is gonna deck you Ral." I say and take a seat at the bar beside them.
"No way." He shakes his head dramatically. "Daddy Warbucks loves me too much. I am the gay kid he and Bright will never have. They relish me with affection and money like all screwed up, sexually confused kid’s parents do."
I laugh out loud at his words and the way he is so hyper-verbal when he rants. "Only you are twenty-four and not confused in the slightest."
"I will always be confused..." He winks at me twice and starts laughing when Noah slaps the back of his head.
"Bright... Help me out here?"
She turns to look at me, a soft smile on her face that reassures me. "For the record I am team Beckett." She looks at Noah who winks at her making her blush. Not that long ago I never thought I would see him domesticated with a pseudo kid and planning a wedding.
"I think in this though I can be biased. I wasn’t around for you and Tay and all the drama that went down. That history is moot to me because what I know of her is foul. I wasn’t a fan when she hired me for Noah nor was I on that epic Thanksgiving that she completely ruined any image I could have of her."
She comes to Noah's side, pushing Raleigh on his chair to get on Noah’s lap. "I didn’t like her then and I don’t like her now. I just respect everyone’s continued involvement of friendship with her outside of my two loves here. Jenny on the other hand, was always accommodating and helpful and kind so I would naturally defend her over Tay."
Fuck my life she is on team Pope too. "And me? Where am I in all your thoughts and opinions Bright?"
"I am on team Dorian." Noah and Raleigh both make shocked sighs and Ral even imitates a gag and I pull his hair and he screams like the valley girl he is acting like.
"Look I love and adore Jenny. I trust her implicitly and she is one of my closest friends. But, I know a thing or two about being your worst enemy and you are your worst enemy. I need to know why the hell you would kiss Tay and fall back down into the rabbit hole she threw you in." With far more compassion than I deserve she looks at me softly. "She destroyed you Cal. We all watched idly by as Jenny put you back together piece by piece. So why? Why even let her close enough to hurt you again?"
"I didn’t let her kiss me and sure as shit didn’t kiss her back. Black dumped her and she was looking for me to support her and comfort her when she called. I told her I was at the PIT waiting to get tattooed. While she was hoping I would take her back in, I was ready to divest her rights in Axe."
"Ohmigawd!" Bright squeals while Ral gave an, 'MmmmHmmm." Noah just looked at me, searching for any sign of bullshit.
"I care about her...I chose her." I say and point my stare at Noah. "Feel me...?"
He nods once and looks away. "Yeah, I feel you." He taps Bright’s hips so she will stand and kisses her on the nose before directing me to follow him down the hall.
We stop in front of he and Bright’s room and I see Jen lying asleep on the top of their made bed. I want to be pissed that she was here the whole time, but seeing her exhausted in the only safe place she could find ripped my heart out.
I step in the room and close the door quietly. I scoop her into my arms as she startles awake. I place her face in my hands and kiss her forehead. "I want to explain what you saw if you will let me Jen."
Huge tears spill from her red rimmed and swollen eyes and I can only kiss her softly. "I am so sorry firefly."
Jen
I wake up when Axe is tapping me a million times on my forehead and it is barely light outside. 'What's up son?' I sign not even sure if he could see my hands.
'Daddy?' He asks for Cal and I look around the room, recognizing I am in his bed.
I shrug and look around, seeing it is eight am and realizing the blinds are drawn. Panic sets in wondering how long he has been running around looking for his dad. 'Did you just get up?' I ask and roll from the bed to turn the light on.
He nods yes and takes my phone off the charger to start playing Candy Crush. I press the alert button that makes an awful loud buzz and a green and white light flash in the room. Cal installed these when we learned he was losing his hearing. He didn’t care if it was temporary or permanent, he installed them anyway.
Axe looks up at me annoyed I interrupted his game. 'I am going to make breakfast. No phone until you eat.' I sign and take my phone. He starts throwing a tantrum on the bed and I fold my arms watching, bored by the antics. Once he sees I am not caving he looks at me.
'Why not? I can play and eat.'
"Why is because I said so and no you won’t play and eat because it is poor manners." I sign and speak as he stomps off the bed and walks toward me.
'Manners for who mom?' He signs and I try not to smile at the attitude he throws as he argues looking like a little boy too old for his age.
'Me.' I sign in the same dramatic fashion and pick him up. 'I want a gentleman, not a brat.' I sign, but smile so he knows I am joking.
He folds his arms and digs in to ignore me. I let him, it's a phase and I know that and I refuse to cave into him. He is the son of a millionaire Rockstar. If we allow it he will be raised as an entitled and selfish kid that has everything handed to him. It is something Cal and Tayla wouldn’t allow and something I won’t allow either.
