The moment we got everything back into place, the back door opened and Tank rushed out, followed by Aaron, Tommy and Big Papa.
I emerged unrepentantly from the shadows and stopped beside Achilles.
Tank was staring at the still howling pup like he was a nuisance that he wanted out of his yard, causing me to grin and bend to pick the beast up. Achilles nestled his head into the crook of my throat and went limp—much like a cat—and the boys that had followed Tank out started to chuckle.
“Looks like you’ll have a lovely wolf for a lapdog once he’s grown,” Big Papa said. “Good luck keeping him off of you.”
I snorted and turned to find Ellen—cheeks pink—standing on the edge of the shadows, a clearly uncomfortable expression on her face.
I grinned, and the grin spread so wide that the men turned around and looked at her, causing her further embarrassment.
“You suck,” she growled under her breath, then turned on her heel and stomped inside.
The men turned and looked at me, Tommy’s eyes narrowed quite a bit more than the rest of them.
“Could we make a promise now that neither one of us does that when the sibling is around, please?” Tommy asked. “I’d hate to walk in on that.”
I grinned. “I don’t know,” I told him bluntly. “I’m not sure if I’d be able to keep that promise.”
Tommy made a gagging sound. “I gotta go back inside. I can’t sit here and look at you right now, knowing what you just did to my baby sister. It makes me want to beat you.”
I started laughing, and Tommy flipped me off.
“You’ll push him too hard one day, son,” Big Papa pointed out. “Then I’ll have to save your pretty face.”
I snorted. “I don’t have a pretty face.”
Big Papa snorted.
“My kid’s birthday is tomorrow. Are we still allowed to have a party for him at the clubhouse?”
The change of subject didn’t go unnoticed by the rest of the men, and Big Papa rolled with it.
“Anything you want, man,” he said. “Were you able to get him that computer?”
I shook my head. “No. I was about two grand short.”
“What computer?”
I looked up to find Ellen standing in the opened door leading inside, a phone in her hand.
“Linc wants a computer that I can’t afford to get him for his birthday,” I told her. “Who’s on the phone?”
She held it out to me. “A lawyer I assume you contacted. He says he’s willing to take your case pro-bono. He said he’ll see you tomorrow afternoon around five o’clock if that’s convenient for you.”
My heart warmed and excitement poured through my veins.
I may not be hurting as bad as I used to, but I still wasn’t a millionaire. I was paying off my debts, slowly but surely. I’d contacted the lawyer once Margot was admitted to the drug rehab/psychiatric facility to find out what my options were. I’d bluntly told him that I couldn’t afford much on my end and that I couldn’t afford to fight Margot in a court battle.
Apparently, he’d taken pity on me.
“Thanks, baby.” I held out my hand for the phone. “Why’d he call you?”
I’d put her down as an alternate phone number when I’d called, and I was glad that I did.
“He says your phone’s going straight to voicemail,” she handed the phone to me. “Tell him you’ll meet.”
The eagerness for me to meet the lawyer wasn’t lost on me. She’d been pressuring me to do it for over a week now, and I was more than willing to give her that boon.
“Thanks, baby.” I took the phone and held it to my ear as I walked further into the yard, Achilles still planted in my arm like an infant.
“Hello?”
“Mr. James?” a woman’s voice questioned.
“That’s me,” I said.
“I’m calling to let you know that we’ve got you a meeting set up with Mr. Cantos tomorrow afternoon at five. Please don’t be late, though, because by that point he’s already had a long day at the office. He asks that you bring copies of your last six bank statements along with any other official documents you have pertaining to your son’s custody. He also wants any information you have on Ms. Tulane’s whereabouts over the last few years as well as her financial status and any other information that you think would be helpful to Mr. Cantos.”
I barely contained the snort. ‘Ms. Tulane’ aka Margot the bitch who didn’t care about anyone but herself, didn’t have financial status. She had no money whatsoever, and hit up anyone she could – in addition to me and her kid – for the money she needed. If she couldn’t get it the easy way, she’d get a job, but she only held it long enough to get her what she needed. In fact, I wasn’t a hundred percent sure where the hell she even got the money to support herself from.
And if I was being honest, I didn’t much care as long as it wasn’t from my pocket.
“10-4,” I replied. “And I won’t be late. My boss knows I need this.”
And he did. I’d been level with my boss. I’d told him all about my troubles with Margot. Told him all about Margot’s past antics and that with the way that things were escalating, I knew she wouldn’t hesitate to bring her shit to my door—work or home.
If she had a purpose in mind, she would go out of her way to make sure she was benefitted, even if she had to fuck me—or Linc—over to do it. It didn’t matter that it was my job that paid the bills, and provided her with that money. Hell no, she didn’t give a shit. I was just a means to an end for her, and unfortunately, so was our son.
“All right. See you tomorrow, Mr. James.”
Then she hung up, and I was left shaking my head at her abruptness.
Grinning, I turned around and zeroed in on the group that was on the back patio, this time Ghost, Big Papa, Aaron, Tommy, Ellen and Imogen were standing on the porch. They were discussing something, and it was only when I got up to them that I heard what it was.
“No, you will not buy my son that computer,” I disagreed the minute I understood. “Because that’s not how this shit works.”
Big Papa snorted.
“Son…” Big Papa started.
I shook my head. “Negative. No arguments here. This is mine to buy him. I appreciate your willingness to do it, but I will get it done. It may take me half a year, but I’ll do it.”
And that was final.
Chapter 23
When fighting with me, remember that I have beautiful tits, and I’m not afraid to use them.
-Text from Ellen to Jessie
Ellen
I bit my lip as I watched the guy at Best Buy ring up the exact computer that Linc had been told he would need to continue his design projects.
He wouldn’t actually be gaming on the gaming computer that I’d just bought but designing games. He’d learned the basics at school, and he picked it right up, teaching himself through YouTube videos.
I winced at the total.
“That’s going to be four thousand, two hundred, and sixty-four dollars,” the man checking me out said. “Would you like to buy Microsoft Word for this, too?”
I quickly shook my head. “No.”
Another hundred bucks would push me over the limit on my credit card, and I wasn’t going to do that. Plus, if he wanted to, he could just use a free service for that if he needed it.
“Here,” I handed him my card.
The man ran it, and I breathed out a sigh of relief when it went through without any problems.
“Alrighty, then,” he said. “Do you need help taking this out to the car?”
I looked at the box that was sitting on the floor, then looked up at the man.
“Yes.”
The box was as big if not bigger than I was, and I damn well knew I couldn’t lift the thing into my trunk.
“Okay, if you’ll let me help this customer, I’ll get right on th…”
“I’m with her.”<
br />
I looked up to find Ghost standing there watching me with a huge grin on his face a mile wide.
“I don’t think I’ll need that help anymore,” I told him. “I’m pretty sure Ghost can handle it.”
The guy that rang me up stared at Ghost for a few short seconds, and then nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure he can handle it, too.”
And that was when I saw the appreciation in the man’s eyes. He was staring at Ghost like a slab of beef.
I kept my chortle inside as Ghost picked up the computer effortlessly, then started walking out without another word.
I followed him out, my mile long receipt that included the warranty that I’d gotten for an extra two hundred dollars on it flapping in the wind.
“I was on my way to get this, gathered some cash from the boys,” Ghost said. “Though, I was going to put it on my credit card, too. But I see that you beat me to it.”
I nodded, surprised to hear that many words come out of Ghost’s mouth.
“I wanted to get it for him,” I replied as I hurried to get in front of him. “Seemed like if I was there for all of the rest of Linc’s birthdays, it would’ve added up to this.”
Ghost grunted.
“It’s going to piss Jessie off.”
I didn’t argue with that. It would piss Jessie off. Greatly so.
I opened the door to my car and stepped away, allowing Ghost the room to maneuver the big box into my car. When he had it in place he said, “I’ll follow you to Jessie’s, and we will get this set up.”
I grinned in excitement.
I’d wanted to do that, too, but I didn’t have much knowledge about computers. I’d also told the Geek Squad guy that I didn’t need any help with the programs due to the fact that I wanted to have it in place before Linc arrived from school.
“That would be awesome,” I said, jumping up and down in excitement. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
I arrived at the house ten minutes later, and Ghost pulled in beside me, staring at the house with a longing look on his face.
“What is it?” I asked as I stepped out of the car.
“Nostalgia,” he muttered, almost to himself. “Got the keys?”
I held up my key ring and he nodded.
“Go unlock the door and we’ll get started.”
I did as directed, and walked to the middle of the living room and stared.
“I don’t know where to put it,” I said. “I didn’t think much about furniture when I was buying it.”
Ghost grinned.
“It’s a good thing the boys bought a desk. They’ll be here in a little bit to get it set up. In the meantime, I’ll use the tabletop to do what I need to do.”
And that was how I had nearly the entire club, sans Aaron who was working, at Jessie’s house, getting his son’s big birthday gift ready to go.
We’d just gotten the computer settled on the desk in Linc’s room when I heard the front door open and close, signaling either Linc’s or Jessie’s arrival.
Since both were supposed to be home around the same time, I had no clue who to expect as I turned to face the door.
Seeing them both walk in was a surprise—but still a good one.
“Oh shit, Dad. You got it!” Linc crowded. “Thank you!”
Jessie took one look at what we’d done, then turned and stalked in the opposite direction.
The back door slammed, and I looked at Ghost in concern.
“Go. It’ll be okay.”
I did, but I didn’t have the same confidence that Ghost did, apparently.
I was biting my lip when I pushed through the back door and looked at him.
The moment he saw me, he opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again.
I could tell that Jessie was mad. So mad, in fact, that he couldn’t even find the words to speak what he was feeling.
“Jessie,” I said. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
Jessie’s eyes narrowed, and I wondered if that pulsing vein in his forehead bothered him when he got like this.
“Not a big deal…” he murmured carefully, his voice so tight and controlled that I wondered if he would lose it.
The door behind me opened and closed, and Linc appeared at my side.
“You helped dad get it?”
I ignored the words and focused on Jessie.
“Exactly, not a big deal,” I repeated.
“Dad…” Linc tried to interrupt. “Dad…”
Jessie held his hand up, silencing Linc so effectively that I would’ve applauded him had this not been such a volatile situation.
“Go back in, son. I need to talk to Ellen.”
Linc didn’t go inside, but he backed away, torn.
He, apparently, could sense the mood, too.
“I’ve done it all by myself for fourteen years now, sweetheart, and I’m doing just fine. Take it back. I was going to get it for him for Christmas.”
I refrained from saying that Christmas was just a little less than a year away.
I crossed my arms over my chest.
“No,” I refused. “I’m not taking it back. You can kiss my ass, and Linc can be happy with the stupid computer.”
“You will take it back. That’s my kid, and if I say he can’t have the computer, he can’t have the computer.”
I gritted my teeth as irrational anger started to pour through me.
Suddenly, I was mad. So mad, in fact, that I let him have it with both barrels.
“It’s my due!” I screeched, likely sounding like a flaming harpy, but I didn’t care. I was so goddamned mad that I couldn’t help it. “It’s my due!” I repeated.
Jessie froze, his anger all but freezing in the realization that this was something that I was just as passionate about as he was.
“Ellen…”
I shook my head.
“No,” I snapped. “You stole fifteen years of presents that I would’ve given him. Fourteen years, Jessie James. That’s half of my lifetime, and nearly half of yours!”
His lips thinned.
Linc shuffled warily as he tried to figure out what in the hell to do.
It was good that he was just standing there, because had he given his father a target, he would’ve likely blown to pieces and thrown the new computer in the trash.
“Ellen,” Jessie said, startling me with the softness in his tone. “Go take a seat on the couch.”
Before I could comply, his phone rang, causing him to curse.
The moment he answered the phone and started to speak shortly to someone on the other line, Linc turned to me.
“He’s being called out for an emergency,” Linc said. “He’ll be gone half the night.”
My brows rose. “Does this happen a lot?”
He shrugged. “I guess. They’re putting a new forty-two-inch pipeline in, and Dad’s the big wig top welder who’s over everyone else. Someone calls in, he’s the one to take their place if they can’t find anyone willing to take the shift. He’s paid more, but he also has to deal with more shit than he thought he would have to. We’re hoping, once this pipeline gets finished, that it’ll slow down.”
I swallowed, suddenly sorry that this boy, who was only seventeen, had to deal with his father being gone half the time.
Jessie grunted and dropped his hand from his ear, shoving the phone into his pocket before transferring a look between me and Linc.
“I gotta go in,” he said without preamble.
Then he was gone, leaving me to watch him leave, wondering whether this round went to him or me.
Fifteen minutes later, Linc and I continued to stare at each other in wariness.
“Dad had it rough after he left you.”
The son of the man who I was still in love with and an exact replica of Jessie at the same age, looked at me with such wariness in his eyes that I almost reached out and pulled him into my arms.
I had a feeling a badas
s teenager on the way to adulthood wouldn’t appreciate that, though.
“Are you okay with this?” I gestured to me and then the house around me.
Linc’s grin was ferocious. “Happy as fuck, to be honest.”
I glared at his use of such a naughty word, not that I didn’t use it myself. But he was now seventeen. Weren’t seventeen year olds supposed to watch their mouths?
“I don’t need a mom, Ellen,” Linc said into the silence between us. “But a woman who my dad loves, who makes him happy—and who also cares about me?” He stopped, staring at me for a few long seconds while I took my time to catch my breath and control my tears. “Yeah, I’d like one of those.”
My grin split into a full-out smile. “Thank you, Linc.”
He threw one arm around my shoulders. “How about we order pizza, then play on my computer!”
I snorted. “How about I order pizza and open a bottle of wine while I watch HGTV and you play on your computer?”
He winked down at me. “Sounds like a deal.”
***
It was hours later when Jessie finally made it home.
I was in bed, lying on the side that I’d used since the first night I’d slept in the same bed as Jessie, facing away from the door when he came in.
He was quiet, so quiet that I knew he thought I was sleeping.
He toed off his boots near the door, and then stripped his clothes off at the end of the bed.
All the while he watched me.
The light streaming in through the slightly open bathroom door gave just enough illumination so I could see almost everything—including the look in Jessie’s eyes as he watched me sleeping in his bed.
I also didn’t miss the erection tenting the front of his boxer-briefs as he let his jeans fall to the floor. Nor the way he trailed his hand down the length of his tightly honed belly to dip underneath the waistband of said boxer-briefs.
He palmed his erection, all the while not taking his eyes off of me once, and slowly stroked himself.
I resisted the urge to squirm—barely—and watched him.
Wetness pooled between my thighs, and I had to restrain myself from rubbing my thighs together.
I was bare underneath the covers, and just the top of my breasts peeked out over the blanket covering me.
The Beard Made Me Do It (The Dixie Warden Rejects Book 5) Page 18
