“Really?” Bailey smiled as she threw her arms around Scribe, hugging him. “You remembered.”
“Of course.” Scribe grinned, hugging her back. “You’re my bestie, and I wanted you to have a variety of dicks for your birthday.”
“Can we get back to the matter at hand?” Mike scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“I’m more interested in the dick thing.” Enigma chuckled as the brothers all laughed.
Letting Bailey go, Scribe explained, “I was growing Bailey exotic plants for her birthday. Woman is constantly going on and on about King’s dick, so I thought I’d surprise her with a greenhouse full of dicks.”
“Yeah, but some of those plants needed special fertilizer,” Cameron added.
“And a special environment. That’s why I built the greenhouse. Only I didn’t count on the cold winters. That’s when Cameron found out that I needed a specialized heating system from a book at the library.”
“That’s why you kept dragging me to the Rosewood Library!” Skylar snapped.
“Well, how else was I gonna learn about what a dick needed? Ain’t like you let me have a computer.”
“And you’re still not getting one,” I snarled. “Continue.”
“Anyway.” Scribe gulped. “Once I figured out what I needed, I bought the equipment and set it up.”
“And the Tannerite?” Mike asked.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Scribe smiled sheepishly. “Yea, well, that was for Cameron’s science project this year.”
“Yeah, because who doesn’t love explosions!”
I groaned, shaking my head. “No.”
“Oh yeah.” Cameron smiled up at me. “Mr. Kellerman already said I could.”
“Anyway, Cameron only got about five pounds of the stuff, and I told him he could store it in the greenhouse. That way, no one would mess with it. Only I placed the bag next to my fertilizer, which was right next to the heating coils and, well... Boom?”
“My poor dicks.” Bailey sighed as she looked down into the big hole.
Needless to say, Scribe was on cleaning duty for the rest of the year after I ran him ragged on the obstacle course. As for Cameron, well, he was banned from the Science Fair for the next year and grounded for life, which lasted roughly a month before he wore me down.
Looking at my watch, I groaned. “Pyro, call your wife and see if she knows where her brother is at.”
My brother said nothing as he dug into his pocket, then slid his phone toward me. “You call her,” he said, when we all heard a motorcycle pull up.
Moments later, the little shit walked into church, smiling as if nothing was wrong.
“Hey, Dad.”
Looking at the man before me where a young boy once stood, I still couldn’t get over how much he changed over the years. No longer the small little boy who used to follow me around,Cameron now stood as tall as me and, thanks to my wife, he had his own ink up and down his arms. But seeing him now, I was reminded of my best friend, Kevin Hobbs. I wondered what he would think of his son now. Would he be as proud of Cameron as I was? Would he be happy with how I raised him?
I often found myself lost in these musings, wondering what life would have been like if Kevin were still here. He had always been the more adventurous one, always pushing boundaries and finding joy in the little things. I saw that same spark in Cameron, and it was both a comfort and a bittersweet reminder.
Cameron’s grin faded slightly as he took in the serious expression on my face. “Dad, is everything okay?” he asked, concern coloring his voice.
I shook myself out of my reverie and offered him a smile. “Yeah, kiddo. Just thinking about old times,” I said, getting to my feet and stepping aside. “You ready for this?”
He nodded, his exuberance returning. “Absolutely!”
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride when my son walked over and took my seat.
Cameron had grown into a remarkable young man, despite the ups and downs, and I knew that no matter what, he would continue the legacy of the Sons of Hell.
THE END
