“If any of you fuck up my date, I’ll fuck you up,” Rebel warned.
Meggie hid a smile. Her bold and brazen Rebel had returned.
The bikers she chose got to their feet.
“We’re going to get our rides,” Torrin announced.
“Give me two minutes, Reb,” Meggie said once the guys filed out of the clubhouse.
“Okay. Timer starts now. One, two, three…” Rebel’s voice trailed off as she back out of the door.
“You bought that fuckin’ dress a couple weeks ago to celebrate Valentine’s Day with my fuckin’ ass,” Christopher said the moment the door closed.
“I intended to—”
“When I fuckin’ told you I couldn’t celebrate with you, I ain’t expected you to wear that expensive motherfucker.”
“You didn’t tell menotto wear it,” she argued.
“You know how fuckin’ much that dress cost?”
“I picked it out. I was standing right next to you when you paid.”
He gave her a sour look. “I suppose you got the fuckin’ coat too.”
“You suppose correctly.”
“If you doin’ this to piss me the fuck off, you succeeded.”
Her annoyance turned to anger. She rushed up to him and shoved him. He didn’t budge. “Jerk! Don’t turn this around on me. I’m not the one who canceledValentine’s Day at the last minute. I’m not the one who didn’t give me a present or flowers.”
“I spent forty-six fuckin’ thousand dollars on a motherfuckin’ dress and a coat and you complainin’ about fuckin’ flowers? Not to mention three Gs for your shoes.”
“You’ve spent ten times that amount on me during a shopping spree. What you’veneverdone is missed Valentine’s Day or not even acknowledged it with flowers.”
“You know what the fuck your fuckin’ problem is? You a spoiled lil’ motherfucker.”
“Asshole,” she hissed, taking off her sandal and throwing it at his head. He dodged so she took the other one off and threw it at him. He had quick reflexes. That one missed him, too.“I haven’t even seen you today.”
He picked up her shoes and held them by the straps. “Where the fuck you goin’?” he demanded again.
She couldn’t blurt her destination in front of everyone. Someone might tell Rebel. While Meggie didn’t want to ruin her daughter’s date, she didn’t want to expose herself either.
“Let me talk to you in your office,” she said sullenly, still angry he hadn’t bought her anything for Valentine’s Dayandignored her gifts. “We have to make it quick though, since I don’t want to make Rebel late.”
“You goin’ no matter what the fuck I say, sogo. I ain’t got time to talk.” He held her sandals out to her.
She snatched them from him, half-expecting him to grab her and kiss her. Or say he was joking with her. Orsomething. Instead, he allowed her to walk away without further comment.
Chapter Forty-One
If the rest of her life depended on explaining the movie, Rebel would drop dead then and there.
Kaia had been waiting for her in front of the movie theater, dressed in a striped button down, gold chains, including—sigh—a choker, hoop earrings, and black skinny jeans, along with Doc Martens.
The moment Momma swerved to a stop and their detail swarmed, Kaia threw his cigarette aside and walked to the curb. Rebel had texted him what to expect, apologizing for all the weirdness. To her, the date would’ve been better without babysitters, but that was life as her father’s daughter.
Then, Kaia opened her door, assisted her out of the sportscar, and kissed the back of her hand.
