“What do you want to do, baby boy?”
“I want to go home and have a man-to-man conversation with Dad. Somebody got to get through to that motherfucker. Phone conversations are fine, but they don’t work the same way. However, if you need me to stay to protect you, I will.”
Meggie’s heart melted and she smiled at Axel. “I’m sure you miss your men, too.”
He eyed her suspiciously. “Why do you say that? Remember, I’ve been almost too sad to have fun since we’ve been here. They were just so mean to me.”
“Maybe you should stay—”
“Don’t worry, Meggie,” Bunny said. “I’ll be there to keep everything in order. I won’t let Ransom and Ryder bully Axel.”
Meggie nodded. “Okay then.”
“I want to stay with you, Momma,” Rebel said, tasting her wine. “If he’ll let me, I just want to hug Rule.”
“Me too, sweetheart. That might not happen, though. As long as you understand that, you can stay with me.”
“At least we’ll try. If we go there but can only see Father Wilkins, I can give him a letter for Rule to read whenever he’s ready.”
“Maybe you should come back with us, Reb,” Gypsy offered, grabbing the bowl of salad on her end, near Axel. “You know the minute we return, Outlaw is going to get the info from someone and ride here.”
“Christopher has every right to know where his wife is,” Ophelia chirped. “He must be as sick with worry as Cash.”
Zoann snorted, and Ophelia glared at her.
“He might get the info from me for the right price,” Gypsy said with a laugh. “I need as much money as I can get for my birthday present to myself.”
“Youwillneed a fucking body bag if you open your goddamn mouth,” Zoann said coldly. “Fuck your birthday present. If Meggie doesn’t take a stand now, that motherfucker will continue to be a motherfucker.”
“That’s our brother!” Ophelia said.
Zoann flipped her off.
Pasting a smile on her face, Meggie picked up the bowl of salad on her end, then handed it to Bunny after piling lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and red onions onto her plate. She wasn’t particularly hungry, however she needed to keep her strength up, even if her spirits had sunk to the pits of hell.
Dinner was almost two hours late because LAX was a nightmare, and Georgie had been determined to leave tonight. Meggie understood. She appreciated how her friend droppedeverything, grabbed Brynn, and joined Meggie for her first night away from Christopher, Jo, and her sons.
Jo wasn’t home, but Meggie cherished her daily visits with her baby girl. She should never have allowed Christopher’s behavior to run her so far away. Except she’d had no choice. Kicking him out of their room was one thing. Forcing him out of the house or checking herself into a nearby hotel was another. He’d probably torn the town apart searching for her.
If she hadn’t left, he would’ve found her and convinced her to come home or allow him to return if she’d asked him to leave.
“MOM!”
Axel’s scream startled Meggie, and she jumped.
“Stay present,” he told her. “Lolly wants me to say grace.”
Sipping her wine, Roxy smiled. “As the man of the house,” she said.
Beaming, Axel puffed his chest out and clasped his hands, throwing Meggie a severe look since she hadn’t followed suit.
“Oh, um,” she said, rectifying her mistake immediately.
“Thank you for this food. Please let it be good. After the day I’ve had, I’m definitely not in the mood to eat no fucking wood.” He lifted his gaze to the ceiling. “Which that piece of meat looks like. So, Big Dude, from one of your stressed-out little dudes, please work a miracle and make this edible. Amen.”
“Can I leave the table, Momma?” Rebel asked into the silence. “When Axel’s struck by lightning, I don’t want an accidental buzz.”
Glaring at her, Axel stomped to the other end of the table and plopped down. “Mom and Lolly always says to pray from the heart and I did, so I can’t be punished ‘cause it was honest.”
