Page 16 of Judge (Devil’s Rose MC #7)
“Oh my gosh! I’m a grandmother! Hear that, Chuck?” She spins to look at Dad, “We’re grandparents! When do we get to meet them? Is Kaia feeling OK? Is she in the hospital here? I didn’t even know you were back together!” She claps again, eyes shining bright, giddy with happiness.
My brothers are all sitting along the long side of the dining table, in a row, staring at us like we’re specimens. I bet if the fuckers had popcorn they’d be in heaven.
“Ah, we’re not back together, and Kaia isn’t in hospital.” I swallow thickly, knowing I have to rip the bandaid off. “The twins are fourteen.”
Mom freezes, her eyes narrowing. Dad is still sitting frozen in his chair, staring into his milk, his cookie making air bubbles on the surface.
“You and Kaia. Together. Fourteen years ago? Wait, is that why she left town?” She frowns at me. “What did you do, Leo Charles Jackson?”
I cringe at the use of my full name and the words die on my tongue.
“Oh, oh! Pick me! I know!” Rider waves his hand in the air, the giant shit.
“Yes, please Rider, tell me why I’m only now just finding out that I have fourteen-year-old grandchildren?”
He sucks in a deep breath, palms flat on the table, “When Kaia went to tell him that she was knocked up she found him getting oral from one Chelsea Masters,” he exhales.
“Don’t forget the jocks,” Tank unhelpfully adds.
“Oh yeah! One of the jocks called Kaia a name and instead of sticking up for her, Judge giggled. Giggled! Can you imagine?” Rider stares wide -eyed at Mom while my brothers heads ping pong between me and that fucking snitch Rider.
Mom turns very, very slowly back to me, almost bristling, and you know what? I deserve it. All her ire. “Chelsea Masters?” she says in a tone so low it makes my balls draw up. “That skank Chelsea Masters is the reason why I’m only now finding out that I’m a grandmother?”
“I think you’ll find it was Chelsea Masters and Judge’s hormones, ma’am,” Tav adds unhelpfully.
Mom stares at me for so long I start to get scared. She’s never quiet. Not like this.
“Show her the baby pictures man, that’ll help,” Sniper whispers.
I fumble with my phone, bringing up the picture of the twins in the hospital, little beanie hats on their heads.
As soon as it comes up I shove it in Mom’s face and take a big step back.
Her face crumples as she takes in the sweet faces on the screen.
Her finger traces their hats, before she looks at me with tears in her eyes.
“I don’t care what you do, but you bring those babies and Kaia into this family, you hear me? If she has a husband, bring him too.”
“She doesn’t have a husband,” I mumble back.
“Good. It’ll make it easier for you to win her back. I never knew what happened all those years ago, but trust me Leo, you two were meant for each other.”
My chest hurts and I know it’s because Mom hit the nail on the head.
I never knew I was missing anything in my life until Kaia walked back into it, full of piss and vinegar.
Or what the brothers think is piss and vinegar.
I know better. She isn’t some ball buster, she’s a little woman who does it to protect herself.
Well, now she has me to do that for her, just like when we were kids.
I clear my throat, looking at Dad. He’s a thinker like me, and he’s been suspiciously quiet. “Dad, you got anything to add?”
He sits quietly, a calm port in the ocean. “What your mother said,” he answers, picking up a cookie and shoving it into his mouth.
Mom hands back my phone, patting my chest. “You know what he’s like. He’s a deep thinker, that one. Give him two to five business days to process and he’ll get back to you.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I whisper, bending to drop a kiss atop her curly head.
“You’re welcome. Now get outta here, you have things to do.”
She’s right. Next stop, Kaia’s house.
Kaia
I flop back on the couch and stare at the ceiling fan.
I should really clean that one day. Today, however, is definitely not the day.
Who knew that spending six days at the DRMC farmhouse and closing the diner would mean that I’d have to work four times as hard to get stuff up and running again?
Not me. I think if I were to do it all over again, I’d take my chances with the cartel.
My feet are killing me, I’m sure my ankles have swollen to become cankles, and my ability to make small talk with people has flown out the window.
Even the kids are exhausted and they’re young, fresh youth. Imagine what it’s like for my old ass.
I lean back into the couch pillows, wiggling a little to make a nice little groove for my body.
It feels like a hug, and given that I haven’t had a full body one of those for six years now, this is as good as it’s going to get.
I let my eyes droop, quietly listening to the still evening outside my open windows.
A rough bang at the door has me jolting upright, heart racing. My mind runs over plans and contingencies, a mental check box so I know I have everything where I need it to be.
“Kaia, it’s me, Leo.”
The adrenaline rushing through me stops as quickly as it started, and now annoyance takes a hold. Why the hell is he here this late? Crap, is he going to make me stand up and walk to open the door for him? I don’t want to! I’m too tired.
“I know it’s late, I just wanted to talk.” He knocks gently again, “I could always throw pebbles at your window?”
I huff and force myself off the comfiest couch in the world, my bare feet slapping on the hardwood floors. I throw open the door to my big, annoying baby daddy.
“Do not throw anything at my windows Leo Jackson,” I growl.
He grins that crooked smile I damn well like so much and the pain in my feet and legs almost goes away because the blood in them rushed to my lady parts. Traitors.
“Do you mind if I come in? I just wanted to see how the kids and your day went.”
Ugh. He’s so damn earnest and thoughtful and he is acting way less weird and skittish around me since the whole murdering people and the comforting us in the bunker thing, so I can’t help but hold the door open wider, inviting him in.
I hobble my way back to the couch, and flop down in my usual spot, flicking a hand at the two spare armchairs in my lounge for him to sit. He rolls his eyes and stuffs himself into the chair Jax usually sits in. He stares down at it in disgust and I cover my snort with a cough.
“Is there a reason why you have such small furniture? Jax is only going to get bigger,” he grumbles.
I shrug, “It is what it is, buddy. Maybe when the diner is doing a little better I’ll go out and buy one of those huge leather man chairs guys like so much.”
He stares at me intensely, “I’ll have one delivered this week.” I open my mouth to protest, “I’ll also order a plush looking thing for Annie. I can’t get her brother something and not get her something too.”
I gape at Leo and the fact that he, on his own, realised that with twins you can’t just get one of something. There has to be two, even at their age now.
“Thank you, they’ll love that,” I softly reply.
Leo nods once. “I visited my parents today.”
I stiffen. I knew once Leo found out, that he’d tell his parents.
I mean, they’re great people and always wanted more children, but were only blessed the one time.
The fact that they are now grandparents, well, they’ll be over the moon.
The only problem is that I kept the twins a secret from them, and now I feel like an extra shitty person.
My kids could have had a family this whole time if I wasn’t so goddamn angry and stubborn.
I’m jolted out of my thoughts by Leo’s large, rough hand on my thigh.
I really should have put proper pants on before I answered the door.
Instead, I’m in a pair of boy short underpants and a DRMC tee that Pops gave me.
I have no idea where he got all this DRMC merchandise from, but he basically kitted me and the kids out with full outfits - tees, hoodies, caps, keyrings, and who knows what else came in the DRMC tote bags.
I didn’t see any of the brothers wearing half this stuff, and Pops was a little shady on the details, so I can only imagine what he’s been up to.
“Kaia, none of this was your fault, or my fault. It was just a shitty moment of miscommunication and our own stubborn ways.”
“And your inability to check emails,” I add on, with a smirk.
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, that too. My parents understand, they just want to see you and meet the kids. Whenever you’re ready of course,” Leo leans back, holding his hands up in the air.
“Ugh it’s just so embarrassing,” I groan, covering my face with my hands. “They’ve known me since I was a child, then I go and get pregnant by you,” I wave my hand at him and then slap it back on my face, “and then run away.”
A rustling sound has me peeking through my fingers toward him, following his movements as he sits on the coffee table in front of me. He softly lifts my hands from my face.
“Why did you run away?” he asks quietly, his eyes flicking between mine.
I move to sit up, my feet on the floor between Leo’s big boots. “When I came home from seeing you with-”
“Yup, no need to mention her name,” Leo cringes.
“-them, anyway I was so upset I had to tell Dad what was going on. He gathered me up into his arms, and hugged me until I stopped crying. Then he broke it to me that Aunt Daisy - remember her? Well, she’d had a stroke and needed help.
We packed up that night and drove the seven hours to her place.
We nursed her until she passed away and by then the twins were so close to being due we just settled down there.
Lived in Florida until we came to Rose Grove six months ago. ”
Leo runs a hand down his beard, nodding. He’s quiet, which isn’t anything unusual for him I guess. He’s a lot like his dad, likes to process things in his mind before using his words. I could wait all night for him to speak, but there are things I want to know. Things I need to know.
“Why did you never return my messages? It wasn’t just email, it was text too?” His green eyes meet mine, full of regret.
He sighs. “I lost my phone that day. It went into the river, along with all my contacts. I waited a couple of days for your temper to settle down, but when I went to find you to apologize, you’d already left.”
“Why do we suck so much?”
He huffs out a laugh. “No idea, babe.”
We sit in silence for a beat, before Leo’s eyes find mine. “So is your dad still in Florida?”
“No, he ah, he passed away. Six years ago.”