Page 18 of Judge (Devil’s Rose MC #7)

Judge

P ulling up to the Kaia’s in one of the DRMC SUV’s, I picture myself walking through those front doors to my loving family waiting for me around the dining table, a meal laid out and whatever other shit happy families get up to.

A smile stretches my face as my dream is about to become a reality.

Slamming the car door behind me I follow the path to the front door, the picture in my mind of what’s awaiting me clear as day.

“Door is unlocked, just come on in!” Kaia’s voice yells from behind the bright yellow door.

Turning the handle I walk right in…to chaos. There are black and yellow sports uniform tops lying around, Kaia is using a blender in the kitchen while yelling at the kids, who are nowhere to be seen and her ass looks phenomenal in those tight black yoga pants women like to wear.

“Ah, are you OK?” I ask, shuffling into the kitchen.

I’ve seen women act like this before, so I know to hang back, out of the way of flying things.

She turns off the blender before spinning to face me, “Sorry about that, Saturday mornings are hectic as hell. I told you the plan, didn’t I? The twins have a soccer game in about an hour -” she turns her head over her shoulder and continues, “AND THEY HAVEN’T GOTTEN THEIR SHIT TOGETHER YET!”

A rumble on the staircase foreshadows a goddamned stampede so I move my big ass to hug the wall, wanting to be out of the way.

“Hey Leo!” Annie bounces in, scooping up the smoothie cup Kaia has left for her in an obscenely large, pink thing with a metal straw sticking out of the top.

“Thanks Mom! And Thanks Da-um Leo for my pink poofy chair, I love it!” She squeals at a pitch that I’m sure dogs from three blocks over can hear.

Jax follows close behind, tipping his chin, “Thanks for the chair, bruh,” he gives me a crooked smirk before choosing to drink his smoothie straight from the blender jug.

I nod at the kids, chest a little tight that I’ve managed to provide something they needed. I wanted to show them I care about them and I know it’s simple, but making them happy makes me feel about ten fucking feet tall.

“Get that in ya and then we need to get going. That smug bitch will never let me hear the end of it,” Kaia mumbles the last part, my ears pricking up at that.

“Who’s the smug bitch?” I ask, watching the kids drink their breakfasts, put on socks and generally rush from one side of the room to the other doing who knows what.

“Toby’s mom and Mom’s nemesis,” Jax smirks.

“She’s a total thundercunt. She’s always trying to get the kids kicked offf the soccer team. Annie because she’s a girl, and Jax because he’s better than her crappy son,” Kaia grumbles, moving around the kitchen with ease.

She has on one of those mom sports tops, it’s in the team colors with “Kennedy” written across the top back. She then moves into the living room, scooping up bags, two fold out chairs, and a box of bottled water.

“Here, give me that,” I roll my eyes, grabbing everything off her in one fell swoop. She stares at me for a long moment, before her lips tip up.

“I’m glad you could make it. Now, lets go watch the kids fuck up their opponent.”

* * *

“Holy shit,” Kaia whispers, taking in the DRMC setup.

When I told my brothers that I would be busy this morning watching the kids play soccer, I knew that they’d come out in full force.

And full force they did. They’ve set up a pop up gazebo, there’s a drinks stand, the women are all in black and yellow, the twins’ team colors, and the men are sitting with beers in hand even though it’s 9am.

A stark contrast to the other soccer moms, who are all in athleisure (that’s what Annie called it) with husbands who were probably good at sport once, but are now all fat, bald and dangerously red looking.

“Ah, if it’s too much and you want to sit away from us, that’s OK,” I murmur, not wanting to embarrass her or the kids.

“What the hell are you talking about? This is awesome! Chelsea Wilson can bring it on!” Kaia makes her way over to the Ol Ladies, a huge grin on her face.

“Who the hell is Chelsea Wilson?” I ask the twins who, like their mom, are staring at the DRMC set up in awe.

“Mom’s, nemesis, Toby Wilson’s mom.” Annie points to a chunky ginger with acne warming up on the field.

“Thinks he’s hot shit because his dad played high school football and got a scholarship. Then blew his knee out and now he owns the carpet store in town,” Jax adds, throwing his overly full backpack into the DRMC pop up gazebo.

“OK babies, I made you some energy bars, so get those into you quickly before you warm up. They’ll keep you going,” Mama Debs bustles over to the twins, tupperware container lid off, waving the bars in the kids’ faces even though they both had smoothies about ten minutes ago.

Looking around, the DRMC bigger littles are over with some other kids their age.

I’m not sure what they’re doing, but I can see juice boxes changing hands as well as Elio writing something on a note pad.

If they were any other kids, I’d think it was innocent.

They aren’t though, so I make a note to check in with them later.

Moving my gaze around the field, the women are gathered together, babies on picnic blankets on the ground even though the morning is still a little cooler.

My brows pinch when I realize Kaia isn’t with the women anymore.

Moving to walk around the gazebo, my eyes find her, gesticulating wildly at some tall, scarily thin blonde in one of those puffy vest things with spray on clothing underneath.

A large, sweaty man steps up to join the conversation against my woman and my legs have me hurtling in their direction before I can even think about it.

“What’s going on, Little Mama?” I murmur to Kaia, ignoring the disgusted look she gives me at the nickname.

“Oh, the usual. Chelsea and Roger here are bitching about the twins. Oh, and the MC.” Kaia crosses her arms over her chest, her breasts instantly sitting higher, in the gaze of the big, red, sweaty guy.

Stepping in front of her to break his eye contact with her tits, I stare him down until he squirms. “What’s your problem with the MC?”

He narrows his eyes at me, before they dart to the DRMC gazebo and back, “It’s a kids’ soccer game, no need for your type.” He puffs himself up. All that does is turn him even redder in the face.

“My type has every right to be anywhere we like. We’re going to stay and watch my kids,” I glower.

“Wait, your kids?! I knew Annie-Bella and Jax were trash!” The blonde shrieks before her eyes grow wide. “Leo? Leo Jackson?”

“How the fuck do you know my name?” My eyes narrow and I don’t recognise this awful bitch at all. No one calls my kids trash.

She throws her head back and cackles before staring me in the eyes, licking her pumped up lips obscenely. Kaia snorts loudly behind me and I take a step back as the scary blonde leans into me.

“Oh come on, Leo, you know who I am.” Her gaze runs up and down my body as her husband starts making grumbling sounds behind her back.

“Yeah, Leo, don’t you recognise your old flame?” Kaia teases, stepping up to my side, a smirk on her face.

Scary blonde runs a single red talon down the center of my chest, licking those goddamn shiny beach ball lips again. “Oh you know who I am. I sucked that soul of yours right out of your cock,” she makes a slurping noise before cackling again.

“Jesus Christ, that’s enough! Chelsea, we’re leaving.” Her husband grips her around her scrawny bicep, pulling her away. “Just keep your trash kids away from ours!”

Snapping my head to Kaia I wait for her to stop her hysterical laughter before I growl at her. “Who the fuck was that? And why the hell are you laughing so much?”

She calms slightly, wiping a tear from her eye. “That-” she jabs a finger in their direction, “-is your old girlfriend, Chelsea Masters.”

I whirl back around in the direction they went trying to get another look before spinning and marching across the field, trying to catch up with Kaia and her short legs. “What the hell happened to her face? She blinked and her ears moved!” I hiss.

Kaia cackles as she stomps away from me, “Don’t know, don’t care. Obviously her carpet peddling husband makes too much money.”

She comes to an abrupt stop, staring into the gazebo, directly at my parents who have come to support the twins. She jumps when I place my hands on her shoulders.

“Shit. Shit, shit, shit. What am I going to say to them Leo! I’m not prepared!” Her eyes are wide and the sassy woman from a moment ago is replaced by one on the verge of a meltdown.

“Look at me,” I demand, turning her in my direction. “It’s going to be fine. They understand. They just want to have a relationship with the twins, OK?” I choose not to tell her about the whole soulmates thing. She’s only just started looking at me without trying to kill me with her eyes.

She squares her shoulders, head held high, taking a deep breath before letting it out.

“You got this, trust me.”

Kaia

I definitely do not have this. At the time getting away from Leo seemed like the best thing to do.

Having Aunt Daisy need help meant I could get out of town and get my head straight.

Before I knew it I had been gone so long that coming back pregnant, with my tail between my legs was not an option. Stupid pride. Argh.

Leo leads me toward his parents, laughing with Pops and Mama Debs at the drinks stand.

There are kids running around and I can see Leo’s mom Annie’s head swivelling this way and that, probably trying to find the twins in the mass of kids.

Her gaze swings until it lands on me, her eyes growing wide as her hands raise, covering her mouth.

She stares a moment before rushing over to me, wrapping me in her arms, holding on tight like she used to when I was a kid after my mom died.

“I’m so sorry I never told you!” The words bubble up out of me as I cling to her, bursting into tears. She grips me tighter, rocking me from side to side.

“It’s OK, Kaia. Leo explained everything. If he hadn’t been a DUMBASS -” she says loudly over her shoulder, directed at her son, “you would have stayed and we would have helped you.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, pulling back to run my hands over my cheeks, sniffling pitifully.

“Sweetheart, you did what you had to, and what I’ve heard is that you did a fabulous job.” Annie bends a little, her taller frame angling down so she can look me in the eye, a genuine smile stretching her face. “You did good, girl. Now, why don’t you introduce me and Chuck to our grandbabies?”

I nod, wiping my face, once more, taking a deep breath and blowing out all the years of regret and fear over how Annie and Chuck would react.

Instead of being pissed, Annie embraced me, and now I’m snuggled into the crook of Chuck’s arm.

Leo’s soft gaze finds mine, his crooked smile playing on his lips.

I exhale once more, looking around for the kids who are standing with Tank and Mira.

Catching their gazes I wave to them. Annie-Bella bounces over. I mean, why walk when you can bounce happily from one place to another? Jax lopes behind her, his long legs eating up the distance. They stop in front of me and before I can say a word Annie-Bella’s eyes grow comically wide.

“You’re my meemaw, aren’t you?” she whispers. Annie nods at her, her lips quivering as she stares at Annie-Bella in wonder. “And you must be my gramps!” Annie-Bella says in a stronger voice.

“Yup, sweetheart, that’s me.” Chuck grins wide, chest puffed out with pride.

There’s a pause, static in the air before Annie scoops my daughter up in her arms, Chuck doing the same with Jax who doesn’t fight it. He leans into Chuck’s large body, holding on tighter than I expected.

Jax and my father were close, closer than any two people I have ever met.

When Dad passed away Jax struggled with his grief, his anger, his hurt.

Watching him with Chuck heals something in me.

We may have lost my dad, but Jax still has Leo’s dad in his life.

In actual fact, he has more than just Chuck.

He has Pops and Mad Dog and I’ve seen how he behaves with them.

It’s like he’s found a place, just like I felt at the farm.

There’s some tears, and a lot of hugging. The DRMC all watch on with goofy smiles on their faces. It’s clear that Leo and his parents are well loved.

“See, wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be, huh?” Lovely asks, nudging me with her shoulder as I watch the twins with Leo and his parents.

I roll my eyes, but then grin in her direction.

As soon as I got here I was whisked away by the Girl Gang and I told them my fears.

Obviously we did an intense advice circle.

Some advice was great, some, like Chewy’s, was a lot less helpful.

I don’t think moving away never to be seen again is a good option.

“So, ladies, I did a quick loop, and aside from that ginger kid’s awful mom, there are three others who could be problematic.” Blanche says, bouncing Tess in the front pack on her chest.

“What do you mean by ‘problematic’?” I ask, brow raised.

“They’re judgey assholes,” Nat fills in for me.

Following where her finger is pointing, I let out a long groan. “Those are Chelsea’s friends.”

“Well, I have my eyes on them,” Ana says, glaring in their direction. “They complained to that guy in the bright top.”

“That’s the ref. He can’t really do anything about us spectators,” I fill in. Clearly these women know nothing about soccer.

“Good. Because I helped put up this damned gazebo and I ain’t packing it down.” Vi says arms crossed over her chest, eyes narrowed at the bitches across the field.

“Does this kinda feel like high school all over again? And they’re the popular girls?” Mira asks, coming to stand next to me, joining the stand off.

“Nope. I finished high school early.” Chewy shrugs. “And I was younger than everyone by two years anyway. Unless they had the answer to the Bermuda Triangle, I wasn’t interested.”

Ana snorts, patting her friend on the shoulder, Chewy shrugging it off awkwardly.

“Ooh look! They’re starting!”