Chapter 7: Plant Girl
2148 Words
Jinx's P.O.V.
*******************************
I followed behind my son as he made his way to the kitchen. The whole place was decorated with fake snow and other things on the walls like Santa, Christmas trees, candy canes, snowmen, and reindeer. There were colorful lights and garland lining the doorways and ceilings all throughout the clubhouse. Even the entire bartop in the bar was lined with lights. It's like this every year, but it seems they went even bigger this year.
Mom was in the enormous kitchen with all the other ol' ladies. They were all around the same age as Mom and were like aunts to me. None of the younger generation had any ol' ladies. Not that many didn't try. All the ol' ladies do this same baking sh.it every year. They bake a ton of cookies and give them out around town. Waylen always gets to help decorate the sugar cookies and help hand them out, which he loves.
"There's my WayWay!" Mom called out the moment she saw Waylen. He ran to her, throwing himself in her arms. "I see you found him," she said to me with her arms still wrapped around Waylen.
"Can I help with the cookies Granny?" Waylen asked her.
"We got a whole bunch set up for you over here, Way," Sara said, showing him to the table off to the side.
The moment Waylen was seated and distracted thanks to Sara and cookies, Mom went right back to work. And by that, I mean with the cookies and harassing me.
"So, where'd you find him?" she asked me.
I blew out a breath as I sat on a stool across the kitchen island from her.
"You'll never guess," I grumbled sarcastically.
"The plant place again?" Lisa, another ol' lady asked.
"It's called Garden Sip," Mom told her. "Wonderful place, no wonder the boy loves it there."
I shook my head as I looked at my mom. I've got her eyes and smile, but I look more like my dad. Mom's hair is starting to gray more now. Her normally brown hair has been getting lighter, and now I can see silver streaked through it. Sometimes I wonder if it's me or Waylen that gives her those gray hairs.
"How often have you even been there?" I asked her.
"I buy flowers from Deidra at least every other week," she replied, frowning at me. "Where do you think the flowers in the common room come from?"
"There are flowers in the common room?" I blurted, earning a flat look from my mother while the others cackled.
Just then, Void and Villain walked in, plopping down on the stools next to me. Those two are my age, but a couple of fu.cking id.iots I tell you. Granted, they don't have responsibilities like I do. They're twins and work at the tattoo shop in town that Wraith, another brother, owns. We went to school together and have been best friends for as long as I can remember. But they fu.cking get on my nerves.
"What y'all talking about?" Villain asked as he snatched a cookie off the counter.
"Oh, just how Jinx found Waylen at Garden Sip earlier," Lisa told them.
"Wow, you and your kid both got the hots for Deidra Hartman," Void teased, snorting as I gave him a flat look.
"Oh please," Mom waved them off. "Waylen is too young to have the hots for anyone."
That earned snickers all around as Mom gave me a cheeky smile.
"I don't have the hots for her," I stated.
"You have a nickname for her," Mom replied factually.
"Yeah, you call her Thorn," Lisa added.
"Because she's a thorn in my side," I grumbled. "Not because I like her."
"Lies," Villain said as he took a bite of his cookie and kept talking while chewing. "One time when Jinx got really drunk, he told us that he calls her that because she's as beautiful as a rose, and prickly like one too."
Mom and Lisa looked at me, trying not to laugh as I smacked Villain against the back of his head.
"Does bro.therhood mean nothing to you?" I complained.
"Just admit that you think Deidra's hot," he replied. "You like that attitude she gives you."
"And only you if you haven't noticed," Void added.
"Yeah, she sure loves to give you sh.it, brother," Villain teased me.
"Whatever, Deidra's like that with everyone," I said.
"Is she?" Void asked sarcastically.
I shook my head, refusing to even give it any thought.
"That sh.it don't matter anyway," I told them. "Waylen keeps going there because he's comfortable with Deidra, thanks to Glory always taking him to the diner and leaving him there."
"Poor baby," Mom muttered sadly. "She was more of a mother to that boy than his actual mother ever was."
"Ugh, don't say that," I complained.
"I mean... you can't really deny that after she stormed in here ready to fight the entire club over your boy," Void said.
"I'm not denying it, it's just... fu.cking weird," I admitted. "I appreciate what Thorn has done regarding my kid, but... her and I are practically strangers."
"Practically," Mom muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Well, Waylen loves being with her," Lisa said. "Doesn't that count for something to her?"
"Yeah. Thorn loves him. Says he's always welcome there. Think I might talk to her about letting him go there every day after school. I don't think she'd mind," I said. "He promised me he'd behave if I did."
"He promises a lot of things," Lisa commented lightly.
"He's only seven," I replied.
"Saw Miss Green today," Mom said, changing the subject.
Fu.ck.
"She showed up here while you were out, smelling to high heaven too," she continued as she rolled out some dough. "Told me about the stink bomb."
I sighed heavily.
"Stick bomb?" Villain asked with a laugh.
"I'm trying, Mom," I said. "Waylen overheard her saying something about wanting my patch a while ago... I think he doesn't want another Glory coming into the picture."
"Bet he said Deidra would make a good mommy," Villain mumbled with a wink.
"Shut the hell up," I complained, pushing him hard enough to knock him out of his chair and onto his a.ss on the floor.
"He's mad 'cause I'm right," Villain grumbled as he got back on the stool.
"Anyway, I don't know what to do other than pull him from school," I said.
"What about getting him a different teacher?" Lisa asked.
"Already tried," I replied. "School said they were taking her word over Waylen's because he was a kid and sometimes kids misunderstand things or lie, and that if I can't control my son, maybe I shouldn't have him in school at all."
Lisa gasped and looked at my mom.
"Oh, I went down there too," she said. "Fu.cking jacka.ss of a principal."
"I just don't know what to do," I said again. "Waylen is just... bored here. There are no other kids to hang with. I'm not exactly nurturing like a mom would be."
"Deidra Hartman's nurturing?" Void blurted with a raised brow, looking genuine.
"Can we stop fu.cking bringing that woman into the conversation?" I snapped. "f***k! With the way y'all act, you'd think she was the one I knocked up."
"Wish she was," Mom muttered under her breath.
For f***k's sake.
"Anyway!" I said loudly. "I think my kid just needs some peace and quiet. He needs to be around other kids his age that he actually likes. Why can't one of you fu.ckers settle down already? Maybe find a chick who's already a mom to a seven-year-old boy."
Void snorted as Villain looked at me like I'd just suggested castration.
"Okay, I might have an idea," Mom said, and we all looked at her. "Not a permanent fix, but maybe a band-aid for now. Your sister and Adam rented a huge cabin in Colorado for two weeks, over the holidays. They want to drive and are leaving on Saturday and arriving there on Monday morning. They got a cabin big enough for all of us. They wanted us all to go, but when I asked you before, you said no because Waylen was in trouble yet again. I was hoping to change your mind, but you've been so busy helping Feral with stuff that I hadn't asked. Plus, Way just kept getting in trouble, but maybe this will be just what he needs."
I looked over at Waylen at the table with Sara. They were decorating cookies still, oblivious to our conversation. I thought about everything that Waylen has been through this year. The kid hasn't known normal a day in his life. Maybe this trip could be something normal for him. No club bunnies running around, no loud parties right next door, no women trying to get my patch through my son. Just family.
"Okay, fine," I agreed and Mom squealed. "But I have to talk to Feral and War to make sure it's okay first."
"Yes, yes, go, go," she said, waving me out of the room.
I gave Void and Villain a wide-eyed look before leaving the room. I walked through to the other side of the clubhouse where the bar is. That's usually where everyone is hanging out. Since Waylen was born, rules have changed a little. He's not allowed in this part of the clubhouse though, so mostly you'll find the single men here and all the club bunnies. Which means Feral and War.
War is our president and Feral is our treasurer. I've been working my a.ss off over the years to become a lawyer just like Feral. I passed the bar exam last year and have been working for the club ever since. War still sends me out on runs here and there. But mostly I just help with any legal issues, and help Feral with the books. He goes through all of them monthly for every business the club owns.
When I walked into the bar, both men were at the bar along with Cutter, who's our VP, Ice, and Tats. I walked over to the bar, slapping the top. TJ, one of the prospects, gave me a nod before sliding a beer to me. I sat on the stool beside Feral and took a swig.
"If this is about that trip with your family, take it," War said before I could even open my mouth.
"Mom talked to you," I muttered.
"Yeah she did," Feral chimed in. "Woman can be bossy."
I chuckled at that.
"Ya'll sure you don't need me?" I asked. "What about that sh.it with Honey and the cops?"
"All taken care of," War replied. "Russo apologized profusely for his new officer's mistake."
"He owes us," I grunted.
"Yeah, he does," he said, turning a sly smile to me. I raised a brow in question. "Ran into your little plant girl while I was there."
I rolled my eyes.
"For f***k's sake, she ain't mine," I grumbled. "Wait, what was she doing at the police station? Someone rob her shop?"
"Nope, she was there because she got arrested," he told me, and my eyes nearly bulged out of my head.
Sorry, Thorn got arrested???
"So you made him tell you why she was there?" I asked.
"Nah, Honey knew all the details, probably more than Russo," he said. "Guess Deidra wasn't in the talking mood. Honey said she was there for hours, just refusing to say sh.it. And... Honey told me everything."
"Okay, so what the f***k happened?" I asked.
"Honey!" War called out, getting her attention. "Come tell Jinx about Deidra."
Honey scurried over, clearly excited to spill everything.
"Oh, I love that girl," she gushed as she grabbed my arm and giggled. Great, she's drunk. "She's hilarious and doesn't give a flying f***k who she talks back to. And the fact that she wasn't even sorry. Oh man, it was funny. Not that she should be sorry at all."
"Sorry about what?" I asked.
"Caught her man and bestie fu.cking in her bed and chased them out with a shotgun like a total bada.ss." She said, laughing loudly. "When you gonna put a cut on that girl, Jinx?"
I blinked, unable to even reply to that. Deidra is not my girl. I refuse to claim any woman. Especially after the sh.it Glory pulled. I could never trust anyone. But I've known Thorn pretty much my whole life, and she doesn't want me for my patch. Or at all.
And f***k, I knew Sophie was sh.it! And that Theo guy! He should have just stayed away from her when I told him to.
None of that came out of my mouth though. Nothing did. Because despite the fact that I knew that nothing would ever come of it, all I could think was...
Deidra's single?
- Writer
