Page 43 of The Broken Beginning: Part One

“That’s because you weren’t supposed to know yet. It was a fucking surprise that the cunt ruined.”

“What surprise?” It couldn’t have been my birthday because I turned 19 a few weeks back, to no fanfare at all since my dad was out on a run and the guys forgot. That made me remember something odd that I’d seen in the other room earlier. I’d been avoiding the look from my dad when they realized I bought Lily a car and I noticed that the tiny Christmas tree still sat on the table in the living room. I stretched the cord of the phone as far as I could get it and peeked around the wall to see that I hadn’t been wrong. The three Christmas presents that had been under the tree were still there. There were two more added to the pile though. Both were wrapped in what looked like colorful birthday paper.

“We’re celebrating the newest member of the club family.”

“Yeah?” I asked absently. “One of the prospects earning his kutte?” There was no way to reach the gifts while I was on the phone to see who they were for, but now curiosity had taken hold and the need to get my dad off the phone was never stronger.

“You’re a fucking dick!” My father told me, bringing my full attention back to him.

“What? Why am I a dick now?” Lily happened to be walking through with Declan in her arms as I asked, and she snickered.

“Oh, let me count the ways,” she mumbled while moving past me to grab a bottle of water off the counter. I watched as she basically chugged the whole thing.

“Your fucking kid is the newest addition to the club’s family, asshole.” Then my father hung up on me. Well, shit.

I moved back to hang the phone up and turned to Lily. “Did you know the club’s throwing a party this weekend?”

“Well, I didn’t until your little friend at the store mentioned it.”

I couldn’t help the sigh that escaped. “I didn’t know either until she said something, but listen, you don’t have to worry about Abbi showing up.”

“Yeah, I kind of got that impression when she was muttering apologies to me after you basically called her out in front of me for being a homewrecker.” I knew Lily was teasing, but it bothered me that either of the women would think that.

“She’s not a homewrecker.”

“Tell her that. She obviously didn’t know you were married, and whether you are happily married or not, there are a lot of women who would never touch you if they knew the score.” She shook her head at me, as if in disappointment. “You should be honest and upfront with them so they can make an informed choice.”

“Jesus,” I muttered, not wanting to have this talk with my wife.

“And Merc?”

“Yeah?”

“If they don’t care once you tell them, don’t you dare ever allow them around my child.”

That took me aback. “What? Why would I even do that?”

“I don’t know, but that is a hard line for me, and you better never cross it. If a woman disrespects my position in your life so much that she’d be with you, knowing you’re married, then I don’t want her tainting the image my son has of me. It’s bad enough I’ll look like a weak, pitiful, spineless twat to Declan when he’s old enough to understand what you do behind his mom’s back while married to her. At least do me the favor of keeping the awful bitches away from him, since you don’t care what they have to say to me.”

“Who the fuck says I don’t care? And who has been talking shit to you?”

Lily laughed. “Are you serious right now?”

“Dead fucking serious.”

“Your porn star ex-girlfriend talked so much shit about me that the rest of the school did too even after she left. Every single girl you’ve slept with before and since I got pregnant has been in my face about how they get to ride your dick and I’m just your dirty little secret that wasn’t well kept. Then there’s Madeline, who sent me this card in the mail. It was in the mailbox today.”

She tossed a card to me. It was blank until you flipped it open, and it said:

Congrats on the bastard, but you still lose. I’ve ridden his dick more than you’ll ever know and that was his choice. How many times did you get him? Oh, right, once and then he left your ass like yesterday’s garbage. I’ll be back one day, and I’ll be riding his dick then too. He can’t stand you, and talks shit about you all the time, so my money is on you never getting to touch him again.

Xo,

Madeline

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me about this?”

“I just did and honestly it doesn’t matter. And it’s mostly the truth anyway.”

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