Page 47 of Jagged Little Pieces

Goose chuckles. “Her head is fine. Well, her brain irritates me. That’s the part I need to smother in its sleep.”

“She wants you so bad,” I taunt and nudge her leg. “The amount of horny coming from her is distracting from my love match with Austen. Why don’t you just fuck that woman tonight and get all her horniness under control?”

“Why don’t you fuck your woman?”

I smile at how she just claimed Coco in a roundabout way as her woman. Rather than point out her Freudian slip, I keep her focused on what she knows.

“I saw a bar and grill when we rode in. We ought to eat some ribs, drink some beers, and dance to some songs. Then, with the mood set, you can pork Coco until her brain doesn’t need to be smothered.”

“Same with you, man.”

“Naw, I’ve got to be patient. Austen got roughed up sexually when she was a teenager. She can’t rip off her clothes and have a good time like you and me.”

“What’s she going to do at the Pigsty when you run around buck naked with your wang swinging in the breeze?”

“She’ll enjoy the view like everyone does when I remove my clothes.”

Goose smirks. “She’s a frigid, rich girl. I love you, man. But you’ve set yourself up to fail here.”

“Do you remember when Nomad abducted that pregnant lady and her kids? You and I sat on the back deck, smoking a joint and talking shit about how that would turn out.”

“I still think she’ll leave him one day.”

Laughing at Goose’s bullshit, I poke her with my boot. “And we just recently put money down on how quickly Hobo would screw up his attempt at romance. Now, his girlfriend is living at the Pigsty and thinks he’s fucking amazing.”

“Xenia might have brain damage from living in Vegas for too long,” Goose mutters before shrugging. “She does cook really well, and I like how she’s sweet to Hobo.”

“We bet wrong on Nomad and Hobo. You also thought Armor couldn’t make shit stick with Yazmin. We’ve actually been wrong a lot.”

“And you’re being wrong about Austen now.”

Shaking my head, I grumble, “No, you missed my point.”

“Oh, I got it, but you’re wrong. She will never fit your life.”

“My life’s been the same for twenty years. I can change it up.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

“Armor wanted Yazmin. Except he didn’t want to live in her tiny house or build his own. He also wasn’t looking to be a dad. But he wanted Yazmin, so he changed up his life to make room for her. Have you ever seen him happier than he’s been since they hooked up?”

Goose likes to portray herself as a cold bitch. Ever since we were kids, she pretended like nothing could break her heart. Anger is her shield against the world.

Yet, she’s never been able to hide her soft spot for her brother. Despite her misgivings toward Yazmin, Goose can’t deny Armor is better off now.

“What if Austen hurts you?”

“I’ll survive. I’m not Hobo or even Nomad. I can survive losing my dream woman like they can’t. But I also know no other woman’s going to make me feel this way. I get this one shot at something magical. If I fuck up, I’ll end up with a good life, but it’ll never be great. And those regrets will haunt me until I’m an old man walking around naked at the Pigsty with my limp dick swinging in the breeze.”

“You’re going to look so weird as an old man.”

“Yes, probably,” I reply, sharing her grin. “I’ve been big and virile for so long. I can’t imagine how I’ll shrink down to an old-man size.”

“Um, well, I don’t think Ed and Glenn shrunk all that much, and they’re really old.”

I consider Ruin’s dad and uncle. The men were my heroes growing up. They’d ride around McMurdo Valley on their motorcycles, wearing leather jackets and flashing weapons. They weren’t in a club, instead working for the local power players. The men seemed freer than anyone else I knew.

These days, the men are in their seventies. Neither one is puny, so maybe I don’t need to be that way one day, either. That’s a relief since I don’t know how I can shrink to my dad’s size.

---