Page 24 of Fiend
“Well, she is me. And she’s you.” Essa trails her finger over Poppy’s cheek.
“She’s us.”
I take a good look at Essa, from her ruffed-up hair, pale cheeks, and deep circles under her eyes down to her hospital gown halfway open with one tit out and the corner of a bandage peeking through the side from her C-section.
“My little mama.”
I don’t mean to say it out loud, but it comes out anyway, and it has Essa’s instant glare softening into one of love, instead of anger.
Only she can glare with love.
“I love you, Vin.”
“Love you too, baby.” I carefully remove myself from the bed to grab my phone when Essa blurts out behind me.
“Can you please just fix shit with Jax? He’s the one that saved me. And saved Poppy,” she adds, knowing she’s got me hook, line, and fucking sinker.
I spin around on my heels, pinning her with a glare of my own, but she’s not perturbed in the slightest.My little brat.
We lock stares for a moment, and when it’s obvious she’s not going to budge, I relent. But only because I know it’s inevitable. And I did fuck up.
“Fuckingfine.”
“Good because they’re on their way.”
“Of course they are.” I take a seat on the edge of the bed again and place my hand on top of Essa’s. “I—”
“Knock knock!” Leo’s gruff voice calls out, and the door to the room swings open. Both he and Jaxon walk into the room, with Jax hanging behind. I notice their fingers are interlocked, but when Jax spots me glaring, he pulls his hand from Leo’s grip and steps back.
Leo looks behind him and then at me. “Don’t fucking start, Vin.”
“Hey,” I hold up my hands, being a smartass, “I didn’t fucking say shit.”
“With your face, you fucking did,” Leo snarls. He reaches for Jax’s hand again and grips it tightly, pulling him into the room. He walks up to Essa and places a kiss on her forehead.
“Hey, sweetheart. How are you feeling?” I watch them silently. He acts like such a fucking father to her sometimes as well, but I know Essa needs it.
“Fucking tired. This little one wants to eat every hour, apparently. And my nipples fuckinghurt.”
Leo barks out a laugh, brushing Essa’s hair back from her face. “Yeah, it’ll get better soon. Use nipple cream, and when she latches, make sure she’s latched correctly. If she’s not, you can—”
“How the fuck do you know all that?” I ask, balking at him. He’s spewing all of these facts like it’s second nature. I didn’t think he knew shit about kids.
He stares at me, his mouth agape. His face pales as he stares at me, and my brows scrunch together.What the fuck?
He quickly snaps out of it and shakes his head. “Just useless information I’ve picked up over the years.” His tone is low and off-balance, but I decide to let it go for now. I’ve got enough shit going on; I don’t need Leo’s weird behavior added to it.
I shift my attention to Jax as Leo goes back to telling Essa all this shit I’m sure she read about in her many books. He’s staring out of the window, but his hand is still clasped tightly in Leo’s.
“Let’s talk.” I incline my head toward the door before walking in that direction, and he releases Leo’s hand to follow me.
Once outside in the hall, I lean against the wall and let my head fall back against it. I hear the shuffle of his feet on the squeaky vinyl floor as he shifts from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable.
Lowering my head to meet his gaze, I choose to ignore the fact that his pierced nose is swollen and bruised, along with his cheekbone. After letting out an annoyed sigh, I say, “Look. I’m sorry I fucked up your face. What happened to Essa wasn’t your fault. It was mine.”
Jax scoffs and runs his fingers through his bleached-blonde hair. He turns around before turning back and pinning me with a glare. “I fucking love her. And for you to insinuate it was my fault was fucking bullshit, Vincent. I have done nothing but be there for her for two fucking years.”
“I know.” It’s all I can say because he has every right to be pissed, and for once, I don’t feel an ounce of anger, of anything other than contentment. “I fucked up, and I’m sorry, okay? It won’t happen again.”
