Page 122 of Relentles
“Why not, Daddy?”
“I’mMegan’s best friend,” he reiterated. “No other motherfucker can fill that role. He’ll end up wanting pussy from her…”
“I think that’s the point she’s trying to make about you and Torie, Outlaw,” Uncle Val said with a frown.
“Myfuckin’ point is all this bullshit not necessary.”
“Of course it isn’t. I’m unmuting him, so you can hear the rest.”
“Reb—”
“Brett?”
“I’m here.”
“In case anyone is wondering, Momma fretted for a week about whether or not to keep it from my daddy. She chose to save your miserable life.”
“M-miserable?”
“You propositioned mypregnantmother.” She glared at her father. “When every other word out of her mouth was about who? Her husband. I wouldn’t have just dumped fucking water over you. I would’ve conked your fucking head. Because,you, Brett, freaked her out and stressed her out.”
“The last thing I want to do is hurt her.”
“I’m sure,” Rebel said dryly.
“I’d never heard her use bad language,” he breathed. “I never thought a woman saying,fuck off, jackass, would be so arous—”
“Don’t you fucking say it,” Rebel cut in, agitated. She bit off and spit out another nail.
“What’s the meatshack?”
Daddy looked ready to explode, but he was keeping his promise. She smirked at him.
“I’m not sure,” she said, dripping innocence. “I’ve never heard the term before.”
“The g-g-g-guy…theunrehashableelement—”
“Please shut the fuck up with that. That isnota fucking word, dummy.” Hearing it truly annoyed her, but she was also trying to deflect attention from Uncle Mort.
“He made the meatshack sound very bad.”
Rebel resisted the urge to look at her uncle. She wanted to make a point and to get back at Brett, even though it happened when her mother was carrying Gunner. If he hadn’t sent those flowers while Momma was recovering from Jo’s birth, Rebel might not have bothered. Torie would’ve gotten away with her condescension since no one else bothered to defend her.
As if she didn’t know what a fucking platonic relationship was.
Daddy lifted a brow, silently asking if there was more.
“You took things a little too far, Brett. My mother worships my father and trusts him. She believes he’dnevertext another woman behind her back,” Rebel said, trying to drive home that point.
“I know. I know. I just got beside myself,” he admitted. “I was hoping to change her mind and handled it all wrong. She said her husband is the jealous type. I didn’t care. I thought it was a brush-off. Before she started bringing you to every appointment and that, er,himpaid me a visit, Kendall…God, Rebel, the damage…she called mywife.”
“Poor you,” Rebel said, rolling her eyes.
“She…I don’t even know how she discovered my personal information. I was almost ruined. It drove me mad! Mad with desire and…and love…and…feelings. Your mother’s blue eyes are like the bluest crab in a deep blue ocean. Her hair is like fields of wheat sprouting from her scalp.”
“Keep reciting that and I will summon Byron’s ghost to cut your fucking tongue out.” Rebel shook her head. “I have to go—”
“No, please! When I sent the gift for her son’s birth, a woman named Roxanne brought it to me. She said she knew V-v-voodoo. It crushed me.”
