Christmas Outburst

CHAPTER NINE

– NIXIE –

The long bath I took in complete serenity was energizing. I have no clue how I should feel after what I’ve experienced, and I might be a little insane here, but I’m completely okay with where I am right now.

These past few months…hell, since the day my asshole husband announced he wanted a divorce, everything went from bad to worse. It was as if a rug was pulled from underneath my feet and made me land hard on my ass. My life took a turn and another hit when I lost my mother.

It’s been one thing after another, dealing with everything by myself. All while now, in this current situation, even if it’s linked to Zale, he’s right there taking care of me. In all my years of marriage there hasn’t been a single moment where I felt the way I do now.

Appreciation and mutual respect might be the keywords which cause for the realization something has been wrong and lacking in my marriage long before my husband cheated on me. Again, I should feel sad, guilty, or…again, I have no clue how I should feel.

All I know is the fact that I’m thankful to be where I am right now. Especially when the scent of pizza enters my nose the second I step into the hallway. My stomach rumbles and I wander in the direction of the main room of the clubhouse.

Zale is talking to Leon and I don’t mean to overhear, but I pick up their conversation anyway.

“She’s different,” Zale states. “I can’t explain exactly how it’s–”

Leon cuts him off, “She really is, Dad. It’s why I told her she should date and how you should date her. Nixie never ignored me, always waved, said hi to me, or a little chitchat when I walked past her house. Then she was there the day Vera…yeah, she’s different. Fierce. Today she protected me again. She got hurt…but she didn’t blame me.”

Leon hangs his head, and I want to step forward but Zale grabs his shoulder and grunts, “Your mother is the one fucking up, Leon. No damn way any of this is your fault.”

Leon’s head whips up and he steps back to make Zale’s hand fall away.

There’s so much anger in Leon’s voice when he snaps, “Don’t call her my mother, because she’s dead to me. She only wants to hurt the ones I care about while she doesn’t even care about me. I hate her. Vera doesn’t deserve to be my mom and I definitely don’t see her that way either. I hate her. I hate her. I hate her.”

My chest tightens at the torment in his voice and without thinking I step forward and pull him into my arms. “Your father is right, none of this is your fault. And you shouldn’t hate anyone because it’s an intense hostility which will drain you long-term.”

Leon’s arms wrap tightly around my waist, his body starts to shake.

His voice is a mere whisper when he chokes out, “I can’t stop. I hate her for hurting you, for what she might do…what if she comes back and kills you…finish what she started all those years ago?”

Dammit. My heart squeezes painfully for the sake of this kid and what his bitch of a mother did. Vera pulled him, her own damn son, into such havoc that it’s still disrupting his life. Her escaping jail? I only thought about the danger and wanted her to get caught, all while the threat is completely different for Leon.

The fear. The scars she left on his brain. The tainted memories which might become a reality once again because who the fuck knows what that woman has planned? I mean, she manipulated a guard and somehow made it possible for her to escape. What else could she be capable of because the last time she tried to burn down the clubhouse and almost killed this poor kid.

“Not gonna happen, son,” Zale rumbles and throws his huge, muscled arms around both of us. “The only thing going up in flames this time is her own life. And it’ll happen by her own hand ’cause she’s solely responsible for her own actions. You know we have cameras in place and this club has evolved. The things that recently happened shouldn’t have. Vera showing up at the house could have been prevented if those fuckers gave us a heads-up. I shouldn’t have left you with Nixie without protection. I thought you’d be safe since Nixie’s shop doesn’t have any link to us, other than the fact she’s our neighbor. That’s on me and I won’t make that mistake again. It’s also why I brought you guys to the clubhouse, and where we’ll stay until her ass is back in that jail cell.”

There’s a load of questions floating around inside my head with what Zale just mentioned. Especially the last sentence raises the question, “and how long will that be?” Then again, I have to agree with him due to seeing Vera in action myself twice already. The harsh reminder of Leon’s words earlier, showing a glimpse of the trauma he endured? Yeah, fuck that bitch; keeping safe has priority.

“Did I smell pizza?” I murmur in an effort to lighten the mood. “Because if staying here means we get to sit, watch movies, and eat pizza? I won’t be complaining for the next little while.”

Leon chokes out a laugh, Zale snickers, and Reef chuckles. Though, when I glance at Reef I notice he’s staring at his phone instead of paying attention to us. I tighten my arms around Leon right before I place a kiss on his temple, since the boy is tall for his age, and step away.

“Reef.” His name falls from my mouth with a little more force than I intended to.

I might not have been the brightest bulb when it came to my marriage, or excel in anything top of my class, but one thing is never off and that’s my motherly instincts. His gaze hits mine and he quickly shoves his phone into his pocket as if he’s been caught doing something he isn’t supposed to do.

Panic hits me and I narrow my eyes. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” he states a little too fast, clears his throat and adds, “I picked you up a new phone, it’s in church, I’ll go get it for you.”

He starts to turn and without thinking I snap, “Hold it right there, young man.”

Young man? Inwardly I cringe, but dammit, the way he looked when he shoved his phone into his pocket just now? I swore I saw a slight blush from getting caught and he looks way younger than Zale. Hell, he could be my son…okay, that’s an exaggeration since I know he’s twenty-nine and I would have been knocked up by the age of fifteen…point is, in this moment momma bear is roaring its head inside me.

Panic still flows hot through my veins. I gave him Maeve’s number. What if he mentioned something about Zale and me? I’ve kept the depth of our connection to myself. Mainly because it’s only been three months since my failed marriage, the death of her father, and the fact she’s pregnant and going through a shitty breakup while dealing with that asshole who doesn’t want anything to do with the child growing in her belly.

What if he told her about what happened at the pottery store? She’ll worry for nothing because I’m safe and even Zale mentioned we’re the safest here at the clubhouse, so she doesn’t need to know all the damn details.

“Give me your phone,” I order and hold out my hand.

“What’s going on?” Zale states when he appears at my side.

I point at his VP. “He needs to give me his phone right freaking now.”

Zale’s gaze bounces between me and Reef for a heartbeat before he snaps his fingers and holds out his hand. “Give it to her.”

“What the fuck?” Reef grunts. “It’s my phone. I’ll go get hers so she can set up her own.”

“Not the point,” I grit. “Give me your phone because I’m damn sure you’re abusing the right to contact my daughter. Was that why you so freely offered me your phone?”

Now Reef is the one narrowing his eyes at me. His shoulders are thrown back and his legs are slightly parted as if he’s bracing for a fight.

Zale steps forward. “Is that true?”

Reef’s narrowed eyes are now sliding from me to his president. A warm flush flows through my body due to the way Zale instantly takes my side without a single thought or doubt.

Reef’s shoulders sag and he releases a deep sigh. “Not at first.” He takes out his phone, unlocks it, and hands it to Zale. “The way Nixie spoke about her daughter assured me the two of them were close. I didn’t want either of them to lose contact in case something was up with Maeve. Then she texted me after Nixie called her and we’ve been throwing some texts back and forth. I might have spilled the beans about you two.”

Zale hands me the phone without looking back at me. I quickly switch to the message app and sure enough, there’s a stream of conversation bouncing back and forth between Reef and Maeve along with a picture of Zale, Leon, and me caught in a hug.

Relief hits me when I read Meave’s response to Reef’s message stating Zale and I are dating.

“She doesn’t mind,” I mutter.

Reef takes his phone back. “No, she doesn’t.”

I cross my arms in front of my chest. “You still didn’t have the right to tell her.”

“Why keep it a secret when she’s coming here anyway?” he fires back.

My mouth opens and closes while I try to think of what to say next. That is until I’m suddenly aware of how easy their conversation was and I barely scrolled through everything. Reef is twenty-nine, my daughter twenty-three, and I caught a glimpse of Reef’s profile picture where he’s sitting on his freaking bike.

“No,” I snap and step forward to jab a finger against his leather vest right where the words Vice President are sitting. “Keep your dick away from my daughter. You hear me? She doesn’t need anything other than a safe place to come home to. She’s pregnant dammit.”

“Four months, I know,” Reef grits and adds with utter fury, “Someone needs to castrate that sorry sack of shit who knocked her up and bailed on his responsibilities.”

My head rears back and I have to agree with him. “Definitely.”

Reef rubs the back of his neck. “Listen, I didn’t want to overstep or have any ulterior motive or anything. I just figured you wanted an open line of communication with your daughter and I didn’t plan on enjoying a few texts here and there. I figured she could use a friend. Besides, with Prez claiming you she’s going to be around us anyway.”

Dammit, the way he worded it just now makes me feel like a bitch.

Reef continues to add, “I get it, though. You’re her mother and want to protect her. You might not know us all that long, but I swear I won’t ever take advantage of a woman.”

I hold up my hand. “Stop it right there. No need to say those things because I know just by being around you guys that’s not the case. I apologize for jumping to conclusions, it’s just that–”

“You’re a fierce momma bear who protects her cubs no matter her age, or if the cub is even your own.” Reef lifts his chin in Leon’s direction.

I shrug. “It’s just the way I’m wired.”

Zale slides his arm around my waist and presses a kiss to my temple. “It’s one of the many things I appreciate and like about you.”

“Besides the pizza and fries,” Reef quips.

I roll my eyes and once more jab my finger against his chest. “The warning still stands, though. Keep that dick of yours in your pants when it concerns my daughter.”

He doesn’t give me the words, but at least he nods to let me know he heard me.