Every time he spoke Cash’s name, thought of Fee’s voice, his heart twisted.
“You fuckin’ my lil’ sister?”
“No.” The lie came easy, automatic. Instead of guilt at telling a blatant untruth to his prez, Stretch felt nothing. “Why?”
“You sounded a little irritable, son,” Mort said, lighting a cigarette. “Talking really sharp to Prez.”
“You should’ve heard how he spoke to me,” Johnnie announced, not in the kindest way.
Four pairs of eyes lasered him, and Stretch flushed, the dire situation breaking through his anger, hurt, and upheaval.
“Cash still fuckin’ Fee, yeah?” Outlaw asked. “He broke it off with you and her, huh?”
Elbows on table, Stretch cradled his head in his hands. “Fee has nothing to do with this. If she’s going through something, we have nothing to do with it.”
“Stretch, lemme tell you, I find out you lyin’ to me, you ain’t gonna like the repercussions too much. Under-fuckin-stand?”
“Yes.”
He could’ve pointed out that Fee was a grown woman, capable of making her own mistakes, but he knew better.
“If you wanna talk about what the fuck Cash did, I’m fuckin’ here anytime, hear me, Stretch?”
“Yes, Outlaw,” he responded. “Loud and clear.”
“Only fuckin’ thing my ass can tell you is what the fuck every motherfucker say—if Cash for you, the motherfucker can fly to Mars to escape you. You either flyin’ the fuck there, too, for some reason, or he flyin’ the fuck back.”
In other words, if it was meant for Cash and Stretch to be together, nothing would keep them apart. Not even Fee.
Several times over the next couple weeks, Fee pulled up Cash’s phone number to call him and attempt to change his mind. Just as quickly, she’d find Stretch’s number, before reminding herself neither of them had tried to call her, so she wouldn’t go out of her way to bridge the chasm, when her request was simple.
Tit-for-tat wasn’t a way to make a relationship work, but neither was hiding. Perhaps, if Kansas City hadn’t happened, she wouldn’t know what it felt like to have the freedom to go anywhere they pleased and not just a neighborhood bar. That taste of what it could be like gave wings to her dreams.
Dreams that wasn’t to be. Both Cash and Stretch seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth. She’d attempted to sneak glances of them, but never had, so she’d decided to come to her apartment today, the first time since the breakup. She missed her own space. As much as she loved having people around, she needed time to mourn the loss of her guys openly.
“Ant Fee!” CJ called.
When she was leaving the house, CJ asked to come with her. Somehow, he’d convinced her to bring Ryder, too. By the time they arrived at the apartment, both boys had been ready for naps.
“Ant Fee!”
CJ’s second screech and Ryder’s whine got Fee moving. Ryan and Devon were a breeze to babysit. CJ was a handful on his own. She smiled. Much like his father.
Jumping from the sofa, she ran to her bedroom, finding CJ holding Ryder down, who struggled to move, a turn away from rolling to the floor if CJ wasn’t there.
Crap. She was usually a better babysitter than this.
Ryder released a frustrated wail, and CJ raised frightened green eyes to hers.
“Good job, bud.” She rushed to her nephews and scooped Ryder into her arms.
“Bitch ass baby,” CJ complained, huffing out a breath.
Holding back laughter, Fee pretended not to hear. “Come on. Let’s see what Meggie sent in that huge bag.”
“Him like airplanes,” CJ informed her, as if she didn’t know, running ahead and going to the diaper bag. He unzipped it.
Before Fee spoke, he poured everything out. She groaned. “Thanks, CJ.”
“Welcome, Ant Fee.”
After changing Ryder’s diaper and quieting him down, she arranged the blanket Meggie sent—with CJ’s help—and found baby crackers in a Ziploc bag—again with CJ’s help. He stuffed a handful into his mouth, then scattered some around Ryder. The baby followed his brother’s antics and grinned at the faces CJ made.
Satisfied they were settled and would keep each other entertained, Fee got to her feet, just as her doorbell rang.
“Coming!”
She opened her door to find Val, Zoann, Georgie Mason, and five children there. Zoann’s smile lit up her face and Georgie gave her a sheepish grin, her brow lifted.
It came to Fee that she shouldn’t know Cash’s sister.
“Ant Zo!” CJ screamed, saving her from the awkward moment. “Ant George! Bryn!”