Smiling, Johnnie bent and kissed Kendall’s mouth. “Hey, gorgeous.”
Johnnie had taken Rory and Ryder to a kid-friendly McDonald’s not far away, while Kendall, Bunny and Fee browsed the store.
“Rory,” Fee greeted, hi-fiving Rory and giggling when Ryder held up his little hand. “All right, bud. You get a hi-five, too.”
She took the kid into her arms, nodding at his babbling.
“Bathroom, Dad,” Rory demanded.
“I’ll take him,” Bunny volunteered, forcing a smile on her face, the sudden tension from Kendall hard to miss. Kendall kept her eyes trained on Ryder.
“Thanks,” Johnnie said.
“Johnnie?” Kendall called, as Rory and Bunny headed toward the bathroom.
Fee sat Ryder on the floor near the table, keeping an eye on him and an ear on Kendall. Whatever she needed to say to Johnnie sounded serious.
He sat next to her in the bucket seat angled closest to her. “That’s me, sweetheart.”
“Ryder,” she said simply.
Johnnie’s eyes widened, then narrowed. “What about him?”
“He has your hair, your eyes, your everything,” she cried. “Are you sure you didn’t fuck Meggie and make him?”
Fee choked, then covered it with a cough. She thought this argument had been settled weeks ago and never expected Kendall to actually bring this outrageousness to Johnnie.
Anger darkened Johnnie’s eyes to a gunmetal gray. Though he wasn’t as surprised as Fee had expected, he was totally enraged.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” he bellowed, garnering the attention of the shop owner and two women, who’d been looking at a book of fabrics. “You know fucking well I haven’t touched Megan.”
“So Meggie’s youngest spawn belongs to Christopher? When both his other sons have black hair and green eyes like him?”
“What the fuck are you on?” Johnnie snapped, then released a string of curses. “That’s the problem, isn’t it, Kendall? It’s what you’re not on. I told you after Matilda was born, no more fucking kids if it meant what I think it means. You’re not doing this bullshit when you have the means to help yourself. Take your fucking medicine or abort the baby.” He stormed past Fee. “I’ll be in the car. The place is too rank with fucking shit for me to stay.”
“I am taking my medicine,” Kendall called. “For you to accuse me otherwise, hurts me.”
Johnnie halted at the door. “Kendall, if you were untreatable, I’d stand by each and every decision you make. I’d fix them for you to the best of my ability. What you have is treatable and I refuse to sit back while you use the excuse of no meds to get us into situations. Therefore…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “If you’re on your meds, I apologize. If I find out you’re lying to me, you won’t be happy with the outcome.”
Sniffling, Kendall got to her feet and lifted her chin. “You can’t force me to have an abortion. That’s illegal. I know my rights. Marriage doesn’t take away my freedom to make my own choices.”
“You’re so fucking right, Attorney Donovan, but I can move back to the clubhouse until you deliver.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
He lifted a brow. “You want to test that theory?”
“If you walk out while I’m carrying this baby, I won’t let Rory or Matilda see you until you come around to my way of thinking.”
“You have a short memory, Kendall. Or is it amnesia? We’ve already been down that road. Don’t push me. I meant what I said before, so back the fuck off if you still want this marriage to work.”
“Dad, ready to go,” Rory said as he and Bunny rejoined them. He grabbed his father’s hand.
“Yeah, let’s go, son.” Johnnie walked out the door without looking back.
“Come on, Fee,” Kendall said in subdued tones. “You rode over with us. We’re heading back to Hortensia.”
No way was Fee sitting in a car for thirty minutes with those two at each other’s throats.
“You all go ahead. I’m going to meet with a friend.”
“Suit yourself,” Kendall said with a shrug, stomping outside.
“You can always ride back with me,” Bunny offered, scooping up Ryder and the diaper bag that had sat forgotten on the floor next to the chair. “Ryder will probably fall asleep on the way home.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m a big girl.” She needed away from this madness, so she made a snap decision to visit Noah.
Anything was better than the battle that would take place on the ride back to the club.