Without a word, Kendall went to Meggie and allowed her to slip the spoon with a small sample of the rice, into her mouth.
“Delicious. Almost just like Roxy’s.” Walking to the refrigerator, Kendall opened it and got a bottled water before seating herself across from Stretch. The last time the three of them had been in a kitchen like this, Meggie and Kendall had gotten into a fight.
“Do you want a beer, Stretch?” Meggie asked, moving around the kitchen with ease.
“Would you mind if I talked to Father Wilkins about Matilda’s christening?” Kendall sipped her water. “He’s here, so why should we get him back out for the same thing?”
“You refused to include Matilda in the christening with my children,” Meggie stated, slicing the peeling from a cucumber. “Arrange your own meeting.”
Kendall scowled at Meggie’s profile. “Your children won’t take the spotlight from my daughter. We’ve been through this.”
“Exactly,” Meggie agreed. “So we’ve been through why you can’t discuss your daughter’s christening at a meeting regarding my children.”
“Ryder’s awake,” Bunny’s voice came through a speaker built in near the stove.
“I’ll be up.” Meggie wiped her hands on her shorts and turned off all the burners. “I have to nurse him,” she announced to no one, although Stretch thought she spoke to Kendall. He saw no reason for Meggie to tell him her kid still sucked on her tit.
“She spoils her children,” Kendall grumbled to Stretch, the moment they were alone. “If I had nursed my kids, I would’ve stopped at three months. She does it an entire year.”
“Some women go four or five years.”
“Some women enjoy having their tits sucked and use nursing as an excuse,” Kendall retorted. She got out of her seat, went to the refrigerator, and grabbed a beer for Stretch.
She held the bottle out to him. “Take it,” she demanded. “Meggie didn’t get it for you. She didn’t even offer you a refreshment.”
“She was busy,” he reminded her, grabbing the beer.
“Whatever.” Huffing, Kendall returned to her seat. “She’s being unfair about her stance on Father Wilkins. He’s here. I have every right to talk to him.”
“Did you pay for the meeting?”
“I don’t have to pay. It’s already taken care of by Meggie’s barbarian.”
“Don’t start bullshit again by engaging Outlaw in a war of words.”
She glowered at him. “What do you understand? You fuck men and have absolutely no qualms about flaunting your lifestyle to these violent assholes. That’s why you’re crippled now, so don’t hand out advice when you continue to have such poor fucking judgment. Slipper could’ve killed you.”
Why hadn’t Johnnie shut the fuck up? Stretch didn’t doubt that Meggie knew, but since Fee hadn’t confronted him, he bet she’d kept the scene at the clubhouse that resulted in Mink’s and Rock’s deaths to herself. Kendall always pushed it.
“Just when I decide to let go of my anger toward you and give you another chance, you turn into a raving bitch again.”
Kendall offered him a cool smile. “A little high on your horses, aren’t you? I just might have to bring you and Meggie down.”
Stretch sighed, regretting his outburst, but she frustrated the fuck out of him. Besides, he hadn’t been sleeping well, expecting Outlaw’s plan that the club members accept him and Cash ‘as is’ to backfire. Of course, he’d also shot two motherfuckers dead.
“Meggie wouldn’t be so high and mighty if she knew how her mother betrayed the club, would she? Or, maybe, if I mentioned to her that she killed Traveler who was trying to do the world a favor by taking out Outlaw. Fucking pig, humiliating Brooks and exiling Charlotte because he’s so focused on hurting me.” She bowed her head and hiccupped. Swallowing, she recovered her aplomb and narrowed her eyes at him. “What’ll it take to bring you down a peg or two? Hmm. Let me see.”
Fee. They both knew it. She had them over a barrel. That’s why neither him nor Cash ever admitted to knowing who Counts was. Kendall would tell their secrets. Now that there was a possibility of Fee being pregnant, Stretch didn’t want to inflame Outlaw’s temper.
Before the conversation continued, Johnnie walked in and headed to his wife. “Hey, gorgeous. How are you feeling?”
Kendall swallowed, lowering her lashes. “I’m fine,” she said, her anger and bitterness evaporating like she had an on and off switch. “Stretch and I were just talking about how good Meggie’s jambalaya is.”