“I got an issue that may cause some shit down here at the Spring Bash,” I tell him, letting Fox get a moment to prepare for the news I’m about to tell him.
“Shit, what now?” he asks.
“Nothing bad for the store front side, but you know the shit that happened between Luna and me?”
“Yeah, that was some crazy shit. I can’t believe she didn’t tell you or find you,” he responds.
“Kind of hard to do that when you’re kicked out of a hotel room, having to change in front of a fucking pig, only knowing my name as Cruz. I could go on for days. It’s been hard to contain my anger since my woman cried in my lap telling me everything about River fucking Harris and what she was forced to do. I feel the need to seek revenge.” I look down at my boy, thinking about all the times I missed with him, not being there for his birth, not seeing him do a few of his firsts, including rolling over, crawling, eating certain foods. Sure, I know I’ll be there from here on out, but who was there when Luna needed a fucking shoulder or someone to go out and buy her midnight cravings, which I learned was French fries and pickles?
“Fuck, you didn’t tell me that, Cruz. Had I known, it wouldn’t even be a question. Whatever blowback happens, we’ll come out on top. Don’t worry about that. Just take care of your family.” I haven’t even told him my plan, yet he’s already on my side. This is the kind of brotherhood I have. If I called Jax, he’d be here too. Hell, Saint already moved down here before we opened up Wet Spot. He was tired of the cold-as-fuck weather in Montana after he left the Army Rangers. He’s been a thorn in my side ever since, not really working but figuring shit out. If I know him, though, he’ll come out on top.
“Hey, that’s Mel calling. Anything you need, I’ve got your back, brother. Say hello to the little momma, and I’ll talk to you soon, Sailor.” Fox heard him babbling in the background, I’m sure. That’s just Fox, though, always aware of his surroundings.
“Later. Thanks, man.” We both hang up, then it’s just me and my boy.
“Mi hijo, what do you say we blow this popsicle stand?” As much as I want to sit here and fine tooth comb my plan for River, now isn’t the time. I have so many other things that need to get done first, starting with my family.
18
Luna
Two Weeks Later
“Are you ready to watch Daddy shred the waves today?” Mateo set everything up for us bright and early. All we had to do was come down once both of us were dressed and ate breakfast, not to mention we’re lathered with sunscreen. Mateo even put up an umbrella, knowing today was going to be a long one, though I’m not too sure how long our boy is going to last out here. He’s been teething non-stop, which has made for middle-of-the-night wake-up calls. Let’s just say Mateo and I are hardly getting any sleep. It’ll be worth it in the end, as soon as his tooth pops out, that is.
“Da-da-da, ma-ma-ma.” Those are Sailor’s words on repeat every hour of every day lately, and we are gobbling them up.
“I know what you mean, kiddo.” We’re both wearing shirts with the Wet Spot’s name on them, and I’m proud to be rocking them, but in no way is our son wearing them when he becomes a teenager. Mateo laughed saying boys will be boys. That was until I told him that’s how girls get pregnant, and how would you feel if that happened to our daughter? He quickly changed his tune and agreed with me.
I take a sip of my iced coffee. Another plus to living at the beach, the vendors are usually open all the time, or they have food carts set up for your every whim. The surfers are gearing up, ready to get out in the ocean. My eyes never leave Mateo’s form, his lightly tanned skin, muscular back, an ass for days, tattoos on both arms, one a half sleeve, the other a full sleeve, but what gets me the most is when he turns around, points at Sailor and me, then covers his heart with his hand in a gesture that is purely Mateo. I repeat the motion, helping Sailor do the same, and then he’s running into the waves that are crashing, sliding onto his surfboard, paddling to wait for the perfect set to come his way.
My eyes go from Mateo to Sailor. Trying to keep him entertained while waiting isn’t an easy task. We make do though. See, the reason why Mateo wanted us here early was to try to circumvent River from bothering us in the middle of the day. Apparently, he was slated to be here long before Mateo knew about Sailor and me. We had our first big argument over this. I didn’t want the slimy rat anywhere near our son, but something Mateo said made me listen to his pleading and asking me to trust him, even when my gut said not to.