All three women nod in understanding. I knew they wouldn’t take issue. It’s one of the many things I enjoy about them. We all care about the other and want the best for each of us. Even if that means sacrificing our time together. I don’t have to tell them how important Maisy is to me. They already know.
“I can’t believe you have a child,” Layla comments softly. “Jenny would have been ecstatic.”
My jaw tightens and a shot of pain hits my chest at the mention of Jenny. She and I had a relationship just as I have with the others. That is, until Eden’s—JW’s fiancée—ex-boyfriend literally gutted her in our own bed. Diego had a fetish for extracting the entrails of his victims while raping them. While he didn’t rape Jenny in the traditional sense, he did rape her with the sharp end of his knife, before he sliced her insides open.
I’ve seen a lot of shit in my life, have even dealt some pretty gruesome punishments myself, but walking in that room and seeing Jenny the way she was damn near did me in. I care deeply for all of my women, but Jenny was special. She was special to all of us. She was the sweetest, most caring person I knew. Knowing the pain she endured at the hands of that sick fuck is something I’ll live with the rest of my life.
Diego’s now dead, his head sawed nearly completely off his body by my brother Emo. He’s in an unmarked grave out in the woods.
Jamie and Gillian, who’re sitting on either side of Layla, each grab one of her hands in comfort. I wasn’t the only one deeply affected by Jenny’s death. She was Layla, Jamie, and Gillian’s best friend. Hell, she was everyone’s best friend.
“She would have,” I grunt gruffly.
I get up from my chair when my phone on the counter rings. Walking over, I snatch it up.
“Judge.”
“We’ve got a problem,” JW says angrily.
“What is it?”
“I just ran into Sierra. She had a busted lip. When I questioned her on how she got it, she blamed it on her clumsiness, but I could tell she was lying. It’s took some cajoling, but she finally admitted it was Caleb.”
“Son of a bitch,” I bite out and rake my fingers through my hair. “You have him?”
“Yes. The bastard’s scared shitless.”
“Good,” I grunt. He damn well should be. What in the fuck does he think he’s doing?
“I’m taking him out to Emo’s dad’s hunting lodge. I’ve got Trouble with me. You want to grab Emo on the way?”
“Yeah. Give me twenty and we’ll be there.”
I hang up and pocket my phone. Angry vibes course through me, making the vein in my temple pulse. The last fucking thing I need to deal with right now is a nineteen-year-old hothead who thinks he can get away with beating up on his girlfriend. He’s old enough to know what the consequences will be.
I feel a hand on my lower back and look sideways to find Layla’s worried eyes on me.
“Everything okay?”
I clear my throat. “Yeah. Just got some shit to take care of.”
I look over to Jamie and Gillian, both watching me with the same expression as Layla. As uncouth as our situation may be to most people, I got lucky when I found these three women. Four, if you count Jenny. Some would say I’m selfish, and I’m stringing them along, giving them false hope. Some would call our situation disgusting. I never really gave a damn what others think.
Leaning down, I place a soft kiss against her lips.
“I’ll be leaving early tomorrow morning. I’ll call you all and keep you updated on when I’ll be coming home.”
Letting go of Layla, I walk over to Jamie and Gillian and give them the same kiss I just gave Layla. Normally, when I’m spending my time with one of them, my focus is primarily on them. I don’t initiate intimacy with the others during that time. That’s why I keep the kisses simple and impersonal.
“If you need us, call us,” Jaime says.
I nod and grab my keys from the counter. They follow me out the door, the three of them walking one way while I go to my car. I’m sure they’ll end up at one of their houses to discuss what I told them today. Me having a child is a big shock for anyone, especially after my vehemence about never wanting any.
Jerking my car door open, I get behind the wheel and peel out of my driveway.
TWENTY MINUTES LATER, I’m pulling to a stop in front of an old run-down hunting lodge. The place should have been torn down years ago, but for some reason, Emo refuses to do it.
&nb