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“Yeah, now pull the other one,” I grinned as I spun the wheelchair around and moved deeper into the house. Jesse came from the kitchen with a sandwich in his hand, and my boy stopped dead at the sight of Celt carrying the babe.
“Nope, it’s the truth. Chance made it a fuckin’ order,” Shee said with a grin.
“Who does that belong to?” Jesse spat, anger in his voice.
“Jesse, this is Louisa Mae, Chance, and Clio’s baby. Louisa won’t sleep for them but will for those three. So, Chance forced them to take Louisa Mae while they get rest,” I explained quickly, not liking the horror on my son’s face. Jesse stared at Celt for a few moments and shoved half a sandwich into his mouth before barging past.
“Should I go after him?” Celt questioned, clearly lost.
“Nope, let Jesse work his feelings out,” I replied as I stared after Jesse. It crossed my mind that Jesse was jealous and was unsure how to handle it. That was a problem I didn’t understand how to resolve. Hellfire was back in our lives without conscious effort, and Celt and I were acting semi-normal around each other. Jesse had dropped some of his walls while I’d been unconscious and suffering fromanterograde amnesia. Although the band and Jed and Nana had offered love and support, Jesse had regressed to needing a parent, and Celt was still his father.
“Jesse doesn’t hate me as much?” Celt asked, depositing Louisa Mae near Levi, who was lounging in a chair.
“Jesse hasn’t said, but he’s talking and not ripping your head off.”
“What did you tell Jesse?” Celt murmured shamefully. Shee perked up, wanting the answer, and Levi sent me a sideways glance.
“The truth. That you didn’t wish to stay with the band and picked Hellfire over me. You returned and attacked me, which was out of character for you. Jesse was told that you’d never touched drugs, so that night was completely unexpected and that I miscarried his twin the same night. I never spoke of you with hate, although that was an enormous effort because I wanted to. I let Jesse decide.
“What age was Jesse when you spoke to him about shit?” Celt sought.
“Five, Jesse found out about his sibling, and eleven when he discovered how I lost his twin. Jesse had begun digging, and I headed shit off before things grew out of proportion.”
“So, you never actively turned Jesse against me?” Celt asked; that was important if he was to have a chance at building a relationship with his son.
“No, but being around the band and understanding how they felt about abuse, Jesse learned from an early age about right from wrong. But did I encourage hate in Jesse? No. I’ve respect for Jesse, and he’s clever enough to make his own decisions.”
“Where do we go from here, Chey?” Celt asked and spied Shee craning his neck so much Shee nearly fell off the sofa. Celt rolled his eyes and rose to his feet. “Let’s take a walk.” I snorted at Celt’s careless words, and Celt had the grace to look ashamed. However, he grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and moved me outside, away from busy bodies. Levi looked disgruntled, which amused me. For all Hellfire’s alpha attitudes, there was nothing more they enjoyed than interfering in each other’s lives.
“Where were we?” Celt asked as he pushed me into the gardens that surrounded the house.
“You tell me,” I said cautiously. This was a confrontation I wasn’t ready for. Even with my heart-searching, I wasn’t prepared for this.
“Chey, we screwed each other’s brains out before the accident. As much as we may want to deny it, that chemistry was still present.”
“Not denying that, yes, it was.”
“Hated you for leaving, Chey. I struggled to reconcile fame was more important than what we had….”
“Woah, hold on….” I interrupted, and Celt cut me off.
“No, you listen, Chey. That’s why I thought you left. I’d no recollection of events that night. So, I built up hate that fame and fortune meant more to you than me. Now I know the truth, and I’ve sorted through the emotions and confusion that accompanied the revelations. I needed to hurt you for taking Jesse from me. But I had to acknowledge that any trouble I could cause you would be forever eclipsed by what I’d done.”
“That’s true; the same went for me, Celt. I wanted to remind you of everything you’d lost in choosing Hellfire over me. For being Zeus’s little patsy and obeying him. But in keeping Jesse safe and away from you, I’d caused you the worst pain I could.”
“I was slayed when I saw Jesse for the first time, Cheyenne. The feelings of betrayal and misery were overwhelming, and I wanted to tear you limb from limb. That’s why I intended to play you and gain revenge, but you’ve been playing an entirely different game from me. And I don’t want to play anymore, Chey. I want to move forward, somehow, but on your terms, whatever you wish, I’ll support.” Celt opened himself up and dropped his walls. He let Chey see the emotion he still had for her. It had taken a while to dig them out from the corner of his heart, where Celt had sent them for his self-preservation.
“I don’t know what I want, Celt. Cheyenne and Drew are long dead. Neither of us are the same person. Plus, I think that history can’t be recovered. We’ve both moved past that. I brought up a teenager. You got involved with another woman and thought she had your child. There is a lot of distance and living between us now.” I had to be honest with Celt; there wasn't room for errors anymore.
“You constantly lurked at the back of my mind. I hated seeing articles about the band as it hurt so much. As much as I tried to avoid you, somehow, you always popped up at least once a month. I was blinded by how well The Wild Wind did. Hell, I even missed the notification you were coming here to play one last concert before taking a year’s break.” Celt gazed into the distance.
“I never asked about you, Celt. Just couldn’t. That caused too much pain. And I was scared, which lessened when Jed told me Zeus was dead. But that fear remained. I can’t forgive or forget your actions that night. They took a child from me, and that’s unforgivable. I’ve been asking myself if I can move past our history, and the truth is, I don’t know. Jeez, a month ago, I hated the thought of you, and now you’re here, bang in my face.”
“Get that, Chey. If you need space, just ask for it,” Celt offered.
“It may not be time I require Celt. How about you? What do you want?” To my surprise, Celt didn’t answer straight away but took his time. He sat on the grass and picked a blade, twirling it in his fingers.
“My family Chey, my son, and you. But if I can’t have you, I’d like to see Jesse and build a friendship with you. Fifteen years have passed between us, and now you’re back. Here, in my life, I won’t lose you again. Ain’t going to be happy, but I’ll take whatever you give me.”
