Mea Culpa

Chapter 20

It was a few hours after the massive discovery that EZ finally approached Roxy again. He knew she was upset, painfully so, and he wanted to give her some time before attempting to speak to her again. When he finally did, he found her hovering over Mateo as he slept in his deceased uncle's childhood bed. EZ watched with a small, sad smile on his face until she acknowledged his presence.

"He's the best thing that ever happened to me," she whispered. "There was so much shit swirling around when I was pregnant and right after he was born, the whole experience was fucked up, but the moment he was born nothing mattered but him."

"He's a lucky kid," EZ said with sincerity.

"Is he?" Roxy asked, turning to look at EZ with accusing eyes. "You had a great childhood, EZ, and you see the way he's growing up, how he's being raised, is he really a lucky kid?"

Fighting a frown, EZ nodded. "I do. He's got an amazing mom, one of the best I've ever seen, and he is so loved, not just by you and Alvarez but by me and Bish, the whole damn club. We love that kid, any one of us would go to bat for him and you, so yeah, I think he's a very lucky kid."

Roxy began to cry, burying her face in her hands, and slowly nodded. "I'm not awful, I didn't play anyone or try to pin this baby on Esai, it was, it was really fucked up."

"What happened?" He asked, eager to know the truth.

"I keep trying to forget it," she laughed ruefully. "I keep telling myself the lie is the truth and after a while, you start to believe it."

"I get that," he nodded.

"You really wanna know?"

EZ nodded. "Yeah, I do, and I think you need to get it out."

Roxy got up from beside Mateo and, kissing him on the head, slipped out of the bedroom and pulled EZ down the hall to her mother's bedroom. "I was 18, I was stupid and he was... irresistible.

*Five Years Ago*

"How long?" Jax growled, his eyes burning holes in Happy's bare chest. When Happy didn't answer fast enough for Jax, he asked again. "How long have you been fucking my sister?"

"Six months," Happy admitted.

Jax's jaw clenched. "So as soon as she turned 18?"

"Yeah," Happy sighed.

Jax shook his head and turned away from Happy. "She's a fucking kid she's my SISTER and with all this shit going on you really think this was a smart move?"

"I didn't think, Prez," Happy said.

"You thought with your dick," he snapped.

Happy didn't have anything to say and without Jax asking him questions the room filled with a tense silence. From behind the locked bathroom door, Roxy spoke up.

"Jax, get out, I need to get dressed."

His ice-cold eyes hit the door. "We gotta talk," he said, walking toward the door. "I'm serious."

As soon as Jax left, Happy locked the apartment door before telling Roxy she could come out. When she did, her face was red from sobbing and her cheeks wet with tears.

"What's he gonna do?" She whimpered.

"Can't do anything really," Happy shrugged, "He'll get right with it, though." That meant they'd be in the ring and Happy would take a beating. It was a light sentence but he could see her face drain of color. "It's fine. I can take it."

"What are we gonna do?" She asked him quietly.

Happy shook his head. "He's right, Rox."

"He's right?" She asked dubiously. "What happened to your whole fuck em attitude?"