Zep shook his head. “Talk to your aunt. Get her to back the hell off. That’s all you can do for Sera now. I thought I would beat up Cal here when he called me. He’s way smaller than you, and honestly, he’s got a soft middle.”
“Hey,” Cal began.
Zep ignored him. “But now I think I’ll do what I should have done in the first place and give you the ass kicking you deserve.”
He should have known Zep would come out swinging. “Come on, man.”
“Don’t you think I can’t do it. I’ve been in many bar fights.” Zep’s fists were clenched, his jaw tight. “I might be smaller than you, but I won’t play fair, and if I can kick that leg off you, I will use it to beat you.”
Zep understood neither how a C-Leg worked nor how Harry himself worked. He glanced down to make sure Shep wasn’t about to defend him. Nope. Shep was on his belly, his eyes closed as if to tell the human he was on his own. “I’m not going to fight you. That’s the last thing Sera needs. I love your sister. I would do anything to help her.”
“Then why would you betray her like this?” Zep asked.
“I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to tell my aunt anything at all.” But he’d walked into that house and asked the question. He hadn’t thought Celeste would be home, but it was still his responsibility.
“He found out I knew.” Angie settled back in the chair. “Sera hadn’t told him that part. He also didn’t know Mom was home. It was a weird situation. Then Sera showed up and Mom went nuclear. I’m disinherited and my wedding will now be held here. At the No Tell Motel. Can’t they change the name? It’s going to look really bad on the invites.” She glanced up at Harry. “See, that’s what I mean. The minute I tell Mom I’ve moved the wedding here, she’ll cave.”
“You’re not getting married here,” Cal said.
“No, I know exactly what will happen. Now I have to decide if I let it happen. She’ll try to walk this back without ever acknowledging what the problem is.”
“That sounds about right. She’s going to come around. She doesn’t understand why you did it.” Cal took the seat by his sister. “I do. I would have done the same thing. I wouldn’t have let my father raise another child. I can fix this.”
“You shouldn’t even try. It’s too soon. If you go talk to her tonight, you’ll be the next one cut off.” Angie’s lips curled up slightly.
Harry moved toward Zep. If he threw a punch, Harry would take it. “I’m serious. I didn’t mean to hurt her. I love her. I offered to marry her.”
“Excellent. We can have a double wedding right here. Split the cost,” Angie announced.
He ignored her. “I’ll do anything it takes to make this right.”
Zep’s anger seemed to deflate. “So you’re just a dumbass? You didn’t pick your rich family over my sister?”
“I walked out on my rich family. I was never looking to make money off my relationships,” he explained.
“He’s serious about that,” Cal chimed in. “Mom offered him a cushy job with the company and he turned her down.”
Like he wanted to be at a desk all day. He couldn’t stand the thought of it. He wanted to be working on something he cared about. Like Sera’s house. Like building a family with the woman he loved. “What can I do?”
Zep sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know. She’s so upset, and she’s scared about money. If Celeste is already talking to a lawyer, we’ve got to find one for Sera. Everything Remy has is in the restaurant. Momma has the house we live in. It’s worth something. I’ve got a couple of thousand saved up, but that won’t go far. I’ll see what I can get for my truck.”
“You don’t have to sell your truck.” Cal looked to his friend. “I’m going to figure this thing out.”
“I can’t wait for that,” Zep replied. “We can’t take the chance that things don’t work out. Your mother has a lot of pull with people in this parish. She knows judges. We know shrimpers. Who do you think is coming out on top of that argument? No, we need a lawyer and we need a good one.”
“So what she needs now is cash?” Harry didn’t know any lawyers. Every word out of Zep’s mouth threatened to make him sick. Sera was somewhere terrified that she could lose her child and he was sitting in a motel parking lot drinking beer and being useless.
“I thought she recently came into a bunch of money,” Angie pointed out. “And I’m not with Cal on this one. I don’t think Mom will change her mind about the kid.”