I pounded on the door in anger.
The girl shrieked. “Where are me knickers?!”
Aideen placed a hand on her forehead. “Omigod.”
I resisted the urge to kick the door open.
“It’ll be okay,” I told my wife.
“She has no knickers on,” Aideen scowled. “What part of that is okay?”
Not a single fucking syllable of it.
“He was havin’ sex,” she whispered. “Kane, what if he wasn’t wearin’ protection?”
My heart dropped as the two teenagers rapidly dressed on the other side of the door.
“Daisy, I’m sorry about this.”
Aideen and I looked up when the door to the bedroom opened and stood the black-haired girl, now fully dressed, but had a face so red her skin looked crimson. She looked at Aideen, then at me, and for a moment, she didn’t look in shock about what was happening. She looked at me like she was checking me out, and I didn’t know whether to laugh or shout at her, but she didn’t give me a chance. Instead, she ran by us without a single word and fled our apartment. Aideen and I focused on Jax whose face was still pale as he sat on the edge of his bed. He had jeans on but remained shirtless with his hair wild.
“What d’ye’ have to say for yourself, Jax Daniel Slater?” Aideen demanded. “Well?”
Jax frowned. “What d’ye want me to say, Ma?”
“I want ye’ to man up and tell me if I need to ring that girl’s parents so they can bring ‘er to get the mornin’ after pill.”
“No, please.” Jax choked. “Both of ‘er brothers will kill me. They’re in their mid-twenties.”
I cut in. “Not if I kill you first.”
Jax ducked his head and tried to avoid what I knew was a murderous gaze that I shot his way.
“Look”—he swallowed—”ye’ both came home before I could ... ye’ know.”
“Thank God.” Aideen breathed, placing a hand on her chest. “Oh, thank you, Jesus.”
The relief that fell off my shoulders was instant.
“Good,” I clipped. “You don’t deserve to know what it feels like yet, you little fuc—”
“Kane.” Aideen shook her head.
“Give me five minutes with him. I’ll break it so this won’t happen again.”
Jax leaped to his feet, rushed forward, and hid behind his mother.
“Ma!”
Aideen turned and raised her eyebrow. She looked up at Jax who was already four inches taller than her at sixteen years old.
“I’m very disappointed in ye’,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “Ye’ promised me ye’ would tell me when ye’ started to take a physical interest in girls. Ye’ promised.”
At that moment, Jax wasn’t sixteen anymore. He was a little boy who realised he’d upset his mother.
“Mama,” he said softly. “I’m ... I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinkin’.”
Aideen shook her head and looked away from our firstborn, tears glazing her eyes. “I’m goin’ to go and tidy up before the boys get home from Harley’s.”
I frowned as Aideen turned and walked away.
“Ado?” I called after her.
Her sniffles were audible then, and it tore me and, from what I could see, my son apart.
“I oughtta kick the shit out of you, you selfish little asshole!” I lowly bellowed at Jax when Aideen was out of earshot. “You’ve made her cry.”
Jax didn’t flinch. “I hate me too right now.”
“I don’t hate you, and neither does your mom,” I scowled. “We’re just furious with you. What the hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinkin’ about losin’ me virginity to the hottest girl in school. You or Ma didn’t enter me mind in there, Da.”
I wanted to throttle him. “You’re my son, but you can’t keep it in your pants like your uncles when they were your age!”
Jax raised an eyebrow in question. “Which ones?”
“The twins,” I grunted. “Obviously.”
Jax looked a little proud, but only for a second before he glanced down the now empty hallway were Aideen retreated.
“I really hurt ‘er.”
“Yeah,” I replied, “you did.”
“And you?” Jax looked at me. “I hurt ye’, too?”
Like a sucker punch.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Me too.”
Jax looked distraught. “I’m sorry, Da.”
“I know”—I sighed—”but you understand why we’re upset, right? Firstly, you’re our baby, and you’re doing things you shouldn’t be doing at your age. Secondly, we told you how your mother got pregnant with you. You’re one of five of the best things that have ever happened to us, but you weren’t planned, and we struggled coming to terms with there being an ‘us’ and ‘family’ and we were in our late twenties! Do you think you could handle a surprise baby at sixteen?”
Jax looked visibly sick. “Jesus. No.”
“Then think with the head on your shoulders,” I roughly stated, then softened my tone. “Look, I know what’s it’s like, trust me. I’ve been where you are, but you have to be smart about this, Jax. You can’t just go around having sex with different girls no matter how hot they are. Pregnancy isn’t the only worry. There are nasty STDs you can catch, too.”