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.”
“Shite,” Jax groaned. “I’m so sorry. I know all this ... it’s just ... hard. Literally. All the damn time.”
Any other time, I would laugh and tease him, but not now, not about a situation as serious as this one.
“You’re grounded for a month,” I stated. “You’ll pick up more chores and extra nights to babysit your brothers and cousins. No phone. No laptop. No iPad. No Xbox or PlayStation. No soccer games or practice. I’ll deal with your coach. Unless it’s for school, you don’t leave this house, do you understand me?”
Jax looked gutted but took it like a man. “Yes, sir.”
“And bottom line, no sex in this apartment. Ever.” I raised an eyebrow then. “From now on, I’ll keep a box of condoms stocked in the bottom drawer in the bathroom for you. Put one in your wallet and replace it every single time you take it out for use. This isn’t permission to go out and have sex with every female in sight. It’s a precaution, a safety net so that if you ever get into a situation where you’re going to do something where you know that you’ll need it, make sure you use it. Be smart. Be safe. And for God’s sake, kid, make good decisions. Please. I’ll go old school and beat you bloody if I find out you’re playing girls and breaking hearts. I don’t respect a man who has no respect for women. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir.” Jax straightened. “I understand.”
“Good,” I said, then gestured Jax closer. “Now give me a hug and go comfort your mama. She works herself into a fretting state because of you and your brothers.”
Jax moved closer to me and gave me a quick hug before slapping hands with me and bumping fists.
“Hottest girl in school, huh?”
Jax’s lips twitched. “You saw ‘er. What d’you think?”
“I think she forgot about you the moment she walked out of the room. Did you not see how she stared at your old man?”
“I’m better lookin’.” Jax glared. “I look like you, me Slater uncles, me Collins uncles and me ma. I’m a genetic marvel.”
I laughed and shook my head.
“God really didn’t want me to have sex today,” he then said with a sigh. “First Uncle Nico phones me earlier when I was kissin’ Daisy then you and Ma come bustin’ in like the guards on a raid.”
I snorted but said nothing.
“Can I go to Uncle Nico’s house? I need to speak to Georgie. I’m important.”
I mulled it over for a moment, then said, “Go there, talk to her, then get your ass home. I meant it when I say you’re grounded.”
Jax nodded. “I got it.”
“Get dressed then.”
He disappeared into his room, rapidly finished dressing, then went in search of his mother. I leaned against the doorway and looked into my son’s room, glaring at the messed-up bed and shaking my head before I scrubbed my face with my hands. I used to think when my kids were toddlers and kindergarten age that they wore me out, but that was only a taste of the stress that the teenage years brought.
After I went to the bathroom, I found Aideen in the kitchen. She was cleaning the countertops even though they were already clean. I slanted against wall and folded my arms across my chest. Watching my wife, I knew she was hurting without having to ask her. I was in tune with everything about her. I always had been.
“Baby doll.”
Aideen burst into tears, then turned and rushed into my arms. I hugged her body to mine, waiting until she was all cried out to lean down and plant kisses on her face. She clung to me like she needed me to get through this moment.
“If we didn’t interrupt ‘im, he’d have lost his virginity. I heard ‘im say that.” She sniffled. “He’s too young, Kane.”
“I know,” I said, smoothing her hair back from her face. “He knows he fucked up.”
“I couldn’t even look at ‘im when he came to apologise to me,” Aideen cried. “I’m so mad at ‘im. Doesn’t he realise how easy it is to catch a disease? Or to get a woman pregnant? I don’t want his life to be—”
“Baby, relax,” I said, squeezing her tight. “He knows he messed up, and he’s grounded for it. We can both sit down with him later and discuss it, but please, don’t worry about him. We caught him before anything could happen.”
Aideen’s shoulders slumped. “He told me he’d tell me when he started likin’ girls. I had it all figured out in me head. You would have a one-on-one talk with ‘im. Not the brief facts of life ye’ gave him a few years ago, but somethin’ proper so he would be aware of the responsibilities that come with havin’ sex.”
I sighed. “He’s aware of the dangers of sex now, trust me.”
Aideen used her hands to wipe away her tears. The movements caused my eyes to shift to her arms. The burn scar on her forearm always made my chest hurt whenever I looked at it. It was a constant reminder that I once came close to losing her and Jax, who was in her belly at the time, when she was attacked by Big Phil, a nightmare from my past. But I eventually got revenge by taking his life.
“The boys are still down in Harley’s apartment,” she said, retaking my focus. “I’ll go get them. It’s almost dinnertime. They probably have me brother’s head melted.”
My brother-in-law had looked after my sons for close to two hours, so I had no doubt he needed a break from them. He did us a solid, though, taking our kids when he already had two of his own to look after. Game days were always a little crazy because we only had two sons in the same age group, but we somehow made it work. Jax was on the sixteen and under team with Locke who was fifteen. Beckett at eleven was on the under twelve team, Jagger at nine was on the under ten team, and Eli, who was seven, played on the eight and under team.