Page 31 of Jackass

“No. I don’t know what she’s doing here. Frankly, I don’t care. My daughter isn’t going anywhere. And neither are you. We still have a lot to talk about. Send her home.” I snatched Charlie from her mother and walked into the kitchen.

I didn’t care what she did to get rid of her, but she wasn’t getting near my daughter.

“How about a snack, Shortcake?” I plopped her down in a chair and went to the fridge. As I gathered some fruit to cut up for Charlie and me, I heard the kitchen door swing open.

It wasn’t Sammy.

I could still hear her talking heatedly with Carrie in the main room.

King sat at the table with Charlie and waited for me. He was talking quietly with my daughter while I stood at the counter cutting up fruit, trying to listen to the argument in the other room.

Placing the pile of cut up fruit in the middle of the table, I sat down next to Charlie.

“What the fuck is this?” King asked, picking up a squashed blueberry.

“It’s fruit, and don’t cuss in front of my daughter.”

Charlie giggled next to me.

“Why is it squished? And these pieces are so small, you can’t even pick them up with a fork,” King complained.

“She’s a baby. I don’t want her to choke.”

“I’m not a baby, Daddy.” Charlie scowled at me. Her little eyebrows scrunched up and her little mouth pursed like she ate something sour.

“Dumbass. Haven’t you learned anything from Beck? Women don’t like being called little.” King smirked at me before tossing a grape slice into his mouth.

Yes, I sliced the grapes.

“You said a bad word, Uncle King.”

King smiled at Charlie.

“Sweetheart, there are no bad words. I said a grown-up word. Some words you need to be a grown-up to say.” King smirked at me.

Well, shit, he was right.

“I know you’re a big girl, Shortcake, but you’re still my baby,” I said and kissed the top of her head.

The door to the kitchen slammed open, and Sammy stood there, fuming. I knew she was mad at me. I just didn’t care.

“What the hell, Jack?” Sammy stomped toward the table.

“Mommy.”

“I know I said a bad word, Charlie. I am really upset with Daddy right now, so please forgive me.” She smiled at our daughter.

“Uncle King said there are no bad words. Some words are grown-up words, and you have to be a grown-up to say them.” Just like that, she went back to eating her fruit with King.

Sammy glared at King.

“I will talk however the fuck I want in my house. It’s not my fault if parents can’t or won’t teach their kids what they can say and what they fucking can’t,” King admonished.

With a heavy sigh, Sammy turned back to me.

“Jack, we need to talk about what happened out there. The way you treated Carrie really hurt her.”

“Don’t care. Did she leave?”