“Keep your guard up, babe,” she warned. “It’s my experience a leopard doesn’t change its spots.”

I nodded to her, and when I thought she’d looked away, I gave eyes to Ryn and Lottie.

“What’s with the eyes?” Pepper asked.

Okay, maybe I should have made sure that she’d looked away.

But she saw them, and I’d learned of late that avoidance was something to avoid.

Not to mention, my girls were my girls. They could take and give the honesty, and I’d discovered it wasn’t ever ugly.

So I went for it.

“Just, you know, maybe Dad had reason to have a reality check when Axl had words with him.”

“Maybe he did, all I’m saying, Hatz, is be careful with your heart,” Pepper replied.

“No, what I mean is, Axl is an outsider to the unit, but one who cares about me. So it was objective, but wasn’t, if you know what I mean. And sometimes, an objective opinion can make people think. Though, I don’t know if that’s all there was to it. I think another part was me telling Dad that Axl’s father said such nasty things to him. I think that was his, ‘Hey, wait,’ moment. You know, something like, ‘I did that too and it was really uncool.’ You know?”

“Okay, but still…look after yourself,” Pepper reiterated.

“Right, I’m butting in here to say what Hatz isn’t outright saying, Pez,” Lottie did, indeed, butt in. “You need to stop dicking around and go out with Auggie.”

“Exactly,” I concurred.

“Totes,” Ryn added.

“How is what she said—?” Pepper began.

“Axl was hands on,” Lottie stated. “That might not be where it’s at for you. But bottom line, you need a buffer from those jackals you call parents, that maggot of an ex of yours, and what she didn’t say, but I will, is, girl, it’s been a dry spell from hell. You need to get laid,” Lottie expounded.

“Word,” Ryn agreed.

“Listen—” Pepper tried.

“Nope.” Lottie held up a hand and shook her blonde locks. “It was touch-and-go there for both Rinz and Hatz when Boone and Axl started seeing other bitches. You don’t need Aug to give up and start looking. Serious, with Axl, it was a close call, since Mo said the chick he was seeing was solid.”

“I know, phew,” I put in. “He really liked her. They still text a lot.”

Pepper did a slow blink at me.

She then asked, aghast, “You let him text another woman?”

“Well, sure. They’re friends,” I answered.

“She’s someone he dated,” Pepper pointed out.

“I know,” I told her.

Her face twisted in a weird way. “Hatz, babe, he’s probably been inside her.”

Um…

“I try not to think about that part.”

“I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about it,” she said.

Hmm.