Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
“Okay, Dad, we need to talk.” Zane’s face was like a thunder cloud, and Ichabod didn’t even have to guess what the problem was.
He nodded once, closed the bedroom door behind his eldest son. “So go ahead. Let’s talk.”
“They called me into the goddamn social worker’s office today! The school counselor! I look like I’m some kind of a psycho now.” Zane’s eyes were snapping with a pure, clear fury. “What did you do?”
“What did I do? What do you think I did? Come on, kid. I didn’t do anything.”
“Is it because you’re gay? I mean, is it because you’re sleeping with Ellis? Because, you know, it’s legal to be gay. It’s legal to have a gay lover or a gay person. And my pop was gay. What the hell?”
He nodded and put one hand up, because the last thing he needed was for Zane to go and scare Allie and Michael. “Okay, I’ll tell you everything. There’s not a whole lot to tell, honestly, but I need you to keep your voice down because I don’t want you to scare your brother and your sisters. Fair?”
That got him a dip of the chin. “Fine. I won’t yell. Tell me what’s going on. Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you warn me?”
“Well, because, my dear boy, until they rolled up this morning, I didn’t know either.”
Zane blinked at him and sat down on the edge of his bed. “No shit? They came here?”
He nodded and sat next to his son. “No shit. They came here. Your sister and I were working in the studio, so she was a total mess. They walked in on her when Ellis had popped her in the bathtub and scared the hell out of her.”
“Okay, one, that’s gross. Two, that’s gross. Three, tell me it’s not because you guys are gay.” Zane looked like he was about to turn green, his teenager staring at him like he couldn’t figure out whether or not he was going to be furious or burst into tears.
“All right, one, it had nothing to do with me being gay. Two, it had nothing to do with Ellis being gay. Three, it has way more to do with somebody wanting this land and thinking that this was the way that they could get it.”
Zane blinked, then stood and started pacing, the motion like a lion at the zoo.
Suddenly Zane could see his boy in a courtroom somewhere, making his closing statement, passionate and convincing.
“Wait, wait, you’re telling me that I could possibly lose my whole family because some asshole wants a fucking ranch? ”
Ichabod tried to decide if this was the time to say, “Watch your mouth,” and he decided possibly not. There was a time and place for pure fury, and none of the littles were in here, so that was okay.
“First and foremost, son, they can’t take you away from me. It’s not like you’re just hanging out here. I’m your legal parent. You know when we all did the adoption, you remember both you and Michael? You’re my son, and no one is going to take you, land or not.”
And if Ellis didn’t deal with this Rick guy, in short order, Ichabod would.
He was not a violent man, he was not even an aggressive man, but these were his babies, and his teenager was scared.
They had made his baby girl cry, and God knows what had happened with the middle two.
Hopefully nothing. But enough was enough, and shit was fixing to hit the fan.
You didn’t mess with a man’s babies.
“You promise?” The last time that he had seen Zane look this vulnerable was the day his daddy had died.
The simple fact this Rick fucker had brought his teenager back to that space and time was enough to make him homicidal.
“You have my word. There is no force on earth, clear? Nothing. I would go to hell and fight the devil himself for you guys. You’re my kids.”
Zane nodded. “I told them we were happy, the house was good, nobody fought —any more than anybody ever fights. I mean, it’s a family.”
“There you go.”
Damn right it was a family. It was his family. And he wasn’t putting up with this shit anymore.
Zane took a deep, deep breath and let it out. “You’re dealing with it, right?”
Ichabod nodded. “You have my word. I am dealing with this shit, and it will cease. Now.”
“All right.” That got him a tentative smile. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Anytime.” Ichabod managed to wait until Zane walked out of the bedroom door before he grabbed his pillow and screamed into it, letting all his hysterical fury out.
Ellis sent Rick a terse text.
He saw the three dots come and go several times, then Rick finally decided on, .
The damn dots started to work again, so he sent another message.
That was much better, dammit.
He figured he needed to meet Rick in public so he didn’t kill the stupid fucker.
Zane was losing his shit. Michael had basically gone into his room and shut the door and refused to come out.
Allie kept wandering around the house looking confused like she couldn’t figure out why everybody was angry.
And Chrissy didn’t want to go into the damn bathroom.
And he knew right where to lay the blame.
So, Ellis was going to lay it down with a fucking hammer.
He texted Ichabod on his way to the truck.
That “love you” was everything.
Fucking everything.
He didn’t roar out, because he didn’t want to worry the kids, but he made good time, because his anger was riding him, and he needed this done.
On his way home, he intended to call his dad and invite his old man to Christmas. But first he had to deal with this other part of the family.
Rick was a lot of things, but a cowboy wasn’t one of them, and he didn’t believe for a second that that little son of a bitch was going to be able to stand up to anything that he dished out.
He threw the truck in park and strode into the restaurant, knowing Rick would be waiting in the bar. This wasn’t doing happy hour. This was an ass-kicking.
And if Rick hadn’t known what he’d done, he would’ve asked why they were meeting. They all knew what the hell was going on. It was more a matter of who was going to flinch first.
Spoiler—it wasn’t going to be him.
Rick was already there, sitting at the bar, a Fat Tire in front of him. Condensation on the bottle told him that Rick had actually been there for a while, clearly he had chosen a good rendezvous point.
Rick gave him an insolent stare when he walked up. “So, what’s this all about?”
Ellis clenched his hands into fists. “You know exactly what the fuck this is all about. What is your fucking problem, man? I swear to God, I wanted to meet you somewhere public so I didn’t punch you in the face the minute I saw you, and I still want to do it.”
Rick sneered. “I told you I was going to make this hard for him.”
“You went after his kids, man. His fucking kids. Even if they took those kids away from him, they wouldn’t give you the land. It would still be held in trust for them until they got to be of age.”
“Can I get you something, sir?” The bartender sounded hesitant, but he still broke in anyway.
“I’ll take whatever IPA you have on draft.” That way, the bartender would have work to do and would not be paying them any attention.
As soon as his half-brother turned away to pull his beer, Ellis stepped into Rick’s personal space. “What the fuck, man? What did you think you were going to accomplish?”
“Well, I figured if they took his kids away from him, then someone else in the family would get charge of them. Why not me?”
“Because you’re not actually family. You were Vic’s stepson. They have grandparents. If something happened, they would go to them first.”
He didn’t understand what Rick’s motivation was here. He had to know he was defeated, so why was he being so damn petty?
“Look, bro. I wanted this deal to go down really bad. I needed it to. So yeah, I was being shitty. Sue me.” Rick grabbed his beer and took a big gulp.
“Here you go.” The bartender slid his IPA across to him. “Would you like to start a tab?”
“No.” Ellis pulled out his wallet and handed the guy a twenty. “Keep the change, and we’re having a private conversation here.”
“Sure, of course.” The bartender headed off to the other end of the bar, not even looking at them anymore. Good man.
He turned his attention back to Rick. “You might get your ass sued. That might actually happen. Ichabod is hysterically furious at you.”
“Good. Slimy little bastard. Coming in and taking something that wasn’t his.”
Ellis threw his hands up in the air. “It wasn’t yours, Rick. It was never yours. Those kids own that ranch, and I’m going to make sure it stays successful enough that they can own it for the next fifty years if that’s what they want.”
“Yeah, you’re fucking their dad.” He shook his head. “You always did fuck things up.”
His mouth dropped open. “Me? How do I fuck things up for you? You’re the one who does stupid shit, man.”
“You always have Dad on your side. He never even thinks about me when he needs help, and he never offers to help me.” Rick’s anger was palpable, the expression in his gaze almost hateful.
That hurt Ellis’ heart. The fact Rick was using this to push a wedge between them. “Wow. You’ve worked yourself into victim mode here, buddy. That’s on you, not me or Dad. But I’m only going to tell you this once. Leave Ichabod and those kids alone from now on or I will make sure you regret it.”
Rick’s eyebrows flew up. “Is that a threat?”
“No, it’s a promise. And you gotta remember, there ain’t nowhere you can go that I won’t be able to track you down. I know you better than you know me, buddy. Never forget that.” Ellis was sick of this shit; it wasn’t gonna fly with him anymore. He was done, and he needed Rick to understand that.
Rick stared at him, trying to get him to back down. He knew it. But he was a cowboy for fuck’s sake. He didn’t back down from a two-thousand-pound bull. Why was he going to do it for his asshole brother? So, he waited, knowing there was value in silence.
Finally Rick looked away, his ears going hot red. “Fine. Fine. What the fuck ever. Just take the ranch and the little gay boy lover. I think it’s gross.”
“Funny how it never bothered you before that I was gay until my lover had something you wanted.” He shook his head and he stabbed a finger at Rick’s chest. “Clear out. Leave town and don’t come back.”
“That sounds like a plan. I’m headed for Dallas. Don’t worry, I won’t mess with your precious children anymore.” Rick drained his beer when he stood. “But don’t ask me for shit if you need anything from me.”
“You’re the one who asked me to stop, Rick. I never count on you when the chips are down.” And that was the God’s honest truth, and he hated it. Because deep down he loved his brother, but he didn’t want to be mixed up in any of his schemes.
“Fuck you, man.” Rick turned on his heel and headed toward the door.
“Goodbye, Rick.” He sat, watching Rick as he stormed out, and then he sighed and shook his head, tugging his phone from his pocket. He grabbed the menu off the bar before taking a sip of his beer, even as he hit speed dial for his dad’s number.
“Hello?” He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath because it was damn good to hear his dad’s voice.
“Hey, Dad. I need to talk to you about Rick again.”
“Aw shit,” His dad’s voice took on a tone of long suffering. “What did he do now?”
“Well, it’s a pretty long story. I’m at a bar fixing to have lunch, so I can tell you all about it. But first, I gotta ask you a question.”
“Shoot, son.” He could hear his dad chuckling, and he knew it was because they were so much alike. Rick was about venting. The more important stuff came first.
“How do you feel about coming up here for Christmas?”