Chapter 29
Mace
Nico and Slade were oddly similar people.
Only Nico did “intense” better than any human being I’d ever known.
I wasn’t sure he had another mode to his temperament than full-throttle menace.
He was currently on the back porch, Tommy was out there with him, but Nico paid Slade’s assistant little attention.
He paced, like Slade did, back and forth, cell phone stuck to his ear, using his other hand to animate whatever he had to say.
Earlier in the day, before Slade had left, I made the decision to stay out of it, leaving me unsure where we stood. I had the ranch’s new laptop open on the kitchen island, waiting for our nightly video call.
The doorbell rang. I glanced in that direction but before I could make a move, Nico bellowed from outside, “Don’t answer that.
” He stalked toward the kitchen as I leaned to see the front door windows.
My mom stood in the long window beside the door, cupping her hands against the window, peeking inside.
She waved happily when she spotted me.
“Your parents are here,” Nico said, eating up the distance between me and the door. “The report came in while I was on the phone. I couldn’t warn you it was them.”
Nico power opened the door. I was surprised it didn’t fly off the hinges and slam back on him.
“Mr. Sutton,” Nico said. “Thank you for coming by.”
My father had my mom by his side, taking everything in as they stepped fully inside the foyer. Nico shut the door behind them.
“There’s a strange car followin’ us, but Nico sent security to check it out,” my mom said to me excitedly, leavin’ the other two in the entryway.
“Daddy needed us to come check on you, Mace.” Of course, she’d see this as something to break up the humdrum of daily life.
She was here for the good time and gave me a tight side hug.
“I’ve been wantin’ to get over here all day and check on you.
Do you think they’re takin’ our pictures right now?
I curled my hair but I’ve heard they purposefully look for the worst picture to use… ”
My father and Nico had followed my mom into the kitchen. My father’s hand came to my shoulder, squeezing. “Your mom felt sure that you stayed here in this house, so I have Lori and Max and the kids at your place. They’re movin’ in for now. Good thing you got it close to finished!”
What? That was news to me. “They’re stayin’ at my house?” I asked Nico. We used that space as an office for the ranch until we grew big enough to hire a general manager to stay on property.
“Yeah. You have security monitors on the property to help watch my grandbabies,” my dad explained before Nico could. He’d never met a stranger, raising a hand to Nico’s shoulder as well.
The head of security nodded at me.
I’d voted to stay on the side of needing less information, but moving people should have been mentioned.
“Maybe y’all are makin’ a bigger deal out of this than necessary,” I said to my dad. “Slade’s bein’ excessive. We’re fine. It’s gonna be okay.”
My father completely dismissed me as I spoke, shaking his head.
I tried again. “Mom, Dad, it’ll be fought online, not in person. What’re y’all doin’ gearin’ up like this?”
“You know how Slade is when he wants to protect you,” Nico answered, but this was more my parents being overboard than Slade.
“Y’all are embarrassin’ me.”
My mom gave a dismissing slap through the air as if I was being nonsensical. “No more than we normally do. And family sticks together. We need to be here for you.”
She left me, glancing around Slade’s kitchen as she took off her windbreaker and hung it over a kitchen chair.
“Have you had dinner? Are you waitin’ for Slade to call?
” she asked, nodding toward the laptop. “Let me see what you have to cook with. I’ll get somethin’ started. How many people are we feedin’?”
“I have some leftovers in the refrigerator,” I said, following her as she opened and shut cabinet doors until she found the full pantry. “We don’t all eat together.”
“Nonsense. You have everything needed for a tuna casserole. You loved that as a child, and I can do my part and cook for everyone,” she said, pulling boxes and cans from the pantry.
“Mom,” I started again, leaving my spot to follow after her. As she took her items out, I placed them back where she found them.
“Honey, this’s gonna happen. Take a seat, and wait for Slade’s call, and tell me how you two met.
Lori’s told me some. It seemed romantic…
” Her voice turned sweet, clearly wanting a fairytale beginning.
I didn’t have that. Of course, I couldn’t say that Slade wanted to fuck me and I fought it for about three minutes then let him pile-drive me in the bar’s spare room.
I mashed my lips together in aggravation and glanced at Nico who shrugged.
“Do you know how IVF works these days? Is it safe to have a surrogate? Daddy says that he read that you can know the sex of the baby before the embryo’s implanted. Is that true?” She barely glanced at me for an answer while digging through the pots and pans in Slade’s cabinets.
“I don’t know, Mom. How would I know somethin’ like that?
I think Slade’s makin’ a far bigger deal out of this than necessary,” I said, any hope that I’d managed to hang on to flew out the very window that Slade liked to stand in front of to consider all of life’s complications.
“You and Dad need to settle down. I don’t know anything about what’s happin’ in the world and I’m doin’ just fine. ”
“I know, baby,” my mom said, grinning at me as she filled a pot with water. “When your children settle into their lives, the joy a parent has…”
Oh lord, why did she keep referencing children. I felt the warmth stain my cheeks as I again stared back at my father and Nico. They gave me nothing to work with.
Not only that, but my father pivoted, executing a proper turn and burn out the front door. Nico on his tail. Where the hell were they going, and why was I still standing in the kitchen with my mom?
“Is this the Sutton clan?” Tommy asked, coming inside from the patio.
“Yeah,” I managed.
“I’m Jilly Sutton. My husband just left. And you’re Tommy. We spoke today.” She was brimming with happiness. “I’m gonna make sure you have a home-cooked meal.”
“They go by Mom and Dad,” I explained to Tommy. “They call each other that too, but they aren’t blood related, no matter how it might appear otherwise.”
“Son,” my mom warned, sticking out her hand. “Sit down and get used to this. We’re here. Pretend like you’re enjoyin’ yourself.”
“Mace, take a look at this for me,” Tommy said.
He took the seat behind his laptop and tugged another chair closer to him, motioning me there. Instagram was open to what appeared to be Slade’s profile. The picture used was one of him laughing, dressed impeccably, at a photoshoot. The first sentence read.
I’m gay.
Shit. When Slade left early this afternoon, he assured me that he was getting ahead of this, and apparently, that meant he planned to tell his own story.
Whatever happened between Tommy and my mom was lost as I tapped the screen to open the post, and retook my barstool, reading the few lines he prepared.
My sexuality never defined me until recently when I was extorted in a blackmail attempt. I’m proud of who I am as a person.
Okay. I sat back in my seat, rereading the words. Short and simple and what?
From where Tommy sat beside me, he reached a finger to point at the screen.
“Breezy has a statement out too. You’ll like her when you meet her.
” He swept a fingertip over the touchscreen until her post appeared.
She had a candid shot of her and Slade, arm in arm.
They also grinned broadly at some unknown focus.
Slade will always be one of the most special people in my life. His truth has never been a secret to those who know him. Much love, Slade. You deserve all the happiness the world has to give.
Of course I’d seen Breezy’s picture with Slade before, but I didn’t know her. Slade barely spoke of her, but her post was receiving hundreds of likes a second, the ticker changing rapidly. Probably like Slade’s was doing too, but I hadn’t thought to check.
“So, it’s good?” I asked Tommy. “We’re done?”
“Not by a long shot. He’s doing his best to get in front of this and keep you out of it. I don’t think it’ll happen that way,” Tommy said, turning to face the room.
“So, what’s next?” my mom asked from behind me. I hadn’t known she was there.
“Slade’s shaken everything up. He’s released most of his team—his words, not mine.
They were never on his side. He’s let them go and hired a new PR company.
It’s Breezy’s firm. They were willing to jump right in and tackle this same day.
We also have Stuart Intelligence starting tomorrow.
They have a tremendous success rate of finding answers others can’t.
They’ll track down who’s behind this,” he continued to explain to me, going back to Slade’s post. “Slade doesn’t want you to read the comments.
He’s also cleared Nico.” Tommy shook his head.
“I should have said that in the beginning, but Nico’s pissed off that he was left here and isn’t with Slade. ”
“Who’s with Slade?” I asked.
“No one until Nico talked to Stuart. They’ve sent a bodyguard,” Tommy explained.
“Where’s Slade at? Is this why he missed callin’ me?” I asked. All that Tommy shared was a lot for any single day. How Slade had managed to accomplish all this was amazing.
“Slade’s in overdrive making up for what he’s missed.” Tommy nodded definitively as if that were a good thing. It all sounded great to me, and I felt like I was finally hearing the truth. Not a fluffy explanation designed to keep me at a distance or protected, as Slade claimed.
“I like that Nico’s here with Mace,” my mom said. She’d moved to my side with a bowl and spoon in hand, absently stirring as she listened to us.