Chapter 23 Blake
BLAKE
“That’s your bed,” I said, pointing to the loft. “There’s no mattress yet, but I’ll toss some blankets up there.”
“Fucking great,” he muttered.
“Well, it’s better than the jail cell,” I snapped.
He muttered under his breath as he climbed the stairs to the loft. The kid was pissy as hell, and I knew it would take a while for him to warm up to me, but Jesus, the mouth on that kid would drive me up the wall.
Tossing my bag to the floor, I fished through the fridge for something to eat, slamming it when I found nothing worth eating inside. Now that I was home, I wasn’t actually sure what I was going to give this kid to eat. Some guardian I was.
“Are you hungry?”
“Whatever,” he muttered.
I looked up at the loft, rolling my eyes when I saw him hanging a blanket up for privacy. Not that I could blame him. He was a teenage kid. The last thing he wanted was an adult spying on him.
“Great, Blake,” I mumbled to myself. “You’re doing a bang-up job of taking care of this kid.”
A swift knock on the door drew me out of my depressing thoughts. For just a second, I thought it was Parker coming to apologize, but instead, Jeff stood there with a pan full of steaming food that made my stomach rumble.
“I figured you hadn’t eaten yet, and with a teenage boy in the house, I thought you might need some sustenance.”
“Thank you,” I smiled, taking it from him.
He followed me inside, his eyes darting to the blanket blocking the loft. “I see he’s already marked his territory.”
“And officially labeled me the pain in the ass adult.”
“Well, that comes with the territory of any teenage boy. They tend to not like authority figures.”
“Are you telling me to go easy on him?”
“Oh, hell no. Give him an inch and he’ll drive off with your house,” he chuckled. “Like how I did that? Because I drove off with your house?”
“Yeah, I got it.”
I couldn’t help but smile at Parker’s teasing brother. He was the easy-going sibling, the one who always had a joke on hand. At least I could count on him to make me laugh when I was struggling.
“So, any advice for raising a kid?”
“I’m right fucking here,” the kid shouted from the loft.
Jeff nodded. “One, they have excellent selective hearing. Two, never leave anything laying around that you don’t want him to touch. Three, I would get a sheet to hang over your door. Doesn’t matter if you’re his guardian. You’re a woman and you have boobs.”
I cringed at the thought. “Is that all?”
“Oh, there are so many others, but not enough time in the world to go through all of them tonight.”
“Well, that seems like a good place to start.”
Jeff tipped his cowboy hat at me, then headed for the door.
I half hoped Parker would come over and apologize, but that seemed a little too far-fetched given the argument we just had.
Still, there was practically a stranger in the house with me.
I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of doing this alone.
“Wesley, how about you come down for dinner?”
“No thanks,” he muttered.
I had to establish some boundaries. Otherwise, this would never work. “Wes, get your butt down here. Food is on the table, and there’s no way you’re going to bed without eating.”
“I said I’m not hungry!”
“And I said to get your ass down here!”
He ripped the sheet aside and scowled at me. “You’re not my mother.”
“No, and it doesn’t seem that she cared either if you ate dinner or had someplace to sleep.”
He flinched back at the harsh assessment of his family, but sugarcoating it wouldn’t do either of us any favors. Just as I was about to yell at him again, the door burst open and Parker stepped inside, his eyes glued to Wes and his jaw hard.
He must have heard us yelling.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” he muttered.
“It’s dinnertime, but he doesn’t want to eat.”
“Too fucking bad. If she says it’s time to eat, you answer with Yes, Ma’am, and you get your ass down here in two shakes.”
Wes heaved a sigh, but climbed off the floor and thundered his way down the stairs to the impossibly small table that was meant for only two.
“Let’s move it to the living room,” I said to Parker.
Even though the table wouldn’t get any bigger, it would give us more seating.
I left the roomier chairs for the boys. Parker stared at Wes, not moving an inch.
“What?” Wes snapped.
“Watch your tone,” Parker growled, his whole body vibrating as he rested his arms on the table.
Wes rolled his eyes, sighing heavily. I shot Parker a look, hoping we didn’t get too far into this tonight. Catching my look, he gave a muted sigh while I got the plates and silverware down. This was going to be rough, but it didn’t have to turn into an all-out brawl.
Parker started carving into the meat, dropping slices on the plates, while I dished out the sides from the deep pan. After grabbing a beer for Parker and a Coke for Wes, I sat down, ready to dig in. I was starving.
In fact, once the meat hit my tongue, I couldn’t stop myself from devouring everything on my plate. This baby was going to eat me alive if I didn’t replenish his supply every few hours.
Parker chuckled at me when I wiped the plate clean. “Want some more?”
I looked at the empty pan and shook my head. “Nope, I’m good.”
Quirking an eyebrow at me, Parker cut his portion in half and slid it onto my plate. “Eat up. You know you want to.”
“Bruh, you just gave her your food,” Wes said in disgust.
“Michael,” he corrected. “My name is Michael. And I gave her my portion because she’s pregnant, and when your woman is pregnant, you do not stand between her and food.”
I grinned between bites as I shoveled the rest of it into my mouth. Wes rolled his eyes, but finished off the last of his plate. As he shoved back from the table, Parker cleared his throat.
“Around here, you ask to be excused.”
“This sucks,” Wes muttered. “I should have just gone to juvie.”
“And you really think that would have been better?” Parker snapped. “Say the word and I’ll drag your ass down there tonight.”
“Whatever,” Wes rumbled.
“Take your plate to the sink. I’ll clean it up tonight.”
“What time is school in the morning?” I asked before he could disappear on me.
“Nine,” he muttered, walking up the stairs and drawing his blanket closed.
“Nine,” I chuckled. “Does he think I’m an idiot?”
Parker smiled, but it was forced. I knew we were about to have a conversation, and it wasn’t going to be pretty. “Outside?”
He nodded and got up from his chair, holding the door open for me. I stepped out into the cool air, wrapping my sweater tighter around my body as I stared at the landscape in the distance. Not that I could see much around the trees, but I did get an excellent shot of the moon.
“So, you brought home a stray,” Parker said from behind me. “Is that what all the pie was about?”
Sheepishly, I turned to him. “I really did mean to discuss it with you.”
Parker shoved his hands in his pockets. It was obvious to anyone with two eyes that he was choosing his words carefully.
“Look, I get why you did this.”
“Do you?”
“You didn’t want him to go to juvie.”
So, he really didn’t get it. “Actually, I did it because I had someone to look out for me when I was a kid. I told you what my father and brothers did for me. That kid has no one.”
“That doesn’t mean you step in and take him on when we’re gonna have a kid of our own.”
“And when does someone step in?” I questioned. “Because from where I’m sitting, not a single person in this town has done a damn thing to help that kid.”
“Have you heard his piss poor attitude? That could have something to do with it.”
“Yeah? And why do you think that is? I mean, seriously, Parker. Half the time, kids act like douchebags for attention. No one gives a shit about him. His own parents wouldn’t pick him up from jail.”
“Maybe they’ve had enough of him. Did you ever think it wasn’t the parents’ fault?”
I took a step back, shaking my head at the absurdity of his answer. “Is that what you’ll do with our kid? If he acts up too much, you’ll just toss up your hands and walk away?”
“I would never let it get that far,” he snarled.
“Exactly! I didn’t just go in and save the day.
I talked to people. His parents were shitty from the start.
They never wanted him. Can you imagine what that feels like for a kid?
And he has no friends. How the hell is that kid supposed to have anyone to lean on, to teach him how to be a good person, when not a single person in his life is there for him? ”
I could see I was getting through to Parker, even if he didn’t want to admit it. What this kid needed was a family to rely on. It would take a lot of time and effort, but if we were willing to be there for him, this kid might just have a fighting chance.
“Well, we can’t raise this kid in a tiny house,” Parker sighed. “It’s not big enough for the two of us, let alone a teenage boy.”
“It’ll be fine for a few months,” I smiled.
Parker’s eyes narrowed. “If I catch that kid staring at your boobs or your ass, he’s out of here. I don’t give a shit if he has to sleep in the dirt.”
Walking forward, I wrapped my arms around my husband’s neck and smiled. “You’re a good man, Parker Brown.”
He frowned in confusion, but said nothing else as he sealed his lips over mine. “I hope you realize you’re not getting any nookie for a while.”
“Wes!” I shouted, even though we were only divided by a blanket. “It’s time for school!”
Again, I got no response.
“I have to leave,” Parker grumbled.
“It’s fine. I’ll take him. Just send Jeff over here in ten minutes. He’ll take us into town, won’t he?”
“You’ll owe him for life,” Parker said, slanting a kiss over my lips. “We’ll get a truck this weekend.”
With a swat on his ass, I sent him out the door and stomped up the steps to the loft area. Pulling back the blanket, I gasped when I saw Wes doing something under his blanket that I most definitely did not want to see.
“Oh my God!” I screeched, turning and racing down the stairs, running right into Parker as he stormed back into the house.
“What is it? What happened?” he shouted, pulling his gun.
“Jesus Christ!” Wes shouted. “Ever heard of privacy?”
I shuddered as I shoved past Parker and stormed outside, wiggling off the remnants of what I just saw. “Eww!” I knew it happened. I wasn’t stupid. I just didn’t think I would see a teenage boy doing that. We definitely need a house, and as fast as possible.
Parker stormed out, slamming the door behind him, but he wasn’t angry.
He was amused.
“Seriously? You’re laughing right now?”
He pulled his lips in, shrugging slightly. “What do you want me to say?”
“Um…how about the fact that you’re going to have a talk with him!”
“Talk with him about what?”
“I don’t know! Tell him that if he does that too often, it’ll fall off!” I shrieked.
“Babe…boys do that. Just give him his privacy.”
“In a house that small? Are you freaking serious right now?”
“Hey, you wanted the tiny home.”
“Yes, but at the time, we didn’t have a sixteen-year-old boy in our house!”
The look he shot me—man, I would have smacked it right off his face if he wasn’t right. This was my fault. I had brought him home.
“Look, you’re gonna have to get used to the fact that teenage boys are gonna do that stuff.”
I flushed red, thinking of all the bolts and locks I was gonna put on that kid’s room when we had the house. “He’s getting a room on the other side of the house when it’s finished.”
“Sure,” he grinned.
“And you’re going to have a talk with him about safe sex.”
“Really?”
I glared at him. “Do you want to be a grandparent to a kid that’s not even ours?”
“Does that even make sense?”
“Does it matter? The point is, if you don’t talk to that kid, he could be out there spreading his wild oats for all the world!”
“It’s sowing,” he corrected.
“Are you seriously correcting me right now?”
“Pretty sure I was,” he grinned.
I jabbed a finger toward the house. “Get in there right now and make sure he’s zipped up before I go in there again.”
Sighing, he headed for the house. “You know, you’ve seen them before.”
“That kid is not related to me! I don’t need to see him jerking off or even the covers shifting when I walk up there!”
He tossed a hand over his head as I glared at his retreating form.
“Trouble in paradise?”
I gasped, jumping nearly five feet in the air as Jeff snuck up behind me. “What are you doing? Don’t you know how to knock?”
He glanced around, then licked his finger and held it up in the air. “We’re outside. The wind is headed east. Southeast. No…east.”
“Is there a point to any of this?”
“It’s a free country. I’m on my land and perfectly within my rights to be outside. No need to knock.”
I rolled my eyes at him. I was so not in the mood for his jokes after what I just witnessed. “Can you go away?”
“Afraid not.”
“And why’s that?”
“Well, it appears there’s some issue between you and my brother. What kind of man would I be if I left before knowing all was okay on the home front?”
“The kind of man who’s not intrusive.”
He grinned at me. “Aw, that’s sweet that you think there’s anyone in this town who’s not intrusive. So, how did the first night go with the kid?”
I didn’t even want to think about what happened in there, but my cheeks flushed at the thought of what I walked in on. As if Jeff already knew, he started laughing.
“So, it’s going well?”
“Having a boy in the house is…interesting.”
“Uh-huh,” he nodded. “And that’s why you’re out here and Parker’s in there.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I tried desperately not to think about any of it. How the hell was I going to survive with two boys in the house? I really hadn’t thought this through.
“Relax. You did a good thing.”
“Did I?”
For the first time, Jeff’s jovial demeanor turned to something more serious. “Don’t doubt yourself. Someone should have stepped in sooner.”
“Then why didn’t anyone?”
He shrugged, not saying much as Parker walked out of the house with Wes trailing behind him.
“I’ve got the kid this morning.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, though deep down, I was thrilled not to have to sit alone in the car with him.
“I’ve got this, baby,” he grinned, snaking his hand around my waist and tugging me in for a kiss.
Wesley snorted, shaking his head as he turned away from us. “You guys aren’t gonna have sex with me hiding behind a curtain, are you?”
“Watch it, kid,” Parker scolded.
Stepping back, I cleared my throat uncomfortably. This was going to be awkward at best for a while, and I was going to have to deal with that. But for now, I needed to get to work, and so did my husband.
“I’ll see you later.”
“What are you doing today?”
“More investigating. I think I have a lead.”
Chuckling, he headed to his truck. “Well, don’t throw anyone through a window for answers.”
Rolling my eyes, I walked away. “One time. It was one time!”
“Three!”
“Whatever,” I muttered, stomping to the house.