Chapter 21
Owen carried Noah into the restaurant and took him to the bathroom to wash his hands. Mason followed him holding Nathan’s hand.
“No potty,” Nathan said grumpily, making Owen roll his eyes.
“All of us must go potty and then we’ll have breakfast,” he said. “After we wash our hands, we can eat. Who wants pancakes?”
“Me,” Noah said. “And bacon.”
Nathan screwed up his tiny face to scream while Mason stood there, doing nothing.
Owen lined Noah up to the kids urinal and turned to Nathan.
“Big boys do not scream in restaurants. We wait until we go outside to play. After we eat, I’m taking you to Wolfe Mountain.
We can see all kinds of animals and go swimming in the lake.
If you scream, then Noah will get to play while you sit on the rock and watch. ”
Nathan’s face grew madder, unable to best his uncle as he did his dad.
“I mean it,” Owen said firmly. “If you can’t behave, we’ll eat breakfast in the van while everyone else eats in here. Then you don’t get to play.”
“Come on, Nathan,” Mason begged. “We can have doughnuts.”
Nathan rushed over to join his brother. “Really? You bribed him with sugary foods for bad behavior. Grow a pair man, he’s playing you.”
“I’m keeping him from blasting our eardrums,” Mason argued. “We don’t have time to put up with tantrums.”
“I see how you want to play it. Let him get his way and never learn a consequence,” Owen nodded.
“How did it work for Wyatt. Do you want him to become like our baby brother who’s sulking right now because Dillon didn’t have his favorite alcoholic beverage in the middle of the woods?
Or maybe it’s because Dillon threatened him if he didn’t eat something and he didn’t like the exterior of the place? ”
“I get it, all right?” Mason said defeated. “I can’t deal with this right now.”
“It seems like you haven’t in a long-time brother,” Owen said sternly.
“People in glass houses don’t have any business throwing stones,” Mason said angrily. “At least I’m here for my kids.”
“It’s not the same. You’re no different than me. Maybe you’re physically present, but you’re not here with them,” Owen sneered. “I didn’t know. It’s my own fault, but I intend to make it right.”
Mason jaw ticked and his mouth firmed in a straight line as he helped his boys wash their hands and lead them out to the dining area.
Owen finished up and headed back to the table. He almost laughed as he watched Wyatt, Nathan and Mason glare at him.
Taking out his phone, he intended to call Leslie after they ate breakfast and let her know they’d arrive in a couple of hours. Frowning, he noticed he didn’t have cell service.
“You won’t have any until we get down the road a mile or two,” Dillon said, before turning to the waitress. “Hi, May. Can we get a family-sized stack of pancakes, a bowl of scrambled eggs, and a platter of sausage and bacon?”
The older woman smiled. “Sure thing. Do you want any toast?”
“Sure, make it sourdough,” Dillon said, shooting her a wide smile.
“Wyatt, go wash your hands and stop sulking. If you think Owen’s a bully, see what happens when you don’t listen to me, little brother.
Mom’s not here to save you anymore, and I have years of pent-up anger on how she babied you to no end. ”
Snarling, Wyatt stood and stomped toward the bathroom while Mason angrily placed silverware in front of the boys. Nathan immediately picked it up and slammed the spoon on the table.
“Stop,” Owen said, holding the spoon down. “We show respect when we’re in a restaurant.”
“Don’t tell my kid what to do,” Mason growled.
“Then you do it,” Owen said, narrowing his eyes at Nathan. “If you bang the table one more time, I’m removing you from it.”
Smiling triumphantly at getting Mason and Owen fighting, Nathan raised the spoon and hit a glass of water, shattering the glass and flooding the table.
Owen picked up Nathan and strode to the van while the little boy kicked and screamed bloody murder. Setting him on the ground beside the vehicle, he let Nathan play out his tantrum from hell. A few minutes later, Dillon came out with two boxes as Nathan sat on the ground sobbing.
“I brought you breakfast,” he said, peering at the boy. “Mason’s furious. Do you think it’s a good idea to reprimand his kid? You’re undermining his authority.”
“Did you see Mason do anything? He hasn’t acted like a parent.
He’s a walking zombie. Someone has to step in.
This one has thrown tantrums nonstop. Noah’s a bit calmer and has moments.
Until Mason has his act together, I’m afraid we’ll be parenting,” Owen said, taking the boxes from his brother.
He opened the lighter one and leaned down to Nathan, showing him the pancake and sausage links.
“Yum, this smells delicious. If you’re done, you can sit inside the van and eat. Then you’ll apologize to May for breaking her glass and making a mess,” he explained gently. “Do you want to think about your actions while you eat, or do you want to sit on the grass while I eat mine?”
Seeing Owen didn’t intend to let him get away with the behavior, Nathan stood. “Want pancakes.”
“Then let’s get you into your seat and I’ll cut it up for you,” he offered, handing Dillon the containers while he picked his nephew up and sat him down. He placed the food in front of him and cut it up in tiny pieces. “Do you want butter and syrup?”
Nodding, Nathan waited until his uncle finished and handed him a fork. Nathan set it down and ate with his hands, cramming bits into his mouth.
“Does he not know how to eat with silverware?” Dillon asked.
Sighing Owen shook his head. “Who knows. We ate fast food last night because Mason forgot to feed them.”
Dillon shot a worried gaze at him as Elias came out holding a carton of chocolate milk and a large coffee, handing them to Owen.
“Thanks,” he said, placing the straw in the carton and handing it to Nathan. He sipped on the hot brew, letting the caffeine refuel him for the trip home.
When the others finished eating, they returned to the van. Owen took Nathan out of his seat and led him inside to wash his hands and then to the kind server, May.
“What do you have to say to May?” he prompted.
“I sowry,” Nathan said, appearing sad.
“I appreciate the apology,” May said, stooping to his level. She handed him two small bags. “Dillon said you didn’t have any snacks. I packed you and your brother some carrots and pretzels until you get home.”
“Tank you,” he said excitedly, taking the bags and grinning.
“Good job, buddy,” Owen praised him before turning to May. “How much do I owe you for breakfast?”
“Dillon already took care of it. Take care of him. He acts tough, but he’s a gentle soul who’s seen way too much,” she advised.
“I’ll do my best,” he said, taking Nathan’s hand and leading him from the restaurant. He placed him in his car seat. Passing the other bag to his brother, Nathan settled in and Owen slid into the driver’s seat.
Pressing the navigation button, he sighed in relief as he drove home. He wanted to talk to Leslie and spend time with his son. He hurt her. Thinking he gave her an out by walking out, he realized he ran away.
No one wanted anything to do with the Wolfe family after the shooting. Rumors flew through the small town like wildfire. People who rarely spoke with his mom showed up at the funeral, not because they wanted to pay their respects. They wanted gossip.
The boys accepted their condolences, still in shock over the events. When they returned home, Owen went into the office, placing the cards and his mother’s death certificate on the desk. Tomorrow, they’d sit at the table and write out the thank-you cards.
Stopping in the hallway, he heard the brothers talking.
“It’s my fault,” Wyatt cried. “If I didn’t get the gun, Mom would still be here.”
“It’s not your fault,” Cade replied. “Dad wrestled Owen for the gun.”
“It might not have happened if Owen kept his mouth shut about Dad,” Dillon said heatedly. “It’s no secret where Dad went or what he did. Owen told Mom, and she went to get Dad. Why didn’t he leave it alone?”
“Owen told Mom?” Elias asked, confused.
“Yeah. He told her at breakfast. I heard him,” Wyatt spoke up.
“Damn it, Owen. Why didn’t you ignore seeing him?” Cade said angrily. “He acts like he’s our damn father.”
“I’m sick of him bossing me around. It’s his fault Mom died,” Dillon sobbed. “If he kept his mouth shut, none of this would’ve happened.”
The words tore at Owen’s chest, like knives slashing his skin wide open.
He told his mother because the town gossiped about his dad’s drinking.
Kids tormented him and Cade about his dad’s whereabouts and his drinking.
To hear Cade rip him apart stung the most. When the others joined in, the hurt and betrayal of his four brothers, after all he sacrificed for them, shifted something inside him.
Owen turned down a four-year scholarship to attend a community college away from home to help his mom with his brothers.
He didn’t want Cade and Dillon dealing with his father alone.
Usually, Dillon remained the quiet one in the group.
Cade always lost his cool. It felt like his brothers turned on him.
If they didn’t want him to guide them anymore, then he’d remove himself.
He packed his bag and headed down the stairs when he heard Cade say, “Did you hear the women asking Leslie if she planned to cancel the wedding? He’ll make her the laughing stock of this town. We still don’t know what they’ll do about Dad.”
He turned the curve, and his phone dinged with messages. Glancing at the screen, he saw Gunny’s text, and he missed a call from Leslie in the middle of the night and then again in the wee hours of the morning.
When he left her, she didn’t seem anxious to ask questions. Leslie only wanted to ensure he didn’t hurt her son. Not wanting the entire van to hear the message, he opted to call her instead. Owen wanted her to know that this time he planned to return.