Chapter 13 #2
I slammed the front door and started walking down the road, not knowing where I was going. I fumbled with my phone as I googled Dad, finding multiple reports of Tyson Johnson, not surprised to see he’d taken on our family name.
The guy had gotten into Harvard at sixteen, had finished at the top of his classes his whole life, and had multiple businesses. He was only twenty and had a load of self-made wealth alongside his fancy new Harvard degree.
A scoff left me as I read an article about how Dad was ecstatic to form a relationship with the son he’d always wanted. As if I didn’t exist.
“Hey, wait up,” Caden called as he jogged to catch up, snatching my phone before I could stop him. “This won’t help. You know the paps like to twist things. You won’t find the truth in articles.”
“How else am I supposed to find out what the fuck is going on? It’s not like my parents will tell me,” I snapped, trying to snatch it back. “Don’t fuck with me right now.”
“I’m not. Let’s ask Mom to do some digging.”
“Your mom can’t fix everything, Holloway.”
“I’m not expecting her to fix anything, but she can find out some facts. She’s got a lot of lawyer and cop friends.”
“You think my parents would hire lawyers that talk? C’mon, I know you think your mom’s the only person at the top of the food chain, but my parents are loaded, Caden. There’s no way anyone’s going to leak information,” I spat, trying to swing at him when he refused to hand my phone back.
Skeeter moved between us and gave me a gentle push back, eyeing me. He must have thrown some sweats on and come straight after me too since that was all he had on.
“Don’t turn on your friends over this. They’re your real family.”
I swung at him next, getting a few hits in before he swung back, knocking me on my ass with one punch. It hurt like a bitch, and I got ready to swing at him again when he leaned down to hold my gaze.
“You done?” He put a hand out to help me to my feet, confusing me as I took it and stood. “Good. Be angry, break shit, whatever you want to do, but don’t take it out on the only people who have had your back.”
“My phone—”
“Give him his phone back,” Skeeter bit out, making Caden glare at him.
“No. The tabloids talk a lot of shit, and whatever he reads won’t help him.”
“So? If he wants to read bullshit, then let him,” Skeeter replied, snatching the phone from him and holding it out to me.
“He’s right though. No good will come from reading that trash.
I can see why you’d want answers, but why should you care about them when it’s obvious they don’t give a fuck about you? ”
It was like a kick in the teeth hearing it. I knew they didn’t give a shit about me, I’d been a kid when they’d abandoned me, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t hurt by it.
“Ty,” Rory said as she ran towards me, almost knocking me over as she wrapped herself around me. Her fingers threaded through the back of my hair affectionately, the tension bleeding from me as I hugged her back tightly.
I buried my face in her neck and breathed her in, feeling someone pat me on the back.
“Head back to the house. It’s not safe to wander around out here,” Skeeter murmured, giving me another pat before nudging us to head back in the direction we’d come from.
I let Rory lead me, and while they were getting ready for us to leave, I stayed in the kitchen with Skeeter as he texted on his phone.
“Do you have any—”
“No,” he said bluntly, making me frown.
“Why not?”
He sighed, looking up from his phone before pocketing it and crossing his arms.
“As much as I love taking your money, I won’t have your death on my conscience. Upset people tend to make mistakes, and I refuse to be part of it. Go get drunk at home if you need a crutch, but I need you to be more clear-headed before you touch my shit again.”
“You’re cutting me off?”
“No, I’m just not selling to you today,” he said seriously, making me glare at him as he slapped my cheek lightly. “Lock yourself in the bedroom with Aurora if you need. That helps me.”
“Fuck you, man.”
“Fucking me wouldn’t fix your problems either, Johnson, no matter how good my dick is,” he replied as he stepped back and grabbed his keys. “I don’t want to be worrying about you all day, so stay home and out of trouble. Call me if you need me though.”
“I’d hate to fucking worry you,” I bit out, his eyes meeting mine.
“I’m going to worry about you anyway, so you might as well call. I just need to know you’re home safely. We’re family, right?”
I was stunned by that, not really knowing how to respond.
“Okay,” I finally said, making him nod.
“Good. Fuck them, man. You honestly don’t need them. Josie’s a good mom, she’s all you need for a parent. The people who created you don’t deserve you.”
I swallowed, trying to keep my emotions in check but ended up hugging him. He was stiff and grumbled about me being a baby, but he patted my back and didn’t pull away until I let go.
He had to go to the Shed, so I let Rory drag me towards Jensen’s car while the others took their time joining us.
“What do you need?” Rory asked once we were alone, her hands taking my face between them.
“I don’t know.”
“Think, baby. Is there something I can do to help?”
I needed a distraction. A big one. One where nothing else around me mattered.
“That date you promised me. You looked gorgeous in that dress the other night. Let me—”
“Done,” she smiled, and I blinked at her for a moment as I processed it.
“Really? I know you agreed last time but I also know you were hoping I forgot about it.”
She huffed out a laugh, kissing my cheek. “If me wearing a fancy dress while you pay for stupidly expensive food makes you feel better, I can do it. But you’d better buy me dessert too.”
I grinned, knowing I’d have her hooked on fancy dining in no time.
“I can do that. Dinner tonight? Just us?”
“Just us,” she promised, giving my hand a squeeze. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I pulled her onto my lap so Caden could get in, and she curled into me the whole drive home, calming the storm inside me a fraction. Caden ruffled my hair, making me realize I’d zoned out and we were almost at his house.
He gave me a small smile and I nodded, letting him know I was okay. Skeeter was right, I had a family with these guys, and they were all that mattered.
I was reminded of that when we walked into the house and Josie almost bowled me over with a tight hug the second she saw the expression on my face, her worry for me seeping out of her in waves.
“Are you okay? My sweet boy, I’m so sorry,” she said softly, and I sank into her hold with relief.
“No.”
“You didn’t know any of it? They didn’t even tell you about the divorce?”
“They only text me on random days that they think is my birthday,” I sighed, a disgusted growl leaving her.
“I can’t believe some people. Stay offline for a bit, okay? You don’t need to see it.”
“It’s okay. Rory agreed to dress up and go to dinner with me to cheer me up,” I replied, making her chuckle.
“Ah, I see. Where are you taking her?”
“I was thinking the Royal Garden. Especially since the weather is nice. We can have a wander after eating then,” I stated, a soft smile tugging at her lips.
“That’s one of my favorites. Make sure you open doors for her.”
“She’s getting the full princess treatment tonight, I promise.”
“She should be getting it all the time. I raised you boys to be gentlemen,” she lightly scolded, and Rory groaned.
“Please don’t. If you start opening doors and trying to carry my bags, someone’s getting punched,” she grumbled, and I frowned.
“We already try to carry your things.”
“I know, and it makes me violent,” she deadpanned. “I don’t have anything to wear at short notice.”
“I’ll get your measurements and we can order a dress in your size. It can be here in a few hours,” Josie offered, and I was already pulling out my phone to start browsing for dresses.
Rory would pick the cheap option, so I was going to select a few and see what she liked that way.
She was whisked away by Josie to be measured, leaving me with the guys.
“It’s not really safe right now to be going out for dinner alone,” Caden warned, sitting beside me at the kitchen table to look at my phone. “Oh, that’s nice.”
“She hates lace,” I answered, and he raised an eyebrow.
“Oh?”
“Yes. I’ve been trying to get her on this date for a while and she said last time no lace.”
“That’s pretty and has no lace,” he said as he pointed to an evening gown. It was pretty, he wasn’t wrong, but it was pink.
I snorted, giving him the side-eye. “Dude, she’d kill me if I chose that. I’m already pushing it with the dress, so I don’t want her glaring at me all night for making her look like a classy Barbie. Black is safe.”
“Girl’s like black. It’s slimming,” Jensen stated as he looked over my shoulder, earning a glare from Lukas.
“Don’t fucking say that to her, asshole. She’s already paranoid of putting on weight now that she’s eating regularly. You’ll make her feel insecure if you say you picked a dress because it makes her look slim.”
“I wasn’t going to say it, I just know how girls think,” he threw back.
“I can tell you right now that you’ll never figure out how Rory thinks,” Lukas said dryly, joining us and looking at my phone as I scrolled. “Stop. That one.”
I stopped, clicking on the picture and waiting for the information to load. It was stunning, the long black material hugging the top half, while the bottom flowed to the ground. The slit up the side would expose her leg a little, but nothing was revealing.
No lace, no glitter, and the color was simple. She could also wear the heels that she wore to the party in Rawson Grove too.
“I want to take her on a date,” Caden grumbled, and I rolled my eyes.
“Then take her on one. You’re not butting into my date with her.”
“How do I top your date then?”
“Bend her over,” I said like he was stupid, his eyes narrowing.
“I know how to top Aurora. It’s the dinner I need help with.”