Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
RORY
Iwas sitting on Tyler’s lap eating breakfast when security appeared in the kitchen with a frown.
“There’s a woman at the gate who wants to speak with you.”
For a split second, hope flickered to life that Mom had tracked me down, but then I realized he wasn’t looking at me, he was looking at Tyler.
“Who?” Tyler asked bluntly, taking a bite of his toast before offering me a bite.
“Your mother.”
Josie looked over from across the table, her eyes narrowed. “You don’t have to see her unless you wish to. I can have her removed.”
“My mom’s already here,” Tyler answered, motioning to Josie, who gave him a small smile.
Security seemed confused, but slowly nodded. “Do I tell her to leave then?”
“Let her in. Make sure you frisk her for weapons though,” he replied, and as much as it looked like he didn’t give a shit, his leg bounced slightly and his fingers toyed with my shirt nervously.
I went to move from his lap, but he held me firmly, silently asking me to stay.
Skeeter was sitting beside us, his body angled in a way that he could definitely shoot her if she did something stupid.
“If you want her to leave, I’ll make her go,” Josie said firmly, sipping her coffee and watching the doorway for our unwanted guest.
Caden moved to sit on Tyler’s other side so she didn’t sit beside him, all of us on edge as the woman walked in like she owned the place, handbag over her arm and her sunglasses on her head.
“Tyler! There you are, I’ve been looking for you since yesterday. Why didn’t you come home last night?” she huffed, eyeing me with annoyance as if I was in the way.
“I don’t really stay there much,” he shrugged, grabbing a grape and popping it into his mouth before grabbing another and pressing it to my lips.
I ate it, having no idea if he was trying to piss her off or not, but I was on board if that was the plan.
“You should have been at home with me yesterday. It’s a family day.”
“Why the fuck would I do that? You never come home for the holidays, and my family are all here. Am I good enough company now that Dad left you or something?” he asked dryly, her nostrils flaring.
“I left him. Did he tell you it was the other way around?”
“Neither of you told me anything. I found out you’re divorcing on the news. What are you doing here, anyway?”
“To see you. What do you think you were doing punching the paparazzi? You embarrassed us. Everyone’s talking about it. You should be used to handling them by now,” she scolded, a bark of laughter leaving him as he fed me another grape.
“They’ve left me alone for years until Dad let everyone know on national TV that I was here. I don’t want to be followed around and my privacy plastered all over the internet.”
“That doesn’t mean you can punch people. Honestly, Tyler. Are you going to introduce me to your girlfriend?” she asked, stepping closer to hold out her hand to me. “Anika Johnson, but you probably know that.”
I could have told her the truth, she was a pretty well-known name among the celebrity world, but I stared back at her blankly.
“Sorry, your name isn’t ringing any bells. Rory.”
Jensen snorted, knowing I was being petty, but fuck her.
As expected, she gave me a dirty look like it was offensive not to know her name, and she dropped her hand.
“Rory? Isn’t that a boy’s name?” she replied, and Tyler scoffed.
“Isn’t Anika the name of a porn star?”
“I have no idea what’s gotten into you, but you’re being rude. I didn’t raise you to be disrespectful,” she hissed.
“You didn’t fucking raise me,” he threw back, flicking a hand to Josie. “She did. And she did a damn good job.”
“Apparently not,” Anika tsked, glancing at Josie. “You let them speak to adults like this?”
“Only to people who deserve it,” Josie replied with a straight face, sipping her coffee like the conversation bored her.
“How dare you. I knew letting him play with your son would cause problems.”
“Yet, you left him here anyway. That says more about you than me, Anika,” Josie said with a small smile. “He’s a brilliant young man, not that you’d know. When did you even visit last?”
“I don’t need to put up with this. Come on, Tyler. You can come home with me,” Anika demanded, trying to make me move from his lap by flicking her wrist in a dismissive motion.
I eyed her before picking at my food again, and Tyler laughed.
“You think I’ll just come with you? I don’t even know you, lady.”
“If you don’t, I’ll be forced to bring the police into it. I don’t want to, but I will if you force my hand. Come on,” she sighed dramatically.
“What the fuck would that achieve? They won’t make me do anything.”
“You’re sixteen, they’ll make you, trust me,” she said smugly, her face falling when Josie spoke.
“He’s eighteen. The Chief will laugh at you. Feel free to call them though. I’d love to have you charged with child abandonment and neglect. Don’t worry, he was okay, I made sure of it.”
Skeeter’s phone dinged with a message, and he sighed as he read the message.
“As much as this is highly entertaining, I have somewhere to be. Want me to throw her out on the way?” he offered as he stood, Anika’s eyes running over him with both lust and disgust.
My man was hot as hell, but he was also a criminal. Someone like her wouldn’t appreciate him.
“It’s fine, Skeet,” Josie said dryly. “Thank you for coming to dinner last night.”
“Thanks for inviting us,” Skeeter said honestly, pushing his chair in and placing his cup on the counter before walking over and leaning down to kiss me. “I’ll see you later, baby girl.”
“Be careful. Check on D for me,” I ordered, and he nodded before patting Tyler’s shoulder and grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair.
He slid it on and grabbed his keys from his pocket on the way out, and the second the door closed, Anika let out an angry huff.
“You let my son near people like that? I thought you were dating this girl, Tyler. What—”
“I am. So is Skeet. And Caden, Luke, and Jensen,” Tyler said flatly, helping me to my feet so he could stand in front of her. “Don’t pretend you care now.”
“He’s in a gang. What do you mean you’re all dating her? That’s not acceptable. Who is this girl? Where are her parents?”
“The Psychos have been friends of ours for years. Her dad’s a piece of shit, so I’m her daddy now,” he somehow said with a straight face, and I swatted him as Josie pointed at him.
“I don’t want to hear it, Ty.”
“Sorry, Mom,” he replied with a grin, and Anika glared at him.
“She’s not your mother, I am!”
“Are you?” Josie snapped, losing her temper. “Who fed him? Helped him with his homework? Gave him the sex talk? Handled his schooling? I fucking did.”
“You’re acting like you did something magical. It’s not hard, Josie.”
“No? Then why couldn’t you do it?” Josie asked flatly.
“Burn,” Jensen snickered, and Lukas swatted him.
Anika was fuming, her eyes narrowing on Josie.
“You always were a bitch. No wonder your husband left you.”
“Get out,” Tyler snapped, done with the conversation. “If you don't leave, I’ll throw you out myself.”
“You listen to me—”
“No, Anika, you fucking listen to me,” Tyler growled, grabbing her arm and dragging her towards the door. “No one wants you here. I don’t care if you’re alone, kind of how you didn’t give a shit about leaving me alone. I stopped waiting for you to return a long time ago.”
“Get your hands off me. I’ll cut you off from your credit cards!” she shrieked, only making him grin.
“I bought a bunch of investments. I don’t use your credit cards.”
“You can pay me back then!”
“Fine. Let’s take this to court. Can’t wait to tell them all about the money you owe me for emotional distress as a child. Trying to exploit me and then abandoning me. Bet they’ll make you pay me more, maybe even put you behind bars.”
I followed as Josie stood and got between them, her voice firm.
“Tyler, you stay inside. I’ll make sure she leaves.”
“He’s my son!” Anika snapped, reaching for Tyler. “You need to come home with me. This woman has poisoned your brain.”
“I never once said a bad thing about you to that boy,” Josie hissed, jabbing her in the chest with her finger.
“He eventually got tired of waiting for you, so you can’t be angry that he doesn’t know you.
You’re the woman who abandoned him, Anika.
You gave him that opinion of you all on your own.
I raised him. I love him like he’s my own son, and he’s got a good future ahead of him because I was here to guide him.
Take him to court if you really wish, but I’ll sue you for every cent you have left. ”
She opened the door and motioned for her to leave, and when she didn’t move, Tyler walked up to her and backed her out with his body. She almost tripped but he didn’t touch her, knowing the paparazzi were watching and would see it on their cameras if he did.
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get out of town. There’s nothing left for you here,” he spat, cameras flashing at the obvious disagreement they were having.
She cleared her throat, trying to stand her ground.
“I’m very disappointed in you.”
“You’ve been nothing but a disappointment to me my whole life.”
“You’re embarrassing me.”
“Am I?” he asked with fake surprise, walking past her down the stairs. “Hey! Paps! Did you know my mother abandoned me here as a kid? Left me to fend for myself in that big house of ours? Josie Holloway raised me, not Anika!”
Anika chased after him frantically, and Josie grimaced. “I was hoping to avoid this.”
“I’ve got him,” I said as I jogged down the stairs in his direction.
“That’s right, I was a kid, man. She’s a terrible mother,” Tyler sighed, answering someone’s question through the gate. “She thought I was sixteen. Can you believe that? I’m eighteen.”
“He’s joking,” Anika babbled, trying to pull Tyler away, but he wasn’t budging.