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“If that were us… if it would have been you being attacked by someone? I know I would have beat the shit out of him, too. Without a second thought. And probably not felt a damn bit sorry about it.”
“I know, babe. I know. And I agree with you. But it doesn’t make it okay.”
“No. It doesn’t.” He sighs deeply and rubs the scruff on his face. “I wonder what kind of conversation Dawson’s having with that prick of a father of his tonight.”
“Oh crap. I didn’t even think of him. How long do you think it will be before he beats down on our door?”
“Well, I guess it depends on what Dawson tells him. If he tells him the truth, then he won’t show up. If he admits who beat him up but doesn’t tell him the why, then he’ll be showing up any time. My guess, though, is that even though Dawson’s dad is a supreme asshole, he won’t stand for him attacking a girl, so he’s probably withheld that little tidbit of information.”
“Well, if he shows up, he’ll find out. No way am I gonna be able to hold back and not let him know what his son did.”
He grins at me, shaking his head. “I know, mama bear. I know.”
I roll my eyes at him. “Let’s go to bed. I’m exhausted. You’re exhausted. And if I know my sons, Cole will be here first thing in the morning, and Grady will be up at the crack of dawn, ready to explain.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Chapter Ten
Barrett
As a parent, I’ve had some crazy shit happen. But none crazier than hearing my son was arrested at the same time I was about to finally have sex with my wife. If anyone ever says being a dad is easy, he’s lying. Maybe deserves to have his nuts in a vice. Some days parenting sucks. It’s hard as hell, frustrating, both discouraging and encouraging but it’s all worth it. It is. After last night, I have to remember why it’s so worth it. Never in my life did I expect to receive a phone call like that.
It seems weird, but I almost have to be grateful. At least he had a decent reason to beat the crap out of that punk. Bri is like a daughter to me. The thought of someone doing anything to hurt her in any way angers me enough to make me want to go over to his house and have a few not-so-kind words.
After an insanely fitful night of sleep, I drag my old ass out of bed, feeling about ten years older than I did yesterday morning, and walk into the kitchen to start the coffee. A full pot. We are definitely going to need it. I turn my head when I hear shuffling feet moving across the dark wood floor and see my beautiful wife, sleep rumpled and stressed. She immediately walks over to where I’m impatiently waiting for the coffeepot to fill and wraps her tiny arms around my waist. She lays her head on my chest and sighs heavily.
I lean my head down and kiss her on my spot. “Morning, babe.”
“Morning. That had to be the crappiest night of sleep I’ve had since we had infants in the house.”
“Yup,” I reply, no further explanation needed.
“Thanks for starting the coffee, honey.”
“Any time. I have a feeling we’re gonna need it today,” I reply.
Just then the door to the basement opens up, and not only Grady appears, but his older brother Cole as well. Not surprised. He probably headed out at the crack of dawn, getting here as soon as he could for Grady. And us, too. He’s such a good kid, and I have no clue how that happened.
“Cole!” Tess excitedly runs over to her firstborn. He lifts her up slightly and hugs her close. He’s my height now and seeing her around her two boys, she looks so tiny.
Cole’s dark hair is a little longer than normal, and he’s grown an impressive amount of facial hair, sporting a full beard. He has on a plain, dark blue T-shirt, but what I keep focusing on are the many tattoos that are trailing down his arms. He’s been busy, it seems, adding several more since he’s been back in school. He’ll be the scruffiest looking doctor.
I glance over at Grady to see him leaning against the doorway watching the two of them. The weight of the evening before is obviously heavy on all our hearts. The nervousness comes off of Grady in waves as he shifts side to side on his feet, crossing and uncrossing his arms.
“Hey, Mom,” Cole says as he clings tightly to her. He murmurs something to her, more than likely telling her to go easy on Grady, before releasing her back to the ground. She beams up at him, and I know her well enough to know that even with the reason he’s here, she’s still so happy to have him home.
The second Tess is on her feet she steps over to Grady, takes his face in her hands, and reaches up on her toes before kissing him on the cheek. “How are you, baby?”
“I’m good, Mom,” he says, a slight smile to his face.
“Explain,” she replies simply.
“I talked to Bri. She’s good, she’s not mad at me… just hearing her voice last night helped me relax. I know she’s still upset about what Dawson did.” He clenches his jaw, and I can see the anger boiling up inside once again. He shakes his head slightly and continues on. “I texted Coach last night already so he will see it first thing this morning. He texted back already. He’s coming over here later to talk it all through. He’ll get on the phone with the recruiters who have been calling, too. We’ll get a plan together, but I wanted him to find out from me rather than through the chain of gossip that will be sure to fly around.”
The pride I feel over the maturity my son has shown in the situation swells in my chest. I know this situation isn’t good or ideal, but I’m glad to see he’s thinking with his head. Unfortunately, I also need to be bad cop here. He needs to understand that fighting is never the right.
“Grady, have a seat, son. We need the details on last night. As happy as it makes me to hear that you’ve talked to Coach Mac already, there’s more important things we need to worry about.”
