But a little idea was starting to form in the back of my mind. Yeah, I needed to stew on that a bit, because right now, Jake looked like he'd just said too much. He had the same expression on his face J.D. had when he'd told me he was bi.
It was vulnerability, and a whole fucking lot of it. I didn't really know how to deal with that, but I'd recently learned how not to. I'd fucked up bad enough with Cody to understand how much some things could hurt a person, even if they didn't make sense to me. Jake had recently become a guy I not only respected, but someone I wanted to call a friend, and this time, I wouldnotfuck it up.
"Who knows this?" I asked gently.
"J.D.," he admitted.
"So Cody and Tanner do too."
But Jake shook his head. "I'm pretty sure they don't. J.D. traded me. He told me he's bi. He said he's with Cody too. He left it up to me to figure out the rest, but that's not hard to put together." He chuckled. "I saw the room they shared, Ty. When I helped you pick up their shit. That's when I realized you knew more than you were saying."
I nodded, accepting that. "Ok. Let me make sure I have this straight. Merrill knows you're his kid."
"And Clay, my brother. He knows too," Jake said. "Donald doesn't know that Clay knows, though."
"Which means your secret still has power, Jake."
"But," he countered, "if I push, my father will push back - and hard. That's the sort of asshole he is. It's why I mentioned training the current bullfighters. It's a worse option, but itisan option. See, Donald's the sort of man who gets stupid when he's pushed into a corner."
"And it sounds to me like you know exactly how to push his buttons." I tipped my head at his beer, reminding him he still had it. "So let's use that. Sure, I'll be the face of this. You can be the brains."
He grabbed the bottle but didn't drink. "You're starting to make me think you're doing just fine on your own, Ty."
Yeah, and that shit felt good. "Been learning from my friend." I gestured to him. "But I want you to think about something."
"Ok?"
"What happens if you stop hiding? I'm not saying push him, because you made it clear you can't do that. But step up, Jake. Get the fucking credit you deserve for once. Let your old man see you'rebetterthan him. And when that throws him off, I'll come rub a little salt in his wounds so he won't even notice when Cody and J.D. remake this whole ordeal to be the sort of sport we can be fucking proud of."
Jake's eyes lost focus for a moment, then he started bobbing his head slowly. "Yeah," he mumbled. Then a bit louder, "Yeah, I think I like this plan, Ty."
"Good," I said. "We have a week to work it out. Probably the rest of the weekend before anyone else shows up. Since I don't have any interest in going out and getting fucked up, what do you think about hanging out here, sharing some pizza and making a few plans, hm?"
"I'll fucking drink to that," he agreed.
Chapter 39
I gotto meet a few of Isabella's friends when they came over Friday night. The gaggle of teen girls in the house was loud, but in a way that left a smile on my lips. I was used to loud, after all. Now, J.D.? He was not as thrilled to hear his sister squealing over "cute cowboys" or bragging about how a girl was going to kick her brother's ass next weekend.
For the ass-kicking part, he made a big fuss of acting like his little sister had turned on him. The cute cowboy part, though? Yeah, he made sure those girls knew that cute cowboys needed to be their age or they were creeps. And if they weren't gentlemen, then they sure as shit weren't cute. But from the way Isabella's friends were smiling at him, I had a feeling he was one of those cute ones they'd been talking about - if notthecute one.
Which gave Tanner and me plenty of ammunition to pick on him the next day. When Maria jumped in to make her son blush, I decided I liked this family. Even Tanner relaxed around them, giving up on his over-the-top attempt at good manners. Then again, he'd only just gotten comfortable enough to start rummaging in the fridge without asking when it was time for us to go.
"But you have another week off," Maria insisted.
J.D. just shook his head. "No, Mama. Tanner's gotta work, which means we go with him. That's how it is with a family, you know."
And that made his mother smile so proudly. But when she hugged me before we piled into the truck? It felt good. Hell, it feltnatural.
Thankfully, the drive from his mother's place to the hotel wasn't a long one. J.D. also took over, saying he was fine to drive, he was done with being an invalid, and he knew his way around Nashville better than we did. Tanner made a weak attempt to resist, but we both knew he was right. J.D. was doing pretty good. Hehadactually rested and recovered. So, this was going to be his reward.
But the Marriott in this town was not like the ones I was used to. It was not only bigger, but also a hell of a lot nicer. The three of us grabbed our bags and headed in, a little too used to doing this - then paused once we made it through the doors. The lobby looked like it had been designed by some billionaire. At the side, the bar was placed to be comfortable, not hidden away. Then there was the front desk, filled with people who actually smiled.
"J.D. Adkins," he announced as he dropped his bag and fished out his wallet. "I have a reservation for the week, for three."
"Yes, sir," the man said on the other side. I could hear a keyboard clacking as he looked that up, then, "Sir?" The young man's eyes jumped up, then back to his screen. "You'll be staying through Monday?"
"Checking out Tuesday, prolly," J.D. agreed.
