“Sweetheart, why don’t you, me and Slider, take your grandpa into the kitchen. He can help us make breakfast?” Beau asks softly.
“Nu-uh. No way, bitch. You aren’t taking my son anywhere,” Robin screams. “Ty, come here to Mom. Tell this cop that you want to come with me.”
“Ty, son. Go back inside. We’ll deal with this and be in, yeah?” I exhale, praying my son listens to me.
Ty walks over to Adam, shrugging Dad’s hands off of his shoulders. Skull is there, so I stand still. This is going to kill me if he agrees to go with Robin, but there’s not much I can do. I’m not going to put my son in the middle of a tug of war. He’s going to have to learn about Robin on his own and I fucking hate it. I despise myself because I’m ultimately responsible for the pain that is waiting my boy.
“I don’t want to be around my mother. I don’t have to. My dad has full custody. Mom doesn’t have visitation unless I ask for it. Right, Dad?”
“Ty! You don’t mean that!” Robin screeches.
“Right, Ty. Seriously, though buddy, why don’t you go inside? Let us work this out,” I plead again.
“You never told me that you paid Mom money so you could have custody of me, Dad.”
“Shit,” Beau whispers, hugging me tighter.
I look at my son, my heart breaking for him. This sick feeling hits me, and I wish I could erase all of this from his memory. If I could, I would in a heartbeat—even if that means him still visiting with the piece of shit that is his mother.
“Son, let’s talk about it later, okay?”
“You don’t understand, Ty. I was all on my own. I couldn’t take care of a child. I didn’t have anyone to depend on.”
“Beau’s all alone. Slider told me that she took care of her dad when he was dying and turned down a chance to be a star on a television show and everything so she could be there for her dad.”
“Ty—” Beau starts, but Robin doesn’t let her finish.
“She’s not your mother. I am.”
“Yeah. You sold me to Dad. You never even tried to keep me and take care of me. You don’t now. You don’t even feed me when I’m there. I eat peanut butter sandwiches while you’re out or at home drunk.”
“That’s not true,” Robin says, obviously panicked, looking around at all of us—obviously feeling trapped.
“You’re right. Sometimes you are in bed sleeping it off.”
“Ty—” Fuck, I don’t even know what I’m going to say to him right now. I didn’t know any of this shit. My boy never told me, and I’ve always felt like a bad father, but now I feel like one that’s a piece of shit. Not only am I responsible for the fact Robin’s poison touches my son on a daily basis, but I also let him stay in an environment no kid should live in.
“Go home, Mom. I don’t want to see you. I’m going to help Beau make strawberry French toast.”
My fucking heart feels as if it’s shattering in pieces.
“You stupid kid. You think that bitch cares about you? You’re just a tool for her to try and trap your father. That’s it. It doesn’t even matter, BB will kick her to the curb in a week. If not that, he’ll be screwing some of the club girls and she’ll leave his ass. Where will you be then?”
“Jesus Christ, Robin. Quit spouting that shit?—”
I stop talking. I was so wrapped up in seeing the pain on my son’s face that I didn’t see Beau march over to where Skull, Adam, Ty, and Robin are all standing. She backhands Robin hard enough that her head jerks back from the force of the blow.
“You can say what you want about me. You can hiss your vile thoughts until the cows come home. Just fucking do it while Ty isn’t here. I’m at the garage all day. Drop by when he’s at school if you want a go, but don’t you ever hurt your son because you’re pissed at me. I care about Ty. I cared for him before I knew hewas Hunter’s child. He’s an easy kid to love and you’d know that if you weren’t so twisted and ate up with hate!”
“You fucking bitch! I’ll kill you.” Robin moves like she’s going to jump on Beau, but Skull and Adam hold her back. “Do you hear me? I’ll kill you!” She tries to jerk out of Skull’s hold as Adam bends her arm backwards. “Let me go, you assholes!” she shrieks.
Beau ignores her, squatting down to ruffle Ty’s hair. “Let’s go get started on breakfast. It’s going to take a while so we can feedallof your family that is here,” she whispers to my son. It doesn’t escape my attention that she stresses the fact that his family is here for him. Ty’s eyes are overbright. I know he has to be a mess inside, but he reaches out and takes her hand. She leads him straight to the house.
“Beau, do you want to press charges on Miss Cabell?”
“Press charges? She hit me!” Robin squeaks.
“You’re on her property and verbally abused her and her houseguests—one of which is a minor. She has a right to press charges if she so chooses.”
