Bad Cruz(84)

Who knew what could have happened if Rob and I hadn’t decided to reenact every bad teen movie ever made and pick a fight over a girl at the bar?

Wyatt could have slept with that woman.

But as I got closer, I realized that no, Trinity wasn’t upset over Wyatt at all. Tennessee and Bear were standing as a united front on one end of the lawn, while Trinity, Donna, and Bryan occupied the other side.

“Nothing is in my control anymore. Gabriella has bailed on me. I can’t believe she’s not here because of another headache.”

“I can,” Tennessee mumbled. “I’d believe it if she skipped the event due to a split nail.”

Her sister threw her a frosty gaze.

“Not only is my best friend not here, but my sister’s baby daddy is. Can I just have one day where it’s about me and not her?” Trinity wailed.

“Honey, the day’s all yours, but Rob has the right to see his son.” Donna rubbed at her favorite daughter’s back.

So Donna was the one responsible for Rob showing up. Bet she didn’t bother asking her elder daughter what she thought about the arrangement.

Tennessee’s face looked tight and resigned, her posture stiff.

Yup.

She definitely didn’t have anything to do with this.

I approached them, placing a hand over Tennessee’s back as I flashed them a good-natured smile.

“I see someone’s got your trousers in a twist. Anything I can do to help?”

The sight of my hand resting against Tennessee’s back sent Donna reeling. She went into a coughing fit while Bryan looked at me like I’d just landed back from Mars sporting a brand new green latex body suit.

Trinity grimaced, probably realizing she should’ve toned down her bitchiness toward her boss’ girlfriend.

Fuck it. The secret was already out in the open. It was better not to Band-Aid the situation.

It didn’t hurt that Robert was here to witness this with his own eyes.

To my surprise, Tennessee leaned a little into me, seeking my touch. Warm, pathetic liquid spread inside my chest, and I rested my chin atop of her head casually.

“It’s all under control. Sorry Rob’s here.” Tennessee cleared her throat.

“I’m not sorry,” Donna said defiantly, sticking her nose up in the air. “Bear needs a father.”

“You could’ve consulted us.” Trinity sighed. “What if Bear’s not ready?”

“Bear’s a child. He should do whatever he is told to do,” Donna pointed out.

Interesting take on parenting.

Effective one, too.

If you were a tyrant.

“You should’ve asked Mom.” Bear leaned into Tennessee, which made us look like a family of our own.

“Don’t talk to your mamaw like that,” Bryan tried to convey some authority, but his heart wasn’t in it.

His eyes were roaming the golf course across the lawn.

“Bear?” I heard a voice behind me.

We all turned around.

Rob was standing there, right in front of us. He didn’t look at me, even though the bruises from our fight had barely faded from both our faces. He didn’t look at Tennessee, either.

Just his son.

Bear’s face looked pained. A mix of dismay and longing I hadn’t seen on anyone before.

He’d seen him before, I knew, but only when Rob was about to get the boot and be kicked out of the vicinity.

And just like that, I realized I hadn’t taken into consideration the one leverage Rob had over me in this situation—bloodline.

“Rob,” Bear squeaked, separating himself from the group and pulling his shoulders back, extending to his full height to show his dad how big and strong he was.

“Hey, buddy.” Rob’s eyes went glassy. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking around. “I got you a bunch of presents. I know you threw most of them away, but I…I…I’m just glad your mamaw and papaw invited me here. Because I really want to get to know you. And, well, I can’t blame you for being hesitant, but…”

Tennessee’s shoulders slumped under my touch, and her face was overtaken by every emotion on the spectrum.

“Nice speech.” Bear shrugged it off. “But Mom beat you to it. Again. She already told me I have to see you. She said she won’t let me hang out with Cruz otherwise.”

Okay. That was not completely true. It also sounded terrible. It also made Tennessee and me sound like a couple.

An evil couple.

Rob nodded quickly. “Cruz’s fun to hang out with. We used to be best friends in high school. Would it be okay if I’m here tonight? I won’t sit next to you or anything. I just want to…watch.”

Silence rolled over the open barn. Everybody looked at Bear, waiting for an answer. The kid reddened, digging his sneaker deep into a patch of mud in the lawn and gnawing on his lip.

“That makes you sound like a creeper,” he said, finally, drawing chuckles from Tennessee and me.

“I promise I’m not a creeper,” Rob said.

“Mom said you got divorced twice.”

“That makes me hasty, and possibly a tool bag, but definitely not a creeper. What do you say?”

Bear lifted an eyebrow, glancing at Tennessee. She gave him a brief nod of confirmation.