Only One Forever (Only One 8)

“It’s not that fucking easy!” Max roars.

“Why can’t it be?” Allison asks. She looks at me the same way she did before all of this came out, giving me a smile. Something I was worried about was that she would never be able to look at me like she did. “Why can’t it just be easy like that? Listen to them.” She walks to Max, putting her hands on his hips. “Your daughter is in love with a man who you helped raise,” she says, looking at me. “Who we all helped raise. A man who will treat her with respect. A man who is going to be kind to her. A man who will put her before himself.”

“I mean, he better, or else,” Matthew says, making me and Alex laugh, “I’m going to kick your ass.”

“What about what the press is going to do to her?” Max looks at Allison. “They are going to be vile and mean and drag her through the mud.”

“But what if they don’t?” Alex asks. “What if they don’t care just like we don’t care?”

“Alex.” Max says. “It’s my job to worry and protect you.”

“That’s my job now,” I respond, knowing that there is no way I will ever stop protecting her. “It’s always been my job.” My thumb rubs up and down her arm. “That will be my job always.”

“Dylan, it’s not going to be easy,” Max says now, his voice going low, and he sits down on the couch behind him. “The whole family will be thrown under the bus.”

I don’t have a chance to say anything because Matthew laughs now. “Are you kidding me? I was arrested for rape.” He points at his chest. “Justin was arrested for assault.” He points at Max. “You were arrested for the same thing.”

“That’s not the point,” Max says, shaking his head.

“Then what is the point?” Allison asks. “Because I’m a bit confused.” She folds her arms over her chest. “Did I expect them to fall in love?” She looks at us. “No, I didn’t. But what are we going to do, not support our daughter and the man she loves?” She tilts her head to the side. “Max Horton, you helped make him who he is. You raised him just as much as Justin did. He learned all of this from you.” She turns and points at Matthew. “And you with all this claim stuff. Who talks like that?”

“It’s a Stone thing.” Matthew smirks at us.

“I changed my mind,” Alex says, stepping out of my touch. My arm that was around her shoulder falls to my side, and her hand grabs mine. “Before, I said that I would walk away from him.” She looks at me, her eyes filling with tears. “If he could have the family, but I take it back.” The lump in my throat fills, and I have trouble swallowing. “I’m not letting him go. I’ll go with him and walk away from the family, if that is what we need to do.” She smiles through her tears. “I’m sorry, but I won’t let you go, and if they don’t want us, then we will create our own family.” She puts her hands on my hips, looking up at me. “We can be each other’s family.”

“Like fuck that will ever happen.” I look over and see my father standing there with my grandfather. Behind them is Cooper and Michael with Chase. “You are my son,” my father says. “No matter what.”

“Sorry we’re late,” Michael says, coming into the room and looking at his mother standing alone. He walks to her and puts his arm around her shoulders. “Fabio over there was chatting with Julia instead of filling us in.”

“We’re here, aren’t we?” Chase says, looking around the room. “And no one is dead.”

“Can everyone just for one second be quiet,” Max says, getting up now.

“Not if you’re going to spew shit at my son,” my father says, putting his hands on his hips.

“Yeah,” Allison says, turning on him. “This isn’t you,” she points out to him. “Your heart is filled with all this love.” She puts her hand on his chest, and he looks down at it.

“I’m going to throw up.” Matthew puts his fist to his mouth, faking vomiting.

“Shut up,” my father says to Matthew. “He’s about to apologize for being a dickhead.”

“I wouldn’t say dickhead,” my grandfather says, smiling at Max, trying to ease everyone’s nerves. He is always the calm one in the family, always the one to make sure that everyone settles down before things go beyond the part where it can’t come back. “He was just looking out for the ones he loves. Isn’t that right, son?”

“Yeah, isn’t that right?” Matthew repeats. “You know when you stole my sister away from us, and you married her like a barbarian without her family.”