“Oh, dear God,” Alex says, and for the first time since I stepped in this room, I know that everything will be okay. I know we will have more hurdles, but it’ll be okay with her by my side.
Max looks at me. “What you said before.” He looks down. “You were right. I helped raise you.” He swallows back the tears. “The man you are is the man I had hoped that Alex would find.” He looks at her. “He is the kind of man I always wished for.”
“I won’t ever let you down,” I declare. “I won’t ever let any of you down.” I look around the room at the men who helped raise me, and the men who help hold me up when I don’t think I can hold myself up.
“Can you imagine the therapy that this family needs?” Chase talks, and we all shake our heads. “Like we are all certifiable.”
“Speak for yourself,” Michael says. “There is nothing wrong with me.”
“Didn’t you knock up Jillian and then not talk to her for five months?” Cooper asks Michael.
“Didn’t you get divorced?” Michael throws it back into Cooper’s face. The two of them start to throw insults at each other.
“Do you think it’s too early to tell them to get the fuck out so we can go and have a makeup make-out session?” I lean down and ask Alex in her ear.
“My father just approved of our relationship. I don’t think it would be a good time to tell him we are living together yet.“
“Wait?” I say, shocked, and my voice gets louder. “If I’m living here, I have to pay for the house.”
“Oh, here we go,” Allison says. “I’m leaving.” She looks at Max. “I’m also not talking to you,” she tells him and turns to walk to us. She gives me a big hug. “So proud of you,” she whispers and then hugs Alex. “Dad, can you drive me home?”
“What?” Max shouts at her as she walks out. “Where are you going?”
“Away from you,” she hisses. “That was not okay. What you said to our nephew-slash-daughter’s boyfriend was uncalled for.”
“Forget therapy,” Chase says, “we need Jerry Springer.”
Chapter 26
Alex
Only when I look over and see my father shake his head and laugh at Chase’s comment do I let the tension leave my body. Dylan notices it right away, and he slips his hand in mine, and my eyes go down to see the small intimate touch. I look up at him and smile. “I’m leaving,” my mother says while she walks to me. “I’ll call you later.” She hugs me and then smiles at Dylan. “Um, your mother,” she says. “She needs you to call her after. I’ll fill her in, but I know she is going to want to hear from your mouth that you are okay.”
“I will.” Dylan nods at her.
“Okay, this was fun,” Chase says, “but I have an appointment I need to get to.”
“What appointment can you possibly have in Dallas?” my uncle Matthew asks, and he avoids answering him.
“Is it for those crabs you caught in Hawaii?” Cooper asks, slapping his shoulder, and they both leave.
“This was fun, but I have to get home to the kids,” Michael says, then looks over at our mom. “You coming over?”
“I am,” she confirms, walking to him, giving my father the side-eye. “Your father is not coming with us.”
“I’m standing right here,” my father says, and she turns to him, giving him a glare and then turning to walk out of the door.
“I don’t know how all this marriage stuff works,” Michael says. “But that look means you’re in the doghouse.”
“Smart man,” my grandfather says and comes over to us now. “You call me later.” He kisses my cheek and then goes to hug Dylan. Every single day he calls every single one of us, even if it’s for a five-second chat. He sits down and goes through the list. He walks over and looks at Justin as they share a look and then glance over at us, nodding. Turning to walk out of the room, he leaves just my father.
“We are going to talk about this more,” he says. “If this is what you guys really decide to do.” He shakes his head. “We are going to have to sit down and go over a game plan.”
“A game plan?” Matthew asks, laughing. “My daughter’s sex tape being leaked needed a game plan.” He puts his hands on his hips. “This doesn’t need a game plan. It needs one statement, and then you tell them to fuck off.”
“It’s not that simple,” my father defends, shaking his head.
“It’s that simple if we make it that simple,” Dylan says from beside me. “We’ve never been ones to talk about our public life,” he says of the family. “And we aren’t starting now. What’s between the family stays in the family.”