Hot 4 (Multiple Love)

"She could have found out his number from his business website, and that would be creepy as fuck."

"Creepy enough to seek a restraining order?"

"I don't know." I get the distinct impression that the idea of Holden pushing for a restraining order against a woman doesn't sit well with his masculinity. He has to understand that women can be as unhinged as men and that his size and strength might not protect him from Summer if she becomes intent on harming him. At what point will she feel that way? When she realizes that I'm not going anywhere?

"Stay here." Holden taps Harris's shoulder, and he's sliding out of the rig before I have a chance to object. I'm forced to shuffle along and stare out of the window as Kane, Karter, and Holden are ambushed by Blake and Summer.

In front of the whole town.

I can't make out what's being said, but Summer's face is still plastered with her manic-looking smile, and Blake's arms are waving wildly. Holden's body language is dismissive, and I think Kane is raising his voice because Karter puts a hand on his twin's shoulder, ever the calmer of the two.

"This isn't going to do our fundraising any good," Harris says, trying to make light of everything as usual. This time, I'm certain it's a defense mechanism.

Frustrated at feeling like a kid on a school bus, I tell Harris that I'm getting down. He objects, but I don't care. There is no way I'm sitting this one out.

"This isn't any of your business," Holden growls, his usual cool totally displaced by raging anger. "How I live my life is up to me. You don't get to force us to do anything anymore."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blake hisses. "You're my son. I thought your mom and I raised you better than this. To be living in sin."

"Mom raised us just fine. To have respect for other people. Not to sit in judgment when we have our own fair share of issues. Not to manipulate or make others feel bad for wanting things that differ from our own opinions. You weren't around to influence much of anything."

"I was making the money that paid for your lives, your education," Blake responds. "Building a company for you to take over, and then you make this foolish decision to leave it all behind to fight fires, and you can't seem to stop."

"It isn't a foolish decision to want to care for others, to stop terrible things happening to them."

"You can't rewrite the past." Blake smiles then as though Holden's sentiment is childish. "Nothing you do now will change what happened to your mom. You think throwing your lives away will bring her back?"

I put my hand on Holden's bunched shoulders, sensing that he's getting close to lashing out. He's in uniform, and this conduct is already unbecoming. Punching his dad in the face could risk his job. "Just leave it, okay," I say. "None of this is worth it."

"Listen to me," Karter says, stepping forward to put himself between his brother and his father. "How we live our lives is up to us. We've told you this before about our jobs and now we're telling you about our personal lives. We're not going to keep repeating ourselves. Connie is with us, and we're happy. That's all you should care about. We don't need your approval, and we don't want your business. It comes with too many conditions and not enough job satisfaction. Now, if you want to stick around and be polite, you're welcome to. But if you're going to keep acting this way, then you should go home."

Blake steps forward, his demeanor just as tightly coiled as Holden’s. "I didn't slave away to put you into good schools, to put you through college, so you could slum it and put your lives in danger. Your mom and I didn't raise you to throw your lives away in a disgusting relationship. Look at you. You all have the pick of women, and you want to go for this one?"

"Say one more word about Connie, and there won't be any going back," Holden hisses. "There won't be any forgiveness or other chances."

Blake shakes his head, a horrible smile creeping over his face. "You'd discard your father for a woman. I don't even know who you are anymore."

The crowd has moved closer, eyes flicking between the boys and their father. There are shocked expressions, but I'm not sure what they're reacting to; the disclosure of our relationship, how the boys are speaking to their father, or how the father is responding to his sons. I guess everyone in the crowd is likely to have a different take on what is going on. All I know is that I need to get out of here. I don't want the boys to destroy bridges with their only surviving parent, despite his insults and obvious struggle to let them go. I don't want Summer to feel like she's won in whatever sick way she thinks she is manipulating in this situation.