I give all of them a weak smile, unwilling to explain that I can’t stay here. I don’t want to be homeless, but if I make things harder for Cooper, he’s only going to make things harder for me. If I refuse to let him sell, he’ll demand his half of the value in cash. We all know I don’t have it. If he doesn’t demand money, he’ll move his ass in here and with that comes his degenerate friends, and I refuse to have my son around that.
It doesn’t take long for the man to walk through the property and make notes. Alex keeps a wide berth between him and his uncle. I’ve never bad-mouthed my brother in front of him, but he’s heard the conversations, the yelling when Cooper would show his face at random times in his life. I’m just glad Cooper never set his focus on my child. If he ever did, there would be another plot added to the family burial site.
That thought makes me snort, an effort to hide the pain. We don’t have a family burial plot. My dad was laid to rest in Dallas where his side of the family is from, and we told our goodbyes to my mother on the cheapest plot of land we could find, one that is still going to take years to pay off despite the discount.
I hate finding Ignacio on the couch with Alex after changing out of my dress from the funeral. Seeing Cooper and the way he acts only gives him more ammunition to use against me where Alex is concerned, and I feel it in my gut that that is where this entire situation is heading.
Chapter 23
Ignacio
She wants me to leave. I know she does. It’s in the way she can’t seem to settle. It’s also clear she’s scared to stay here. The little haven she’s managed to build in this house has been shattered, not only by the loss of her mother but also by the way her brother has acted.
The man didn’t even show up at his mother’s funeral. What kind of psycho does that? I could understand if Brooke was a horrible parent, but I know she was loving and made numerous sacrifices for her children.
Seeing the way Cooper ended up makes me appreciate getting out of this town even more.
The man sits in the corner of the room, scowling, leg bouncing up and down. It’s obvious he’s anxious or jonesing. Either way, he seems one blink away from losing his shit.
I don’t know where the boundaries are. Bossing Tinley around before made her eyes go wide and her breathing grow erratic. When we were younger, she loved it, something I obliged as often as I could.
Now—now is a different story. She’s spent her entire adult life making her own decisions, having to forge a place in the world alone. That takes backbone and determination. I don’t know how she’ll react if I tell her she isn’t staying here.
For the last hour, I’ve watched her roam around the house, straightening and cleaning although the house is in decent shape considering the mess she came home to after Cooper’s arrival a few days ago.
“Change the fucking channel,” Cooper snaps, his fingers digging into his bouncing thigh.
I turn my head to look at him, once again not wanting to cross a line, but hell, this guy would piss a saint off, forcing them into confession for the violent thoughts he invokes.
“The game is on,” I tell him as calmly as I can manage.
“Who fucking cares?” My jaw tenses.
I have a mouth on me just as bad as the next guy, but at least I’ve done my best to restrain myself around my son. Alex tenses beside me, but he keeps his eyes on the television. I have no idea what Cooper has done to instill such fear in the kid, but it’s another mark in the negative column for his uncle.
After taking a deep breath, just about the only thing that’s going to keep me from punching him in the nose when I stand, I get to my feet.
Alex looks up at me, nervousness clear on his young, tired face. I look over at Tinley as she stands in the doorway to the kitchen and notice the same anxiousness on hers.
“Do you guys have your bags packed for the week?”
She fidgets, her hands twisting in front of her.
“I’ll go pack mine now,” Alex says, springing off the couch and heading down the narrow hall to his room.
“Tin?”
She swallows, her delicate neck working like a beacon for my attention.
“Go get packed,” I urge when she just stands there, her brain no doubt running down the list of should and shouldn’ts.
Decision made, she turns away and heads to her room.
If I thought being nice to Cooper would make him change and drop the asshole defensive attitude he showed up with, I might swallow down the hatred I have for him, but I know it won’t make any difference. He’s the type of man who isn’t happy unless everyone around him is miserable. His joy comes from tearing others down, and I find it disgusting.
I turn my back on him, hoping he doesn’t see it as an opportunity to attack since he’s been acting like a caged animal since the appraiser left, and walk toward the door to wait for Tinley and Alex.
“You know Cedric is pretty pissed you came in and made Alex quit his job.”
I clench my jaw, willing the tick threatening near my eye to settle.
“Cedric shouldn’t be using children to get his product out.” Unfocused eyes stare back at me when I turn back in Cooper’s direction.
“It was good enough for us.” He tilts his head, rubbing his ear on his shoulder as his legs both continue to bounce.
“I don’t want my son involved in that mess.”
“He’s been your son for like five minutes,” he argues.
“He’s been my son his entire life. He deserves better.”
“And we didn’t?” He’s growing angry, and that’s the last damn thing I need while my family is still in this house.
“We did, too,” I say, looking him directly in the eye. “And you should be happy that I’m here to make sure he doesn’t go down the same path we did.”
He snorts, a sound of derision that makes my entire body tense. Is he doubting my ability as a father or questioning my dedication to Alex altogether?
“There’s no saving him, just like there was no saving us.”
And that’s where he’s wrong. He’s partially right. Many people around here don’t make it out, but I did. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure Alex does too.
“She’s never going to leave here,” he mutters.
“You’re not really giving her a choice since you’re selling the house out from under her.”
The door to Alex’s room opens, gaining my attention.
“You ready?”
He nods, his eyes darting to Cooper for a brief second. The kid is smart, assessing the situation, checking his surroundings for danger. It makes me proud and sad he’s had to do it all at the same time.
“Go wait in the truck for your mom.”
He walks outside without hesitation.
Cooper, thankfully distracted by his cell phone, doesn’t even notice when Tinley walks out of her room with a packed bag, and we leave him in the living room without a word.
“He’s going to trash the house again,” she mutters as we walk to the truck.
“Maybe not.” He will. “He knows he wants it to sell quickly, and more damage would hinder that.”
She sighs, not taking my reasoning as gospel. She knows her brother better than I do after all.