“I texted Calvin to look into it after Ian told me about your shop. He confirmed my suspicions. He said the person who did it isn’t a pro, but still knew how to do it. Left lots of traces behind though. Unfortunately, the IP address didn’t help.”
I scratch my beard. “Why did you ask Calv?”
“You really think I’d let something like that happen to you and not investigate? Do you know me at all?” He shrugs. “I remembered what you told me just before my father died and thought maybe it was connected.”
“You mean the ink shortage and the system being down?” He nods.
“And how did you know Calv can hack?”
“I didn’t. Ryan told me. I mean, think about it, Luke. The gay world is a small village, right? We all know someone who knows someone. I’m pretty sure Bruce asked around about you. It undoubtedly came back to Holden. With your all-American boy being so in love with you, maybe he said something the other one couldn’t stand.”
Maybe he said something the other one couldn’t stand. I feel like the temperature in the room dropped a hundred degrees. Chills spread over my body. I know how Holden could have heard about Bruce. I remember Elvis saying something about babies and my mother still hoping now that I had a new boyfriend.
“I don’t think that’s the case, but I have an idea about what happened.” I jump into some clothes lying on the floor and run down the stairs toward the kitchen. “Mom!”
“Yes, Luke?” My mother is at the kitchen table, drinking her morning coffee. Peaceful as an old hippie would be.
“Did you post anything on Facebook when I told you I was seeing Bruce?”
“Don’t you see my posts?” she asks, sounding almost offended as she tries to shift the blame to me.
Truth is, my mother posts so much about stupid shit, I can’t keep up with her.
But the look she sends me shows her guilt. She knows she said something she shouldn’t have. I’m now certain she said some dumb shit about me having a new boyfriend.
“Did you say anything about Bruce and I having children?” I don’t need to turn around to know Dex is behind me—my body is warm again and my dick is up. Always up when he’s around. I’m trying to control it, not wanting my mother to see me hard.
Thankfully, she gets up and dumps her coffee in the sink, turning her back to me. I readjust myself while she’s looking away. Dex pulls out his phone and scrolls through her Facebook profile. Of course, she has her profile open for all to see because what is privacy in our world?
“There it is.” Dex shows me a post from a little while ago.
What’s new in the Gritt family? The farm is well. Ridge doesn’t need Viagra after all, and Luke has a new boyfriend. I see new grandbabies in my future!
“Holy shit, Bella, you’re worse than my clients. You can’t say things so private on the Internet. It always comes back to bite you in the ass, and it clearly had repercussions for Luke,” Dex tries to explain with a sympathetic voice, but I hear the annoyance behind the sweetness.
I can’t bring myself to be mad at my mother though. That’s who she is. Oversharing, never thinking of the consequences of her actions, but loving and caring. If she thought Holden could read it and it would hurt him, she wouldn’t have done it. But thinking before posting might be something we want to teach her.
“I don’t understand!” Her voice is shaking.
To my surprise, Dex opens his arms and brings her in for a hug. “I think Holden is the one who vandalized Luke’s parlor.”
“What?” she shrieks.
“Makes sense. He got dumped because Luke doesn’t want a family, he sees what you write, gets angry, and gets revenge…”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Luke! I would have never done anything like that if I thought it would cause you trouble.”
“I know, Mom,” I say, coming into the hug. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll call the police and tell them so they can bring him in for questioning. Dex, could you do something for him?”
“Beardy, I understand how you’re laid-back and shit, but asking me to step in as a lawyer for your ex? That’s a little too much hippie shit even for you!”
My eyes find his and I nod at my mother sandwiched between us. I’m not asking for me but for her. I don’t want her to feel bad.
She looks with pleading eyes at Dex. “Please, Dex? I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault.”
I grin because no one can escape my mother’s puppy dog eyes.
“No, Bella. I’m drawing the line!” he answers sternly.
“Please, boy. What’s your favorite meal? I’ll cook it for you.”
“Not going to work.” Dex shakes his head.
“What do I need to do for you to help poor Holden?” she cries.
Dex smiles, and I know that’s where he wanted to bring her all along.
“Well, there is one thing…” I chuckle in my beard at the stubbornness of my man. I overestimated my mother. You don’t get Dex to agree to do anything by batting your eyelashes.
“What? I’ll do anything.” My mother was never good at bargaining.
Dex looks at me and winks. “You can accept that beardy doesn’t want to get married or have children. Neither do I. So you can stop harassing us.”
He kisses her forehead, and if I weren’t head over heels for him already, I would have fallen in love right then. Dex being affectionate with my mother is something I wasn’t prepared for. My throat tightens, and I feel my eyes watering. I turn my gaze away so the tears won’t spill over.
When I focus back on my mom, she’s pouting, weighing her options, but I know her heart is too big to leave Holden in a ditch. “Okay. I’ll harass Barnabas instead.”
“Great idea. Now let me call someone.” Dex lets go of my mother and pulls his phone from his jeans’ pocket.
“You’re not going to be his lawyer? I thought—”
“Fuck no!” he interrupts her. “I might kill him for trying to hurt Luke. I’ll call in for a favor.” He then steps away to place his call.
I’m still hugging my mother from behind. I hear him barking orders and telling whomever he’s speaking to that he knows what time it is in LA and he doesn’t care.
“I like him,” she says, looking at the door where Dex disappeared.
“I know.”
But I’m not sure I should let my family get attached, especially Aaron. I can see how he could become a great friend to Dex. My family has accepted him, and I have no fucking clue what we’ll do once we’re back in LA, surrounded by the gang. It’s easy to play house when you’re almost three thousand miles from home.
“He’s good for you,” she adds, putting her face on my chest.
“I know.” I pick her up and carry her to the living room as Aaron and I used to do when we were teenagers. We’d carry her around as if she was a piece of furniture and abandon her wherever we wanted.
She laughs. “Put me down!”
“Never, Mom. You’re the only woman I’ll ever love!” I say, holding her tighter.
“You’re such a mama’s boy.” She’s kicking her legs like a five-year-old would, but I know she loves it.