“I know that and now she’s going to know it too,” Rocky returned.
Her eyes were bright and hard, flashing, she was pissed.
Seeing that, Layne instantly thought this whole thing was funny instead of a pain in the ass. He thought this mainly because Rocky was cute pissed but also because Gabby could be a bitch but he reckoned she was about to meet her match and, he had to admit, his ex had busted his balls for so long, he was looking forward to the show.
He swallowed his laughter, successfully fought back a smile, let her go and turned from her to pick up the dirty t-shirt he wore yesterday.
He was straightening when the doorbell went and the tee was yanked from his hand.
His eyes went to Roc. “Sweetcheeks –”
“Nope,” she snapped, turned on her foot and marched out of the room still carrying his tee.
Apparently her point would be made further by Gabby being confronted with a bare-chested Layne.
Layne followed her, eyes to his feet, allowing himself a smile until he hit the stairs and he wiped his expression blank.
He hit the bottom step as Rocky, no longer carrying his tee, which had mysteriously disappeared because Layne couldn’t see it anywhere, opened the door.
Gabby didn’t hesitate even a second before she fired the opening shot. “You didn’t have time to put on clothes?” she snapped, cottoning right on to Rocky’s play.
“It’s Sunday,” Rocky shot back, stepping aside for Gabby to enter. “After you leave, Layne and I are going straight back to bed. I’m not wasting my time getting dressed only for Layne to undress me again.”
Jesus. Below the belt straight off the bat. He knew it but this knowledge was fortified by Gabby’s face getting red at the same time it twisted.
“Well, don’t let me put you out, you can go right back to bed,” Gabby returned, not moving into the apartment. “Anyway, I’d rather you not be here while Tanner and I talk about our sons.”
Direct hit and Rocky’s eyes narrowed when it connected.
“I’m afraid you can’t tell me what to do in my house. You want a private conversation, you act like a normal human being, call Layne at a decent hour, set up a time to meet over coffee and talk like civil people. You want a drama, right here and right now, you’re going to have to act it out with an audience.”
“Suit yourself,” Gabby muttered and her eyes went to Layne who was standing, watching and keeping his mouth shut.
“Get in the apartment,” Rocky demanded when Gabby opened her mouth to address Layne and Gabby’s eyes sliced back to her.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” Gabby snapped.
“You are not going to throw your tantrum outside my apartment. Come inside,” Rocky returned.
“I’m not stepping foot in your house,” Gabby retorted.
“You have two seconds to come inside, you don’t, you’ll find the door shut in your face, I’ll call security and they’ll remove you from the premises,” Rocky warned.
“Good,” Gabby hissed, leaning forward. “I’ll tell Jas and Tripp that you had me removed by security and they might not like Saint Rocky so goddamned much anymore.”
“They might not, then again, they might wonder why you’re on my doorstep before seven o’clock forcing a confrontation,” Rocky shot back and Layne’s mouth twitched because his boys loved their mother but they also knew her, Gabby knew that therefore Rocky had Gabby there.
“You think this is funny?” Gabby squealed, taking five quick steps into the house and Rocky closed the door behind her. He’d been looking at Roc, he missed Gabrielle’s eyes coming to him.
“Yep,” Layne replied.
“This is not funny,” Gabby’s voice was rising, indicating she was going to lose what little hold she had on her control and that was never pretty.
This meant Layne was done enjoying the show. “Why are you here?”
“My son got home after two o’clock in the morning,” Gabby answered without hesitation. “I dragged his ass out of bed an hour ago and he told me what happened last night. He did not call and tell me he was going to miss his curfew. He did not call me when he was in trouble. He came home and went to bed like he lives in a fucking hotel and his mother isn’t tossing and turning waiting up for him and worried out of her brain.”
“You’re tellin’ me this because…” Layne prompted.
“I’m tellin’ you this because you should have told me what was happening and if you didn’t, since you were with Jas last night, you should have advised him to share the minute he got home,” Gabrielle returned.
“We had it covered,” Layne replied.
“I’m his mother!” Gabby shouted.
“Jesus, Gabby, keep it down,” Layne ordered.
“Fuck you,” she shot back.
Layne uncrossed his arms and put his hands to his hips. “All right, woman, you’re his mother and he fucked up last night, he had a couple of beers. He let his girl have a couple of beers. He’s seventeen, that shit is gonna happen. I did it, you did it, everyone does it. It wasn’t right but he was bein’ smart, he didn’t get drunk because he was drivin’. But his girl got slipped a mickey and it freaked him out. He cares about her. He didn’t know what to do. So, if I didn’t advise him and he didn’t decide to let you in on that shit, it’s his call. He had enough to deal with considering his girl got drugged against her will on his watch and her stepdad was pretty fuckin’ displeased. If he didn’t feel like puttin’ up with your shit after that, I don’t fuckin’ blame him.”
“He doesn’t get to decide if he gets to put up with my shit, Tanner,” Gabby returned. “I’m his mother, he’s seventeen. You treat him like he’s thirty-five.”
“He’s a smart kid,” Layne replied.
“Yeah, he is, he’s smart but he’s still seventeen. He’s still a kid.” She threw her arms out and her eyes shot fire. “You let them curse, both of them and Tripp’s only fourteen. You think that shit doesn’t leak to my house? Tripp told me straight out you let them cuss!”
Shit, but Tripp sometimes had a big mouth.
Gabby carried on. “And this business with the Youth Group, I don’t know what’s happening with that, all I know is, neither of my sons have found Jesus. It’s not like I haven’t heard people talking about that so it makes me think I should know what they’re doing there because my guess is you’re involved somehow, it’s dangerous and no seventeen and fourteen year old boy should be involved in one of your operations.”
He skirted right around Youth Group, a topic which would make Gabby’s head explode, and he had to admit, rightfully so, and he focused on something that might not. “Gabrielle, they cuss at school, they cuss with their friends, who gives a fuck if they cuss?”
“I do!” she yelled.
“That’s ridiculous,” Layne returned.
“It’s being a good parent, Tanner,” she snapped back.
“Do not go there, Gabby,” Layne warned. “I’m a good Dad.”
She nodded and crossed her arms on her chest. “Oh yeah, yeah you are. The best Dad ever. The coolest Dad in the world. News flash, Tanner, you didn’t have one so let me educate you.” she announced bitingly. “Bein’ a good Dad does not mean bein’ a cool Dad it means bein’ a Dad.”
Layne took two steps toward her and as he did it he watched her brace which he figured was a good call on her part, considering he’d lost patience and didn’t hide it.
“I know my boys, I know what they’re capable of and we communicate. They’re both almost men and they gotta learn how to be good ones,” Layne told her, his voice low, rumbling, he was pissed. “You made it clear from the beginning, even before we got divorced, that we were both in this parent thing on our own. We never agreed, you never compromised. So, you do it your way, I’ll do it my way but since you made that decision, you don’t get to get in my face and tell me to do it your way. I’ll raise my boys as I see fit.”