Forward Passes (Seattle Lumberjacks) (23 page)

“Maybe your grandkids don’t.” Tyler yelled right back in his loudest quarterback voice in an attempt to be heard over Doris’s high-pitched screech.

“He stole my grandson. Abandoned my granddaughter. He wasn’t good enough for my daughter.”

“Yeah, but really, it’s all about you, isn’t it?” Tyler shouted so loudly his temples throbbed.

Doris’s face turned so red Tyler expected to see the top of her head blow off. “You’re as toxic as he was. You drink too much. Chase women. You’re no good. Just like him.”

“You don’t know a thing about me.” Tyler’s loud and booming baritone clashed with Doris’s high-pitched screech, like a discordant grade school band.

Lavender jumped on a chair and screamed to get their attention. “Stop it. What’s going on here?” They both started to talk at once. “One at a time. You first.” She pointed at Tyler.

Smugly, Tyler winked at Doris. She clenched her fists and most likely fantasized about planting her knuckles in his mouth. Larry stepped up beside her and tried to put a restraining hand on her shoulder. She slapped his hand, and the wimp flinched.

“I saw your grandmother over here, and knew you weren’t home. I found her going through your file cabinet.” He pointed at the open drawer on the file cabinet and waited expectantly for Lavender’s reaction, her anger at being violated by someone she trusted.

Lavender looked at her grandmother and sighed, as if this had happened before. “Gram, you know I hate that.”

Open-mouthed Tyler gaped at his purple lady. “Don’t you care that she’s invading your privacy?”

Doris sputtered, still recovering from her fit. “And it’s a good thing I did. Someone needs to watch out for you, honey. You’re too susceptible to men like your father and
him.
” She snatched the folder from the desk and waved it in Lavender’s face. “What are
these?”

With a dramatic flair, the crazy woman threw the folder in the air. As it fell to the ground, pictures of Lavender’s father fluttered to the floor. Hands over her mouth, Lavender watched in horror, like a little girl being caught snitching candy from a candy store.

“Gram, I forgot all about those.” Her apologetic tone knocked Tyler on his ass. She shot Tyler one of those
keep your mouth shut
glares.

Doris switched from crazy woman to concerned grandmother in a manner of seconds. “We’ve worked so hard to heal after all that man has done to tear our family apart. How could you keep such personally painful memories of him? This isn’t good. I’m just concerned about you, honey, and it appears I have every right to be.”

“I’m sorry, Gram.” Lavender hung her head, like she’d been in the wrong.
What the fuck?

Tyler stared in amazement at Doris. She’d somehow turned this into being about Lavender and not about her control issues.

He knew better than to involve himself in a family dispute, but he did it anyway. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have some pictures with you and your dad.” Tyler had spent several hours with his sisters yesterday going over copies of paperwork they’d dredged up, proving Doris a liar on several fronts, such as child support, ownership of this very property, and court papers filed on more than one occasion by Brian alleging that Doris interfered with visitation, countered by her claims of emotional abuse and neglect.

“Tyler, stay out of this. Please.” Lavender’s eyes pleaded with him to understand, to drop it. He did understand. She wanted to keep peace with her grandmother but at what cost?

Doris stepped forward, patting Lavender’s hand and sucking her back in her web. “Honey, we’re just concerned about you. A relationship with your father would be damaging to you. You know the man is harmful. Why would you want to see him?”

“Listen to your grandmother, Lavender. She knows what’s best for you. Don’t disrespect her by going against her wishes.” Larry blurted out the words. He glanced at Tyler, cringed like a frightened pansy, and retreated to the safety of his corner.

Tyler shook his head in an attempt to clear it, totally baffled. Doris and Larry worked their own kind of black magic on Lavender. He’d never seen anything like it. He clamped down on his lower lip and savored the taste of blood, wishing it were theirs. He couldn’t fight this battle for her. She needed to stand up to them, but she wasn’t.

“Vinnie, hon, I know this is tough for you. A child naturally wants to have a relationship with her parents, but the man who donated his sperm to your existence gave up his parental rights after your mom divorced him. He never paid a penny of child support. Larry and I gave you all our love. After all we’ve done for you, how could you be so disloyal? We’ve always been here for you.” Doris clenched Lavender’s hand.

The stench of her flowery perfume wafted around the room, like being buried in dead flowers. Tyler hated the smell. He’d never date a woman who wore that scent.
Ever.

He ground his teeth together until his jaw hurt. He wanted to yell, to scream, to throw things at the injustice of it all.

A knot of anger gripped his stomach in a vise. Oh, yeah, at first the manipulative witch had sucked him right into her web of hatred. He’d believed every word Doris uttered until his sisters had uncovered a shitload of information on his old coach and his ex-wife’s parents. Facts don’t lie. Maybe he should’ve minded his own business, but it’d gone way beyond that. Lavender deserved the truth, despite the possible repercussions. While his coach wasn’t entirely blameless, the guy was also the victim of a vicious, vindictive grandmother obsessed with her hatred.

Turning on him like a wounded animal, Lavender pointed toward the open front door. “Go home, please. We’ll discuss this later.”

Tyler hesitated. The lead weight in his stomach warned he might have stepped out of bounds on the last play of the game. His arguments would make matters worse right now. Lavender needed to come to her own conclusions in her own time.

He flashed back to the last few months and how far they’d both come, how much he looked forward to being around her, how she made him see things about himself no one else ever did. She’d turned his image of himself upside down and inside out.

Lavender thought he was worthy, thought he made a difference. She didn’t see him as a failure. Just by her kind words, he’d gained back a piece of his self-worth, started to see his life for what it was and how he could make it better. She’d given him hope. Even more, she’d given him something so fragile and precious, he refused to put a name to it for fear it would slip away. When she was around, he felt alive, content, passionate yet comfortable. Things seemed so right, like they’d known each other for a lifetime, not a few months. She’d taught him so much about himself without even trying. When she wasn’t around, her absence left an empty hole only she could fill.

Now her expression told him to go away, and her rejection hurt like hell.

Frustrated and powerless, Tyler shot one last menacing glare at Larry and Doris. They might have sacked him for a loss on fourth down, but he’d be damned if they’d win the game.

* * * * *

Lavender sported the Super Bowl of all headaches. Her grandmother ranted for what seemed like hours, forcing Lavender to cancel her shift at the VC. Finally, Larry managed to coax Doris into leaving so they could catch the next ferry. Lavender almost felt sorry for him as he trudged out the door behind her grandmother, who still hadn’t stopped screeching.

Angry, frustrated, and looking for someone to blame, she sprinted across the field to Tyler’s house. She’d set him straight on getting involved in this mess between her grandmother and father. She’d managed to keep peace with Doris—no easy feat—until Tyler came into their lives. Now he’d sliced open those old wounds, and there’d be hell to pay for months to come.

Not bothering to knock or ring the doorbell, Lavender wrenched Tyler’s front door open. She stalked down the hallway into the den. He sat in his chair, drinking a beer, and watching a basketball game, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Cougar was draped across his chest.

Tyler glanced up at her, his expression closed and unreadable. “Hey.”

“You shouldn’t have interfered.”

“What? And let her dig through your stuff? What right does she have?” Tyler sat up, and Coug slid off his lap. Irritated, the cat shot a glare at Lavender like it was her fault.

“She owns the place, and I’m two months behind on my rent. That gives her the right.” She hated making excuses for her grandmother’s behavior, but criticism of her gram always made her defensive.
Maybe because the truth hurt?

“Well, guess what, honey? She doesn’t own the place. Your father does. It’s in trust for you and your brother. She has no right to charge you anything.”

“You’re lying.” Lavender couldn’t believe his words. Gram wouldn’t deceive her that badly. Would she go that far? Lavender stomach churned and her throat went dry as a cornfield in a drought. Buying time to think, she crossed to his bar and poured a glass of water.

Tyler stood up. Instead of approaching her, he parked his fine body in front of the window. “Why would I lie? What would be in it for me?”

“You don’t like my grandmother, and you’ve taken my father’s side. Jocks stick together.”

“Yeah, you’re right, we do. And we’re all assholes.” His blue eyes froze to ice, even as he blasted her with his angry words.

“All you want is sex.” She pushed him, halfway hoping he’d deny her accusations. “My grandmother knows all about guys like you. I should’ve listened to her.”

“Your grandmother doesn’t know shit, unless you’re referring to pure, hateful vindictiveness. She wrote the book on that.” The muscles in his arms bulged, probably from the stress of holding his body under control, but he didn’t dispute the all-you-want-is-sex part. She died a little inside.

“Don’t badmouth my grandmother. My father’s filled you full of shit.” Intense pain clawed at her gut, making her a little nauseous. Her head ached from confusion and fear—fear she might be wrong.

Tyler lowered his voice. “Maybe she’s the one who’s full of shit. I talked to your father after the awards banquet. I got a totally different story from him—one that checks out.” A hint of regret mixed with sadness burrowed into the grim lines around his mouth.

Lavender fought the urge to throw herself in the comfort of his strong arms and let him make the pain go away. Instead, she rose again to her grandmother’s defense, even as doubts clogged her thought processes. She’d been defending her grandmother for so long it came as second nature. “He doesn’t give a damn about me. He hates my grandmother. What better way to hurt her than to take me away from her. My grandmother is a saint. I love her, even with all her faults.”

Tyler softened his tone, tempering it with sympathy, which pulled the plug on her temper. “I’m not questioning your love for your grandmother. I know you love her. I’m not trying to drive a wedge between the two of you. I would never do that. It’s not healthy anymore than it’s healthy for you to be forced to pick between your father and grandparents.”

Pretty insightful words from a guy who claimed to be selfish and uninvolved.

“My dad was never home. It was always football, football, football.” Lavender paused, wiped at her eyes and blundered forward. Despite the strength of her words, her resolve stumbled like a blind man in an unfamiliar place.

Tyler cocked his head as if listening intently. He caught her hand and squeezed it, his touch gentle and almost caring. He nodded for her to continue. Lavender gripped his hand, and stared at the glass in her other hand.

“Here’s something you don’t know about me. I played sports.” She lifted her gaze, wanting to gauge his reaction.

He opened his mouth like a fish, but no words came out.

“Don’t look so shocked. I was a female jock, assured of getting a softball scholarship to a D-1 school. When my dad got the big job, he left us in Mt. Vernon and never looked back. Then Mom died. Dad promised he’d come get us, but he never did. He stayed in touch for a while then the calls became non-existent.” Her voice wavered then cracked. She paused, took a sip of water, and drew strength from his fingers wrapped around her hand.

“He didn’t exercise his visitation, too much bother I guess. I went into a downward spiral, partying, drugs, drinking. I quit softball, never played another game. I lost all chance of a scholarship. My grades tanked. I went from a top student to barely graduating from high school. Through it all, Gram was there. When I hit rock-bottom, they picked me up and got me straightened out. I owe her my loyalty, and I owe Grandpa. They sacrificed their sanity for me.” There she’d said it, gotten it all out. A couple tears slipped down her cheeks. She ignored them.

“You don’t have to defend your grandmother to me. I’m not on your dad’s side or your grandmother’s side. I’m on your side, and your side of the story tells me that you miss your dad. It’s time to forgive both of them.” Tyler wiped away her tears with the pad of his thumb. She leaned into him without thinking.

“My grandmother doesn’t need my forgiveness.”

“She should.” Tyler shook his head, weariness etched lines into his face she’d never noticed before.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means this black and white situation is neither. The villain in this scene is much more complicated, and you deserve to know the truth. Your grandmother made it so difficult for your dad; he went away rather than put you and your brother in the middle of a contentious situation. I’m not excusing his part in this, but she played a part, too.”