Lyon's Heart (31 page)

“Yeah, but I don’t know. I
saw crazy Travis there too, and I know for a fact that boy’s a
brick short of a full load.”

“Leave my friends out of
this. Who knows what the crazy bitch did. Maybe she offed herself.
I’m not spending my daughter’s first Xmas thinking about her ass,
change the subject.”

“Fine, you think your
mother’s gonna need anything from outside? I don’t understand how
the woman could make ten runs to the grocery store and still forget
shit.”

“I don’t know,
why?”

“Haven’t had a hit yet this
morning. But sure as shit, as soon as I hit the pipe, she’ll be
needing something done. Fucks with my high.”

What could I say to that?
The man was completely out of control.

It turned out to be one of
the best Xmases I’ve ever had; my little princess just basked in
the glow of all that attention from her grandparents and her aunts,
not to mention her da da. She had a mountain of gifts, but again
the wrapping paper ruled the day. It was a fun time, which I
captured on camera to add to my other one hundred videos of her.
Kat was having a good time too, which at the end of the day is all
I really cared about, that my two girls were enjoying the day. Mom
really had invited half my crew over for dinner, and the others
swung by later in the evening for coffee and dessert. Everyone was
in a festive mood. There was no mention of the day before, and I
could rest easy that I’d pulled it off. My daughter’s first Xmas
had been a beaut. Now I can relax until at least the New Year
before my Angel started some fuckery to run my ass
ragged.

“She’s beat Colt, poor
thing, she can hardly keep her eyes open.” She dropped down next to
me on the couch where I’d been sitting watching my daughter destroy
the room.

“It’s all that running
around and cake, look at her.” My daughter’s face was covered in
chocolate, and so was mom’s couch, but she didn’t seem to care. If
I remember correctly, when I was a kid, I wouldn’t have gotten away
with a stunt like that, but apparently grandkids could do no
wrong.

“I better go clean her up.
It’s almost time to be going but I hate for this day to end. You
were right Colt. I’m glad you went crazy trying to make this the
most perfect day for our girl, thank you.”

“You see that feeling you
have right now?”

“Uh huh.”

“Please try to hold onto it
for at least the next week before you start your shit.”

“Oh Colt hush, you know I
don’t start anything…trouble just seems to, I don’t know find me I
guess.”

“Yeah, well maybe you need
to change your damn address.”

“Whatever, now this is over
we still have to plan Cy’s road trip and then we can relax for a
while. I’m beat.”

“We better start saying our
goodbyes now. You know it takes Elena damn near an hour to let us
out the door.”

I loaded up the truck with
what I could at the end of the night and dad promised to bring the
rest over the next day. He was going to need a Uhaul for that
one.

That night, after we put the
baby to bed, we laid in front of the fire and took back our living
room. Now whenever she looks at the fireplace, she wouldn’t have
the memory of being held at gunpoint by a mad woman but she’d see
me loving her slow and sweet.

“I’m so in love with you
Kat.” I love the way her eyes lit up whenever I told her that. She
lifted her mouth to mine as our bodies moved together. We stayed in
front of the fire making love all the wee hours of the morning. I
took her up to bed because she was too weak to move, and after
washing us both off, we dropped into bed tired and wiped out. She
was dead asleep but I couldn’t resist mumbling to her. “Kat for
love of heaven, please don’t start any shit for the rest of the
week. I’m beat.”

“Kat, what the fuck, what’s
she wearing?”

Oh Mylanta, I’ve been
hearing that same refrain for the past year now.

“Clothes.” And I’ve been
giving the same damn answer for just as long.

“Cute, either fix it or
neither of you are gonna like when daddy goes shopping.” I gave him
the stink eye because he was being ridiculous but you can’t tell
him that. Caitlin just turned thirteen, and like all thirteen year
olds, she’s starting to assert her independence. At least she’s
trying to, but her dad won’t let her. He’s going to have a coronary
if he doesn’t calm down.

“Where are your hooligans
Colt, why don’t you go round them up instead of making me
crazy?”

“My sons are with their
grandfather doing who knows what. Don’t change the subject
Angel.”

“Colt, it’s what all the
kids are wearing these days. There’s nothing to get all hot and
bothered about.”

He gave me a glare, which I
knew meant he wasn’t going to let it be. In the past thirteen
years, life has certainly been an adventure. Five kids, twin boys
born nine months after Colt swore he nailed me, followed two years
later by another little boy, and then four years later another
girl. Still Caitlin was her daddy’s girl; the two of them were
thick as thieves. Thank heavens I got Catalina because the other
four were all about their father.

THE LYON

Kat and her damn kids are
trying to drive me crazy. Well not my boys, it’s the girls. Just
like their mother, there’s always something with them. Now it’s
this dress thing. I’d be fucked if my daughter is going to leave
the house dressed like that. Next thing you know, there’ll be boys
and shit sitting on my couch.

“Caitie bear come in
here.”

“Yes daddy?”

“Where is it that you’re
going anyway?”

“Me and Annalissa were gonna
go to the movies.” Annalissa is Stacey and Emory’s daughter. She
was born the year after Caitlin and the two girls are thick as
thieves. I don’t see how, because Anna is a girly girl, while my
little princess is like her old man. She likes bikes and grease,
and that’s just how I like it. At least she used to be until this
summer when she discovered something. And that something had better
not be boys. Whatever it is she’s lost her damn mind. Instead of
jeans and tees, now it’s halter-tops and shorts, fuck no. Kat’s all
excited talking about she’s finally got her little girl back. Since
she turned four and could dress herself, Caitie refused to wear
anything resembling a dress. I had to hear about that too for a
long time. Apparently, it was my fault that my girl wanted to look
like daddy. I don’t know what the fuck she expected me to do about
that. Wear a dress? Anyway, my little princess was a tomboy all the
way. No matter what stunts her mom and aunt Carol came up with,
they didn’t work. Now she’s trying to give her old man a heart
attack with this shit.

“What movie?”

“You don’t know it daddy.
It’s a young teen movie.” She twitched all over the place, so I
knew there was more going on here than she was telling.

“Uh Caitlin, who exactly is
going to this movie?”

“Well, me…Anna…and Ralph and
Todd.” The last two were said as one word but she wasn’t slick
enough. Calm down Colt, it won’t do to have a heart attack and die.
You have a wife and five kids to look after. She must’ve got scared
by the look on my face because she started backing up, but I knew
who was behind this little coup. Still to be fair…

“Who gave you permission to
go to the movies with boys, princess?”

I kept my voice nice and
even, and pretended interest in the papers on my desk.

“Well, mom said it was okay
as long as we were doubling up, and it was just a movie and maybe
ice cream later?”

“Okay, thanks for telling
me. Could you tell your mom I need to see her?”

“Daddy…” Now she’s wringing
her hands and fretting, too late.

“Nothing to worry about, I
promise, just send her up here.” She high tailed it out of the room
and I got myself under enough control not to bite my wife’s head
off as soon as she entered the room.

“You called?” She came into
the room all smiles, still the same beautiful girl I’d married
fourteen years ago. Not much had changed about her. In fact, she
was even more beautiful now than she was when we first met, if that
were possible. Our life together has been one for the books, I’ll
tell you that. Never a dull moment, she’s still getting up to her
shit every other week, but now she has help.

“Did you tell my kid she
could date?”

“Uh Colt, did you forget
something? I carried her for nine months remember? You were there.”
She gave me a saucy look with her hands on her hips.

“What’s your last name
Kat?”

“Huh?”

“Name Katarina, what is
it?”

“Um, Lyon?”

“That’s right, and
everything with that stamp on it belongs to me. You see those?” I
pointed to the framed copies of the kids’ birth certificates. Other
people have their credentials and accomplishments on their office
walls; those are mine.

“They all say Lyon. That
means they belong to me too, everything in this bitch belongs to
me. Now I repeat; did you tell my kid she could date? Don’t roll
your eyes at me woman, you’re skating on thin ice.”

“Well, I didn’t say she
could date exactly.”

“What exactly did you say?”
She started wringing her hands and biting her lip. I knew what was
coming next, the little sneak. The hand came up and the finger
trailed down the middle of my chest.

“You know Colt I was
thinking. Why don’t we leave the kids with their grandparents and
go to the cabin for the weekend.” I kissed her hard once and then
moved her back.

“Fine, we’ll do that. Now
answer my question.”

“Oh alright, I said she
could go with a boy as long as Annalissa was bringing someone
along.”

“Does Emory know that his
daughter is dating?” She gave me a guilty look and then looked
everywhere but at me.

“I see, so this is something
you and my sister came up with. Lets get something straight, my
daughter isn’t dating anyone anytime soon and after this little
stunt, she’d be lucky if she ever sees the outside of this house
again. As a matter of fact, I’m going down to the shop. I have some
commercial grade padlocks down there that would keep her little ass
locked in her room.”

“Oh Colt, you can’t be
serious, most of her friends have dates. Things are not the way
they were when you were growing up. In fact, it’s not even the same
as when I was growing up.”

“I give a fuck, while I’m
gone, you better get on the Internet and figure out homeschooling
because she’s not going back there either.”

“Colton, calm down, where
are you going?”

“First, I’m going to have a
chat with little Ms. Caitie and then I’m going to get the fucking
padlock.”

“Caitie?” I knocked on her
door and gave her enough time to get decent if she needed before
pushing it open.

“Who’s this boy?” She was
lying across the bed with one of her gadgets. Kid has way too much
damn crap. I don’t know what the hell half of it is, but her mother
is always after me about getting her something or the
other.

“He’s just a friend daddy.”
She was staring back at me wide-eyed and innocent. Uh
huh.

“What kind of friend?” I
tried not to fold my arms and spread my legs the way I do when I’m
dressing down my crew for some shit fuck thing they’d
done.

“You know.”

“Have you ever kissed this
friend?” She pinked up just like her mother. Dead give
away.

“That’s it, you don’t leave
this room again for the rest of the night. What’s this boy’s
name?”

“Todd.”

“Todd what, and where does
he live?”

“Henderson, he lives just
around the corner from grandma Lena’s. What’re you going to do
daddy?”

“Nothing for you to worry
about. So he doesn’t go to your school, you met him in grandma’s
neighborhood?”

“He goes to my school. Daddy
please don’t embarrass me.”

What the fuck? Now I’m an
embarrassment? I knew this shit would happen as soon as some little
fuck came sniffing around my daughter; fuck that. I had another
thought before I left the room.

“How old is this
Todd?”

“He’s…fifteen.”

“Fif…” I closed her door
hard and went in search of her mother.

“Did you know this kid she’s
dating is fifteen?”

“Of course I know
I’ve…”

“You’ve what? You’ve met him
before?”

“Well…”

“What the fuck is going on
around here, have you people lost your damn minds?”

“Colton, where are you
going?”

“First, I’m going to pay old
Todd a visit and then I’m going after that padlock. You better get
on the ball with that homeschooling deal, because she’ll be thirty
before she leaves this fucking house again.”