“It’s good that you two look out for each other and take care of each other but I need to know if he’s getting himself in some kind of trouble. That boy doesn’t have any give in him, he’s stubborn as an ox and protective as hell of the people he loves. I’m afraid that when it comes to you it might be even worse.”
He looked at me almost expectantly but I had nothing to say. I’ve seen Tyler in action yes, and it’s a sight to behold but hearing his own dad mention it made me feel kind of odd. He wasn’t blaming me in anyway, but the thought did cross my mind that if Tyler got into trouble it would in essence be my fault.
I’m the one who’d tried to make him jealous which had set this whole thing in motion. The next words from his mouth though kind of said differently and eased some of the burden from my mind. Tyler had already tried to convince me as well that it had nothing to do with me, but hearing Eric put things as succinctly as he did went a long way to making me feel better.
“I know what Sherry did, I’m sorry I was too preoccupied with your mom and the baby to notice that all of that was going on, but I want you to know that I won’t let anything happen to you, just as I wouldn’t let anyone harm Tyler. Tyler’s my son, and though he’s at that age where society considers him an adult, he’s still my little boy. I don’t want him, or you, taking on such heavy matters on your own okay.”
“Sure, I won’t let him get into trouble.”
“Is everything else alright otherwise? You know you can come to me if you have a problem right. I’m probably a little late seeing as how my son has taken over, but, your mom and I want only what’s best for you kids. If there’s something wrong I want you to know you can always come to me.”
It’s cute how uncomfortable he seemed to be. His uneasiness made me feel a little bit more relaxed and now I wanted him to feel the same. It’s strange but I realized that until baby Lisa came along it’s as if I didn’t quite know where to place him. Sure he was my mom’s new husband, but he wasn’t exactly my dad and somehow their relationship seemed to have nothing to do with me.
Ty and I have our own thing going and Eric and mom have theirs, but it all seemed to be separate from each other. Now the baby connected us all and he was no longer just the man my mom had married. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind I’d still been keeping him at arm’s length, waiting for him to screw up like my dad did.
Now he’s being so adorably awkward and I realize that it must’ve been just as difficult for him having a new teenage daughter thrust on him. A whole other person that just happened to come along with the woman he loved. The realization of just how much he’d done for me, and not just mom gave me a warm feeling and I smiled at him. “Everything’s perfect, thanks. And I will let you know if there’s anything I need. Thanks…dad.”
The look on his face when I called him that was priceless and I was glad I’d done it even though it hadn’t been planned. “Good, that’s good.” His face grew flushed and he rushed to change the subject. “Was that judge Henley’s daughter I saw here yesterday?”
“Judge? You mean Penny?” I know that that’s her last name but I had no idea that her dad is a judge.
“Yes, I think that’s her name. She’s a good kid. A bit intense, but nice, well rounded. I didn’t think she and Ty were friends, seeing as she’s a bit of a ball-buster like her mom. Now that one is a bra burner if I ever saw one. And my son is a chip off the old block. We believe that women… Never mind.”
He started to walk away and I couldn’t help laughing at him when he turned and bumped into mom who’d snuck up behind him. “You believe that women what?”
“Uh, Lora and I were having a private conversation about something.” He grabbed baby Lisa from her arms and hightailed it down the hallway with mom hot on his heels while I fell back across my bed grinning from ear to ear.
I could finish that sentence for him but it’ll only get him into more trouble with mom. I’m very well aware of what his son thinks about women. His archaic view is something I live with on a daily basis. I looked at my watch and saw that it was almost time for him to return from wherever it was he’d gone. What was it he’d said before he left? Tell my friends not to worry that he was already taking care of it? Did that mean he was going after those men Penny had mentioned?