But he said nothing.
“This is fucking unbelievable,” Judge bit out.
I turned back to him and saw he was staring down at a laptop on the table in the living room.
Sully was seated there, by the laptop, and his face was carved in granite.
He’d found something on the Internet.
Shades of Samantha Wheeler laying out Mom, Bowie, Dad and Uncle Corey on a gossip show blanketed my sunny day in dark.
“It’s what he does, ignore it,” Jamie, standing close, advised.
“I don’t think you get it, Dad,” Judge retorted.
“I do. I’ve been dealing with his shit for decades, Judge,” Jamie shot back.
“Okay, but did you ever have to do that when you were falling in love with a woman whose famous parents have taken pains to publicly sort their shit that’s no one’s business and they don’t need to be dragged into Granddad’s utter, complete bullshit?” Judge returned. “The press turns an eye to us, they turn an eye to them and that can’t happen.”
The room had gone still with the “falling in love with a woman” comment so no one said anything when Judge paused to take a breath.
“So I’m going out to the goddamn Gulch and shutting his mouth myself,” he went on to threaten.
“Judge, darling, we live our lives like this. It doesn’t affect us,” Mom said earnestly. “Please, do not think of us and listen to your dad.”
Judge glanced at her then returned his attention to his father. “It’s you he’s dragging through the mud. It’s just me that’s getting splattered with it.”
Oh God, I needed to see whatever was on that laptop.
“So much truth and lies have been reported about me, buddy, I can barely tell it apart anymore,” Jamie replied. “I don’t pay attention to it. It doesn’t matter. It’s out there now. It gets them clicks. And tomorrow, they’ll be attempting to suck the blood from someone else.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the reporters!” Judge suddenly shouted.
Dad pulled me closer.
The room went wired.
“He is doing this to us. To her. They’re gonna look into her. And they’ve gone to that house…” he carried on.
The house?
Oh God.
“And they’re gonna know the kind of life she lived and they’re gonna tell everyone about it, and he’s spinning it to blame you for her being a fucking junkie.”
“Judge, buddy—” Jamie started softly.
“I don’t need the whole goddamn world talking shit about my mom. I grew up with that. I put it behind me. I do not need that shit again. And I won’t have Chloe wading through it,” Judge declared.
And with that, he turned on his boot and marched toward the door.
I started to pull from Dad, but he gently set me aside before he took long, ground-eating strides in order to step in front of the door.
Bowie came in on the other side, and they stood shoulder to shoulder, barring Judge’s way.
Jamie followed him, Rix closed in at Jamie’s side, and Matt, Gage and Sully positioned to flank.
“Respect. Get out of the way,” Judge growled to the men barring the door.
“Look at me, Judge,” Dad ordered.
Judge turned his gaze to Dad.
“Listen to me, yes? Can you cut through your anger, that is justified, but I need you to get through it for just five minutes and really listen to me?” Dad asked.
“Tom—” Judge started.
“Can you do that, Judge?”
Judge jerked up his chin.
“Good,” Dad said quietly. And then, “If what you said a minute ago is true, there are two people in this room that matter. Listen to me, Judge,” he said quickly when Judge’s head started to turn, probably to find me since clearly he’d missed my entrance, regardless of how dramatic it was.
Judge refocused on him.
“Chloe. And you,” Dad went on. “Now, you can go see that man and confront him and piss off someone who is notoriously unpredictable, nasty and vengeful, or you can do the only thing that will beat him at his game. You can act like his shit is the baseless nonsense that it actually is. The only one who doesn’t know AJ Oakley is a joke is AJ Oakley. If you give time and attention to his bullshit, you negate that. You give him power. Don’t give him power over you. And absolutely do not give him power over the woman you love.”
Judge took a moment with that, I saw a muscle in his jaw bulge, and then he asked, “What about the memory of my mom? Do I give him power over that?”
That was when Bowie spoke. “I’m sorry, man, but your mom is gone. There is nothing that can have power over her now. It’s hateful she’s gone, and we all hurt for you, but that’s the bottom-line truth.”
Judge stared at Bowie after this honesty came from his mouth, and then I tensed, Dad tensed, Bowie tensed.
And Jamie had a view to his back, but he felt it and moved in as Judge turned and asked his father, “Why couldn’t she love us?”