“Dude, punch the bag already. Just seeing Dane again makes me want to hurt something. You’re his son, and he’s betrayed your trust. Tell me you don’t want to hit something.”
“I do.”
“Then be a man. You take that anger, and you channel it elsewhere. Remember, never hurt anyone that didn’t hurt you. You never hurt a woman or a kid, or a guy that can’t fight back. You have morals.” Paul slapped the bag. “Remember all of those points, and it means you have what it takes to be a Dirty Fucker.”
Ryan snorted. “Who came up with your name?”
“It was a joint effort.” He winked. “Now, get your head out of the gutter. You need to understand and be able to cope with that anger, that rage.”
Ryan started to hit the bag. At first it was a light touch, nothing too hard. Paul held the bag, and as Ryan became more confident, and less afraid of hurting him, he really gave the bag some, unleashing all of that anger until he pulled away, sweating, looking exhausted.
“I can’t do anymore.” Ryan shook his head, and collapsed onto the ground. “I’m a bad person, aren’t I?”
Paul sat beside the kid.
“No. What makes you think that?”
“I get so angry sometimes. I want to hit him. I want to hurt him.”
“Dane?”
“Yes. It’s all him. He’s not my father.” Ryan shook his head. “I can’t let him get close. Not again. He keeps stopping by at the school, and my friends can see him.” The disgust on Ryan’s face was clear to see. “Then he arrives this morning just as Lewis does, and kisses Mom, and he goes crazy. I don’t want to be like him.”
Paul sighed. “He’s your father no matter what, and I get it. I do. You don’t want to be like your father, and you shouldn’t have to be. You’re a better man than that, Ryan.”
“Hitting things, that doesn’t make me a good man.”
“No, hitting people who don’t deserve it. Now that is what makes you a bad person. You’re a kid, and yeah, I know you’re a teenager and whatever. Just remember all of us were boys once. Some of us have to deal with that aggression. It’s not just you.” Paul glanced back at the house. “Is that why they’re fighting? Dane couldn’t stand to see Lucy with someone else.”
“That and Lewis has asked if we would all move in together. Dane’s telling them no. He’s our father, and he’ll have the final say.”
“Just because Dane’s your father, doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s an asshole.” Paul winked, and he heard more shouting. “I have a feeling some ass kicking is going to happen. Do you want to move in with Lewis?”
Ryan glanced around the garden, and then looked toward the house. “I think it would be good. He said he’d teach me how to ranch, and he thinks it would be good for me. I’ve talked to him about dealing with this.”
“Putting you to work is a good way of keeping you out of trouble.” Paul ruffled Ryan’s hair. “Come on. Let’s go and see the damage your dad has caused.”
****
“That is a lot of books,” Leo said.
Skylar walked out of the library with about ten books, maybe more. A couple were cookery books, and a few more were romance books. She was bored being stuck in all day, and all night. Whenever she had nightmares of the past, they always kept her awake, and she didn’t want to spend her evenings thinking ab
out the past. No, she wanted to think of the future, or fluffy romance goodness.
“I intend to do a lot of reading.” She had also applied for a position in the library. She was hopeful of the job there. Working in a salon wasn’t what she wanted to do with her day. The chemicals always made her nostrils itch, which was weird, she knew that, but it was the way it had always been. “Do you know anywhere else I could apply?”
“Do you know much about the law?”
“Nope.”
“Then besides Teri, nope. I think applying in the real estate offices was a big mistake, and the grocery store, let’s not forget the law enforcement station, as well. There are just some things you’re not going to be able to forget.”
She smiled. It had been good to start applying for work. The real estate offices hadn’t been about applying for a job though. No, she had asked them for places to rent. The woman there had looked her up and down, and told her no.
There was also the internet to check out as well. She wasn’t out of options. At least not yet, and she wasn’t going to give up hope of finding somewhere to live.
“So Paul called and he was going to be joining us, but he got held up, so I was wondering what you thought of a little bit of shopping?” he asked. “My treat.”