“I don’t understand it. Why mess with our kids? Our livelihood? I’m getting a fucking restraining order if we can prove this. I’ll talk to Pop in the morning.” He paced back to Early and sat, taking his husband’s hands. “Listen. This is bullshit, and I’m not going to let it stand. But you need to breathe, you’re all red-faced and wound up. You’re going to blow a gasket.”
“I don’t want to do that. I just want to live without this little fucker bothering us. I didn’t lead him on, Connor. I swear to god!”
He squeezed Early’s fingers. “I know.” He made sure his words were impossible to misunderstand. “I know. And I trust you.” Early was attractive to other people, and why shouldn’t he be? But he could be jealous, and he knew that. It was never about his trust in Early though. It was about getting the other guy to back off his man.
“I just…I hate when something happens like this, and I honestly didn’t do anything wrong. It pisses me off.”
“My cowboy has a strong sense of justice.” He sighed. “I’m pissed too. But I can’t imagine anyone that knows you would believe any of this nonsense. If I get a call from the school, or the cops come by, then you’ll see some outrage.”
“Yeah. Yeah, we get a call from the school, I’m going to…whatever I have to. This is harassment.”
“It is. You want to go chop something or build something or shoot at some targets you go ahead. But then we have to be coolheaded. If it is him, he wants us mad. We have to be smarter.” He should probably take some of his own advice.
“That’s why I’m up here instead of out in my truck. I figured I’d be the better man.”
And Connor understood how tough it was for Early to not just fly off the handle.
“I know, honey.” He slid into Early’s lap and hugged him. “You’re always the better man.”
“Liar. I try, though. I want the boys to grow up and be like you.”
Early’s words hit him like an arrow to the heart. His lover knew how to make him proud.
“They’ll get the best of both of us.” He took a kiss, because he wanted to Early to know how proud he was of his family. Early included. “We’ll get through this, and we’ll be stronger and smarter for it. You’ll see.”
“We’ll get through it, and we’ll run someone out of town on a goddamn rail,” Early grumbled, proving that temper was right under the surface.
“And that too. For good.” He climbed off Early’s lap. “I love you, cowboy. I’m going to go downstairs to start your spinach salad and meet Mommama, because she’s dropping off dessert. Take your time, but when you come down, please be ready for guests, boys, and puppies.”
“I’ll come down. Fuming up here isn’t going to help, and I want to meet all the puppies.” Early hauled himself up and took his hand. “Tell me how much you love your Sophie.”
“Oh my god, Early, she is such a little fuzzball of love. She so tiny! I adore her.” He started down the stairs, Early’s laughter chasing him.
“You’ll be taking her everywhere, now. I know it.”
“Once she stops peeing every time I pick her up, yes. I will. And she can sleep in my lap while I work at the desk I don’t have in the office we desperately need.” He chuckled. That was subtle as an anvil.
“Yeah, I figured you could plan that. I want to make sure that we can see the pool, make sure there aren’t any bears in it.”
“Bears.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ll plan it, but the bears won’t go near the pool with the boys always in it.” He could make them a nice office. What room had a good view of the pool though? Other than theirs? He’d have to think about that.
“Bears. Although apparently, we put stock tanks out for them so they aren’t interested.”
“Wait. We really have bears?” Connor peered out the window like he’d be able to see them right now.
“We do. A Mommama brown bear and cubs. We keep them as far away from the house as possible.”
“I hope so. Do the boys know what to do about a bear?” Did he? He wasn’t sure.
“Well, if they’re out before I go check the chemicals and clean, they’re in big trouble, but I’ve told them to avoid Mama bear, especially in the spring.”
“We better watch the puppies too.” When they got to the kitchen, there was a little covered basket on the counter. “Looks like Mommama dropped by, and we missed her.” Not that she would have found them up in that room.
Three puppies had fresh puppy pads, a new toy, and a little blanket of their own, obviously from their new granny. Early looked it all over and shook his head.
“Good lord and butter.”
“And dessert. She’s the best. Let’s get you chopping things for the salad. That’ll keep you busy.” He pulled out the spinach, and a bunch of veggies, some hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes…whatever he could find. He was a fan of salads full of stuff.