Bonner's Way

by Carlysle, Regina

  Buzz stood. “Hey!”

  “Sit down, Decker,” the judge demanded. “We haven’t been formal here today, but I won’t hesitate to have you tossed out of here.” When Buzz huffed, his face flushed, and he sat again, Gibson continued. “These children have been through far too much in their short lives to be uprooted. Callie, you’ve shown yourself to be a loving caregiver to both of them and everything points to the fact, this is what Emma wanted. I have to believe she was right in entrusting them to your care. As for Buzz. Well, the past history of trouble with the law compels me further on this decision. There is no reason why you shouldn’t have visits with them, should you choose, however, I must insist they be supervised by Callie and completely at her discretion.”

  Buzz jumped to his feet again. “This is bullshit! I’m their blood.”

  “And so is Callie,” Gibson said. “My decision is final.”

  Buzz glared at the judge then at Callie. She tensed at the look of hate on his face and was relieved when he stalked to the door where he turned to face them. “Fuck ya’ll,” he said. “You haven’t heard the last of this, you bitch!”

  Mac stood so fast, his chair crashed to the floor. He took a step, then another, and before Callie could blink, Mac had Buzz pressed to the door, his fists clutched around the fabric of Buzz’s shirt. “That sounds like a threat. This isn’t the first time you’ve given Callie a ration of shit, but it damn well better be the last.”

  “Go to hell!” Buzz yelled, apparently unconcerned that Mac was almost a foot taller and a whole lot stronger than himself. “She ruined everything!” Buzz struggled, trying to shove Mac away.

  Callie heard footsteps pounding down the hall outside, but she rushed up anyway, knowing the last thing needed here was flying fists and chaos.

  “Stop it. Mac!”

  Mac released Buzz’s shirt and stepped back. His face was flushed, his breathing heavy. He was angrier than she’d ever seen him. Eager to calm him down, she reached for Mac’s arm and pulled at him just as Buzz lashed out.

  His fist connected with her face.

  Callie went reeling, falling back onto the floor as pain exploded in her cheek. Dazed, she heard the sound of flesh meeting flesh, the roar of male voices, and loud shouts as all holy hell broke loose. Alan Bates kneeled on the floor next to her, lifting her gently to a sitting position.

  “Are you okay?”

  Callie couldn’t speak between the shock of being hit and worry over Mac who had his own fist drawn back. Obviously, he’d already hit the mark once because Buzz’s bottom lip was bloody, dripping red down his chin. Two armed cops held his arms while Judge Gibson stood near Mac.

  Gibson spoke calmly as if uproars in his court were the norm. “I’m warning you now, Buzz, if one hair is harmed on Callie’s head, if she gets a migraine or stubs her toe, I’ll see you’re rounded up and tossed in jail. Now you’ve shown your ass around here enough for one day, so I’m going to have these officers show you to a bed in county until tomorrow, and then you can be released. I don’t want to take the chance that you’ll get soused and try something stupid.” He pointed at Buzz and said to the officers, “Get him out of here.”

  As Callie struggled to her feet with the help of her lawyer, the cops left with Buzz in tow and Mac turned to her. The rage stamped on his face increased and a muscle worked in his jaw as he hurried forward to haul her close. “Damn it, Callie, I wanted to kill him for hitting you.”

  Her face hurt like hell, but that didn’t matter now. It was more important that she was safe in Mac’s arms. She settled her uninjured cheek against his chest and squeezed tight. “For what it’s worth, I think I just got in the way. He was going for you.”

  “Damn it,” he said again.

  She laughed suddenly. She couldn’t help herself. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Doesn’t matter? Are you crazy?”

  “No, no I’m not,” she said, shaking her head, and then looking up at him. “The kids are going to be okay, Mac. That’s the only important thing.” Her cheek stung, throbbed a little. She touched it lightly. “This will heal, but nothing would have fixed losing Em’s kids.”

  Later that night as the rain came down, Mac’s windshield wipers slapped in time to Austin’s constant chatter. It was good to see this change in the boy. Not long ago, he’d been quiet and withdrawn, almost surly, but now, glancing at him across the cab of his truck, Mac wondered if there was an off switch. As they neared the turn-off to Deuces Wild, the boy continued to gush about being placed on the Winter League basketball team, and Mac had to remind himself that, yeah, he’d once been an eight-year-old kid, too.

  “Our first practice is next week. Mac, can we get me a basketball so I can practice? I’m not very good. Not like Justin and Dallas.”

  “Sure we can. Might as well set up a basketball hoop in the driveway while we’re at it.”

  His eyes went wide as saucers, and an excited grin spread over his face. “Cool. Will you help me?”

  “Yep. No problem. I wasn’t a great basketball player. I was more of a football guy, but I shot a few hoops, too.”

  “You were probably real good since you’re great at everything. You can teach me.”

  Mac wasn’t great at everything. He hadn’t been great at protecting Callie earlier today, but Austin’s words affirmed that he wasn’t a total loser either. Right now there was only one thing that seemed certain. He loved Callie and he loved these children.

  “It’s a deal as long as you keep doing your chores, keep those grades up, and mind your Aunt Callie. You can do that, right?”

  “Yeah, Mac. I can do that. Boy, that pizza smells good. I could eat a whole one by myself.”

  Mac grinned. The scent of tonight’s dinner rolled through the cab reminding him that lunch had been a hell of a long time ago. Considering it was Friday night and there was a lot to celebrate, he sprang for a double cheese and a pepperoni. Tonight was family night.

  Family night.

  He liked the sound of that

  Once the courthouse thing was done, he’d driven Callie home where they greeted the kids who’d just stepped off the school bus. He’d immediately taken Austin into town for the basketball tryouts. Talk about chaos—loud, rowdy, insane chaos. Volunteer coaches watched the group of boys shoot free throws, layups, and do passing drills while he’d sat with the other dads in the bleachers.

  The other dads.

  Now wasn’t that a trip?

  Austin continued to chatter as they pulled into the long drive leading to the ranch. Mac barely listened and dutifully nodded, and though he knew it was terrible, didn’t actually hear a word. His mind was too filled with the changes in his life. His heart was too full.

  Walking into the kitchen, Mac faced another new kind of chaos altogether. Callie stood at the kitchen table next to Izzy, and he wondered when cupcake fairies had dive-bombed them with the things. They covered almost every empty surface with enough fluffy whiteness to make a dentist’s eyes boggle. He held two pizza boxes, and the combined smells of the baked goodies and the food made his mouth water. But before he could locate a spot to set the boxes, Izzy squealed and started jumping, an icing covered butter knife clutched in one little fist.

  “Pizza, pizza. I. Love. Piz-za.” Jump. Jump. Jump. “Pizza, Pizza.”

  Callie moved into action, snatching the dull knife from Izzy’s clutches then grinned at Mac. “Too much sugar. We were celebrating.”

  Not to be outdone by his sister, Austin yelled, “I’m on a team. I did it, Aunt Callie.”

  Whoops and hollers ensued as she bent to give the boy a congratulatory hug and through it all, Izzy bopped across the kitchen floor in celebration of pizza.

  Somehow through the craziness, he and Callie managed to clear a space on the kitchen table and before long they were having their dinner, the kids chattering through it all, discussions ranging from Austin’s basketball tryout to the art work Izzy had done after school.

  Callie handed each chi
ld another napkin and smiled at Mac. “We have a lot to celebrate.”

  “That’s a fact,” he said, enjoying this dinner as much as any in his life. Naturally, the kids were too young to know about their aunt’s worries or the custody hearing. Only the adults knew they celebrated so much more than the kids would ever imagine. “Let me see those drawings, Ladybug.”

  “I’ll get ‘em.” She jumped down from her chair, dashing off for a few seconds before running back into the kitchen while holding several white papers. Instead of taking her seat, she moved over beside him and proudly presented her work. “This is Phillip.”

  “Phillip?” Mac looked at the drawing of what was obviously a cat with the name Phillip scrawled beneath. “Guess you’ve finally named the kitten, huh? Good name.”

  Izzy poked out her bottom lip and nodded. “And this is us.”

  The next drawing was more detailed, and pretty darn good for a five-year-old. His eyes widened and he glanced up at Callie who looked at him with teary eyes. The picture featured a big house with a stick woman, man, a boy and girl and a cat standing nearby. The blonde squiggles on stick-woman’s head told him this was Callie and the brown squiggles on the little girl was obviously Izzy’s self-portrait. “This is beautiful. Good job,” he said looking down at her. “You’re a good artist.”

  “This is our family.”

  “Looks like a fine one, too.” Mac’s chest tightened.

  “Uh huh.” Izzy pointed to the angel in the upper corner. “And this is Mama. See? She gots wings.”

  “She’s an angel all right.” Now his eyes burned. Keeping it together was almost too much, but he managed as he bent to kiss the top of Izzy’s head. “I think I have some magnets in a drawer over there. Maybe your Aunt Callie can get those and you can put them on the fridge so we can all see them every day.”

  “I’ll help.” Austin jumped from his chair. “These are pretty good, Iz. Good job.” He patted her shoulder protectively and together they arranged the drawings. Mac stood to help Callie clean up, and their eyes connected over the expanse of the table. Her eyes were shiny and he suspected his might be just a little bit, too.

  Much later, the kids tucked in after a family-night of movies, Mac grabbed a bottle of beer for himself and a glass of Callie’s favorite red and together they headed outside to enjoy what was left of the night. As they stepped onto the patio, he looked at her and grinned. “Sure you don’t want me to run back in and grab another cupcake or two?”

  Callie laughed. “Gotta admit, I love a good red velvet cupcake, but I’m cupcaked-out right about now. Thanks though.” She held up her glass. “This’ll do.”

  Her eyes widened a little when he settled a hand at the small of her back to steer her past the patio, but she didn’t say anything. Once they reached the Bonner garden, where the first homestead had stood, Mac paused. “Is it okay with you that we hang out here for a while?”

  She smiled. “Are you kidding? I love this place. I can’t wait to be here in the spring when the flowers are popping up everywhere.” Callie slid onto one of the benches and patted the spot next to her as she leaned back to sip her wine. “Ah, this is the perfect ending to a crazy day. I’ve never been so nervous in my life.”

  Mac reached out and lightly drew his finger along her swollen cheek. “How did you explain this to the kids?”

  “Easy. I told them I ran into a door and they bought it.”

  “Hurt?”

  “Not really.”

  “I still want to kill Buzz.”

  “Better not. I think we need to leave him alone and let him lick his wounds.” Callie went quiet and frowned. “You don’t think he’ll bother us anymore, do you?”

  Mac recalled Judge Gibson’s words and shook his head. “Men like Buzz are bullies. Inside he’s a coward or he wouldn’t act the way he does. Besides, Gibson made it clear that he’ll take any threat seriously. And then there’s me.”

  “You?”

  “Yeah, he’d better know I’ll beat the shit out of him if he tries anything. I’ll never forgive him for hurting you. I’ve got your back, boo.”

  Callie laughed as he knew she would. “Boo? My, how you do talk, cowboy. Okay, you can be my boo and I’ll be yours. Crazy man. Lord knows, we’ll have to work closely if we are to raise these kids to be fine, upstanding adults. ”

  “If anyone can do it, it’s us. We’re a team.” Mac pulled her close and held her as they breathed in the Texas air and finished their drinks. When they were done, he took her glass and set it and his bottle aside before hauling her close to his heart. Her hair was bright framed against his black tee and her breath moved warm through the cotton. Bending his head, he rubbed his cheek against the silken strands loving the feel of her pressed against him. “Been thinkin’ about something.”

  “Hm?”

  “Remember that night you told me about your past with Emma? I remember how you talked about how lucky you were that you could stay together, but that you didn’t have a family history.” Callie became very still in his arms then lifted her head to look at him. Mac settled the edge of his thumb on her chin and rubbed lightly. “You do have that history, sweetheart. Maybe there are a few missing pieces, but they’re out there for the finding.” He shook his head. “Hell of a way to make a point, but I do have one.”

  Callie smiled. “That’s okay. You’re doing fine.”

  Mac wished he were an eloquent man. She deserved pretty words.

  “I guess what I’m trying to say is, you are part of this place now. You have a place in the history of Deuces Wild. You’ll be part of my history just as those kids will be. I love you, Callie. I’ve loved you for a long time, and now I love those young ones, too. Ya’ll belong to me and to this place and one day, if we’re really lucky and you agree, we’ll bring a few more Bonners into the world. That is, if you want me.”

  She didn’t say a word and Mac began to mentally curse his lack of finesse, but then her eyes filled and her laughter broke free. Callie melted against him and twined her arms around his waist. “Oh Mac, I love you, too. Making our lives here on this land sounds like a mighty fine idea to me.”

  He took his kiss deep, drinking her soft sigh, and tasted her acceptance as the crisp Texas wind wrapped around them like a song. Then later, as they sat together under the ancient oak and watched the stars flash in the sky, he knew they’d spend their lives here, loving each other and raising the future.

  Calvin and Sidda would be proud.

  The land lived on. And so did love.

  About the Author

  I grew up in small town Oklahoma but lived in Texas most of my life. Once upon a time I worked as a newspaper journalist, as a public relations director for a university, and other assorted things but these days I am an award winning, multi-published author.

  I like writing that is hot, edgy, and often humorous, and I try to put this trademark stamp on all my stories. These days I live in Florida where I am embarking on new adventures in the tropics. Hey, expanding horizons is a good thing, right? But wherever I am, life is good as long as family is with me. I am a doting, fawning, and over-indulgent mom to my two kids (who happen to be the coolest people on the planet).

  When I'm not penning steamy erotic tales or hot contemporary stories, I indulge in long chats with friends who help me stay sane and keep me laughing. Wanna be my friend forever? Make me laugh.

  Regina’s links: http://www.reginacarlysle.com

  https://www.facebook.com/regina.carlysle

  https://www.twitter.com/reginacarlysle

  Email Regina at: reginacarlysle1@gmail.com

  Regina’s Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Regina-Carlysle/e/B00GQIFKYQ/

 

 

 
-moz-filter: grayscale(100%); -o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share