Thicker Than Water - 37. Chapter 37

Bryan sat on the couch, nervously shaking his leg. He hadn't slept well and was loaded with anxiety. Everyone gave him space, fearful that the wrong word would set him off. Diego and Steve considered pissing the judge off and canceling but knew that wasn't an option.

“If Bryan goes off, what should I do?” Steve asked; his discomfort was very plain.

“Let him,” Diego replied, nonplused. “He's been holding on to that anger for nine years and deserves his chance to blow off some steam. If Calvin tries anything, kick him out or kick his ass. If you need bail money, I got you covered.”

“I guess I'd be a real Padilla if I got booked, wouldn't I?” Steve joked.

“Mom would be proud.” Diego laughed and kissed his soon-to-be husband. “In all seriousness, though, let the boys vent however they want. They've earned it.”

“Fair enough. I'm also going to record the whole thing. The last thing we need is that son of a bitch making false claims.”

“Good call. Make sure he's aware of the recording before he enters the house, so he can't say we staged this whole thing. He can't refuse the visit without making the judge mad. In fact, I'll call Billy and get an email sent to all parties before the visit, that way we're covered, either way.”

“Are you sure you don't want to play Dungeons and Dragons with us? You'd be really good at it.”

Diego sighed, shook his head and grinned. “You're such a nerd, but I still love you despite your faults. Anyway, I gotta get Kenny ready to go. Text me when the douchebag leaves.”

“Will do.”

*   *   *

Calvin pulled up to the curb just before one. Steve opened the camera app on his phone and pressed record. He told the boys to sit on the couch while we went outside to meet Calvin.

Despite having been in the man's presence before, Steve forgot how much shorter Calvin was compared to him. Diego was certainly shorter, but for some reason Steve thought Calvin was just over six foot instead of a couple inches below.

Calvin was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. His shoes looked well used. His hair was kept close, and Steve could smell the man's body odor from a few feet away.

“Just so you're aware, I'm going to be recording the whole visit,” Steve announced.

Calvin looked annoyed but just shrugged. “Are my kids ready?”

Steve really wanted to say something about how they weren't “his” kids since he didn't have any rights to them. Instead, he replied, “The boys are waiting for us in the living room. I just want to set some ground rules first.” He waited for Calvin to say something but got nothing. “Fine. First, you will be respectful at all times. If you antagonize either or both of them, you're done. Second, you will not bad mouth Diego or myself. If you even try, you're done. Third, you are to engage with them. If you don't, you're done.”

“Anything else?” Calvin asked bitterly.

“Yeah, there is. Bryan isn't happy about this and is showing great restraint for now. He's likely to blow up at you, which frankly, his dad and I feel is justified given what you did to him and Caleb. If he goes off, you're not allowed to be a dick to him, no matter what he says. You have no authority over him anymore. If you don't like what he has to say, you're welcome to calmly explain your side or even leave, but you're not to yell back or lay a hand on him except to defend yourself. If you so much as break any of these rules, the visit is over and we will seek legal recourse, including pressing criminal charges against you if necessary. Is that understood?”

Steve was pleased that Calvin looked even more agitated. Calvin was caught on camera being warned and given reasonable boundaries. He was put in a corner and knew it.

“Where's Diego?” Calvin deflected.

“None of your business. You're dealing with me, and you're not going into my home with my boys until you agree to follow my rules. Now, agree or leave.”

“I have a court order,” Calvin said defiantly.

“And I have a size 16 and a black belt. Do you agree to the terms? Yes or no?”

“Fine,” Calvin said, pouting like a little kid. “Yes, I agree to your stupid terms.”

“Good. You have one hour starting the second you open that door and you will be timed.” Steve led the way.

*   *   *

For someone who was desperate for this visit, Bryan noted how Calvin looked put off. There was no smile, fake or otherwise. The man hardly said hi as he entered the door and took a seat on the couch. Bryan wondered if Steve said something or if his former father was nervous.

“Hi,” Caleb said, nervously. They hadn't spoken since the mall and it wasn't all that much of a conversation.

“Hey,” Calvin said, barely making eye contact.

“So, what do you do for work?”

“I work at Wendy's at the moment. I'm looking for a better job, though.”

Bryan looked sideways at Steve in disbelief. Calvin had to be near 40 but was working at a fast food place.

“Do you get free food?” Caleb asked.

Calvin just shrugged his reply.

“Hey, loser,” Bryan spat. “My brother asked you a question. The least you could do is fucking answer it with words.”

Steve's body tensed as Calvin shot Bryan a stern glare. It was clear that Calvin didn't like being challenged by a kid.

“Bryan,” Steve warned, “don't be disrespectful.”

“Sorry, Dad,” Bryan said, putting some emphasis on the last word, clearly making a point that was not missed on Calvin.

Deep inside, Steve was proud of his stepson, but he didn't let it show. He didn't want to encourage Bryan nor did he want to give Calvin any ammo.

“No, Caleb, I don't get free food.” There was a clear tone to Calvin's voice that caused Caleb to pull back some.

“Look, asshole, you can be mad at me all you fucking want, but you will not talk to my brother like that.” Bryan stood, causing Steve to stand, too.

“Bryan,” Steve warned again, “that's enough. Calm down before you're grounded.”

“He doesn't get to be rude to Caleb.”

“You're right, but I need you to calm down, please.”

Bryan sat down and glared at Calvin.

“You,” Steve said sternly to Calvin, who barely made eye contact. “Apologize and adjust your attitude or leave. You were told the rules at the beginning and agreed to follow them."

Calvin took a deep breath and sighed. “I'm sorry, Caleb.”

“It's okay,” Caleb said meekly, avoiding eye contact.

Bryan grabbed Caleb and made him switch seats. “I've got some questions.”

Fuck, Steve thought. I'm actually going to have to ground him.

“Where the fuck have you been the last nine years?”

“Around,” Calvin said, returning to his bitter glare, but he maintained eye contact with Bryan, who wasn't backing down.

“Never heard of it. Is it in Europe? By the look of your shoes, it doesn't look like you could afford the ticket. Did it take you nine years to swim across the Atlantic?”

Calvin didn't reply but was visibly incensed.

“Hello,” Bryan said, snapping his fingers in Calvin's face. “I'm talking to you, douchebag.”

Calvin was visibly shaking with rage, his face reddening.

“Oh, did I touch a nerve? It must really piss you off that a 14-year-old is talking back to you.”

“You owe me an apology,” Calvin said through gritted teeth.

“Sorry, not sorry,” Bryan said with a smile. “And for the record, I don't owe you fucking shit, bitch boy. You ran out on us, remember? Oh, yeah, you don't, because you never actually gave a fuck about us, because if you had, you would've been a real man and stayed.”

“Fuck you,” Calvin said under his breath.

“No thanks. I have a boyfriend for that.”

“Fucking fa--” Calvin started to shout, finally having enough.

“Get out!” Steve shouted first, having jumped up. “Get out of my house, now!”

Calvin didn't need to be told again, as he stormed out of the house, nearly running to his car.

Steve kept the camera on Calvin until his car was out of sight. Once back in the house, Bryan had a crying Caleb wrapped in his arms. “I think that went well, don't you?” Bryan asked, completely calm, as if they were discussing the weather. “Have you turned off the camera?”

“Yeah,” Steve said, confused and a touch unnerved at how calm his eldest son was behaving. “I turned it off once he turned the corner.”

“Cool. Caleb, do you want a Coke?” Caleb pulled himself together and nodded. “Dad, do you want something?”

“What the fuck was that?” Steve just couldn't take it any longer.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“That! This! One second you're flying off the handle and the next, you're just...normal!”

“Oh, that.” Bryan shrugged and went into the kitchen. He returned with three cans, handing one to Steve and opening another for Caleb. “I didn't like the way he was talking to Caleb and knew he wouldn't leave unless I pushed him.”

“So, all of that was, what, an act?”

Bryan couldn't help but smile at Steve's voice going up a couple of keys. “Yeah.” His smile broadened as his stepdad's mind was blown.

“What?! How?! Why?! I--”

“Calm down, Dad. You're going to have a stroke or something.”

“How could you be so fucking reckless, Bryan?!” Steve's anger started to show.

Bryan's smile vanished immediately. “What? 'Reckless'? I wasn't being reckless. I knew exactly what I was doing. I've been practicing ever since you told you about the visit.”

Steve put his face in his hands. His body was shaking. Bryan wasn't sure if Steve was crying or laughing. Steve took a couple of settling breaths before replying. “That was probably the dumbest thing you could've done.”

“I don't see how. You and Dad said you couldn't think of a way to get around the court order, so I thought if I pissed Calvin off enough, he'd leave on his own. How is that a bad thing?”

“Because he's probably going to tell the judge that we put you up to it to get him to leave. The judge already hates Billy and isn't on our side at all.”

“I know,” Bryan said, as if Steve just wasn't getting it. “That's why I found a way around the wording.”

“How can I explain this in a way you'll understand?” Steve took a couple minutes to formulate his response. “Calvin is looking for any reason to take you and Caleb back, right?”

“Yes.”

“In order to take you back, he has to reestablish a connection between the three of you, right?”

“Yeah.”

“In order to do that, Calvin needs to have these visits, right?”

“Again, yeah.”

“He originally asked for unsupervised visits for the entire weekend, meaning that you'd be staying at his house for the entire weekend.”

“So? The judge cut it down to an hour, supervised, once a week.”

“Right. So, what do you think the judge, who already hates us, will do if Calvin tells him that your Dad and I put you up to forcing him out?”

Bryan's face fell and he grew pale. “Oh fuck,” he muttered, tears started to form at the corner of his eyes and his lips started to tremble. “Daddy, I'm so sorry. I didn't think about it like that. I'm so, so sorry.”

Steve opened his arms, as Bryan ran to him. “I know you didn't, Buddy,” Steve whispered. “I know you didn't.” He held his son tight as Bryan cried into his chest. “I love you, and I know you were just trying to help, but you should've said something before taking it upon yourself.”

Caleb got up, walked over and started rubbing his brother's back. “I'm not mad at you, Bryan. I know you were just trying to protect me.”

It's all too much, Steve thought, as he started to cry, too. He pulled Caleb into the hug, proud of the boys in his arms. Bryan, still crying, turned and pulled Caleb into a hug, as Steve held them both.

Once everyone was calm, Steve set the boys down. “Get your shoes on. We need to pick up Kenny.”

“Are you going to tell Dad?” Bryan asked, clearly nervous.

“I have to,” Steve said, wiping the remaining tears from Bryan's face. “He has a right to know.”

“Am I grounded?”

Steve sighed. “No, I'm not going to ground you. Your Dad and I said you have a right to vent your anger on Calvin, and despite your act, I think some of it was actually real, but you will be the one to explain everything to Diego. I think that's only fair.”

Bryan looked like he'd rather take being grounded but agreed.

“By the way, Bryan,” Steve said. “I know you were really upset, and as much as I really appreciated it, in the future, please try to refrain from calling me 'Daddy'. Only Diego gets to call me that.”

“Oh my God!” Bryan cried out, as he ran to his room.