Chapter 63 Part 63
Asher
His father met them in the foyer, his gaze stopping at the two boys. Asher had Melody in his arms, and Thomas took her without saying a word.
“This is my father, Thomas Fitzgerald,” Asher said. “And this is Joel and Oscar Crowley.”
“Welcome to Bear Meadow Ranch, boys,” Thomas said, extending his hand.
“Here we shake hands after we meet someone,” Asher said, patiently.
Joel shook Thomas’ hand first, then Oscar did the same. “It’s nice to meet you, Sir.”
“Maggie, why don’t you show the boys to the dining room while I have a quick talk with Asher?”
Maggie nodded her head, and the boys followed her deeper into the house. Thomas shifted Melody to his hip as he looked intently at Asher. “Those the two boys that left Bear Claw in the woods?”
“Yes.”
“Their daddy do that to their faces?”
“Yes.”
“Did he also clock your cheek?” Thomas grinned, as he asked that question.
“No, that would be Finn.”
“Finn? Now why in the hell would Finn clock you one?”
“Maybe, because I deserved it,” Asher said, clearing his throat. “I’ll sort it out with him.”
“Good. Those boys don’t need any more bad influences,” Thomas said, walking ahead of Asher to the dining room.
Asher smiled, and followed his father. Eden had made space for the two boys. His brothers weren’t there yet, and he took his seat across from his father. Melody was on his father’s lap, giggling, as he spoke softly to her.
When loud voices and laughter filtered in from the kitchen, Asher clenched his jaw. Nobody noticed his body stiffening, and his eyes turning to slate when Finn walked into the dining room with the rest of the Fitzgerald brothers close on his heels.
“Hey, Asher, where have you been all day?” Blair asked, as he eyed the two boys.
“Just handling a few things,” Asher said.
“Nice shiner,” Dylan remarked, with a grin.
“Hey, boys, I’m Colt.” He stuck his hand out over the table, and both boys got to their feet.
“I’m Joel, and this is my brother, Oscar.”
Asher saw the looks of confusion in their eyes, making him sigh. “They’re staying with me and Maggie.”
“Why?” Blair asked. They didn’t have many secrets from each other, and they were used to discussing things around the dinner table.
“It doesn’t matter why,” Asher said. The two boys visibly relaxed at Asher’s answer.
Finn’s jaw clenched tightly, and he glared at Asher. “They’re the two boys that beat up Bear Claw, and you brought them home with you?”
“Yes, Finn! I brought them home with me! It’s none of your business,” Asher said, angrily.
“Like hell it’s none of my business! They left him there to die!”
The boys’ eyes were wide, and they looked ready to run, like deer caught in headlights. Asher knew he had to de-escalate the situation and fast.
“I’m handling it, Finn,” he said.
“By letting them live with you. You’re rewarding their behavior! You always do this. You decide something, and we all have to fall in line! You never tell us anything, but we just have to accept it because you said so!”
Everyone at the table was quiet, the anger between Asher and Finn palpable. “This morning when you decked me one, I let it go. I won’t hold back again.”
“And like I told you this morning, screw you, Asher. This isn’t right!”
“You’re upset because I don’t talk about the war? You’re mad that I don’t want to tell you what happened over there?”
“Yes!”
“They tortured me, Finn. I was a prisoner for two months, while they tortured me to the brink of death! You want details? You want to know how they tied me to a wooden post in the sun, and left me there for days without water? You want to know how they made us crawl like dogs with leashes around our necks? Is that what you want to know? You don’t have to know what happened to me. I lived through it. I survived, and I came home! The boys are staying with me, and that’s final!” Asher pushed his chair out, and it toppled over. He stalked out of the dining room, and a few seconds later, the front door slammed shut.
Everyone left at the table was in a state of shock. Asher’s outburst had stunned them. He was always calm under pressure. He was the rock, the one who handled everyone’s problems, no matter what they were.
Joel stood up slowly, looking around the table. “I get why you don’t want us here; I really do. This morning, though, Asher walked into our house, decked our old man one, and took us out of that house. Before this afternoon, we hadn’t eaten in three days. Asher saw something, so he acted on it. When our old man sobers up enough, we take the brunt of his rage. Asher put a stop to that, so even though you don’t think we deserve to sit at this table, I’m still thankful that Asher walked through our front door today. Come on, Oscar.”
“Sit down, boys. There’s no such thing as not deserving to sit at this table. Nobody’s saying that. We don’t know what happened or why you did what you did. I trust Asher, though. He wouldn’t have taken you in if he didn’t have a good reason for it,” Thomas said. “I’ll go speak to him.”
“No, Dad. I should go talk to him,” Finn said.
“He’s right about one thing, Finn. He doesn’t have to tell you what happened over there. I get why you’re mad, son, but it’s misdirected. If you two raise your hands to each other, I’ll be out there with the horsewhip, and you’ll spend the rest of your leave days recovering,” Thomas said.
“I know, Dad. I shouldn’t have pushed him, and I shouldn’t have hit him this morning.”
“It’s difficult for him, Finn. He gets nightmares almost every night. He doesn’t always remember, but I listen to him scream, and beg. He puts a mask on every morning and smiles, pretending that everything’s fine. On the inside, Asher is a very broken man,” Maggie said.