Obsessed (The Protectors #13) - Sloane Kennedy Page 0,75
jumped up from the bed where he’d been sitting so he’d be at Ryan's level. Matias was holding a dinosaur in his hand. He stood there awkwardly for a moment before putting the toy on the table that was attached to Ryan’s wheelchair.
"Thanks for the lesson, Ryan," Matias said and then he bumped fists with my son. Ryan's head bobbed a few times, which was his way of nodding, and then he made the sound that most people dismissed as nothing more than a grunt but that was actually laughter. My eyes met Matias’s as he walked past me before leaving the room. I ignored the shiver of awareness that went through me and went to sit next to my son.
It was a daunting conversation. On the one hand, Ryan was beyond excited to know that he’d be taking a trip with his big brother. But on the other, his distress was obvious when he realized I wouldn't be going with him. We hadn't been apart for even one night since I'd brought him home from the orphanage. I spent a good half hour reassuring Ryan that I was just a phone call away and that I'd see him before he even started to miss me. The act of having him help me pack his stuff seemed to help calm him down, but we were only halfway through the task when I heard raised voices coming from the living room.
"Can you stay here for a minute, Ryan?" I asked. "I’ll be right back."
Ryan gave me a nod. I hurried from the room and got to the living room just in time to hear Cruz yell, "My future father-in-law, Matias? What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Cruz and Matias were standing near the television. Cruz was clearly pissed. Elliot was standing just a few feet behind Cruz. He had his fingers on Cruz’s arm, but I wasn't sure if it was to comfort him or to try and hold him back. Matias, for his part, wasn't reacting to his brother’s anger. If anything, he was being too quiet.
"It's all for show," I called as I stepped into the room. As angry as I was at Matias, I couldn't bear to watch him deal with his brother’s wrath. I moved to stand between the brothers and said, "Cruz, there's a lot going on here that you don't understand. The stuff I posted on Facebook was just for show. There's nothing going on between me and your brother." I wasn't particularly proud of the lie, but I figured there would be plenty of time to hash out the truth after all of this was over. As far as I was concerned, the details of any relationship I'd had with Matias wasn't anyone's business anyway.
"Dad, what are you talking about?" Elliot asked in confusion. "This morning I logged onto Facebook and see that you’re in a relationship with Matias and five minutes later the post is gone."
I figured the woman Matias had mentioned who did the computer stuff for Ronan had likely removed my posts, but I hadn't been sure. Hopefully, they’d been up long enough for Bishop to see them. Or I'd at least have to convince Matias and Ronan to have her put the posts back. But first, I had to deal with Elliot and Cruz.
"We'll explain everything to you, El, but the short version is that there's no relationship between me and Matias. It was all a lie."
"No it wasn't," Matias interjected. I turned to look at him and shook my head in disbelief. What the hell was he doing?
"Matias—" I began.
But the man stepped around me and closed the distance between him and his brother. "It wasn't a lie. Sam and I are in a relationship. It's been going on for weeks."
I opened my mouth to correct him on more than one front, but before I could, Cruz was throwing a punch. The blow caught Matias along the jaw. He stumbled backwards but managed to stay on his feet.
"You're such a selfish asshole, Matias!" Cruz snapped. "What, you aren't happy so no one else can be? I can't live like this anymore. I don't know you," he added sadly.
"Enough," I interjected as I stepped between the two men. "What happened between your brother and me is none of your business, Cruz," I said. "It's nobody's business but ours. But if you must know, it was very much a mutual decision. And maybe we should have told you at some point,