I wasn’t talking about his punch.
Journey burst into a fit of tears, screaming at the top of her lungs, “Cash!”
Harley instantly picked her up, rushing her inside with all the wives on her tail. I shook my head, spitting blood onto the street, wiping away the residue with the back of my hand.
With tears cascading down her cheeks, Giselle tried to help me stand, but I ripped my arm from her grasp.
“I’m fine,” I lied through my teeth. My head was pounding, and I could barely fuckin’ see straight.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Austin snapped. “That’s your kid! That’s your boy! Don’t do this, McGraw!”
“Hey! Hey!” Dad seethed, shoving Austin hard. Dragging my attention back to them. “That’s my son!” He pushed him again. “My son, Austin!” Ramming his chest over and over again. “He’s my fuckin’ son! My boy! And don’t you ever forget it!”
“Dylan!” Ma panicked, placing herself in between them.
I never wanted this. Coming in between Austin and my old man was not part of my plan.
“What are you doing? That’s your best friend!” Ma exclaimed. “Calm down!”
“Calm down?! Calm down?! He needs to know his fuckin’ place!” His furious glare shifted back to Austin. “Who the fuck do you think you are? Do you see him? Do you see my boy? He’s fuckin’ loaded! Drunk as shit! I can smell the pot reekin’ from his truck! What, Austin? You think I can go through this bullshit again? Like it wasn’t enough with you! I gotta go through it with my son too? Fuck you, man! I will lay your ass out if you come between my boy and me again!”
My stomach somersaulted, making me weak in the knees and heavy in the heart. The emotions were running so high, I could choke on them, making it hard to fuckin’ breathe.
“You think this is going to work? You just said it yourself—you went through this with me, and you’re acting the same way now toward your boy. Learn from your mistakes, man! Stop being so fucking stubborn.”
“This is the only way I know how to be! I won’t enable him. I let too many years go by doing that with you. Where did you end up, Austin? In a fuckin’ warehouse with a needle in your arm. Not breathin’! You want that for him?”
“Of course not.”
“Then get the fuck outta my way.”
“Jesus Christ!” I bit, stumbling to stand upright. “That’s what you give a fuck ’bout? Out of everythin’ I just bled out for you, all you care ’bout is the pot and booze?”
“Look at you! Just fuckin’ look at you, Cash! You can barely stand! You drove here hammered! Puttin’ your life and the lives of everyone on the road at risk! I raised you better than that! I could arrest you right now!”
“I’m surprised you ain’t. Considerin’ you arrested my bandmates.”
“You wanna blame me for your band’s bad decisions, I’ll take every dagger you wanna shoot my way! But don’t for one second think I didn’t do that for you! I will not stand by while you ruin your life! I’m your father! You’re my son! My job is to protect you! No matter what!”
“Protect me?! From what exactly, huh? Music?! From livin’ my dreams? Your head is so far up your own ass, you can’t even see I’m standin’ in front of you! You call me your son! You call yourself my father?! Where the fuck has he been? ’Cuz I sure as shit ain’t seen him!”
He went for me again, but Austin put his hands on his chest.
“Let him go!” I put my arms out at my sides, mirroring his demeanor, his composure, his downright arrogance. “Come at me, old man! I’m standin’ right fuckin’ here!”
“Cash, please...” Momma pleaded, standing in front of me with tears in her eyes. “Don’t do this. I’m begging you, please don’t do this.”
“Do what? Tell the truth? The only thing that man has ever done for me is give you his seed.”
He growled, loud and clear. However, this time, Lucas and Jacob grabbed ahold of him too.
Ma instantly shut her eyes, as if looking at me caused her pain.
“All you’ve ever done is kill my dreams! You don’t want a son, you want a fuckin’ puppet!”
He scoffed out a breath, shaking his head. The boys held him harder. They weren’t letting him go.
“I ain’t scared of him! I let him hit me once, but it won’t happen again!”
“Cash!” Giselle grabbed my arm. “Enough! You’re only making