Goliath opens his mouth to growl something at Maverick, but then catches Hugh shaking his head.
“You’re screwing with me,” Goliath mutters to Maverick.
“I was trying to. Thanks a lot, Hugh.”
“You’re welcome,” he replies and returns to eating.
Goliath might know Maverick is fucking with him, but he still gets a bug up his ass about our living situation.
“You have no space at the house,” he says that night in bed.
“I have a bedroom I don’t use. Besides, River and Max will move out next year. Shane and Ramona will follow. You know how it is.”
“How long does it take to build a house?”
“With the crew size we have in Shasta?” I say and think about River’s progress. “Probably a year, maybe more depending on logistics. Out here in the woods, it’ll be trickier to run electrical and plumbing from the road.”
“Then, I’ll move into town.”
“No fucking way,” I growl, hating how quick he is to piss away his needs sometimes. “You need a house for you.”
“I need a house for my woman and kid.”
Okay, crying might not be the best response. But I’m hormonal, dammit! Goliath rolls his eyes at my tears, but he’s quick to cuddle me against him.
“What if we compromise?” I ask, wiping my tears on his shirt. “We could look for a temporary place while we build your big-man's house.”
“I don’t need a big fucking house.”
“Maybe not like square footage big, but imagine something with tall ceilings and wide doorways. I want you to feel comfortable, and you like the woods. Something with lots of windows would be nice.”
“What about the monsters looking in?” he asks, smirking at my fears.
“Thick curtains for nighttime. Weapons stashed around the house where the baby can’t get to them would be good too. Just in case we’re under siege from werewolves or some shit.”
Goliath chuckles at the thought of us fighting off a Lycan army. No matter his humor, I know he likes the idea of being here in the woods. He grew up with no privacy. That’s what he craves. I prefer something more residential, but I already got so many things in life. I can suffer through a lack of neighbors while Goliath enjoys his big, manly house.
That night we start playing around with design ideas. We sit on his bed, watching sports while I search for pictures online. He gives me a yomp or nomp for each one. I make a folder for the keepers. It’s just a start, but I can already imagine our dream house in the woods.
THE GOLIATH
On the day after Christmas, I visit my mom. Shelby sent a gift days ago. I know she doesn’t want me visiting my mother. Now that I’ve spent a little time around her parents, I get how Shelby sees family. She believes moms should act a certain way. I’m sure she’s right. I mean, shit, if my kid had to grow up with her parents or mine, there’s no doubt who’d be the better choice.
Still, I come to see Mom because I got it in my head in prison that I needed to take care of her. After Fuse screwed me, and Jaymes ditched me, I thought she was the only person I had left to care about. I drilled that idea in my head, day after day. Swamp Thing and Grabby were going to be my way forward, and then they were gone. That just left my mom.
After six months as a free man, I still struggle with the feeling that I oughta visit her. She don’t want me here. That’s clear every time she sees me on her porch. I don’t doubt she wouldn’t care if I disappeared altogether.
“It’s cold, and I’m not coming out there,” Ursula mutters at me through the screen door.
“I wanted to say that I know you did your best as a mother, raising me alone. But your best ain’t nothing to be proud of. You aren’t a victim of that man in Tennessee or me. You’re a bitter bitch.” She opens her mouth, but I wave off her complaining. “I love you, but you never loved me right. The good news is I won’t come around anymore. If you’re ever desperate enough for money, you can call the biker bar and leave a message. Otherwise, I’ll let you live your life without me thinking I need to be a part of it.”
“Feeling good about yourself, huh? Come here to act like a big man?”