I mean, this is a big deal to her."
"When is it again?" Gerardo asked.
Ian pointed at the large sign with all of that information on it, hanging over the stage. "Middle of April. Right here. Starts at seven and shouldn't take more than a few hours. She's really good, too. Wants to get a scholarship for it."
"And do what?" Gerardo asked. "She'll never make a career out of acting. I don't know why you're all making such a fuss about this."
Finally, Trent decided to speak up. "Because acting is public speaking, and public speaking is important in business. We're making a big deal out of this, because your daughter, Mr. Castillo, is a brilliant, determined, and amazing young woman, and we all want to see her grow up and do amazing things."
"And I'll be the one paying the tuition for it, boys. See, when I was your age, I had my head in the clouds, too, but success takes hard work. It's not something you can just inherit or," he looked at me, "marry into."
"Yeah," I grumbled.
But Ian had been pushed too far. His alpha nature decided to flare up. "Because I'm sure that my family has no idea what it takes to be successful, right? Or did you miss my last name? I can say it again, slower if you like. Langdon. As in the owners of Wolf's Run. And trust me, if you decide that you don't have what it takes to treat that young lady the way she deserves, my entire - "
Lane grabbed his shoulder. "Our family," he said before Ian could use the word pack, "will make sure that she's taken care of. My brother feels very strongly about the value of education. That's why we're all here."
Gerardo looked at the group of men standing protectively around me. "Brothers, huh? So you're going to claim you're all related now?"
"No," Pax assured him. "Ian's a Langdon. Lane was adopted into the family when his own passed away in a tragic car accident. The rest of us? We're just a few of the kids Henry Langdon took under his wing, with your daughter being the latest." Then he smiled. "The same Henry Langdon who is representing your ex-wife in the divorce settlement."
Listening to my asshole of an ex get put in his place had me looking like the Cheshire Cat. I was grinning, and nothing could stop it. I knew he'd expected me to back down. I always had before. Too bad for him, I was a whole new woman now.
"Don't worry," I promised, unable to keep my words from sounding anything but hard, "I won't be asking for a lot in child support. Not unless you try to fuck me over, that is."
Jaime tugged at Gerardo's arm. "Let's sign this paper, tell Gabby goodbye, and go home, ok?"
For a moment, Gerardo wanted to stay and fight. I could see it written on his face. He hated the idea of me coming out ahead, but there was nothing he could do. Finally, he let his new fiancée pull him away.
"Yeah," Trent said. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I really want to see how Gabby reacts to him. I'm just…"
"Not getting a good feeling," Lane finished.
Pax still had the papers in his hand, along with a pen, but the guys had a point. I also didn't need to stand here to fill them all out.
As a group, we headed back into the hall and aimed for a room that Trent seemed to know. Clearly, he'd been here a few times, which made sense if he always picked Gabby up. For a split second, I felt guilty about that, but she asked for him, so it must be ok.
There, at the end of the hall, a door was open, and voices came from inside. We were just in time to see my ex-husband round the corner, walking in without shame. The voices stopped.
"Dad!" Gabby wailed loud enough for me to hear. "I'm in the middle of something, and you can't just walk in!"
But it didn't sound like she was glad to see him. More like she was mortified. The six of us paused outside the door. Pax passed me the pen and papers, and I used the wall to quickly sign my name across the bottom, but my ears were locked on the unfolding drama.
Then someone stormed out of the room. Oddly, it was neither my daughter nor my ex. This was a boy, and