Cut and Run 6 - Stars and Stripes

eyes never left his father’s. “Yes, sir.”
    It was killing Zane to stand aside and watch the tension in Ty. Deuce patted his shoulder but didn’t let go; he knew how Zane reacted to threats to Ty. He wasn’t taking any chances on an all-out family brawl.
    Earl moved again and pulled Ty into a hug, squeezing. Ty tensed, but after a second he put his chin down on his father’s shoulder and closed his eyes in relief, returning the fierce embrace.
    “I’m sorry, boy,” Earl whispered, just loud enough for the rest of them to hear. He patted the back of Ty’s head with his bandaged hand.
    Deuce loosened his hold on Zane, and Zane closed his eyes for a moment. Ty had wanted to tell them the truth, but Zane doubted this was how he’d imagined it going.
    When he looked up again, Earl had released Ty and was patting him on the cheek, talking to him quietly. Ty was nodding in a quick, jerky motion, his lips pressed into a thin line like they always were when he was trying to restrain emotion.
    Earl had one more word for him and then stepped back. “Okay, son, now take your shot,” he invited as he opened his arms.
    “Earl,” Mara warned.
    “I got mine, Mara; now he gets his. Take your shot, Beaumont.”
    Before Mara could protest again, Ty reared back and hit his father with a wicked right hook that knocked Earl off his feet. Earl struck the floor hard enough to make the plate of cookies on the table rattle, and Ty immediately doubled over, holding his hand and cussing.
    “Nice hook, Tyler!” Chester cried triumphantly. “Woo!”
    “Jesus Christ, boy!” Earl shouted as he clutched at his nose and wallowed on the floor.
    “What is your face made of, Dad, steel?” Ty cried as he held his hand. “Oh my God!”
    He turned and stumbled into the kitchen.
    “Should have seen that coming,” Deuce muttered.
    Zane cursed and followed his partner, unwilling to stay away any longer. What he really wanted was his own shot at Earl.
    Ty was rummaging through the freezer, a bag of frozen peas already on his hand as he pulled out another bag. He let the freezer door swing shut as he stepped away and looked at Zane, his hazel eyes wide with the remnants of stark terror. He was shaking from head to toe.
    “Baby,” Zane said as he took a few steps toward Ty. All of his possessive and protective instincts were in overdrive, but he held himself back, reaching out to check Ty’s hand instead of wrapping him up in his arms and holding him until he stopped trembling. When Ty was upset, the last thing he wanted was to be restrained in any way.
    “That wasn’t exactly how I saw that going,” Ty said. He reached out and pulled Zane closer, wrapping his arms around his neck and holding onto him.
    Zane returned the fierce hug, his heart aching for Ty. Fear of what’d just happened had been the driving force behind many of Ty’s decisions and life choices. To have faced it in a moment not of his own choosing must’ve been terrifying. Zane held him, letting Ty hang onto him, cheek pressed to Ty’s while a long minute passed.
    “Well,” Mara said from the doorway.
    Ty pulled away and glanced sheepishly at her. She stood behind Zane, arms crossed over her chest.
    “How’s Dad’s face?” Ty asked.
    “Better than yours is going to be if I find out you been keeping any more secrets,” she threatened, putting her hands on her hips. She looked from him to Zane and back. “Is it serious, the two of you?”
    It took Ty a moment to answer, but when he found his voice, he said, “Very.”
    Mara narrowed her eyes.
    “I love him,” Ty said, voice firm.
    Mara just nodded, looking between them again. Her expression softened and she made a disgruntled noise, then she walked up to Zane and pulled him by his shoulders into a tight hug. Though he was surprised, he let her do what she wanted. She patted his back and kissed his cheek. “Welcome to the family, Zane,” she said, and the sincerity in her voice made his throat tighten. “I wish I’d known earlier, but if wishes was dollars, I’d be the Queen of Sheba.”
    Zane straightened and glanced at Ty, who was staring at Mara, his hazel eyes wide and his mouth hanging open.
    “Thank you,” Zane said. “And I’m sorry.”
    “No need for that.” She nodded and turned to Ty, hugging him in the same manner. “You should’ve told us way back then,” she said, her voice harsh with upset. “You didn’t have to leave.”
    “Yes, ma’am,” Ty whispered as he hugged