Page 23 of Tye

“Ice is my prospect; Tye is my son. Two different things,” Dad retorted.

I heard the emotion in his tone. This conversation was one I needed. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing Drake Michaelson. A man whose heart was so big he could take in sixteen kids and not blink. Dad hid his love behind a gruff exterior, but none of us doubted he loved us.

We might not share blood, but we had a bond that no fucker could break. And should someone try, we’d rain hellfire down on them. And I realised, right there and then, that was something Fury was going to find out. No matter what happened, whether Dad made it or not, he’d be remembered. Drake Michaelson was a legend amongst his club brothers, his family, and his friends.

Dad had something Fury did not have. A loving family who’d not let him be forgotten. Fury had already lost and didn’t know it. Because my dad would always be in my heart and by my side. That’s what Fury was missing: unconditional love and loyalty. And I pitied him.

???

After the frank conversation with Dad, I needed air and headed to the rink. As I walked through the trees, a smile crossed my face when I thought about how outraged people had been to realise Mom had built me an ice rink. They were even more disturbed that Carmine had a baseball field, too. Since then, she’d built Jared a dojo and Aaron an NFL field where he and his friends practised a lot. Add in the tennis courts and we had a veritable sports complex going on.

Peyton used the rink now. She was into ice skating, and to Mom’s surprise, she was pretty good. She had won a couple of kiddie competitions, and Dad was dead proud. I was glad therink was getting used by a Michaelson still. Monday to Friday, the ice hockey players in the Michaelson Scholarships used it for four hours in the afternoon. Many might have thought the excesses would have gone to waste, but no.

The courts were in use. Jodie had hired a retired pro tennis player, and now we were recruiting kids with that talent. As I entered the rink, memories surged of my siblings and me skating here. And then my long solitary hours of practising repeatedly. Even with the talent I had, practise had been necessary as I was well behind my peers when I started.

I was shocked to find the lights on and more surprised to see someone sitting by the rink.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Sorry. I had to see it. Your mom told us about this, but it is worth seeing,” Demi replied.

“It’s just an ice rink,” I said, a little disturbed at having my haven invaded by her.

“No. It is more,” Demi muttered.

“What do you see?” I wondered as I leaned on the boards next to her.

“A parent’s love. A mother’s belief that her child could accomplish everything, and she’d do whatever was needed to aid him. Child’s dream become reality,” Demi mused.

I tilted my head at her. “You get all that from this?”

“Yeah,” she replied softly. “Because Pops did the same for my mom, aunts, and uncles. And he’s done the same for us grandkids. I personally do dressage, and some of my cousins are starting to learn barrel rolling and steer wrestling. A couple of the Rodeo’s we attend have started showjumping, and it’s interesting. One of my little cousins is into that.”

“Sounds like Spike dropped his Harley for a horse,” I teased, but Demi nodded.

“Pops still has his hog and rides it often. But he’s just at home on a horse. We all are. Hell, Aunt Sienna nearly gave birth on the back of one,” Demi said with a laugh.

“Damn, really?” I asked, shocked.

“Yeah. She and Teddy had gone for a ride, despite knowing she was due. But Sienna was tired of being pregnant and thought riding Crimson might start labour. It certainly did. She gave birth in a field, and Uncle Teddy had to deliver Toby.” Demi snickered.

“Shit. I don’t know if that’s funny or terrible,” I answered as I laughed.

“The women in my family are something else. Mind you, so are my uncles. Uncle Carter proposed to his wife as they struggled to get to safety after being caught in a blizzard. Uncle Carter crashed the truck but knew there was a cabin close by. He and Aunt Orla attempted to reach it on foot, and he proposed on the way. Aunt Orla was so mad she stomped to the cabin. She stated it was the least romantic proposal ever. Uncle Carter basically told her he loved her, and it looked like they were gonna freeze to death and would she marry him.”

“Holy shit!” I exclaimed, laughing loudly. “That’s terrible!”

“It’s awful, isn’t it? But she said yes.” Demi sighed.

“Is she with the children?” I asked.

“No. She died two years ago. Her passing broke Uncle Carter; he loved her so much. He keeps going for the kids, but there’s a hurt inside him that can’t be fixed.” Demi grew sad, and I felt bad for her.

“Sorry for upsetting you,” I murmured, reaching out and stroking her back.

“Don’t be. I have good memories of Aunt Orla, and we do not talk about her enough. We aren’t sure what really happened. She died in a car accident, but there were skid marks on the ground that weren’t hers, and there were scratches on her bumper.We think somebody hit her and forced her off the road. Her passenger door was open, so we know someone had stopped but not if it was the same person. The whole thing is a mystery,” Demi said thoughtfully.

“That’s rough,” I replied.