Page 70 of Dibs
The cop car pulled to a stop behind the rental and Gage jogged to them. I stayed by the car, not wanting to interfere with whatever Gage was going to tell the police. Instead, I opened the back door.
“Are you two okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” they answered together.
“Good. The cops will handle this.”
“Will they … make us stay?” Tyler asked with hesitation.
“They better not.”
Gage spoke to the officers, and once they had his story, they went to Lisa and Santiago. I stayed back by the children and Gage moved over to us. After a while, the cops came back to us.
“Given you have a custody agreement, we’re in no position to change the order. I’ve advised Ms. Statler and Mr. Santiago that the matter needs to be brought to family court in your jurisdiction in California.”
“Does that mean we can leave with my sons?” Gage asked.
“Yes, and I suggest you contact your attorney immediately.”
The cops ordered Lisa to get the boys’ belongings that they’d brought with them from California and then we piled into the car and got the hell out of there.
22
GAGE
My heart was racingas adrenaline was still coursing through me. Thank goodness Chase had been there to stop me from going after Miguel. When he spouted his homophobic bullshit, I was ready to throw down and didn’t give a fuck about the consequences I could have faced if I’d hit him. I prided myself on being a laid-back guy, but I snapped the moment he tried to come between me and my children.
“I’m so sorry, Dad,” Dylan whimpered.
I twisted around to look in the backseat where he sat between Jase and Tyler. Huge tears streamed down his face, and my chest ached.
“You have nothing to apologize for. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“But I told Mom you had a boyfriend, and that made her and Miguel mad. I promise I didn’t mean to tell her,” he sobbed.
I’d wondered how Miguel knew about us, but I wasn’t mad at Dylan for saying anything. It wasn’t as though Chase and I were keeping our relationship a secret, and I wouldn’t expect my eleven-year-old to hide things from his mother, either.
“It’s not your fault,” I reiterated. “They’re responsible for their actions.”
“Why would they care that you’re dating?” Jase asked. “I thought he was your friend, Dad.”
I glanced at Chase, who took a deep breath before responding. “We were friends, but then he was a jerk when he found out Aron and Drew were dating. Some people have a problem with two men loving each other.”
Jase frowned. “That’s stupid.”
“It shouldn’t matter who people want to date,” Dylan added.
It sucked that our boys had to experience people acting like assholes just because the two of us wanted to build a life together, but I was also incredibly proud of how they reacted to hate.
Chase smiled at me. “You’re right. It shouldn’t.”
Tyler had been quiet since we drove away, and I worried about how he was handling everything. “You okay, buddy?” I questioned.
He shrugged but said nothing.
Instantly, my fatherly instincts were on high alert, and I asked the question I should have the minute the boys came out from the side yard. “Miguel didn’t hurt you, did he?”
Tyler shook his head. “No, he didn’t do anything like that.”
