Cole nodded. “Threats then. They work on spineless dickbags like him.”
“Cole, enough,” Cindy said sharply. “This isn’t funny. You assaulted a man.”
“Yes, I did,” Cole said.
“That’s unacceptable, totally unacceptable.”
“I guess so.”
“You embarrassed me.”
“Not sure that bothers me, honestly.”
“Cole, please,” Dad cut in. “Your mother is worried.”
“Worried?” Cole said, smirking. “Sure, she’s worried about her career.”
“Enough,” Cindy said, slamming her hand down on the countertop. The whole room looked at her, surprised. I had never seen an ounce of strong emotion in her before, but suddenly she looked very, very angry. “You have embarrassed me time and time again, Cole. I want you to leave.”
He stared at her hard for a second and then smiled. “Kicking me out already?”
“Yes. Please pack and leave by tomorrow.”
Dad looked away, unable to meet my eye. I was completely taken aback and shocked by the fact that Cindy was so callously throwing her son out on the street. It seemed almost like it was no big deal, but it seemed incredibly absurd. She was making such a big decision without even talking to anyone about it.
“Wait,” I said. “Don’t you know why he did it?”
“Don’t bother,” Cole said. “She doesn’t give a fuck about any of that. This is just an excuse to get rid of me.”
He stood up.
“Wait,” I said to Cole, and then I turned back toward Cindy. “He punched that guy because he called you a bitch.”
Cindy raised an eyebrow. “Is that true, Cole?”
“It’s true. Only I get to call you that.”
She was quiet for a second. “Thank you for defending my honor, but unfortunately this isn’t feudal England. You can’t just punch people whenever you feel like it.”
Cole looked back at me and shrugged. “Told you.”
“Wait,” I said again, but he had already left the room. I looked back at Cindy, anger rising in my chest. “Why would you do that?”
She sighed. “Cole has been a problem for a very long time. At a certain point, you have to be tough with him or else he will walk all over you.” She paused and looked at me seriously. “That’s a lesson you’ll need to learn if you want to remain in touch with him.”
I stared back at her, not sure what she meant. I almost couldn’t believe what she was saying. “He’s your son,” I said.
“He’s also a liability.” She looked away, back toward the file of papers she had in front of her.
“He’ll be okay,” Dad said. “He’s a tough kid. Has some money, too.”
I stared at him, completely unable to comprehend what had just happened. I stood up, shaking my head in disgust. “Grow a spine, Dad. You know this isn’t right.”
Before he could answer, I turned and left the room.
Anger flooded through me as I went upstairs after Cole. It wasn’t fair that they were kicking him out. It wasn’t right, especially since he’d been defending his mother. Sure, he shouldn’t have hit the guy. He should have kept his cool. But he wasn’t the type of man to just sit by and let someone insult his mother, even when his mother actually was a total bitch.
I had to admit, there was something special about that. It was old-fashioned, yeah, and maybe a little intense, but it was endearing. I didn’t like violence, but I did like a man with some semblance of honor. Too many guys these days were willing to roll over and let anyone do whatever they wanted so long as they could avoid a fight.
Cole’s door was shut, and so I knocked once. He didn’t answer, so I knocked again. Instead of knocking a third time, I just pushed open the door.
“Cole,” I said. He stopped doing his push-ups and looked up at me, rocking back onto his knees.
“I thought you might follow me up here, wife,” he said, grinning.
“How are you not pissed off?”
“This happens every time.”
“What, your mom kicks you out?”
“Not exactly. I do something she doesn’t like, and so she finds some reason to get rid of me.”
“You’re okay with that?”
“I’m not some little kid, Alexa. I don’t need my fucking insane, bitch mommy to be proud of me.”
I sighed, frustrated. Was everyone in this house totally stupid?
“Look, I get it. But it’s still not right that she’s throwing you out like this,” I pushed.
He stood up and stretched his arms. “I’m honestly surprised you’re taking such an interest in this.”