10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Marcel

How dare they. The audacity of showing up after all this time. I knew what they were after, they saw us on the news. Modern technology at times such as this one was a curse.

Tess and I pulled up to the packed diner at the same time. It was standing room only but what we walked into shocked the hell out of both of us. Ralphie stood dead center holding court and giving them a piece of his mind.

“Son, you’ve got this all wrong,” his father said. “We missed you and Tess, and we want to make amends.”

“Like hell you do.”

Ralphie was mad, that was the first time I’d heard him curse.

“Ralphie, are you okay?” I asked as I approached him and he nodded, not taking his eyes off his parents for a second.

“Mom, Dad, you need to leave now,” Tess said as she took her place on the other side of Ralphie. Half the town stood behind my boy in a show of solidarity.

“We’re here if you need us, Ralphie,” Emerson assured him.

“You must be Marcel,” his mother flirted. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

“Do not touch him,” Ralphie growled.

“Now, Ralphie, that’s not very nice. Introduce us to your new friend.” His mother was a slimy piece of work.

“You already know his name and that’s enough, now step back.” My boy meant business and this protective side of him was unreal.

“You’ve been asked to leave,” Tess said. “And now it’s time or our next phone call will be to the police.”

“We’re already here,” two uniformed men emerged from inside the crowd that had formed behind Ralphie. “Myra, Carl, do you need us to escort you from the building?”

My next donation would be to the police department for sure, though my next call would be to my lawyer. These leeches will bother Tess and Ralphie no more.

“No, we’re out of here,” Carl’s lip curled in disgust as he made eye contact with me.

“Ralphie, are you okay? I’m so proud of you!” Tess hugged him.

“They just came here for money, I know it. Stupid news.”

“I’m sorry, love. That is a downside I drug you into.” I apologized as my boy hugged me.

“You shouldn’t have to apologize for who you are or what your hard work brought you. People like our slimy parents have no right to try and get any money from you.”

“How do you know that’s what they were here for?” They’d not said as such since I stepped in, though I automatically assumed as much.

“Because it started with Dad calling me all kinds of lovely names then said he wanted a piece of what Tess’s boyfriend had. When I corrected him and said it was my boyfriend, he had more choice words then threatened me with bodily harm.”

“That’s when we all stepped in,” Emerson said, and the two police officers standing nearby nodded.

“You did well, sweet boy. I’m so proud of you but next time maybe let the police handle it?” His father was a lot larger than him and really could’ve hurt Ralphie. No money in the world was worth that.

“No. It was time I stood up to them. They treated me like crap my entire life and it was time to put a stop to it.”

My boy was sizzling mad but if that’s what it took to release the demons he’d held onto then so be it.

“Thank you all for being here for Ralphie and Tess, I really appreciate it.” It was nice to know when I couldn’t be with Ralphie that others looked out for him.

“What you did for the kids, Marcel, was nothing short of amazing,” a woman I’d never met before said.

“We all came down here today to show support for you and Ralphie and what you’ve done,” another man replied.

Collectively they clapped then returned to their seats. Ralphie and I thanked them then he, Tess, and I took a seat at an empty table.

“Would you guys like coffee or something to eat? It’s on us today,” Karen offered.

“Thank you, Karen, that’s kind of you and I’d love a cup of coffee. Ralphie? Tess?” We each ordered something and while I appreciated Karen’s offer there was no way I was letting them foot the bill for our meal.

“Ralphie, I don’t want to scare you but there’s been a whole bunch of reporters outside of our place. I think it’s best if you stay with Marcel until this whole thing simmers down.”

No good deed goes unpunished.

“Honestly, I’d feel better if both of you stayed at my place. It’s gated and they can’t get through without the guard shack having prior approval.” Having both under my roof would give me a sense of peace for sure. “I don’t trust your parents won’t show up again.”

“True,” Tess sighed.

“I’m sorry I’ve caused you both so much pain.”

“Your philanthropy is not a pain, our parents are,” Tess replied. “They should be apologizing because they’ve never done a selfless thing in their lives.”

Emerson came over to check on us. “You guys doing all right?”

“We are, thank you again, Emerson. I think these two are going to stay with me until the media quits stalking them.” Emerson glanced out the window and I followed his line of sight to a row of cameras. “On second thought, I’ll send a crew to their apartment to pack their things and have them come home with me now.”

“Good idea,” one of the officers said as they passed our table. “We’ll escort you to your vehicles when you’re ready.”

I glanced at their badges. “We appreciate that, and we appreciate both of you.” I’d be sure to write a letter to their sergeant stating as much.

Emerson refused to let us pay, but I snuck a hefty tip on the table. He gave Ralphie the rest of the day off and told us to let him and Karen know if we needed anything at all.

Officer Robles and Officer Newton escorted us to our vehicles as they’d offered. The three of us ignored the questions and cameras being shoved at us. I texted Tess my address in case our vehicles got separated during the drive home. I swear, we didn’t breathe until we were all inside the safety of my home.

“Home, sweet home,” I teased as we stepped inside. Tess parked in the garage beside me and I immediately closed the garage doors and shut out the outside world.

“The movers will be by shortly to get the key to your apartment. I’d like to show you both something if I may.”

“Your place is like a museum,” Tess said as we walked through. “Holy crap, is that an indoor pool?”

“It is indeed, and this is a home gym. You are more than welcome to use any and all parts of the house. But through here is what I wanted to show you.” We walked into the guest house which was connected to the garage and the pool, Ralphie hadn’t seen this wing yet. “This is the guest house. Elion’s parents used to stay here but I haven’t heard from them since he passed. Tess, I’d love for you and Ralphie to move in here with me and bring life back to this far too quiet house. If you agree, the guest house would be yours. It has a private entrance so you can come and go as you please.”

“Whoa.”

“Daddy, really? You want us both to live here with you?”

“I do, sweet boy. You’re my family now and knowing both of you are safe and sound under the same roof as me will help me sleep better at night.” I knew Ralphie was all for it, now to see how Tess felt.

“How much will the rent be?” she asked as she walked through the fully furnished space. It had a full kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and one bath.

“There will be no rent.”

“Marcel, I can’t live here for free. That’s not right.”

“It is in my book, but I’ll make you a deal, you can share the cooking duties with me. Whoever gets up first makes breakfast and we’ll take turns with dinner. How does that sound?”

“Sounds too good to be true,” Tess paused and peeked into the bedrooms. “But I can’t deny that being separated from Ralphie right now isn’t an option to me. The nights he stays with you makes the apartment far too quiet.”

“Are you saying I’m noisy?” My sassy boy got huffy.

“Down boy,” she teased him. “I’m saying the apartment is too quiet and lonely without you there. Ralphie, what do you want and don’t be you and say what you think will make everyone happy. What does your heart say?”

“My heart says living with the two people I love in the same place will be like a dream come true. I miss you, too, when I’m with Daddy, but I have so much fun with him.”

“All right, Marcel. You’ve got a deal.”

Ralphie cheered and hugged us both. “I love you guys so much.”

“We love you, too, sweet boy.”

“Ralphie, you’re my brother and you always come first with me, and I know your Daddy feels the same way. I can see it in how he treats you and how he looks at you. I love you, little bro.”

The doorbell rang, surprising them that they could hear it in this wing. “That will be the movers. Shall I tell them to bring everything?”

Tess nodded at Ralphie who cheered again. “Yes!”

Ralphie handed me his key while Tess gave them directions about everything. She’d handle the landlord since the lease was in her name. If she needed to buy it out, I’d take care of that for them. This was a Christmas present to me. Neither of them were ready to be apart and I respected that.

“I’ll be in the office for a bit, I rescheduled both this morning’s meeting to this afternoon as video calls.”

“Can I play in the playroom, Daddy?”

“Nothing would make me happier, sweet boy. I’ll see you shortly.”

The first meeting for the children’s gift program went very well, as I knew it would. The funds were transferred electronically, and I promised to tour the shelter facilities and help build another. Homelessness was increasing as the economy worsened and right now, there was no end in sight. The thought of all those families living on the streets didn’t settle well with me and I had the ability to help them.

It was the second meeting I was most anxious for, with my architect, Tad Mullins.

“Tad,” I said as his face appeared on the large wall-mounted monitor. “Great to see you.”

“You’re looking well, Marcel. I must say, I was surprised to hear from you. How can I be of assistance?”

“I have a new boy, Ralphie, and I want to gift him a game room for Christmas. I was thinking of taking space from the gym and turning that large storage closet into a mini arcade. Think that’s possible?”

“If I recall correctly that interior wall that separates the two spaces isn’t load bearing, give me just a moment to check.” I watched as he pulled up the layout for my home to verify. “Yes. I didn’t think it was because the storage room was an afterthought after the gym was built. Easy enough to do. Are you going to use Trey again?”

“Absolutely. He knows this home inside and out. I’m sure an arcade will require more amperage and dedicated breakers, so we’ll need to submit an electrical permit. Think we can get it pushed through, and the room done in time for Christmas?”

“Well, that depends. Does your connection still work for the city?”

“He does. I’ll give him a call. How quickly can you get the plans done?”

“Won’t take long and for my favorite client,” he grinned, “I can hand deliver them to the city tomorrow if you approve them right away tonight.”

“You are the best and this is why I recommend you to all my friends. Reduce the gym by one-third, add safety glass all the way around the arcade with bulletproof panels on the arcade side to deter any rogue skee-balls. I’m thinking two skee-ball machines, two pinball machines, and two table sitting arcade games. Plus, a door and as soundproof as possible, please. Oh, and rubberized flooring to buffer some of the noise and make the floor less slippery since it’s right off the pool, please.”

Tad laughed. “Understood and I’m on it. I’ll have an outline to you in a couple of hours to proof and if we’re good to go I’ll be at the city first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Wonderful. I’ll call Jeff at the city and give him a heads up then I’ll contact Trey.”

“And, Marcel, it’s great to hear from you. Talk later.”

“Later.” I ended the call and made the other two, then researched the machines I had in mind. That would be the most challenging part of this. Well, that and the glass. But if the glass was installed later my boy could still use the room until then. I’d just chase the balls as they flew through the gym.

I wandered upstairs and right into the most adorable scene. My sweet boy was curled up in the castle in the playroom sound asleep, so I let him be.

“Hey, Marcel,” I ran into Tess in the kitchen. “Where’s Ralphie?”

“He’s asleep in the playroom. I should probably give you the grand tour so you can find your way around.” We proceeded to do just that, ending with the playroom.

“This room is amazing.” She closed the door as we stepped away. “You’re good for him, you know.”

“That goes both ways. Ralphie breathed life back into me. I thought my heart would be dead forever and now it beats again, just for him.” It was wonderful to feel so alive. Like I was given a second chance at life and one I wouldn’t waste.

“You caught a glimpse of our parents. They weren’t great to me, but they were even worse to Ralphie. The things my father said and did to him I’ll never forgive them for. Good thing those cops were there to witness it. I’m sure it’s not over.”

“My lawyers will make sure it is and that they leave both of you alone.” My phone vibrated in my pocket. “The movers will be here with your stuff in a couple of hours. Is it okay if I have them put all but the groceries in the empty parking space in the garage? Then you guys can go through as you feel like it.”

“That will work perfectly. Thank you again, for everything, Marcel.”

“It’s the least I could do plus it’s a win-win for Ralphie and me. He gets his sister, and I have my family in one place.” Protective Daddy mode once again engaged.