Page 77 of Bull's Boy

She shook her head, tears in her eyes. “My friends tried to warn me about you, but I just couldn’t see it.” She wiped at her blotchy cheeks and glanced at Malcolm. “For what it’s worth, I would have welcomed you, both of you.” Then sheturned around and walked back toward her parents. “Yeah, this wedding is off.”

“Cathy!” Evan yelled, running after her.

Malcolm could only stare, stunned over the last few minutes. First, his mom being a judgmental asshole, then his brother being a homophobic prick, and then Cathy calling off the wedding.

“Well, I’d say we made an impact today,” Bull said.

Malcolm slowly panned over to him, mouth parting in shock at the huge grin on his face. “Let’s at least wait until we’re in the car before we show how happy we are about him getting dumped.”

“That guy got exactly what he deserved,” Bull said, throwing his arm over Malcolm’s shoulders and heading toward his truck. “You want to pick something up for dinner?”

Just like that, the awfulness of the day started to drift away.

Bull had been right. It was time for him to cut out his family. He didn’t need them. He never had. Sure, life had been hard the last few years as he’d struggled to get by. But if it was the price he had to pay to get to this moment, to get to Bull, he would have done it for another ten years.

The two of them could make their own family. With his brother and his moms, Dahlia and Becca, Ollie and the Sub Club. Bull made him happy in a way no one else ever had and loved him like no one else ever could.

He didn’t need anything else.

EPILOGUE

“Didn’t you get adopted by Ollie? Why aren’t he and his pack of hellions here helping?” Marv said as he helped maneuver Malcolm’s old mattress through the front door.

Coming in behind him with a box full of kitchen stuff, Malcolm laughed. “I did, but most of them had to work today.”

Malcolm had told him that he’d texted Ollie right after they’d gotten back from his parents’ last weekend, and he’d been really disappointed he wouldn’t be able to come and help. Apparently, Ollie had to work one Saturday a month, and the following weekend just so happened to be it. Most of the rest of the Sub Club had to work as well, or at least that was what Bull had been told.

That and that Ollie had invited the group over to his and Malcolm’s place for the next waxing session. He’d reiterated to his boy he still wasn’t getting any of his hair ripped out, and Malcolm had laughed and called Ollie to tell him.

“I’m here!” Emmett said from where he sat on the floor, playing with Rose and Dorothy.

Marv glanced at him, his face softening. “You’re not a hellion, but you’re also not helping very much.”

Emmett giggled as he trailed one of the cat toys on the ground in front of Rose as she chased it.

Bull wasn’t worried about it. Anything in decent shape that Malcolm hadn’t wanted to keep had been boxed up for Marv to take to the domestic violence shelter on Monday, and the rest they’d been able to bring over in one load in the back of Bull’s truck, with a couple of boxes stuck in Marv’s car.

Once they got the mattress up to the second floor and into the spare room he’d never used for anything other than the cats, Bull clapped Marv on the shoulder. “I really do appreciate you helping.”

“Goes without saying, baby bro.” Marv waved him off and led the way back downstairs. “I was just giving him shit.”

It wasn’t that Bull didn’t believe him, but there was something in his voice, and he’d seemed distracted all day.

“Everything okay?” Bull asked.

Marv grunted. “Just tired.”

He didn’t really buy it, but he let it go, knowing when his brother was finally ready to talk, he’d be right there ready to listen, just like Marv had always been for him.

After a few hours, they had everything unloaded, and most of what went in the kitchen or living room was unpacked. Pretty much all of Malcolm’s clothes had been at Bull’s place for awhile, along with most of his toiletries. He’d go back over to the apartment sometime that week and give it a final sweep before leaving the keys on the counter. Malcolm had tried to say he would run over and do it, but Bull had put his foot down. He didn’t care that they hadn’t seen a hint of Dale as they’d sorted and packed things up all week. There was no way Malcolm was ever going over there by himself again.

Dahlia and Becca had arrived about forty-five minutes ago, Dahlia still salty that he’d made her work. He hadn’t told her yet, but he and his mom had decided to start giving Dahlia more responsibilities to see how she handled them before asking if she’d like to be trained to be a manager. With Sally working less, Bull needed someone else up front he could depend on when he wasn’t there or was in the office.

Becca had made herself at home on the couch next to Emmett, and Dahlia had disappeared into the kitchen to complain about him to his moms. Even without helping with the actual move, he knew his boy was grateful they’d come for such a special day.

Just as he was about to offer Marv a beer, his brother returned from the bathroom, face pinched.

“I’m gonna take off,” he said, stepping close and giving Bull a quick hug, slapping him on the back twice.

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