In Stars & Stripes Chester Grady said that it was amazing that people tended to forget that he was "there". Re-reading Sticks & Stones, I realized, every Grady had been given an exeunt except that sneaky little fuck with a shovel. I can just imagine Zane and Ty kissing in front of Chester and the old man not even bothered.
He hadn't known and since he'd found him he had been asking himself why he hadn't seen it. Why hadn't he realised that his son left because he was scared to admit who he was? He hated the thought that it was him Ty was scared of but he knew deep down and if he could take back his reaction to when Chester outed him and Zane he would but he couldn't and all he could do now was hope to make up for it. It was clear to him that Zane didn't like him much and even less so since that day. He wanted to rectify that, wanted to make good with his sons soon to be husband because it was as clear as day that the two of them loved each other just like he and Mara did.
"Earl, you're letting all of the heat out, what are you doing?" his wife stopped behind him and he felt her hand on his arm. "I'm just watching those two" he tipped his head in the direction of the shed where Zane and Ty were currently amusing Amelia.
"They're so good with her" Mara commented "For men who haven't been around children all that much"
"Zane's got a niece ain't he?"
"Yeah" Mara nodded "But he don't see her that often, she lives in Texas"
They were both silent after that, for a long while as they watched their son and soon to be son in law play with their granddaughter.
"Ty loves him" Earl said suddenly, Mara scoffed "Of course he does, it's as clear as day that the boy loves him, Zane feels the same way"
"I just mean... I never saw Ty as happy as I did the times he came home with Zane, before we knew. Why didn't we figure that out? I mean, they made excuses to even share Ty's bedroom. Where we that blind and stupid?"
"He was his partner, working partner for all we knew. Of course they had to close"
Earl shook his head. He appeared to be becoming more and more frustrated with something, what Mara wasn't sure.
"Up on those mountains Mara, when Ty was hurt Zane was livid. He was livid and worried and they way they were with each other... I should have guessed. I noticed how close they were, I noticed how they're partnership reminded me of us. It reminded me of us and how we dance around each other. We know how the other moves and we prepare for it. They were doing that in those mountains, Dad seen it. Why didn't we?"
Mara couldn't answer that because it was the same question she'd been asking herself for years. The only comfort she had was that she knew now and that despite everything Ty was happy, in love and he had someone that loved him back.
"Are you going to close that door?"
Earl shook his head. "I'm going to stay here a little longer" Mara didn't say anything as she walked away.
The wedding was in two short months and to be honest Earl couldn't wait because he knew it was something his son wanted. When Ty had called to them that they were getting married he could hear from miles away just by the sound of his sons voice how happy he was about the fact he and Zane were getting married.
Hey, I'm better than him he heard Ty complain to his niece as she launched herself into Zane's willing arms. Earl smiled. He couldn't wait for his son to start his married life and the other thing he couldn't wait for was the day Ty called to tell him he was going to be a Granddaddy again because it was as clear to him as it was that they loved each other that the two of them were made to have kids and they'd be good at it.
Smiling to himself he stepped back, closed the door and said "you did good boy, real good"
