It took two days, two grueling days before they finally got to where her brothers were in Georgia. The first day had been spent wrapping up business for them all. Damon’s cousin had been postponed until Angel was back in town and Cody told her he could handle everything here at the ranch, Kyle and Ellen were handling things at the center. She had stayed in the observation room while her grandparents and uncles were introduced to the boys.
Hunter stood beside her, trying to find any quality that his daughter shared with these two boys. They were belligerent and unruly; they made snide comments that you could tell hurt Marigold a lot. Angel nodded at Hunter and walked past him into the room. She looked at her grandparents and said, “That’s enough, take the counselor with you, and give me a minute with them.”
When the door was closed Jackson glared at her, he was the more dominant twin and said, “What are we supposed to be scared of you lady.” Angel replied honestly “I seriously doubt you have enough brain cells to be, scared of anyone to be truthful. What gets me is how you can be so much like a woman you’ve never met. Nor, for the life of me can I see why that life would appeal to you.” Kaleb said angrily “You don’t get to talk about our mother.” Angel replied coldly “I can talk about our mother.” Emphasizing the ‘our’ which snagged both boys attention immediately.
Jackson asked, “What do you mean our?” Angel replied angrily “Nearly twenty years ago, our mother abandoned another baby, me with a dope head in California. I grew up thinking that piece of shit was my mother. Wondering what the hell I had done to deserve her. I found a letter from our mother stating she gave up her parental rights, and I traced it back to our family. I even found my father and his family. You can have whatever delusions you want to, thinking she’s coming back for you. Newsflash asshole she died two years ago with your father in a plane crash.” Their eyes were starting to glaze over as they stared at her she said “Don’t you for one minute think I’ll stand here and take your shit because everyone else has. They might give two shits if you hate them; I don’t right now you’re acting like a two yr. old, so I’ll talk to you like one.
Respect isn’t given it’s earned and as long as you keep trying to act like a woman you’ve never met, you’ll never get my respect.” Kaleb asked angrily “How do you know we’ve never met her?” Angel held up the letter she’d left with their caregiver and handed it to Kaleb and said, “Because of this.” Stacia never wanted ties to anyone, and if she got too far along pregnant to terminate, she’d hand the child off to the first convenient body near her. I won’t stand by and watch you make good people pay for the crimes of our mother. You won’t break down our grandparents. You want someone to blame… blame the woman who threw you away. Put the blame where it belongs, change your lives before you turn into her.”
When Angel re-entered the observation room, her grandmother asked cautiously “Angel are you sure that was the right approach? Stacia would balk when we set limits.” Angel replied “Grandma they can only balk for so long before they realize the limits are there for a reason. You don’t adapt to those boys they adapt to you.” It was the counselor who said “She’s right Mrs. Denae; they’ve been let run free. They’re going to balk at everything you tell them, getting in their faces like she did, made them face reality. They can adjust or fight we’ll have to see which they choose.” She could tell her grandmother wasn’t comfortable with confrontation. She didn’t believe you raised kids in conflict that was where she’d gone wrong with her headstrong daughter, she’d let too many things go. She loved her grandmother, but she was not capable of raising those boys.
The look she sent her grandfather and her uncles clearly but silently told them that. Her grandfather looked embarrassed; he loved his wife enough to let her have her way. He hadn’t thought it was important enough to push, he’d had the raising of the boys and his wife had Stacia. He nodded at Angel letting her know, he understood her silent message. Even her Uncles looked resigned to the fact they would have to put their foot down.
Their attention was drawn to the two-way mirror when Jackson began to knock on it with his fist. When the counselor asked through the two-way what he needed Jackson said simply “Send her back in.” Everyone looked at Angel, it was Hunter who said, “You don’t have to do this Angel.” Angel loved her father; she could say that with no question about the fact she did. She nodded at him and said “Yes, I do… they are my brothers.” She shrugged out of her leather jacket; she figured she could put herself on their level.
She had on her well-worn Levi jeans and she had on a long-sleeved undershirt with an old Abercrombie t-shirt over it. The t-shirt was tucked just at the front of her low ride jean, so her belt buckle showed, and she had on her Nike sneakers, her hair was pulled up in a ponytail high on her head. She had the sleeves shoved up her arms. She knew she’d fit into their neighborhood dressed as she was, because she knew where they’d been.
When she walked in the room, she ignored them. She’d used Cody’s method she’d let them come to her. She picked up the empty chair turned it around straddled it and propped her arms on the back of the chair leaning her chin on her clasped hands. She just sat there saying nothing, waiting for them to make the first move. She wouldn’t give in; it was like a dominance contest. She was proving she was more alpha than they were. She’d read enough books to know techniques that psychologist, and even law enforcement used to unnerve people. Back in the observation room, Grant smiled and said “Wow, she’s smarter than I thought.”
At this comment the counselor and her family eyed him warily, he explained “Jackson is clearly the more dominant twin; he’s made it his job to protect his brother. She’s having a silent contest with him right now basically; call it a pissing contest of sorts. She’s proving she’s more dominant than both of, them. They’ll have to come to her, or she’ll walk away.” The counselor asked curiously “Why do you assume she knows this or is even more dominant?”
It was Hunter who said honestly “He isn’t guessing Angel has an IQ of 187; she never forgets anything she’s read. She can read facial expressions to tell if you’re lying to her. Talking to them boys right now is child’s play for her.” The counselor looked stunned and asked, “What kind of degrees does she have?” Hunter gritted his teeth and said, “She doesn’t,” until a month ago, Angel was these boys. Her situation was ten times worse. The woman whose care she was in was addicted to drugs and alcohol. Angel had to survive things these boys can’t even imagine.” The counselor blanched and said “But, she seems so together.” Marigold looked at her and said simply “Angel likes taking care of people, helping them. It helps her work through her issues.”
She briefly explained the center Angel was opening, and about her ranch, and the people she’d basically adopted as her family. About the rescue horses they would adopt and rehab. The counselor nodded and said, “Some people see all the horror and turn it into a positive and some can never get past the horror.” Meanwhile in the room, Angel was mildly surprised by the dominance that Jackson displayed but she knew she’d win, he just didn’t know it yet. It was Kaleb who asked, “What’s your name?” Never taking her eyes from the staring contest with Jackson she said simply “Angelique Denae McDaniel’s.” Point blank matter-of-fact answers. She noticed the impact her name had on the boys; neither had believed her story until that second.
Kaleb asked, “How’d you find out?” Angel continued staring at Jackson and said without emotion “I wish I could spin this great tale for you boys. That I could say I always knew the woman I lived with wasn’t my mother. But I didn’t, she was addicted to drugs and alcohol. Hell, you might as well say she was addicted to men too. The first guy she brought home who took an interest in me I was twelve. I wasn’t stupid by far I hid; I hid on the roof for two days. When I came back, she didn’t even know I’d been gone. I wasn’t going to hide anymore, so I learned how to fight. The next man who tried to touch me couldn’t walk straight for three days. They tried more times than I can count but each time I fought. Eventually they knew it was more dangerous to try than it was worth.” She didn’t have to look down to see their reactions she had great peripheral vision. Both of their hands had fisted tightly, their Adam’s apple was bobbing up and down; there was a slight tick beside both their eyes. They were angry; no… she’d venture to say they wanted to go on a rampage. She kept her eyes where they were and continued “I found the letter by chance, when she got drunk one night, she got so sloppy drunk and pissed she threw the truth at me. I didn’t believe her at first, so while she was out, I searched the apartment. I found the letter; I did research and found out who Stacia had been. I wish I could tell you she was this upstanding good person, but she wasn’t. She was vindictive, petty, and self-centered.
It was always about what she wanted, what she needed. You can keep going down the road you’re headed on, or you can accept and appreciate the fact that you have people who love you and want to get to know you. Shoot yourself in your own foot, spite yourself, go ahead, you’re the one who loses out, not me, not them. We took the chance; we offered to be there for you. We offered you a life, a family, a safe place to be. It’s up to you right this minute to determine who and what you want to be from this second on.” That’s when she got the response she wanted, Jackson shifted his eyes away before looking at his brother who was apparently shocked that his brother had given in.
Jackson turned back to her and said, “Will we live with you?” Now that did shock her; she didn’t let it show on her face but answered honestly “Our grandparents would prefer that you lived with them.” Kaleb asked point blank “Shouldn’t it be about what we prefer?” Angel slowly blew that breath out and said, “That is something you need to discuss with them, legally they are your guardian.” Jackson asked, “What you scared we’d disrupt your life?” Angel said honestly “Kid, you would disrupt my life but not how you’re assuming. Listen here, you want your freedom you want a life to do as you please. You wouldn’t have that at my place and hell you wouldn’t have that with the grandparents I’d make sure of it. You need a stable home with rules. Balk all you want you live with me you live by my rules or I’ll kick your ass.”
She saw it in that moment, respect. That was the name of the game she’d earned their respect, she said “You wouldn’t want to be at my place anyway, I live in the country on a horse ranch. I raise thoroughbred horses. And I’m opening a rehab slash therapy center for injured and traumatized individuals. Your life can be the anchor that holds you back, or it can be the catalyst that moves you forward.” She paused then said “You boys have some decisions to make, and you need to talk to our grandparents and Uncles. And you will talk to them, or deal with me, no snide comments and no abuse, got me?” she stared them down and both turned their head avoiding direct eye contact as they said “Yea, we got you.”