Blake stayed his hand by sheer force of will. Sheila bounced into the kitchen, still ignoring the children.
Blake turned to look at the kids. “Hey,” he called to them. Nothing happened. He realized he forgot their names. Blake looked at Scott, then saw that Sheila had plopped herself on her boyfriend’s lap.
He glanced up past her, to the sliding glass doors beyond and could see someone there, laden with bags. The woman kicked at the glass doors, rattling it. Blake waited for Sheila to move, but she didn’t. Both he and Scott moved at the same time. Blake crossed the room first and opened the door.
“Papa!” said the woman, and kissed him on the cheek before coming into the room. The kids hadn’t moved. Sheila was sitting on her boyfriend’s lap, playing with his hair. Blake glared at her.
“Sheila,” said the woman, “come help?”
Sheila reluctantly got off the boyfriend’s lap and took some bags from her mother. She put them on the table and went back to the boyfriend. When the woman put her bags on the counter, Blake said, “Diane, this is Scott.”
Diane turned to look at Scott, who had been watching the children with a concerned eye. As soon as his name was mentioned, he turned, with his most charming smile, and held out his hand. “Hi.”
“I’m so glad you could make it,” said Diane, as if she knew he was coming – which she didn’t.
“What’s wrong with the kids?” asked Blake.
Sheila said, kicking her feet while she sat on the boyfriend’s lap, “Nothing, why?”
“It’s like they’re not even seeing us.”
“It’s Disney. Best babysitter ever.”
“I see you have a new baby,” continued Blake, as he walked over to the other side of the room to look down at its sleeping form. “What’s his name?”
“Noah.”
Blake wondered aloud, “Whose is this one?”
“Some sailor,” said Sheila, and Blake whirled around, furious. Sheila laughed. Blake crossed the room again, storming up to Sheila, and grabbed her by her arm, lifting her up bodily from her boyfriend’s lap. Sheila had a look of terror cross her face. Blake didn’t have to look down at the boyfriend’s lap to see the hard-on there – he could smell it.
“You,” Blake growled, “will have a little respect.”
“Daddy! Daddy, let her go.”
He did. The boyfriend didn’t move at first, but he looked up at Blake. Blake made good on this threat and glared at him. He backed down faster than an Omega.
“We’re leaving!” said Sheila, flipping her hair. She turned to the boyfriend, “C’mon, Bo.”
Bo got up and dutifully followed Sheila. Sheila walked up to the TV and punched it off. One kid said, “Awww,” and the other kid looked up, his eyes wide, as if he had never seen them before.
“Let’s go.”
“But mommy – ”
Sheila grabbed him by the arm and hauled him up. “Go,” she snapped, and shoved him toward the door. She gathered the baby up while Bo pulled the wide-eyed child up. The wide-eyed child looked like he should be walking, but Bo carried him and followed Sheila to the door. She slammed it shut behind her.
Diane sighed. She turned to Scott. “I’m sorry you had to see that performance.”
“What the hell is wrong with her?” demanded Blake, hearing doors slam in the garage.
“She’s been getting worse since she turned nineteen.”
“Three kids. Three different fathers.”
Diane put groceries away. “I know you’re upset with her choices, dad.”
“You brought her up better than that. What about Stevie?”
“Stevie’s happily married and hasn’t called me since Easter.”
“Is he coming?”
“He has to work.”
“On Thanksgiving?”
“He gets double time and a half.”
“What about Anna?”
“She’s going to her parents’ house.”
The car started in the garage.
“Is she taking your car?”
Diane didn’t look at her father.
“Diane! You have to stop this.”
“Would you stop it if I did something like that?”
“I would have taken a belt to you no matter how old you are.”
Diane snorted. “Things don’t work like that these days, dad.”
“Your father is a lawyer. If she tried to sue you I could call the law down on her so fast the heads of her and her lawyer would spin.”
“And she’d have nothing to live on and have to move in with me.” She started putting things in the refrigerator. “Believe me, giving up my car is the least I could do.”
Blake sighed. Diane took out a bottle of white wine and three glasses. She smiled at Scott. “Riesling?”
“Sure,” Scott said.
She opened up the wine bottle. “So, to get off the subject of my dysfunctional family, what about you two?”
“What about us two what?” asked Blake.
“Does this mean you’re coming out, dad?” She set the two glasses of wine in front of the two men.
“I will fully admit to you that I’m bisexual.”
Diane stared at her father, then took a gulp of wine. “Well. At least you’re not naming yourself Maura and wearing women’s clothes.”
Scott almost choked on his wine.
Blake turned to him. “What?”
Scott waved his hand. “Nothing. Nothing.”
“This is a joke at my expense, isn’t it?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
(EDIT: 11/27 – consider this unfinished and not canon, as I don’t have an idea of what happens after this)