Inferno Part 3

~154~ Possible Situation

Ellie's POV

Once the storm stopped, we were still without power for two days—Two extremely long days.

"I swear this would be more bearable with Liam here," Taylor says to me quietly after Lilah and Alex got in a small argument. Lilah wanted to go to the house to inspect the damage, and Alex didn't want to until professionals could come move the tree.

"It's not safe, Lilah," Alex says for the third time.

"My mom's jewelry is there, Alex. I just need to make sure it isn't getting ruined."

"Yeah? Well I need to make sure YOU don't get ruined. I already had a son almost die from a damn tree—I'm not allowing my wife to be next."

"You're not ALLOWING me?!?" She asks as she crosses her arms.

Taylor has finally had enough. "Lilah Marie, you better knock it off—I'm about to kick your ass."

"Try it!" She snaps as she gets in his face.

"You really wanna act all tough right now? The last time you did, it didn't end so well."

"For you," she hisses.

He rolls his eyes. "The only reason it didn't end well for me, was because dad gave me the damn belt. In case you haven't noticed, he's not here anymore. You are NOT gonna go to your house, or I'll finish what I wasn't able to all those years ago."

"You're all talk," she taunts as she steps on his foot.

I can tell that his foot is now hurting him, but his pride is too important to show that it did. Instead he picks her up, slings her over his shoulder, and carries her to the basement.

"PUT ME DOWN!" She screeches as she tries to break free.

"You're gonna act like a kid, I'll put you in a timeout," he says calmly as he opens the door to the basement and sets her down, shutting the door and bracing it shut.

She's trying to open the door, but it won't even budge with Taylor holding it tight.

"TAYLOR REED! THIS BASEMENT IS CREEPY AS HELL. OPEN THE DOOR!"

"Are you gonna behave?" He asks, grinning ever so slightly.

"Open the door!" she snaps.

"Yes or no questions require yes or no answers, little sister."

"Ugh I wish dad was here!" She snaps, and I can hear her foot stomp in anger.

Taylor can hear it too, and laughs.

"Open the door."

"You gonna behave and stay here?"

"Fine...." she mumbles dejectedly.

He opens the door and schools his face back to annoyed.

"Behave," he says again sternly.

"Bite me," she says as she shoves past him, sits on the couch roughly, and crosses her arms.

He rolls his eyes at his sister and comes over to me......

"Definitely would be more bearable with Liam here."

~*~

By the time the power is restored two days later, everyone is more than ready to go home—Poor Alex and Lilah can't though...They're at our house for several months.

Wes inspected the damage, and it's pretty significant. Thankfully most of their stuff is ok, it's basically just structural issues.

Liam was able to come home a week later, and he's off of work for the next 6 weeks while his leg and other injuries heal. When he came home, I literally went to his house and made him scootch over on the couch, so I could lay next to him.

"If you ever let another tree fall on you, Woody is gonna pay you a visit," I say as I lay my head on his chest.

He cackles as he hugs me. "Thanks for saving my life, momma. I wouldn't be here with my kids otherwise," he says as he starts to get choked up.

I'm silent as I let my tears fall, holding my boy—So close I came to burying him. Nora told me the other day that he only had about half an hour or so left before there was nothing they would've been able to do.

He almost died the same way his best friend did.

~*~

It's been a week since the snowstorm, and the men have been working hard getting the trees removed and the damages fixed. Alex hired a contractor, instead of having Wes do it—Wes was afraid it would take him too long to do.

I walk into the kitchen, and Alex and Taylor are talking softly. When they see me, they stop.

"Secrets secrets are no fun, secrets secrets hurt someone," I say with a smile as I sit on the counter.

Alex laughs as he plops himself on the counter next to me.

"We're having a dilemma"

"Lay it on me!"

"Taylor and I are arguing."

"'Bout what?"

Taylor rolls his eyes. "Your best friend is being stubborn, and I want you to knock some sense into him."

"How can I do that if neither of you will tell me what it is?"

Alex nods. "Lilah hurried up and put an offer on Old Man Peters' house. He was alone, with no family, and it was gonna go to the state. Lilah has an "in" with someone, and they'll sell it to her."

"So what's the problem?"

"I want Alex to take this house for Colton. We've taken all of them for ourselves—He still wants his kids in the neighborhood too," Taylor interrupts.

"I agree," I nod.

Alex shakes his head. "I'm not buying Colton a house right now."

"Why not?"

Alex takes a big, frustrated breath. "Because I don't trust him—I'm pretty sure he's gambling again. I'm not buying him a house, to risk him losing it. When he gets his act together, then I will. For now, his inheritance is staying with me so he doesn't gamble it away."

"Why do you think he's gambling again?"

"He has a good job, no bills, and he lives at home....But he never has any money. At night, I'll go into his room and he'll be on the computer; he'll shut it as soon as I walk in."

Taylor rolls his eyes. "Gambling isn't the only thing he could be doing on that computer."

Alex shakes his head. "It's not porn."

"How do you know?" He asks.

Alex looks down, ashamed.

"You went through his computer when he wasn't around, didn't you?" I ask.

"Yup—I sure did. He's gambling again, guys.......There isn't shit I can do about it this time."

"Except not buy him a house," Taylor says gently, finally understanding Alex.

Alex looks at him and nods. "Except not buy him a house. I'll let him live with us as long as he wants to, but until he gets his life together, he will never see a dime of that money—Unless Lilah and I are dead."

"You don't wanna use that as an incentive to get him to quit? Tell him about the money?" I ask.

"Eleanor, get real. He'll just lie to me and trick me until I give it to him. No—He isn't getting a damn house to gamble away."

"I get it," Taylor nods.

"So, it's yours to buy for one of your kids."

Taylor looks at me. "Which kid?"

I think about that for a minute. Crap. How do we handle this?

"Maybe we should rent it out until we can buy another one," I say after a minute.

Taylor thinks about that for a second. "Maybe....I don't know. I kinda think we should tell them both and see what they wanna do."

"And if they both want it?"

Taylor looks at me hard. "Then we have a situation."