Richard had not seen or spoken to his son since the night of the national championship game. However, it wasn't for lack of trying on his part. Tyler sent every call to voicemail and ignored every text message sent by his father. Carol's overtures were met with the same deafening silence. Even Mason refused to speak to them. The Lockwoods were worried that their son was well on the way to derailing his promising future. The only silver lining was that Tyler hadn't married Bonnie yet. Richard had a connection at the county clerk's office and knew that the couple hadn't applied for a marriage license yet.

After a month of radio silence, Richard decided that he had enough of his son's immature temper tantrum. He knew that talking to Tyler face-to-face was the only way to resolve their conflict. He had to talk sense into the boy before he made a mistake that wasn't easily fixed. He made the six hour drive to his son's apartment without warning him. Richard had a key because he was still paying for the off-campus accomodations. When he let himself into the apartment, Richard found the place devoid of any personal effects. It became obvious that Tyler had moved out of the apartment without telling his parents.

Richard went over to the college and twisted a few arms. It didn't take much effort to get the dean's office to violate the privacy law meant to protect students' information. Afterall, the Lockwood family had been generous donors for many years. He learned that Tyler was still enrolled at the school but he was only taking online courses. His son could 'attend' school from anywhere in the world. However, Richard believed his son was probably much closer to home. It was unlikely that Tyler was staying with Bonnie in Mystic Falls. The town was too small and his face was too well known. Someone would have mentioned seeing Tyler.

His wayward brother owned a lake house that was about a 45-minute drive from Mystic Falls. It would be the perfect place for Tyler to lay low and train for the rapidly approaching NFL combine.

Early Saturday morning, Richard and Carol made the drive out to Mason's lake house. There was an instant sense of relief when they saw Tyler's car parked outside. They had both assumed that their son was safe but getting confirmation was comforting. There was an obvious rift in their relationship, but the Lockwoods loved their son fiercely. They only wished that he had made smarter choices in his life. Tyler dating Bonnie had been the source of intense gossip in their social circle. The girl was from a middle class family and a broken home. Richard and Carol didn't consider themselves racist but they had friends and business associates that certainly were.

Richard took his wife's hand and walked up to to the front door. Then he knocked on the door.

Carol looked at her husband. She murmured, "Do not let Mason provoke you, Richard. You know how he loves to get under your skin."

He sighed deeply and nodded. Richard's relationship with his brother had been complicated for many years. There had been a time when Mason admired Richard. However, things began to change as he grew into a man. Richard never really understood how the wedge formed between them. He was far too prideful to ask or attempt to make amends. Now the brothers only spoke sparingly. The topics were limited to the family's company and Tyler.

When Brady opened the door he was wearing a pair of running shorts and a sweat soaked t-shirt. His eyebrows rose to his hairline when he saw Richard and Carol standing on the porch.

He knew that Mason and Tyler wouldn't want to see them. However, he had learned years ago not to get in the middle of his warring cousins. Brady was Richard and Mason's cousin on their mother's side of the family. Brady and Mason were born mere days apart and thus had grown to be as close as brothers. When they were younger, their parents often hosted joint birthday parties for them.

"Good morning, Dick. You're looking as beautiful as ever, Carol," Brady said in greeting.

Carol smiled. "Good morning, Brady. It is nice to see you again."

Richard scowled at the nickname. Everyone in the family knew that he despised being called Dick. Mason and Brady were the only ones with the balls to call him that to his face. He snapped, "Where is my son, Brady?"

"He's in the gym working out with his trainer and Mason. Come on..."

Richard was pleased to know that Tyler wasn't neglecting his training regimine. Mason and Brady were in their 30's but they both behaved as if they were drunk frat boys. Sometimes it was hard to believe that he shared DNA with them.

Brady locked the door and then led the uptight couple through the house.

Excited giggles and bare feet slapping against the hardwood floors could be heard nearby.

"Mila, get back here!" Bonnie called from the other room.

Mila burst into the hall and ran straight into Brady's legs. Her face, hands, and clothes were practically covered in syrup. She screeched in excitement. "Bradddddddddddddy!"

Brady chuckled and picked the toddler up and turned her upside down. "Milllllllllllla!"

Richard stiffened because he hadn't expected to find Bonnie and Mila at the lake house. Their presence would make it that much harder to reason with his son. He also hadn't realized that Brady spent any time with his granddaughter.

Bonnie rushed into the room still wearing pajamas. She nearly stumbled seeing Richard and Carol standing there. However, she pointedly ignored them and walked to Brady. She said, "Turn her right side up before she pukes on you, Brady."

Brady laughed and righted Mila before handing her to Bonnie.

"No baf!" Mila giggled at her mother.

Bonnie laughed and said, "Yes, it is bathtime."

Mila chanted, "No! No! No! No!"

Brady smirked at her and said, "Good luck with that."

She rolled her eyes skyward and then trudged up the stairs with the squirming toddler in her arms.

Brady continued into the gym where the Migos boomed out of the sound system.

Mason was spotting Tyler as he lifted weights. "Come on! You only have three more to go."

The trainer was standing off to the side watching his form and recording the session. It would be going up on Instagram soon.

Brady asked, "How much is that?"

The trainer replied, "He's maxed out at 250lbs. We won't go any higher than that."

Brady nodded in agreement with his decision. Tyler was a wide receiver and would not be expected to bench press more than that. The benchmark for wide receivers at the combine was in the low 200's.

Tyler stopped when he reached 30 reps. He sat up on the bench and tried to catch his breath. His muscles felt like they were on fire.

Mason, Brady, and the trainer all rained praise down on the younger man.

The trainer tossed a towel at Tyler and said, "Good job! If you keep this up you are going to knock their socks off at the combine."

Tyler dried the sweat from his face and motioned for his trainer to end the video.

He ended the video and put the phone aside.

Tyler said, "I'm more concerned with my 40 time, Connor."

Connor reassured him, "You'll get there with time."

The younger man nodded and asked, "Can you give us a few minutes?"

Conor glanced at Tyler's parents and nodded. "I'm going to go cut this video down to size and load it on Instagram."

Mason turned down the music once Connor left the room.

Tyler asked, "What are the two of you doing here?"

"You haven't been answering our calls, Tyler," Richard said.

"And you know why that is. The only reason I have allowed the two of you in my life is because I needed you to take care of Bonnie and Mila. I don't need you to do that anymore...which means there is nothing for us to talk about," he said in a matter-of-fact voice.

Carol flinched at her son's cold explanation. "You can't mean that, sweetheart. We're your parents."

Richard watched as Tyler's expression grew more intense.

"You are the parents that did everything in their power to destroy my relationship. Even if I could find a way to forgive that, you kept me away from my little girl. I barely know my own kid and that is because of you," he spat angrily.

Richard squared his shoulders. He wouldn't be lectured to by his own son. He said, "We did what was best for you. You needed to focus on school and football. Mila and that girl would have been a distraction! You should be thanking us."

Tyler sprang to his feet and roared, "Thanking you? It is taking every ounce of my willpower not to smash my fist into your face!"

Mason put himself between father and son because they both had legendary tempers. "Everyone take a step back…"

Brady said, "Yeah, think about your hands, Ty. Do you really want to go to the combine with an injury to your hand?"

Tyler took a few calming breaths and pushed away the urge to pummel his father. Going to the combine with an injured or broken hand could be disastrous. Athletes were already under a microscope throughout the process. Team scouts and executives were looking for any red flags. Tyler was projected to be in the top five picks so he would be under even more scrutiny. A rookie drafted in the top five could expect to sign a contract somewhere in the neighborhood of $25-30 million. Punching Richard would be satisfying but it wasn't worth jeopardizing his future.

Carol put a hand on Richard's arm to settle him down. Her husband and son's relationship had been volatile in the past. She had hoped that Tyler's time away at school would have cooled their angry. She whispered, "Richard...please."

Richard ran a hand through his dark hair and took an actual step back. It had been a long time since he'd struck Tyler. He didn't want to go back to that point in their relationship. Moreover, he wouldn't do anything to hurt his son's chances in the draft. They had all worked too hard to get him to this point.

Carol said, "I know that you are angry, Tyler. But try to see things from our point of view. It looked as if you were going to throw away your future. We couldn't let that happen to you. However, he made sure that your daughter wanted for nothing."

Tyler glared at his mother. "She wanted for me. Mila missed having me in her life. I missed her first steps and first words. I wasn't there to see her first tooth come in. I can never get those moments back. Bonnie sent me videos and pictures but it wasn't the same thing as being there for her. She called Mason 'dada'!"

Mason looked down at the floor. He felt guilty even though it wasn't his fault. He saw his great-niece often and he was one of the few men in her life. It shouldn't have been surprising that she had assumed he was her father. Mason had been stunned into silence when it happened. Fortunately, Bonnie was there to correct Mila and show her pictures of Tyler.

Richard wasn't aware that Mason was spending that much time with Mila. However, he wasn't surprised at being left in the dark. He had made his opinion of the girl clear. Bonnie wasn't good enough for Tyler. He hated that Mason had encouraged the relationship.

There had been a brief moment in high school when Tyler had been uncertain of his relationship. Some of the older boys on the football team had given him a hard time about dating outside his race. It turned into full-on bullying in short order. He was a freshman at the time and didn't know how to handle the situation. However, Mason had been there to support and encourage his nephew. He had experienced a similar backlash from his own friends when he was Tyler's age. Mason had always been an equal opportunity Don Juan. Race never mattered to him if the woman was beautiful and interesting enough to keep his attention.

Mason hadn't just supported Tyler. He had pulled the ring leaders aside and threatened to kick their asses if his nephew came home with another black eye. Mason's threat hadn't been an idle one and they knew it. The boys had been in high school but they were eighteen years old.

Carol said, "I am sorry that you weren't able to be with Mila more. I know that you love your daughter. We love her, too."

Tyler scoffed. "If you're going to stand here and lie to my face, you might as well leave."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Richard asked.

"It means that you don't give a damn about my daughter. Sure you were interested in the beginning. Then everything changed when her skin started to darken," he snapped.

Carol looked horrified. "That's not true! She's our granddaughter and we love her. It was just hard spending time with her because of that girl…"

"Bonnie...that girl's name is Bonnie. She is the mother of my child and she will be my wife soon enough," he yelled.

"Why are you set on shackling yourself to that girl? Look at her family. Her mother ran off with another man. Her father was alive for years but allowed the grandmother to raise her. The grandmother was married twice and divorced both of her husbands," Richard argued.

Tyler laughed and asked, "Like our family is the picture of stability? Should we talk about why Judge Mayer quietly ordered you to seek anger management?"

Richard's face reddened with anger. He couldn't believe that Tyler would bring that up in front of Brady.

Carol said, "Tyler, you're going too far."

Tyler felt somewhat guilty. Bringing up the anger management in front of his mother was heartless. He said, "I am sorry, Mom. But I am not going to let him insult Bonnie's family when we have skeletons in our closet, too. On the whole, Bonnie is the one that should be wary of my background. I'm sure she wouldn't like to think that I inherited dear old dad's temper."

Tyler had inherited his father's temper but he had never hit a woman. However, his temper had led him to get into fights in the past. Football had helped him channel that rage into something productive. Tyler would go for miles long runs or dedicate hours to intense workouts until the anger passed.

Richard said, "You ungrateful little bastard!"

The younger man just rolled his eyes. He had been expecting this outburst. "I can't kick you out because this is Uncle Mason's house, but I am done talking to you. I'm going to grab a shower."

Mason nodded and clapped his nephew on the back.

Richard roared, "Don't you walk away from me, Tyler! Get back here!"

Tyler was unmoved by his rage and continued walking away.

Mason shook his head and looked at his brother. "Tyler is right...this is my house. I don't want you here. There's a reason why I've never invited you here."

Richard glared at Mason. "You aren't doing Tyler any favors by supporting him in this relationship! That little bitch is going to ruin Tyler's life."

Mason blinked for a moment and then punched his brother.

Carol screamed and immediately went to her husband's side. "Are you okay, Richard?"

He slapped her hands away from him in anger. His cheek was red and he thought one of his teeth might be loose.

Mason calmly said, "Get the hell out of my house and don't come back. Next time you show up uninvited I'll call the cops on you for trespassing. This isn't Mystic Falls, big brother."

Richard said, "This isn't over by a long shot, Mason. You should know that it is unwise to make an enemy out of me."

"Get out before I literally throw you out of my house, Dick." Mason replied.

The older man glared but ultimately stormed out the room with Carol following in his wake.

Brady lifted an eyebrow at his cousin and said, "Well, at least Tyler isn't the one with an aching hand."

Mason rolled his eyes. "I need ice. Go make sure he leaves, please."

Brady nodded. "You got it."

He examined his hand with a sigh and then went to the kitchen.

Lucy was working on appetizer samples for Bonnie and Tyler's wedding. The kitchen looked like a tornado had hit it. She saw the way that Mason was flexing his hand and asked, "What happened?"

He grumbled, "I punched Dick."

Lucy's shock was evident. She walked to the fridge and grabbed a bag of frozen peas and two bottles of beer. Lucy brought both over to him and said, "He deserved it."

Mason chuckled and put the frozen peas on his hand. "You don't even know what he did."

She opened their beers and said, "He's been cruising for a bruisin for years. This was long overdue."

Mason took the bottle and clinked it against hers. "Cheers…"

Lucy chuckled when she saw him eye the appetizers. "Wanna try the ones that are done?"

He grinned at her. "Obviously."

Lucy put one of everything she had made on a plate and brought it to him. "Try the stuffed mushrooms first. They just came out the oven a few minutes ago."

Mason asked, "What are they stuffed with?"

"Crab…"

He popped an entire mushroom into his mouth and nodded in approval. "Oh that's good. What's the heat I am getting from this?"

"I added pureed habanero peppers to the cream cheese mixture," she replied.

"I like it. It should definitely go on the menu."

Lucy laughed and said, "I'm glad that I have your seal of approval but Tyler and Bonnie's opinions matter more."

Mason huffed, "I'll just kick in more money for the food budget."

She shook her head with an amused smile and enjoyed her beer. "What's the fallout going to be from punching your brother?"

Mason had moved onto some bruschetta. He shrugged, "Dick? I'm sure he'll do something befitting his name. I wounded his pride."

"But did you black his eye?" she asked with a grin.

He chuckled and said, "No, I hit him with an uppercut to the jaw."

Lucy slid the tray of stuffed mushrooms to him. "Nice job…"