“You’ve seen Mike, Raelin. He’s not exactly a small man. Picture him, nearly scared out of his shorts every time that tiny blonde of yours walks into the room.” Jessie laughed. “He’s harmless and has more brains than Delaney was willing to credit him for. They worked it out eventually, but it was hilarious watching them dance around each other for that first year or so.”
“Think of it this way. Pity the person that tries to date Ariel.” The witch laughed.
“You don’t need to think of it. It’s not going to happen. Ever,” Del said with a growl.
“Darlin’, if she’s anything like you, and she is, she’s gonna have ‘em lined up for miles,” Raelin honestly quipped back.
“Over my dead body. Trust me, Mike and I are in perfect agreement on this one.” Del yawned, rubbing at her eyes. “And I’ve never had them lined up for miles. You seriously over estimate me.”
“Don’t listen to her. She’s left a wake broken hearts behind her. Not just women either.” Jessie laughed. “Delaney wasn’t too big on giving her phone number out. I don’t know how many girls asked me to try and get Del to even give them the time of day.”
Rubbing her wife’s back for a moment, the brunette wasn’t surprised to feel her breathing even out. “And she’s out.”
“Some things never change. Fully alert one minute and out cold the next,” Jessie mused. “So how is everything going in Leroy? You said the Foundation was doing well, so what about your bookstore? The Nook, I think is what Del said you named it?”
“It’s not doing too badly, even though people can read almost anything they want online. The tearoom that I have adjoining it is really doing well and on Thursday nights it’s packed with Jenny’s piano playing. Everything is going pretty good, I have to say.” Raelin grinned proudly.
“You guys have really turned that town around. It’s like something out of a Western novel.” The attorney laughed. “I do want to discuss some things with you about the casino though,” Jessie continued, sobering slightly.
“Sure, what’s on your mind?”
“The calls we’ve been getting have been more and more insistent. Not only that, but they sent me what they were offering. They want to purchase your shares off you. I looked at the numbers and they are only offering to buy them at about half of what the shares are actually worth. I think they are assuming you are some pin head with no business sense,” Jessie explained, shaking her head.
“Why would they only offer me a fraction of what they’re worth? They should figure that I would at least know that much. I mean good grief. I’m not bragging, but I have been in the news with the Foundation and everything, so they should know I’m not a country bumpkin,” the brunette huffed.
“Well, yes. I think they are just trying to take advantage of you. They could just be cheap bastards. They could also think that because you’ve never been trained to run it that you don’t care much for the casino and would be willing to get rid of it, no matter the price,” the attorney answered, smiling when Del shifted to press closer to her wife.
“I may not know how to run it, but I can hire the best people. I’m not going to sell my father’s legacy, not matter what the price.” Raelin began to run her fingers through Delaney’s hair, knowing it would keep the woman asleep.
“Ah, the fingers in the hair trick. The only sure fire way to ever keep that woman asleep.” Jessie chuckled fondly. “I agree with you. Even if you did want to sell, I would have highly advised against it at that price.”
“Well, not to worry, because I’m not. Have you thought about running a check on who these people are? I’m more than wary about them because somehow, someone got in touch with AJ when he was in so much debt, and for all we know they could be behind the whole trafficking fiasco. The head guys were never found.”
“I can’t order a warrant on anyone unless we have enough evidence to implicate them in a crime. It’s probably why Delaney hasn’t done it already. It might be wise to bring someone with us when we go to meet them. It doesn’t have to be Del, but anyone to keep an eye on things.”
Thinking for a moment, Raelin went over the Department’s schedule. “I think that Kasey has Wednesday off, and since she’s ex-FBI, that would be to our advantage,” she suggested.
“That most certainly would. I can hold my own on the legal side, but I’m afraid Delaney has always been the brawn.” Jessie smiled, brushing a loose strand of hair off Del’s face.
“Yeah, she is that, but she has a really sharp eye behind all that blonde hair.” The witch smiled down at her wife.
“I’d say. Sometimes I’m amazed by the little details she notices. Once she knew a guy was lying about not being able to speak English simply because he looked at me instead of his supposed translator when I questioned him. That allowed me to bring his credibility into question and detain him on perjury, at least until I got a warrant to search his place,” the ADA laughed softly. “I won that case because of the evidence we found in his house.”
“That sounds like her, but I want you to know that I won’t be selling the casino at all, and if you get back a hinky feeling, I’ll go in and clean house. Have whoever you have working for you now to run a background check on everyone in the management positions and see how much they can get before Wednesday. I don’t want to put this off any longer, but I want to go in with some knowledge,” the businesswoman was coming out in full force. “I would rather not know any dirt, but if it’s there, I’ll read it. Would you like for me to ask Kasey if she could use her contacts to find anything out?”
“Okay, I’ll get Del to run something. I’ll write up the paperwork for it. We’ll disguise it as a standard employers background check,” the attorney thought for a moment. “No, I’d rather not get them into anything unless we have to.”
Raelin shook her head. “Do you think it wise to use Del in this instance? Don’t you have someone outside of the ADA’s office you could use?”
“I have a couple friends I could call favors in for. Is there a reason you don’t want Del to know?”
Shaking her head, the brunette reassured her friend. “No, it’s not that. I was thinking that it might be better if the investigation started outside of the Leroy Police Department, that’s all.”
“You’re concerned someone will cry foul if it’s found out you are in a relationship with the person ordering the investigation?” she asked, turning on the couch to face the other woman.
“I just want to keep everything on the up and up if something should come out of it, I don’t want Delaney to be caught in the middle,” Raelin admitted.
“You’re trying to protect her then. Trust me when I tell you that you’ve married the feistiest blonde you could have found. She can take care of herself well enough, but I’ll keep her out of it as much as I can.” The brunette smiled.
“I just wanted her to have deniable plausibility, if she should need it,” the witch explained.
“I’ll do my best,” she watched the blonde as she napped for a moment. “Ariel looks exactly like her when she’s sleeping.”
Raelin couldn’t help the sadness that welled up inside of her, but she pushed it just as quickly down. She knew that Delaney accepted that she would never bear children, but it did nothing for her own feelings. She would love to carry Del’s child but that was something that would never happen. “She loves Ariel very much; it must have been a shock when she offered a part of herself for you.”
“It was. I wasn’t in very good shape when I found out that I couldn’t have any of my own. She spent a week here, talking me out of my own depression. One day she just offered. I really didn’t know what to think. It took me a long time to accept the offer.” The lawyer sighed. “I was too proud to accept it at first, and then I worried about her trying to take Ariel from me after I gave birth, but then I remembered just who I was dealing with. Delaney has never asked to be a part of Ariel’s life as anything more than an Aunt would be. She acts tough, but she’s always had a soft spot for little ones.�
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Sighing, the brunette smiled. “Are you planning on telling Ari once she is older?”
“If she wants to know. Ariel is a very smart child; she’ll probably figure it out before we tell her anyway. I asked Del if she wanted Ariel to know and she just told me that I was her mother and it was up to me what I told my daughter.” Jessie smiled, shifting so she was sitting cross-legged, facing Raelin. “Have you guys talked about having little ones? I mean, not that the world needs any more Delacroix’s running around, keeping up with the two already here is enough,” she teased lightly.
Looking down at the blonde in her lap, Raelin continued to stroke her hair, and bit her lip for a moment before she answered, “I can never have children, even though I would love to have one.”
“Oh Raelin, I’m so sorry,” Jessie apologized, laying a hand on Raelin’s arm and giving it a gentle squeeze. “I didn’t mean to open up an old wound.”
“It’s okay. I’ve come to terms with it. So, would you and Ariel like to go out for breakfast tomorrow? I’ve talked Del into buying a new car and we need to make sure that it meets Miss Ariel’s approval,” the brunette changed the subject.
“I think Ariel would have my hide if we didn’t go,” the prosecutor chuckled. “I’m surprised you’ve managed to convince Del to drive anything other than her Jeep.”
She shook her head. “It’s not for her. I thought that with everything that I have going on now, that it would more professional for me to arrive in a car and not an antique pick-up truck.” Raelin laughed.
“Ah, that explains how you convinced her. Here I thought that hell had frozen over. As your attorney, I can tell you that having a proper car would be better for your image in the professional side of things.” She giggled. “What kind of car are you going for?”
“I was thinking of an Audi, but am not sure. I want one that is really safe and for the first time in my life, I have the money to buy what I want.” The brunette shrugged.
“Audi’s are a pretty decent car. I’m not a fan of the front end design, but the interiors are pretty nice. Pretty spacious backseats in those luxury models too,” the attorney replied, wiggling her eyebrows. “Del will probably shit a brick or two when she sees the price tag, but she’ll get over it once she gets to sit behind the wheel a couple miles.”
“Do you have any suggestions?”
“Oh, Del’s like you. Unused to having the money to do anything other than look at the cars as she drives by the lot. She’ll forget that you guys can afford something like that for a minute or two but she’ll come around pretty quick. Just be patient with her. She actually knows a thing or two about what goes on under a hood, so you should be alright.”
Smiling down at the blonde in her lap, the witch continued to stroke her hair. “Do you think that she might like something special? I was thinking about getting her a motorcycle or something. Or maybe a horse? What do you think?”
“That’s a good question. She doesn’t usually voice those kinds of things. I know she used to have a bike, it was trashed on a case a few years ago, and she never had the money to get a new one. As far as horses go, I really wouldn’t know. I think she mentioned that she took lessons as a kid one time, but it would have been in passing,” Jessie answered honestly.
“Really! I’m sure that you know that there’s a bike maker in Baton Rouge called Confederate Bikes, and I was thinking of ordering one for her. Maybe I’ll give them a call and get one for her.” The brunette was grinning at the thought of seeing her wife’s face when the bike was delivered. “Worse comes to worse, I’ll buy her a Harley. Or both.”
“I’d be careful Raelin. She’d appreciate the bike, probably love it like a first born son, but I wouldn’t get too carried away,” Jessie cautioned quietly. “Del’s never had much for money and never been able to get much for herself. She’s used to having next to nothing especially since her grandmother died and never having anything handed to her. She had to do many things just to get by while her father drank them nearly to the streets. I know you have money now and you don’t think twice about sharing it with the people you love, but she’ll get overwhelmed if you aren’t careful.”
Raelin frowned. “I haven’t bought anything for either one of us since I inherited the money, and I want to buy her something. If you have a suggestion, I would love to hear it. It’s not like I’m going to buy her something every day.”
“Raelin, I wasn’t trying to dissuade you. You just started talking about getting her two bikes on top of looking at an Audi tomorrow. I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions.” Jessie chuckled. “Trust me, you get her a bike, and she’d probably be your adoring servant from now until eternity. It would be a good gift, one she would cherish. I promise.”
“Ooo, I’d like an adoring servant, not that she wouldn’t wait on me hand and foot now, if I would let her. And like I said, the car is more for me. I’ll see what I can find and surprise her then,” the witch made up her mind.
“I think I’m going to head to bed soon, but before I do that, I want to thank you.” The attorney gently took the hand not running through long blonde hair between both of her own, pressing it gently against her sternum. “It takes a special kind of person to give two million dollars to a child you didn’t know your partner had. I’ll never be able to tell you how grateful I am for what you did for her. Especially knowing what I do now. So thank you, from the deepest part of me.”
Raelin squeezed the attorney’s hand and replied. “There is no reason to thank me. Delaney loves you and your family and for that reason alone, you deserve whatever I can do to help.” She swallowed hard and continued, “Since I can’t give her a child I want to make sure that Ariel will never have to worry about her education or anything else that might come up.”
“You know there are options available to you Raelin. I’d like to offer you a set of ears and a shoulder if you ever need it. I know you have Delaney, but I felt the same things you do, and I’ve dealt with the same crippling loss. So, if you ever need me, if you ever want to talk, I’m here. Not just because you are so important to Delaney, but because I think of you as a friend, and I hope you think the same,” the brunette offered. “It’s the least I can do.”
Tightening her grip around the attorney’s hand, Raelin thanked her. “I appreciate that, and I’ll probably take you up on it.” Looking down at her wife, she smiled and asked, “Could you hold her head for a moment until I can get my arms underneath her to carry her upstairs?”
Jessie did as Raelin asked steadying the blonde head, running her fingers through fine golden hair to keep her from stirring. “You sure you got her? She’s tiny but there’s a whole lot of muscle hiding underneath that tiny frame of hers. I learned that one the hard way once,” she pointed out with a chuckle, as Raelin got ready to heft the blonde into her arms.
Grunting as she took her wife’s weight, Raelin straightened up. “I am so not touching that, but if you wouldn’t mind, would you head up and turn back the bed for me,” the witch followed her friend, carefully negotiating the stairs until they got into the spare bedroom.
Laughing as she turned down the bed and got a good look at the witch’s face, Jessie moved out of the way so Raelin could deposit the Chief into the bed. “I warned you, it’s worse because she’s all dead weight. I’m going to go shut everything down. You’re welcome to anything in the house, so if you feel like staying up a bit longer, don’t be shy. Oh, and don’t be surprised if you wake up with an extra body in the morning, Ariel has a bad habit of sneaking into bed with Delaney whenever she’s here. I can put the child gate up if you want. She can’t get the door open if it’s there and will just wander back to her own bed.”
Covering her wife with a sheet, Raelin shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t want to deprive either one of them of that pleasure. I’m going to turn in now, so thank you again for your hospitality and for everything else. Sleep sweet.”
“All righty then and you are most certainly welcome here. Like it o
r not, you’re family now. Goodnight Raelin, I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast.” Jessie smiled and took her leave, pulling the door closed, but not quite letting it click close, making it a bit easier for her little one.
Going into the bathroom, the witch quickly took a shower and got into a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Turning off the bathroom light, she padded over to the bed and crawled in snuggling up to the blonde and was quickly asleep.
~ Chapter 9 ~
Del was pulled from sleep by a third presence in the room. Glancing at the bedside clock, she smiled and held up the sheet. “Come on munchkin, get in here before the bed gets cold,” she whispered, barely holding back a chuckle when a tiny blonde head peaked around the corner of the bed and crept forward. Del helped her onto the tall bed and settled Ari between her and Raelin, turning so she was facing her wife with her arms around them both. Ariel curled into Raelin’s front, pressing her face into the witch’s neck, sighing when she felt Del settle against her and promptly fell back asleep. Del smiled and just stayed as she was, running her fingers through the fine blonde curls of the toddler and smiling at the scene. She felt the sudden pang for her own little one to share with Raelin, but shoved it down so she could enjoy this moment.
Hearing her wife talking, brought Raelin just to the edge of wakefulness and then the sensation of a tiny body cuddling up to her neck made her throat tighten up. She refused to open her eyes less Delaney was looking at her and would see the tears, so she enjoyed the feeling of Ariel and Delaney’s arms wrapped around her.
Seeing that Raelin didn’t wake up or if she had didn’t want Delaney to know, the blonde shifted to press a kiss to the heads of her two favorite girls and settled back to sleep. She drifted off into a deep restful slumber, filled with dreams of little ones chasing her and Raelin around a backyard.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Scrunching her nose up as she awoke Ari became aware of two bodies cuddled close to her. She turned her head and spit out the small bit of Raelin’s shirt she had ended up sucking on along with her thumb and recognized Raelin as the person she was cuddled against. A flash of blonde hair beside her told her that Delaney was curled up around her from behind. Sticking her thumb back into her mouth, she lay comfortably between the two women, her drool covered fist curled into the skin of Raelin’s neck along with her face. She wondered curiously how long it would take her Aunts to wake, and after only a few minutes she started to squirm anxiously having waited for what seemed like forever.
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