“Get your hand off that door,” he all but growls.
Derek is a jerk, but he isn’t an idiot. Asher not only looks pissed, he looks like he could pick up Derek and toss him like a javelin. Derek takes his hand off the door and steps back as well.
“You have ten seconds to tell me who you are and what you’re doing here,” Asher orders.
Derek lifts his hands in surrender. “I’m the father of her baby. Who are you?”
Paige appears from behind Asher. He’s so big I didn’t even see her walk up.
She moves between Asher and Derek, putting a hand on Asher’s chest, her eyes on Derek. “I think you need to leave.”
He motions to me. “She can’t keep my daughter from me.”
Swinging the door open, I cross my arms over my chest. “You show up here out of the blue and expect that I’d let you see her.”
Paige points to the unfamiliar car parked in front of my house. “The resident of this home has asked you to leave. If you don’t, we’ll be forced to call the police.”
His eyes narrow. “Bitch, I don’t even know who you are. How about you mind your own business.”
Asher moves, shifting both Paige and me farther into the house before closing the door on us. When I try to pull it open, it doesn’t budge.
My eyes bug as I turn to Paige. “What should I do?”
“What’s with all the noise? You guys woke up Zoey,” Gideon says, walking into the foyer.
Whirling, I hurry to him and reach for Zoey. His brows come together in confusion, but he doesn’t hesitate passing her over to me.
I hold her close, pressing my lips to the top of her head. “Why is he here? Why on earth is he here?”
Gideon looks from me to Paige and back to me again. “Will someone tell me what’s going on?”
When I don’t answer, Paige does. “Her ex is out front saying he wants to see the baby.”
Gideon goes still in a way I’ve only seen on the animal channel in the moment before a predator strikes. Neither Paige nor I stop him when he goes to open the door. For him, it opens. He’s through it and closing it behind him in an instant. Paige and I both blink at each other before we dash to the nearest window with a view of the front yard.
Pulling back the curtain, I see Gideon and Asher, but no Derek.
“Did he leave?” Paige asks.
The car that was parked out front is also gone. “He must have.”
Knocking on the window to get their attention, I wave for them to come inside. Then I start pacing.
Gideon is beside me moments later, his arms going around both me and Zoey. “Everything is going to be okay.”
Tilting my chin to look up at him, I ask, “How do you know for sure?”
His arms tighten around us. “Good or bad, whatever life has to throw at us, I know as long as we’re in this together everything will be all right.”
“But what if he tries to take Zoey away?”
Gideon presses his lips to my forehead and says, “He can try all he wants. There’s no judge that would take her away from you.”
Paige moves closer to us. “He’s right. There’s no need to panic. I know an awesome family lawyer. Want me to give her a call?”
Her words bring me relief and dread. Having an awesome lawyer on my side would be great, I just need to figure out how I’m going to pay for it.
Pushing money worries aside, I nod. She reaches into her purse and walks away, her finger moving across the screen of her phone. Gideon releases us only to guide us to the living room, Asher following close behind.
Once we all sit down, I focus on Asher. “Thank you so much for stepping in the way you did. I’m so sorry you had to.”
He leans forward, his gaze going from me to the baby. “Don’t apologize. You’re family.”
His words settle somewhere deep in a gut. As scary as Derek showing up out of nowhere is, it’d be a million times worse if I had to face him all alone. When Asher said family, he meant it.
For the first time since I saw Derek, I exhale without wondering if I am going to suffocate.
Gideon puts his arm around me, tucking both Zoey and me close. “Are you okay? Can I get you anything?”
I shake my head. “Other than being freaked out, I’m fine.”
“He hasn’t tried to contact you before now, has he?”
My eyes move to meet his. “No, he hasn’t.”
Asher cocks his head to the side. “How did he know you had a girl?”
He’s right, Derek had said daughter so he had to have found out some way Zoey was a girl.
It’s Gideon who replies, “He probably heard from one of their mutual friends online.”
I cringe. Any pictures I posted were supposed to be for my friends. It’s awful to think someone I’m connected with showed them to him. “Why is he doing this?”
No one answers and why would they? Heaven knows what would make a man turn his back on a woman he claimed to love when he found out she was pregnant. If he didn’t want to deal with our baby then, why is he so interested in her now?
When Paige comes back into the room, we all look at her expectantly.
“What did your friend say?”
She doesn’t answer right away. First, she pushes Asher toward the armchair and once he sits down, climbs onto his lap. Her doing this has an instant impact on Asher’s expression. Before he looked ready to split lumber like some people snap toothpicks. Now he looks only mildly annoyed, like he’s staring at a microwave willing it to cook his food faster.
“She said you have a decent case for full custodial rights given Zoey’s age and that she’s still breastfeeding, assuming Derek still lives in Colorado and hasn’t moved here. It also is in your favor that he left the way he did, and since you weren’t married, paternity would have to be confirmed before he could ask for anything.”
Her words are like a balm, smoothing my rough edges. “How do they confirm that?”
“He’d need to initiate it by going to court. Until he does that, you don’t legally have to do anything. In fact, if he comes around here again you could possibly file a restraining order against him.”
Frowning, I shake my head. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable going that far. Yes, he startled me today which wasn’t cool. I’m not a fan of being blindsided and I’m still not sure what his motive is for wanting to see her all of a sudden.”
Paige nods. “She said to document what happened today and to try and document the date and conversation you had when he found out you were pregnant. If he contacts you again, document that as well. Don’t reach out to him. At this point it’s best to wait and see if he’ll go the court route.”
Zoey chooses this moment to start mouthing my shirt. Instinctively, my body reacts telling me it’s time to nurse her. If I delay, my boobs will start leaking, so I stand.
Shifting her in my arms, I say. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to feed her.”
Paige straightens. “Is it cool if I come with?”
With a smile, I nod. “Of course.”
Her coming along will give me the perfect opportunity to thank her for calling her friend. Not only did her words keep me from freaking out, but she helped erase any stress I could be having over trying to find a good lawyer. With her event planning business, Paige has connections everywhere.
I’ve gotten in the habit of nursing Zoey in her bedroom. It makes transferring her to her crib when she’s in a milk coma so much easier than doing it from another room.
Paige sits with her legs crossed in front of the crib while I get situated with Zoey in the rocker. The first time I met Paige, she was wearing a power suit and stilettos. She didn’t match my vision of what a woman who lived in a cabin on a lake would look like. Today she’s wearing cutoffs and a faded and clearly laundered many times long sleeve t-shirt. She has a chameleon-like way of fitting in perfectly no matter what she wears or where she is.
I’m grateful for the way she fit into today’s drama. The
unruffled way she took action helped me not overreact. Focusing on Zoey is the most important thing I can do right now, and nursing her helps calm me even more.
“I have to say, I’m not a fan of your ex.”
Zoey blinks up at me when my responding laugh startles her, but thankfully she stays latched on. “I haven’t been a fan of his for a while, this only reinforces that.”
21
Gideon
My phone buzzes in my hand, and when I see Eli on the display, I quickly answer it. “Hey E.”
“Can you meet me at The Pour House?” Eli asks without even pausing to say hello.
My gaze moves to lock with Lucy’s. “Everything Okay?”
She goes alert at my question.
“Everything is fine. There’s someone here who I think you’ll want to talk to.”
I frown at my phone. “Can’t you tell me over the phone?”
Lucy mouths “who is it?”
And I mouth back “Eli.”
“Just get your ass over here,” Eli says before hanging up on me.
Pulling my phone from my ear, I glare at it. “What the hell is his problem?”
Glancing down, my annoyance disappears as my eyes settle on Zoey’s sleeping face. It’s impossible to feel anything other than contentment with her in my arms. She’s sleeping so soundly, I hate to move her.
“Eli wants me to meet him at The Pour House. He didn’t say why, but it sounds important.”
Lucy reaches out her hands, and then laughs when I hold Zoey closer. “You’re not taking her to a bar.”
Grumbling, I shift our little girl into her arms. Zoey will be a month old in a couple weeks and the combination of how much she’s already grown plus the uncertainty of whatever Derek is planning has made both of us hold onto Zoey more than before.
“I’m only staying as long as I have to.”
Lucy shakes her head. “How long has it been since you’ve met your brother for a drink?”
Her question is simple and coming from a good place. I love how she not only gets how close my siblings and I are, but is supportive of my time with them. If it weren’t for her stupid ex still being in town, I wouldn’t hesitate to go meet up with Eli. Until that dick is on a flight back to Colorado, I don’t like leaving Lucy and Zoey alone.
“Are you sure?”
She bugs her eyes at me so I give up and lean over to press my lips to hers. “I’ll have a beer with him.”
“Tell Eli I said hi.”
For some reason, Eli approved of Lucy right off the bat, something he did not do for Finley or Paige. “Suck up.”
She smiles sweetly up at me, so sweetly I’m second-guessing my decision to leave. But both Lucy and Eli want me to go so I’m outvoted.
As I walk through the house I double-check the locks on the windows and doors. “I’m going to take your car.”
“Why?”
Shooting her a pointed look, I say. “I’d rather he think I was here alone than the other way around.”
Her brows knit but she doesn’t argue when I grab her keys.
The Pour House is a short drive from her house. Eli picked well. If he had chosen a place clear across town I wouldn’t have come.
His broad shoulders make him easy to spot when I walk in. Someone I don’t recognize from the back is already sitting next to him at the bar. In a hurry to get this over with, and back home to Lucy and the baby, I brush off anyone trying to talk to me on my way to Eli.
“What was so important you couldn’t tell me on the phone?”
He stands and shoves my shoulder by way of greeting. “Nice to see you too asshole.”
Remembering Lucy’s words, I make an attempt at small talk as I slide onto a stool. “How are Brooke and the kids?”
“Still breathing,” is his non-reply, then he motions to the man on the stool next to his. “You know Dan Truitt.”
He’s a lumber supplier my dad, and now Eli, has worked with for years.
I tip my head and offer my hand in greeting. “Hey Dan. How’ve you been?”
“Can’t complain. It’s good to see you. I’ve seen your work trucks around town. Business been good?”
I motion to the bartender to get me whatever Eli is drinking. “We’ve been so busy I’m thinking about adding another team.”
Dan nods. “I’m happy to hear that.”
Before I can ask what Eli called me out for, he says, “Thought you’d like to hear what Lucy’s ex has been saying when he’s drunk.”
My ears perk up. “I sure would.”
Dan takes a drink of his beer. “I figured you might. That’s why I called Eli.”
I thank the bartender for my drink and then focus on Dan. “I’m all ears.”
“Last night I was at Old Times and the guy next to me at the bar was getting cut off by the bartender. He took offense and told him once he was through with the Thompsons he would buy the bar and fire him for cutting him off. Other than being annoyed at how loud he was, I didn’t pay him any mind until he said Thompson.”
My body tightens. “Thompson?”
Dan nods. “That’s when I really started paying attention to what he was saying.”
Eli smacks the bar top. “You’ll love this.”
“I’m not sure I will.”
His face hardens, confirming it.
Dan says, “I doubt you will either. He was telling just about anyone how his ex snagged herself one hell of a meal ticket and he was here to collect.”
Jumping up so fast I almost knock over my beer, I say, “I’m going to kill that bastard.”
Eli pulls me back onto my stool. “Don’t do anything rash.”
Glaring at him, I ask, “Would you hesitate if someone was doing this to Brooke or one of the kids?”
He looks away and I look past him to Dan. “Tell me exactly what he said.”
“He’s going to threaten to take the baby away unless you pay him off.”
Blood pounds through my veins. That asshole is lucky he isn’t here right now. If he were, I’d kill him.
I stand again. “Where is he right now?”
Eli stands as well and puts his hand on my chest. “You need to keep your head.”
I try to push past him but he holds firm. “What will happen to Lucy and the baby if you end up in jail?”
Somehow his words, Lucy’s name and him mentioning the baby in particular, make it over the roar of blood in my ears. I inhale, the air burning as it makes its way through me. My next breath burns less as the truth of those words settles.
Lucy and Zoey need me to be level headed. It takes another breath for my heart to stop pounding and for me to reclaim my stool.
Derek, Lucy’s ex, didn’t anticipate people in this town would tell us anything he said. Why he wouldn’t, is beyond me. The guy is lacking some serious common sense.
Eli sits back down as well. “What are you going to do?”
“My only options are to fight him in court or pay him off. Fighting him in court will only drag this out and worry Lucy. Paying him off, as long as he agrees to sign over any parental rights would be quicker but would open us up to the possibility of him trying to extort us again later on.”
Eli’s back goes straight. “I’ll kick your ass if you give him one dime.”
I glance over at him. “I’m not going to, even though I want this over with.”
“Abby said Paige put you two in touch with a good lawyer. If we’re lucky, she’s a ball buster and will chew him up and spit him out.”
I’m still stuck on the fact he’d trade being Zoey’s dad for cash.
My hands circle my glass. “I figured that jerk had an ulterior motive. He never struck me as a guy chomping at the bit to be a single dad. I wonder how much he thinks we’re worth?”
Eli chuckles at that. We were raised to value money and earn it through hard work. None of our pictures are going to be in Forbes. I guess Derek never got that lesson.
“He must think we’re rich enough to
have our own reality TV show called Time with the Thompsons or something.”
Eli leans forward, resting his forearms on the bar top. “Then he’s a moron and a deadbeat.”
I look around Eli to Dan. “I appreciate you letting us know what he said.”
Dan lifts his glass. “It was my pleasure.”
Draining my glass, I wonder how I’ll tell Lucy. It’s one thing for me to hate the guy, I’m not the one who dated him.
“Keep me posted on what you and Lucy end up doing.” Eli says.
I pat him on the back and put enough cash on the bar top to cover all our drinks. “I will.”
This time when I stand, neither of them goes to stop me.
Lucy is in the bedroom when I get home, Zoey in a Moses basket on the bed. My brows go up. It was a gift she got at her baby shower but this is the first time she’s used it.
Lucy catches my look and runs her hand over the edge of the basket. “I’m being paranoid. I wanted to keep her where I can see her.”
Meaning this jerk has her so nervous she wants Zoey within arm’s reach versus her crib across the hall.
Leaning over to look at Zoey, I don’t call her out on it. “This basket is cool. It’ll come in handy for her to nap in upstairs while you’re recording.”
Lucy squints at me. “Was everything okay with Eli?”
I’m not going to lie to her, but I’m still working out the best way to tell her what I learned. “Eli is okay. He was there with another guy I know named Dan.”
She pats the bed for me to sit. “And?”
I stay where I am and drag my hand across my face. “They had some news about your ex.”
Lucy stiffens. “Derek?”
I don’t point out the fact that we don’t know any of her other exes. “Yep.”
Her gaze moves to Zoey. “What did they say?”
Needing to touch her, I round the bed and kneel by her side, reaching for her hands. “Try not to get upset.”
Her fingers wrap tightly around mine. “You’re freaking me out.”
Best thing I can do is get it all out. “Dan overheard him bragging about he was going to cash in on the Thompsons in exchange for not going after custody of the baby.”
My Perfect Fix (The Fix Book 4) Page 20
