by Sharan Daire
“Absolutely. I just hope it doesn’t upset her, especially with us leaving for New York tomorrow.” Everett scanned through the papers. “Do you mind asking her and Chris to join us? I’m going to make sure all my documents are in order.”
“Sure.” It was overkill, but I left Everett in the office. He really was the best attorney. I had no doubt that he’d crossed every T perfectly. I walked back to the dining room and cleared my throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “Sorry for the interruption. Shelby, could you join us?”
Her eyes flared immediately with worry, but she stood calmly and came around the table. Chris and Kaleb didn’t wait for me to invite them along. They already knew from my demeanor, and Everett’s departure, that some shit was about to go down.
“Is everything okay?” Liam asked, his shoulders bravely squared.
“Everything’s just fine, son. I’ll tell you what’s going on in a few minutes, alright? But don’t worry.”
In the hallway, I took Shelby’s hand and gave her a comforting squeeze. I hated the look of dread on her face. “Everything’s fine,” I repeated for her sake. “We’ve got it well in hand. We just need to warn you first.”
“What? What’s going on?”
I waited until we were all in the office with the door shut. “Your ex-husband is headed out here with one of my deputies.”
The blood drained from her face. Chris shot a murderous glare at me and immediately sat down in the nearest chair, pulling her down on his lap.
“We’ve been preparing for this,” I said hurriedly, not wanting her to have a moment’s fear. “Everett has filed all the necessary paperwork with the family court in Dallas. This is just the asshole’s stunt to try and scare you.”
“Why the fuck is this asshole still breathing?” Chris growled. “I trusted you to find him and put a stop to any foolishness before he could try something like this.”
“You asked Derek to hunt him down?” Shelby whispered. “And kill him?”
“Yes and no,” Chris admitted. “I’d rather kill him myself.”
She stared at me with a dazed, blank look on her face. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. I bent down before her and took her hands in both of my palms, gently chafing them to keep her focused. “No one’s going to kill anyone. I’m still a law enforcement officer, and if anyone’s going to break a law, it’s my solemn duty to prevent it. But I have been looking for Robert Kent. Unfortunately, he found us before I could find him.”
“Everybody’s been looking for him.” Everett looked up from the folder. “He owes you thousands of dollars of child support, not to mention federal and state taxes, as well as countless debts. His credit is in tatters, and he hasn’t had a regular on-the-record job in at least nine months.”
“He’s a fucking deadbeat,” Chris retorted. “Now he’s here upsetting our Shelby, which is exactly why I wanted him found first.”
“He might be a deadbeat, but he’s been a law-abiding deadbeat for the most part,” I replied. “If he’d been stopped for a traffic violation or a minor offense, I would have had him.”
“I told you we should have hired a private investigator rather than going through the law,” Everett said.
I scowled at him. “That’s not helping. Anyway, he’s here. He’s going to try and cause trouble for you, but we won’t allow that to happen.”
“How?” She whispered.
Reluctantly, I replied, “He thinks he’s going to get you arrested for taking the kids out of the state.”
She started to jump up, but Chris kept his grip firmly on her, holding her still on his lap. “What? I can’t go to jail! Who’ll take care of the kids? Him? And we’re supposed to leave for New York tomorrow!”
“You’re not going to jail.” I leaned into her space, giving her a firm, hard look of determination. “He won’t get the kids.”
Her shoulders shook and she twisted her fingers around to grip my hands desperately. “Promise?”
“Promise.” I rested my forehead against hers. “You’re not alone in this. We’re on your side, remember? The meanest Marine, the grimmest sheriff in all of Missouri, the sharpest attorney, and the best mechanic who saved Bessie from the junkyard.”
Kaleb laughed. “Damn straight. You guys keep him occupied, and I’ll rip out his catalytic converter or sabotage his transmission. He’ll never make it back to Texas.”
“I just don’t know why he’d come all this way to try and get me in trouble with the law. He hasn’t even seen us for two years.”
“That might be my fault.” Everett grimaced, shaking his head. “Though we needed to notify the court of your new primary residence. Likely the court sent documentation to him, and he decided to do some investigating. He’s hoping to at least scare you a little, but more than likely, he’s banking on us paying him to go away.”
“I’ll pay him alright,” Chris muttered beneath his breath. “In lead.”
“I’m still the Taney County Sheriff for—” I checked my watch. “Five more hours. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” I gave Chris a warning look. “If you don’t want to see him at all, then Ev and I will handle this. He’s got all the documentation to prove that you’re in good standing with the court, and I can deal with him as the sheriff. I don’t take too kindly to out-of-staters coming in and trying scare tactics on anyone, let alone my fiancée.”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “The kids may want to see him. He is their father. Though I doubt Allie remembers him at all. Do you have the paperwork ready for him to release his rights?”
Everett tapped the folder. “Everything’s here, even the notary book.”
I lifted her hand to my mouth and pressed a kiss in her palm. So strong, my Shelby. It would have been easier to deny him any kind of visitation, but as usual, she put her kids first. “We’re right here with you, sugar. He won’t hurt you or the kids. If he even thinks about it, we’ll make him regret ever taking a breath.”
SHELBY
“Dad’s here?” Bubby asked, giving a quick side-eyed look at Derek.
The man my son wanted to call father.
Damn Rob to hell and back again for doing this to our kids. For running off to live his best life while leaving me behind to pick up the pieces of our children’s hearts. “He’s on his way. If you’d like to see him.”
Allie clung to me, her arms in a stranglehold around my neck. “Is he taking us away?”
“No! Not at all. No one’s taking you away. This is our home now. We’re staying with Derek and Kaleb, Everett and Chris.”
She drew in a shuddering cry. “But Kaleb’s my daddy. Right? He said he was.”
Kaleb dropped down beside me where I knelt and wrapped us both in his arms. “You’re absolutely right, Alliebear.”
Derek dropped his palm down onto Bubby’s shoulder. “We’re here to stay, however you need us. We love you as much as we love your momma.”
Bubby looked up at me, a wrinkle in his brow. “Dad’s trying to cause problems for you, isn’t he?”
Astute and wise beyond his years. I took a deep breath and nodded but made sure to give him as relaxed a smile as I could. “He is, but Everett isn’t going to let that happen, and we’ve got a sheriff on our side, remember?”
The sound of cars outside made my heartbeat explode into a flurry of frantic, lopsided rolls inside my ribcage. My vision wavered a moment, making me afraid I might pass out again. I leaned against Kaleb, concentrating on keeping my breathing even and calm until the black spots faded.
I blinked my eyes, finally able to focus on Chris scowling an inch away from my face. “You don’t have to do this. Let Ev and D take out the fucking trash.”
“I’m fine. I need the closure as much as the kids do.”
Chris helped me to my feet with Allie still in my arms. “If at any time you change your mind, you turn around and walk back inside the house. Let us deal with him for you.”
I gave him a smile of thanks, though it was a bit wobbly. “
Thank you. It helps so much to know that we’re not alone. That we have help. No one would help us when he left.”
With Kaleb on one side and Chris supporting me on the other, we headed out to the front porch. The sun had already set, but the entire front of the house was well lit. It was a little chilly, though with spring just around the corner, I was fine in just a sweater.
One car was a county patrol car—no flashing lights, thankfully, or I might have had a flashback to when Derek had scared me so badly on the road. The other car was a rusty Ford Taurus that had once been white.
Bubby reached up and seized my hand, though he leaned harder against Derek. Chris stood behind me, one arm wrapped around my waist. His body coiled like a deadly serpent. Kaleb and Everett stood on my other side.
My ex-husband got out of the car and slammed the door so hard that I flinched. So did Bubby. Too many memories of Rob coming home from work pissed, slamming doors and cabinets, bitching because he didn’t like what I’d made for dinner. Screaming because one of the kids had spilled something. Or because I needed him to take over so I could rush out the door for another shift at the diner.
All bad memories that flickered through my mind in rapid succession. My heart pounded, my stomach churning with bile.
But as he came around the car toward us, something changed inside me. He wasn’t as big as I remembered. Not as intimidating. Maybe it was because I had met my four impressive men, or because we were standing a few steps higher, but Rob didn’t seem as scary as I remembered. His hair was shaggy, and he’d grown a beard, but the scraggly mess didn’t suit his narrow face. Even his clothes were unkempt and wrinkled, as if he’d been sleeping in them.
Maybe he had been sleeping in his car. Maybe he was homeless.
Like we had been.
Rage surged inside me, burning away my initial fear and dread. He’d left me to fend for myself and our two small children without a decent job or place to live. In a town with no friends or family to help. No support system. No savings. No assets. No hope.
It was only fitting that he might find himself in those same circumstances. At least he hadn’t been responsible for keeping food in our kids’ bellies, because it sure appeared that he’d barely been able to fend for himself.
“Ms. Kent?” The deputy asked.
“Yes.”
“Hey, Bubby!” Rob looked at his son, holding his arms out. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”
“I go by Liam now,” our son replied, locked between me and Derek.
Rob stepped closer, still holding his hands out. “Oh, sure, sure. How are you, boy? Come give your old dad a hug.”
Liam glanced up at me, silently asking if he had to do it.
“It’s up to you,” I whispered. “I won’t make you. No one will make you do anything.”
Liam looked back at Rob. “Derek is my dad now.”
Rob’s face darkened, the familiar fury that had terrified me years ago. He hadn’t ever hit me, but he’d destroyed small things, like smashing a dish, or punching a hole in the wall. That unspoken threat that maybe I would be next. “Who’s Derek?”
“That would be me.” Derek’s voice rumbled with the low growl of distant thunder. “Derek Anderson.”
Rob might be a slimeball deadbeat, but he wasn’t a complete idiot. One glance at my linebacker sheriff told him he had no chance in hell if he instigated a fight with him.
So naturally, he turned on me.
“I knew you were a whore. Are you fucking all these men, or just the one?”
For a moment, his words rang in complete silence. No one moved. No one dared breathe. I half expected Chris to silently slip around me and deploy one of his super-soldier moves to drop Rob like a ton of bricks. His intensity radiated against my back. I didn’t have a single doubt in my mind that if Chris moved, Rob would stop breathing.
Not something I wanted my kids to witness, though there was a selfish nugget inside me that would have loved seeing Rob laid out on the driveway in a pool of blood. Chris wouldn’t even need a weapon. He was the weapon. They all were weapons.
And they were mine.
I allowed my body to relax back against Chris, snuggling into his formidable strength. I even managed to laugh a little. “All of them, actually. Not that it’s any of your business.”
Wide-eyed, the deputy stared at me and then Derek. Belatedly, I realized he was probably the man’s boss, at least for a few more hours until his resignation kicked in at midnight. Oops. I’d just aired all our dirty laundry for the entire department.
“Deputy, is there a reason you’re here tonight?” I asked him.
“Uh, yes, ma’am,” he stuttered out, his cheeks bright red. “Mr. Kent wants me to arrest you.”
“On what grounds?” Everett replied. “I’m Everett Harris, speaking as Ms. Kent’s legal representative.”
“Kidnapping.” Rob sneered. “She took the kids out of Texas without my knowledge or permission.”
“Oh, is that so?” Everett smiled, and I almost felt sorry for Rob. Almost. “That’s funny, because I’m holding proof of registered mail she sent to your last known address before she ever left the state. I also have documents accepted by the circuit court in Dallas with her address, notifying the judge of her change in circumstances. Isn’t that exactly why you’re here now, Mr. Kent?”
Rob snarled incoherently a few moments, trying to pull his wits together. “She had to ask me for permission. I didn’t give it. She kidnapped my son!”
Everett didn’t try to argue with him. Instead, he stepped closer to the deputy and showed him all the paperwork supporting his claim. The deputy came over and held his hand out to me. “I’m so sorry to have disrupted your evening, Ms. Kent.”
“It’s okay. You’re only doing your job.”
“Arrest her!” Rob spluttered. “I’ve been denied the rights to my son for two years!”
I opened my mouth to retort, but Everett gave me a quick look, shaking his head. I didn’t have to say anything. He had this. He had my back.
“When did you last take the children for your visitation rights?” Everett asked.
“Uh… Let’s see. It was a couple of months ago.”
“That’s a lie,” Bubby blurted out.
Derek gave his shoulder another gentle squeeze. “We know it’s a lie, son.”
“That’s my boy,” Rob took a step closer, his hands fisted at his sides. “Take your hands off him.”
Allie sniffled softly against my neck, and I noticed that she was sucking her thumb. She hadn’t done that in over a year. “Mommy…”
“Yeah, baby? What do you need?”
“Can my daddy hold me?”
“Of course,” I said slowly, watching Rob’s reaction. I knew what she meant… but he certainly didn’t.
Her arms reached out to Kaleb. She nestled against him, still sucking her thumb. He met my gaze, and I gave him a silent nod. Immediately, he turned and carried her into the house. She didn’t need to be out here any longer, especially when Rob didn’t even seem to remember her existence compared to his precious son.
Stricken, Rob stared at the closed door, as if only just now realizing all he had lost. I turned to Derek. “Why don’t you and Liam go inside too? I think he’s seen enough.”
Derek didn’t question me. He didn’t bluster and insist he should stay to make sure I was safe, or even that he should deal with his deputy. “Come on, son. Let’s go finish dinner.”
Liam looked up at me. “Are you sure, Mom? You’ll be okay?”
I brushed his hair back off his forehead. “I’ll be just fine.”
They went inside too, and I watched Rob’s stature sink even more. He’d loved the idea of having kids, but he’d never fully grasped the reality of what it meant to be a father. To put another person’s welfare ahead of his own. His ego couldn’t take the idea that someone I’d just met had become a thousand times the father he’d ever been.
He didn’t love us. I didn’t know that
he ever had, if he was even capable of true love. But it hurt him to lose Liam. Like someone had ripped off a badge he’d worn proudly, even though he’d never done a single thing to earn it.
All I needed to do was make it final. “How much back child support do you owe me now?”
Rob threw his head back and laughed, though his voice cracked. “Good luck. You don’t even know where I live.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Mr. Kent,” Everett said. “Deputy, did you take a report of Mr. Kent’s complaints against Ms. Kent?”
“I did,” the deputy replied. “I brought a copy of the complaint for you.”
“That’s not my real address,” Rob said quickly, giving the deputy a nervous, awkward laugh. “Sorry.”
“Providing false information on a police report is a crime, Mr. Kent,” the deputy said. “I’ll need to see your driver’s license and registration as well.”
Rob gulped, his cheeks paling. No doubt, his license was expired or suspended, and I didn’t have to be a psychic to guess the car’s plates were out of date. “I may have… er… jumped the gun, sir. An honest mistake. I didn’t know she’d notified the court. I didn’t get any mail.”
Everett shuffled through the papers and pulled out a page to offer to him. “This is a statement of your delinquent child support for the past two years. I’m sure Ms. Kent was badly in need of those funds, or she might not have been forced to leave Texas at all.”
Rob didn’t take the paper. Didn’t even look at it. “I don’t have a job. I can’t pay that.”
“Ms. Kent is willing to forgive the back child support.” Everett put the unread paper back in the folder and pulled out some new pages. “In fact, I’ve drafted the appropriate documentation for the judge, and I’ll submit it first thing in the morning. On one condition.”
This one, Rob took and scanned at least the first page, though I doubted he understood it. “In exchange for what?”
Everett glanced at me, giving me a small nod. The chance to deliver the final blow. I waited until Rob looked up from the papers, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“You give up all rights to the kids and allow their adoption.”
