Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology

by Anthony, Jane

  13

  “The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn.” ~David Russell

  * * *

  “Are you Danielle King?” Dani looked at the man standing on her porch and wondered what the hell was going on. He wasn’t from around Horace, and he obviously didn’t know her because he called her by her full name.

  “Who’s asking?”

  “Is that a yes?”

  “It’s a ‘who the heck are you and what do you want?’” she smarted off not caring one bit how it sounded.

  “I’m Marcus Talborn, and I’ve been hired to deliver this to Danielle King,” he said flashing an envelope.

  She realized she wouldn’t get any information from him, so she fessed up. “Yeah, I’m Dani. Now can you tell me what’s going on here?”

  He handed over the envelope and with a grimace said, “This will explain everything.”

  Dani grabbed the envelope from the man, thanked him, and shut the door. There weren’t any markings giving away what might be on the inside, so she wasn’t sure what it might hold.

  Taking a seat, she slipped her finger under the flap and opened it. Several pages were folded, and she pulled them out looking at the top one trying to make out what it was saying. It didn’t take her long. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen it.

  “They didn’t,” she muttered under her breath.

  “Who was at the door?” Nate asked as he came into the room.

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “What’s going on, Dani?”

  Dani waved him off trying to take in the words in front of her. She wasn’t sure she was reading everything right, but one thing was clear, she was in for a fight.

  “Dani?” Nate asked from beside her. “Hey, everything okay?”

  Everything was not okay. Everything was far from okay. She looked over the papers, and it seemed like Ron and Georgia were trying to take her to court again. She thought she’d taken care of this the first time. Now that she’d drawn the line and not allowed them to cross it, they were back again pushing her for custody.

  “I’m not sure what I’m going to do,” she admitted as the tears started to fall.

  “What is it?”

  Dani handed over the papers and let Nate read them. She couldn’t bring herself to say the words out loud. Thank god Reece was over at her mom’s place because she was falling apart, and Reece didn’t need to see that.

  “I don’t get it?” Nate said beside her. “Didn’t they already try this once and withdraw the case?”

  “It’s anyone’s guess what’s going on in their heads,” Dani admitted. “My best guess is they’re angry about our last meet-up.”

  Nate pulled out his phone. “I’ll call Rick. He’ll be able to walk us through everything.”

  “That’s a good idea. I don’t even know where to start with all this.”

  “Rick, hi, it’s Nate Larson. I’m here with Dani, and I’m on speaker phone.”

  “Hey guys, how are you?” he asked.

  “I wish we were calling with better news,” he told Rick. “Seems we got paperwork in the mail today, and we aren’t sure where to go with it.”

  “Oh boy. Can you give me a clue?”

  “Rick, hey, it’s Dani.”

  “Hey, tell me what’s going on.”

  Dani took a deep breath. “Ron and Georgia sent me paperwork saying they were fighting for custody again. It says I have been exposing her to an unsavory lifestyle and that they’re concerned for her being in my custody.”

  Dani heard Rick sigh through the phone. “Send me a copy of all that. Did something set them off that has them deciding to open a case again? I could have sworn we’d dealt with it all.”

  The whole time Rick was talking, Nate was there, his hand on her shoulder, reminding her she wasn’t in this alone.

  “It’s all my fault,” she admitted. “I took Reece down to see them. She missed them, and that’s the only reason I agreed to it. I told them I’d meet them in a public place, but they pushed for more. They tried to use Reece to get it, and when I realized that’s what they were doing, I asked them to leave. I haven’t heard from them since, but I guess I wouldn’t if they were busy doing this.”

  “Don’t worry,” Rick tried to reassure her. “This won’t stick.”

  “You haven’t even seen the paperwork.”

  “Doesn’t matter. They didn’t have a case before, and I’m certain they don’t now. It’s easier said than done, but don’t get too worked up over this. Let me get my hands on it, and I’ll get it handled.”

  “I’m worried, Rick. They’re desperate. Desperate people do crazy things.”

  “They also mess up and do stupid things,” he told her. “Let me see what’s going on, and then I’ll come up with a plan of attack.”

  “Okay. I’ll get this scanned and sent to you now.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll read over it tonight and call you back.”

  The rest was noise. Nate finished the call and hung up, but Dani wasn’t sure what all was said. She was too busy worrying about what would happen. She was certain Ron and Georgia didn’t have a leg to stand on as far as taking Reece away from her, but they could make her life hell if they wanted to, and it looked like they did. She needed to figure out another approach to deal with them. They wanted something, more than likely money. Maybe it was time to give it to them. She hated giving them anything, but if it would get them out of her life for good, it might be worth it.

  “What are you thinking about?” Nate asked as he pulled her to her feet and into a hug.

  “That it’s time to give in and give Ron and Georgia what they want.”

  “You’re going to roll over and let them win this case?”

  “No, they don’t want my daughter. They want the money that comes with her. I wonder if I give it to them, if they’ll go away and stay out of our lives.”

  “Or they’ll come back when they need more,” he said.

  “Not if we make a contract stating they can’t.”

  “You’re going to give them what they want?”

  Dani nodded. “I don’t need the money, and if it will get them out of my life for good, it’s a small price to pay.”

  “But they still win.”

  Dani’s heart sank. “Yeah, there’s that. I don’t really care anymore. If I have to worry they’ll be trying to take my daughter away from me every time they get upset, I’d rather them win this way. I might be giving in, but I don’t care anymore. I need to protect my family.”

  “We’ll figure it out. Whatever what that is, we’ll get it handled,” Nate said as he ran a hand up and down her back.

  “I should send this stuff to Rick.”

  “I’ve got it. Take a breath and calm down, okay? I’ll handle things for a bit.”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  As she walked down the hall, Dani wondered what would happen when all the dust settled and what would be left of her and her family. There was no way she’d let Ron and Georgia take her daughter, so she needed to figure out real fast what all she had that she could offer to get them to back off for good. They couldn’t get the money Tom had set aside for Chris anymore and now they were only coming after her because Nate was in her life and she was related to Austin. They viewed her as they ultimate payday. Nate was part of her family, and she’d protect him too, even if he didn’t think he needed it.

  Dani had a feeling things would get ugly, on all fronts, but when everything was all said and done, this would be the last time she would be surprised by something like this.

  14

  Facebook Status — Dani King: I can’t even

  Things had been interesting, for lack of a better word, around the house since Dani had received the paperwork from Ron and Georgia. Nate had been trying to do anything and everything he could to support her, but Dani had done what she did best in situations like this, shut down and retreat into herself. Nate didn’t take it personally. He
realized she needed time to process, and he’d give it to her. He would be there for her when she needed him, and even when she didn’t think she did.

  That’s why he was glad they were headed over to Laura’s house for dinner. Dani had been too wrapped up in everything, and Nate hoped that being around her family would help.

  “You ready to go?” Dani asked as she came out of the bathroom showered and wrapped in a towel.

  “I’m a lot closer to being ready than you are.”

  “Ha-ha. It’ll take me all of ten minutes to finish up,” she told him. “I’ll have to make sure everything is ready for Reece.”

  “I’ve got it handled.”

  “You do?” she asked.

  “Yeah. I took care of it when you were in the shower.”

  Dani came up to him and pulled him into a hug, her long, wet hair getting his shirt wet. But he didn’t give a shit about it. Holding this woman was worth dealing with wet clothes.

  “I don’t tell you this enough, but thank you. I never had anyone around to help the way you do, and I forget sometimes that I don’t have to do this all on my own.”

  “You never have to be alone again,” he told her.

  “That sounded terrible,” she said after she pulled away as she opened drawers looking for something to wear.

  “What?”

  “I always had help. Mom was amazing, making sure I wasn’t dealing with all the new mom things alone, and she always made sure I was taken care of. Austin was always there too in his own way. Even Reagan. My family always helped as much as I would let them.”

  Nate watched as Dani pulled on her underwear and then a bra before slipping on her leggings and a t-shirt. She was always sexy, but the fact that she didn’t even try made her even more sexy to him. Women everywhere tried to get his attention, but Dani treated him like he was just any other guy.

  “Why are you looking at me that way?”

  Nate shook his head. “You. You have no idea how incredible you are.”

  “I’m really not.”

  “That’s where we’ll have to agree to disagree.”

  “You ready to go?” Dani asked, changing the subject.

  Nate looked down at his shirt and smiled. “It’ll dry, I suppose.”

  “Reece?” Dani called as she walked through the hall. “Let’s go see Granny.”

  “Yes!” Reece yelled as she ran from her room and to the garage with a bag of toys she wanted to take with her.

  Nate drove through town, and as soon as they pulled up to Laura’s house several minutes later, Reece was unbuckling herself and ready to make a run for it.

  “Hey,” Dani said trying to get her daughter’s attention. “No acting like a fool. You understand me?”

  She nodded.

  “Not good enough. I want to hear you say you understand so when you act up, you get why you’re in trouble.”

  “No fool. I know, Momma. Can I go?”

  Dani smiled as she got out and opened the door for Reece. She was gone in a flash, up the sidewalk, and through the front door.

  “Guess I better go make sure she isn’t interrupting anything,” Dani said as she shut the door and headed off after her daughter.

  Nate smiled watching her follow and then grabbed his keys before he got out. As he was walking toward the house, Austin and Shelby pulled up behind them. He waited for his bandmate and friend as they got out of their car and came up the sidewalk.

  “Welcome back,” Austin said as he gave Nate a one-arm bro hug while Shelby waved and made her way inside the house.

  “Good to be back. How are things here?”

  “Never better. Been enjoying my time back home. What about you? Was it good to get home and see your folks?”

  “Yeah, it was. I don’t get to see them nearly enough, or seems like it anyway.”

  “Until I moved back here, I could relate,” Austin said.

  “Yet you never came back.”

  He got a sad look on his face. “Yeah, I was stupid. Glad that’s behind me now. Anyway, let’s not stand out here and yack like a bunch of girls. Ma has a ton of good food waiting for us. Let’s go eat.”

  Nate followed Austin in and stopped to take in the site. Laura King had a big, open house that Austin had built for her after a tornado wiped out her old place. She’d tell you she didn’t want it, but she was so glad that Austin did it anyway. All the King kids took care of their mother ever since their father turned into a giant douche and left.

  In the living room, Nate saw Reece with her toys spread out playing on the floor with Reagan. In the kitchen Shelby and Dani were helping Laura with dinner and laughing.

  “Oh good, the muscles are here. Son, come pull this out of the oven for me,” Laura said when she spotted them.

  “You have another son,” Austin said as he moved toward his mom and kissed her on the cheek.

  “But I love him best. That’s why I always ask you to do the dirty work.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Step aside and watch the master. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

  Austin pulled the dish from the oven and set it on the counter as Dani grabbed a bottle of wine. When she came around Austin grabbed her hand and inspected it.

  “You were supposed to make an honest woman out of my sister?” he asked as he looked over at Nate.

  Nate shrugged. “Wasn’t the right time.”

  “What he doesn’t want to tell you is that I proposed to him,” Dani said with a smile.

  “No shit.”

  “I think that’s romantic,” Shelby chimed in. “She knew what she wanted and went for it.”

  “So if she popped the question, where’s the ring?”

  Dani waved him off. “Mind your own business. Now who’s drinking?”

  “Mom? Shelby?”

  “None for me,” Shelby said.

  Dani’s eyes got wide. “No way. You weren’t just bullshitting me. Shelby, are you? How? When?”

  Austin laughed. “I’d figured since you had a baby yourself, you’d have that part down. Guess we need to have the birds and the bees talk with you after all.”

  “No, it’s just that you guys just got married. I didn’t figure you’d,” Dani made a hand motion toward Shelby’s stomach.

  Shelby smiled and put her hand on her stomach. “When you think about it, we’ve known each other almost all our lives. We weren’t planning on it, but we’re so happy little peanut is coming.”

  Austin wrapped his arms around Shelby from behind and put his hands on her stomach.

  Nate looked over at Laura who had been quiet through the whole ordeal, not saying anything. In fact she didn’t even look shocked.

  She raised a shoulder. “I was in on it.”

  “Mo-om,” Dani whined. “You didn’t tell me?”

  “It wasn’t my news to tell. I’m just glad I found out about my grandbaby from my son and not the tabloids. How is that sweet girl and her baby?”

  Austin groaned. “Ma, really?”

  “Yes, really. That baby is so cute. I love seeing pictures of him on Instagram.”

  Only Laura King would consider a woman who said a baby was her son’s when it wasn’t a “sweet girl” and spend time watching the baby grow up in the tabloids. The situation with Amanda Marks was one that Austin didn’t talk about, and Nate figured there was more to the story since he still kept up with her too even after finding out he wasn’t the father.

  “So, I have one getting married and one having a baby,” Laura said. “Reagan,” she called into the living room, “don’t do anything stupid.”

  “And by stupid, you mean?”

  “Son,” she warned.

  “Just kidding,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t even have a girlfriend.”

  “Let’s keep it that way.”

  15

  Trouble is brewing in paradise. Danielle King has been summoned to court and a source told us it has something to do with her boyfriend, Nate Larson. They looked like they were on rocky ground when th
ey were in Chicago, and now she’s at the courthouse. Looks like Nate hasn’t found his happily ever after.

  * * *

  Dani stood outside the courtroom and wondered how it had all come to this. Rick had assured them it wouldn’t get this far, but here they were. As she looked around, she wondered what the hell had gotten them to this point. Everyone seemed to understand that Ron and Georgia didn’t have a case but them. They weren’t letting up, though, and that’s why Dani was pulling out the big guns. Ever since she’d met them and feared something like this could happen, she’d been preparing.

  “Don’t worry about today,” Rick told her. “We go in, and if they don’t play, we take it to court. No judge will take them seriously. Remember that.”

  “I just want this over with once and for all,” she said. “I’m tired of this hanging over my head. If it’s not now, it’ll be in another year or a year after that. They’ll always keep coming. It’s just who they are.”

  “Sadly, you can’t fix greed,” he said.

  Dani wished Nate could be here with her, but it was best he wasn’t. He wanted to be here with her, argued that he should be, but he respected her wishes to stay away. He wouldn’t approve of what she was about to offer Reece’s grandparents, but in the end, it was her choice, and if it made them leave her alone for good, it’d be worth it. Nate wouldn’t see it that way, though. He’d also want to swoop in and save the day, and Dani didn’t want that. This was her mess, and she was taking care of it. It also wouldn’t help if a big time celebrity showed up to a court case like this. Gossip would spread, and things would show up in the tabloids. She and Nate kept a low profile, but it didn’t take a genius to realize that if he showed up, it’d be everywhere. Ron and Georgia would make sure of that.

  As they made their way into the courthouse, Dani looked around hoping not to see Reece’s grandparents before she was ready. She’d tried to prepare herself, but all it would take was one look at them and everything would go to shit. The whole thing still hurt and upset Dani.