by Lexie Davis
“Well, I’m so sorry, Brianna. I’ll call the director first thing in the morning and give her a piece of my mind.” Bree suppressed a chuckled.
After a little small talk, they hung up and Brianna went to the closet looking for something to change into herself. She settled with a pink terry cloth jogging outfit and white spaghetti strap tank top. Anything was better than her stiff uniform.
“Come on, munchkin. Daddy won’t like you sitting your naked behind on his pillow.” She held out her arms and Shiloh looked up at her, emerald green eyes bright and wide.
“Da-dy.”
Brianna stared at her. “What did you say?”
“Da-dy,” she repeated pointing.
Brianna’s eyes went to the picture on the dresser of Kaden and her at their high school graduation. Tears filled her eyes as Shiloh repeated it over and over.
“Yes. That’s daddy.” She picked the baby up, kissing her cheek as she pointed and repeated her newfound word. “Do you miss daddy?”
“Da-dy.”
Brianna carried Shiloh to her room, finding a pair of soft pajamas for her to sleep in. She fixed her diaper and pulled on her clothing all the while Shiloh repeated “da-dy” over and over, throwing her hands up each time.
“Yes. Yes. You want to call Daddy and tell him?” Brianna looked at the clock. It’d only been an hour since she called him the first time, and he said his meeting was to last three. She debated, staring at her child as she clapped her hands.
“We’ll tell him tonight when he comes home. In the meantime, let’s get that popsicle we never ate and watch a movie.”
Two hours later, Brianna tucked her daughter into her crib, and flipped out the lights. After watching Finding Nemo for the millionth time, she clicked it off once Shiloh fell asleep in her arms. She didn’t stop repeating her new word, and smiled every time she said it.
Brianna’s stomach growled, reminding her of the two meals she skipped today. She never ate food in the morning, and she was too busy to take a lunch. But she needed dinner. She pulled open the refrigerator and cringed at her choices. She also needed to go to the grocery store.
Checking the lunchmeat, she made a ham and cheese sandwich heavy on the salad dressing and settled at the bar with a Coke at hand. She was expecting Kaden to call, but wouldn’t be surprised if he waited until he was on the road home. Speaking to him at the office was near impossible.
“Boo.” Two fingers poked into her sides, making her jump three inches off the bar stool. Kaden laughed when she turned around and glared at him, ready to tell him off. “Miss me?”
“Before or after you nearly gave me a heart attack?”
He grinned taking a sip of her drink. “Before.”
“Yes.”
“After?”
“No.”
They both laughed as he settled onto one of the stools next to her, eating the food on her plate. She watched him eat was left of her half-eaten sandwich and shook her head.
“I would have made you one, you know.”
He shrugged. “Takes too much time. I didn’t get lunch today.”
“Me either.” She grabbed a bag of potato chips and chomped on them. “I thought you said you’d call?”
“I was going to, but I got caught up. How’s Shiloh?” His expression turned serious as he waited with the last bite of her sandwich halfway to his lips.
“She’s fine. I gave her a bath, and she played in the bubbles until the water turned cold and her skin looked like a prune.” Brianna grabbed her soda and took a drink. “Your mother called and said she’d take care of it. But I don’t want Shiloh going back to that place. She didn’t like it, and I didn’t like it.”
“Well, she’s not going then.” He took the dirty dishes to the sink and came back to the bar, leaning in front of Brianna. “Is there another place you can take her?”
“My mom’s. It’s not that big of deal.” She folded the bag up and clipped it. “Oh, guess what?”
“What?”
“Shiloh said her first word today.”
Kaden’s eyes lit up with pure parental pride. “What was it?”
“Daddy. She even pointed to our graduation picture and said it.”
“God, I love that kid so much.” He grinned, moving around the counter to kiss Brianna soundly on her lips. “You look hot in that outfit.”
He moved past her toward the hallway. “Where are you going?”
“To kiss Daddy’s girl goodnight.” He grinned. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back to take care of her mommy too.”
* * * *
Kaden hated family law. From neglected children to divorces, he hated seeing the pain and suffering of those who were innocent. Aside from criminal law, which he only took because he believed everyone had a right to a fair and speedy trial, family law almost always broke one of the two parties hearts, or if he wasn’t careful, it broke the lawyer’s heart.
Right now, it was the latter. Maria Gonzales’s granddaughter had been tossed from orphanage to orphanage, from foster home to foster home—all in the five years she’d lived on this earth. Now the grandmother came up from Cuba looking to gain custody of the child, but only if she would be granted United States citizenship. She didn’t want to be forced to take her granddaughter back to a place where the future was not guaranteed.
“Counselor, what have you to say?”
“My client wishes to be granted legal custody of her granddaughter, Your Honor. And a special request of citizenship since she is an illegal alien from Cuba.” Kaden responded.
“Citizenship must go through immigration, counselor. You know that.” The judged glanced at the papers on her desk. “Hearing denied for guardianship, unless your client agrees to take her granddaughter back to Cuba?”
Maria shook her head, and the judge’s gavel fell.
“Mister! Mister!” a little girl came up to him, pulling on his pant leg, while a social worker tried her best to keep the child away from him. “You’re going to help my grandmother, right. You’re going to let me go home with her?”
The small child had olive skin with big brown eyes and two braided strands of hair on each side of her head. A front tooth was missing, and when she smiled, she poked her tongue in the hole. Her clothing was nothing more than rags, which surprised him since foster parents were paid to take care of the children they housed.
“Mister, please.” The social worker finally got control over the child and hauled her out of the courtroom. Kaden looked over at Maria, who sat with her family.
“I’ll do everything I can.”
With that, he left his clients to be with their friends and headed back to the office. Something about the way that little girl looked at him reminded him of his own daughter. Although Shiloh was nowhere near five years old, it was the same look of innocence in her eyes that disturbed him. If he didn’t help her grandmother, she wouldn’t have a family. How could he live with himself if he allowed that?
He pulled into the office parking lot and saw Brianna’s beat-up Mazda sitting close to the back. Just thinking about her made him smile and seeing her would make his day go a hell of a lot easier.
When he walked in, he scanned the waiting area looking for her, but found no one. “Tiff, is my wife here?”
Tiffany had been his father’s secretary for nine years and knew their family quite well. “Um, yeah. She’s here somewhere.”
The bathroom door opened, and Brianna stepped out in a royal blue sweats with a white V-neck top. Her cleavage showed, making his body temperature rise. She looked like she belonged on the cover of a magazine.
“Oh. Hey.” She smiled at him, though he stared back. “I know you’re busy, but I just need to talk to you for a second.”
“Tiff, hold all my calls and appointments.” He opened the door that lead back to his office.
Brianna’s eyebrows furrowed, but she didn’t question him, just walked past him to his office. Neither said anything until Kaden closed the door behind them
, locking them into his home away from home.
“I’m so glad you’re here.” He dropped his briefcase and pulled her into his arms.
He breathed in her scent, pressing his face against her neck as he tightened his arms around her. Brianna was exactly what he needed right now. Her in his arms. Her heart beating next to his.
“Kaden, what happened?”
He pulled back only to press his lips against hers. “I love you, Brianna.”
“What?”
He kissed her, lifting her in his arms. “I love you. I’m sorry it took so long for me to say it, but I’ve felt it for a long time.” He walked to his chair and sat, pulling her in his lap. “I had a really bad day in court.”
He told her what happened including the part about the little girl, and she sympathized with his emotions. “Kaden, you’ll do whatever you can, but it won’t be your fault if it doesn’t work out. I know you’ll do your best.”
He nodded. “I just seen a lot of Shiloh in her. They look nothing alike and differ more than not, but I seen my little girl in that little girl.”
“You’re a great person, you know that? No offense, but most lawyers are stuffy, and they would have blown off a child like that. But you didn’t.” She kissed him, threading her fingers through his hair. “I love you, Kaden. I possibly have all my life.”
He kissed her again, a hungry kiss of promise for what was to come tonight when he came home. She tasted so damn good, and felt so good. “What was it you came for?”
“Oh. I took my car to the mechanic, and he said it’s going to cost more to fix it than the car is actually worth. He said I’d be better off buying a new one instead of repairing the one I have.”
“You drove sixty miles to tell me that?”
“No.” She kissed him. “I drove sixty miles to the mechanic and stopped by since I was here, to tell you that.”
He chuckled. “What kind of car do you want?”
“I don’t know. Something easy to cart a baby around in. Something good on gas. You’re the car guy. Any suggestions?”
“Volvo?”
“Too expensive.”
He scoffed. “What have I told you about that phrase?”
“Kaden.”
“It’s a safe vehicle. Very good on gas. The SUV is great for babies. Has the room without being too bulky. It fits you to a tee.” He rubbed her arms smiling. She had serious money issues.
“Kaden.” She huffed a breath. “I can’t afford that.”
“You aren’t paying for it. We are paying for it.” Kaden pressed his lips to hers. “We’re married, babe. You and I became a we the day that legal document was filed. December fourteenth, as I recall.”
“Yeah but that was an arrangement. Are we really a married couple or are we just playing the parts?”
Her question cut him down. She thought what they shared was just a joke? A game of house between two adults? He just told her he loved her for crying out loud, and she had the nerve to ask him if they were just playing the parts.
“Kaden, I didn’t mean anything by it. I just . . .” She blew out a breath. “I really don’t want to start a fight with you right now.”
“What do you want me to do to prove to you that I’m not going anywhere?”
“I don’t know. Stay the day after we scheduled our divorce.” She slid from his lap. “Kaden, you know as well as anyone I’m an all-or-nothing girl. Brett didn’t give me his all, and I’m thankful because now I have Shiloh, but I don’t need a man to make me happy. Life may be harder, but I’ll be okay. I guess what I’m saying is I don’t want you to feel tied down.”
Kaden crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair to watch Brianna as she paced around the room. She was so scared of offending him she didn’t dare say what was on her mind. He knew he’d get pissed at Brianna, there was hardly any subject they didn’t disagree about but they fit together. They fit perfectly together as if made especially for each other.
“Brianna, stop talking crazy. I told you I loved you, and I meant it. With all my being, I meant it. Why would I give you and Shiloh up for a lonely house and an unfulfilling job?” He leaned forward on his desk watching as she turned around to face him. “I love you, Brianna Lynn Miller-Riggens. And I’m not going anywhere. You’ve got to trust me on that.”
“My name’s Brianna Riggens. No hyphen.” She smiled at him when he rolled his eyes.
Here was his chance. “How soon do you want to have another kid?”
Her eyes widened, but she gained control of her surprise before she thought he noticed. “Let’s wait until Shiloh’s at least out of diapers.”
“Sounds good to me. I want to be there for everything.”
“Yeah. You can deliver it while you’re at it.” She grinned. “Well, I’ve taken up a lot of your time. I need to get going anyway. It’s my one day off, and I promised to take Shiloh to the park. Kristy is supposed to meet me there with Jessie and Marsha.”
“I might not be home tonight. If I stay late, I’ll probably crash at the apartment.”
“Call if you aren’t. Otherwise, I’ll wait up for you.” She bent over his desk and kissed him sweetly with her bubblegum-flavored lips.
“Fine. Love you.”
“I love you, too.”
* * * *
Kaden stumbled into his apartment at around three in the morning after spending most of the night looking through legal books to try and help his current case. So far he had found nothing.
He closed and locked the door behind him, not bothering to turn on the overhead lights. He was tired and missed seeing his family, and he really wanted to go home and stay there, locked away with Brianna and Shiloh.
“It’s about time you came home.” A familiar voice called to him as he kicked off his shoes in the foyer.
“Bethany, what the hell are you doing here?” Kaden rounded the corner to see the gorgeous, leggy blonde, who was also his ex-fiancée, sitting on the couch half naked in a barely-there baby doll. “How did you get in my apartment?”
“Bribed the doorman.” She stood, wearing black five-inch stilettos. “I talked to your mother, and I was worried about you. Being married to the dull Brianna has to be a rag on your sex life. I mean, I thought you vowed to never marry anyone after I broke up with you?”
“Get out, Bethany.” He pointed toward the door, but she stood still, propping her hands on her hips.
“I need a place to stay, Kaden. My boyfriend kicked me out, and I’m in town for a month doing a photo shoot.”
“A hotel wouldn’t work?”
“Not when there isn’t a reason I can’t stay with you.”
“You can stay here one night pending you leave me the hell alone. But that’s it. You’re out of here in the morning.”
“Oh, I bet I can convince you to let me stay longer.” She came to him and slid her arms underneath his suit jacket.
He grabbed her elbows and roughly pushed her away. “I said, leave me the hell alone.”
Bethany had a conniving way about her. She had weaseled a diamond ring and an engagement out of him, and then he turned around and found her in bed doing another. He hadn’t love her. Not like he loved Brianna, but he had cared. She had give him companionship, and they had been seen as the perfect couple. Everyone wanted to be them.
Now he saw her for what she was, nothing but a pretty face with nothing to offer anyone. Honestly, she was so different from Brianna he felt foolish to even call her an ex. Stupid and foolish is what he was, what their relationship was.
He closed the door behind him after he entered his bedroom. He really wanted to talk to Brianna, if only to hear her voice. He knew she has work tomorrow, and he’d talked to her earlier. But he couldn’t help it. He needed her right now.
He picked up the phone and dialed their number. She answered on the third ring. “Hey, babe.”
“Kaden? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just got in and missed you. I wanted to hear you
r voice.” He sat back against his pillows hating his bed, the bed he’d once favored so much.
“You just got in? At . . . three?”
“Yeah. I spent the night looking through all my law books trying to find an answer, but I came up with nothing.” The look in that little girl’s eyes haunted him.
“Oh, Kaden. I’m sure you’ll find something. Have you asked your dad about it? Maybe he can point you in the right direction.”
“He’s too busy with five other cases. That’s actually why I took this case. He wanted me to help him out.” He huffed a breath and leaned back against the soft pillows, missing Brianna’s warm body.
“Well, I know you’ll find something.” He loved her encouragement, the way she tried to make the best out of bad situations. “You need rest though, sweetie. You’ve been up since five-thirty this morning. Get some sleep, and then start looking again with fresh eyes.”
“I miss you.”
“You saw me earlier today.”
“So? I still miss you.”
“Get some sleep, and you’ll see me soon enough. Don’t forget we have that party to go to this weekend. You mother called me a billion times wanting my opinion on this and that.” He could practically see her eyes roll, and smiled. Ever since the whole daycare thing, Blair Riggens has made Brianna her best friend. “Anyway. It’s a formal thing so you’ll have to get your tux.”
“It’s at my parents’ house.”
“Yeah, she told me that. I have to go tomorrow—well, today after work and pick out a dress. Any preferences?”
He grinned. “I’m pretty sure the kind of dress I’d prefer wouldn’t be the kind you’d wear in public.”
“Smart-ass. I was thinking blue, maybe a halter?”
“Is it easy to get out of?”
“Ugh. You have a one-track mind, you know that?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll surprise you. Kristy, my mother, and your mother are all making an afternoon of it. I may need a glass or two of wine when the day is done.”
“Or me. I tend to have a knack for making you forget everything.”
She sighed. “No denying that. Get some sleep, baby. I’ll see you tonight. Have a good day at work, okay?”
