by C. J. Thomas
“If you did, you’d want me to be in the child’s life.”
Paisley pressed her lips together into a thin line. “I didn’t say you couldn’t ever see it.”
It? Really?
I blew out a breath. “Aspen. LA. You both living across the country would make it difficult to see the little one.” She knew my studio was based in New York City. Sure, I had some good contacts in LA, and I’d be open to moving there, but something told me that wasn’t her plan. I could only imagine how much money she wanted, given her lawyer called my lucrative photography work a hobby.
She shrugged. “I wouldn’t want to bring it up in New York.”
“And I suppose you’d be looking for a relocating fee.”
John pulled out another stack of documents and held them out to me. “We have documented exactly what would be needed over the next year and going forward.”
Without giving the papers a glance, I sat back in my chair. “Again, I don’t think you have the baby’s best interests in mind. If you did, my money and property wouldn’t be your focus.” I expected her to get upset, but instead, a smirk crept over her face.
Her look gave me chills.
“If you really wanted me, then why the hell have you been fucking other models while I’m carrying your baby?”
“I’m not going around and ‘fucking models.’”
Paisley nodded at John, who pulled out a large envelope from his briefcase and handed it to her. I wondered just what else they had in store for me. As if all this wasn’t enough.
As she tipped the envelope over, a few dozen photos slid across the table.
You’ve got to be shitting me.
She had photos of last night’s rooftop dinner and of Tessa and me getting into my Rover to head to Greenwich.
Paisley pulled one from the stack showing Tessa opening the box I’d given her. “This one’s my favorite. That’s a very nice, very expensive, diamond bracelet.”
I ran a hand through my hair and I could feel the heat rise in my face. “Where the hell do you get off on invading my privacy.”
“That privacy became mine when you knocked me up.”
It didn’t matter that she had a point, but this wasn’t just about me. Paisley had taken it too far the moment she involved Tessa.
God, Tessa.
Things were going so well with her. I couldn’t just spring this on her.
But then, if I didn’t work with Paisley, she’d bring the news of the baby right to her. And then what?
How the hell did Paisley even know about Tessa?
I looked back at the photos and realized that I couldn’t put much past her. There was nothing I could do but work with her. I could be an asshole, but I’d never flee from my own child.
I rubbed my face, knowing this wasn’t going to be pretty. “Tell me what you want from me.”
CHAPTER 40
Tessa
I’d assumed that there would be at least a few people in the waiting room at the Greenwich police station. Except for the light streaming through the blinds, reminding the night shift that morning had arrived, this place looked exactly as I’d left it last night. Phil still sat behind the main desk, head down, thumbing his way through paperwork.
Just how many hours did this guy work in a week?
He flashed me a smile as I strolled up to the desk. “I was hoping I’d catch you before clocking out.” Rubbing his face, he leaned back in his chair. “Night shifts can be brutal.”
“Busy?”
“Just the opposite. Almost nothing ever happens here. Now and then we get some kid smoking weed in their car or something. If we’re really lucky we’ll catch a couple parking.” He smiled just a little too wide on that one, but for him, anything would be better than shuffling paperwork all night. Not everyone enjoyed working the numbers like I did. “Your sister raising hell kept things interesting enough.”
“I’m so glad that her getting arrested kept you entertained.”
He held up his hands. “Whoa. Wait. I didn’t mean it like that.”
Phil certainly had a way with words and it never seemed to be in his favor. I knew he didn’t mean anything by it, but I had to give him a little hell. “I’ll let you off this time if you’ll cut Dani’s bail in half.”
His face went pale. “I would. I wish I could, but they keep records of that kind of thing.”
It was worth a try. “Just teasing with you, Phil.” I unzipped my purse, still unsure why I’d turned down Liam’s offer to pay for Dani’s bail. I knew the guy had plenty of money, and for the first time, Dani and I understood what it was like to not be sure what would happen next week, next month.
Thank god I had modeling.
But working for Liam was one thing; taking money that I hadn’t earned was something completely different. Maybe if we’d been together for longer I would have considered it, but there was always time for that.
After exchanging pleasantries and bail money, Phil brought Dani out from holding. Her hair looked like she hadn’t washed it for days and her breath didn’t smell much better. If she’d had a little mud on her, I’d guess that she’d been camping, not spending a night in jail.
Phil hoisted a box out from the back room and set it down on the counter. “One water bottle, minus the water.” He looked up at me as though I’d asked the question I’d been wondering. “The airport doesn’t let them go through so we took on the same practice. One red backpack, minus the muffins and whiskey flask.”
Dani stuck out her lip and leaned against the counter. “That was my dad’s. I want it back.”
Phil looked from her to me. “I really can’t give it back to her.”
“Is there any way you could give it to me, then?” When Dani was about to cut me off, I turned to her and added, “And I’ll give it to you on her twenty-first birthday as long as this is the one and only time you get arrested.”
Phil pressed his lips together in a thin line as if trying to determine if that crossed some line.
“You know our parents just passed away and it’s really hard for us to let go of anything that meant something to them.” I thought about the estate and the real possibility of never being able to set foot in our home again. Maybe knowing that we might have to give it up had made us want to hold onto everything we could. “If you need me to sign something for it, I will.”
Phil nodded. “I think we can make that work.” He had me fill out an extra form, but in less than a minute, I tucked Dad’s flask into my purse.
Dani gave me a half-hearted smile. “If you’re done planning out my life, I’m ready to go, Tessa.”
She had to know how much I hated her saying my name in that sharp tone. It was probably why she did it.
I turned my attention to Phil as I slipped the flask into my purse. “Thanks for looking out for her.”
“I figure you’ve got your hands full and all.” His eyes shifted from me to Dani, then back. “You know, next time you’re in town, maybe we could get a coffee or something . . .” Seeing him swing back and forth in his chair reminded me of high school science. Phil wasn’t the best lab partner, but he’d always been a decent guy.
I gave him a small smile. “Thanks, that would be nice. I’d love to catch up. As friends,” I added, just to be clear.
Though disappointment clouded his face, he nodded. “So that guy . . . he really means something to you, doesn’t he?”
Liam.
For the last few weeks, everything seemed to circle back to him. I wasn’t sure how Phil figured that out, but he must have seen it on my face.
“He does.” And I really meant that. Nearly all of my time with Liam fell into two categories: leaning on his shoulder for support, or hot, steamy and so mind-blowing I couldn’t put more creative words to it.
If I were to analyze it, I’d say we were definitely going somewhere special.
“Come on, Tessa.” Dani elbowed me, probably harder than she’d intended. “Stop flirting already.”
“I wasn’t flirting.” But my face heated up just from being called out on talking to another man. It made me want to decline having coffee with Phil, even as a friend.
There was only room in my life for one man.
I twisted the bracelet Liam had given me. It felt good knowing we were just for each other. I really could see things working out with him over the next few years.
Dani slapped her palm against the counter, jolting me back to the present. “Well, I stayed here a night longer than I thought I would.”
“If you don’t clean things up, it could be much longer next time.”
“You said you’d come back for me.”
“And here I am.”
“Last night,” Dani said through gritted teeth as she clenched her fist. The only thing left to this little fit of hers would be a foot stomp.
I nodded my goodbye to Phil, then turned to walk out. “Hey, you’re the one who included under-age drinking in the mix.”
“Everyone drinks. You had your first drink two years before I did.”
“That doesn’t count. I was fourteen and thought Dad’s Captain and Coke was just Coke.”
She shrugged and stopped just before opening the passenger side door. “Wait, I thought I left the car at the bakery.”
“Another reason it’s good I know a few of the officers around here.” I sighed as we got in. “Look, we need to get you some help before—”
“No way. I’m not going to any meetings and I’m not talking to some doctor who thinks he knows what I’m ‘feeling.’” The word came out in her snootiest impression. “It was just a few muffins and that flask couldn’t be more than a shot or two.” She flipped down the vanity mirror and teased her bangs as I pulled out. “Come on, I barely had a buzz going.”
“That’s not the point,” I said, knowing that wasn’t true. Her blood alcohol content begged to differ. I tried to think of something before this downward spiral of hers went so far that no one could dig her out. “What if you’d been driving and got pulled over? They probably wouldn’t have let you off so easily with that. What if you’d hit someone?”
“Why are you giving me so much hell? You’ve probably driven buzzed before.” She flipped the mirror back up. “I was fine.”
“First of all, no. Second, you were in jail, Dani. That’s not ‘fine.’” As much as I wanted to get this ride over with, I took the long way home, hoping I’d somehow get through to her. “What would Mom say if she saw you there today? Would you have called her instead of me?”
I waited for some response from Dani, but she looked out the side window and I couldn’t see her face from this angle. She just didn’t give a damn.
“Thank god she isn’t alive to see this.” The words shocked me even as I said them. They weren’t something I ever pictured myself saying, but I needed to get Dani’s attention. “You probably think Mom would have yelled at you. But you’d be wrong.” I checked my rearview mirror, saw the police station, and hoped that would be the last time I’d have to pick Dani up from there.
Silence filled the car except for the sounds of the tires hitting the road.
“Remember that time we were playing kitchen and set her grandmother’s rug on fire?” I kept going since she clearly wasn’t planning to participate in this conversation. “We waited for Mom to get all mad and yell and ground us or something. Instead, she got really quiet. We didn’t understand it at the time, but she was disappointed in us.”
Dani continued to stare out at nothing.
“That doesn’t come close to this. Do you have any idea how hurt she would be about this? How it would make her feel if she was still alive?” I looked over to see Dani’s shoulder shake.
I gritted my teeth, beyond frustrated that she’d laugh at this, when I suddenly realized she didn’t think all this was funny.
Dani was crying.
I slowed down to pull over into the first parking lot I saw, until I noticed that it was a funeral home. The local coffee shop would have to do and I drove to one of the far parking spots.
Neither of us had ever been very emotional girls when it came to crying. Dani always had her own bizarre ways of getting through things, but face-in-her-hands, shoulder-shaking sobs was not her MO.
I held out a hand to put on her shoulder, unsure exactly how to comfort her.
“Bly whust mid dem so much.”
I wanted to ask her to repeat herself, but I let it go and reached into the glove compartment for a tissue. A handful of stiff, brown napkins popped onto the floor. Unbuckling my belt, I reached beside Dani’s tennis shoe and grabbed one that didn’t hit the floor.
She blew her nose, then huffed as she sat back in her seat. “It’s so hard without them. You don’t get it. You haven’t lived at home for years.” Her sniffles returned in full force. “I saw them every day, and now . . . they’re just . . . gone.”
I took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel. Reminding her that I’d seen Dad every day at the firm wasn’t going to help anything.
“I don’t know how to live without them.” She dabbed her nose, then reached for another napkin from the floorboards. “I’m a freaking mess without them. I’m always hungry.”
“Calories don’t count when something bad happens.”
“Yes they do. I’ve gained three pounds in the last few weeks.”
With as much fast food as she’d downed, she was lucky she hadn’t gained thirty. Her metabolism must be off the charts.
“It’s hard to be in the house without them, but at the same time, I don’t want to leave.”
“I meet with Edward on Monday. I don’t know what will happen with the estate. What I do know is, I’ll always be here for you. Even if we’re in different area codes, you can call me anytime. Day or night.”
Dani blew her nose. “I know. That’s the thing.”
I frowned. “What is?”
“You are the only stable thing I know, and look at you. You’ve dropped your corporate job for modeling. Which is really awesome by the way, but everything keeps changing.”
That’s life, I wanted to say, but didn’t. Instead, I handed her another napkin. She sure went through them. “I could say something like ‘nothing is ever constant’ but I think you know that. When things do change or get hard, how about you reach for your cell instead of a muffin—especially one that isn’t yours. Deal?”
She twisted her mouth as though thinking about it. “If they’re chocolate chip, I’m going for them.” She raised up her hands when she saw my look. “I promise I’ll pay for them.”
CHAPTER 41
Liam
It’d been a few months since I had last jogged on my usual running trail.
Last night I called up my old running partner to meet me out here. Originally I’d hoped to get a workout in, but Bryan only had an hour for lunch. The path was close enough to the courthouse that he could swing by.
Sitting on a bench instead of hitting the pavement wasn’t easy. Each person who passed me by gave me the urge to pop up and knock down a few miles. Anything to take my mind away from my reality.
“You’ve watched too many spy shows.” Bryan’s voice was deeper and gruffer than normal. He leaned back and draped an arm across the park bench. Though the weather was heating up, he still wore his typical suit. It wasn’t like he needed to wear the jacket to meet me, but that was Bryan.
“Why do you say that?” I asked. It was nice having a friend as a lawyer, especially when he was willing to meet after coming off a nasty cold.
“No one actually meets at parks like this. Sitting on back-to-back benches, pretending they’re not talking to each other when they actually are.” He chuckled.
“She took pictures of Tessa and me.” I rested my elbows on my knees, suddenly feeling a little nauseous and glad not to be jogging. “We were on a rooftop, in a car. Nothing major, but it still invaded our privacy.” Rubbing my hands together in an effort to soothe myself, I said, “Don’t suppose that’s illegal,
is it?”
“If it was, every private eye in the biz would be out of a job.”
I scuffed my foot against the sidewalk, really wishing I’d picked the view of the city. Instead, I tracked my eyes back and forth along the trail. Every now and then someone jogged down the path, but watching overweight middle aged men cram themselves into spandex wasn’t really my thing.
“Don’t be butt hurt just because you like taking pictures of others and get a little shy when it’s your turn.”
“That’s not the point and you know it. I don’t know what’s safe anymore. I’m trying to deal with all this.”
“So Paisley is the alleged baby-mama?”
“Yes.” I had begun to tell Bryan what the deal was over the phone until I realized Paisley could have bugged my phone. At this point, I wouldn’t put it past her. “I need to know what rights I have. I don’t even know if the baby is mine.”
Bryan cleared his throat, which turned into more of a hacking cough.
“Do you need some water or something?” I looked around but didn’t see a vendor on the block. So much for my idea of meeting on a jogging trail.
He held up a hand as he worked to clear his throat again. “I’m fine. My wife has me drink about five gallons a day.”
“Pretty sure you’d drown drinking that much.”
He shrugged. “Trust me, it feels like it. Look, you’ve got two major things going on right now. Baby and deportation.”
“There’s also Tessa.”
“You’ve already named the baby?”
“No, Tessa is the girl I’m dating. The real reason I need to stay in the country, after being around for my supposed child, of course.”
“Okay, hold up. One girl at a time.” As the wind picked up, he ran a hand through his thinning hair. “Paisley can’t do anything until she proves the baby is yours. The timing on this is everything. From what you’ve told me, she has to be at least seven weeks pregnant. She just found out so that puts her maybe six or seven weeks into the pregnancy. She could get a paternity test as soon as eight weeks that is 99.9% accurate, but there is some risk involved.”
