by Whitley Cox
She squeezed his hand. “You’re doing just fine. I’ll come by tonight when David texts me the all clear. Sound good?”
“Tessa!” Aria called impatiently.
He released her hand.
“Coming,” she said, giving him one last smile that made the room seem just a bit brighter before she showed him her back and went off to sit with his daughter.
Atlas knocked on Liam’s office door.
“Come in,” Liam barked from inside.
Even though Atlas knew he could have just waltzed right in, not even bothering with a knock, he preferred to show his boss just a touch of respect, especially considering what he was about to ask of him.
“Can’t stay away from me, can you?” Liam said with a chuckle as he set his phone down.
Atlas rolled his eyes and took a seat across from his boss and friend. “Something like that.”
“Where’s Cecily?”
“With Jenny. Aria’s with Tessa.”
Liam nodded. “So to what do I owe the visit? You’re supposed to be on sabbatical right now. You didn’t come to take me to breakfast, did you? Because I already ate, but I could eat again.” He rubbed his belly and flashed that famous Dixon smile.
“I’ve come to call in a favor.”
“But you just called in one. What the hell do you need another one for? You’re not even supposed to be working.” His friend’s casual demeanor shifted like that of a lion catching the scent of a wounded gnu on the savannah.
“Which is why I am calling in my favor now. You owe me, remember?”
“For what? I gave you my McGregor favor. Those things are worth fucking gold.”
“You gave me the McGregor favor so I didn’t lose my shit after you and the other name partners forced me to take a mandatory one-month stress leave. You gave me the McGregor favor as a sign of goodwill, friendship and apology. Now, I’m calling in a favor from you. You owe me one after I helped you cut that deal with one of your ex-wives’ best friends, remember? She wanted your jugular and was willing to do whatever it took to get it, and I stepped in and defused the situation. I got all the clients the best deal possible. And you said you owed me.”
Liam scratched at the close-shaved beard on his chin, shaking his head. “Jesus, I can’t remember the last time I heard you string this many words together in one sitting. What’s gotten into you?”
Atlas sat back in his chair, laced his fingers together and cradled the back of his head in them. “I slept with Aria’s therapist.”
“You WHAT?” Liam, ever the drama queen, actually pushed to his feet and stood up in surprise. “When?”
“Last night.”
“WHAT?”
Atlas rolled his eyes. “Sit down. You look ridiculous. Listen, it’s even more fucking complicated than that.”
“How? I mean, Mark got lucky when he fucked his kid’s therapist. Everything turned out all hunky-dory for him, but even he nearly fucked it up with his temper. And your temper is worse than his. Tori’s a fucking angel for taking Mark back after the things he said to her.”
“We all know she is. But that’s beside the point here. Listen.”
“Oh, I’m fucking all ears.”
“I know you are. Been meaning to ask why you don’t grow your hair out to cover those things. Surprised nobody calls you Dumbo.”
Liam chucked a stress ball at his head, but he caught it midair.
“I’m serious. I need your help. Richelle’s too.”
Liam’s smirk dropped, and he leaned forward in his chair. “What can I do?”
“That’s quite the story,” Richelle’s raspy voice said over the speakerphone in Liam’s office.
“You’re telling me,” Liam said, shaking his head. “Second time I’ve heard it now, and I’m still fucking gobsmacked. How did you not recognize her voice?”
Atlas frowned. “I can’t tell the difference between my mom and sister on the phone. The phone distorts voices.”
His friend made a frown of his own and nodded. “Fair enough. My mom can’t tell the difference between me and Scott on the phone either.”
“Gentlemen … ” Richelle said, her tone only slightly irritated. The woman was fair and kind, but she was also all business, and he could tell she was growing weary of his and Liam’s banter.
“Right, sorry,” he said, shooting Liam an annoyed expression for once again getting them off topic. “So I figure if the three of us work together, we can not only get Tessa her dog back but get her a reasonable deal in their split. He’s got a comic book and record collection that are apparently worth decent coin. Tessa wants to offer a trade, but I say we go for the dog and the collections. Compensation for emotional anguish and the stress this prick has caused.”
“I say we take his fucking car, his mother’s car, his father’s boat and strip him of everything he’s got. Then tar and feather the bastard and make him walk through the street with a nun following him around yelling ‘shame,’” Richelle replied.
Liam chuckled. “Shame. Shame.”
Atlas lifted a brow.
“I still can’t believe you guys had no idea what Game of Thrones was when you named your kid,” Liam said. “And apparently you still have no clue.”
Atlas grunted. “Prefer reality, not fantasy.”
“Yeah, because those serial-killer documentaries are really fucking healthy on the psyche.”
Richelle cleared her throat. “Gentlemen, can we get back to business, please. Time is money.”
“As much as I’d love to chain him, hang him, gut him and burn him,” Atlas said, earning a bewildered look from Liam, “I think we need to be pragmatic here and just go for what we can. I think Carlyle has money, so even though he’s only going on what Blaire the first-year law student has told him, he could hire somebody who knows their shit.”
“Yeah, but we’re three people who know their shit. I’m the best fucking divorce attorney in the city,” Liam said. “Some might say the state.”
Richelle snorted on the phone. “Be sure to leave your ego at the office tonight.”
Liam’s dark brown eyes glittered. “You don’t want to have a threesome with me and my ego?”
Her deadpanned response of “No” made Atlas chuckle.
“So we agree then? Liam and I will either come to your Friday meeting with Tessa or at the very least conference-call in on it?” Atlas asked, wanting to get back to the task at hand. He had to go and get Aria pretty quick but wanted to make sure everything had been set in motion before he did.
“Sounds good to me,” Richelle said. “When I heard her case, my heart just broke. I didn’t tell her this, but after her gasp of surprise when I told her my fees, I decided to waive a few things in order to take her case. The woman works with children who have experienced trauma, for Christ’s sake, and now she’s lost her dog. Fuck, I’d do it pro bono if I had to. Need to string this fucker up by his grapes.”
Atlas’s eye widened, but Liam simply smiled and mouthed, “Her divorce was ugly.”
Ah, fair enough.
“Okay, I’ll be in touch Friday morning to confirm everything,” Atlas said. “Thanks, Richelle. I appreciate this.”
“Anything for you, Atlas,” she sang.
“What about me?” Liam asked, incredulous.
“What about you?”
He took the phone off speaker and put it back to his ear, spinning around in his seat so Atlas could no longer hear his murmurs or see his lips moving. Despite how his friend’s own divorce had left him jaded and hating love, Liam had true feelings for Richelle. That was obvious. He just refused to acknowledge them as any more than two friends scratching itches. Or maybe, now that he knew Richelle’s divorce had been ugly, it was Richelle who kept their relationship in neutral rather than drive. She didn’t want to risk her heart again, didn’t want to put herself or her daughter out there to get hurt.
Hmm …
“Okay, see you tonight.” Liam spun around and set his phone back dow
n on his desk.
“You love her,” Atlas said before he could stop himself. Jesus fuck, what had come over him lately? He’d never been this chatty or positive in ages. Not since … Samantha.
Liam’s perma-smile drooped. “Nope, I don’t. Though I do love the noises she makes when I’m … ”
Atlas held up his hand to stop his friend. “Forget I said anything.”
Liam’s grin was back.
Atlas stood up, and his friend stood with him, following him to the door. “Thanks for doing this,” Atlas said, his hand on the doorjamb of the open door. “I’ll owe you one.”
“Damn straight you will,” Liam said, slapping Atlas on the back. “But maybe we can call it even, because I’ve honestly never seen you this … content. At least not in a really long time. Even though I know the kids are stressing you out, I think this sabbatical is going to be a good thing, and I can already tell this Tessa … or Marie or whatever has been good for you. The cloud over your head isn’t nearly as dark as it has been.” His mouth tilted up at one corner. “You know we’re all here if you need us.”
And he did know that. He knew that so well that it made his chest hurt with how much love he had for his fellow single dads. And even though in his year of belonging to their group, he’d been pretty moody and quiet, none of them had judged him or stopped inviting him places. They accepted him for who he was and what he was dealing with and just continued to always be there if he needed them.
Atlas smiled at his friend—his best friend. “Thanks, man.” Then he left to go grab his daughter and let the woman who had suddenly come to mean a great deal to him know that he and his team were going to help her get her dog—and her life—back.
He only hoped that after they won her case, she’d still be interested in letting him be a part of that life.
13
“But Daddy, I don’t want to go to bed. I’m not sleepy,” Aria protested as he sat on the edge of her bed, leaned over and pecked her on the forehead. “I want to stay with you.”
Atlas pursed his lips together. “It’s bedtime, sweetheart. You know the rules.”
Her blonde brows furrowed and her mouth dipped into a frown at the same time she crossed her arms over her chest. “Not fair.”
“It is fair. Daddy has some work to do, and it’s too hard to do when you and Cecily are awake.” Tessa coming over to “visit” wasn’t exactly “work,” but it was an easier explanation to a three-year-old than the truth.
Aria’s frown lifted. “Daddy, I’m sorry for hitting Cecily with the train.”
Holy shit.
He had to keep himself from falling off the bed. She’d certainly surprised the fuck out of him.
“I want to like her.”
Another huge fucking surprise. Was this because of Tessa?
“You have time for her but not me. Makes me sad. And mad.”
He cupped his daughter’s soft cheek, leaned back down and pressed his forehead to hers. “I know you’re sorry, sweetie. And I’m sorry that I haven’t made our relationship and our time together enough of a priority. I promise that’s going to change, okay. I’m going to make more time for just us.”
Her eyes lit up. “Can we have that time now?”
He smiled down at his precocious, opportunistic daughter. “Not tonight.”
She pouted.
“I want you to like Cecily, too, sweetie. I want you to love her. She’s our family. Always has been, only now she’s an even bigger part.”
“Where’s her mommy? Same place as my mommy?”
Pain funneled into his heart the way it always did when Aria brought up her mother. Then there was this cold, dizzy feeling that lasted for no more than a second, and he fought to climb his way out of a sudden, desolate impenetrable blackness. Her warm hand, soft on his arm brought him back to the moment, and he smiled down at her as best he could. Aria didn’t ask about Samantha very often anymore, but when she did, it made his entire body ache with a sense of loss he knew he’d never fully recover from. Aria should not be growing up without her mother.
She. Should. Not.
Swallowing, he shook his head. “No, sweetie. Cecily’s mommy is in the hospital. Remember? She’s really hurt, and the doctors are doing everything they can to make her better.”
Her bottom lip jutted out, and those big hazel eyes blinked. “I’m sad for Cecily and her sick mommy. My mommy was sick too and then she died. I hope Cecily’s mommy doesn’t die.”
His throat tightened, and he gripped her hand with his. “Me too, sweetie. Me too.”
His little girl with the kind heart, stubborn streak and zest for independence yawned. “Love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, sweetie.” He pecked her on the nose, then stood up. Her eyes were already closed by the time he reached her door.
Bringing out his phone as he closed Aria’s door two-thirds of the way, he texted Tessa. Coast is clear. 1324 Applecross Avenue. Park in the driveway. Please don’t knock or ring the bell. Door is unlocked.
Then he went to his master bathroom and had a shower. It’d been ages since he’d been on a “date” with anyone, and he was nervous as fuck about “dating” Tessa. He wasn’t even sure he was ready to start dating, and he certainly didn’t have the time to add another woman to his life. But none of that mattered when he thought about her, about Marie and how much both women—the same woman—had made him smile over the last week. That had to mean something, right?
After work, Tessa ran to the clinic to get a blood test, then, after being drained of her precious O negative, she ran home, changed into her exercise clothes and went for a much-needed, stress-relieving jog. She needed to clear her head after the fuzziness caused by seeing Atlas and learning that he and David were the same person.
What were the odds?
After her run, she had a long, hot shower where she shaved, buffed, tweezed and scrubbed her body until she was as fresh as she could be. Then she slipped into a light and airy, soft, light blue denim T-shirt dress with a wide black belt at the waist and a pair of cork wedges—not too high—but high enough to make her calves pop. She let her hair do its natural curly thing down her back—after copious amounts of product, of course—and kept her makeup minimal. She spent an awful lot of time getting ready for a man she hoped didn’t care what she looked, smelled or dressed like. Crap, she hated dating.
Once she got his text, she checked her lip gloss in the mirror, looked longingly at Forest’s empty bed and then headed to her car. She would have loved to have tossed on some jeans and rode her Ducati, but the beauty made too much noise, and they were trying to keep their whatever it was on the DL and not let the kids know just yet.
She parked in the driveway behind his Land Cruiser and turned off the ignition. He lived in a nice neighborhood on the edge of Rainier Vista, and the house was well maintained and the yard nicely kept. It wasn’t a mansion, but she could tell that he did well as a lawyer.
Stowing her nerves in her back pocket as if they were a pack of gum, she fluffed her hair, smacked her lips and headed up the small stone path to the front door. His text said the door would be unlocked, but that just felt weird going into a house she’d never been in before. She reached for her phone and went to text him when the door in front of her swung open.
“Saw your headlights,” he said, stepping out of the way so she could enter.
She glanced down at her chest to see if her nipples were out.
“Not those headlights.” He reached for her coat, and she let him take it.
“Keep your shoes on. We’ll head down to my office slash the rec room.” He reached for her hand and led her down a half flight of stairs and into a cool, dark hallway. His fingers tightened around hers when they reached a closed door. “I’m really glad you came.” He pushed the door open to reveal a cozy room with high windows, a desk, computer and office cabinets in one corner and a small home gym in the other. A couch took up one wall, faced toward a big flat-screen television, and there
were a few bins of toys in the same IKEA storage shelf she had at the studio. A gas fireplace below the TV was on, but she could tell there was no heat coming from it. They didn’t need it.
He led her over to the couch, a bottle of wine and two glasses sitting on the coffee table in front of them.
“Wine?” he asked.
“Please.”
Nothing but the gurgle and blub of the cab sav filling the glass could be heard in the room—unless he could hear her pulse thundering in her ears. She certainly hoped he couldn’t. He handed her the first glass, and she put it to her nose.
“This is weird, isn’t it?” he said, setting the bottle down and turning to face her, their knees knocking.
She sipped her wine, eyeing him over the rim of her glass. “It is and it isn’t.”
“Yeah, that’s how I feel. Like, I’ve had some pretty in-depth conversations with Marie, though at the same time, we kept it superficial. I never asked about her—I mean you—about her … your job or family life. But I wanted to.”
She held the wine on her tongue for a moment, processing his words and coming up with her own. She allowed the liquid to slide down her throat. “We hadn’t laid down any rules, and yet they made themselves up. There were things I wanted to ask you, too, but was nervous I was going to overstep and then I’d never hear from you again. You’re the only person who knows what Carlyle did to me, the only person I could talk to about it, confide in. If you hadn’t recommended the Rage Room, I probably would have strangled them both when I went to their apartment.”
His delicious lips twitched into a small smile. “Tell me now. Tell me all the things I was too stupid not to ask before. Your parents, family, siblings, school. I don’t know what’s going on here, Tessa, but I know that when I’m with you, talking to you, touching you, I feel more normal than I have in too fucking long.”
The hair on her arms tingled, and her heart began to beat wildly. No man had ever said such moving, thoughtful, beautiful words to her. And even though she didn’t know Atlas/David very long, she knew he was a widower, and she knew that he loved his late wife immensely. So to say that with her he felt normal—that was one hell of a compliment.
