They’d been friends, of sorts, once upon a time, but the man had reached a new low. Lower, even, than when Gabe had realized he was having an affair, which Gabe suspected wasn’tthe first, or when he’d tried to claim his son’s college fund in the divorce.
His heart felt like it was being shredded. Evie had always been cautious about their relationship. Always worried about how it might impact them. But nobody had foreseen this.
How did Adrian even find out?
He didn’t live in Frostvale any longer and had barely bothered to see his son at all in the weeks since Christmas. Things just didn’t add up.
But Gabe would be damned if he let that asshole steal their happiness.
Not on his watch.
Chapter
Thirty
SHEPHERD
Shepherd's hands didn't shake as he reread the letter, but something cold and sharp settled behind his ribs like a blade finding home.
The child's mother is creating an unstable environment for their son, and it would be in Oliver's best interest to have a more traditional family structure.
The words blurred together, not from poor vision but from the white-hot rage that crept up his spine, vertebra by vertebra, until it pooled at the base of his skull. He set the paper down on the counter with deliberate care, the same care he used when handling something that might shatter or explode.
Gabe had shown it to him while he was still reeling from the shock of finding Evie insensate to such a degree that it was clear she’d already fallen apart.
He'd seen men - and women - like Adrian before. Smooth-talking bastards who thought money and connections made them untouchable. Who wielded lawyers like weapons and used their own children as ammunition. The type who'd never throw a punch but would ruin you six different ways before breakfastand sleep like a baby afterwards. The asshole would get on well with Shepherd’s ex-wife.
A ferocious shudder ran through him. It was like history was repeating itself. Stealing away another child he’d come to care for. The only difference was this time Shepherd knew the child wasn’t his… but damn if he hadn’t accepted the job. And nobody, least of all that limp-dicked excuse for a father, was going to take it from him this time.
Not if Shepherd had anything to do with it.
He might be a grumpy bastard, but Shepherd knew people. And he was going to dig up whatever dirt he could on Adrian Montgomery.
Enough to bury him under.
Chapter
Thirty-One
ASHER
Asher had always wondered what had prompted him to become a lawyer, only to turn his back on the profitable profession and open a small-town, vintage toy store.
He hadn’t been influenced or coerced; if anything, his family had been surprised at the decision to study law, and unsurprised when he quit to open his shop.
Now, though, as he read the letter Adrian Montgomery had sent to his ex-wife through the eyes of his law degree, he could almost believe it was some master plan intended for this moment alone.
Sally had encouraged Evie to go and lie down. Edward paced impotently. Shepherd looked like he was ready to commit murder. And the normally stoic Gabe looked more vulnerable than Asher had ever seen him.
They were all reeling from the shock, thinking the worst, and he didn’t blame them for that. Asher was the only one with the ability to read between the lines of this legalese garbage and see the truth of what lay beneath.
For that, he was truly thankful.
Asher rubbed his fingers over the offending document. The paper was expensive, cream-colored, with a watermark visible when held to the light. Adrian had always been about appearances.
He looked at each of the men in the room.
"This is a bluff," Asher said.
