“Dingy and Shaw’s daughter got engaged.” She shakes her head in confusion. “In Seattle, Aldridge showed up.” Savannah babbles and laughs, and I try to stay in the moment with Claudia and manage to, but damn. “Costello left me in a box to watch the game, knowing Shaw would probably do what men like him do and confront me.” Savannah slaps her hand over my mouth. I smile at her but keep explaining the relevance. “I gave him papers, told him I have information on him and his daughter, and that it would be in their best interest for him to have Dingy sign revoking his rights.” I nod to Savannah as she jabbers on. “He’s forcing my hand, Doc, and now I have a choice to make.”
“What choices?” She asks, hugging herself.
“Aldridge doesn’t give a damn who his daughter marries, as long as their image isn’t tarnished. I told him I’d leak the information I have on him and his daughter if those papers weren’t back in Midtown before a ring was on her finger. Also told him I would press assault charges against Dingy.”
“You threatened him?” She asks.
“Wasn’t a threat, Claudia. I gave him a choice. He made the wrong one.”
“What information?”
“Do you really want to know?” I ask.
“I will find out if it goes to the press anyway.”
Savannah turns to her and smiles, then holds her hands out to her mother.
“I’ve done some reading, and maybe we should wait to discuss this after you finish feeding her. Stress hormones transfer in breast milk, right?”
“You’re a professional athlete in the prime of your freaking life and reading about breast milk?” She shakes her head. “That’s?—"
“Important, not to mention it’s your breast milk, which comes from your breasts. So yes.” I say as I hear my phone chime, the phone I left behind.
I go back, grab it, and head back in. I love watching her feed Savannah, and not for any sort of nefarious reason; it’s who she is as a woman and a mother.
“Is everything okay?” She asks as I sit down. I shake my head, confused. “The phone?”
“Shit,” I say as I look at the screen. “It’s Costello.” I tap the screen and clench my jaw as I read the information he’s giving me.
“Is everything —”
“Teams good,” skirting around the issue and leaning back, processing what I just read as I pull my shit together and ask, “Tell me what I missed while I was gone.”
She arches a brow. “Paul had me swing by the Brownstone.”
“Yeah? How’s it going?”
“Are you really going to pretend you didn’t know about that, too?” I just look at her. “You ask me to trust you, Deacon.”
“I’ll never give you a reason not to.”
“You took him to the lawyer.” She scowls.
“The fool was going to take public transportation, and since he’s been attending games, everyone knows the old man’s alive.”
“So, you didn’t know about the papers?”
“Yeah, you needed the lease for Vale, and?—”
“It wasn’t a lease,” she whispers.
“I’m confused, Claudia, I thought?—”
“He tricked me into signing,” She closes her eyes and exhales, then opens them, and I swear she’s tearing up. “The house is now in my name.”
I open my mouth a few times, but I’m at a loss for words.
“He doesn’t want Patsy’s nephew to have it.” I nod, still… holy shit. “He was in the foster care system; did you know that?” I shake my head. “He met Patsy when they crashed a birthday party for her sister, whose birthday was the same day Nalani moved in.” A tear slides down her face, “Her sister’s name was Claudette.”
