Ryan circled her wrist with his hand and gently nudged her back, then pulled her suitcase from the trunk, followed by Bailey’s. He turned to her. “If you think I’m going to drive away with him?—”
“I can take this from here.” Clark’s voice bit into her from the driveway.
Aelin dropped her eyes and started rolling the suitcase to the sidewalk. “I’m good, thanks.”
“Yeah, I’m not good.” Clark folded his arms over his chest. He wore a long-sleeved shirt that shimmered weirdly when he moved, his dark hair perfectly coiffed. His jaw was clenched. “I showed up to pick up Bailey yesterday and you were nowhere to be found.”
Aelin stared at him. “I was at Flathead. You signed the notary saying you gave permission.”
He gave a condescending smirk. “Did you check the dates, Aelin?”
Her blood rushed in her ears. “I sent the dates to your lawyer.”
“Right, I know, but did you check the dates of the letter?”
She dropped her bag on the sidewalk and went back to the car. She pulled her backpack from the floor and hunted until she found her passport and the notary letter.
Aelin unfolded it and scanned the text. July sixteenth through July twentieth?—
She froze, reading it a second time. It was the twenty-second. The letter only listed permission until the twentieth.
“You refused to turn Bailey over to my care. That’s a violation of our agreement. Furthermore, you took our daughter internationally without permission.” Clark scoffed. “I’m amazed they didn’t detain you at the border.”
Aelin’s breath came in short, shallow bursts. If she’d been passing through the American side, they probably would’ve.
Clark lowered his voice and took a step closer. “I also didn’t give permission for my daughter to be in the care of another adult.”
Aelin spun, her eyes flashing. “Are you seriously—” She stopped mid-sentence as Bailey pushed the door of the car open.
“Dad!” She grinned, dropping her pillow and backpack on the grass and running to him.
“Hey, bug.”
Aelin ground her teeth. She’d always hated that nickname because he wielded it like a weapon. Someday, Bailey would be old enough to see how each word he used was meant to distract. To hurt. To blind.
Bailey looked up. “When’s our next date?”
Clark exhaled and ruffled her hair. “I’ll have to talk with your mom. I cleared my whole weekend so we could spend time together, but she didn’t tell me you were going to be gone.”
Bailey’s head turned toward her, her eyes questioning.
Aelin clenched her jaw so tight, she tasted blood. “It was a misunderstanding, Bailes. I’m so sorry.” The apology felt like she was swallowing razor blades.
Clark smiled. “No problem, we’ll figure something out, eh?” He pulled his keys from his pocket, then gave Bailey another hug. “See you soon, bug.”
Clark glanced up, his expression cold enough to make her shiver, then turned and got in his car.
Ryan stood next to her, every muscle tensed. "Let's get your things inside."
Aelin drew a shaky breath. “He didn’t look at you.”
Ryan ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Got lucky, I guess.”
Aelin shook her head. “No. That’s not a good thing.” She pulled up the handle on her suitcase and started rolling it. “If he thought he was the dominant man in this situation, he would have done something to prove it. He ignored you.”
Ryan followed her up the walk with the cases of pop. “You make it sound like we’re on a nature documentary.”
She nodded. “That’s exactly what this is.” She pushed the door open since Clark hadn’t bothered to lock it, and they dropped everything in the entry.
