My eyes flick to Sterling. He’s already filled me in on this latest development. We were holding back, waiting to see what her next move would be.
Sinclair storms over to the table, hearing his raised voice. “Who?”
Sullivan looks toward Molly, but she’s still engrossed, playing with Halliday and the dogs as Halliday shoots Sterling a concerned look.
“Natasha,” he spits.
Sinclair’s eyes widen. “Molly’s mom?”
“Do you know any others?”
My fists clench against my thighs at the way he snaps at her. Sterling’s eyes meet mine, and I exhale, forcing myself not to react. This is Sinclair. She can stand up for herself where Sullivan’s concerned. She doesn’t need me punching him in the face. And anyway, I get why he’s so concerned.
“Don’t speak to me like that.” She smacks Sullivan up the back of the head and his eyes bug out.
I bite back my smirk. She’s about the only person in the world who can get away with doing that. I’ve seen grown men cower when Sullivan Beaufort walks into a room.
Sterling winks at me as I look up.
“What does she want?” Sinclair asks.
Sullivan rolls his lips, tension radiating from him like he’s one touch away from going postal. “Molly. She says she wants to take Molly.”
“What?” she shrieks. “She can’t! Tell her she can’t.”
“I did fucking tell her that,” Sullivan says. “But she’s her biological mother and?—”
“And she’s also an addict who can’t look after herself, let alone a little girl. Shelefther on your doorstep in a fuckingbox, Sullivan. For God’s sake, what kind of mother does that?”
“I know,” Sullivan mutters, scrubbing a hand down his face, his eyes red-rimmed.
“She gave up all rights to be her mother when she did that,” Sinclair says. “We’ll fight her, won’t we, Dad?”
She looks to Sterling for support, and he nods. “You bet your ass we will, Sweetheart. Molly isn’t going anywhere.”
Sinclair’s shoulders soften. “Just slam some DNA tests at the courts along with her failed rehab stints. Then she can crawl back to where she came from.”
“DNA results?” Sullivan echoes.
“It’ll show you’re her biological father, won’t it?” Sinclair folds her arms and stares her brother down.
“You know it will, but it’s not that simple?—”
“You’re her father,” Mal says.
“You are,” Sterling agrees.
“I know.” Sullivan leans his head back and blows out a breath. “It’s just the last thing I needed right now.”
Sympathy fills my chest as I look at him. I know what it’s like to be apart from the woman you love. And seeing as he hasn’t mentioned this woman, Tate, again since the little jaunt he had me going on well over a month ago, I can’t see that his situation there has changed.
“Okay,” Sterling says in a calm voice that has everyone breathing again. “We all know what’s going on. And we’ve all got each other’s backs. We’re family. And family look out for one another. We’ll get this all sorted.”
“Yeah,” Sullivan says, pushing his thumb and forefinger into his eyes and rubbing. “Thanks, Dad.”
“You’re okay, Son. It’ll all be okay.” He reaches over and squeezes Sullivan’s knee.
“It will,” Sinclair agrees, sliding onto my lap and snaking her arms up around my neck.
