“She was on the phone to Hana?”
Ford rested his elbows on his knees.“Seems Hana still has custody for one more week.She’d dumped Pip at your mam’s house but nobody was expecting him, so no one were home.A maid came back, because she forgot her glasses, found Pip sitting alone on the front step and panicked.”
Chase would have dropped everything to pick him up, if he’d known.Anything was better than being left on those front steps, forgotten.His father had done it countless times during his childhood—promising to be home, then running late at a meeting.He’d walked two miles home every day for a week without anyone knowing until that Friday, because he’d forgotten that was the maid’s day off and no one would be there to let him in.
He could still remember being barely twelve, sitting on the steps for an hour, then walking for twenty minutes in the pouring rain until he reached Grant’s house.His parents had called Wynna and she’d come to collect him, sobbing when she’d promised Grant’s mother that it would never happen again.Wynna had bought him his first mobile an hour later, put her number on speed dial and made him promise to always call whenever he needed her, then he’d been made to tell her how many times it had happened.Chase remembered the steel look in her eyes, thinking that she might file for a revocation, she was so mad.He wouldn’t have blamed her if she had.Nolan had put his kids in danger and gotten away with it, and no one would have questioned Wynna Walker for choosing her children over her alpha.
Hana’s reason for the revocation was just selfish.She was sick of playing the role of a mother and this was her way out.
“Chase?”
“Sorry.Remembering stuff.”It wasn’t the same.Chase had been accidentally forgotten about in the midst of his father having ‘better’ things to do, whereas Pip had been heartlessly, shamelessly abandoned on the family doorstep.
Ford raked a hand through his hair, clearly troubled.“Wynna told me she was gonna pick him up, but she weren’t in no state to drive.I took her, but she didn’t say a word the entire drive.”No doubt his mother had been plotting her next step, busy spinning wheels and juggling consequences.“When we got there, Pip was distraught.He was sobbing, then your mam started, and it was a mess.I took her to work, left Pip playing with some younger kids we’d rescued recently, and made her tell me everything.I got the story about how she’d not long got off the phone to Hana before the maid called.Your mam was raging that Hana hadn’t said a word about Pip being alone, like she’d already forgotten him,” Ford explained, shaking his head at the sorry state of affairs.
Chase could feel his eyes welling up, his heart hurting for Pip, who had never done anything to deserve this.“Since Hana’s made it clear she doesn’t want her own son, what about Patrik?”He should be asking his mother about this, but after what Ford had just said, he didn’t want to upset her.
“He’s claiming that without the bond with Hana, he can’t keep his job, which means he’ll lose his apartment and can’t afford to raise a child with Pip’s ‘needs’.”Ford even used air-quotes.
“Fucking Azrah, all he ‘needs’ is to be loved!”
Ford stood and crossed to Chase, crouching in front of him.“Breathe, meda.Ain’t no point you breaking apart.The monster’s ours now and he’ll be safe.”
The first tear fought past his defences, but Ford wiped it away.
“I can’t?” He stopped, because there was no point saying that he couldn’t understand what the fuck Hana was thinking, because she clearlywasn’tthinking about anyone but herself.“What the fuck is wrong with my family?”
Ford laughed, swiping a thumb under Chase’s eye.“Too much money and power, but not enough love.Thank fuck you came out good.”
Chase rolled his eyes, not surprised that Ford would be charming when he was at his most broken.He was about to thank Ford for not caring about his family name, for never judging him based on what his family had done, when the front door opened, letting in a cacophony of noise.
“You were quick.”Ford stood, seamlessly hiding Chase from view so he could swipe at his eyes.
Xavier ushered Pip inside.“A neighbour gave us a lift to the library.Then I just had to drop my paperwork in the office and they drove us back.Turns out they were returning a book!”
Chase smiled at the good fortune and perfect timing, then tapped Ford’s leg so he could step aside.He walked towards the sofa and patted a space for Pip to sit with him.
“Tauri!”he cried out with excitement, shoving a book towards Ford.
Lucky had the cheek to laugh, a startled but lovely sound, while Chase processed why the fuck Pip was calling Ford ‘father’.He really had to have a word with his mother about teaching Pip the old language, though he supposed it might be a good thing, since not many people would remember what it meant.
“What’cha got?”Ford flashed a knowing smirk, making it clear he’d encouraged Pip.
“Look whatImsegave me.He said I should have a present for being so good.”
Lucky blushed, clearly embarrassed by the nickname and the admission of how he'd already started spoiling Pip.
“It was in the bargain bin, because it’s dented in the corner,” Xavier mentioned, tutting in disapproval.“That’s a perfectly good book on dinosaurs, right, Pip?”
Pip nodded emphatically, so pleased about a single book.Fucking Azrah, Chase’s brain had stalled on the ‘imse’, and even Ford frowned.
“He, um, told me that he’d learned a new word and?” Lucky stood there, rubbing at his chest, like the word hurt in the best way.“He said that when Wynna told him what it meant, it was perfect to describe me.Alphas gave the name to Omha after the Battle of Omha.It means ‘my protector’.”
Ford asked Pip to ‘help’ Xavier in the kitchen and shut the door, handing Lucky a tissue from the coffee table.“Xavier will distract Pip by showing him how to make an ice cream float.We’ve got twenty minutes before he loses patience, which means it’s time to get you both to sign these.”He removed a pile of papers from the coffee table, the familiar sight reminding Chase of the papers Ford had wanted him to sign the other night.He’d forgotten all about them.
Chase took the papers while Lucky moved to sit beside him on the sofa.
APPLICATION FOR PARENTAL GUARDIANSHIP
