Chapter Twenty-Eight
Tania sat in a hiddencorner of the common room and set aside the stack of paperwork Smokey and the others had given her.She’d chosen this corner so Carter wouldn’t see her and throw a fit.Now that she’s read the whole thing, even the parts she didn’t completely understand, she needed to think about it, to let it sink in for a few minutes.She had questions and would take them in to see the others in a moment.First, she needed to spend a little time with her son.She’d barely seen him since her breakdown earlier and she needed a Carter fix.
Cuddling with her baby would help her remember why she was doing this, why she didn’t just give up and walk away from everything.She stood, leaving the paperwork on the table, and made her way to the corner where Taylynn had found a big quilt and laid it out on the floor.Carter sat in the middle playing with a multicolored plastic ring toy Tania didn’t recognize.But then, they hadn’t been able to get any of his toys from the house, so she was glad they’d found anything he was able to play with.
“What do we have here?”Tania asked as she sat on the blanket beside her son.“Did Aunty Taylynn find you a toy?”She glanced at the other woman through her lashes, trying to gauge the other woman’s reaction.
“Aunty?”Taylynn asked after a moment.
Tania nodded.
“Raven is Smokey’s brother right?That makes him Carter’s uncle, all of the Angels are uncles now, and you’re an aunt.”
Taylynn opened her mouth, then closed it, as if she’d changed her mind about what she’d been about to say.
“I’d love that.”She looked back down at Carter, one hand drifting down to cup her belly.“But it means you’ll get to be aunty to this little one too.”
Warmth spread through Tania at the thought of having someone around to help when she wasn’t feeling good or when she was simply overwhelmed.
“Sounds good to me.”She leaned close to bump Taylynn’s shoulder with her own.“When’s the last time this little guy ate?”
“It’s been a while, but he doesn’t act hungry.I’ve been watching.”
“Has Smokey come back from the gym yet?”
Taylynn shook her head.“Haven’t seen him.Do you need him?We can send one of the guys to go get him.”
“No, I was just curious.This has been a lot.I’m sure he needs to work through some things in his head.but if you’re all right with him, I do need to go talk to Hawkeye and Dagger about a couple of things.”
“Go ahead.We’re fine.If he gets fussy, I’ll try to feed him, and if that’s not enough, I’ll go hunting for Smokey.I’ve got things handled here.Go do what you need to do.”Taylynn waved her away.
“Thanks,” she stood, went back to the table, snagged the paperwork she’d left there and headed down the hall.There was no one in the room where they’d met earlier, so she headed to what Smokey called the command center.The door there stood open.Pike and Hawkeye both sat in front of their computers, eyes glued to the screens.She knocked on the open door and waited.
Hawkeye glanced in her direction, then smiled.
“Come on in.Did you sign or do you have questions?”
“I have a couple of questions, then I’ll sign.”
“What do you need to know?”
“I understand there’s no way to get around the prenup.He gets a hundred thousand no matter what, but can we stipulate that what he’s already taken counts?”She hated the idea of having to give himmore.Especially since he’d already stolen more than he would be awarded.
Hawkeye blinked.“You’ve stumped me.I have no idea.”
She let shoulders droop and her head fall.She hadn’t realized how much she was hoping about the possibility.
“But I know who will know.Give me just a sec.”Hawkeye picked up his phone and hit a few buttons, a moment later she heard it ringing, as he’d put it on speaker.
