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“How is that helping the situation?”
When I finally turn to face her, I see that she’s shooting daggers at me and I know she’s pissed off. I really don’t need this shit, but I really don’t need her to be pissed at me even more. “I need to get him to understand that there’s no opportunity here. He’s not going to get what he wants. He’s not getting shit from me, and he’s not getting his hands on those kids.”
“We need to call Maggie.”
“The fuck we do. If she finds out their father is around, she’ll have to make it her mission to reunite him with the kids. It’s all about next of kin shit in the system, and father trumps uncle any day.”
“Not a drugged out father.”
“Over a biker uncle with a bad temper and foul mouth? Bullshit, baby. I’m not willing to take that chance. Do you wanna lose the kids?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then I’m gonna do what I need to do to protect my family.”
The phone’s ringing as I enter through the garage door. I hear little feet pounding down the hall towards me.
“I’ll get it!” Roxy yells at the top of her lungs. Little man is hanging from her arm as she screeches around the corner.
“No,” I tell her as I reach around to grab the phone, but the little girl’s too quick as she snatches the phone before I can take it. “Roxy,” I warn. She has no business answering the phone. Who knows who’s gonna be on the other end. What kind of bottom feeder who’s trying to sell shit a kid doesn’t need? With her back facing me, she stays silent, completely ignoring me. Years of being ignored are what I have in my future, I know it.
“Yes,” her little voice answers whoever else is on the other end.
“Give me the phone,” I tell her only to have her put one finger up in the air, signaling for me to be quiet. What the fuck?
“Hi, Papa.”
The tension in my shoulders slacks. She got lucky that this time.
“Do you wanna talk to Goobie? He’s right here. Here, Goobie, say hi to Papa.”
“Rox, he doesn’t want to talk to the dog. Give me the phone.”
Her eyes fill with tears, lips starting to quiver. Jesus…
“Why?”
“Baby, let me talk to Papa, and if there’s time then he can have a chat with the dog, okay?” Nodding, she hands me the phone before trotting back down the hall to her room. “Hello.”
Chuckling floats from the receiver. “How you holding up, son?”
“Why ask a question when you already know the answer?”
“Fatherhood sounds good on you. That little girl has you wrapped around her pinky, and you fucking know it.”
“I know it. But the problem’s gonna be when she realizes it. She still has some fear with me, so as long as that sticks, I’m not playing a losing game.”
“It’ll happen soon enough,” he tells me, and I know he speaks the truth. “I wanted to make a quick call and see how everything’s going. See how the kids are. Any hiccups?”
“Kids are good. School’s good.”
“What aren’t you telling me, son?”
“When did you become a fucking mind reader, eh?”
More fucking chuckling. “Not a mind reader, just a parent. It doesn’t matter that I’ve been absent all these years. Once you become a parent, the intuition’s engrained within your bones. Is Ryder giving you problems? Jenni’s all right, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, everyone’s fine. The kids are good. But listen…” I step out of the kitchen, peeking down the hall to make sure little ears aren’t listening. “I had a visitor the other day at the shop. Guy called himself Rob Masters. He was all tweaked out and shit. Nasty fucker, but he said he was the kids’ father. He tried to get money from me, saying he would leave them alone if I paid him cash.”
