Chapter 4 #2
“Don’t call me a liar, then,” I volley back in the same tone.
“I had no clue. I took the money. I’m not proud.
But it was leave Samantha alone or watch my dad lose another job and probably not be able to get hired somewhere else—if what your dad was saying was true.
So I thought I might as well get something out of it.
I left town the next day. And come to think of it, your sister never reached out to me. Not once.”
“She thought…” Camryn looks away and doesn’t say anything for several long moments. “We believed him.”
“Easy to do, huh? When you’re fucking a guy from the wrong side of town. As far as I knew, I was nothing more than a little walk on the wild side for your sister. And she obviously thought the same thing if she never tried to call me.”
Camryn’s head is tilted toward her lap as she picks at her fingernails.
“He needed her to hate you,” she whispers, then looks up at me.
“If Sam didn’t hate you, he knew she would run to you.
” She scrubs both hands over her face. “God, we were so stupid. Why the hell would we believe anything that ever came out of that man’s mouth?
Power and control were all he cared about. That’s all he still cares about.”
Camryn shakes her head and stares off into the distance. I don’t know her well enough to guess what she might be thinking, but there’s a sad look in her eyes, and as much as she pisses me off, I hate seeing it.
“He has no control, Camryn. He doesn’t get a say in what happens with Sydney anymore,” I tell her.
Her gaze snaps to me. “And you do? You’ve known her for three seconds.
” The venom is back in her voice, and once again, that Fuller entitlement is bleeding from her.
“I’m the one who helped raise her. I’m the one who made sure she had everything she needed for school, who made sure she had a safe place to go.
I’m the one who made sure she knows what an amazing and wonderful person she is.
How smart she is, how she’ll make something of herself, that I will always be in her corner.
And what? You’re going to take her from me?
Take the only stability she’s ever known from her? ”
“She’s not yours to take from you,” I bite out.
And no, I would never dream of taking anything from Sydney, but just because Camryn’s last name is Fuller doesn’t mean she gets to run the show. It doesn’t mean she gets to make the decision.
“Jesus, you’re more like your father than you give him credit for. In case you haven’t noticed, you aren’t in charge here,” I say, looking pointedly at Freya. “I have the law on my side.”
“Barrett, I’m going to ask you again to tighten it up,” Freya says.
“Family law isn’t black and white. Sydney gets a say in all of this, too.
The last thing you should be doing is alienating the person who, in Camryn’s words, has provided her with a stable homelife.
The courts will take that into account, especially considering Sydney’s age. ”
“Can I take her back to New York?” Camryn asks.
“Absolutely not!” She isn’t taking my daughter.
Freya looks at me, then at Camryn. “Technically, yes. Paternity hasn’t been established, and Sydney has been in your care.
I’m assuming there was no will in place to establish custody?
” Camryn shakes her head. “Then no one can stop you. But I will say this: there’s a lot the courts are going to look at.
When paternity is established, it’s going to look better if you and Barrett were trying to come to an agreement before this goes before a judge.
And you leaving isn’t going to accomplish that. ”
“What if…what if someone else was going to sue for custody? Someone other than me, someone with a lot of money.”
I don’t like the fucking sound of that. “Who?”
“My father wants Sydney to live with them. That’s why she ran. She overheard the conversation and got scared I’d leave her there.”
“Why would she think that? Maybe your relationship isn’t as close as you’re trying to make me believe.” My tone is accusatory, and I don’t give a flying fuck.
“Going too far, brother,” Ozzy says from behind me.
“First of all, fuck you,” Camryn spits out.
“And second, oh, I don’t know, maybe it’s the fact that she had just lost her mom and wasn’t in her right mind.
Maybe being thrown into my father’s world for even a fraction of the amount of time I’ve spent there had her reeling.
She had no clue who my parents were, and the stories she heard weren’t great.
Unfortunately, she got a taste of why my sister kept her away from them. ”
“This is exactly what I’m talking about.
You two can’t be at each other’s throats, especially if what you’re saying is true.
You want that girl out there pulled in three different directions?
If your father inserts himself into a custody case and you two bring this energy to court, it will be an uphill battle,” Freya says.
“Look,” Ozzy says. “Camryn, I know you don’t know the first thing about this club.
And what you know about MCs might scare you off.
But family means more to us than anything.
If your father is trying to make Sydney do something she doesn’t want to, then we will protect her.
We have the means and the bank account to go up against any threat against her. Can you say the same thing?”
I look at Camryn who is chewing her lip, considering her options. She’s backed into a corner, and she knows it.
“If you can promise me that my father will never get his hands on her, then I’ll agree to work together.
But I’m not going anywhere. I won’t leave Syd with people she doesn’t know and certainly doesn’t trust. I’ll support you getting custody, but you won’t be getting rid of me.
If Syd stays, then I stay,” she firmly states.
“You can do whatever you want, but Sydney is absolutely staying,” I inform her.
“Barrett, that’s enough. She’s your kid’s aunt, which means she’s family, too,” Ozzy says in that voice that leaves no room for argument. “I’m not about to rip that girl’s aunt from her. Are you?”
Ozzy’s right. And if I want to get to know my daughter, then I’m going to have to accept that Camryn is part of this new picture, too. “No,” I grit out through a clenched jaw.
Freya smiles at the both of us. “It’s settled then.” She turns her attention to me. “I’ll make an appointment for Monday to have samples taken from you and Sydney and get the paperwork together to file for custody as soon as the results are in.” Then she turns to Camryn. “Welcome to the family.”
Camryn gives her a nervous smile.
Well, isn’t this just fucking peachy.