Chapter 50
Raiden
It’s been seven weeks since Andi gave birth to Izzy.
Every day, our sweet little girl grows bigger and stronger, making me wish for a pause button so we can savor her newborn stage just a little bit longer.
Her personality is becoming more prominent with every day that passes, and the first time she smiled at me felt like someone had plucked my heart from my chest and handed it to her on a silver platter.
Between her and Hudson, the guys and I are completely enamored.
A week after arriving home from the hospital, we celebrated our first Christmas as a family.
Watching Hudson rip apart the wrapping paper covering his presents, and the squeals that followed each new toy being revealed, will forever be embedded in my brain.
It’s my favorite memory to date, which makes me eager for the holidays we’ve yet to experience.
As Andi feared would happen, there was an adjustment period for Hudson.
He had a few meltdowns, but those could mostly be chalked up to not being able to vocalize his emotions.
We’ve been adamant about keeping up with the schedule we formed to ensure he isn’t feeling neglected.
Just last night, I took him to the indoor playground across town and for pizza afterward.
Our individual bonds with Hudson have grown stronger as a result, to the point he even calls us Da occasionally.
It makes me hopeful for a day it becomes instinctual.
As I pull into my assigned space in front of the old firehouse, I can’t help but ponder how quickly we could get the place sold so we aren’t forced to live in separate homes.
It’s unfair that we can’t all be together, all the time.
We take turns staying at my place with Andi and the kids, but I miss them terribly when I’m away.
I would imagine the others do as well. I don’t want to be absent for crucial milestones because of something as trivial as space.
Climbing out of my truck, I rock my neck from side to side, attempting to alleviate the tension I’ve been holding since I met with O’Connor earlier this morning.
A pool of dread has settled low in my stomach, but I have no plausible excuse to delay telling Andi what I discovered today.
I’ve been vacillating between rage and sorrow for hours now, and constantly delivering bad news to the woman you’re in love with is a special form of torture.
Andi has been wronged by far too many people who’ve claimed to love her, and this won’t be any different.
I wish more than anything that I had the ability to prevent it from happening, but aside from never telling her, there’s little I can do.
Ascending the front steps to my apartment, I take a deep, fortifying breath before pushing inside.
I’m met with chaos–the perfect, inexplicable kind.
Hudson and Briggs are chasing one another around the living room, toys scattered from one end to the other.
Dayton is making silly faces at Izzy in hopes of getting her to laugh, and Col and Andi are in the kitchen, attempting to make dinner in the midst of all the craziness happening around them.
I take a mental picture of the moment, storing it away for safekeeping.
Being careful of my steps through the minefield of plastic trucks and building blocks, I make my way to Andi.
Sliding my arms around her middle, I drop my chin to her shoulder, my nervous system finally regulating itself now that I have her in my arms. She spins around to face me, a massive grin forming as she loops her arms over my shoulders.
“Hey, you,” she tells me, her dichromatic eyes sparkling with happiness. It makes me sick that I have to be the one to eviscerate that. “We missed you today.”
“I definitely missed you guys more,” I respond playfully, but it’s the God’s honest truth.
If money weren’t a factor, I’d quit my job tomorrow.
Andi’s lips purse, her eyes doing a rapid scan of my face.
I thought I was doing a decent job of concealing my emotions, but I should’ve known she’d see right through me.
She twines her fingers with mine and tugs me towards the hallway, giving us a semblance of privacy.
“What’s going on?” she prods, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth.
“I need to tell you something, and I know it’s not fair of me to ask this, but can we discuss it after Hudson goes to bed?” I grimace, knowing her mind is likely taking her to some pretty dark places.
“That bad, huh?” she jokes, but her attempt at levity falls flat.
Squaring her shoulders, Andi pecks my cheek and leads us back to the others, her face showing no indication of the heavy moment we just shared.
Colsen gives me a sidelong glance as Andi rejoins him, but I avert my gaze to avoid any more scrutiny.
Dinner passes in a blur, and I’m sad to say that I barely taste the homemade bolognese sauce the two of them spent several hours perfecting.
My thoughts are too jumbled with what’s to come and how I should approach delivering such delicate news.
“Book,” Hudson voices, interrupting my inner turmoil.
I glance down to find the table has been cleared, and my son is holding a bedtime story that he’s expecting me to read.
I inhale roughly, pulling my shit together so my child isn’t left disappointed by my inability to compartmentalize.
Dayton scoops him off his feet so they can take care of bathtime first, so I head to his bedroom to wait.
I fold his covers back so he can climb straight in once he’s finished, then dim the lights.
It doesn’t take long for the pad of his feet to reach my ears, forcing a smile to my lips.
“Da!” he squeals, racing towards me. I catch him easily, blowing a raspberry against his neck and soaking in the sound of his giggles.
I place him on the bed, then slide in beside him and lean my back against the headboard.
It’s a tight fit, but we make it work. For the next twenty minutes, I read from the book Hudson picked out, stroking my hand up and down his back as his eyes start to grow heavy.
On the fourth reread, he finally succumbs to sleep.
I tuck his covers around him, placing a kiss to the top of his head.
Exiting as quietly as possible, I leave the door cracked so the hallway light illuminates his room just enough that if he happens to wake in the middle of the night, it won’t be completely dark.
Knowing I can’t procrastinate any longer, I head towards the living room.
The guys are already there, Col and Dayton seated on the couch while Briggs is sprawled across the floor.
Andi joins us a second later, adjusting her top after feeding Izzy and laying her down in the bassinet.
I prop myself against the kitchen island, so I’m facing the entire room.
As if sensing that what I have to say is going to be yet another blow to the fortress Andi has built to protect herself from any more heartache, Dayton places her on his lap, his hold protective.
“Okay, I think I’m ready,” she voices wearily. I hate the way her shoulders slump, like the emotional aspect of what’s to come is already taking a toll on her. “Say what you need to, Raiden.” I flinch from how detached she sounds.
“Your parents were found,” I respond, speaking every word with slow precision. Andi’s forehead scrunches, her head tilting as confusion contorts her face.
“Okay?” Her tone is calm and even, not the least bit concerned.
“I’ve always assumed that Kennedy killed them, so I expected their graves to be found at some point.
I accepted they were gone years ago, Raiden.
I didn’t mourn them then, and I have no reason to mourn them now.
” That might sound callous to a stranger, but every bit of ire that Andi has for Danny and Prissy Adams was hard-earned.
Sadly, it’s not as simple as recovering their skeletal remains.
“They’re alive, minha luz,” I confess quietly, my chest squeezing painfully at the shock that renders her speechless.
Briggs swears beneath his breath, dragging a hand through the tangled mess of his hair.
Col intertwines his hand with Andi’s, and Dayton tightens his arm around her middle, remaining a solid force behind her.
“I don’t understand…” she trails off, her gaze taking on a faraway look as her mind tries to piece together the jagged puzzle of her past.
“They went through a roadblock in Galveston, Texas. Their registration had expired two years prior. Prissy threw a fit and assaulted an officer, which resulted in them both being arrested after your father tried to intervene. One of the admin clerks recognized their names from a blog post that had done a deep dive on the case. She phoned the precinct earlier this morning. A warrant has been issued for their arrest in the state of Mississippi, and a U.S. Marshall is currently en route to bring them in.” Silence greets me, not that I expected anything less.
“Ya know, over the years, every time I’d thought they couldn’t possibly be any shittier than they already were, they somehow managed to outdo themselves.
Even now, they’ve clawed their way free of a metaphorical grave and successfully topped their most heinous acts to date.
And they once left me at a truck stop in Albuquerque.
It took them six hours to realize they’d forgotten me. ”
“Fucking hell,” Dayton grumbles, pressing his lips to the back of Andi’s head.
“They’ll do time, right?” Briggs grits out.
“I fucking hope so.” I exhale raggedly. “I’d imagine they’re looking at a combination of child abandonment, neglect, and endangerment. Possibly trafficking if they can prove that Danny and Prissy brought Andi to Veritas with the sole intent of receiving something in return.”