Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
DELPHI
I sit beside Theo as he sleeps, my mind going over Kruger’s words about us moving in with Hannibal.
I knew he cared about me, but I’m not exactly low maintenance.
If he wanted easy, he could have clicked his fingers and had a couple of girls lined up to bounce on his dick.
But caring about someone and loving them are not the same.
I have all those letters he wrote. I’ve read them so many times I can quote parts of them. I could feel the love he poured into each one, but it felt like it was for the younger version of me, who no longer existed.
Sure, he’s told me he loves me since then. But tonight, when he told me on the phone as he rushed back to us, was the first time I really believed it. And now, with his promise that we’d move to be with Theo, I didn’t just hear his declaration of love. I felt it.
I’m just not sure I trust it. Every time something good happens in my life, fate takes a big old shit on me. I’ve come so close to having everything and then having it torn away in the cruelest of ways to ever take things for granted. But that also makes me a little paranoid.
I rub my hands over my tired eyes. As if sitting beside a battered Theo isn’t enough proof that fate is a fickle fucking bitch.
I look up when there is a knock on the door.
It opens a little before a head peers in.
I blink, looking at the unfamiliar face.
She’s pretty, in a geeky sort of way that works for her.
A pair of black-framed glasses covers a set of large green eyes that give her an almost doll-like appearance, especially teamed with that alabaster skin and a dusting of freckles.
Her hair is a deep auburn color, and a riot of springy, untamable curls that make me think of that Disney princess who turns her family into bears.
“Hey, are you Delphi Anders?”
“That’s me.”
She smiles, pushing her glasses up her nose before nudging the door open. “I’m Greer Sanders. I’m with CPS.”
She walks closer, with her hand out, as I take her in.
She’s shorter than me, maybe around five-five, but she has curves for days.
She has the kind of body that would make a Playboy bunny weep.
But I can already see she either has no clue how to dress to flatter her shape, or she deliberately wears boxy clothes to hide it. Perhaps a little of both.
Right now, she’s wearing a chocolate-brown skirt that’s neither fitted nor flared.
It hits just below the knee, showing off clunky black loafers.
The jacket is the same shade of brown as the skirt and looks two sizes too big, making her shoulders look out of proportion.
The sleeves cover her hands and the buttons are done up to the top, showing a hint of a white blouse beneath it.
Where the heck did Mac run into Greer? She doesn’t look like the kind of girl he’d find down at the strip club.
I stand up and take the hand she offers me. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too. Wish it was under better circumstances.” She glances over at Theo, her face flashing with anger for a moment before she masks it. “You mind if I sit?”
“No, please do.”
She grabs one of the empty chairs and drags it closer to me. “Mac told me a little about what’s going on.”
I nod, not sure exactly what Mac told her. Shit like this would have been useful to know. I’m gonna strangle the fucker when I see him.
“What did he say?” I hedge, not wanting to give too much away.
She looks at me and I can tell in one glance that she can sniff through bullshit like a dog. I won’t do any of us any favors if I treat her like she’s dumb.
“That the stepdad did this. That they’re out looking for his mom, who as of right now, is still MIA.” She leans a little closer. “That he called you mom tonight, and he meant it. Those were Mac’s words. Kids like us don’t trust easily. It’s not in our nature. But he clearly trusts you.”
“Us?”
“Huh?”
“You said ‘kids like us.’”
“Oh, yeah. I was a foster kid. I saw the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. I swear nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to the depravity humans are capable of.”
“Tell me about it,” I mutter, thinking about Theo’s stepdad, before my thoughts drift to Lee.
“I’ve seen the good in people, too. People who step up when they have nothing to gain. People who stand in front of the danger because they know how important it is to the person they’re protecting to have a shield.”
I look at Theo and swallow. “He’s just a boy. Someone has to look out for him. How the hell can he grow up to be a good man, one who breaks the cycle, if nobody is willing to show him a different way?”
“And this is why I think you’ll be a great foster parent.”
That stops me in my tracks. “Wait, really?”
“Yes, really. Mac mentioned viewing your house, which I’ll need to do as a formality before I sign off on this. I also need to give a reasonable amount of time for Mom to appear. You have the paperwork showing you’ve done the necessary courses and have had the checks needed?”
“Yes, I can have them sent over.”
“Excellent. Now, tell me a bit more about yourself and Kruger.”
And so I do. She’s surprisingly easy to talk to. So much so, I find myself spilling shit I really shouldn’t have.
I grimace. “Nothing I’ve said will—”
She shakes her head. “We’re on the same side.
I want what’s best for Theo, and so do you, so we have a common goal.
From what I can tell, you’ve had your own traumas to deal with, and you haven’t let them fill you with resentment or turn you bitter.
That makes you not just a great role model, but a relatable one. ”
“That might just be the nicest thing anyone has said to me.”
She grins as there is a knock at the door. Havoc sticks his head around. His eyes find mine, and I can read the question in them.
I nod that I’m okay before he looks at Greer.
“We found Diane, Theo’s birth mom.”
I bite my lip when he says this, knowing he said it for a reason. Who would have thought the beast of a man would worm his way under my skin?
“Oh, good. Where can I find her?” Greer asks.
“She’s on her way in, but I’m not sure you’ll be able to talk to her.
My tech guy tracked her to a local dealer’s place.
I sent a couple of prospects to pick her up, but they found her passed out and foaming at the mouth, so they called an ambulance.
I’d have let you know sooner, but the cops are trying to haul my guys in for being there, even though they might have just saved that woman’s life. ”
“I’ll talk to them, explain you were helping me track her down. Sorry, I’m Greer Sanders.” She gets to her feet and walks over to Havoc, offering her hand without flinching. And let me tell you, the man can be intimidating at the best of times.
“Havoc. President of the Raven Souls MC.”
“I know. You guys did a fun run last year. Some of the kids I look after use the center that you donated to, so thank you for that. It means a lot.”
He grunts and nods his head. “Welcome. Everything going okay in here? I mean, you can’t tell me you’re going to send Theo with an addict, right?”
“I’ll be placing Theo into Delphi and Kruger’s care, for now, until everything is dealt with.
I have to warn you, though, fostering can be hard.
You say goodbye to every kid you fall in love with, and it will break your heart over and over again,” she tells me softly, the warning clear in her voice.
“Then what’s the point in doing it?” Havoc snaps.
She looks at him calmly before smiling. “Because while they’re breaking your heart, you’re healing theirs.”
He snaps his mouth closed before his eyes drift to mine.
I don’t say anything, understanding what Greer is saying.
But there won’t be a time in my life when I can just let Theo go.
Not now. No matter what happens, he’ll always have a seat at our table and a space in my heart.
I’m just not wired to treat him like a stepping stone before moving on to the next kid.
I don’t want to look back in years to come and see a trail of kids I left behind.
I want them to know I stand beside them always.
And now I’m thinking about fostering more kids already. I shake my head at myself as Greer leaves to check on the arrival of Theo’s mom.
Once she’s gone, I move closer to Havoc so I can lower my voice. “What’s the part you didn’t say?”
He sighs. “Club business, Delphi. You know that.”
“That boy there is mine. I don’t give a flying fuck what anyone else says.
You found your family.” I poke the patch on his chest, declaring him president, before turning to point at Theo.
“And I found mine. Keeping stuff from me when it’s about Theo or me will put us right back to square one.
I’m trying so fucking hard to trust you all, but with this, I won’t bend, Havoc. You wouldn’t either if he were yours.”
“You don’t get it, Delphi. He is mine. He’s mine because you are. All the old ladies and brothers are mine. That means I’ll protect you with my dying breath, even if that protection comes in the form of keeping secrets. You can’t get incriminated for something you have no idea about.”
“Grrr, you make it really hard to hate you, you know?”
“Thanks,” he drawls.
“I get what you’re saying. I do, and I can respect that. But if you think I have questions, then you better believe Theo will have them. And I can’t navigate that being left in the dark.”
He grits his teeth, looking for a minute like he might strangle me, before he sighs and gives in. “You don’t say anything to the other old ladies. They don’t need to know the details.”
“I promise.”
He leans down so his mouth is next to my ear. “G did track her down, but she wasn’t unconscious. She was fucking her dealer and his cronies to earn her next bag.”
“Okay, so how…” my voice drifts off as it connects the dots.