Chapter 21 Maggie
MAGGIE
I stood in the small living room, waiting.
How many times before had I waited in the same spot?
The walls had seen a few coats of paint since I was a teenager and Tess, my foster mom, had the carpet replaced with laminate flooring the year I got married.
Still, there were plenty of rugs to give the room that cozy feel.
As I stood there, I took several deep breaths.
The air, still thick with Hayden’s temper tantrum, slowly cleared as I listened to the murmur of Theo’s voice from the kitchen.
Harry stood near the fireplace, silent and watchful.
His nod assured me that he approved of the conversation happening in the other room.
Tess appeared from the hallway and offered me a quick, concerned hug. “Morning, Sweetheart.” She turned to her husband and the two of them did that silent conversation I’d seen them do so many times over the years. My mom turned back to me. “I’ll get Jaycee up and start packing their things.”
“Thanks, Mom.” All of us toggled between calling her mom and Tess. Mostly because we knew our moms before they were killed. Harry was easier. He was the only dad we knew.
I turned my focus back to the kitchen in time to watch Hayden walking out, lip nearly on the floor. “Sorry Mama. I don’t hate you.”
“I know you don’t, little man.” I pulled him into my arms and held him tight. “But words have power. Sometimes more power than our fists.”
He rested his head against my torso. “I’m sorry I hurt your feelings.”
With that I kissed the top of his head and looked over at the man who was determined to be my partner in everything.
In one conversation, he had gone from a fun uncle who would build model earthquakes and have unicorn tea parties, to a man who understood what it meant to be a dad.
A real one, who was there even through the tough times.
Something told me his Little Pop-Tart would never receive a lecture like that though.
“Ethan.” Theo looked over at my nephew. “I just spoke to your mom, she’s happy for you to spend the day with us if you want.”
Ethan’s turquoise eyes lit up. “Can we spend it at the pool?”
“Whatever you guys want as long as there is always an adult around.” When both boys smiled and pumped the air, Theo narrowed his eyes. “And Zoe and Connor are not adults.”
Both boys' shoulders sagged in comical unison.
“Unca Feo? Mama?” My little girl’s soft voice came from the hallway entrance. “I thought it was the weekend.”
Theo walked directly over to her and picked her up. “Morning Pop-Tart, did you sleep well?”
“Not enough.” She frowned and rested her head on his shoulder.
Yeah, I would pay money to see how a stern lecture from him to her would go. I wasn’t sure who would feel worse.
Theo placed his hand on her back. “You can sleep in the car on the way home.”
It didn’t take us long to herd all three children out the door. As I picked up the kids’ overnight bags, I caught Harry’s eye. He stood at the archway to the kitchen, arms crossed over his chest, watching Theo carrying a sleepy Jaycee while he led the boys out.
He never said a word, he didn’t need to. Instead, he offered me another single nod. Approval or permission I wasn’t sure. But I knew he wouldn’t be giving Theo and me a hard time in the future.
I smiled at the man who was the only father I knew and followed the boys out to the driveway. The sight of the car had both boys stopping.
“Whoa.” Ethan’s voice was full of awe while Hayden just stared with his mouth open. “My mom’s driven one of those before. It’s armored right, Uncle Theo? My dad says it has extra protection.”
Theo nodded before he opened the door and placed Jaycee into her booster seat. “Yip. We’ll be using it for the next few weeks.”
With Jaycee’s seat in the middle, both boys took a widow seat.
Hayden finally found his voice. “Does it have cool buttons, like in the movies?”
“I don’t know about the movies.” Theo opened my door and took the bags from me. “But the buttons can do some cool things. Not that we will be testing any of it while we drive across town.”
As we drove off, I was fully aware of the reason we needed the SUV and the fact that Fred was out there. He was desperate, alone, and wanted revenge. Harry once told me when I first left Fred, that a man with nothing to lose was only marginally less dangerous than one who had everything to lose.
The drive back to Theo’s house was quiet. Jaycee was drooling onto the padding of her car seat. Both boys chatted about what they would get up to first when we got home. Theo was silent, fingers drumming on the steering wheel as he kept his focus on the road.
My timing may have been less than convenient, but as I sat in the car, something inside me lightened.
For years, the weight of being the only parent felt like a boulder on my chest. As I watched Theo check on the boys in his rear view mirror while occasionally answering their questions, I realized that I was no longer alone.
Theo was a capable and steady force I could rely on.
He gave me the room to be a lenient parent from time to time.
I didn’t realize how much I needed that until I listened to him and Hayden in the kitchen earlier.
As we pulled up to those black wrought iron gates, our new reality crashed into me. While Theo’s home already had a state of the art security system, the uniformed security guards were new. Two stood at the gate waiting for us.
“What’s going on?” Hayden’s voice was cautious as he leaned forward.
Theo of course did not miss a beat. “I am just improving security for a little while. I want to make sure everyone I love is safe. And I also want to test all the safety measures I’ve put in place. You can help me.”
Ethan also leaned forward. “If there’s an emergency?”
“Can we call a code red?” Hayden added.
Theo smiled as he looked over his shoulder at the two of them. “Actually, a code red is when someone who doesn’t belong here is in the house. For now, we’re all the good-guys. So, it's code blue.”
Oh, good. My kids would be hypervigilant security experts before the end of the summer. Well, one of them, at least. Something told me Jaycee wouldn’t notice anything beyond more people to invite to her tea parties.
One of the security guards handed Theo a key card. “You’ll need this to get into the house along with the nine digit code sent to your phone when you tap it against the security pad over there.”
Theo tapped the key card and the gates opened as expected. “I’ll need to get you one of these. Our gate remotes have been disabled for the moment.”
I nodded, deadpanned. “Yippee.”
Fucking Fred. Because of him, my kids needed to live in a cage. Because of him Theo needed secure protocols to enter his own home. Theo explained to the boys that everything would be to keep everyone safe. That even Connor and Zoe were to follow the new security rules. At least, for a little while.
“Boys.” Theo looked in the rearview mirror. “Get the bags out of the trunk.” Then he turned to me. “Don’t move. I’ll get your door before I get Jaycee out of her seat.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m a sure thing, Theo. You can stop the wooing.”
“You think I’m going to stop after one date and a fancy party?” The corners of his mouth barely lifted as he climbed out and rounded the hood. He opened my door with the sexiest smirk. “Love, you wanted wooing, you’ll get it for the rest of your life.”
I tried not to let his words affect me. I wondered if he understood what he said, or at least implied.
Zoe and Connor were at the door when we stepped inside.
“Firstly.” Connor darted his eyes between the two of us. “The two of you need to make less noise if you’re going to continue to share a room. Also, Hunter told us what happened.”
Hunter lived on the property and would have overseen all the security improvements that happened over the last few hours.
Then it occurred to me what he said and my face heated. “Fuck. Sorry. Shit. I didn’t know you were home.”
“I made curfew.” Connor answered. “I think I got in just after you two.”
Zoe motioned over to Jaycee sleeping on Theo’s shoulder. “Let me take her. She can nap in my room, while the boys move everything across from the east wing. Hayden, why don’t you pick your room first.”
My son smiled at his cousin. “Wanna help.”
“Sure.” Ethan’s response was swift as the two boys rushed up the stairs.
I frowned, darting my eyes between everyone. “What is happening?”
“If you think after last night, we’re still doing this separate living thing, you’re mistaken.” Theo pulled me closer to him. “We’re doing this as a family. Together.”
Hours later once we’d moved everything and I’d made arrangements to fetch the rest of our stuff from Forte Femme, I found myself at the kitchen counter, looking over The Reverse Cowgirl’s monthly expenses.
Looking at the clock, I figured both Theo and I could use a break. I took a bottle of water for each of us from the fridge and two more store-bought muffins from the pantry.
When I walked into his office it was clear he’d been tugging at his hair as he stared daggers at his laptop screen.
“Hey.” I smiled at him. “You look like you could use a break.”
He let out a long breath as he took the water and muffin from me. “Thanks. I’m trying to justify some things and nothing seems to be working.”
“Talk to me.” I may not have been a CEO of a Fortune-500 company but I knew how to turn a profit. “What’s going on?”
“I want to sell the company.” He looked torn as he stared at me. “I know Tiff doesn’t want any part of my father’s business, but it is twenty percent hers. Same with Cat. And I do need to secure Zoe and Connor’s future, too. But filling in for my father was never what I wanted to do.”
I knew that. He wanted to be a cop. And despite everything, he had managed to find a way to work in that field. But I also knew that having to do what his father did weighed heavily on him.
I twisted my mouth. “Let me see.”
He pulled me onto his lap and turned his screen to give me a better view.
I looked at the numbers and wow. I had never seen so many digits in front of the decimal before.
Each and every division of the company was thriving.
He may have wanted to be a cop but his skills as a businessman were undisputed.
I scrolled through the spreadsheets in front of me, looking at how profits had increased over the last few years. The answer was simple.
“Theo, sell off the weapons distribution division.” I tilted my head, still in awe of how the man had grown the company in just the few years I had access to.
“That’s the part your father built and anyone can see that short of gross mismanagement, it will continue to be profitable for years to come. ”
He let out a long breath. “What about Connor and Zoe’s future? What if Tiff and Cat decide they want their share.”
“Theo.” I blinked at him. “If you and your siblings cannot live off the profits of the sale and keep the Protection Gear division, then you have no financial sense at all. That will be enough money for all of you to live off comfortably for the rest of your life.”
He continued to stare at the screen. “I know you’re right. I just worry.”
“If you want you can maintain a share—”
“No.” He shifted me on his lap. I could tell he needed to get more comfortable. “I’ll sell.”
I smiled, happy that I could be a sounding board for him. “Well, since you’ll be coming into some money soon, I’ll sell you a share of the bar. I’ll definitely keep a controlling share, but yes, I could use the investment.”
He moved my leg so I straddled his hips. The move erased any modicum of propriety between us. He moved his finger under my jaw. “Deal.”
His hands laced into my hair as he brought his mouth to mine. I met his mouth with a hunger that tasted like ambition and certainty. This kiss wasn’t like the others, it tasted like freedom.