CHAPTER EIGHT #2
“I was thinking about having Landry as her middle name, if it’s okay with you.” Brody’s full name is Brody Landry Jackson, and I wanted to somehow honor everything he has sacrificed in taking us in and making sure we are protected.
The smile spreads across his face and I’m concerned he’ll split in half if he keeps it up.
“Halo Landry. I love it, Sadie, thank you.”
We sit there in comfortable silence, just watching her sleep. I didn’t think you could love something so small so fast but I do.
I can’t fight the sleep as I doze off, but Brody is right there to lift her up as he cradles her to his naked chest, wanting to continue with the bonding the nurse said was important for both parents.
“Brody,” I sleepily say getting his attention. “You may not be her father by blood and if something were to ever happen and this situation were to change, I still would want you to be in our lives.” He nods, patting Halo gently on her diaper.
“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away from either of you now. No matter where this life takes us, you will always be a part of my life at any capacity.”
“I know when we leave here her birth certificate will say that you are the father and it will be a fake document, but I really and truly want you to be her Godfather.”
“Oh, Saylor.” I gasp as he uses my real name. “I’d be honor to have such a title.” He leans down and kisses the top of her pink beanie. “Get some sleep before your next feeding, Momma Bear.”
Brody
I lean back in the lounge chair as little Halo Landry quietly sleeps on my chest. Never in my life did I think I’d end up like this.
Looking down at this precious baby girl makes me think that having a family is just what I need in my life.
Halo and Sadie have become my whole world in such a short amount of time, and I’m not focused on the task I was given.
When I received that call from my Uncle Burt, I almost said no.
I hadn’t seen him in almost three years since my Aunt Genie passed away, but we spoke regularly.
They were never able to have children so they more than latched on to me when the time came.
They were the last of my family, since I lost my parents towards the end of my senior year in high school.
I stayed with them in Los Angeles until I graduated, then shipped off to the Marines the day after I walked across that stage.
Uncle Burt always supported me in any venture, and even helped get me with some contacts when my patent for my scope and glasses came through. He and my dad were close.
The call I received a few months back rocked my world.
It was his secretary, Judy, calling to say that Uncle Burt had a massive heart attack in court and they weren’t able to revive him.
He was the last of my family, and that was a tough realization.
I flew over to Los Angeles to handle the funeral arrangements, but told Sadie that I had a business meeting for a potential company wanting to license my goggles.
I hated lying but I didn’t want to upset her.
We’d just gotten her out of her depression and I didn’t want her to relapse or set her off again.
I was in Los Angeles for two days, then flew back as soon as I could.
I hated being away from Sadie and it was then that I realized that I was alone, and the only person I had left was her and the little jellybean she was carrying.
I’d read up on Levi Thorne, his entire file and the one I was able to obtain through my contacts, not to mention watching the videos of the restaurant was horrifying.
Uncle Burt brought me up to date on Thorne being one of the many who was sucked into the web of Blaire Hutchins, who was caught as the leader of a prostitution ring.
My uncle also told me that Levi had become just like Blaire, in following her into becoming one of her clients, but from the files I thank my lucky stars I was able to get Sadie away from that asshole.
If he could throw something so wonderful and perfect away then he didn’t deserve to have them.
He was still in a coma when I was there handling everything.
None of my uncle’s colleagues mentioned any pending cases, so I know Sadie is safe now.
My uncle always had a backup plan for everything, and he told me that this was one time he didn’t want anyone to know about securing her away.
She is now my responsibility, and I plan on keeping her and this precious little one safe and hidden.
A month later, I got another call from Uncle Burt’s estate attorney, wanting to have a sit down to go over the will and his assets.
I left once again telling another lie, but I did promise this was the last time I’d leave her alone until the baby was born.
When I arrived at the attorney’s office, we spent three hours going over his estate and signing over all of his accounts and properties to me.
When I was leaving the office, I was approached by two bulky men wanting me to come with them for a chat with their boss.
“What’s all this about?” I question as we exit the SUV and walk into the hospital.
“You’ll see,” one of them says, and guides me into a conference room.
I sit there for at least twenty minutes before the doors open and a nurse wheels in a man. The closer he gets, the more that I recognize him.
“Mitch? Mitch Howard, is that you?” I ask in disbelief. He doesn’t look anything like himself. He’s lost a lot of body mass and has thick, angry red marks across his cheeks, and looks nothing like that last time I saw him.
“Brody Jackson. It’s good to see you brother,” he greets, and I stand to welcome him. We shake hands and I feel the hard grip from it.
Mitch Howard and I go way back. We were Marines together when I first joined, and he was on his way out of the service many years ago.
“Man, what happened to you?” I ask. Was he in a car wreck?
“I had an accident a few months ago but I’m recovering,” he admits. “But that’s not why I’ve called you here.”
“Okay, what can I do for you? I’m not in the military anymore, if that’s what you need. Got out over a year ago.”
“No, it has nothing to do with that. This has to do with your Uncle, the District Attorney,” he says, and I notice both men who escorted me in the hospital are still in the room.
“Uncle Burt? He passed away a month ago. I came here to finalize his estate,” I tell him. Where is this interrogation going?
“My boss’s wife was taken and put into hiding by Mr. Buttons and we were wondering if you’d know anything about it,” Mitch implores.
Then, it hits me like a ton of bricks. Thorne’s file.
Mitch’s name never registered that it was him who is his head of security.
In the service, we address everyone by their last name and he left five years before I did.
He’s looking for Sadie and the baby. Is it safe to tell Mitch about them?
Could this be a trap and I’m leaving the door wide open for the fox to get into the hen house?
My hen house. Uncle Burt said that no one knew about his move to secure Sadie.
Am I putting her in danger if I mention this to Mitch? Can I even trust him?
I’m about to answer when my phone goes off on the table and the sound fills the room. Looking down, I see Sadie is calling me. Peeking up, I watch as Mitch sees the name across the screen.
“Excuse me for a second,” I say, and place the phone to my ear and discreetly turn the volume down. “Hey Momma Bear,” I use her endearment and receive a light giggle, making me smile.
“Sorry to bother you but can you bring home those chocolates like last time you were there? I can’t stop thinking about them and the baby wants them too!”
I snort, remembering her inhaling them in one sitting. I should get double this time around.
“Yes, dear. Is everything alright? You feeling okay today?” I question and look over at Mitch, who is eyeing me. I hold a finger up, telling him I’ll explain in a minute.
“Everything is perfect, but Zeus has barricaded the doors and won’t let anyone in the house. Oh, and can you pick up some ice cream on your way in driving through town. I’ll be done by the time you get home.”
“Really? You had two pints when I left.”
“I shared with Zeus,” she whines her explanation.
“Alright Sadie, I’ll see you tonight.”
“You’re the best!” I hear her squeal and tell, who I’m presuming is Zeus, that I’m getting her requests.
It’s the little things like this that makes me happy.
It’s why I’m more than determined to keep her and the baby safe.
I can’t even imagine a life without her in it, so I decide right there that I’m keeping the cover that was established all those months ago.
We hang up and I return the phone back to the table.
“Got a woman?” Mitch smirks. He only knew me as a love‘em and leave‘em type in the military.
“Oh yeah.” I hold up my wedding band and Mitch looks shocked.
“When did this happen? The Brody Jackson I once knew would never settle down.”
“Until the right woman came along. We’ve been married three years, and have a little one on the way.”
I tap my phone and show him a safe photo of Sadie. She’s turned to the side that shows off her pregnant belly in a long flowy dress. She’s out in the backyard feeding the goats, and her hair is covering her face. She looks beautiful and Zeus is, of course, right next to her in the picture.
Mitch briefly examines the picture, then hands it back.
“Congrats, man. Never thought I’d see the day. Always thought you were a blonde man. When is she due?”
“Thanks, we’re due in almost two months.
It’s exciting but scary as shit.” I try to convey.
I don’t want to give anything away. Mitch was always good at determining when someone was bullshitting.
But I was trained just like him to pass any interrogation.
I’ve always had a thing for blondes and Sadie is the furthest there is.
“Sorry to hear about your Uncle, but he has something I need.” Mitch cuts back to business. He makes it sound as though Sadie is a possession instead of a person, further proving to me to keep quiet.
“I wish I could help you, Mitch, but I have no idea what he did as the DA,” I become just as serious. “I hadn’t seen him in a long time and we only spoke on the phone every so often.” I shrug. “Never was any of it about his work or anything like that.”
Mitch nods and sits back in his wheelchair.
“I need to find the boss’s wife. Your Uncle pulled some shady shit and he’s about to reign hell on all of LA and his family.”
“I wish I could help but I don’t know anything about what you’re talking about. Who’s your boss anyway?”
“Levi Thorne.”
“No, shit. The attorney from all the gossip articles.” I chuckle and so does Mitch. “I’m pretty sure everyone saw the video of them at that restaurant. Didn’t he ask her for a divorce or something?” I play dumb.
“Deep down he’s a good man but a little misguided at times.”
“Well, my Uncle kept records of everything, even when I lived with him and my Aunt. He had boxes of records for every little item that went on in his life. Maybe his office has some paperwork with a lead?” I suggest, knowing that this was probably the only time in my Uncle’s life he didn’t jot down his plans or have paperwork drawn up.
He wanted to make sure I wasn’t named in any of his business.
“I’m working on it as we speak, but you know all the red tape the government throws at you.”
I nod and check my watch.
“Sorry to cut this short but I’ve got some chocolates to collect for a very pregnant wife and a plane to catch.” I move to stand.
“Of course, Brody. Please contact me if you think of anything, or come across something of your Uncle’s.”
“You got it.”
We shake hands and I walk out of the room and out towards the exit. I dodged a bullet today, and hope that I won’t have to face him or his goons ever again.
I was determined when I got home to keep my focus on the task of keeping Sadie and the baby safe, but every day she chipped away at my focus.
She is the most fun, loving, sassy, cheerful, silly person I know.
She accepts everyone and is truly genuine when she meets them.
Everyone on the ranch fell in love with her within a day.
Especially, when she started baking and sharing all her desserts and treats with all the men.
It’s intoxicating and I’m finding myself falling for her every day.
I know it’s wrong, but the more time we act as a family the more the lines of fake and real are starting to get blurred for me.
When we go out in the town, we are a married couple who holds hands and orders for each other, and it’s the exact life I’ve always wanted for myself.
I know that this has heartache written all over it, but I can’t help the way she makes me feel.
I’m in deeper every day and now that little Halo is here, I can’t see the line in the sand anymore.
The door opens and our nurse come quietly in.
“I was just wanting to check on baby girl and Mommy before my shift ends,” Nurse Peggy says.
“They’re great. Sadie just wanted to rest for a bit.”
“That’s perfectly normal. Have you changed the little one’s diaper yet?” She asks.
I shake my head. She shows me on the diaper where the picture changed colors, indicating that Halo needs a new one.
After not waking her on three failed attempts, I finally mastered the diaper change and got her back on my chest. When I practiced on the dolls at the birthing class, it never said that as soon as air touched the baby’s skin she’d pee. Definitely wasn’t ready for that.
“When your wife wakes, she’s going to want a shower. You can call for a nurse to help, or do it yourself,” Nurse Peggy whispers, not wanting to wake either of my sleeping beauties.
“Okay, thanks.”
She leaves us alone to our quiet room. I finally turn off my brain and recline back in the chair, almost lying flat.
The smell of Halo is the perfect balm for relaxing.
Before long, I feel my eyes begin to droop.
I place a protective hand on Halo over the soft pink blanket I bought at the gift shop, then let my eyes close for a little while and dream of the life I’m going to have with this family, and how I’ll do anything to keep them.