Seven
Linc
Present Day
I opened the front door to the house and stood back so that Branwen and Stevie could enter. My eyes followed the little curly-headed blonde, unable to stop watching her. Now that I knew she was mine, it was all I wanted to do.
I’d never wanted another kid. Life with Maggie had been rough, and we managed to raise Levi, but the day he turned eighteen, she packed up and left us both. Took off to fucking Europe. I hadn’t expected it. As toxic as we had been together, she had been my wife. We’d made it through some bad times. She always forgave me for my mistakes and weak moments.
When she was gone, it was then that I realized I loved her. Not the way a woman wanted to be loved by her husband, but I did love her. I cared about her. I had to face all the shit I’d done to her over the years because I hadn’t been in love with her. Or obsessed with her. Or whatever the fuck a man needed to be to not want other pussy. The regret had been difficult. It caused me to withdraw and deal internally. She’d given me my son. For that, I owed her my life, and she had deserved my fidelity. Forgiving myself for the way I had treated her had been a long road. I wasn’t sure I ever had, if I was honest. Knowing Maggie was now happily married to a man who adored her helped though. I liked that she had what she’d deserved all along.
Blue eyes looked up at me. Levi had his mother’s hazel eyes. But my…daughter, she had mine. My chest felt tight as she smiled. I had another kid. A girl.
Jesus Christ, what had fate been thinking, giving me a daughter?
“I like yuwah castle.”
My lips tugged at the corners. “Thank you.”
Her brows puckered as she frowned. “Do you have a dwagon hewah?”
Had she said dragon, or was I misunderstanding her?
“No, Vivi Lu,” Branwen told her as she shook her head. “I told you in the car that this was just a house.”
She gave her mom a sheepish glance, then lifted her small shoulders in a shrug. “I was just makin’ suwah you was wight.”
“It’s were right , not was right ,” Branwen corrected her gently.
Luther cleared his throat, and I shifted my gaze from the two of them to see him standing in the arched entryway that led down the hall to my office.
He held a bottle of Corona in one hand as he studied Stevie before looking at me. “Stanz and Hoyt are here and waiting.”
Stanz and Hoyt were two of the lawyers who worked for the family. They handled all family issues within the firm. It was rare that I myself needed them, but being in charge of the Mississippi branch, I was always involved in the others’ legal issues, so I knew them both well.
“Where is Jayda?” I asked.
I wasn’t about to leave Luther to watch over and entertain my daughter. He wasn’t great with kids.
Jayda was our housecleaner and cook, who lived here six days a week. Sunday was her off day. We’d hired her two years ago when Maxine, who had been with us since I had taken over the Mississippi branch, retired. Maxine had brought Jayda in to meet us, and I was against it the second I got a look at her. Having an attractive young woman under our roof would only lead to her in one or both of our beds. Drama neither of us wanted at this age.
That was, until we found out that Jayda wouldn’t be angling to get fucked by us or any other man. Her girlfriend, Beth, stayed the night here often. They had been together for five years.
Luther smirked. “What, you don’t want to leave her with me?”
I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh, pulling out my phone and tapping Jayda’s number.
“Yes, sir,” she replied after only one ring.
“I need you in the central great room,” I informed her.
“On my way.”
Sliding the phone back into my pocket, I met Branwen’s tense expression. She didn’t like the idea of leaving Stevie. It pissed me off that she didn’t trust me to protect my daughter. The one she hadn’t planned on telling me about. She’d lied to me. She had known that Stevie was mine, and if I hadn’t done the test, she would have never told me.
Biting back a scathing remark for Stevie’s sake, I went over to the entertainment system and picked up the remote. We had plenty of channel options, and although I’d never watched one meant for children, I’d seen something like that on here. I turned on the screen, and it lit up.
I glanced back at Stevie. “I’ve got any channel you want, or is there a specific show I can search for you?”
Her eyes were wide as she stared at the screen. “It’s like a movie theataw,” she said in awe. “Look, Mommy! It’s just like when we go to see a movie with popcown.” Her eyes swung back to me. “Do you have popcown?”
Damn, she was adorable. The popcorn machine in the theater at my brother’s home in Georgia wasn’t looking so pretentious right about now. I’d need to buy one of those and hope he didn’t come for a visit, only to see it after I gave him hell for his in his home theater.
“I do.” I looked at Luther. “Go pop her some popcorn,” I told him.
“With buttah, please!” she piped up.
Luther did not look amused, and for a second, I thought he was about to refuse, but his gaze went to Branwen. Whatever he saw made him change his mind. It had better be him having some out-of-place sympathy for her and nothing more. Luther was a whore, but he wasn’t going to fuck the mother of my child. We’d need to get that cleared up and fast before he started trying to charm his way into her panties.
Apparently, it’s not hard to do , I thought bitterly.
“Mr. Shephard, you needed me,” Jayda said, entering from the other side of the room.
“Stevie, this is Jayda. She will get you anything you need. Change the channel for you. Just ask,” I told her. “Jayda, this is Stevie, a very special guest. Take care of her for me. Her mother and I will be in my office if you need me.”
Jayda turned to smile at Stevie.
“You look like Awiel,” she told Jayda. “She’s my favowite pwincess. I like youah hayah.”
“Oh, I much prefer yours. All those beautiful blonde curls.” She glanced back at Branwen. “You got those from your mother, I see.”
Stevie nodded her head, causing the curls to bounce around her head.
“We will be just fine,” she said, looking at me, then giving Branwen a reassuring smile.
“Luther went to get her popcorn. Make sure he did it right before you give it to her,” I instructed.
Jayda laughed. “I’m not sure he’s ever done that before. Stevie and I might need to make a trip to the kitchen.”
“This way,” I told Branwen, barely glancing at her before starting toward the office.
“I’m, uh, Branwen,” I heard her say. “Thank you for watching her. You need to know that Stevie is allergic to tree nuts. Popcorn will be fine as long as it is being popped here and hasn’t been cross-contaminated. She will ask for a soda, but it makes her bounce off the walls, as does anything sugary. She likes water and oat milk, if you have it. Dairy gives her a stomachache, and she doesn’t like soy milk. If you have any questions, she knows what she can and can’t have, but please come ask me. Being in a new place, she’s excited, and she might not pay close enough attention.”
I stopped and looked back at her. What happened when she had tree nuts? Was it serious? Finding that there were instructions that came with Stevie wasn’t something I’d even considered. I wasn’t used to food allergies, and knowing Stevie had some concerned me. No, it fucking scared the shit out of me.
“Oh, and she loves grapes. If she asks for them, she is allowed to have them, but I slice them in half. She’s probably old enough to not choke on them now, but it still worries me. If one were to slip down her throat…” she winced. “Please slice them before giving them to her. It’s a fear of mine. The popcorn makes me a little nervous, too, but I let her have it. I just never leave her alone with popcorn, and I watch her while she eats it. If she were to choke, there wouldn’t be a sound, and you wouldn’t know she wasn’t breathing.” She paused, biting her lip and looking at Stevie nervously. “Vivi Lu, chew the popcorn very good. Don’t put more than one piece in your mouth at a time. Keep something to drink beside you, okay?”
Stevie nodded. “I pwomise to eat it slowly.”
Branwen’s smile softened. “Be good. I won’t be too long, but if you want me or need me for anything, tell Jayda, and she will bring you to me.”
Fuck. Maybe I shouldn’t leave her with Jayda. What if she looked away and missed Stevie choking? I no longer wanted her eating popcorn. Why didn’t we have ice cream? We needed to get ice cream. Wait! Shit. She couldn’t have dairy. My head started to pound behind my eyes as I worked through what was safe for her and what wasn’t.
“I’m trained in pediatric CPR and AED. I used to work as a counselor at a summer camp. And my sister has a peanut allergy. I will be extremely careful and consult you before she has anything. I promise. She is in good hands,” Jayda told her reassuringly.
“That’s wonderful. Thank you,” Branwen replied.
I made a mental note to have Jayda buy oat milk and go through the entire kitchen and get rid of anything with tree nuts. There was a weird, anxious feeling in my chest that I wasn’t familiar with. We needed to get to the office and handle things, but even with Jayda’s assurance that she had this, I wasn’t sure I wanted Stevie out of her mother’s sight.
Did she leave her at a preschool? What if someone else didn’t watch her as carefully as Branwen obviously did? Who watched her when she was at work?
She turned to me. “Okay, we can go now.”
She seemed more relaxed about leaving, but for the first time, I was questioning Jayda’s ability to do as she had been told.
“Nothing happens to her,” I said sternly, making sure Jayda understood.
“I will guard her with my life,” she replied.
“I have an EpiPen in my purse if, by some chance, she does get ahold of tree nuts or something cross-contaminated. She will begin projectile vomiting and wheezing immediately. I’ll need to inject her leg while an ambulance is called. Don’t hesitate to bring her to me.”
What the fuck? My entire body stilled as I stared at the little girl I’d just found out was mine hours ago. The horrific image that Branwen had just put in my head wasn’t helping. Had that ever happened to her? Branwen had explained it as if they had experienced it before. My throat was tight as I stared at Stevie. Was this a good idea? Could we do this meeting in front of her? No. That wasn’t acceptable. She was a kid.
Jayda didn’t look as if she was doubting her ability to handle things. I needed her to be more concerned. She didn’t look alarmed.
“Jayda, I need a word with you.” There was a hard edge to my tone that she didn’t miss.
Quickly, she hurried over to me. “Yes, sir.”
I grabbed her arm and pulled her farther away from my daughter’s earshot. Staring from Stevie, who was now hugging Branwen, back to Jayda, I had to unclench my teeth.
“That girl is mine,” I told her. Jayda’s eyes widened, and I continued, “Nothing happens to her. Do not take your eyes off her. Not for a fucking second. Am I clear?”
She nodded. “I swear I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“I want oat milk in this house. And find some ice cream made with oat milk. When we are done, the kitchen is to be rid of anything with tree nuts and get rid of fucking peanuts too. All nuts out. Clean the kitchen thoroughly so that no traces of any nut are left behind. I’ll let Luther know his peanut butter cookies have to stay in his room on his side of the house. No more baking them in the kitchen either.”
“Yes, sir, but tree nuts and peanuts aren’t the same—”
“I don’t give a fuck. Do it. Don’t question me.”
“Yes, sir.”
I looked over to see Stevie watching us with a curious expression as she stood slightly behind her mother’s legs. I let out a breath and tried to relax my tense body. She was an observant little thing, and I didn’t want her scared of me.
“Let’s go,” I told Branwen.
The meeting was going to take a turn that my lawyers weren’t prepared for. I had planned on coming to an agreement on joint custody with Branwen. Stevie staying with me every other week and taking turns with holidays. That was what my lawyers had suggested, but that was before I’d just been enlightened on how fragile a little girl could be. Levi had been different—or that was how I remembered it. At that age, he’d been with Maggie most of the time. I hadn’t been around as much as I should have been. Not until he was old enough to understand the legacy he had been born into.
Changing the plans in the short walk to my office was rash. I was doing it without consulting my lawyers. But I had missed four years of Stevie’s life already. I wasn’t going to miss any more, and I sure as fuck wasn’t about to have her leave her mother. Branwen was required to keep her safe. I didn’t want them separated. She needed her mom.
My chest got tight and uncomfortable again as I thought about all the things that Branwen had listed that could happen to her. I rubbed my fist over it, trying to ease some of the tension, as I stalked down the wide hallway.
Fuck. Was this what having a daughter was going to be like? Would I always have this panicky feeling clawing up my back, trying to suffocate me?
Stevie wouldn’t be safe from my enemies when they realized I had this weakness. She wasn’t going to go to some fucking school. She had to be guarded. Protected.
The only other option was letting them go and not claiming her.
I wasn’t going to be able to do that. There was no going back now. Whatever I had to do to keep her safe, I’d do it. Now that I knew she existed, and I’d met her, I wasn’t letting her be raised by some other man. She was mine. Her mother was just going to have to get on board. I wanted my daughter, and my daughter needed her mom.
Being the leader of a branch of the Southern Mafia had never made my knees feel weak or my stomach clench, but with a tiny little blonde beauty with a head full of curls in my life now, I was ready to fall the fuck apart.