Chapter 13 Alex
ALEX
By the time we pulled into the driveway, the fight in my jaw had gone from hot to a dull, insistent ache.
I killed the engine and sat there a second, fingers locked white on the wheel, the quiet thudding through my teeth.
Bella was out of the car before I’d unbuckled, bag slung over her shoulder like it might shield her. She didn’t look back.
I slumped, resting my forehead on the steering wheel. Gillian reached out to touch my bare forearm, her fingers dry and warm. “It’s going to be okay. She just needs a little time.”
“This is a mess.” I tilted my head to look at her. “I’m surprised you’re not running for the hills.”
She smiled, running her thumb over my bottom lip. “Life’s messy. That’s why it’s important to pick the right people to help you walk through it.”
I captured her hand and held it against my cheek. “Thank you for being here.”
“Thank you for letting me.”
In the kitchen, Sonya and Peter looked up from the island. Peter was still in practice gear, cap pushed back, a smear of infield dirt across his cheekbone. Sonya had a tea towel in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other, a pot of chili simmering behind her.
“Everything all right?” Sonya asked, though she could see it wasn’t. Her eyes flicked past me to Gillian, taking inventory, like she often did.
“I need to talk to Peter,” I said, voice rough.
“Of course. I’ll give you some time alone.” Sonya set the spoon down, squeezed my forearm in passing, and started for the back stairs. “I’ll be upstairs in the laundry room if you need anything.”
“Thanks.” I glanced at Gillian, who stood just inside the doorway, looking unsure.
“Do you want me to go too?”
“Stay. Please.” My voice broke on the please.
She nodded and took the stool next to Peter’s. He looked from her to me, his complexion paling. “What’s happened?”
I put my hands on the edge of the island, leaning hard to keep them from shaking. “Darren came to the game.”
Peter blinked, then went very still. “Did he … did he talk to her?”
I laughed without humor. “He shouted to her. In front of everyone.” My throat closed for a moment but I forced it open. “He made a huge scene in front of the whole crowd. He told her I never legally adopted her.”
Peter’s mouth opened and then shut. He looked at the empty doorway, like he could see through it to where his sister had run. “You didn’t? How come?”
“It wasn’t from lack of trying. Regardless, I should have told you both sooner.
” The admission tasted like blood and salt.
“When I married your mom, we started the adoption process. We did. We hired an attorney, drew up papers. But Darren was gone. No address. The letters came back. Your mom didn’t have a forwarding contact for him.
No one seemed to know where he was. We tried everything we could think of.
Hired a private investigator four times.
We checked DMV records, county voter rolls, old job listings, distant relatives.
The PI tracked a few false leads and a couple of arrests out of county, nothing that stuck.
Without his consent, the adoption stalled.
And I—” My voice thinned to a thread. “I told myself it didn’t matter because he was gone and didn’t want to be found. And I was here.”
Peter’s jaw clenched hard enough to lift the muscles in his cheeks. “That’s right. He left us. He never wanted us. He just wants money.”
“I know,” I said. “I know.”
“Then why does the paper matter?” His fists were two tight knots on the island.
“Because the legal system is there for a reason,” Gillian said softly. “Usually to keep men like Darren from continuing to hurt his children.”
Peter’s eyes flicked to her, then back to me. “He said it in front of everyone?”
“He humiliated us both. And I made it worse.” I could still feel my knuckles connecting with Darren’s buddy’s cartilage—the immediate, foolish satisfaction, the horrible, sinking after. “I lost my temper.”
Peter swallowed. “What did you do?”
“I got physical,” I said.
“Oh, Dad.”
I covered my eyes with my hands for a moment, shame washing over me. This was not the example I wanted to present to my son. “I’m not proud of it.”
Footsteps pounded on the stairs. Sonya reappeared, breathing hard, phone in hand, with Bella right behind her. “Senor Alex, you need to see this.”
“The video’s going viral.” Bella’s hair was scraped into a messy knot and her eyes were swollen and red. She looked so young, so vulnerable as she perched on the far stool, arms locked around herself, the way she used to sit when her legs didn’t reach the floor.
Sonya set her phone on the island and hit play. The video jolted to life. It showed Darren first, arms spread wide, sneering like he owned the world. The caption under the clip made my stomach twist. Stepdad loses it! #FamilyDrama.
The camera wobbled as it swung my way. I saw Gillian with her shoulders squared, voice sharp. “Stop filming. It’s illegal to film children.” Then the lurch of the phone as she reached for it, then the sickening angle when she hit the ground.
My fists clenched even though I already knew what came next.
There it was—me, storming into the frame. A blur of movement, the crack of my knuckles connecting with Greasy’s jaw. From this angle, I didn’t look protective. I looked wild. Dangerous. Exactly what Darren wanted.
And then Darren himself came charging into view, his voice ringing clearer than anything else on the video: “He never adopted you legally. You can come live with me.”
The last thing the camera caught was Bella’s face—frozen, eyes huge. “What?”
Peter exhaled an ugly, quiet sound. “This thing has a hundred thousand views already.”
“This can’t be happening.” Bella sobbed, clutching her midsection as if she might be sick.
A muscle pulsed in my bruised cheek. I stopped the video, wanting to hurl Sonya’s phone into the wall, but refrained. “I can’t believe he would do this. I truly can’t.” Nearing tears myself, I looked over at Sonya and then Gillian, desperate for answers.
“Everyone saw it at the game, and now it’s all over the internet,” Bella said. “I’ll have to quit the team.”
“It’s going to be all right,” Gillian said softly, drawing closer to Bella but not touching her. “Your dad will fix it.”
“It’s not you who looks bad, love,” Sonya said. “That idiot and his friend are the ones who are to blame. The way he provoked your father. It’s not right.”
“How did he even know about the game?” I asked, scrambling for footing. Anything to hold onto until I could figure out what to do next.
“I posted about the game on my Instagram,” Bella said in a quiet, miserable sounding voice. “Like an idiot.”
“How do we get rid of this monster?” Sonya asked.
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Ben’s been working on putting something together. Something that will keep him away forever.”
“Money?” Peter asked.
“I’m afraid so,” I said.
Peter slumped. “Bastard. Why do guys like him always win?”
“They don’t,” Gillian said. “Just sometimes it seems like they do. But he’ll get what’s coming to him.”
I nodded. “Ben will get him to sign his parental rights away and we’ll take care of what we need to.”
“Yeah, I know you will, Dad,” Peter said. “But it still hurts … to think we share DNA with this guy.”
Gillian reached out to squeeze Peter’s shoulder. “He has no relevance in your life. Your father’s sitting right here.”
“I know that.” Peter wiped his eyes. “But what if I’m like him? Down deep?”
Gillian placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “No way. Put that out of your mind.”
“Why didn’t you adopt us?” Bella asked in a small, miserable voice.
“They tried,” Peter said. “But they couldn’t find Darren to get him to sign the paperwork.”
“Is that true?” Bella’s throat moved as she swallowed. “Did you really try?”
“Yes, it’s true. And I should have told you. Both of you. Years ago. I didn’t because I thought—” I stopped, tried again. “I thought it would worry you. That was wrong. I’m sorry.”
Bella blinked hard. “But if you didn’t adopt us, then—can he really take us away?”
“I am your father,” I said, more fiercely than I intended. “And I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you stay with me. Trust me, people like Darren can be bought. He’ll leave us alone. I promise.”
Her eyes welled and she looked down, tears falling on her folded hands. “Did you ever really want us? Or was it just because you loved Mom?”
“I wanted you. I always have and always will.” I paused for a second, gathering myself.
“When your mom came to work for me, I was smitten almost from day one. But I knew she had children. I told myself I was too young to be a father. Plus, I was working insane hours to build my company. I didn’t think there would be enough of me to go around.
But I couldn’t help myself. I fell in love with Mattie.
When she finally said it was all right to meet you, I was scared out of my mind.
I can remember my knees shaking when the door to your apartment opened and there you were, Peter, with a dinosaur in each hand.
You asked me right away if I liked dinosaurs and I told you I was obsessed with them when I was your age. ”
“Is that true?” Peter asked.
“Completely,” I said.
“What about me?” Bella asked. “What was I doing?”