Chapter 23
“Never underestimate my brothers during an intel op.”
Zane
I stand next to Sloane, who is glaring at Daisy as if she’s ready to beat her down. She’s not letting anyone take Adele from her.
I love how possessive she is of Adele. I love how she cherishes my daughter as if she were her own. I love Sloane. Plain and simple. And I’m not letting anyone ruin our family. Especially not a woman who abandoned this innocent little baby.
I wait until Daisy stands before addressing her. “Why are you here?”
She points at Boozer. “Her dog attacked me!”
Sloane rolls her eyes. “He didn’t attack you. He thought you needed some loving.” She snaps her fingers and her dog immediately rushes to her side. “Bedroom.” Boozer whines. “Now.” He hangs his head as he trots off to the bedroom. He’s a good dog.
I repeat my question. “Why are you here?”
Daisy clears her throat. “I want Adele back.”
My heart races. She wants to steal my baby. I can’t live without Adele. She’s my pride and joy.
Ice fills my veins. No one is taking Adele from me. Not even her so-called mother.
“Why?”
“Why?” Daisy’s nose wrinkles. “Because she’s my baby.”
“A baby you haven’t once asked to hold since this whole charade began,” Sloane mutters.
“She was your baby when you left her with me,” I remind Daisy.
She sighs. “I had finals. I didn’t have time for a baby then. But now I do.”
I fist my hands before I wrap them around her neck and choke her. She didn’t have time for Adele, so she abandoned her? Adele is her daughter. She should have made time for her baby.
“Adele isn’t…”
Daisy holds up her hand to stop Sloane. “I don’t understand why you’re speaking. You don’t have anything to do with this situation.”
Pain flashes in Sloane’s eyes before it’s replaced with anger. She grits her teeth. “I’m the woman who’s been caring for your child while you’ve been goofing off.”
“Goofing off? Are you deaf, old lady? I was studying for finals.” She sniffs at Sloane. “You probably wouldn’t know what those are. You don’t strike me as the type of person to attend college.”
“Here.” Sloane hands me Adele. “I can’t beat Daisy to a pulp with a baby in my arms.”
She marches toward Daisy but I shackle her wrist to stop her. “I thought you were anti-violence.”
She rears back. “What made you think such a thing? Was it the way I wield a baseball bat at guys hitting on me at the bar? Or how I got in trouble in high school for shoving Patsy into a locker?”
“Anti-violence in front of the baby.”
Her shoulders drop. “Oh, yeah.” She shuffles back to me and I bite my tongue before I laugh at her. This situation is not a laughing matter.
“You are fucking,” Daisy announces.
I growl. “What Sloane and I do inside our house is none of your fucking business.”
“Language,” Sloane mutters.
“I promise I’ll start a swear jar tomorrow, but I can’t deal with this bitch without using some strong language.”
“Bitch!” Daisy squeals. “You can’t call the mother of your child a bitch.”
I snort. “I can when the ‘mother’ abandons her child.”
“Would everyone stop saying I abandoned my daughter?” she yells.
“Waaah!” Adele screams.
Sloane takes her from me. “I don’t blame you for crying. All this yelling. Why don’t we go into your nursery and play?”
She glances up at me and I nod at her. “Go ahead.” I kiss Adele’s head before Sloane wanders off with her.
Daisy beams at me. “Finally.”
“Finally, what?”
“She’s gone.”
“Who?” I grumble. She better not be referring to Adele.
She flicks her hand. “The floozy.”
“The floozy?” I blink. “You’re referring to Sloane as the floozy?”
Daisy is the one who fucked me without knowing anything about me, but Sloane – who I had to beg before she’d let me touch her – is the floozy.
“She’s obviously trying to catch you.”
“Catch me?”
She motions to the house. “You have money. She’s a nanny. Everyone knows women only become nannies to snag a rich husband.”
Wow. Daisy is full of judgment about everyone except herself.
“I don’t want to discuss Sloane. I want to discuss why you’re here.”
“How many times do I have to say it?” She pouts. “I want the baby back.”
She’s not getting Adele. As soon as the judge gives me sole custody— Hold on. My lawyer, Siena, hasn’t filed for custody yet because we don’t have any information about Daisy except her name.
I motion to the sofa. “Why don’t we sit down?”
She checks the time. “I really do need to be going.”
“Please. We should discuss things.”
“What things?” she asks as she sits down.
“Where do you live? Do you want Adele full-time? Or are you bringing her back when school begins again?”
Her mouth gapes open in surprise. I don’t blame her. I went from antagonistic to accommodating in the blink of an eye. Smugglers would know I’m up to no good. But she doesn’t know me well enough to question my motives.
Guilt has my chest tightening. I share a child with this woman, and yet I don’t even know her last name. What kind of dad am I?
The kind of dad who’s going to figure it out – there’s a knock on the door before my brothers invade – with the help of my family.
Eli screeches to a halt in the living room. He feigns surprise as he looks at Daisy. “Sorry, bro. I didn’t realize you had company.”
“This is Daisy. She’s Adele’s mom.”
Eli saunters forward while smoothing a hand down his tie. I’ve never been more glad my oldest brother knows how to play the part of the rich billionaire he is.
“I’m sorry,” he says as he offers her his hand. “I didn’t catch your last name.”
“Simmons,” she mutters as she stares up at him with her mouth hanging open.
He shakes her hand before sitting on the coffee table in front of her. “And where are you from?”
While Eli keeps Daisy occupied, Miles and Kai creep around behind the sofa. I notice Kai’s hand dig into Daisy’s purse, but she’s too preoccupied with Eli to pay any attention. Miles quickly snaps a picture of her driver’s license before stuffing her wallet back in her purse.
Damn. They’re good. My brothers are the best. They’re pains in my ass, cause me more heartburn and hangovers than should be allowed, but they’re always there for me.
“Where’s Adele?” Jaxon asks and all conversation and movement in the room halts.
“Yes.” Daisy stands. “Where is she? I need to be going.”
I stand with a sigh. “I’m sorry, Daisy. You won’t be going anywhere with Adele.”
“But she’s my baby.”
“Who you abandoned.”
“She’s mine!”
“Maybe I should call the lawyer.” Eli digs his phone out of his pocket.
Daisy pales. “Your lawyer?”
Eli’s brow wrinkles. “Didn’t you tell her you’re suing for custody?”
“I-I-I thought you were bluffing,” Daisy stutters.
I cross my arms over my chest. “I’m serious. I am not letting you take Adele away from me.”
She throws her arms in the air. “You didn’t even want her.”
I growl. “You arrived at my house with a baby I didn’t know about. You didn’t explain yourself. You barely told me her name before you fled. How did you think I’d react?”
“I didn’t think you’d hire lawyers and sue me!”
Eli clears his throat. “We can forget about the lawyers. You can surrender Adele.”
“Surrender Adele?” Daisy slaps a hand over her chest. “She’s mine.”
“Wrong,” I growl. “She’s mine.”
“This was a wasted trip,” she grumbles. “You could have let me know you were suing for custody before I traveled all the way here.”
“I didn’t know your last name or where you lived. How the hell was I supposed to contact you?”
She rolls her eyes. “It’s not my fault you sleep with women without getting to know anything about them.”
I swallow. She’s right. I never should have had sex with her without knowing more about her. I was so busy trying not to become my dad that I became someone I didn’t want to be.
Those days are over. Sloane is the only woman I’m interested in now. And forever if she’ll have me. My stomach falls. After this scene with Daisy, she may give up on me completely.
“I think it’s time for you to leave.” Rhett herds her toward the door. He opens it and ushers her out. “I’ll follow her to make sure she doesn’t stay on the island.”
I nod my thanks to him. Rhett is the family’s protector. Daisy won’t hurt me or Adele if he can help it.
“Where’s Adele?” Kai asks.
“Here she is.” Sloane enters, cradling my daughter. “I kept her in the nursery until Daisy left.”
“Thank you.” I gather Adele in my arms and Sloane stiffens.
Shit. After the scene with Daisy, I’m back to square one with her.