Chapter 26
26
AIDAN
A loud text tone startles us out of our little bubble on the swing, and when I see Copeland’s contact name, I’m instantly on alert.
Detective Cope
Hey man, are you guys home? I have some stuff to show Lyla and I assume you’ll want to see it too
Me
Yeah, we’re home. Come on over
Detective Cope
Be there in ten
The curiosity in Lyla’s gaze turns to concern when she sees the look on my face, but I watch her push it down and focus on Crew. When he asked her again if she was going to be his mom, my heart broke into a million pieces and healed in a single moment.
I’ve never wanted something as much as I want Lyla, and to know that my son, the most important person in my life, loves her as much as I do? It’s something I only imagined in my wildest dreams.
Which is why I’m so concerned about Copeland’s text. Our little family is brand new, and the thought of anything happening to my girl terrifies me down to my damn bones. The fear of losing Lyla is on par with the fear of losing Crew. And just thinking about the effect that losing her would have on him has anxiety rising dangerously close to the surface.
Small hands trail up my sides and come to rest on my pecs, her left hand landing directly over the inked date on my chest. It doesn’t escape my notice that the two loves of my life share a birthday. I was never a big believer in fate, destiny, or the universe, but I can’t help but feel like Lyla was meant to be ours.
I heave a sigh, and she definitely doesn’t miss it because her arms tighten around me. “What’s going on, Aid?”
“Copeland texted. He’s on his way over. Apparently, he has something he thinks we need to see.”
Her body stiffens against my back, so I grip one of her cold hands in mine and pull her so we’re chest to chest. My hands move to cup her cheeks in a gesture meant to reassure myself as much as her. “Whatever it is, we’ll handle it together. Okay, angel? You’re mine, and ain't letting some egotistical asshat anywhere near my girl.”
A small smile breaks across her delicate features. “I love it when you call me your girl.”
I take her mouth in a slow, sensual kiss. Our tongues tangling together in a dance that feels so natural you would think we’d been doing it for years, not weeks.
We’re both breathless when I finally pull back, and I wrap one hand loosely around the front of her throat. “Good. B ecause you are my girl, and I’m ready to make sure the whole damned world knows it.”
The doorbell rings, interrupting our moment. “Do you want to start on breakfast? I’ll go let Cope in.”
I open the front door only for my surly best friend to shove his way past me, his face even stormier than usual and a small box ensconced in his hands. “Well, good morning, sunshine! What could we possibly have done to be graced with such a joyful disposition on this beautiful Wednesday?”
A vicious glare aimed my way is the only response to my sarcasm, and I have no doubt he would be flipping me off, too, if my son wasn’t bouncing our way.
“Uncle Cope!” he shrieks. His voice is pitched just so that the shrill sound has my ears ringing.
Copeland’s face brightens like it always does when he sees Crew, but the way his whole expression softens when he sees Lyla in the kitchen has white-hot jealousy roaring through my veins. Logically, I know I have nothing to worry about with either of them, but that doesn’t change the fact I want to throttle my best friend.
“Hey, tiny, how ya doin’?” He greets her with a hug, and my jaw drops. When the hell did these two get so friendly? “I found this bakery that does chocolate cherry cupcakes, and I couldn’t leave without grabbing you one.”
Lyla squeals with unrestrained joy and pulls Cope back in for an even tighter hug that has my shoulders tightening with tension.
I wonder if I’d be released from the team for strangling my friend over a cupcake.
Cope sees my murderous expression and snorts before leaning down to whisper in Lyla’s ear. A low grumble rattles in my throat, and she turns to me with surprise written a ll over her sweet face. He says something else too low for me to hear and gives her a gentle nudge in my direction before turning to the stove and taking over pancake duty.
Lyla approaches me slowly like I’m a cornered animal, but the second she’s in arms reach I yank her to me and growl in her ear. “He’s trying to get a rise outta me, and it’s fuckin’ working. I don’t care if he’s my best friend. Seeing another man’s hands on my girl has me wanting to bend you over and fuck you so hard the only name you’ll remember is mine.”
Her jaw drops, desire quickly turning her mossy green eyes a stunning shade of emerald. Small hands land on my chest, and my attention is drawn to the soft pink polish on Lyla’s fingernails. A vivid memory of those same fingernails wrapped around my cock last night flashes through my mind, forcing me to stifle a groan.
She lowers her voice to a murmur so low I can barely hear her. “Hmm. Are you sure your name is the one you want me to remember?”
I scoff, irritation flaring briefly, but she places her fingers over my mouth with a naughty smirk and yanks me down by the shirt so she can whisper in my ear. “Because if you bend me over and fuck me hard, do you want me to be screaming Aidan? Or do you want me screaming Daddy ?”
There’s no chance of suppressing my pained groan this time, and she giggles before moving back to the kitchen.
I'd think she was completely unaffected if it weren’t for the delicate pink blush on her cheeks that I know from experience goes all the way down her chest to her perfect breasts .
Copeland snickers when she makes her way back over and holds his hand up for a high-five, making me roll my eyes. I take a seat at the breakfast bar next to Crew and ruffle his messy hair. “Whatcha doin’, raptor?”
His gap-toothed grin makes my heart soar. He’s been so happy since Lyla came to live with us, but knowing she and I are together and he might get to call her Mom someday has changed his entire demeanor. His separation anxiety is all but gone. He’s sleeping better, eating more than just Mac n’ Cheese and chicken nuggets, and learning new things every single day.
“I’m drawing a picture, Daddy. Wanna see?” I nod, and the picture makes my breath catch in my throat. There, in blue marker, are three figures and what looks to be a small cat. Crew enthusiastically explains the drawing, with the smile never once leaving his face. “It’s a family picture! See? That’s you with your mitt on, and Lyly is next to you. And that’s me holding her hand with my kitten, Fish.”
The cat is completely unsurprising. Crew’s always wanted one. But the thing that has me fighting back waterworks is the messily scrawled “Mommy” above Lyla’s head. Blinking away the sheen of tears, I look at my son. “This picture is amazing, raptor! Should we hang it on the fridge and show Ly?”
He nods enthusiastically, and Lyla is still chatting with Cope next to the stove, so I quietly stick the drawing to the fridge with a magnet and grab her hand to pull her to me.
Copeland looks confused for a second until his eyes track to the fridge, and they flare with understanding. He gives me the biggest grin I’ve seen on his face in years, making this feel all the more real .
My mama loves her, my friends have taken her in as one of us, and my son is practically begging me to marry her and make her his mom.
The only thing that could make this better is hearing Lyla say she loves me, too.
“Lyly! Look at my picture I drawed! Daddy put it on the fridge for you.”
Lyla’s steps slow when she spots the paper on the refrigerator, her gaze locked on the image. “The picture you drew , Crew-bug,” she corrects absentmindedly.
Her eyes fill with tears in record time, a few spilling down her cheeks before she swipes them away. Her gaze darts to mine, and I hope she can see my love staring back at her.
Giving my hand a squeeze, she walks over behind Crew and wraps her arms around him, hugging him tight as she kisses the top of his head. “I love it, Crew-bug. Thank you for the wonderful drawing.”
He sighs, his small body relaxing under the weight of our girl’s arms. “Love you, Lyly.”
The tears make a reappearance as she rests her cheek on his head. “Love you more, little raptor.”
Copeland clears his throat from the stove next to a ridiculously large stack of pancakes. “Maybe we could eat in the living room today so the little dinosaur can watch a movie?” His unspoken words hang in the air between us, and I nod in agreement, forcing a smile on my face when Crew looks at me in question.
Lyla gets our boy settled at the oversized coffee table with his breakfast and Tarzan , and then the three of us open the sliding doors so we can see and hear Crew while we talk.
As soon as we reach the swing, I pull Lyla down so she’s sitting si deways in my lap, desperately needing the contact for whatever Cope has to tell us. She doesn’t fight me or seem uncomfortable at all, letting me know she probably needs it as much as I do.
He watches us with a smile until we’re settled, and then the expression slides off his face, replaced with something much more grave. “I’m not a baker, so I’m not about to sugarcoat this for you. The feds managed to arrest Sebastian Sr., but they lost his son.”
My girl goes stiff as a board, her whole face draining of color, and I barely manage to stop myself from lurching forward. “What do you mean they lost him ?” I snap.
He sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face. “That’s exactly what I mean. The feds had eyes on him twenty-four-seven. When he was at home, work, clubs, parties. They always had someone on him. But then, one day, Sebastian went home after an evening event and just… didn’t come out again. He’s been MIA for almost a week. He just vanished. His car is at home, there’s no charges on his credit cards, all of their planes and cars are accounted for, and his father is vehemently denying any knowledge of his son’s whereabouts.”
Lyla is shaking in my lap, but her eyes are determined. “Mike… sorry, Sebastian Senior, knows every detail about Bas’s life. Has tracking on all of his vehicles and accounts. He was grooming Bas to take over the family business, but he didn’t trust him as far as he could throw him. I don’t know for sure if he knew what his son was doing to me, but all I can say is Senior’s wife wears a lot of long-sleeved clothing.”
Cope nods like this isn’t new information. “From what my contact has been able to tell me, Mrs. Pennington has a concierge doctor on call, and he’s made numerous trips out to the house for a variety of injuries. The man’s NDA is so airtight you could use it to explore the Mariana Trench, which is why nothing has ever made it to the press.”
“I didn’t see the signs until well after we had gotten engaged, but Bas is just like his father. They’re both controlling, calculating, and downright cruel if they don’t get their way. During our time together, I’m pretty sure I heard ‘That’s how you run a billion-dollar business’ more than I heard anything else.”
“Tiny, I want you to be careful until they can find this bastard. If you have to go somewhere, be aware of your surroundings, and try to make sure you’re always in a crowded place if you can.”
My hand squeezes the back of my neck, anxiety spiking at the thought of Lyla or Crew in danger. “Should we hire security? How worried do we need to be, Cope?”
His eyes dart to the side, a tell he’s had for years that what he’s about to say isn’t the full truth. “Nah, man. I think just being extra vigilant and not giving him the chance to catch you alone is the safest bet.”
“Lyly, I’m done! Can you help me wash my hands?”
A smile lights up my girl’s face as she goes to get Crew cleaned up, and I allow myself to watch her for a moment before turning a stern look to my best friend. “What aren’t you saying?”
He sighs heavily, raking his hands through his hair. It’s then I notice how… exhausted he looks. “Everything go okay during your trip home, Cope? You seem kinda run down.”
His brow furrows in frustration. “For the most part, just more shit with my sister. You know how it goes.”
I nod in understanding. Copeland’s youngest sister, Olivia, is a junio r in high school and has been acting out since their dad died last year. Cope’s been home as often as possible to help his mom out, but they live in Charlotte, so it’s a bit of a drive, especially during the season when we rarely have more than a day or two off at a time.
He visibly shakes off the stress and steers the conversation back to Sebastian. “This guy is dangerous, Aidan. The feds found some majorly fucked up stuff in his house and office. Multiple restraining orders and assault allegations against him were all swept under the rug because Daddy threw money at the problems until they went away. You should probably hire security but don’t tell Lyla. Have him follow her and hang back, just as a precaution. Because I don’t see this guy going away quietly now that the feds are after him.”
The idea of another man protecting Ly makes me nauseous, but her safety is undoubtedly in question, and I’m not willing to risk her or Crew over a bit of male pride. Now that the season is starting, it’s even more important that we have someone around who can protect my family, even if it means hiding it from her.
If Sebastian tries to fuck with my girl, there’ll be hell to pay. I’ve been fighting for what I want my whole life, and I’m sure as hell not going to stop now.