Chapter 15
Wyatt ate his soup while working on a coloring page with Ivy. Tess had taken her bowl to the sofa, and he’d given her the space she so clearly desired.
If he was being truthful, he needed some distance between them, as well. He hadn’t just phoned Jax. He’d returned a voicemail from Logan, and what he’d learned wasn’t easy to integrate with what he knew so far about Teslyn.
He found a juvenile record that should have been expunged, but lucky for him, still existed. She’d been arrested for prostitution and drug possession at sixteen, while she still lived with her mother.
Wyatt had no doubt Marilyn had something to do with that. From what he knew of the woman so far, pimping out her daughter would be completely in line with her character, and it made his heart ache for everything Tess had been through.
But one thing didn’t compute. If Teslyn had been turning tricks as a teenager, why was she as jittery as a virgin in his arms? When she’d insinuated he was only staying here to get in her pants, she’d said it with the air of a prudish schoolmarm.
She was an enigma, and one that was occupying more and more of his thoughts. And while he’d sworn to her he wasn’t staying for the purpose of sexual conquest, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t hoping she’d find the idea of spending some quality time in his bed at least somewhat appealing.
He spooned noodles into his mouth and sighed.
Ivy looked at his page. “You color real good.”
“Thanks. So do you. I like the colors you picked for the castle.”
“Purple’s my favorite, but I like pink, too. My bedroom is purple. Was purple.”
“I’ll bet it was pretty.”
“Are we gonna live with you now?”
Wyatt nearly spit out his soup. “No, why would you think that?”
“You and Tessie were kissing.”
“Sometimes grown-ups kiss each other. It doesn’t automatically mean they’re going to move in together.”
“Do you have to get married first?”
“No, not always.”
“Momma said we were gonna live with my daddy, but he said no.”
“Did you ever meet your daddy?”
Ivy shook her head, no.
He pressed harder on his brown crayon, coloring in a smiling prince with an elaborate gold crown. “Do you know his name?”
“Conger man.”
He grinned. “No, I mean, what did your mom call him?”
“Davies.”
“Like Davis? Or David?”
Ivy shrugged. “I need the red.” She reached across him and took the crayon from his side of the island.
He moved his pile closer so she could reach.
The congressman from Georgia was Bernard Davis, and there had to be at least a few Davids in the Capitol Building, not to mention other variations of the name.
They’d have to look at a complete list of all the congressmen and rule them out as potential Davies.
Wyatt’s to-do list for Logan was getting longer by the minute.
Teslyn crossed the kitchen and put her bowl in the sink. “Ivy, do you want to take a bath? It’s almost time for bed.”
The girl dropped her crayon and bounced off her stool. “There’s a bathtub? I love bathtubs.” She took Teslyn’s hand and pulled her toward the hallway. “We have a shower at home, not a bathtub.”
Teslyn dropped Ivy’s hand and headed for the kitchen sink. “I’ll get you some bubbles.” She looked around and turned to Wyatt. “Do you have dish soap?”
He pointed to a short hallway. “There’s a new one on the shelf in the laundry room.” Teslyn went to get it, and Wyatt looked back at Ivy. Her cheeks had gotten red, and she looked like she was about to cry. “Are you okay, honey?”
Her mouth turned down and her chin puckered. “I miss my house. I miss my dolly. And I miss my Momma.”
Suddenly, Wyatt was in unfamiliar territory. Tracking tangoes on a mountain in Bogata was easier than watching a five year-old child mourn the loss of her mother.
Just do what feels right.
He stood and crossed to Ivy, lowering himself into a squat and opening his arms to hold her. “Come here.” He half expected her to recoil, but she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and squeezed.
Wyatt stood with her in his arms. Had a child ever hugged him like this? Hell, had a child ever hugged him at all? “It will be okay, Ivy. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow or next week. But it will get better, I promise.”
Ivy’s voice was shaking. “Do you think she’s in heaven?”
“I’m sure she is.”
“Even if she did bad things?”
“We all make mistakes.”
Teslyn walked back into the kitchen. “What are we talking about?”
Wyatt looked up. “Heaven, and whether or not you go there if you’ve done bad things.”
Teslyn’s expression softened to one of understanding. She crossed to them and ran her fingers through the little girl’s hair. “I don’t think she wanted to do bad things, Ivy. I think she was doing the best she knew how.”
Ivy let go of Wyatt, her bottom lip trembling. “What if you’re wrong?”
Wyatt was dumbstruck by that one, but Teslyn was not. “If you were in charge, would you let Mom into heaven?”
Ivy nodded earnestly.
“Well, I’m sure God loves her even more than you do, so he must’ve let her in.” Her answer seemed to satisfy Ivy. Teslyn nodded toward the stairs. “Come on. Let’s get you in that tub.”
Wyatt bent to put Ivy down, surprised when the little girl gave him another squeeze. “Thanks, Mr. Wy— I mean, Wyatt.” She kissed his cheek and scampered after Teslyn.
“You’re welcome,” he called after her, wondering if he might not be so bad with children after all. Teslyn certainly had a knack for it. Would she take on custody of Ivy now that their mother was gone?
His phone vibrated in his pocket and he took it out, clicking on a text message from Jax.
HAWK AND RALPH ARE INSIDE.
Adrenaline coursed through his bloodstream.
He wouldn’t have made it to Colorado in time even if he’d tried, and a wave of ambivalence rose up within him.
He could live with missing a mission, even one as important as getting Marco Steele.
But if anything went wrong, he’d never forgive himself for not being there.
He squeezed his eyes closed.
Godspeed, brothers.
Stay safe.
The sharp blade of anxiety cut through his thoughts as worry coiled in his stomach like a snake.
A deep sense of foreboding came over him.
He was a man who trusted his instincts, and his instincts said the shit was about to hit the fan up on Warsaw Mountain, and Wyatt was too far away to do anything about it.