Chapter 14
Levi
“You’re married?!”
The high decibel of the screeched words made me wince, and I pulled the phone away from my ear slightly.
Digging my fingers into my eye sockets, I released a tired groan. “Good morning to you, too, Jenn.”
“Oh no,” my sister huffed. “You forfeited the right to pleasantries when you didn’t invite me to your wedding.”
Arizona rolled over, giving me a shove from the other side of the pillow wall she’d insisted would be a permanent fixture in our bed since I had proven I couldn’t be trusted to keep my hands to myself.
Groggily, she grumbled, “Who in their right mind calls at this hour?”
“It’s my sister,” I replied.
Halfway back to sleep, she murmured, “Didn’t know you had a sister.”
“What the hell, Levi!” Jenn yelled.
My brother-in-law’s voice chimed in from the other end of the line. “Honey, maybe you should calm down.”
She turned her anger on her husband. “Don’t you dare tell me to calm down! I have one brother. One! And he didn’t bother to tell me he was getting married. I had to find out about it on social media!”
I sat bolt upright in bed. “Wait, what?” Everyone who had attended our private ceremony either lived in this house or had been sworn to secrecy. How the hell had it ended up on the internet?
“What I’d like to know is who this Maisie Thorne is, because apparently, she was deemed more worthy of attending the Cleary-Nixon wedding than me.”
Well, at least I knew who spilled the beans.
Blowing out a breath, I said, “Are you sitting down?”
There was a hint of apprehension in my sister’s voice. “Yeah, why?”
“Maisie’s my daughter. She’s twelve years old.”
A bark of laughter sounded in my ear. “Very funny. Even if you did have a kid, which I’m not doubting you do somewhere out there, you’re not old enough to have fathered a twelve-year-old.”
“I would have been nineteen when she was conceived; I was more than physically capable of getting someone pregnant at that age. And it would seem that I did.”
There was a beat of silence. “And you’re just finding out now?”
I cringed. “Yeah.”
“So, some woman’s been hiding your kid for over a decade, and you decide to reward that kind of heartless behavior by marrying her?”
“Okay, I’m gonna need you not to freak out when I tell you this . . .”
“Oh God, what?” I could literally hear her bracing for impact.
“Maisie was given up for adoption when she was born. That’s why I didn’t learn about her existence until now. The woman I married, Arizona, isn’t the woman who gave birth to her.”
There was a beat of silence. “I’m confused. Is your wife—fuck, that’s wild to even say when you’ve been adamant that you’ll stay single until the day you die—your daughter’s adoptive mom?”
“No. But she’s the only reason Maisie hasn’t been placed back in the foster system.”
“F-foster system?” my sister stammered.
Dragging a hand down my face, I sighed. “It’s a really long story, Jenn. All you need to know is that I’m doing whatever is necessary to ensure I don’t lose what’s left of my daughter’s childhood after missing out on the first almost thirteen years.”
She snickered. “Oh boy, I wish I lived closer to watch you figure out raising a preteen girl. That shit’s gotta be more entertaining than television.”
My eyes lifted to the ceiling. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, sis.”
“Sorry, but there’s literally no one I know less equipped to deal with this situation than you.”
“Going back to bed now,” I muttered.
“Good luck when Mom and Dad find out!” she chirped before hanging up.
I would worry about my parents inevitably beating down the door to meet their first grandchild later. Right now, it was more important that I lock down security under my own damn roof.
Hauling my tired ass out of bed, I tugged on a pair of sweatpants and tossed a T-shirt over my head before leaving the owner’s suite.
My first stop was Maisie’s room, and my fist beat on her door. “Family meeting in the kitchen! Fifteen minutes!”
There was a faint acknowledgment from the other side before I repeated the process at Austin’s door.
Arizona shuffled into the hallway. “What’s going on?”
My eyes were immediately drawn to the sharp points of her nipples poking through the silk fabric of her sleep top, and my dick twitched.
“Throw on a robe and make sure these two get up. I’m running out for donuts, then we need to have a little chat with our minors about what can and cannot be shared on social media.”
A wrinkle formed between her brows. “Huh?”
I whipped my phone out of my pocket, opened an app, and it took less than thirty seconds to find Maisie’s profile, which was set to public.
The post that set Jenn off was right at the top, a picture of two champagne flutes, the bonfire blurred in the background with a caption congratulating the Cleary-Nixons.
Turning the screen around, I showed it to Arizona, and she cursed under her breath.
“Yeah, my thoughts exactly.” Pocketing my cell, I began jogging down the stairs. “Be back in fifteen!”
By the time I returned with breakfast, two tired teens were sitting at the kitchen island, their phones in Arizona’s possession.
I flipped the lid of the box open. “All right, get that blood sugar up first, then we need to talk.”
Austin didn’t hesitate to grab a frosted donut, consuming it in only two bites before grabbing another.
Maisie kept her hands tucked into her lap, eyeing me nervously. “Are we in trouble?”
My gaze slid to Arizona before returning to my daughter. “No. It’s my fault we didn’t discuss the rules surrounding social media before something that exposed our private lives was posted.”
“Isn’t that the whole point?” Austin asked.
“Maybe for some, but this family”—I made eye contact with each member of it individually—“needs to be more careful. It might sound cool that I’m ‘famous’ as a professional athlete, but my privacy is limited; the spotlight is always on.
The last thing I want is for anyone to think they deserve access to you guys just because of your ties to me.
So, I’m going to institute a house rule.
All social media needs to be set to private, friends-only access, and no posting about our family.
At least, not until Maisie’s custody arrangements are permanent. Understood?”
Maisie nodded, voice small. “Understood. I’m sorry.”
I reached for her hand across the island. “No one’s mad. I’m only doing what I can to protect you.” Turning to Austin, I added, “Both of you.”
Austin bristled at having his autonomy restricted. “Might as well just delete the app at this point.”
“That’s your choice. Would make my life a hell of a lot easier if you did.”
He curled his fingers in his sister’s direction. “Can I have my phone back now?”
Arizona kept the electronic firmly in her grasp. “Are you going to agree to Levi’s rules?”
The boy scoffed. “Yeah, whatever.”
As soon as Arizona handed his cellphone over, Austin stormed out of the room.
“Well, isn’t he just a little ray of sunshine?” I joked.
My wife’s eyes slid shut as she pulled in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she reopened them. “He tests me every day.”
Maisie grabbed a donut before sliding off her stool. “I’ll go talk to him.”
I watched her walk out of the room, noticing what the doctors had mentioned about her gait being uneven with her current prosthetic now that she was back to wearing it.
Thankfully, she’d already been fitted for a new one, and it would be ready in a few weeks.
But in the meantime, we had to be careful she didn’t hurt herself again.
“Physical therapy this afternoon,” I called after her.
She lifted one hand. “Yep!”
Once she was out of sight, I sagged against the counter. “It’s seven in the morning, and I’m already exhausted.”
Arizona’s light laughter filled the air. “And people think babies are hard. They’ve got nothing on teenagers.”
Until today, I never understood it when my mom used to say that bigger kids meant bigger problems. Now, I had a whole new appreciation for my parents raising two teenagers, because I was certain this morning had only been the tip of the iceberg.
I was going to be tested in ways I couldn’t even begin to imagine.
Maisie kicked me out of her physical therapy session within the first ten minutes. To be fair, I was wearing a groove in the carpet of the waiting area with my pacing and growling every time she made the slightest sound of discomfort.
It was a good thing I hadn’t been there when she’d gone through her amputation, because after only a week, I’d learned there was nothing I hated more than seeing her in pain.
The tension lining my shoulders didn’t ease once I left the building. Because now I didn’t have eyes on her, and all I could do was picture all the ways she might be struggling.
I knew this was for her own good, a crucial part of her recovery, but still, every cell in my body demanded that I do everything in my power to make this easier for her.
After the longest sixty minutes known to man, my daughter emerged from the building, and I ran to open the passenger door for her.
She sank onto the seat with a sigh, and I ensured she was properly buckled before sealing her inside and rounding the hood to hop behind the wheel.
At a quick glance, my girl’s cheeks were flushed, and the dark hair near her temples was dampened with sweat.
“How was it?” I asked.
Maisie flashed me a brilliant smile. “Hard, but good. They gave me some exercises to work on at home before my next session.”
“That’s great. Do you want to stop off for ice cream, or are you too tired?”
She pursed her lips. “If we get ice cream, can we bring some home for Austin? He’s nervous about the first day at our new school tomorrow. The kids at his last one weren’t very nice.”
Protective mode kicked in. “He was getting bullied?”
Genuine concern flickered in her brown eyes. “Are you going to tell him I told you?”
“Of course not. Unless—” A fist tightened around my windpipe. “Unless he’s thinking about hurting himself, then I’d be forced to step in.”
“No.” Maisie shook her head. “It’s nothing like that.
They made fun of his clothes having holes, and sometimes he can’t see so well because he needs new glasses, and I guess they decided only losers sit at the front of the class.
The school here is a lot nicer than his old one, and he’s worried he’ll stand out because he doesn’t have a laptop. ”
“You guys need laptops?” That was news to me. Arizona had handled their registration since she was their guardian.
My daughter nodded. “There was a whole supply list they gave us during orientation. I was going to show you, but Austin told me not to. He said if you realize how much having kids costs, you might not—” She swallowed thickly, her lower lip wobbling.
“You might not want to keep us.” Sniffles sounded in the tight confines of the car as the first tear slipped down her cheek.
“And you’re already paying so much for my new leg and physical therapy and—and—” She broke down before she could finish that sentence.
“Hey, come here.” I reached over the center console to give her a hug the best I could. “Austin is right. Taking care of kids comes with expenses, but I’d spend every dime I have to make sure you have the best life possible.”
She blinked up at me with those puppy dog eyes. “You would?”
Damn, this girl might be pint-sized, but she had the power to bring me to my knees. And I couldn’t find it within myself to be mad about it.
“Yeah.” I smoothed a hand over her dark hair with a smile. “There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that would make me not want to keep you. It’s you and me against the whole world forever, okay?”
Maisie burrowed into my chest. “I was so scared to come find you, but I’m so glad I did.”
“Me too, sweetheart. Me too.”
And I meant it with my whole heart.