Chapter 25
twenty-five
I’m barely through the door when two very exuberant littles jump on me.
“Max! Max! Max!”
“Oppa! Oppa! Oppa!”
Laughing, I hug them, then hand Emmy back to her daddy before gathering Cynnie up in my arms and kissing her breathless.
I’ve never had a better homecoming.
The mood drops after I fill Logan in about my confrontation with Miranda.
He sits at his desk, rubbing his hand over his scarred forehead, as De Leon and I face him from the guest chairs.
The office door is closed, but I can faintly hear the soundtrack of the movie the girls are watching from within the blanket fort they’ve built while they were waiting for me.
I know the night’s ticking down towards Emily’s bedtime and that’ll be the end of Logan’s attention.
Her bedtime is sacred and now I totally understand why.
I’ve told him about the confrontation with Miranda first, both because it’s the thing he doesn’t know about yet and so we can get the worst over with before Emmy’s bedtime.
At last, Logan rocks forward in his chair, plants his elbows on his desk, and nods.
“I’m not sure it matters. I’ve been forwarding everything to the solicitor in Manchester as you’ve uploaded it.
The claim was already filed before you even met with Fred, based on the statement you got from Tilly.
My solicitor’s made an emergency petition for a hearing on Tuesday in case Miranda goes into labor early.
So Miranda has a few more days to prepare? I’m not sure it makes a difference.”
“I want to use the time to sanitize your internet footprint, Lo. Get rid of any records that could be used to suggest—”
“To suggest what?” Logan interrupts. “That I’m a pedophile because of my relationship with my fiancée?
No, don’t sanitize a thing. If Miranda dares bring that up, I’ll crucify her with everything we did together.
That’s a can of worms she doesn’t want to open, but if she does, I’ll go there. I will more than go there.”
I glance at De Leon, who has been impassive and nearly silent through our conversation. “As an outsider, what would evidence of a caregiver relationship make you think about someone’s fitness to be a parent?”
Logan shakes his head. “Go whole hog, Maxie. What would the purchase of a split-crotch onesie, a butt-plug tail, a dog collar and leash, and dog ears to dress my fiancée in make you think of my fitness as a parent?”
De Leon chuckles. “I’d think your sex life is a lot more interesting than mine. Don’t have a thing to do with what kind of father you’d make.”
“That’s right,” Logan says firmly. “And that’s what this is about.
Her negligence, her selfishness, and her emotional instability are what’s at issue here.
Not the sex games I like to play with another consenting adult.
” He levels his dark gaze on me. “I can’t let her make me ashamed of what I have with Emmy.
I can’t let fear force me into the closet. I won’t.”
My throat thickens. He’s willing to risk that, a protracted battle for his daughter, over his principles? Jesus, he’s brave.
If he can be that brave, I can, too. I straighten my shoulders. “Okay, no hiding. What else can I do now?”
Logan shakes his head. “We’re done. Evidence is with the solicitor. If she needs anything else, she’ll let us know.”
“What about turning it over to a Crown Prosecutor?” De Leon asks. “I know Max didn’t mean that threat, but it’s something you should consider. An ongoing criminal investigation for manslaughter unquestionably fucks her on the fitness argument.”
I frown at him. “How’d you know I didn’t mean that threat?”
De Leon slants a glance at me. “Because for all that you can be an asshole to me, you have a soft heart, Max. I’ve spent weeks watching you, listening to you.
I know what’s in your depths and there’s no malice there.
You have to be more than a little hateful to take a woman’s baby and send her to jail. ”
“Or just have a very strong sense of justice,” I object.
“Please. You live in the gray spaces in-between as much as I do. Your corner’s just a lot brighter than mine. Justice isn’t something we get to indulge in. The real question isn’t whether you’d do it, it’s whether Logan would. He hates her enough.”
Logan glowers. “Or I have a strong enough sense of justice.”
De Leon stretches and yawns. “Whatever you want to call it. I’ve seen you in operation enough times to know how fucking ruthless you can be.”
Logan tips his head from side to side, cracking his neck. He doesn’t disagree.
“I won’t rule it out as a possibility,” he says.
“But it’s not on the table right now. Something I would appreciate your input on, though.
I’m not going to be able to keep this from Emmy.
Telling her I found out when Miranda was in subspace is .
. . not a good option. She’s had too many reasons to doubt me lately.
Is there anything you came across that could have tipped me off under other circumstances? ”
It barely takes me a moment to come up with a plausible alternative.
“Fred Evans stalked Miranda throughout the first year you two were together. If she told you about him at the time and you decided to confront him?” I shrug.
“Easily could have come out then. He wasn’t shy about it when I asked.
Maybe you thought it was just the raving of a jilted ex at the time but decided to follow it up when it became clear she wouldn’t give up custody without a fight. ”
Logan’s shoulders slump with what looks like relief.
“Thank you, Maxie. That’s good. I’m going to open the door to her asking me questions about this during Knee Time. If she asks me how I knew, I’ll suggest this avenue without lying to her.”
De Leon coughs into his fist. “Why no lying?”
“If you want your little to be honest with you, you have to be honest with them,” I explain.
“And if they ask about shit that’s classified? That you can’t talk about? What if they ask your kill count?”
I really hope Cynnie never asks me that, but if she did, I’d tell her. It’s not an issue of national security anymore, and if I want to be Cynnie’s secret-keeper, I have to trust her to be mine, too.
But I appreciate there may be things De Leon can never talk to anyone about, ever. “You tell them it’s off limits.”
De Leon scoffs. “Deterred no woman, ever.”
“No, if you explain why it’s off limits,” Logan says. “They’ll respect that. Littles are very good with limits.”
De Leon glances from me to Logan, doubt clear in his eyes.
There’s a knock on the door that makes us all look up. Logan calls out and the door cracks open. Emily’s big, hazel eyes blink through the crack. “Daddy? It’s been a half-hour. You said Max and Mr. De Leon might want something to drink by now.”
Logan nods and I take that as a signal we’re done. There’s more to go over, but none of it is urgent. Nor do we need De Leon around for it.
De Leon unfolds his long body from the chair. “Thank you, Emily, but I’m going to say goodnight.” He looks over at Logan. “See you Sunday.”
Logan raises his eyebrows.
Emily steps into the room, clasping her hands together. “Sunday?”
“I’d like to come to playgroup,” De Leon tells her. “If your daddy says it’s okay.”
Fuck, that’s smooth. Now if Logan says no, Emily will be disappointed, and probably want to know why. Which Lo can’t explain without being insulting.
A muscle pulses in Logan’s jaw but his voice is even when he says, “There’s no playgroup this Sunday. It’s been postponed. But, yeah, I’ll send you the details of the next one.”
I notice Logan doesn’t explain why playgroup has been postponed – because almost the entire playgroup is going to Niagara Falls for Logan and Emily’s collaring ceremony and engagement party. He may trust De Leon enough to come to playgroup, but he’s not inviting him to the party.
De Leon’s mouth twitches in what might be a smile.
Fucker probably knows about the engagement party, stalker that he is.
He nods at each of us as he leaves, collecting his bags from the hallway.
I don’t know where he’s going, or how he’ll get there, since Mac and the car are gone, but I’m confident we’ll see him at the next playgroup.
Logan sighs as he pulls himself out of his chair.
He looks stiff and I wonder if his leg is still bothering him.
His face has healed while I’ve been away, with only a faint pink line high on his cheek to match the fading scar on his forehead.
But it reminds me that it’s time to get back to work on my second favorite op: Project Dirty Digger.
“You doing okay, buddy?” I ask him.
He nods. “Just ready to call it a day now that you’re home safe. You took a decade off my life, mate, getting chased around Devon by mercenaries.”
I pat him on the shoulder. “For all the shit I gave him, De Leon did a good job.”
“Yeah.” Logan sighs. “Oh, Emmy’s place in Scotland sold. We just got confirmation today. We should close in twenty-eight days.”
“Good. Pay me back half. Put the other half into the company.”
“Maxie—” Logan begins.
“I told you it was my buy-in. I meant it.”
Shaking his head, he loops his arm over my shoulders and steers me into the great room, where our littles are waiting. Despite his gesture, I know I’ve won. The company should be capitalized against lean times and I’m happy to be the capitalist.
As soon as we walk through the door from the hallway, Cynnie runs to me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile so bright.
“I’z so happy you’z home, Oppa,” she says, snuggling into my chest.
I drop kisses onto her sleek head. “I’m happy to be home, baby. You understand why I couldn’t let you know I was coming, right?”
She tips her head back and slides her arms around my chest. “You’z had to be bondy to be safe?”
“Bondy?”
“James Bondy?”