Chapter 66
Dax
I rub my wife’s shoulders, but what I really need is a drink and a vacation away from home.
It’s been a week since the drama with the Brennans. The Titans came through, and their deaths were ruled a murder suicide. The Titans' reach is long. They will bribe or blackmail whoever they need to. Of course, they charged me for all of that and reduced it from my payment.
Now, I’ll be involved with them longer than I'd like, but it was worth it. I’ll never admit it, but they came through for me.
That’s behind us, but Leander is outside the shop, and I’m pretty sure I know why.
While my wife is on the phone with a distributor, I open the shop's back door for her father.
“What you’re not going to do is blame my wife for shit like you tried to do when yours faked that heart attack.” I stand in front of the door, not letting him in. But Ruby, who is in his arms, jolts in excitement when she sees me. She extends her arms, and I take her from him.
“I didn’t mean to blame her, and I thought it was a heart attack.”
“You never mean to do shit, do you? Your wife is as much of an opportunist as you. There’s a name for that.”
A week ago
“The doctor said the EKG shows no sign of a heart attack.” Cori exhales at her father’s words. “They think it was a panic attack.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” I pull Cori into my arms and try to soothe her. “What caused it? Mom’s never had panic attacks before.”
Leander dabs his shiny forehead with a handkerchief. “They say stress.” He stares at Cori after saying those words. She gasps, and she looks away in shame. I step between them.
“Cori is not the cause of your wife’s stress.”
“She told her off and said she was through with us. You don’t think a mother losing her daughter is stressful?”
“I don’t give a damn what Cori said. She’s not the cause. The seeds you and your wife planted have sown. Look in the fucking mirror. She caused her own stress.”
Leander raises both hands and takes a step back. “I’m sorry. You’re right about it not being Cori’s fault.”
Ruby, who was sleeping soundly in the stroller, starts to fuss.
“You should be ashamed of yourself as a parent.” I decide not to hold back.
“Daxton, I don’t need you to critique my parenting.” He hangs his head and takes a step back. He lifts Ruby from the stroller, but her whines turn into loud cries. He bounces her and walks around, but nothing helps.
“Where is Devin?” It almost hurts my head to ask that question.
“He hasn’t been home since you beat him up.” The statement comes off as accusatory, but I don’t take the bait. I’d beat that little asshole’s ass again if I had to.
Tears spill from the baby’s eyes.
“Just take her,” Cori whispers. “I know you want to.” The words are barely out of her mouth when I snatch her from her grandfather. The cries turn into a low whine.
“I think she’s hungry.” I kiss Ruby’s cheek. “Are you hungry, sweetheart?”
“I’ll take her to the cafeteria and get something.” Cori’s words shock me. She gestures for me to give her the baby, and I do. “Your mom should be done talking to Josie. I’ll have her come with me. I’ll bring you something.” She kisses my cheek and walks away.
Leander stands in the corner with unshed tears in his eyes. He looks down, and his shoulders sag.
“I didn’t want to say anything in front of Cori, but Devin texted and said he’s not coming back.”
“When did he do that?”
“A few hours ago. I texted him about his mother. He said to keep him updated, but he won’t come home.”
“What about his child?”
Leander shrugs. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. I have duties. Annette is in no condition to look after a baby. She’s still recovering, and she doesn’t need the stress.”
Now
“I need to talk to you both.” He hands me Ruby and tries to come inside the shop, but I don’t move from the door. “I come in peace.” He raises both hands. He looks tired and haggard. He also looks like he’s put on weight, but I keep the last part to myself.
“Why does this mutt keep following me?” Cori’s voice sounds light, and Finch’s bark follows it. “Look at the yellow skirt I made for Finch.” Ruby jolts and lets out a big belly laugh. Cori stops when she sees her father. “Is Mom okay?”
I’m certain this isn’t about her mother. She’s home, and we saw her last night. It was a brief but strained visit. Cori brought flowers and kept the conversation superficial. Annette fell asleep after about half an hour, and we left.
“Your mother’s fine. I want to talk to you and Dax.” As the words leave his mouth, my mother, Selene, and Eden join us. Selene and Eden both hug Leander.
“Cori was training us in case she needs us to work here,” Selene says.
“Um, girls, I need to speak with Cori and Daxton. Can you give us some privacy?” Leander looks more nervous than usual. “In fact, can you two go sit with Annette until I get home? She would love the company.”
Eden cranes her neck and says, “You want us to stay, Cori?”
“It’s okay. Mom loves spending time with you two.” Cori looks into my eyes as if she’s asking me for answers, but all I do is shrug.
“Don’t mind me. I have things to do upstairs. I’ll see you girls out.” Mom gestures for Eden and Selene to follow her toward the front door. I put Ruby on the couch on the other side of the room, and Finch sits in front of her, as if to offer her protection if she needs it.
We stare at Leander and wait to hear what he has to say.
“Devin joined the military.” He hasn’t told me anything I don’t already know. I planned on telling Cori tonight, but he beat me to it.
“What?” my wife asks.
“He joined the army. He’s waiting for a date to report to boot camp.”
“What about his daughter?” My wife asks the obvious question. I know that’s why Leander is here.
“That’s why I’m here. I need you both to help.
Your mother is not well, and can’t handle the constant demands of a baby.
I can’t do it. I have obligations to Shadow Cove, and your mother’s medical treatment is another job.
” He sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose.
“Truth is, your mother and I are too old. We raised our kids. We want to be grandparents, not parents again at our age.”
“I don’t know what you want us to do. I already told you I’m not taking care of Devin’s child.” Cori eyes her father before she takes my hand. Her attempts to pull me away are in vain. “What about Ruby’s mother’s family?”
“Absolutely, not.” Leander shakes his head. “Her other grandfather is a registered sex offender. Her uncle is a felon, and her grandmother has addiction issues. She can’t go to them.”
“I didn’t know any of that. You’re right,” my wife concedes. “I guess this will fall on you and Mom then.”
“Cori—”
“No, Dad. Absolutely not. After the different ways you treated us, you expect me to—”
“I never mistreated you. I love you. You’re my daughter. Maybe I did depend on you more, but that’s not because I love you less.”
“It doesn’t matter. The answer is no.” Cori starts to walk away, but then turns back to face her father. “You think I’m going to take Ruby so Devin can show up in a few years and get in her head. And you and Mom will let him walk right back in and let him do whatever he wants, at my expense.”
I rub between her shoulders.
“Calm down.” I don’t say more. The only other people she told about her pregnancy are Selene and Eden. She won’t tell anyone else until she’s in the second trimester.
“Cori, it’s not like that. I won’t do that. You—”
“You will do that. That’s what you’ve always done.
You took money from me, gave it to him, and told him to keep it quiet.
You demanded that I put off school, and you did everything to make sure Devin went.
Own it.” Leander takes a step back as if she just slapped him.
“I said own it. Own it or leave.” Cori gestures to the door.
“I’m sorry.” Leander hangs his head. There’s a heavy silence in the shop. He eyes me, and I think he’s waiting for me to speak, but I remain quiet. Cori starts to walk toward the door. “I own it, Cori. We treated you differently. I didn’t see it then, but we love you. We always have.”
“You just love Devin more.” The sadness in my wife’s voice guts me. I extend my hand to her, and she takes it.
“That’s not true. I don’t love him more. This won’t make you feel any better, but I knew I could count on you and not him. He can’t even take care of his child, Cori. Do you feel better now? I’m a shit parent. I admit it. All I ask is that you don’t punish Ruby because of it.”
“I have no intentions of punishing anyone. Ruby is not my responsibility. She’s Devin’s.
He abandoned her, and now you’re here to dump her on me.
” My wife looks around the room before pointing at her father.
“Just as I predicted all along. And I told you repeatedly that I would not lift a finger, but here you are.”
Leander finally looks up. He stands as a man who has the world on his shoulders. He sighs and runs his hand over his head.
“Cori, I—"
“Stop,” I order, and for once, he shuts up. “I want to talk to my wife alone.” I cradle the back of her neck. “Let’s go into your office.”
We leave her father and Ruby and almost collide with my nosy mother. She doesn’t even pretend that she didn’t hear the conversation. In fact, she follows us into Cori’s office.
“Sweetheart, I understand how you feel.” I pull her into my arms, and she melts. I catch my mother’s eye and will her to understand that I need her help.
“Thank you.” She pulls away. “The absolute nerve. I knew this was going to happen.” She points at my chest. “Remember how I said they were going to make this baby my responsibility? That’s why I set those boundaries, not that they care about boundaries, but I saw this coming from a million miles away.
From the moment Devin slithered back into town, I knew he was looking for a way to dump that child on someone else.
Which is a shame, because she doesn’t deserve that. ”
Her last sentence is all I need to hear. There’s a chance.
“She doesn’t deserve that. She’s an innocent baby.”
“She sure is,” Mom agrees.
“My parents will have to deal with the consequences for once.” She raises both hands and takes a step back. “They gonna learn today.”
“I have a suggestion.” I take her hand and pull the seat out for her. “Please hear me out.” She looks up, crosses her arms, and narrows her eyes at me. “I’m on your side. Always.”
“Okay,” is all she says, but she doesn’t sound convinced.
“I want the best for Ruby, too. The best for her is not with your parents.” She stands abruptly, but I wrap my hand around her wrist. “I understand your resentment of your brother. I do, but she’s a baby.”
“I don’t hear a suggestion, and it better not be—”
“We can adopt her,” I say quickly. She closes her eyes and shakes her head in disbelief. She lays her hands on the table, and I take them.
"I told you not to get attached," she reminds me.
"Sweetheart, by the time you told me that, it was already too late."
She sighs in exasperation.
“You have a beautiful heart, Daxton. It’s what I love about you the most, but sometimes, you can be such a dummy.”
My mom lets out a half-laugh, half-cough. Shocked by my wife’s words, my head rolls back.
“Why am I a dummy?”
“How the hell can we adopt a baby when her loser father is alive and healthy?”
“He can sign away his rights. We’ll get a lawyer to work it out. She will be ours.”