Chapter 37
Lindsey
Kace and his buddies made moving a breeze. It would have taken me hours and more than one trip to get things to the apartment in my car and then carried upstairs.
They had me loaded up and then unloaded within an hour.
The younger guys had taken off immediately afterward, but Sully and Kace stuck around, bantering back and forth about Kace's supervisory skills while Sully acted as the muscle, unboxing my favorite books—most of them my brother's—and the heavier items my California roommate had managed to pack into my car like a game of Tetris.
They made unpacking fun, and what should have been an awkward time not awkward at all. At least until the end of the evening when there was nothing left for Sully to do nor a reason for them to stay.
Kace tells Sully his job is done. The man nods and then splits his attention between Kace and me before he shakes his head at us.
"What?" Kace asks, sounding grumbly.
"Too stubborn for your own good, aren't you?" Sully turns on his heel and heads toward the door. "Just kiss her already."
Then he walks out, leaving me with Kace, who looks like he wants to strangle his friend.
"So," I say, tucking my thumbs into the back pockets of my shorts. "Thanks again for the help."
"You're welcome. If there's anything else, just text. We can come back."
I nod and manage a weak smile, Sully's words ringing in my head.
Just kiss her already.
I want him to kiss me. Badly. I want to be wrapped in his arms and to rest against his chest. Be cradled against his warmth and strength and feel—
"Maybe we could…have dinner sometime?"
I blink at the question. "Ah, yeah, sure. That sounds nice." Nice and platonic, I muse. It's not like I want to rush into a physical relationship with him, but having realized I love the man, I'd like a little more than dinner with him and the girls. I love them. All of them. But that's not—
"Kace!" Sully's voice rings up the stairwell outside the open door before Sully's pounding
footsteps race up the steps. "We gotta go, man. You left your phone in my truck. Dani's been calling. Pam came back, and Madi's gone."
"Gone?" I ask.
"Gone where? She left with Pam? They left Dani home alone?" Kace growls, heading toward the door as fast as his crutches allow.
Sully hands a cell phone over to Kace, and I move to his side, anxiety and fear ripping through me.
"Dani, baby, are you okay?"
I can hear Dani sobbing on the other end of the phone, and my heart rips to shreds.
"Daddy, come home."
"I'm on my way, baby. Are you by yourself? What happened?"
Kace can't hold the phone and use his crutches, and he mutters a curse when he visibly scrambles to put Dani on speaker and hand the phone to Sully. "What happened, Dani? Where's Madi?"
"She's gone," Dani sobs.
"What do you mean? Where'd she go?" Kace asks as he exits the apartment.
I grab my bag and keys and follow them. No way am I staying behind. Not now. Not when the girls need me. "I'm coming with you."
"I don't know!" Dani wails. "Her mommy is mean! She yelled and yelled and yelled at her and said— She said—" Sobs tear out of Dani's chest, and Kace visibly falters, hands fisted over the crutches and red-faced as he struggles to control the anger flooding all of us.
"Tell me what she said, Dani. It's okay, baby. I'm on my way. Lindsey's coming, too. And Uncle Sully. We'll be right there. Stay on the phone and talk to me. Is the door locked?"
"Y-yes. I locked it."
"Good girl. Tell me what happened. What did Pam say?"
"She said if you was gonna take her kid away from her, then she was going to take me away from you."
I suck in a breath, aching for the pain I see on Kace's face and the fear in Dani's little-girl voice.
"No one is taking you away, you hear me? Where's Mads? Is Pam still there?"
"No. She left. She yelled and yelled, and after she said she'd take me away—Madi said she had to go with her and for me to lock the d-door and call you when they left."
I see Kace squeeze his eyes shut. I feel his pain. Madi left to protect Dani—but who's going to protect her?
I follow the guys to Kace's house, barely able to keep up as Sully races to get Kace home as quickly as possible. The house is dark and quiet, and the men have already entered by the time I pull in and get out to go inside.
Kace is sitting on the edge of the recliner, casted leg extended and a sobbing Dani cradled in his arms.
I look around, not sure what I'm looking for, but hoping against hope it's a bad prank and Madi is going to come strolling down the hallway like nothing's wrong.
"The guys are on the way," Sully says, holding his phone. "You calling the cops?"
I hold my breath, waiting for Kace to answer, but when he doesn't, I say, "She only left to protect Dani. That's coercion."
Sully wipes a hand over his face before focusing on Dani. "Call the cops," he says to Sully. "I'll call the attorney."
"Dani?" I wait for Dani to lift her face from her daddy's chest and look at me with her tear-swollen eyes. "How would you like a sleepover at my new apartment?"
Kace meets my gaze, and I nod at the unspoken thanks I see in his eyes. Caring for Dani is nothing in the grand scheme of things. But if loving them is this painful from the outside, I can't bear to think about what it will cost if I let myself want back in.