Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

W arrick

For the first time in weeks, I was the only one up in the house. Em hadn't felt comfortable spending the whole night in my bed while under the same roof as Mom, so she'd set her alarm at two in the morning just to sneak back into the room she shared with Georgia. That routine was getting old, which made me even more motivated to start the house build and get the three of us moved into our own place.

Last night at dinner, Mom had declared that Georgia was hers today. Meaning, she'd spoil the crap out of the little girl and bring her back home with sugar flowing through her veins and happiness exuding from her pores. I was on board with that. Every kid deserved grandparents who spoiled them rotten.

Em had stunned the crap out of me again by gifting me a barbecue set last night that I immediately used to grill steak kabobs on Mom's grill. I sputtered a few times, but managed to get out a thank-you. Perhaps, over time, I'd react normally when someone gave me a gift, but for now, I was still touched and overwhelmed by it. I'd also kissed her right then and there with Mom and Georgia giggling in the background. Em looked dazed when she pulled back, her cheeks pink and her eyes sparkling. Even more stunning? She hadn't argued with me or gotten mad that I'd laid one on her in front of witnesses.

The coffee pot gurgled behind me and I got out a mug. Mom had asked Em about her current job as we ate dinner and Em had been evasive as hell while looking extremely stressed. While I'd promised to stay out of her business, I wasn't going to stand around and let an asshole intimidate my wife. I'd be paying Roger a visit today. You know, just being a friendly neighbor and checking in. I cracked my knuckles, poured a cup of coffee in a to-go mug, and headed outside.

Bessie gave me side eye while munching on some grass. I'd tried out the stall Em built me and it had worked perfectly. If it was even possible, Bessie was giving me even meaner looks these days, like she wasn't too happy I was the one milking her, but she'd put up with me only to make Mom think she was some kind of prized heifer.

"I'll be back soon!" I called out to her and unlocked the truck.

I swear to God, that cow rolled her eyes and shifted so her backside was facing me. I shook my head and left. The hobby farm had never been my cup of tea, but for Mom's happiness, I'd help keep up with the animals.

The downtown area of Blueball had always been Hallmark picture perfect, with its brightly colored establishments, abundance of flower pots, and local people all smiling and waving hello like they were actually happy to see each other. I'd missed that when I moved away.

A tall, dark-haired man caught my eye, in that he was the only person standing outside Crazy Beans I didn't know. He had his arm around a small, mousy woman with a scared look to her. I slammed on my brakes and swung into an empty parking space, heart thundering. Without taking my eye off the man, I dug into my pocket for my phone and pulled up my emails. I'd had a chat yesterday with the detective I'd hired, and he'd sent me photos of Cayden. I'd meant to discuss this all with Em but last night's casual dinner hadn't been the right time. I'd bet the hobby farm that asshole was now standing outside Blueball's coffee shop. In my fucking town.

I pulled up the pictures and scanned them, even holding up the phone so I could see the picture next to the man on the sidewalk, sipping coffee like he had every right to be here. Yep, that was him.

I grinned in the silence of my truck. Well, would you look at that? My day just got better. I slid out of the truck and shut the door, walking right up to Cayden.

"How's the coffee here?" I asked jovially.

I had to admit, the man was attractive, in a sleazy, steal-your-money-and-make-you-distrust-people-for-the-rest-of-your-life kind of way. The woman looked to Cayden, as if she didn't have an opinion.

He shrugged, holding up his cup. "It's good. Not as good as some others I've tasted, but what can you expect from a backwoods little town, eh?" He chuckled, like insulting the town you were currently standing in was something to joke about.

Anger, the type that leads to events that get you arrested, threatened to ruin my plan. I inhaled deeply, remembering the things I was fighting for. The look on Em's face when she said she trusted me. The sound of Georgia's giggle when she was riding on my shoulders through the carnival. The house I wanted to build by the pond for the three of us. All of that would go up in smoke if I lost control.

"Yeah, I hear you on that. I hope to be out of here today, but first, I need some caffeine. You just visiting too?"

Cayden eyed me, but bought my story, probably because I was wearing my fancy jeans today. Not many people around town wore designer jeans and snakeskin boots. My horrible fashion sense was coming in handy .

"Oh yeah. Just here to collect my daughter. Her mother is being…difficult." His face clouded over and I wanted to punch his teeth out for even thinking about Georgia.

"Huh. That's terrible," I said, really laying it on thick.

He nodded, looking like a man who thought himself to be far more important than he was. "Jess and I are getting married this summer, but before we can be the perfect family, we need to have my daughter with us. Her mother took her from me, absconded with her, actually."

Jess, the woman by his side finally spoke, her voice soft and barely audible. "It's horrible how she's treated Cayden. We just want his daughter back home with us."

I nodded, biting my lip. I'd heard enough bullshit for one day and I still had Roger to visit. "That's pretty interesting, considering Cayden signed his parental rights away after she was born."

Cayden's head snapped in my direction and Jess gasped. "What the fuck?" His entire demeanor changed. He let go of Jess and squared up, like he was ready to fight me with a cup of coffee still in his hands.

I shrugged, waving my phone in the air. This was worth getting a black eye. In fact, I'd love it if he took the first swing so I could justify beating the shit out of him. "Got pictures of you with a sweet little redhead from last week at a place called The Dugout? Ring any bells?"

Jess's mouth dropped open. She was now staring at Cayden, not me.

"Also have some pictures of some jobsites of yours that a city inspector might want to see. Letting your unlicensed workers wire all the electrical?" I shook my head at the man whose face was now turning an angry red. "Cutting corners, Cayden. That's a good way to get sued and lose your contractor's license."

Cayden got right up in my face. He was a couple inches shorter than me, but also younger by almost ten years. His eyes held a kind of hate that made my heart ache for Em. She'd spent too many years with this guy, trusting him when he was the worst of human beings. Not any longer though. I wouldn't allow him to continue to run through her life, destroying what she so carefully built.

"You got some nerve, asshole," he growled, bumping his chest into mine like some kind of primate.

I tilted my head, not at all threatened. "So do you, according to these pictures. I suggest you drop the lawsuit with Emmerleigh or I might have to leak them."

A vein throbbed in his forehead. He huffed and spun away, grabbing Jess's hand and yanking her away from me. "Let's go!" he snapped.

The woman looked like she was trying to get her hand back but he wasn't letting go as he marched off. He threw his coffee into a pot of azaleas. Once an asshole, always an asshole.

"Do you need some help?" I asked Jess, following them. I couldn't in good conscience let her leave with him if I'd just kicked the hornet's nest. If he hurt her, that would be on my head.

She turned back, face flushed. "It's okay."

Nothing about this scene was okay. Everyone on the street was watching, wondering about the commotion. I followed the couple, ignoring the whispering and gawking. Cayden stopped by a dented gray work truck.

"Get in the fucking truck, Jess."

Jess held her wrist, rubbing the pink skin he left behind. "No. Not until you tell me what's really going on. Did you really sign away your rights?"

Cayden heard my footsteps and turned. "What the fuck are you doing? Going to follow me all day, asshole?"

I pointed to Jess. "Just making sure she's okay to be in your company."

"She's my fucking fiancée! She's fine! Mind your own damn business."

I held my hands out, wanting to be the bigger man here, and quite frankly, that wasn't hard to achieve. "Listen, how about we strike a deal? I have another errand to run right now, but then I'll drive out and meet you at your house. I'll bury the pictures. You hand over Em's cross necklace and drop the lawsuit. Simple as that. Won't hear from me again."

Cayden paused, hatred flowing from his mottled face. He spoke to Jess without breaking our staredown. "For the last time, get in the damn truck, Jess."

She ducked her head and climbed in the truck. My heart sank. Took a lot to stand up to a bully like Cayden, but I hoped someone in her life would help her escape before they made things legal.

Cayden walked over to me as soon as she slammed the door closed. He dropped his voice. "You delete every last picture on your phone and send an email calling off your watch dog. Then I'll drop the suit. As for the necklace, I don't have it."

That asshole was still denying it.

I shook my head. "No deal without the necklace, sorry." I was far from sorry.

Cayden looked down the street, then swung his gaze back to mine, some defeat showing in those evil eyes. "Fine. Be there before five or the deal's off."

I waited until he left, Jess's empty stare out the side window haunting my brain. On my way to Roger's house, I texted Anton and asked him to give me a call when he had a second. There was no way I was going to just bury those photos. I'd send them to Anton and let him do with them what he'd like. I never promised Cayden I wouldn't send them to someone else. That's what made me a better human than Cayden. I used loopholes for the greater good, not to make a profit that put other people's safety in jeopardy.

Roger met me at the end of his driveway with a scowl. I rolled down my window and offered a pleasant greeting. He just grunted and picked at his teeth.

"Heard you're having a barn built, Roger."

He grunted again, not confirming or denying it .

"You hired Em." I leaned out my window. "You know Em's my wife, right?"

He quit picking his teeth long enough to glare at me. "So what?"

I shot him a winning smile. "Just making sure you know what's mine before you decide to screw someone over."

Roger batted his gnarled hand through the air.

"Don't act like you aren't the town Scrooge. We all know how you like to con people out of money. Just letting it be known that sort of shit won't fly in this case." I patted the side of my fancy truck. "I'm retired now, if you didn't know. Have all this time on my hands and more money than sense. Might just find it fun to sue someone."

Roger glared at me but didn't say anything.

I waved and kept smiling, rolling up my window with the touch of a button. Then I roared my engine and backed out of his driveway.

My work here was done and I had an important necklace to retrieve.