Chapter 20

TWENTY

DEV

I could tell Tully was shocked by my words. “You did?”

My throat was sore from swallowing down the tears I was desperate to shed. Watching that woman take my daughter had taken years off my life.

“I told the Scotts and my parents that I would be open to fostering better relations with all of them for Lellie’s sake. That it might take time, and neither Lellie nor I was ready for them to take her today, but that I understood they were her grandparents and loved her.”

“That’s… awfully generous of you,” he muttered. I could tell he meant too generous. And maybe he was right, but right now, I was actually glad I’d made the gesture. I felt like it somehow proved I was the better person. I’d been willing to work with them rather than refusing them access to Lellie.

And this was how they’d repaid me. They hadn’t shown me or Lellie any respect.

They’d scared my daughter to death.

I cupped her face and tipped it up. Her hazel eyes were still wet, but she was no longer actively crying. “Why don’t we find Trigger, okay? I think he might like to come out and get a little fresh air.”

Kenji was on top of it as usual, stepping forward and proffering the stuffed horse without taking the phone from his ear. I was happy to see Lellie’s lips turn up.

“Foss.”

“Yes, baby. Here’s your horse. You’re going to pass out on the way home, aren’t you?”

I glanced at Tully. His shoulders were up around his ears, and his lips were tightly pressed together. He was watching the group of people speaking to the officers. When I remembered one of them was his boss, I realized what a precarious position he was in.

“Hey,” I said softly. “You can go be with your boss and do what you need to do. You don’t need to feel pulled in two directions.”

He glanced back at me in surprise, and his eyes softened. “Thank you. For thinking of that. For caring. But no, I…” Movement from the other group caught our attention as an officer stepped away and approached us.

The man was older, maybe in his mid-fifties, and looked as appropriately intimidating as many Texas law enforcement officers did. “Which one of you is Devon McKay?”

I raised my hand. “I am. And this is Tully Bowman. An attorney involved in the custody situation,” I added, gesturing to Tully. “And this is my daughter, Eleanor Scott. Lellie.”

Lellie’s head popped up from my shoulder at the sound of her name. She held her stuffed horse out so the officer could see it. Surprisingly, his stoic face shifted immediately into a warm smile.

“Nice to meet you, darlin’,” he said. “What a mighty fine horse you got there.”

He glanced back to me. “I’d like to hear what happened from your perspective, if you don’t mind. Your attorney gave us the gist of things, the recent custody change after the mother’s passing. I’m very sorry for your loss.”

I thanked him and explained my version of events, gesturing to Tully when explaining how we stopped Mrs. Scott from succeeding in her attempt to take Lellie.

“Alright, then I’ll need to get a statement from you as well,” he said to Tully before glancing back at me. “Do you intend to press charges today? And before you answer that, understand that it is not always up to you, especially considering this involves a minor. It may be that the courts decide to proceed with or without your consent.”

“I understand. At this time, I do want to press charges. Against Mrs. Scott for taking her, the driver for whatever part he had in it, Franklin Scott if he was involved in planning it at all or had knowledge of it, and anyone else over there who might have known this was going to happen.” As the words poured out of me, I realized just how angry I was. It was no longer fear but jaw-cracking rage.

As the officer finalized his notes and shifted his focus to Tully, I took the opportunity to confer with Susanna, who’d followed the officer over and had remained a few feet away where she could listen but not interfere unless warranted.

“Did they admit to planning this?” I asked in a low voice.

“Unfortunately not. And I’ll be honest, Mr. Scott looked upset and surprised. He claimed that his wife was simply overcome and wanted to take a moment alone with Lellie to calm down. Unless he’s a good actor, and I can tell you he’s not, he had no knowledge she was going to do this. Maybe they came here with the car seat fully expecting you’d agree to an overnight visit, and when you didn’t, she panicked.”

Lellie struggled to get out of my arms, so I set her down in the grass nearby. She toddled toward a tiny fallen tree branch and set her horse on top of it. As soon as Tully was finished giving his statement, I wanted to get the hell out of here. Circle the wagons and go. If it hadn’t been for having a toddler with us, I’d want to fly all the way back to Wyoming.

“Devon?”

My mother’s voice was hesitant. I glanced up at her warily but didn’t speak.

“I want you to know we had no idea she was going to try anything like that. We would have never condoned taking her without your permission.”

I glanced at my father, who surprised me by nodding. “Pastor Scott asked us to help persuade you to allow us some time with her, not to do anything hinky.”

“I don’t understand why you went along with him. Why not just contact me directly when you learned I had a daughter? Why not reach out and try to mend fences? You know how badly I tried to talk to you back…” I swallowed hard. “Back then. I would have answered the phone. You had to have known that. I just… don’t understand.”

My mother looked to my father, who sighed. “They told us you were into some bad stuff and that from everything they’d learned, you were living off on your own in the middle of nowhere. They were afraid if we did anything to upset you, you’d just take off with her. We wanted a chance to talk to you in person. To make you understand that we were sorry.”

His words caught me off guard. Was he apologizing for cutting me off? For blaming me for Matt’s death? “Sorry? Sorry for what?”

My father shifted on his feet. “Well… sorry for not realizing you had a family, for one.”

My mother could barely take her eyes off Lellie long enough to look at me, but she spoke, too. “And sorry for you not feeling like you could call us and tell us we had a grandbaby.”

Anger coiled inside of me, white-hot and snapping like oil popping in a hot pan. “Maybe I’m misunderstanding you. You’re sorry because of Lellie. Not because of anything that happened after Matt’s death.”

My father’s face lost any trace of warmth at the mention of my brother’s name, and my mother sucked in a breath. Even after this long, their grief still had sharp edges.

I pushed against them until they cut.

“Are you sorry for blaming me for Matt’s death? Do you still think it’s my fault? Do you still wish I’d died instead of him?” My words rocketed out of me like the rat-tat-tat of a machine gun with deadly aim. I saw Susanna move Lellie farther away in the grass. Tully must have finished his statement because he came and stood beside and a little behind me like a handsome fucking angel perched aggressively in my blind spot.

I didn’t stop. “Are you hoping to reconcile with me, to get to know me again, to see how I live and love, or are you mostly hoping to get access to your granddaughter?”

I felt the warm press of Tully’s fingers as they slid against my lower back. Because of the way he was standing, no one else would know they were there.

But I did.

So when my parents stood there, my father with a firm jaw and my mother with a watery, resentful stare, I knew there was no more need for words.

“Right,” I breathed. “Okay.”

Even Susanna had heard enough to look at me with a face full of kind empathy. I swallowed past the lump in my throat and strode for Lellie. “Come on, sweet girl. Let’s go home, okay?”

I kept my eyes away from Pastor Scott, his abductor wife, their snake attorney, and Tully’s boss as I beelined it to the Range Rover and began buckling Lellie inside. I knew she probably had a wet diaper, but I couldn’t bear the thought of sticking around for one more minute where I could be put upon again by entitled assholes and risk being too fucking nice like always.

Raised voices alerted me to Pastor Scott’s attempt to stop us from leaving, but the officers didn’t let them approach the vehicle. Instead, the officer who’d interviewed me came close enough to confirm we were allowed to leave.

Tully’s boss approached him at the rear of the vehicle, where Tully was loading up the diaper bag and exchanging a few final words with Susanna. I didn’t hear what he said, but I could see the conflicted expression on Tully’s face.

When the older man finally walked away, Tully climbed into the driver’s seat.

Kenji and I exchanged a look.

“I’m sure we can find our way back to Katie’s with navigation,” I began. “If you need to go with?—”

“No.”

He didn’t say anything, simply waited for us to load up. Kenji and I exchanged places without speaking. He immediately began entertaining Lellie in the back seat while I slipped into the passenger seat next to Tully.

The first part of the drive was quiet. Traffic was high since it was rush hour, and Tully seemed focused on the road. I wanted to say something… ask him what his boss had said, apologize for embracing him earlier, or just plain thank him again for keeping Mrs. Scott from taking Lellie. But I sensed he wanted time to think.

After several more minutes, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I reached out and rubbed the muscles of his neck and shoulders. “I’m stressed just looking at you,” I murmured softly.

He glanced over at me, the Gulf-blue eyes both familiar and intoxicating. “My boss said he expects me in the office for a meeting first thing.”

“You in trouble?”

His eyes returned to the road. “Trouble? No. I haven’t technically done anything wrong. And he seems to appreciate the fact I’m spending all this time ‘keeping an eye on you.’” He let out a breath. “But he didn’t repudiate what Mrs. Scott did, and it’s clear he still wants to support their custody challenge.”

I huffed out a laugh. “I can’t imagine today’s events are going to help their case. That’s the one good thing that will come from getting the cops involved.”

He nodded. “Right. So why can’t he see that? Why is he still trying to help them? I mean… I know the answer. The Scotts are one of the firm’s biggest clients. I’m just incredibly disappointed to see him acting in his own best interests instead of the best interest of a minor child, even after I told him what a good father you were, what a great life you could give Lellie.”

My stomach flipped in a good way. Tully’s faith in me meant… a lot.

I moved my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck and kept rubbing his tight muscles as he drove us home. The sound of Kenji’s soothing voice speaking to Lellie assured me all was well in the back seat.

“He probably still thinks the Scotts are the best choice for her, Tully,” I admitted. “Most people would. Especially more traditionally minded folks who have ingrained ideas of what a proper family looks like.”

“Why are you so f-freaking reasonable?” he muttered, stopping himself from cursing. It was something I was still doing a shit job of, but I appreciated him keeping Lellie’s delicate ears in mind.

I shrugged. “It’s easier for me to believe that it’s not personal—that he thinks the Scotts would be best because they fit his idea of a heteronormative, two-parent family—than for me to think he has something against me in particular.”

Tully glanced at me again. “You’re the best choice, Dev. I hope you know that.”

Kenji made a soft sound of agreement in the back seat before reaching out to squeeze my shoulder.

I sighed and sat back in my seat. “Well, let’s just hope the courts agree. At least we’re a little closer to proving it now.”

When we got back to the house, Lellie was dead asleep in her car seat. I carried her inside and changed her diaper before putting her in the crib in her room. Thankfully, she was good at transferring and stayed asleep. Unfortunately, the late nap was most likely going to seriously fuck up our night.

When I made my way back downstairs to the kitchen, Kenji was seated at the table, typing away on his laptop while Tully was unloading a grocery delivery. He’d kicked off his shoes and was barefoot in his suit pants and Oxford shirt, which made my stomach tighten with desire. My city boy looked amazing in his suits, but I would always think he looked better when he unbuttoned a bit.

My breath caught. My city boy? Maybe it shouldn’t have felt so right to think of him that way, but it did.

He glanced over and caught me staring at him. “I told Kenji we’re taking a two-hour break from discussing the situation at the clinic and its related issues. Instead, we’re going to swap embarrassing childhood stories. I vote Kenji starts.”

“I’m ignoring you,” Kenji muttered without looking up from his screen.

I winked at Tully but spoke at Kenji. “That’s okay. Your grandmother has told me enough of your stories that I can take over for you in telling them.”

His dark eyes came up and pinned me with a glare. “Reconsider your actions, McKay. Choices have consequences.”

Tully’s laughter made my entire body feel lighter. I joined him in putting away the groceries by telling him the story of how Kenji’s grandmother had used chess as a punishment without realizing that Kenji loved the game and would do anything to be able to stay in the Florida air-conditioning instead of being forced to go outside and play with the other grandkids in her retirement community.

“I played for money in college,” Kenji added. “Paid my entire tuition at UMBC by fleecing other students. Don’t tell me my Baa-Baa wasn’t proud then. She still takes full credit for my degree.”

“What about you, Dev?” Tully asked. “You got a scholarship to Yale, but what did you do for money while you were there?”

“Mucked stalls, of course. As soon as I arrived on campus, I found the nearest equestrian center. I thought if I could establish a rapport at a barn, they might cut me a deal on boarding, and I could try and bring up the mare I’d ridden at Delmar and Biddy’s ranch.” I shrugged. “It was a pipe dream. Even if I could afford the board, I couldn’t afford to trailer her all the way to New Haven. And that’s if Katie’s grandparents had meant what they said about letting me have her.”

“When did you get Trigger?”

Kenji snorted and went back to working on his laptop. I ignored him. “That mare that I left behind, the sweetest best friend a shy gay kid in Texas could have besides Katie, ended up giving birth to a stallion who went on to father several incredible additions to their ranch. They were so happy I’d encouraged them to breed her they were willing to give me one of the colts several years later as long as I agreed to let them use him to stud from time to time. The last time I brought him down was when I met you.”

Tully’s eyes met mine across the small kitchen. Memories from that night two years ago were stronger than ever and filled the room with the good kind of tension.

Kenji’s voice broke the moment. “Ask him what happened to Trigger’s foals.”

“None of your business,” I said with a surprised laugh, embarrassed by the fact I’d tracked them all down and offered obscene amounts of money to bring them to Fletcher Ranch this past year. “Did I ever tell you about the time Katie showed up to cheer for a football game after sneaking half a box of Franzia wine with the other girls on the squad?”

Tully’s eyes danced as he plucked a carrot stick out of a bag and snapped a bite of it in the side of his mouth. “How many horses, Devon?”

“What? Nothing. So they go to do the pyramid, right? And the girl who’s supposed to be on top?—”

“Twelve,” Kenji said. “I’m sure you’ve met them in Majestic. Silas calls them Dev’s Dozen. Way calls them Dev’s Emotional Support Herd.”

I busied myself folding paper bags into a tidy stack. “There was no way to know if they were being properly cared for. Now I can be sure they are.”

Tully tilted his head at me. “If you’re that rich, why don’t you have more help on the ranch?”

Kenji’s entire face lit up. “Here we go. Now you’re talking. I think I need to dial in the guys.”

“Do not dial in the guys,” I warned.

“Even if you weren’t rich,” Tully continued, “I’d still wonder why you have so little personnel caring for such a large ranch. It makes no sense.”

“Agreed,” Kenji said gleefully, typing away on his keyboard. I knew what was coming.

The familiar chime of a video call preceded my groan. “Seriously?”

Landry’s voice was the first one to come through Kenji’s laptop speakers. “Did they arrest those bastards?”

I shot a look at Kenji. “How does he know already?”

Surprisingly, Kenji’s cheeks took on the barest tinge of pink. “Yes, but I’m sure they won’t hold them,” Kenji explained, ignoring my question. “They’ll book them and then release them.”

“Book and release who?” Bash asked following the chime of his addition to the call. Kenji turned the screen so I could see their faces as each member of the brotherhood appeared. I noticed Rowe seated in Bash’s lap on the sofa of their house in the Hamptons.

Silas frowned from his little square on the screen. “Tell me Zane didn’t get arrested again.” Zane’s face popped up in time to hear enough of Silas’s question to get defensive. Kenji tried to calm them all down by explaining what happened at the clinic.

Tully raised an eyebrow at me, but I could tell by his grin he wasn’t intimidated by this motley crew.

“Guys,” I said, interrupting. “This is Tully Bowman. Tully, this is the guys. That’s Bash and his barnacle, Rowe, this is Landry, you obviously know Silas, and the guy with the Jesus hair is Zane.” I pointed to each window in turn.

I watched Tully as he greeted them. All of my friends were sexy as hell. One was a literal model, and another was a famous rock star. Any one of them would be a better catch than I was.

He waved and smiled before reassuring them Lellie was safe and in good hands with “her daddy.” The words sounded surreal.

“Thanks to him,” I said, reaching out to put a hand on Tully’s shoulder. “He was her hero today.”

A chorus of aww ’s and cheers came from the speakers, causing Tully’s cheeks to darken more than Kenji’s ever did. Before everyone could calm down, Kenji broke in.

“Tully wants to know why Dev hasn’t hired more help on the ranch.”

The cheers turned into loud agreement, pointed barbs, and laughter. “Because he’s a controlling asshole,” Silas accused. I could hear Way in the background trying to defend me.

Landry chimed in. “Never get between a man and his horseflesh. That’s why.”

Bash kept a straight face. “Money, probably. Employees are expensive.”

Everyone burst into laughter. I was tempted to go over there and slam the laptop closed. Instead, I reached for Tully’s hand and yanked him out of the room while telling my friends to fuck off.

When I got Tully alone in the guest room, I closed the door and pulled him into my arms.

And shocked both of us by promptly bursting into tears.