Tucker
“Wow.” Tobias shakes his head. “That’s some bullshit.”
I’ve just finished explaining the basics of what brought Ruth to my doorstep to my brothers. I did my best not to go into too much detail, but there were certain things that were relevant and Ruth agreed it was okay for me to share.
Like how William fucking Sheppard preyed on vulnerable women. The way he used his money and power to lure them in and then to torment and terrify them.
“We need to make sure he can never make any claim to Birdie.” Walker looks relaxed, but there’s tension in his shoulders.
He’s become very partial to my little girl in the weeks since she and Ruth came home. More often than not, he finds his way to our house on the weekends, spending time crawling through her castle and bringing new additions to her plastic barnyard. At this point she has just about every animal in existence occupying that thing.
And I know she hasn’t filed for a single exotic animal permit.
“We’ve decided to file the paperwork for me to adopt Birdie. If he tries to come forward and contest it, he’ll find out howserious I am about ruining his life.” It’s been radio silence from William, which is unnerving, but I’m not waiting forever. Someone’s got to make a move.
It might as well be me.
“Except…” Trevor moves his eyes around the room before bringing them to mine. “What if it wasn’t ever about Birdie?” He tips his head, brows lifting. “Ruth is pretty fucking great. I’m sure it would chap his ass that she walked away from him.”
I’ve never met William Sheppard—probably for the best—but I’ve seen his background check. Watched plenty of videos of his slimy smile during the election campaign that made him a senator.
He’s married to his high school sweetheart. Has three teenage daughters. Ran a platform based on values and faith. If it became public he not only had an affair, but also an illegitimate child, that would hurt his chances for reelection. And as great as Ruth is, men like him only care about themselves.
I shake my head. “I get what you’re saying. But men like Sheppard believe one woman is the same as the next. Ruth is nothing more to him than a liability. He worried she would share delicate information about his outside interests, and went straight for the jugular to keep her quiet. Ruth’s jugular is Birdie.”
Nothing is more important in this world to Ruth than her daughter. Not me. Not her own safety. Not her happiness or peace. She would sacrifice it all for that little girl.
It’s one of the many reasons I fell in love with her. One of the many reasons I fully intend to make her my wife.
Just as soon we have enough time to come up for air.
But as soon as my name is on Birdie’s birth certificate, it’s full speed ahead.
“I don’t think—” Titus is cut off when the door to our meeting room flies open and Brooke stumbles in.
Her skin is pale and her eyes are wide, chest heaving as shescans the room. The second her eyes land on me, I know what’s happening.
“Shit.” I shove up from my chair and take off, my brothers hot on my heels as I race for the entryway. I hear yelling before I even make the last turn.
But it’s not a man’s voice carrying down the hall.
It’s Maren’s.
I’m running as fast as I can, but somehow Trevor manages to catch up with me, outpacing me by two full strides by the time we reach the lobby.
My stomach drops to my steel-toed boots when my eyes find Ruth. She looks frozen. Fused to the floor as panic drains the blood from her face.
It must all go straight to Maren’s, because the tiny woman is completely red-faced, looking about two seconds away from committing murderous acts as she screams in the face of the man I knew would be waiting here for me.
William Sheppard has certainly changed since his campaigning days.
He looks like shit. So bad that I’m kinda hoping the stress of facing down Maren’s wrath will send him into a cardiac arrest. It’ll save me the trouble of having to kill him for finding the balls to set foot on my property.
Which also raises a question. How the fuck did he get in this building in the first place?
“You can take your fake court papers and shove them up your ass.” Maren smiles, the expression terrifying. “On second thought, you probably love having your prostate tickled. So how about I just cram them down your throat?”
William is sputtering, looking like he has zero clue how to handle what’s happening. He probably doesn’t. The man likely goes to great lengths to surround himself with people who don’t challenge him.
