“She’d have my last name tomorrow if it was possible,” Cal replied without delay.
The blush that covered my cheeks was impossible to hide.
“Wish I’d had one ofthose,” she muttered to herself. She turned to me. “I’ve run your background, which checked out. I also have the police records from Albuquerque. It’s enough for my sign-off for now. The children will be placed in your temporary custody. Max needs to be enrolled in school right away—it’s the law. We’ll do some drop-in visits that could be at a moment’s notice,” she continued. “If you want to pursue permanent custody, I recommend you solidify your divorce—it will make for a cleaner case,” she advised.
“Sorry,” I interrupted. “What police records?”
She looked at me in surprise. “I assumed you knew. There were several well checks requested by a Ms. Turner,” she explained, looking at her files.
“Gran,” I murmured to myself as Cal squeezed my hand in support.
“The living situation was never bad enough to remove the children from the home, but the officers on-site were concerned enough to file various reports,” she continued.
“Until now,” Cal broke in. “It’s bad enoughnow. They’re not going back to her,” he said firmly, squeezing my hand.
She looked at him with a nod. “You have a solid case for custody. Her previous history with substance abuse, the well checks, and now that she’s abandoned them—the state will not place them back in her care. Now, you have to prove they should be placed with you. You seem to have established a safe home for them and seem like good people. My advice? Get them in school, get your personal situation sorted, and get a good lawyer.”
“We will,” Cal replied.
“I’ve got what I need,” she said in closing, rising and picking up her bag. “We’ll be in touch.”
After I shut the door behind her, I leaned my head back against it, listening to the muted sounds of joy filtering in from the backyard where the kids played. Their giggles were a balm to my frazzled nerves.
My eyes met Cal’s as he stood across the room. The energy crackled between us like a live wire as his bright blue eyes bored into me in that way of his—that way that made me feel as though he could see right through to my soul.
“Are we going to do this?” I asked him quietly.
He crossed the room, not stopping until he had me pressed against the door. His lips skimmed mine in a sensual caress. “I knew when I first laid eyes on you that you’d change my life. I knew you’d give me somethin’ beautiful, darlin’,” he murmured. “When Cole was a baby, I had dreams of a house full of kids, of a woman strong enough to stand by my side. A woman that had a heart big enough for our kids and me. Over the years, I let go of all that. Didn’t think it was possible—didn’t think a woman like that existed. Until you.” His deep voice was thick with emotion. “You gave me that, baby, and so much more. Hell, you gave me, my men, and their women in a way I’ve never had.”
I looked up at him in surprise and confusion.
“You think they used to hang around here like they do now? Hell no.” He shook his head. “They respect me, I know they do, but they’ve always given me a wide berth. You’ve been the bridge we needed—the piece that glues us all together. The club is stronger than it’s ever been. A lot of that is thanks to you,” he emphasized. “So hell yes, we’re doing this. Those kids, you—this is my family and I’ll fight with everything I have to keep it. To protect it,” he said with conviction.
I couldn’t speak—words didn’t feel adequate after everything he’d said. Instead, I reached up and yanked the fabric of his tee, pulling his lips to mine. Our tongues clashed, bodies molding as we fought to get closer. His hands went to my backside, lifting me so that my legs wrapped around his waist. My hands found their way underneath his tee, relishing the feel of his muscular back underneath my palms.
“A-hem.” The sound of a throat clearing broke us apart. I peeked over Cal’s shoulder. Sophie stood in the patio doorway, holding Mason with a playful grin on her face.
“What are you doing?” Emmie’s confused voice sounded as she stared at us from beside Sophie.
Cal dropped me gently to the ground, wrapping his arm around my waist. “I’m kissing your aunt, honey,” he explained as I straightened my clothing.
She wrinkled her nose. “Why?”
Max chimed in, looking equally perplexed. “Yeah, why? Kissing is gross.”
He chuckled. “You won’t feel that way when you’re older, bud. And Emmie, I’m kissing her because I love her.”
She seemed to consider that for a moment. “That’s good,” she concluded, marching into the kitchen. “Can I have another muffin?”
I laughed. “Yeah, baby, you can.”
****
My eyes darted to the rearview mirror again, catching glimpses of Max in the backseat as he stared silently out the window. Clearly his first day of school hadn’t gone well. He’d been downright stoic ever since I’d picked him up.
The poor kid had been through so much change.
“Max,” I tried again. “How was school, honey?”
