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“It’s going to be just fine, Justin. Nothing is wrong. Just a disagreement.” As he became more and more panicked, he started to flail. That’s when I had to let him down for fear of dropping him.
He started to pound on my legs with his little fists and tears slipped past my lashes. Oh, God. Oh, God. What had I just done?
Don’t break down. Don’t do it. You need to be strong.
The little voice wasn’t helping.
“Where’s Daddy? I want my daddy!”
“Hey, Justin. Do you want to watch a movie?”
He continued to cry, wailing at the top of his lungs. I was certain the Fishers were recording his outburst, likely to use it in court. What had I just done to Phoenix? I rubbed the top of Justin’s head then dropped down to eye level. If the kid wanted to give me a black eye, so be it.
“Justin. How about a soda?” Did Phoenix allow him to have one? Shit. I had no idea.
As the crying continued, I was starting to become far too emotional. “How about some ice cream?”
Oh, my God. That did the trick. He immediately stopped crying, although his little sobs remained. I wasn’t cut out for this. I guided him to the kitchen, my hands shaking as I grabbed a bowl from the cabinet, dishing out a nice helping.
I hated to admit I needed to bribe him just for a little while. When he sat down without being asked, I tousled his hair, taking a deep breath. I watched him for a few seconds before heading toward the front window, daring to glance out. The Fishers were gone, but I had a feeling they’d be back soon, only this time with a court order. Why hadn’t Phoenix stopped them before this?
Who was I to judge.
As I returned to the kitchen, I had to admit that I was exhausted. I slumped against the doorway, digging the piece of paper Phoenix had left me into my hand. “Justin. I’m going to make a quick phone call.”
“O-tay.”
I moved around the corner, dialing Gage’s number. As I suspected, I was forced to leave a message.
“Hi, um, Gage. This is Wren Tillman. Phoenix is at a fire and asked me to stay with Justin. His grandparents just stopped by. They threatened me and tried to take Justin with them. I locked them out, but I didn’t know what else to do. This is my number. When you get a chance, will you call me?”
After rattling off the number just in case, I took a deep breath, holding the phone to my head. Then I sucked up my tears and walked back into the kitchen.
Only to find his little head down on the table, his hand still wrapped around the spoon. Sighing, I walked toward him, shaking my head. Children could easily define what was important in life. I pushed the bowl away and gathered him into my arms, thankful he wasn’t fighting me. Then I headed into his bedroom, easing back the covers. As Chewy scampered on top, I took a deep breath. The little boy was safe, and no one was going to get to him.
I only closed the door partially after checking the locks on his windows. Then I headed back into the kitchen, giving myself an okay to have a glass of wine. One wouldn’t hurt me at this point, and I needed something to calm my nerves.
I’d wanted to wrap my hands around the woman’s throat. With the wine poured, I dialed Cammie. I needed a friendly voice to talk to and I was determined to get answers before Phoenix returned.
“Cammie. How’s non-married life?”
She laughed. “You should have been there for the fireworks. I had a blast. I know that sounds horrible, but I did. Guess what else I’m doing?”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“I’m moving out of the house. Anyway, I know you didn’t call me to talk about my lack of love life. I’m really sorry what happened.”
“I’m fine. We had a glorious time together after leaving your rehearsal dinner.” After laughing, I heard silence on the other end. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“Oh, God. Where are you?”
“I’m at his house. He went to work a fire and he asked me to stay with his son. Justin is a cutie pie. Oh, and we now have a puppy. At least, I think. It’s a long story and it’s really not mine, but Justin’s at this point. I know I’m rambling. And I do need to ask you a favor, a big one this time. I want you to check with your associates, that favorite attorney you’ve been crushing on, to see who is behind the recent push for building a couple of huge resorts in Montana. Specifically, check the Wentworth Corporation and I know you might not want to do this, but I want to find out what our father has been doing and investing in. Do you think you could do that for me? Pretty please?”
When she didn’t say anything, I leaned against the counter. “What’s wrong, Cammie? Tell me. If you don’t want to do that, I’ll understand but I have a hunch and it needs to be played out. Too many bad things are happening around Phoenix and his ranch.”
She still remained silent. What the hell was going on?
“You haven’t been listening to the news?” Cammie asked in a soft voice.
