Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 70607 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70607 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
I managed to stop him in the mouth of the dining room and pushed him backward, keeping him from hopefully interrupting everyone’s meal.
“Warren,” I said. “Tasia okay?”
Warren’s eyes narrowed. “You did this to her!”
I blinked and frowned. “I most certainly did not.”
“Yes, you did. Who else would have reason to beat the absolute shit out of my daughter?” he asked.
So, I did have a reason? That was interesting. Before, when I was explaining why I was leaving his daughter, he’d told me that my reason for leaving her was petty.
Petty.
Her sleeping with my best friend, my mentally challenged best friend, was petty.
Right.
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t hurt your daughter,” I said. “I haven’t seen her since she left the trail where I was walking the dog.”
“The dog that you refused to give her, so she got upset and started talking about involving the lawyer. Which you got pissed about and then kicked her ass,” he growled.
I narrowed my eyes at him and backed him up even farther, this time to the doorway that led to outside.
“I most certainly did not hurt your daughter,” I countered. “I have proof. I was with someone the entire night.”
He laughed. “A woman that you’re fucking. Of course, she would lie for you.”
“I disagree,” came Luke’s smooth reply from behind me. “My daughter wouldn’t lie for anybody, not even for me.”
I knew that to be true, too.
Katy was honest to a fault.
She told it like it was, as I’d learned from the detective who’d questioned her.
I’d watched the interrogation tapes on break later that day, and she’d straight up told the man everything that I’d done to her the night before, not sparing a single sordid detail.
So no, I don’t think she’d lie for me or for her father.
“You would say that. This is benefitting you.” He waved his hand in the air. “It doesn’t matter. I’m here for Gibby.”
“You mean Logan?” Luke said smoothly.
“Gibby,” Warren corrected. “We both know that child isn’t his, so I refuse to call her his name.”
My mouth twitched at his refusal to call her Logan, and at the mention that he knew that the child wasn’t mine.
Jesus Christ, he only told the truth when it suited him.
Like when we were in court and he was telling the judge that ‘as the child’s father’ I should have to pay for the child support.
God, how I hated them.
“You’re not getting Gibby,” I said.
Warren’s eyes lit with fire.
“I’m getting her,” he said. “You’ve never spent a single night with this child in her entire life. Nor do you want to. We all know that this is just a game to you.”
“Not a game,” I disagreed. “And Gibby’s father is on the way down as we speak. He will be taking possession of Gibby, and taking care of her, until such time that either Tasia gets out of the hospital, or he receives full custody of her—which, I assume, is going to happen. They’re going to file for full custody.”
Warren laughed in my face. “Then he’ll have a fight on his hands.”
I imagined they would.
But I was done with that part. Once I handed Gibby over to the Maxwells today, I would no longer be involved in the rest of it. May the best man win and all that jazz.
Though, I had a ninety-nine percent certainty that Paydon would win. One, they had money to fight Warren and Tasia’s corruptness. Two, Paydon had been wronged.
Gravely.
It would take a heartless judge to rule in favor of Tasia after all that she’d done.
“I’m sure that he will,” I said softly. “Anyway, I hope you have a good night. I imagine that the Maxwells are already working with their lawyer, so you’ll probably hear from him early tomorrow.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Who are these Maxwell people you keep referring to?” he sniped. “They’re not God.”
“The Maxwells,” Luke said softly. “As in Maxwell Oil and Refinery.”
If it was possible, Tasia’s father’s face paled behind his fake tan.
He looked sick to his stomach for a few long seconds.
“Well,” he finally found it in him to say. “That’s nice. But for tonight, Gibby does not know you. Nor does she know this Paydon. We’ll introduce her to them gently if that time ever comes.”
“No,” I said again.
Simple and to the point.
“Yes,” he snapped. “Or I’ll call the cops.”
I looked over at Luke.
“You could try,” I suggested.
Luke snorted.
“They’ll come,” Luke said. “Then they’ll call in backup because they don’t know what to do in this situation. Then they’ll call the chief of police—which is me—and I’ll give them the final answer on what they should or shouldn’t do—and I’m just telling you now that I’ll highly suggest that they leave the child with the father that’s on her birth certificate, not the grandfather.”
Warren blinked.
Then blinked again.
“But he’s not her father,” he snapped.