CHAPTER 14

Brian

I watched Amanda leave to go meet who I assumed was Sarah, but I never saw her come back home. I went to go check on her and make sure the two of them were all right, but when I knocked on the door, no one answered. I was worried when I fell asleep and didn’t hear a car return. Had Amanda forgotten about coming to watch Lanie?

I woke up Monday morning and started making breakfast. If Amanda didn’t show up, then I would have to cancel the meeting. I couldn’t take Lanie with me, and I had no other backup. I would simply have to reschedule during a time when the nanny would be able to watch my niece.

And it would serve me right, trusting some young, bobble-headed girl. She was in over her head with that cabin, and it sounded like she was in over her head with her own life. Aspiring to be an artist and trying to paint her way through life. It was a child’s dream. I couldn’t believe I’d opened myself up to someone like that. Someone so frivolous and forgetful and—

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. I set the scrambled eggs aside and went over to the door. I opened up, not really knowing who to expect on the other side. But the moment my eyes took in Amanda standing on my porch, guilt rushed over my body.

Until I started studying her.

She was in the same outfit as yesterday. Her hair was thrown up haphazardly, and her sunglasses hid her eyes. Where the hell had she been last night? Why had she not come home? Who in the fuck had she been with? Was there really a ‘Sarah’?”

My mind started running at a million miles a second, but I tried to shake the thoughts from my brain. She wasn’t any older than drinking age, so I didn’t know what I expected from her. She was still in her youth. Her prime. She had the right to go out with friends and get into trouble and have one-night stands and make memories. I had no right to lay any sort of claim to her, even though my body was thrumming with jealousy.

I wanted to know where she had been, but I didn’t hold that kind of position in her life.

“Morning,” Amanda said.

“Thanks for coming to watch Lanie,” I said as I stepped off to the side.

“It’s not a problem. I’m sorry I’m a few minutes late. Getting up the mountain this morning was rough without coffee in my system.”

She walked into the house, and my eyes lingered on her. She had a light stain on the back of her shirt. And there were only a few things a beautiful woman like herself could do to get stains on her back.

I shook the anger from my body and tried to focus. I had bigger things to deal with than what some random college graduate was doing. I had to get my mind right for this meeting with my PI. I watched as Amanda went over to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup like she owned the place.

“What time is your meeting?” she asked.

She turned to look at me, and my eyes whipped up to hers. She’d perched her sunglasses on the top of her head and her eyes looked tired and there were bags underneath.

“Soon. I need to get ready and get out of here.”

“Then go get ready,” she said. “I’ve got this.”

I held her gaze one last time before I relented and started for my room.

I heard Lanie pad down the hallway past my room as I hopped into the shower. I could hear the two girls chattering away, with Lanie giggling and squealing with delight. That girl really did enjoy it when Amanda was here, and that fact both elated me and angered me. Did Amanda not understand what she was getting into with me? She couldn’t go off gallivanting around with whoever the fuck if she wanted to be with me.. She had a three-year-old that adored her What if something had happened to her last night? I didn’t have her number, and she didn’t have mine. She would’ve had no way to call me for help.

That was going to change today.

I finished with my shower and dressed. I had a few stops in town I wanted to make before my lunch meeting with the PI. I picked Lanie up and planted a kiss on her cheek, letting her know that Amanda would be taking care of her today. Lanie bounced up and down in my arms with happiness before she reached out for Amanda.

Then I wrote my number on a piece of paper and tacked it to the fridge.

“That’s my cell in case you need anything. Text me so I’ve got your number,” I said.

“Sounds good to me,” Amanda said casually.

“Amanda.”

She panned her head over to me as Lanie sat down to eat her breakfast.

“Call me if you need anything.”

Her head cocked slightly to the right as she studied me. Her eyes raked down my body, making no attempt to conceal what she was doing. I stood there and let her take in whatever it was she felt she needed to, then she nodded and gave me a slight grin.

“I will. Promise. We’ll be okay. You go on to your meeting,” she said.

“Thank you for watching her. I’ll let you know when I’m headed home.”

“I’ll text you soon,” she said.

I got into my truck and looked through the window one last time. Amanda was drinking her coffee at the table while Lanie ate her breakfast. The two were smiling and giggling, and I watched as Lanie moved her food so she could sit next to Amanda. The two snuggled up next to one another, and the scene unfolding before my eyes warmed the pit of my gut.

“Focus Brian,” I said, sighing. “Get it together.”

I rode on into town and stopped at a few places. I needed wipes and snacks from the grocery store, medicine from the pharmacy, and a few random things from the hardware store. Then, I rode into the middle of town to meet my PI for lunch. When I walked in, my lawyer, Luther, was there with him.

And the news was only slightly better than what I was dreading.

“Well, there’s good news and bad news,” my lawyer said.

“Give it to me straight. What can I expect?” I asked.

“If her father can prove he’s got a stable household, that he’s sober, and that he’s married, it’ll look better than you being single and attempting to raise her.”

“Wait. This bastard’s married?” I asked.

“In the official court documents, Lanie’s father’s states that he’s sober, married, and has a clean home for Lanie to come home to. There are drug tests proving he’s clean-—”

“That’s the biggest crock of bull I’ve ever heard. He appeared on my doorstep reeking of alcohol and high as a kite.”

“Just listen, okay?” Luther asked. “He has paperwork proving he’s clean. He has a marriage license proving he’s married. And he has pictures of his home that line up with the address he’s given on his official paperwork. Now, it’s possible most—if not, all—of this is forged. But it’s going to take some digging to figure it out. But even with your PI hot on his tail, we won’t be able to gather all that information before your paperwork is due in.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, trying not to swear.

“If you want custody of Lanie, you’ll have to counter-sue. Which means you have to have paperwork outlining why you’re the better guardian and caretaker for her. And, the burden of proof lies on your shoulders. You’ll also have to prove why Lanie’s father is unfit.”

“Damn,” I said.

“And right now, you look like the lesser parent on paper.”

“Is this asshole really married? And what does being single have to do with anything?” I asked.

“Courts in North Carolina, and around the rest of the world, like to see two parents in a home.”

“How the hell am I supposed to remedy that before the court date?”

“I’m giving it to you straight like you asked,” he said.

Our food was in front of us, but I felt sick to my stomach. I had been raising Lanie for the past year, and now this asshole was popping out of nowhere .

“We both know he’s not fit to be a parent. I have faith in your PIhere. He’ll get you the proof you need to prove he’s an unfit father. But you still have to prove that your home is a good place for Lanie. If you can prove her father is unfit, but you can’t prove that your home is stable for her, she goes to the state.”

I was ready to flip the fucking table we were both sitting at.

“What do I need to do?” I asked.

My lawyer sat back in his chair and laughed.

“Find a wife,” he said pointedly. “Brian, this looks bad. It’s a shit situation.”

“I’m her uncle,” I said.

“Yes, but father trumps uncle almost 100% of the time.”

I sat back in my chair and sighed.

“You say he’s already filed paperwork?” I asked.

“Yes. And we’ll have to file something soon. Otherwise, people are going to come looking for Lanie.”

“Over my dead body,” I said on the verge of losing it.

“The only thing I can tell you is to make your life as spotless as possible. Take pictures of your home. Of where you live. Of the places you frequent that Lanie enjoys. Paint your life as cheerfully as possible. Prove that she’s safe with you. Then, we go from there and try to swat at the grenades this man throws at us.”

“That's really all you have for me?” I asked.

“Until we can get proof that this man’s an unfit human being? Yes.”

I pulled out my wallet and threw some money onto the table. I wasn’t hungry, and I didn’t feel like staying to chat. I was angry, and I was frustrated, but more than that I was scared. By the way my lawyer was talking, this man actually stood a chance of taking Lanie away from me. And then what? If he was willing to go all that way to try and get money from me and I refused to pay, what would he do? Would he actually raise Lanie once he was stuck with her, or would he simply abandon her again, like he’d done her whole damn life?”

I started back up the mountain, and my mind was blank. I was at a loss for what to do. I was a sitting duck, and for the first time in a very long time, I didn’t know how to protect us. I had built an empire in the security business, and I had no idea how to protect Lanie from this. I had no idea how to keep her safe from the shitshow her asshole of a father was trying to start.

The only thing I could think of doing was so preposterous even I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

I walked through the door of the cabin and found Lanie and Amanda in front of a movie. Lanie was asleep on Amanda’s shoulder, and Amanda was holding her close. She turned to look at me and could tell something was wrong. I watched her face fall. She got up, tucking Lanie in on the couch before she walked toward me.

“Brian?” she asked. “What happened?”

“Could we talk?” I asked.

She nodded, then I held out my hand for hers. I led her back into my room before I shut the door, then proceeded to sit on the bed next to her. I still couldn’t believe I was about to ask her what I was, but I was desperate. I was willing to do anything to keep Lanie with me. To keep her from being given to a man who had an ulterior motive that had nothing to do with that beautiful little girl. I could feel Amanda’s eyes on the side of my face as I sat down next to her, and she took my hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

“Brian, you’re scaring me. What happened at the meeting?”

“It’s bad,” I said.

“How is that possible?” she asked.

“He’s filed paperwork painting himself as the perfect father. A clean home. Sober. Married.”

“He’s married?” she asked.

“Yeah. And apparently, judges don’t like ruling in favor of single parents when it comes to stuff like this.”

“But you’re her uncle. You’ve been raising her, and he’s never been involved, right?” she asked.

“It doesn’t matter. He’s still her biological father.”

“That’s bullshit,” she said.

I could hear the frustration in her voice as I panned my head over to her.

“There has to be something your lawyer can do,” she said.

“He’s trying his best, and the PI is digging into Bob’s life to expose the truth. But until I can find something to use against him in court, I have to paint myself and my home as the perfect place for Lanie to be.”

“Is there anything I can do to help with that?” she asked.

That was the phrase I was hoping she would ask.

“There is. But it’s a hefty favor,” I said.

“From what you’ve told me about her biological father, if there’s anything I can do to keep her out of his hands, I’ll do it.”

There was a sternness to her features that caught me off guard. Her eyes were fiery and lit with anger, but they were glazed over. Almost like some sort of memory had temporarily taken over her body.

“Anything,” she said breathlessly. “Just name it.”

“I need you to pretend to be my wife.”

I watched her mouth drop open as her hand went limp within mine.

“We’d have to make it legal, but we could file for an annulment later on. It would only be until I’ve blocked this man out of Lanie’s life for good. But if a married man is better than a single one, then that’s how you can help.”

Her eyes danced between mine as she pulled away from me. I knew I was asking a lot, but I was hoping that the protective fire that had reared its head moments before, was still in her gut.

“That’s—wow,” she said.

“I know. I know it’s insane, and if you don’t want to do it… if you can’t… I get it. One hundred percent.”

“I didn’t say that,” she said. “Can you give me some time to think about it?”

“Whatever you need.”

That answer was better than the slap in the face I thought I would get, and hope started to blossom in the back of my mind.

“Lanie fell asleep right before you came in, so she’ll be out for a little while,” Amanda said.

“Thank you again for watching her. How much do I owe you?” I asked.

“Nothing. I’m sorry I forgot to text you. Lanie had me running around right after breakfast.”

“Don’t worry about it. Take my number with you. Give me a call once you’ve taken the time you need to think,” I said.

I watched her get up from the bed and walk out of my room. I followed her, watching her wander aimlessly throughout my home. She grabbed my number off the fridge and stuffed it into her pocket, then she walked back over to the couch. Her eyes descended onto a sleeping Lanie, and I swore I saw them glisten with tears.

She bent over and kissed Lanie on the top of the head, then she made quick work of getting out my front door.