“Where have you been?” Meg asked as soon as Amelia walked in the door.
“Why? What’s wrong?” Amelia asked, hurrying up to her daughter, who was standing in the kitchen, nervously wringing a dish towel. “Where’s Adam? Where’s Christine?”
“Adam is downstairs. Christine is in the bathroom. Dad’s been calling. He said he’s on his way over,” Meg said.
“What for?” Amelia tried to control her voice. It wasn’t Meg she was mad at. But she couldn’t imagine what kind of bee had gotten into John’s bonnet now.
“He didn’t say. He just kept asking for you and wanting to know where you were and what you were doing. I started to cry because it sounded like something was wrong, and then Christine took the phone and—”
“Oh Lord,” Amelia muttered. “I can only imagine what she said.”
Meg’s eyes widened as she nodded. “She took the phone upstairs, but Adam and I heard her. I don’t think being quiet is in her nature.”
“What did she say?” Amelia asked, leaning back as if Meg’s words might reach out and slap her.
“I’ll tell you exactly what I said,” Christine replied as she came from upstairs. “I told him if he’d paid as much attention to you and the kids when you all were married, he wouldn’t be in the position he was in now. Then I told him he could go take a long walk off a short pier. That’s when he said he was coming over.”
“Anything else?” Amelia asked.
“No. Look, Amelia, I just can’t pretend to like the guy. I just can’t.” Christine looked at Meg. “The only thing he did right was make these beautiful kids of yours. I’m sorry, honey. I shouldn’t have said those things to your dad.”
“Yes, you should have.” Meg started to cry. “It’s true. He doesn’t care about us unless he wants something.”
“I don’t think that’s true, honey,” Amelia said. “He loves you. He just doesn’t know how to communicate with you guys anymore. I think he’s got problems at home, and he’s taking them out on—”
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Christine told Meg to go to her room as Amelia went to the door. But before she could get up the stairs, Amelia had opened the door.
Dan was standing there.
“Oh, it’s you.” Amelia sighed with relief.
“I hope that’s okay,” he said as he stepped inside. As soon as he saw Meg, he asked, “Meg, everything okay?”
“I…” She nodded her head as if she was trying to say yes, but before Amelia could go to her, she’d dashed down the stairs and into Dan’s arms, sobbing.
“What happened?” he asked, his blue eyes full of concern.
“John called. I guess he’s on his way over and…” Amelia shook her head. She was embarrassed for the kids and for herself. What was wrong with the man she’d spent half her life with? He remarried. He had a new baby to tend to. He had his business and his clients and his work to deal with. Where on earth did he get the time and energy to cause so much chaos in their lives?
“He’s on his way over now?” Dan asked as he stroked Meg’s head.
Amelia had seen the look in his eyes before. They hardened like blue diamonds and glistened with a coldness that was reserved for hardened criminals and John.
“I guess so. That’s what the kids said.” Amelia sighed. “Christine, I think you should go home. It’s all right.”
“Are you sure? Because you might need a witness or something?” Christine asked.
“No, it’s okay,” Amelia said as she opened the front door.
Christine nodded and kissed Meg on the back of the head before giving Amelia a kiss on the cheek. She patted Dan on the shoulder as she slipped out the front door. Amelia watched her pull out of the driveway and drive off before she shut the door. Dan had led Meg to the kitchen and asked her to tell him everything her dad had said. When she repeated it, it sounded ridiculous.
“So, he’s on his way over because your mom wasn’t here?” Dan asked Meg as he wiped her tears away.
“That’s what he said.” She sniffled.
Just then, Adam came up from the basement.
“Dan, you’ve got to get our dad to stop.” Adam hadn’t been crying. But it was obvious from the look on his face that he’d been affected by this latest stunt. It was nothing new. John had been doing this for a while. But something had changed in the kids. Maybe they’d grown up a little more than Amelia had realized. Maybe they were just as tired of the drama as she was. Maybe they realized they didn’t deserve this kind of treatment from anyone, especially their father.
Dan looked at Adam. Without smiling or winking or anything, he just nodded. Just then, there was a pounding on the front door. Everyone but Dan jumped.
“Adam. Meg. Go to your rooms,” Amelia ordered. Both her children did as they were told before Amelia looked at Dan. He got up from the kitchen table and calmly strolled to the door. Again, John pounded.
“Meg! Adam! It’s your father! Open the door!”
Dan yanked the door open. “What is it that’s so important, John, that you need to come pounding on the door, scaring the kids and Amelia half to death?” Dan asked through clenched teeth.
It was obvious from John’s body language that he hadn’t expected to see Dan. He must have thought his car was Christine’s and was ready to throw his weight around. That plan had come to a quick end.
“The kids were home alone. Again. Amelia is never here, and our children are left to fend for themselves. It’s a disgrace,” John sputtered.
“The legal age for a child to be left home alone in Gary, Oregon, is twelve, John. Were you aware of that?” Dan asked as he stepped out onto the porch, forcing John to step back. “Are you aware your children are well over that age? Are you aware that your children, regardless of your intrusions and manipulations, are two of the sweetest and most responsible children I’ve ever seen in my years in law enforcement?”
“Look, this is between Amelia and me. Those kids are ours and—”
“Not for much longer, they aren’t.” Dan took another step, forcing John off the porch. “You know, John, you have a way of ruining things for Amelia and the kids, but now it’s spreading. I’m sure your wife and new baby could use your help, but you’re too busy trying to bully people here. I’m sure there is some big-time client paying you a couple hundred an hour, thinking you are doing everything to help their lawsuit, and instead you are here. Well, I’m going to put an end to all of it.”
“What are you going to do? Arrest me? You can’t. Those kids are mine. I have a right to see them,” John spat.
“You will, but I’ll be a real father to them. I would adopt them if I could.” Dan cleared his throat, put his hands on his hips, and Amelia was sure it was no accident that the weapon under his arm peeked out from his jacket. “You see, I love those kids. And I’ll do anything for them. That includes protecting them from anything that I think might cause them harm. Even if it’s you.”
John looked as if he’d been punched in the stomach. Amelia wasn’t even sure she’d heard Dan correctly. She stood in the doorway, thinking she’d had too long of a day or maybe drifted off into a daydream right there. But, as Dan continued to talk John backward, toward his BMW, the words were unmistakable.
“John, you’ve done the best you can. You can let go now. And if you think that you can stop me with any threats of legal red tape, I’m just going to remind you that not only do I know just about every judge in this county, but I also know of some private investigators, who would love to sink their teeth into a fancy, high-profile lawyer like yourself and see what they can dig up.” Dan walked over to the SUV, pulled the driver’s side door open and stepped out of the way. “Anytime the kids want to see you, they’ll let you know. And by God, you better drop everything to accommodate.”
“You can’t offer them anything. They’ll turn on you. Trust me.” John scoffed.
“I can offer them love. Crazy as this may seem to you, John, I think that’s all they want,” Dan said and motioned for John to get back into his car and drive away.
In a fit of rage, John did as directed and sped out of the driveway. Dan went to his car, said something into the radio, and then came back to Amelia, who was standing on the porch with tears in her eyes.
“Did you really mean that?” Amelia asked.
“That jerk.” Dan rolled his eyes.
As they stepped into the house, Adam and Meg were standing there. Meg was a ball of raw emotion, crying and wiping her eyes. Adam was struggling to be a man while still having the feelings of a boy. They held each other’s hands like they had when they were little.
“You really want to adopt us?” Meg asked.
“Of course I do,” Dan said as he took a few steps into the house and let go of Amelia’s hand. “But at this point,
“Cam we call you ‘Dad’ anyway?” Adam asked.
“You can call me anything you like.” Dan shrugged. “Just don’t call me late to dinner.” He tried to smile, but the kids just stared at him.
“That’s good you say that because Meg and I decided a while back that we think you look like a Pop.” Adam squared his shoulders. Tears flickered in the corners of his eyes but never spilled over.
“‘Pop’?” Dan chuckled, his own eyes brimming with tears. “I love it.”
Meg dashed into his arms again and hugged him tightly. “Pop, is it okay if I call Katherine and tell her what happened? It sure was exciting. I don’t think the shoot-out scene in Tombstone was nearly as exciting.”
“That’s up to your mom,” Dan said, kissing his new daughter on the head before she got the nod from Amelia and dashed upstairs to her room and her phone.
Adam walked up, extended his hand, and shook Dan’s before being pulled in for the biggest, tightest hug he’d ever felt. He hugged Dan back.
“I’m gonna go call Amy,” Adam said proudly.
Amelia walked up behind Dan, slipped her hand in his, and pulled him down toward her.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you,” he replied.