Shelby

“I see he hasn’t changed much,” Kasey huffs, plopping down into the nearest seat, crossing her feet atop the mahogany conference table. “Honestly, though,” she continues. “Why would you go to him instead of me?”

I can’t take it anymore. “Damnit, Kasey! Did you not hear what I said?” Reaching out, I shove her feet off the table, feeling only slightly better when they hit the floor with a thunk that makes Kasey wince. “Hayden is missing. Gone. Kidnapped. Very likely being trafficked as we speak. Why the hell does it matter who I went to? Just do what you can to help me find my baby girl, okay?”

Kasey’s brown eyes are grave as she leans forward and takes my hand. “I’m sorry, Shel. Of course, you’re right. You mentioned a game. What game, and what do you need?”

Relief washes over me as she pulls out a pad of paper and a pen. The feud between Wyatt and Kasey had always been hard on me, and for them to continue that now while my daughter’s in danger isn’t going to fly. Everyone has a reason to be angry in this scenario, but this is simply not the time to let that play out.

I take a seat beside her, and for the next few minutes, I tell her everything that Wyatt had found. I tell her about Blox World, and give her Hayden’s username. It takes her all of three minutes to do an internet search on the game developers to link it to a company she can subpoena for the activity records.

“You leave this with me, Shel. I know a judge who will take care of this for me right away. He owes me a favor.”

“I’m so fucking scared, Kasey.” A fat, hot tear escapes the corner of my eye and slides slowly down my cheek. “What if she’s hurt? Or what if we don’t find her? What if—”

“Shh, we’ll find her,” she assures me. “Hayden’s a smart kid. And as much as I hate to admit it, Wyatt’s a smart guy. He won’t let that happen. Whoever has her doesn’t know what they’re in for.”

Sniffing, I manage a small smile and push out of my chair. “I’d better go. We need that information, Kasey, and we need it fast.”

Wrapping her arms around my shoulders, she holds me tight. “I’m on it, Shel. You know I love that not-so-little girl. We’ll get her back.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, giving a small wave as I slip out the door and down the long, formal corridor.

Knowing that Kasey is on the job brings me a small sense of relief, but that feeling is far outweighed by the anger I feel at Wyatt right now. And the worst part is, I don’t know if I even have the right to be angry with him.

He, however, has a right to be angry with me, seeing as how I kept his daughter a secret from him all this time. But he promised me we would deal with that later. He promised that finding Hayden would be our main priority.

So why did he have such a fit over Kasey? Why would he let his anger and pride get in the way of help to bring Hayden home? To me, that had been a truly selfish act, proving I’d been right about his ability to parent all along. A parent can’t let pride dictate how they raise their child. A parent needs to swallow down those feelings and do whatever it takes to be the best they can be for their kids.

I push my way out the front door of the office, and there, leaning against my car, is the object of my anger. Wyatt’s arms are folded across his chest as he scowls at me.

“I thought you left,” I bite out through clenched teeth.

“Well, I can’t exactly walk home from here now, can I?”

I unlock just the driver’s side door and open it. “I don’t give a fuck what you do, Wyatt. You can fly home with a broomstick up your ass for all I care.”

He opens his mouth to speak, but I don’t give him a chance to finish. Dropping down into the driver's seat, I slam the door, closing me off to whatever he was saying. His hand is on the passenger’s side door handle, giving it a tug, but it’s still locked.

“Shelby, open the damn door.” He knocks on the window, meeting my eyes through the glass. “I get it, you’re pissed, but I’m pissed too. I’m pissed about so many things right now, and I don’t have a fucking clue how to ignore it until we find Hayden. But I’m trying, okay? Which is more than you’ve ever allowed me to do before.”

Starting the engine, I grip the steering wheel as he talks. And then, my own thought from a few minutes ago comes floating back through my mind like a taunt. A parent needs to swallow down those feelings and do whatever it takes to be the best they can be for their kids.

“Fuck,” I growl as I jab my finger down on the button to unlock the door.

Once inside, he mutters, “Thank you,” not sounding very thankful at all.

“Sitting here arguing with each other isn’t getting Hayden home any quicker.”

Wyatt stews in his own frustrations most of the way home, but even I can’t be so lucky as for him to stay quiet the entire way.

“How could you keep this from me, Shelby?” His voice is filled with both raw pain and anger. “You knew I wanted a family. You knew I wanted to have kids someday. You knew I wanted to do all of that with you.”

I turn onto Lorna’s street, trying to restrain myself from going any faster. “Wyatt, don’t.”

“Don’t what? Don’t ask questions? Don’t wonder? Don’t expect a fucking answer?”

My jaw’s clenched so tight, pain radiates throughout it, and my blood feels like it may boil over at any moment. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want truthful answers to.”

Throwing his head back, he belts out the most humorless laugh I’ve ever heard, but I ignore him as I pull up in front of Lorna’s house. I need to get away from him. I need to put an end to this discussion.

As soon as the car comes to a stop, I throw it in park and get out, speed walking toward the front door before Wyatt can even put one foot on the ground. “You wouldn’t know truth if it jumped up and bit you on the ass!” he hollers at my back.

Those words stop me in my tracks. This man is preaching to me about truth? The same man who knocked me up and had a threesome with a pair of skanks? Fuck that.

Turning slowly, I make sure his gaze is locked with mine before I speak. I speak slowly and clearly, my words like a sharp sword, aimed and ready for battle. “You want to know the real truth, Wyatt? You want to know why I didn’t tell you about Hayden?”

He stands frozen in place, his eyes never leaving mine. I think back to the day I’d tried to call him. Hayden was only three days old, and I hadn’t slept for any of it. My conscience had gotten the better of me, and I had picked up the phone.

But it wasn’t Wyatt who answered—it was Layla. We all grew up together, and I knew her voice. I never left a message. Hell, I never said a word. I just hung up, unable to believe what had happened to the life I’d so desperately wanted.

“You made your choice before I ever left. You chose that club, that family. You chose to live a life I never wanted.”

“You supported me while I was prospecting. What the hell changed?”

“You,” I snap back. “You changed. You changed into the kind of man who should never have a child. The kind of man who would make a terrible father, and an even worse partner. You’re the last man on earth I’d want helping me raise my child. Hayden deserves better than someone like you as a father.”

My words hit their mark. I know it the instant his shoulders drop that I’d struck a mortal blow. He stares at me with so much hurt and confusion, I almost want to take my words and stuff them back into my mouth. But once something like that is spoken, it can never be unheard.

“I’ll let you know what I find out,” he says, his eyes dropping to the ground in front of me. “You let me know if you hear anything.”

With my lips pressed together, I can only manage a nod as he turns and swings his leg over his motorcycle. It’s not until he rides out of sight that I realize I may have won that argument, but it was at Wyatt’s expense. I broke something there. I should’ve kept my big mouth shut.