My hands fisted. “He said he came to make amends. He wants to see Noah.”
“Like hell! He’s not getting within twenty feet of my nephew.”
I sank into one of the chairs in front of Walker’s desk. “J pretty much said the same thing, but she’s freaked. We need to get her a lawyer, and we need to look into Cody.”
Walker pulled his chair back and sat, waking up his computer. “You’re right. She should’ve had his rights terminated a long time ago.” He began typing on his keyboard.
“We need to get the best lawyer we can on this now.”
Walker nodded. “I know someone. I’ll call him after I finish this search.”
My brow rose. “You abusing police resources, Deputy Chief Cole?”
“Oh, fuck off. Like you wouldn’t do the same.”
Walker was right. I’d do anything for Jensen. I didn’t care who stood in my way. I would keep her and Noah safe and happy.
Walker began typing. “I never liked that asshole. From the first moment I met him, I knew he’d be trouble.”
My hands tightened around the armrests of the chair. “What vibe did you get off him back in the day?” I needed to know if we were dealing with someone who was simply a prick, or if this was more than that. Darker.
Walker paused in his typing and looked up to meet my eyes. “He was slimy. Everything about him was too smooth. Too perfect. And he had J so far under his spell, it was scary.”
The chair creaked as my hands fisted even tighter. Walker went back to typing. My gut roiled. What if Cody could get Jensen under his spell again?
“This is interesting.” Walker’s eyes scanned the computer screen.
I leaned forward in my chair. “What?”
Walker hit a couple of keys. “Cody Ailes has had a house foreclosed and two vehicles repossessed, all in the last three months.”
My gut churned. “He know J comes from money?”
Walker looked up from the computer. “You know how my parents are, they keep that pretty close to the vest and never spoiled us growing up. I don’t think he would’ve known in college.”
My grip on the chair tightened. “But he could’ve found out since.”
“Yes, he could.”
18
Jensen
“Moooooooom, stop hugging me so much.”Noah squirmed free of my hold to bring his plate to the sink.
I watched as he stepped up on the stool we’d painted together so that he could rinse off his plate before putting it in the dishwasher. The top of the step had the crest from Captain America’s shield. I’d wanted to curse when Noah had said that was how he wanted to decorate it. I had been thinking more along the lines of paint splatters and handprints.
I’d spent an entire evening studying the dang design and tracing it onto the stool so that Noah and I could paint it the next day. I’d thought it would be something fun that would get him excited about chores, washing his dishes, helping me prep meals. I fought the tears that wanted to fill my eyes when I realized he wouldn’t need the step much longer. My boy was growing like a weed.
I twisted a kitchen towel in my hands. Part of me wondered if I should say something to Noah about Cody being in town. To warn him. Images flashed in my mind of Cody approaching us on the street before I’d had a chance to tell Noah anything.
No.I would sort this out first. Figure out what Cody was after before I told Noah anything. If Cody stayed around and really did want a relationship with Noah,maybeI would consider supervised visits. Guilt swamped me. Every time I thought I’d figured out what the right thing to do was, my mind flip-flopped. Cody may have been a first-class asshole to me, but what if he truly was here to make amends and build a relationship with his son?
I had absolutely no perspective when it came to Cody Ailes. So, I planned to take the advice my dad had always given me:Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. And preparing for the worst meant talking to the lawyer Walker had sent me the name of as soon as possible.
The front door opened, and Walker appeared, followed closely by Tuck. I hated that all I wanted to do was run to Tuck and have him wrap his arms around me and tell me that everything would be okay. I detested that weakness I felt within me. I loathed that Cody’s return had me questioning every move I made, especially when it came to Tuck.
“Uncle Walker! Tuck! I gotta show you what we learned in karate yesterday. It’s so cool!” Noah abandoned his dishes and went running for the guys.
