Over my shoulder, Mav smiles at Leo. “Hey, man. Long time no see.” He takes my son’s little hand in his. “Missed you, buddy.”
Lorraine tries to shrug out of the sheriff’s hold. With her blonde hair tangled in her face, she sneers at me. “You can’t take care of Maverick’s son properly. He needs a real mother. You’re too distracted. Too selfish.”
What the hell is she talking about? “I beg your pardon?”
“He needs a woman like my sweet Nicole. She’ll be a great mother to Leo. Maverick’s son deserves the best.”
“Are you for real right now?” I’ve never made a secret of Sean being Leo’s father or pretended that Leo was Maverick’s.
Lorraine starts to cry. “Let me sing him one more lullaby. Leo, your grandma loves you.” Glaring at me, she shakes her head. “We would’ve given him a real family.”
Jesus, this woman is cracked.
Alarmed, Maverick wraps me and Leo in his arms. “Lorraine, Baylee is a fantastic mother, and I love her and Leo.” He frowns at her. “Have you gone off your meds or something? Because this is fucking crazy. I haven’t gone out with your daughter in years, and I have no interest in dating her. Baylee is my heart and soul, and while Leo might not be my son by blood, he’s certainly my son in spirit.”
In this moment, I fall a little harder for my best friend.
52
MAVERICK
Standingin my brother’s kitchen at the ranch, I feel rooted to the floor. I can’t stop staring at Baylee and Leo, who are passed out on the couch in the living room. I never want to forget this moment or how much I need them in my life. Or forget how they’re worth every sacrifice.
It’s been a few hours since we got here, and I’m still processing what happened.
“What did the paramedics say?” Rhett asks as he hands me a beer.
“Aside from the fact that he was sitting in a soiled diaper and has a rash, Leo’s fine. They said he wasn’t dehydrated, which is good. But I’m sure he’s freaked out. Look at how he clings to Baylee.”
Rhett nods as he glances at Bay and Leo. My brother shakes his head. “Still can’t get over Lorraine Ashbury being behind this.”
Reynolds found a half-empty bucket of red paint at the cabin. It’s likely what she used to destroy Baylee’s bedroom.
Lorraine admitted that one of the security guys at theAshbury Feed and Seed helped her hack into Baylee’s security system. As for how she got in through the front door of the salon after it was locked, apparently the Ashburys also own the LLC that acquired the property last summer, so they have access to the master locks for every shop on that block.
“I can’t get over her thinking Leo was mine. Why the hell would she assume that? He has light hair like Sean.”
Rhett grabs his phone and slides his finger over the screen, then turns it to me. “You and I had light brown hair when we were little. Maybe she remembered that.”
I stare at a pic of me as a toddler tucked in my brother’s arm. He’s carrying me like I’m a tree trunk he needs to move, but I’m laughing. Sure enough, my hair was light.
Sean clears his throat from the other side of the kitchen. “I’m gonna go, but I just want to thank y’all for everything you did to find Leo.” His voice cracks, and he pauses to pull me into a hug. “Appreciate you, man.”
Awkwardly, I pat his back. “Glad he’s home, safe and sound.”
When Sean steps back, he pulls out his car keys. “Please tell Baylee I’ll swing by tomorrow. If it’s okay with you.”
I nod. “Sure thing.”
I have to admit Sean’s okay.
After he leaves, Rhett takes a long pull from his beer. “Didn’t want to say this in front of Sean, but I’m guessing Lorraine saw what we all did. That you and Baylee have always loved each other in one way or another. Then she just made some assumptions.”
I guess that makes sense.
Rhett points his beer bottle toward Baylee. “Have you told her about your gift yet?”
“It hasn’t been the right time. Just wanted to focus on finding Leo.”
