Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
“I could smuggle him out of the country,” Allegra suggested. “Keep him with me, or get him to Neal. I mean, you two wouldn’t be able to be seen with him until the statute of limitations ran out, but…”
“So, like, seven years or so?” I wheezed.
“Something like that,” Allegra agreed. “But, you know, he wouldn’t be with the Cartwrights.”
James let out a long breath. “Because growing up on the run with two assassins is so much better.”
“I’m just talking about options here, James,” Allegra said.
James leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is a disaster. An absolute cluster—”
“Don’t you DARE finish that sentence,” I jumped in.
“F*ck,” Alessandro provided anyway.
“Do you think he’ll have given that up in two days?” James asked.
I scowled at him. “Do you think you could not say it for two days?”
“I can try.” James looked off into the distance. “I really hope this witness thing comes through.”
“Do we have any details about him or her yet?” I replied.
“Witness? What witness?” Allegra asked.
James waved a hand. “My PI keeps saying she has a witness she’s trying to convince to come forward. I’m not sure who this witness is or what they’d have to say, just that it will be in our favor.”
“That’s it?” Allegra shook her head. “Give me the name of your PI.”
“I don’t need you trying to throttle the name of the witness out of my PI,” James said sardonically.
“I think she’ll give it freely. Your witness probably just needs some… extra convincing,” Allegra responded.
James tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. “What the h*ll? Why not.” He rattled off the PI’s information.
Allegra didn’t even have to write it down. “Well, it’s been nice visiting. I’ll be back in a bit, Layla. I’ve missed you, and I love you.”
“I love you, too, Allegra,” Layla said.
With a wave, Allegra showed herself out.
The butler showed up then with coffee and snacks. “Sorry, Ms. Woods, the espresso machine broke, and I needed to—oh dear, our guest has gone?”
“Yes. But thank you for going to all the trouble. You can set that down here and we’ll eat it,” I said kindly to the butler.
He bowed slightly and set the tray down between all of us, then took his leave.
“Are you sure it was such a good idea to send Allegra after the witness?” I asked James.
James shrugged. “We’re running out of time and options. I’ll do anything to keep this little one. Anything.”
This was true. James had demonstrated over and over again that he would go to any lengths to protect the kids and me. I reached over and took his hand. “I just don’t know… if we get caught in coercing…”
James snorted. “How do you think the other side has so many witnesses? Money talks. A lot of money sings and dances.”
“F*ck,” Alessandro said sagely.
We all tried not to laugh at his well-timed outburst.
God, I would miss him if he were taken away. I hugged Alessandro tighter, so he started to squirm.
Layla noticed and waved her hand at me. “Why don’t I take the kids up for their nap?”
I nodded, tears filling my eyes.
Layla scooped Alessandro up with one arm, holding Dahlia with the other, and left me there with James.
“I hope she doesn’t leave us,” James muttered as I crawled into his lap.
“I just want her to be happy,” I replied.
James kissed the top of my head. “We’re going to get through this, you know.”
“Are we?” I whispered. “I don’t know what I’ll do if they—”
“We’ll appeal. Or… I will arrange some other solution. The thing about being a criminal is that you can operate outside the law,” James murmured.
It was all so much. I closed my eyes and let the tears fall while James rocked me.
Lose Alessandro? Have Dahlia taken by Social Services?
Lose Layla?
Everything was just slipping away, no matter how tightly we hung on.
Becca.
“F*ck,” Alessandro said over breakfast while munching apple slices in his highchair.
I kept bottle-feeding Dahlia, mentally counting backwards from twenty and trying not to panic over Alessandro’s new obsession. I wished my father was there to help. He’d know how to take care of the swearing.
James came into the nursery, then. Alessandro’s face lit up and he held out chubby little arms. “F*ck!” he insisted.
“I think he wants you to pick him up,” I muttered.
“Of course that’s what it means,” James sighed. He lifted the sticky little boy into his arms and looked around. “Where’s Layla?”
“Allegra invited her to stay at a hotel last night. I know she said she won’t leave us until after the trial, but if Allegra has to leave, and Layla wants to go with her…” I said.
James groaned and went to the Pack ‘n Play to get wet wipes. He started cleaning Alessandro off.
“F*ck,” Alessandro grumped with a pout when James went to clean his face.
“I think he doesn’t want you wiping his face,” I translated.
