Love Restored (17 page)

“Come here, weirdo,” she said with a laugh since she couldn’t hold it back for longer than two seconds.

Rowan came over and turned around, holding out a hair tie in her hand. “Thanks, Mom. And I went over the words upside down. It helps keep them in my brain, you know.”

Since Rowan’s back was to her, Blake rolled her eyes. “Are you sure they don’t just fall out?” She finished putting Rowan’s hair up before tickling her daughter’s side. Rowan tried to squirm away, laughing up a storm, but Blake was still faster.

For now.

Soon, her baby would grow up even more, and become more and more of her own person. While Blake loved the idea of it, she still wanted her precious baby girl to stay a child for a little while longer.

“Stop!” Rowan giggled. “I’m going to pee my pants.”

Blake chuckled but let go. Most of the anger and sadness that had filled her before slowly slid away at the sound of Rowan’s laughter. Her daughter was
everything
to her, and to hear that laugh meant the world.

“You ready for school?” Blake asked as she checked Rowan’s bag. They were forever forgetting things until the last minute, though she tried to keep track of lists. But with just the two of them and her weird hours, sometimes things didn’t work out. Hence, the triple checking of the schoolbag in the mornings.

“Yep.” Rowan snuggled into Blake’s side. “I have my homework, don’t worry.”

Blake nodded as she checked the pocket folders just in case. “Good, because that math was hard.”

Rowan smiled. “Yeah, but it’ll get easier with practice, right?”

Blake nodded, though she was on the verge of lying. She’d done okay in school but hadn’t gone past high school. She’d been too busy being an asshole with her ex to go to college and make something of her life, as her parents had put it. Soon, Rowan would be passing her in terms of knowledge since school these days seemed so much tougher.

Maybe they’d get a tutor for Blake
and
Rowan if it came to that.

“I gotta go,” Rowan said as she kissed Blake’s cheek. “Don’t want to miss the bus.”

Blake hugged her daughter hard and kissed the top of her head. “Okay, baby.”

“I’m not a baby, Mom.” With that epic eye roll, Blake was pretty sure the teenage years were coming early, and they were going to
suck
.

By the time she saw Rowan off to the bus and got herself ready for work, her shoulders ached, and she still couldn’t get Graham off her mind. She hated that she’d let herself get too close. And now, she had to go work with Graham’s future sister-in-law because Blake hadn’t been smart when she should have been.

She’d grown up making bad decision after bad decision, and she’d thought she’d moved past that once she became a mother. Apparently, she hadn’t. At all.

“There you are,” Maya said as soon as Blake walked in the door. “It’s about time you showed up.”

Blake raised a brow as the door closed behind her. “Uh, excuse me? I’m like twenty minutes early. What crawled up your butt?”

Maya waved her question away and pointed at the computer. “Autumn is working with Griffin today, and she’s the only one that can use the computer of doom.”

Blake snorted. It was a point of contention at the shop that neither Montgomery could work the computer schedule for long periods of time. The fact that both Austin and Maya were freaking brilliant and could practically code
any
other computer just made it funnier. Blake was pretty sure the damn thing was possessed and should have been taken out and beaten a-la
The Office
style, but neither Maya nor Austin would let the damn machine win. Or rather,
Maya
wouldn’t let the ‘piece of shit technology that was too big for its bytes and britches’ think it could beat a Montgomery. The fact that it was, unfortunately, a piece of artificial intelligence, and therefore, had done nothing at all, was not lost on them. They just chose to ignore that bit.

Autumn, Griffin’s fiancée, could work the damn thing without incident and organized their lives for them. Of course, since Autumn
also
assisted Griffin with his job as a novelist, Maya had to share.

And Maya hated to share.

Unless it was Jake and Border and sharing between the three of them, but Blake didn’t really want to think about that.

“I don’t know if I will be any help,” Blake said slowly. “It doesn’t always work for me, and you know it. You should just get a computer that works.”

Maya narrowed her eyes. “We will not cow to technology.”

“For the love of all that is holy, do not get her started,” Derek said as he walked into the building from the side door that connected the shop to Taboo, the café next door.

Maya whirled. “Why? Are you afraid of what I’ll say?”

Derek just shook his head and handed her a mug. “Not even going there. And before you hurt me, this is decaf, but yummy according to Hailey next door.”

Maya took the mug in both hands and inhaled while Blake did her best not to laugh. Maya on a good day was a bit crazy, pregnant Maya was a whole other matter.

It was going to be a long few months.

“I’ll look at the computer,” Derek said as he handed Blake a mug for herself. “Just make sure Maya doesn’t kill anyone.”

Blake laughed. “That might be a harder job than the computer of doom.”

“I heard that!” Maya yelled from the office.

Derek snorted but went to work, and Blake just smiled over her mug of hazelnut and whipped cream goodness. Though she’d been worried about becoming friends with those she worked with, she couldn’t help but feel the connections she’d been missing for too long. She could laugh at silly things like computers and coffee and not feel like she was out of the loop. Her life might still be a bit crazy and secretive, but Maya knew about Rowan and hadn’t freaked out. She was pretty sure Maya had told Jake and Border about Rowan, but she hadn’t expected Maya to keep that kind of secret from her men.

Soon, others would know about her daughter, and Blake would just have to deal with that.

As long as her circle kept Rowan safe, it would be okay.

That meant Blake might have to explain a few more things, like
why
she was so worried about Rowan’s safety. Graham might not have wanted to hear her out, but the others would need to know so they understood why Blake did the things she did.

Maybe if she just told Maya, the other woman would spread the word. Apparently, Maya was good at things like that, but Blake honestly didn’t know where to start.

With a sigh, she went back to her piercing station and looked at her tablet, which would have her schedule for the day. That was, as long as Derek had fixed the computer. She grinned and shook her head. At least, some things were constant.

In the next few hours, she worked on a nose ring, a brow ring, and a set of nipple rings before she figured she should probably take a lunch break. As soon as she stepped out of the room, however, she knew something was wrong.

A man in a suit stood at the front entrance, glaring down at Maya, who wouldn’t let him move past. Derek stood on Maya’s side, doing his best to keep the pregnant woman from hitting the other man, and keeping Maya from getting hurt.

Though there were a couple of clients in the chairs, they were regulars who had also stood up. She wasn’t sure what was going on or what everyone was doing, but Blake
knew
this was about her.

“Blake Brennen?” the man in the suit asked as he pushed past Maya.

Maya growled and gripped his arm. “No way, buddy. You’re not welcome here.”

The man snarled and looked down at Maya’s arm before pulling away. “Get your hand off me, or I will call the cops on you and this
place
of business.” The way he’d said place made it sound like he was standing in a grungy bar or a trash heap rather than Montgomery Ink.

“What do you want?” Blake asked, her voice cold. She was damned surprised it didn’t shake, but she couldn’t show weakness, not now.

Not ever.

She’d moved forward, though she didn’t remember doing it, so when he placed an envelope in her hand, she started.

“You’ve been served.” With that, the asshole man in the suit walked away, his head held high, and a growling Derek on his tail.

“What is going on?” Maya asked as she stood in front of Blake. “What is that?”

Blake’s hands shook, the envelope resting on top of her palms shaking with them. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. She’d known this day would come, that she wouldn’t be able to hide for long.

She’d known the clock had started to go faster once she’d been named in the estate. Chris’s family had been best friends with her family before things had gone to hell. Money spoke, and Blake didn’t have any anymore.

Chris’s family had found her.

They’d found Rowan.

And now, Blake could lose
everything
.

Her vision blurred, and she tried to catch her breath, only too late realizing she hadn’t been breathing at all. As she started to fall back, Derek was there, catching her.

“Shit,” he said quickly. “Blake, honey, breathe.”

“Fuck, call Graham, will you?” Maya asked. Blake wasn’t sure who Maya was talking to, but she assumed it had to be one of the clients. She blinked up as Maya tossed her phone to someone and knelt in front of her. “Honey, talk to me. What’s in this envelope?”

When had she ended up on the ground? Things didn’t make sense. Oh, God. She needed to find Rowan. She couldn’t break, couldn’t fall apart. She didn’t have the luxury of falling apart like this.

“I need…” Blake took a deep breath. “I need to get Rowan.” She met Maya’s gaze. “I need to get her from school. Keep her safe.”

Maya cupped her face even as Derek rubbed her back. “Got that. But you aren’t driving right now. Is there anyone on the list at her school that can pick her up?”

Blake pressed her lips together. “I don’t know.” She closed her eyes, told herself to stop freaking out and put Rowan first. “My neighbor, Mrs. Gonzales. But she doesn’t have a car.”

Maya stuck her hand in Blake’s pocket and pulled out her phone. “Okay, then we’re going to call Mrs. Gonzales and tell her to be ready for a Montgomery or a Gallagher to pick her up so they can go get Rowan. You’re not alone, Blake. Not anymore.”

Blake’s hands shook as she put in her password and dialed the number, knowing Maya was right, though it hurt her to ask for help. No one knew the truth, knew who Blake had been before she’d cleaned herself up. And now, everyone would see who she was and how she’d never truly cleaned off the grit that marred her soul.

By the time she’d finished explaining things to her neighbor, who swore she’d protect Rowan, Blake was ready to stand up and open the envelope that had fallen to her lap.

“Owen is on his way to pick her up with Murphy,” Maya explained. “Then they’ll take Rowan and Mrs. Gonzales to Graham’s place so she’s not at home in case they have your address.” Maya paused. “I let you keep your secrets because I trust you and I still do, but you’re going to have to come clean because I’m putting those I love in the middle of this.”

Maya’s words penetrated her thoughts as she shook her head. “You shouldn’t have called Graham,” she whispered. She cleared her throat, this time, her words stronger. “We’re not together anymore, and he wants nothing to do with me and Rowan.”

Maya held Blake’s hands as she helped her up. Then she bent down, grabbed the envelope, and handed it over to Blake. “He’s on his way. I don’t know what happened between the two of you guys, but he’s coming because you need him. I didn’t know y’all had a fight, or I might have called someone else. But you know what? We’re what you have right now. Rowan is going to be safe, and you’re going to be fine. Now open the damn envelope.”

Maya’s sharp words brought Blake out of her funk, and she opened the package, shaking hands and all.

The first words on at the legal document were what she’d figured they’d be, but they were still a shock to the system.

“A formal petition for custody?” Derek asked from behind her. She’d almost forgotten he was there. “Who is trying to get Rowan? Her father?”

Blake shook her head. “Chris is dead. This is his parents.” Her voice shook. “They want Rowan because they’ve always found me unfit.”

“We won’t let that happen.”

Blake’s head shot up at Graham’s voice. Maya moved out of the way, and Graham moved closer to Blake. Her heart raced, her body going numb at the sight of him.

“You must have broken like every traffic law to get here,” Derek said.

“I’m here. That’s what matters.” He turned to Maya. “You okay without Blake today? I’m taking her to my place so she’s there when Rowan gets out of school. Derek, you okay driving her car back to my place later with someone?”

“Got it, just get me the keys.”

Blake held out her arms. When had everything fallen out of her hands into others’? This was so unlike her, and she hated it.

“Stop,” she said softly. “Stop trying to fix it. You can’t fix this, Graham. No one can.” She paused. “I appreciate everything you guys are doing, but I need to do this myself.”

Graham pinched her chin and forced her gaze to his. “You’ve been doing everything on your own long enough. We’re helping you, and you’re going to have to deal with it. Scream at me and hit me later. For now, we’re carrying your burden so you can get your head on straight.”

And with that eloquent statement, Blake promptly burst into tears.

Graham held her close, taking the papers from her hand, causing her to cry even harder. With each tear, she hated herself just a little bit more for not being able to hold it together. She’d been doing just fine for a freaking decade, but apparently, she couldn’t do it anymore. And it killed her that she wasn’t strong enough to be what Rowan needed now.

She must have said the last part out loud because Graham growled. “Keep calling yourself weak, and I’ll have to show you how strong you are. Now come with me, baby. We’ll handle this.”

“But you hate me,” she whispered, even as he led her to his car. She hadn’t looked at the others in the shop on the way out, her pride far beyond torn. How could she face them? How on earth could she ever repay them for picking up the pieces when she had nothing left to give?