One More Time (14 page)

I
hadn’t seen
my girls in over forty-eight hours. It had been the longest two days of my life.
What the fuck happened in the three hours I had been gone? Fucking Dana, that’s what.

It was bad. When I arrived home from Dragonfly and saw the note Ibby left on the bottom of the paternity test,
Amelia is yours. Apparently, so is Dana.
I felt as if a knife had been plunged into my gut.

I tried calling her cell phone several times. The first time, it rang through. After that it went straight to voicemail. I didn’t blame her for being upset, but I was angry she left without talking to me first. That shit didn’t fly. Running my hands through my hair, I let out a deep sigh of frustration.
One thing at a time, Dillon.
Deal with Dana before worrying about switching the work schedules around. Once that happens, you will be ready to drive to Charleston and spank Isabella’s ass. I was looking forward to the last part.

I don’t know what made me think Dana would go silently into the night. She’d never done anything silently in her whole damn life.
Why start now?

I made sure to wait a few days so I could cool off before I confronted Dana. I thought about calling Max for advice, but knew he was struggling with his own shit. He did not need me adding mine. I knew what Dana wanted from me…the same thing she’d always wanted…for me to show some sort of emotion where she was concerned. Taking a deep breath, I reined in my feelings for Isabella. If I showed the least bit of interest in another woman, Dana would be all over it like a fly on shit. Not only that, she would find a way to use it against me.
Not fucking happening
.

Dana answered her door with an I-told-you-so smirk on her face. “Something told me you’d be stopping by,” she purred.

It chapped my ass that she was acting as if nothing happened. “Cut the shit, Dana. Did we not have a talk at MMG? Was I not sufficiently clear?” I stared her down and waited.

Her eyes widened before narrowing into half slits. “We are meant to be together, Dillon. I don’t understand why you keep fighting it. You always come back to me and you know it. Even after Charleston, you called me to come and make it better.” She gave me a seductive look. Once upon a time, this was a turn on. Now it disgusted me. “What will it take for you to finally admit we are supposed to be together?” she purred. She turned and flounced across the room wearing what looked like a cat suit. As she plopped down into a chair, she shot me a smug look and I wanted to wring her neck.

“What do you mean after Charleston?” I quietly asked.

She pursed her lips but kept her mouth shut.
Smart.
I never told Dana about my weekend with Isabella in Charleston. As far as I knew, the first time she’d ever set eyes on Ibby was at the garage the other night. I had spoken about Isabella to Zane once. Even then, I never said her name. Plus, Zane hated Dana. He would rather cut out his tongue than have a civil conversation with her.
So how did Dana find out about Charleston?

“Dana,” I warned.

She squirmed uncomfortably beneath my stare. “Oh, all right. I found out from one of the waitresses at Whisky’s you had gone to Charleston that weekend to visit your aunt. When you called me to come over and then…had errr…performance issues, there was a reason. I mean, you’d never had problems before. I made a few phone calls and learned you had played in a benefit concert and afterward hung out with a woman at the bar… the same woman you had just been on stage with.” She dramatically threw her hands in the air. “I admit it, okay? I was jealous. As if that wasn’t enough, you turned around and did it to me again the next weekend! There’s only so much I can take, Dillon.” She waited for me to react. When I gave her nothing, she rolled her eyes and sighed. “We are meant to be together. Why can’t you see this?”

Holy shit.
I knew Dana was jealous and petty, but this was beyond. This was over the fucking top.

“Who did you call in Charleston, Dana?” She pursed her lips and remained mute. “And, as I recall, both times I got it up. I just decided I didn’t want to stick it in you. I have always been straight with you. In fact, the very first night we met, I made it more than clear I do not do relationships…ever. Did I not?” She huffed in response. “I get this is difficult for you and I am sorry. Had I known you were invested enough to stalk me all the way to another fucking city, I would have cut you loose a hell of a lot sooner.”

She snorted and waved her hand flippantly in the air. “I was hardly stalking you.”

Here was my chance to hopefully get rid of her once and for all. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. Following me around and telling lies to people I care about is considered stalking. The way I see it, you have two choices here. Either you leave me and my friends alone, or I file for a restraining order against you and create a very public record that you are unstable,” I informed her.

She sat up and snarled, “You can’t do that!”

Finally, I’m getting through.

“Wanna bet? I bet your big-time employer would love to hear all about what you’ve been up to. Aren’t you up for a promotion right now?” I clicked my tongue and let out a sigh. “They would be so disappointed to find out you are really a delusional nut job.”

A look of fear skittered across her face. Her lips thinned and nostrils flared. “You. Are. Mine.” Her venomous tone made my hackles rise.

What the fuck?

In a flash, I was across the coffee table and in her face. “I belong to no one. You got that?” I gritted out between clinched teeth, “Most of all, you. I never was and I never will be yours. This is over. It never even started to begin with. Do I make myself abundantly clear? Tell me you understand, because next time it won’t be me you’re answering to. It will be the police. You get me?”

Flinching back in fear, she gave a quick nod of her head.
Mission accomplished
. Without giving her a second thought, I was out the door and headed home to figure out my next move with Isabella.

The next day, I was just about to go over schedules, when Charlie Porter called. When he explained Isabella was in trouble and what that jackass Jimmy had done to her, I almost lost my shit. As soon as I hung up with Charlie, I called Garrett.

“I need you to dig deep, Gar. This guy is bad news and I want to bury his ass so deep he won’t be able to dig out for years. Make it stick, man. I want his law license revoked.”

“I’m on it. Do you want us to come with you to Charleston? I have connections there. So do Bobby and Cas. They’d be good to have at your back,” he suggested.

“Whatever it takes, do it,” I told him.

“Meet you at your place in thirty,” he said and hung up.

*     *     *

When we arrived
home after the episode at the police station, I told Isabella we would discuss Jimmy later. Then I proceeded to show her how much I missed her. Two hours later, Milly woke me with sweet squawks. I loved the baby bird noises she made when she wanted attention. Not able to help myself, I jumped out of bed like a kid on Christmas morning and hurried to her room.

Quietly, I snuck in and peered over the side of her crib. She had apparently flipped over onto her stomach and couldn’t get back over. She was not happy about this at all.

Not wanting Ibby to miss out, I bolted back into the bedroom, grabbed my phone, and smacked her on the ass. “Baby girl is turning tricks,” I told her, as I shot out the door and back into the nursery. Tiptoeing back in, Amelia was quietly lying on her stomach, head facing toward the door, panting heavily. She had worn herself out. The second she spotted me, she let out a half-whimper, half-wail, and waved her arms and legs in the air as if saying, “Help me!” I couldn’t help but laugh. She was so damn cute. Before she worked herself into a lather, I whipped my phone out of my pocket and shot several pictures of her.
This little bitty being is my daughter. Mine.
The possessive feelings rolling through me were overwhelming.

“She flipped herself over,” Ibby whispered from beside me. I closed my eyes and took in the sound of her voice. It soothed something deep inside of me. I opened them back up and she was watching me with a sweet look on her face. Suddenly, I got it.
This is what a family feels like
. Sharing special moments that fill you up inside is what it’s all about. This is what my mom fought so hard to protect and what my dad threw away. Amelia’s pissed off wails of protest brought me back to the moment.

Reaching into the crib, I lifted my baby girl into my arms. Before Ibby could get away, I grabbed her hand and walked them both back to the bedroom where I spent the next hour explaining to her about Dana. I told her everything. In return, she told me all about Jimmy. I made sure to get as many details as possible. One way or another, the guy was going down after the stunt he’d just pulled. The more I knew about him, the better.

As soon as Ibby nursed Milly, we both showered and headed to the living room, where I formally introduced her to Garrett and Bobby. Sally had already introduced herself and seemed to be hitting it off with everyone.
Good.
I was going to need her on my side later.

“How old did you say he was?” Bobby asked. He was parked on the living room floor playing
Tug-O-War
with Brutus. It was debatable as to who was actually winning.

“He’s a little over a year now,” Ibbs answered from the kitchen where she was making bacon and eggs for everyone. Cas was sitting at the table reading the paper and Garrett was busy on his laptop gathering intel on James Marsden. Amelia and I were playing catch up. In other words, I was holding her while she slept and refusing to let anyone come near.

After breakfast, Isabella and Sally disappeared to put Milly down. This gave me a chance to talk about the Jimmy situation with Garrett, Cas and Bobby.

“From the looks of it, this is not going to be a quick fix. We arrived in time to deal with the drug plant, but I have a feeling as soon as Jimmy hears it went bust, he’ll come at her harder,” Garrett said.

“Damn. I was afraid of that,” I told him.

“I made a call and they are expediting the paternity papers. They should be processed by the end of the day,” Bobby said. “As soon as that happens, Jimmy will not be able to claim Amelia as his child anymore without a battle he will never win.”

“Have you figured out what his angle is, yet?” Cas asked.

“No,” I replied.

“He’s got his irons in several political fires and it appears he’s pissed off a lot of people along the way. The safest thing is to get Isabella and Amelia to Charlotte,” Garrett advised. “That way we can watch over them easier. We don’t want any backlash when Jimmy discovers he’s being looked into.”

His words made my chest feel tight. “You think he’ll find out?” I asked.

“If I’ve learned anything over the past few years, it’s that anything is possible,” he replied. “Jimmy appears to have eyes and ears all over the city. Someone’s bound to eventually spill.”

I glanced over at Cas. For some reason Ibby liked the guy. “Convince her,” I said.

His eyes shot to the ceiling. “It’s not me she wants, man.”

“Who wants who?” Isabella asked, from the doorway. Sally was standing next to her. I wasn’t sure how long they had been standing there listening.
Shit.

I decided to let Garrett, Cas and Bobby work their magic and convince the girls Charlotte would be the safest place for them both to be right now. The whole time they talked, Ibby’s eyes remained on me. Christ, those sapphire blue eyes did funny things to me. It was if they reached deep inside and touched parts I didn’t know existed. Funny thing…I was slowly discovering I liked it. I liked the way she made me feel inside.
I felt whole.

Once Garrett finished mapping out their plan, Ibby held up her hand to halt all conversation. Turning to me, she asked, “Are you sure you want us in Charlotte with you? I mean, it’s a lot to take on.” Her eyes looked moist and she nervously bit her lip. For some reason, her shy insecurity called to the protector in me. Someone had made this amazing woman feel unwanted. Warring emotions of anger and desire battled inside me. I wanted to destroy whoever had hurt her, while at the same time I wanted to take her to bed and wipe away the hurt. The primal part of me wanted to mark her, to make her mine. She may have doubted men in the past, but that was no more. Isabella Fisher was mine and it was high time she knew it.

Finally, not able to stand it any longer, I turned to Garrett and asked, “Are we done here?”

He gave me a knowing smile and nodded his head, “For now, yes.”

I handed Milly to Sally and then made my way across the room to a wary looking Ibby. Snagging her hand, I pulled her out of the room.

“What are you doing?” she whispered. I could hear Sally and the guys snickering behind us but I didn’t care.

“Showing you how much I want you with me,” I told her.

I heard her breath catch before a lightly whispered, “Oh.”

“You good with that?” I asked, trying not to smile at how damn cute she was.