“What the fuck?” The deep, throaty sound of Nico’s voice makes me look up quickly. He’s staring at my dad as if he will rip his head off without notice, but then he comes over to me, wrapping his arms around Callie and me. “Are you okay? What happened? I’ll kill him if he did—”
“We’re fine,” I somehow get out, and he studies us. He looks us over, and I continue to shake my head. “I promise. We’re fine.”
He looks back at my dad, and I follow with my gaze, but my dad isn’t there.
He is gone.
And hopefully forever.
* * *
Jaylin stands at my counter, looking over the paperwork as I pace angrily in front of her. Nico is sitting on a barstool watching me and probably thinking I’m a crazy person.
“This is insane. All of it. I mean, I’m ecstatic to have that man out of our lives and not having to worry about him stealing my money or Callie, but come on. Insane, right?”
Jaylin doesn’t look up at me. Instead, her eyes move over the paperwork as she nods. “Callie asked for this?”
“She said she told him this was the way he could apologize to us for treating us like garbage.”
She looks up at me through her lashes and seems impressed. “Did she now?”
“Yeah.” I want to take great pride in that, but there is a lot going on right now.
Later, I’ll be proud and happy that my sister chose me over a drug addict.
I’m anxious out of my mind, so I keep pacing. The paperwork could be bogus, and he could be using it as a way to get us to beg him to stay. Not that it would happen, but I don’t know, it’s a theory. I feel like I have to keep moving. My whole body is shaking.
“Aviva, it’s okay. No matter what, Callie loves you,” Nico reminds me.
“I know, and I swear, I’m good with that. But I don’t trust him. You know how he is. All those times he stole from me, all those times he threatened to take Callie from me, how he blamed me for my mother’s death…”
“’Cause you are cancer,” Jaylin says sarcastically, and I hold out my palms to her.
“Exactly!”
“I know,” Nico says, reaching for me. And of course, I go to him. He draws me between his legs, kissing my temple before he wraps his arms around me tightly. “I don’t trust him either, but I’ve got you and Callie. Jaylin and I won’t let anything happen to you two.”
Jaylin continues to read as she nods. I look back at Nico, cupping his jaw in my hand. “Thanks.”
“Listen, I don’t want you two staying here tonight. Since the shop is closed tomorrow anyway, come stay with me. You and Callie can stay in my room, and I’ll sleep on the couch.”
My breath catches. “I can’t kick you out of your room.”
“I’m kicking myself out. Clearly I should have put furniture in my guest room. But I need to break in my couch. I don’t even sit on it.”
I smile. “You’d do that for me?”
He strokes my cheek. “I’d do anything for you.”
I lean in, pressing my mouth to his. He eagerly accepts my kiss and basically steals my breath. When Jaylin clears her throat, I pull away, looking back at her.
I can’t read her face, but I know I’m okay. No matter what, like Nico said, they have my back. I’m strong. I’ve got this. But still, I squeak when I ask, “What?”
“The papers are legit. A cheap, shitty lawyer downtown did it, but they’re legit. He’s relinquished his rights to Callie, giving them solely to you.”
I almost faint, I feel it, but Nico’s arms tighten around me, holding me close to his chest.
“It’s all real, Vee. She’s yours if you want her. I can get the paperwork started.”
My lips quiver and I nod. “Yes. Please.”
“I thought you’d say that, so I’ll get that in the works. It shouldn’t take too long.”
I wipe away a tear. “Can we make sure she names her first child after me?”
Jaylin snorts as Nico chuckles against my jaw. “Nope. She’s naming it after me. My name goes both ways,” she says with a wink. “Like I did in college.”
I laugh out loud as Nico whistles, impressed. With a grin on her face, she picks up her phone, typing something, and then looks up at me. “As for your mom’s account, there is no paper trail whatsoever. Whoever did it wanted to make sure you didn’t know. No contact info, nothing. Just the money, to the cent, was deposited.” She holds out her hands, dropping her phone. “I couldn’t find who did it if I wanted.”
“Can you usually find out?”
Jaylin looks at Nico, a smirk on her face. “I can do anything. I’m that good.”