Bucking Bear (Pounding Hearts 3)

He turns and grabs a folder off the little table sitting by his front door. Turning back, he extends his arm, holding the folder out for me to take. “I think you’ll find this very interesting.”

I shake my head. My gut is telling me not to take the folder. Whatever is in it can’t be good.

“I don’t have time for this. I’m giving you one last chance to give me Hope or I’m calling the cops because you’re violating the custody agreement.”

Carson throws the folder angrily at me and it falls just shy of my feet. The front of the folder flaps open and pictures are scattered all over the ground. I glance at them, not really seeing them at first.

“My lawyer has informed me that I’ve gathered enough evidence to take away your custody.”

“What?” I frown in confusion. Is he trying to say he can take away my custody? Is he crazy?

“Take a look,” he points at the pictures on the ground. “All your recent exploits are right there.”

Bending down, I pick up the picture closest to me and examine it closely. My blood chills and it feels like someone just dumped a bucket of ice water on me.

What the hell? It’s a picture of me, Mandy, and the ring girls in my car, on our way to the club. It’s looks like one of the girls is drinking in the backseat.

I pick up another picture and another. Most of the pictures are of me and of the few nights I was out, doing fun adult things. Some of them have Mandy in them but most of them have Max so they must have been taken in just the past few weeks.

“You have someone tailing me?” I ask in disbelief. “You have someone taking pictures of me?”

“Yes. I’ve gathered enough evidence to prove you’re a neglectful, incompetent mother.”

I don’t understand what’s going on. The universe doesn’t make sense anymore.

“How? Why? Because I went out a couple of nights?”

The pictures fall from my finge

rs, fluttering to the ground. Pictures of me wrapped around Max, sucking his face off as he carries me inside his house. Pictures of us hiding in the shadows outside of Thursdays, squeezing in a few kisses and caresses before saying goodbye for the night.

“No,” Carson says and he smiles now. I’ve never seen a smile so slimy. “Because you’re incapable of providing the same amount of income and stability I can provide.”

“You’re insane if you think you can do this.” There’s no way he can use any of this to take Hope away from me. Can he?

Carson frowns and his face reddens with anger. “I’m not crazy, I’m just looking out for my family.”

“And you think the best thing for Hope is to take her from me?”

“No, I don’t want to take her from you,” he denies.

“Then what do you want?”

“I want you to be with me. I want to be a real family.”

“We could have been a family but you ran away!” I snap. I just can’t take any more of this crap.

“I didn’t run away; I went to college!” he roars back. “You were supposed to wait for me.”

That’s it, he’s certifiably crazy and there’s no point in continuing to argue with him. Shaking my head sadly, I have to take several deep, calming breaths before I tell him. “Bring me Hope or I’m calling the cops.”

“Grace…” Carson frowns.

I lift my phone and wave it around in warning. “Do it! I’m not playing!”

Carson stares at me for a long minute and I just glare back at him. Finally, he nods his head and walks inside.

I have to bite the inside of my cheek, hard, to keep from screaming.