Page 250 of Papa's Bébé
“We’ll see.” He reached over and drew her pacifier out of the drawer. She’d been reluctant to try using a pacifier, but she’d gone off to sleep within moments of putting it in her mouth last time.
Being wrapped up tight seemed to help too. It gave her that feeling of security, he figured.
“Open,” he commanded, slipping the pacifier into her mouth when she parted her lips.
It had a strawberry on the end of it. Adorable.
He picked her up in his arms and held her against his chest, rocking her back and forth. She rested against him and it wasn’t long until he felt her completely relax.
Laying her down on the bed, he stared at her for a while. She really was the most gorgeous thing he’d seen.
And all his.
He exited the playroom quietly and moved to the dining table where he’d left his phone and laptop. He was busy finalizing the rental agreement for a house he’d found. He figured they’d be returning to Billings soon.
His phone rang as he sent the agreement off.
Marlin.
“Marlin, hi,” he said. “Have you got news?”
“Sort of,” the other man said tiredly. “Vince has been rolling over big time as I told you yesterday. So far, we’ve arrested three detectives and six other cops. It’s worse than I even thought. IA are crawling all over the place to make sure that everything is done properly. Vince even gave us the name of the cop in IA who was passing on information about anyone who went to them. Dad is being heavily investigated. He’s denying everything, even though all of the cops except Malcolm and Robert are saying that their orders came from him.”
“Direct from him?” Matthieu asked.
“No. They said he’d use people to deliver the messages. Usually Vince. And Vince said the orders often came from Malcolm and Robert.”
“The two who aren’t talking.”
“That’s right. And I don’t think they will anytime soon. So at the moment, everything against Dad is circumstantial.”
Frustration bit him.
“When do you think I can bring Maya back?” While he would love to stay at the cabin forever, it wasn’t necessarily what was best for Maya or her animals. He had to get them situated in a home. And he knew that she missed her chickens and Marshmallow.
Marlin let out a deep sigh. “While I’d like her to stay away until this is all settled, I don’t know how long that will take. The biggest threat to her safety was Vince and he’s now in custody. The person threatening our father could still be a problem, however, they’re likely very happy with what’s been going on these past few days. So, I’d say it’s safe to come back now. Just keep her close still. And keep her safe.”
“I will always do that.”
54
Maya was nervous as they turned onto an unknown street in Billings. Part of her hadn’t really wanted to leave the cabin. It had felt like a holiday, a chance to get away from life.
But life couldn’t be paused forever. And she had been missing her chickens and Marshmallow.
She opened her phone up, looking the photos that Millie had sent through of the chickens and Marshmallow. She was such a good friend. Then she moved to the messages from her contacts at ABU. Thankfully, the puppies were all doing well. They’d found them foster families and were hoping to get them adopted out soon.
Apparently, David had sent her a few rude messages while Matthieu had her phone so Matthieu had blocked his number. Her father had messaged a couple of times too. But none of his messages had been apologies or questions about how she was. Nope, he’d just wanted to know where she was.
“Where are we going?” she asked Matthieu. “Are we going to Millie’s?” How would they get the chickens in the car, though? And what about the chicken coop?
She was unsure what condition her house was going to be in when they got there. They were meeting someone from her insurance company there tomorrow.
“We’re not going to Millie’s,” Matthieu said. “And Spike and Ink already moved the chickens to where we’re going.”
“They did? Back to my place?”
“Bébé, your place is a wreck and even if it wasn’t your time for living there is finished. This is your home now. Well, your home for the temporary future. Until we work out something more permanent.”
