Page 42 of Shielding His Heart
I bolt toward her shouts, flying past Jax and Walker. I ignore Tana’s concerned face and vault over a locked fence gate.
“This is his fault! If it weren’t for him, I’d still have my mother!”
The words don’t make sense until I round the corner of the brick house, veering around a broken-down lawn mower and wading through knee-high grass to find Paisley being held back by Angela. Leon cowers in front of her, stone-faced and shirtless, his shoulders blistering in the sun.
“If you weren’t a bunch of drunks, your son wouldn’t have hit my mom and killed her. She’s dead! If you were a better father, I’d still have a mom, and your son would still be alive!” I hear my words regurgitate from her tight lips, and my stomach rolls.
Paisley is a torrent of rage. Her translucent skin is reddened with anger, and her pretty curls are falling out of the elaborate updo she begged for this morning. Her bathing suit cover-up is dangling off one shoulder, and she’s not wearing any shoes, but she doesn’t seem to notice.
“Paisley,” I grind out. She doesn’t seem to hear me at first. She finally turns to me, tears streaming down her freckled cheeks, when I put a hand on her thin, shaking shoulder. “Paisley, honey.”
She throws herself at my side, her body wracked with sobs. “It’s his fault. It is! If he wasn’t such a bad dad, his son wouldn’t have been drinking and driving.” She gasps through a violent bout of hiccups. “He wouldn’t have hit Mom, and she would still be here, and I wouldn’t feel so alone all the time.”
If she’d shoved me into a speeding semi, I would have been less stunned. “Paisley,” I croak out.
“I think you should go,” his daughter says quietly.
Knowing I need to remove Paisley from this shitshow, I pull her up into my arms and turn my back on them. I’ll deal with them later. The first thing I see is Tana’s stricken expression.
Fuck.
“I want to go home,” Paisley says through her tears.
I send Tana a begging look, and she quietly steps out of my way so we can move by.
Within twenty minutes, the birthday party is shut down. Most of the cars are gone, and all that’s left are the garbage bags full of used plates and sticky cups, drunkenly hanging streamers, and stacks of unopened presents piled in the laundry room. Mom distracted Gemma in the backyard with water balloons, bless her.
The moment we got home, Paisley ripped herself from my arms, ran to her room, and slammed the door behind her. She’s been here ever since. I wanted to give her time to cool down, so I let her be until everyone else left.
When the door closes behind the last person, I turn and rest against it. Pulling my phone from my back pocket, I call the girls’ therapist’s emergency line and request an appointment as soon as possible. I’m doing my best to help them navigate everything, but let’s be honest, we all need professional help sometimes. And I’m pretty certain this situation warrants professional help. Because God knows I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.
Tana is waiting in the kitchen, washing the same spot on the kitchen counter she’s been washing since the last time I checked on her.
“How is she?” Tana asks, clutching and twisting the dishrag in both hands.
“I’m about to go check on her. How are you?”
She gnaws on her lip and then says, “I’m alright. I think it’s probably best if I give you two a little time. I’ve already called Penny. The one who helped me with the cat. She’s going to let me stay at her place for a few days. Give Paisley some space to breathe.”
“Tana,” my voice goes out. I clear my throat and try again. “You don’t have to do that. Stay. Everything will be fine.”
She shakes her head, and I can tell by the stubborn set of her chin that she’s already made up her mind. “I’ve been so focused on me I didn’t even think of these girls, Alec. They’re what’s important here. You know that. Paisley has had problems from the beginning. She needs you now, I think.”
The radio squawks, and my phone alert goes off at the same time. “Attention. I need you to respond to First Baptist on Second Street for a structure fire.”
Tana’s face goes blank, and I grit my teeth before picking up the radio to respond to the call. “This is Battleboro 8. I’ll be en route with Tanker 2.” The last thing I want to do is leave Tana now with everything feeling unresolved, but we live the closest to the church, and if the feeling in my gut is any indication, it may be the second arson case our small town has ever seen. “I’ve gotta go, but I want you here when I get back.”
“Go. We’ll work everything out later. I’ll have your mom stay with the girls.”
“Just. . .” I shove a hand through my hair. “Don’t make any rash decisions. Stay with Penny if you need to, but let me deal with Paisley and work this out. Please.”
“You should go,” she says.
“I’ll come for you when I’m done with this, and the girls are okay.”
She doesn’t say anything, but she hugs me fiercely. It’ll have to be enough for now.
CHAPTER21
