Page 9 of The Chase
He assumed the taller girl was this Bristol. He reached for her. He didn’t know much about kids, but he was going to have to learn eventually. Well, sooner than later, according to the attorney he’d hired for the next part of his plan.
The little girl just looked up at him out of big brown eyes.
“Hi, sweet pea. Let’s get inside out of the rain, okay?”
She just nodded.
The woman settled on his living room couch and almost inspected the place. It was obvious she liked what she saw. “Is it reasonably child-proofed? If it is, you can put her down.”
“Yeah, it’s a safe place. Exactly who are you?”
“I am Ava Buchman. I’m a social worker out of Kerrville. I am afraid I’m here with sad news, Mr. Chase. Are you aware of your half-brother’s father’s daughter, Tisha Dawson?”
“I think so. She was several years younger than me. What does she need?” He wasn’t related to that woman at all. He hadn’t seen her in years.
Since his half-brother’s funeral. Since he’d made several million by his thirtieth birthday he’d had a few long-lost relatives come out of the woodwork.
“She’s dead, I’m afraid. Her romantic partner passed away two weeks ago. Tisha OD’d four days ago. They were heavy users. We did find paperwork loosely naming you as a potential guardian for their daughters, Bristol and Bronte. I am here to see if you are willing to assume custody, provided you pass all home inspections. The guardianship papers are all in order, mostly.”
“I never signed any guardianship papers. I didn’t even know she had kids. I haven’t seen her in fifteen years. She was eleven or so then.” This woman was insane. No doubt about that. “Was my signature on there?”
“Well, no. That was the one thing that was missing. I also understand that you are the only one with any type of tenuous kinship connection at all. I was on my way through here after collecting the children, and decided to stop here, for efficiency’s sake. To touch base, inform you of what had happened.” She stood, and lifted the baby from the floor. “Thank you for your time.”
The baby babbled something at her—looking like her uncle Kev in that moment. These kids…had been Kev’s nieces. That mattered. Family. If it was Calvin out there lost in the world with no one to love him…what would Kurt wish for him?
“Wait. What’s going to happen to them if I don’t take them?”
“Well, they are going to a foster home in Barrattville tonight, regardless.”
Foster care had damned near destroyed Kurt. It had cost him his brother in the end. All the family he had had. The little girl in his arms laid her head on his shoulder. Clung. Likehemattered.
“If you don’t take them, then they will be placed in another foster home. Once the courts have exhausted searches for potential relatives, though their mother seemed adamant in the letter we found that there was no one but you that they felt appropriate, they will be put up for adoption.”
“Together?” He’d been yanked from his brother when he was no more than six, but he still remembered how it had hurt. They’d had two or three visits together after that, each one more painful than the last. He looked at the girls. The thought of kids being split up like that sickened hm. They were so young—they wouldn’t know each other at all.
“Most likely. Unless it’s decided for some rare reason that it’s best for them not to be.”
“Why did she pick me?”
“I am not sure. But…you are the closest family they do have. Fictive kin, really, as their mother’s father was married to yourmother at the time of his death, Mr. Chase. I understand what I am asking of you, but is there any possible way you would be willing to assume guardianship of your stepsister’s little girls?”
Kurt couldn’t watchfamilyjust disappear forever. He hadn’t had a family in fifteen years, since he had lost his older brother because of Gene Hiller. And he knew what the foster system was like. Far too intimately. Those little girls were just staring at him. Waiting for someone to protect them—the way no one had protected him, Kev—or these girls’ mother. No one had cared enough to…care. “I’ll need some real time to think about it. But…I don’t want to see them split up. Or with strangers, I mean, people they aren’t related to, you know? My mother and her third husband were together on paper, but they didn’t live together. For decades, I think. I’m not sure why. Not exactly ahappy homekind of people. Just…I need a few days to think about it.”
But he knew, as he helped her get the girls loaded into car seats. He knew what he was going to do now. Kurt was used to making pivotal decisions in a heartbeat. Even though this was the most serious decision he could ever make. This…he was going to do it.
He couldn’t stand the thought of losingfamily.And he was all Kevin’s nieces had. Those little girls deserved someone to evencareabout what happened to them.
His life had just changed completely once again.
7
Greer was still feelingedgy.It had been weeks since she’d done something stupid, but she just couldn’t seem to escape mention of Kurtland Tyson the Toad Chase, no matter how hard she tried.For one thing, her sister had told herKurthad been the biggest donor to the hospital tonight. Genny didn’t know what had happened between her and the rat—Greer didn’t have any intention of telling her either.
Now she was at her family’s ranch, with all of her besties and her sister’s bestie—and her sister, Genny. Gia was on her way—and so was Chantal, GennyandGia’s bestie. They were going to have an old-school slumber party and…convince Aubrey to call the cops for what had happened tonight. Genny was trying to get the bleeding stopped on Aubrey’s arm again now. It had been bleeding for at least two hours. Greer had more important things to worry about than Kurt.
Even if he had texted her a week ago, asking her to go with him tonight. The man texted or called at least twice a week. She just ignored him every single time.
She wasnotgoing to eventhinkabout Kurtland Chase tonight.
