Page 108 of One Little Kiss
“Ah, ah. None of your fucking business.”
Wes curls his little body even more. Just like he did with Winnie, he’s trying to crawl inside of me, and I hate that he’s hearing this.
“But if ya want to double it, it might encourage me to walk away.”
“You don’t want Weston. You want to hurt your daughter.”
“Fuck that little tramp. All I care about is the money. I don’t give a shit what happens to him, and she’s the biggest waste of space I’ve ever seen in my life.”
My fist curls into a ball and I’m ready to knock the asshole out when Preston clamps a hand on my shoulder. “That’s enough. We’re done here.”
“The hell we are,” Darling shouts, stumbling as he lurches forward to grab at Weston, but I’m too quick, and Preston is too pissed. He doesn’t make it a foot before Preston is shoving him back. When he trips over the train table, screaming about suing us, an officer walks in, shaking his head.
“What have you got yourself into this time, Jason?” the officer asks.
“I’m here to see my son, and these two assholes assaulted me.”
The terrified librarian escorts a family I hadn’t noticed earlier to another section of the library just as Preston steps forward to introduce himself. “I’m Preston Westbrook. This is my brother, Colton, and hisstepson, Weston.”
We’ve never used words likestepin our family and I can tell it bothered him to say it now. I know it was like nails on a chalkboard for me.Family is family, however they fall.
“We brought Wes here for a supervised visit. However, when we arrived, Mr. Darling was intoxicated and has been belligerent since we walked in. I’d like a breathalyzer done and submitted to the court.” I’m always amazed by how quickly Preston can turn on the charm.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Westbrook. I’d like to thank you for everything you’ve been doing to revitalize this town. It means a lot to some very good people. I’m Officer Russel.”
“You don’t get to tell the officer how to handle me,” Darling slurs as he pulls himself off the floor.
“No, he can’t. But he is right, Darling. If you refuse the breathalyzer, I’ll be forced to testify about the events I’m walking in on, and I promise you it won’t be in your favor.”
Darling squints his eyes as he pops a piece of gum into his mouth. This guy really is an idiot if he thinks that will save him now. “I’ll take the damn test,” he spits. “Makes no difference to me. I ain’t drunk.”
“Officer, would it be okay for me to leave with Wes now? This has been incredibly traumatic for him.” I attempt to pull the little boy from my body so the officer can see his tear-stained face, but he wails and claws at me, trying to stay close. My heart breaks. Rage fills my veins. I want to kill Winnie’s father.
The officer is young, about my age, and his face softens at the fear Wes expresses in his body language. “I believe that would be best. I’ll file a report and make sure social services get a copy myself. My wife and I just adopted a little boy about his age, so I have some firsthand experience. Take him home and love all over him. He’ll be just fine.”
“Thank you,” I say, stepping forward to shake his hand.
Turning to Preston, I find him with his arms folded over his broad chest and a murderous expression on his face. He doesn’t take his gaze off Darling as he speaks. “I’ll stay, Colt. Go do what you need to.”
I nod, grab Weston’s bag, and haul ass out of the old building. “Time to go home, buddy.”
CHAPTER34
WINNIE
“This cake is ridiculous,” Rylan groans next to me. “Can my husband bake or what?” We’re sitting around the coffee table that now has books, swatches, and pictures spread all over it. We’d started with the cake tasting because, hello? Cake!
Colton and Wes haven’t been far from my thoughts, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t having at least a little bit of fun with these ladies. Each has their own distinct style, and watching them haggle over what is best for my wedding has me smiling most of the time.
“You don’t have any idea what you might like?” Lexi asks again.
“No, sorry, Lexi. I’ve never really been one to sit around daydreaming. There was no point wasting time thinking about something I’d never be able to afford.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Lanie chimes in. “I never had much growing up. My mother made sure of it. Then one bad night changed everything for me. I had completely given up on love and I knew I’d never get a happily ever after. I was content with that. Or so I thought.”
“Right.” Lexi smirks. “And then you ended up with the real-life version of Prince Charming.”
I laugh right along with them because I’ve heard tales of Dexter Cross and his epic romantic side.
