Page 68 of Daddy's Laws

CHAPTER23

With Shannon tucked back into bed for a long nap, Bryant found himself wandering the house, too restless to sit and work even though there were things that needed his attention.

What he really wanted was to walk out the back door and dive headfirst into the ocean. Let the pounding of the waves wash away the dregs of guilt and anger still clinging to him. But aside from the fact it would make him a hypocrite, he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her alone. What if she had another nightmare and needed him?

He’d just about decided to open a bottle of Scotch when his phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, he grinned at his brother’s face on the screen. “Hey. What’s up?”

“Just checking in. How’s our Shannon?”

“Sleeping. Hoping she’ll stay that way for a while.”

“Good. Liv told me she had a nightmare and you weren’t sure how to help her. Figure it out?”

The memory of her curled up in his lap, all warm and soft after her spanking, had him grinning. “Yeah, I did. But while we’re on the topic, does Liv still have nightmares? About what happened to her?”

“Sometimes. They were pretty regular for the first couple of weeks, and then they tapered off. She still has them from time to time, especially if she’s had an emotional day or she’s overtired.”

“Man, how does it not just tear you apart?”

“Who said it doesn’t?” Grief and anger filled his brother’s voice. “Every time she wakes up screaming, I want to drive down to that prison and choke the life out of that asshole with my bare hands.”

“Well, at least I’m not alone in that.”

“Not at all.”

They sat in silence for a bit. Not the awkward, nobody knows what to say kind of silence, but a quiet borne from an entire lifetime spent by each other’s sides. Normally they would have hung up once they’d said their piece, but James must have sensed he had more to talk about.

“Do you think I made a mistake, taking MaryAnn’s case?”

“Are you asking if I think Shannon is going to chop off your balls and serve them to you for dinner when she finds out?”

“Something like that.”

“Probably. And the longer you wait to tell her about it, the worse it’s going to be.” Another pause, this one noticeably more strained. “I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t happy when Liv told me she’d asked you to take the case. I’m still not happy, but I understand Liv’s reasons.”

“If she’d been involved from the start, I wouldn’t touch that case with a ten-foot pole. But after talking to her, I just…” he trailed off, struggling to find the right words. “She needs someone to stand for her, James. I don’t know that anyone ever has.”

“Yeah, I get that. She worked for us for a year and never seemed to get past those new job jitters.” James sighed, sounding so much like their father when he had something unpleasant to talk about it had Bryant’s lips twitching. “I get it, Bry. I really do. So, I’m not going to tell you it’s a stupid idea, but I am telling you that you need to tell Shannon. Sooner rather than later.”

“I will. But speaking of telling people things, has Liv told on herself yet?”

“No, she did not.” The shift in James’s tone was as drastic as it was immediate. “What was she supposed to tell me?”

“Let’s see, what did she call me? Oh, yes.” Grinning, Bryant leaned back against the kitchen island, wishing he’d thought to video chat his brother before spilling the beans so he could watch the expression on his face. “She said I was the, and I quote, ‘most stubborn fucking man’ she’s ever known before telling me to get my head out of my ass.”

“Is that so?”

“It is. But James?”

“Yes?” Ice cold enough to freeze the ocean just outside Bryant’s door coated his brother’s voice.

“Don’t be too hard on her. She just wants everyone to be as happy as you two are.”

“If she didn’t want me to be hard on her, she would have told me sooner. She knew I was calling you, and she knows it’s going to be worse because she didn’t fess up on her own.”

“Fair enough. Then give her an extra kiss and a snuggle from me.”

“That, I can do.”

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