Ford hissed, “You’re giving her exactly what she wants. She couldn’t care less about those children.” Ford’s breathing was ragged like he’d run a marathon. “You paying her off is giving her the exact thing she wants. What happens if, and more than likely when, she decides she needs more money? This isn’t the way to go.” Ford’s hands were folded, his cheeks red.
Sawyer rubbed the back of his neck before looking up at Ford. "I want her gone as much as you do.”
Ford nodded and cut in. “So do I.” He nodded down at the checkbook. “But that is definitely not the way.”
“No, it’s not, and I have no intention of bowing to her demands. We need to call the cops and have her removed from our home, and that is why I wanted you to follow me in here. So that you can make that call.”
The tension visibly drained from Ford.
“I am afraid they’ll hate us after this,” Sawyer said. ”But what choice do we have?”
“Maybe…” Ford sighed. “But in the end, they’ll see that we only did it for their own good. It might not be today or tomorrow, but eventually, they’ll understand. We have to believe that.”
Sawyer’s heart raced. Fuck he’d… they’d been doing so good with the kids, and this would probably cause a setback.
Sawyer nodded and handed the phone back to Ford.
“I can call Owen’s dad. Since he’s the chief of Police, he can send one of the officers out, and if I explain the situation and tell him no sirens or whatever...” Ford’s voice trailed off.
“Maybe the kids won’t have to see their mother taken away in handcuffs?”
Ford nodded.
“Okay, do it,” Sawyer said.
He started to leave the office after grabbing a pen to make it look realistic, trusting Ford to handle everything else. Sawyer wanted to keep an eye on Cynthia. Besides, he intended to have her picked up outside the house so the children would witness what was going to happen.
It was at that moment he heard a commotion from the other room and looked back at Ford before hightailing it towards the foyer.
“Just go, Mom…leave!” Savanna was yelling.
Ford was on his heels, and they got from the office to the foyer in record time, and Savanna was still yelling at Cynthia.
“I heard everything,” Savanna shouted. “You demanded money. You want money to leave us. You don’t love us.”
“That’s not true, baby girl.” Cynthia stepped towards Savanna.
Ford started to move towards them, but Sawyer reached out and stopped him with his touch. Maybe Savanna needed to say her piece.
“Don’t lie, Mom.” Savanna’s voice was thick like she was going to cry. “You’re asking for money in exchange for leaving us behind. If it was about us, then nothing would stop you from, from”—she gestured wildly—“taking us. You definitely wouldn’t ask for money.”
“I’m doing it for us.” Cynthia reached out and put a hand on Savanna, but the girl shrugged her mother off. “Can’t you see that?”
“No! You’re a liar! You said that dad paid you to stay away too.” Savanna stepped away from her mother. She turned to head back to the living room where Gavin and Callum were, but Cynthia reached out and grabbed her arm. “Let go, Mom, you’re hurting me.”
“Don’t ever call me a liar. I am your mother, and you will show the proper respect to me.”
“Get your hands off of her.” Sawyer rushed forward, pulling Savanna away from Cynthia and shuffling her behind him.
“Don’t tell me what to do. I’m their mother,” Cynthia yelled and swung at him, but he blocked it before she could connect. Cynthia swung at him again, but she was much smaller, so he blocked that, too, holding her wrist this time to keep her from attempting to strike again.
“Keep your hands off me. I swear it, I’ll sue you.” She seemed to be getting more agitated.
As Sawyer stood there, he felt anger welling deep in his core as he replayed what Cynthia had done and possibly leaving bruises on Savie’s arm. He fought to keep it at bay and remain calm now that his sleep-addled brain was more alert.
“Cynthia,” Sawyer began, his voice laced with ice. “You’re either going to control yourself, or you can leave. The children have been through enough and don’t need any more upheaval”
“Fuck you,” she spat.
Sawyer frowned. Okay, something was different. This was not the same woman they’d seen at dinner. Even though she had been manipulative, she refrained from any such displays in front of the kids.
“You ran from rehab and came into my home, disrupting our lives, and then think you are going to extort money from me.” Sawyer leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “You have no rights to the children, Cynthia. Those were lost due to your own choices. Go back to rehab and finish your time there. Then, when you can act like an adult, maybe you can come back and discuss having visitation with the kids.”
The woman managed to get a hand free and swung at him again. “No. No. I’m taking them with me. You’ll never see them again. You’re just like your bastard of a father. Thought he was better than me cos he quit.”
“Quit?” Sawyer wasn’t sure what she meant.
“Who do you think got me hooked,” she spat.
Sawyer rocked back on his feet. Okay, so he hadn’t seen that coming.
“He wanted them too. You want them, you gotta pay up, just like he did,” Cynthia said “Not that he ever paid much.” Her face was best described as a sneer, and she paused to look around their house. “But I’m sure you can.”
Sawyer studied her and by her actions and the crazed look in her eyes, that she must have brought some form of drug with
