“Thanks,” I mumble before I clear my throat and try to straighten my shoulders. “Anyway, I was looking through his stuff and I found some birth records. Who would have thought he actually kept those or that he had someone help Mom give birth, you know? The point is, I used the info on Cleo’s birth certificate online and I think I know where she is now.”
“How did you do that?” Sky asks, finally turning back toward me and handing me a small bowl. I glance down and use the fork inside to stab some of the lettuce, one of the small tomatoes, and a long string of cheese, then shovel it into my mouth. I chew thoughtfully for a moment, assuming the pot on the stove is for dinner and wondering how the hell a salad could have taken so long—but then I remember that she makes do with what we have, and I should appreciate that she cares enough to throw something together for me too.
“Well, don’t get mad, alright?” I begin a little sheepishly. When she nods in agreement, I grin proudly. “I’ve been watching videos on how to hack into websites and stuff and I broke into the database for Social Services. Before you get mad, I used a VPN or whatever it’s called, and they won’t know I was there. I didn’t change anything; I just got an address and left.”
“Is that what you do in that damn den all day?” she snaps at me. “Figure out ways to break the law from the comfort of your own home?”
The grin immediately leaves my face. I place the bowl down on the counter, a rage starting to rise inside of me, and I have to remind myself that I’m not Dad.
I’m not.
Sky doesn’t look the least bit worried when I start closing the small amount of space between us. She doesn’t even flinch when I raise my hand, but when I close my fist and strike her across the face with it, she drops to the floor and looks up at me in shock with a split lip.
Okay.
I’m not Dad.
I guess I’m worse.
“I’m sorry, Sky,” I tell her for what seems like the fifteenth time in half an hour. “I promise I’ll never do that again. I shouldn’t have done it to begin with! Forgive me? Please?”
I know I sound like a needy little boy right now, but with as many times as I saw Dad raise his hand to Mom, I should have known better. I should have been able to control my fucking temper.
It’s just… the smell of him. It brings me back to the time he was still here—and it makes me angry all over again.
I let out a long-suffering sigh as I get to my feet and decide that I should go to the address I found alone and just see if Cleo’s even there.
“I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” I tell her softly. She has her arms firmly crossed over her chest and refuses to meet my eyes. It means that I’ll have to make sure all the windows and doors are padlocked before I leave, because I know Sky and she’ll try to run away if she’s not locked in.
After spending the next thirty minutes making sure that Skylar will be safely secured while I’m gone, I walk into the den and grab the scrap of paper I scribbled the information on.
Bryden Furay, huh? Let’s see if you have my little sister, I think as I lock the door to the den and make my way toward the front door.
Five
Xoe
Something crashes in the living room and I lean back from the stove to look at the chaos of my family, but I don’t hear shouting or crying so I’m not that worried.
“I can finish up if you want to get Daddy,” Brinnah says, wiping her hands on a towel as she waits patiently beside me. Of all my girls, she’s the closest to me, and she’s always trying to help. Although none of the children fail to help when needed, they all know when it’s time to work, and I love them all for it.
Pressing a kiss to Brinnah’s forehead, I smile down at her. “Thanks, honey. I’ll go see if Daddy is ready to eat.”
Walking through the living room is an act of dexterity. The little ones have toys scattered everywhere, and I know exactly what crashed before. There are wooden blocks in a massive pile, and I can tell from the guilty glance I get from Gavin that he’s responsible.
“Did you knock this down?” I ask, holding onto my smile so he knows he’s not in trouble.
“Yes, mama,” Gavin answers, and he’s already sitting down to pick them up.
“Let’s get the living room neat before Daddy says it’s time for lunch, okay?” I give him a gentle squeeze on the shoulder before I head back to Daddy’s bedroom. Gavin is ten, but I can already tell he’s going to be just as responsible as Casey is, and I’m grateful for that. If there’s one thing that Daddy doesn’t tolerate, it’s laziness.
But betrayal is worse.
That thought makes my stomach turn because it makes me remember my siblings. They both had to go away because they wanted to hurt our family, and I’ve never faulted Daddy for that—but I still miss them sometimes. I can still see Tristan in Casey’s eyes though, and in the way Sierra laughs when she plays a game with Cleo.
I’m pretty sure that my brother Damon fathered Moira, my second girl, but that’s only because she has his dimples… and she’s a dreamer like he was.
Yeah, she reminds me of Damon on his best days.
As I knock on the door of Daddy’s room, I
