“Megan Wells, nineteen, brunette, hazel eyes, barely graduated high school, big Furball fan. Her social media is thick with your face and song lyrics.”
“I honestly do not remember her.” God, I really had been a man whore.
“No comment. Left home at sixteen, reason unknown but there is some history of drug use listed for her father who she lived with. Mother has remarried and lives in Encino. No siblings.
“Uhm okay, so did you turn that info over to Child Services?”
“Yeah, they’ve contacted her to verify maternity and are pressing charges for abandonment. Blood tests confirm that she’s Maddie’s mother. She’s signed over all claims to the baby and is sitting in jail awaiting bail which she won’t be able to post because waitress in a strip club.”
I glanced up. He looked miserable, which was kind of how I felt. Poor girl really had no other options, did she, but to leave Maddie with me. At least she’d given her to her father and hadn’t dropped her into a dumpster. She’d done what she thought was right.
“Shit. Okay, as soon as she gets bail, pay it. Get her a lawyer. A good one. Cost is no object. Does she have dreams? Anything? Need a car?”
“I didn’t interview her, Colorado, my men just tracked her down and handed it all over to Child Services. How would I know if she has dreams?” He folded his arms over his wide chest.
“Well, find out. If she wants to go to college, let me know and I’ll have my accountant set something up. I’d like to see her better herself.” He stood there staring at me. “What?”
“You’re certainly not the man that I thought you were when we first met.”
I felt a little heat creep up my neck. “I’m pretty fucking fantastic, I agree. So go on.”
Off he went to make it so. Still reeling from that news, which was a dose of great news with a dollop of sad news, I made my way to the shower, scrubbed my ass, and gathered my family up and took them to the Happy Critter Petting Zoo out on Route 10 by Cortaro. My family. Like all of them, even Alchemy and her men. Simon, Natalie, Emma, and of course, Joe and Maddie Boo. We all needed a day out.
It was hotter than Satan’s jockstrap, but we had one hell of a time. We petted pot belly pigs, sheep, goats, fed chickens, admired a llama who spat at Simon. Then I took Emma by the hand and led her and the others to the emu pen. Maddie was sleeping in her stroller so she missed out on meeting him, but there would be other trips. With Joe. There had to be…
“Okay, now, you see that big bird over there?” I asked Emma, lifting her from the ground to sit on my hip. “That is a friend of mine. His name is Kricker, and he is the Lord and High Commander of the Flightless Birds. Like, that is his official title.”
“Is he that same bird in a hat that’s on your boob?”
I glanced down to see the famed top hat peeking out of my I Play for Any Team white tank top. “Yep, that’s him. He toured with me and the band for a while, then he lived with me, but he wasn’t happy living in a mansion, so he came here to live. And he’s super happy now! He’s got a lady emu to hang out with. Her name is Penelope.”
“Can we feed him?”
“Sure. Let me buy some food.” One fast trip to the snack shop for a cup of Kricker chow, and we were back at the fence. As soon as Kricker saw the big white cup he trotted over.
“Dude and High Lord Commander of the Flightless Legions, we are truly graced by your presence.” I grabbed the edges of the silk paisley robe I was wearing and bowed. Emma giggled and dropped into a curtsy. Kricker made that wild purring, drum-like sound that emus make. Emma was scared to let him eat out of her hand, which was legit because he did have a big-ass pecking unit. But I wasn’t scared. We fed him a cup of feed, petted his fuzzy head, and told him all about who Emma was. Then he wandered off, as emus do.
“Do you miss Mr. Kricker Commander?” Emma asked as we lingered by the emu pen, watching the wind rustle the trees that grew in the enclosure.
“Yeah, he was a cool pet, but he wasn’t made to live in a house.”
“If I was a bird I would be an emu. Did you see his feet?”
“Right? Like it was so hard finding shoes to fit him!”
She laughed and laughed. Joe glanced up, Maddie now on his shoulder, and smiled at me. Alchemy gave me a grin. Nat and Simon were chatting while making eyes at each other. I knew right then that my life was right there. Like, not right there beside the emu pen, but right there with these people, and the man holding my daughter. I would make sure of that, somehow, someway.
Fourteen
Joseph
Even though the day out at had been a good one, the dynamic in the house had changed dramatically since the fire and the business with Maddie’s mom that had happened all on top of each other at the same time. Add in the Raptors losing games and not advancing in the cup run and it seemed to me as if everyone was stressed, or miserable. Natalie had several bad days and ended up spending all of her time in her room. Maddie was my priority, but then so was Natalie, who refused to talk about the fire, and Emma who didn’t seem upset by the fire because she probably didn’t know how to process everything. I needed
