Page 29 of Daring Wicked Love (Wicked Dade #2)

There were numerous things Maura had stolen from me over the years.

Money, time, patience, my ability to trust anyone with my heart, to name a few.

But missing Penelope’s first day at school to attend our court hearing had to be one of the worst things by far that she’d taken from me.

Neither me nor Maura were there for her first day, robbing not only us of such a monumental moment, but also stealing from our fucking daughter.

Thankfully, I had Orla in my life.

She stepped up to the plate once again and happily took Penelope to her first day of school.

The pixie had become a constant anchor for me during the shitstorm that was my life currently, and at this point I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to live my life without her.

It was hard to focus on anything that was being said during the hearing when all I could think about was my little girl facing her big day without me there.

It was a form of torture I wished on no man.

Nathan finished his final statement, no doubt continuing their current defense that a child was better off with their mother and that jumping back and forth between New Zealand and Canada was too disruptive for a child of Penelope’s age.

And they weren’t wrong.

Putting Penelope on a plane every couple of weeks wasn’t going to do her any good, and I knew the second she landed in New Zealand, Maura would ship her off to boarding school, meaning my time with her would be limited to school holidays.

It wasn’t enough.

I wanted her with me, always.

She was my daughter, my reason for everything — I couldn’t lose that.

Antonio rose and cleared his throat. “Your Honor, this whole ordeal has been a farce. My client has been more than willing to accept fifty-fifty custody, as fair as it comes, for his daughter. But Miss Willows has done nothing but play tiresome games with this court.”

My back straightened.

“ DNA tests, supposed emails, claims that were proven to be unfounded and outright outlandish. This has been nothing but a ploy to extend this hearing for as long as possible, a waste of everyone’s time and energy.

” Antonio’s voice grew firmer. “It’s in the best interest of the child to have both parents in her life.

Miss Willows is the one who wishes to uproot the child from her life, to move her across oceans far away from her father, so that Miss Willows can begin her new life with her new husband.

Which, may I add, involves placing Penelope in a boarding school as soon as they move.

A boarding school, Your Honor, will result in the child seeing neither of her parents for extended periods of time, hardly ideal, or in the best interests of Penelope.

I plead with this court to see that by giving Miss Willows what she desires is in fact in the interest of only Miss Willows. ”

If looks were a form of murder, Maura would be standing trial for mine.

“Therefore, in the interest of what has taken place during these hearings, we move that fifty-fifty custody is no longer a sufficient or viable option,” Antonio said. “I believe that the right thing is for Miss Penelope Dade, my client, her father, receives the majority, if not full, custody.”

Deathly silence fell across the courtroom for the longest minute of my life.

The judge finally nodded. “Considering the complexity of this case and its constant moving pieces, I will take both final statements and return with a decision in due course.”

“When will that be?” Maura asked between gritted molars.

“When I deem that a fair result for the child is reached,” he replied. “Once I have done this, the court will arrange a final hearing. Be warned, as this court is often overbooked, the likelihood is that we won’t see each other again for several weeks. Court dismissed.”

The gavel’s echo only added to the pressure building behind my eyes.

Outside the court, a message popped up on my phone from Jaxon asking to meet as a matter of urgency.

I wasn’t sure how I allowed it to happen, but Elliott had somehow wrangled his way into convincing me to give him updates on the court proceedings, so I had no doubt Jaxon knew everything because I trusted Elliott to keep his mouth shut as much as I trusted ice not to melt.

Part of me wanted nothing more than to go home, but another part of me wanted to see my brother.

This had been the longest time Jaxon and I had gone without speaking to each other, and as much as it was to swallow, I missed him.

I blamed it on listening to Orla talk about her sister.

Not to mention listening to her open up about her pathetic excuse of a man that was her father, unlocked a new level of protective possessiveness when it came to her.

The very thought of anyone, blood related or not, hurting her was like waving a red flag before a starved, bloodthirsty bull.

Just as I sent Jaxon a message, Maura sought me out like a wolf on the hunt.

Deep lines pinched around her pouting lips, her bleached hair pulled back unnaturally tight, and there was no shying away from the tired bags beneath her eyes.

Usually, being this close to her, smelling her overly sweet perfume, brought my blood to a boil. But for the first time in years, I felt strangely empty.

No resentment.

No anger.

Nothing.

The only thing I was able to think about was how I longed to smell the floral perfume that lingered in my home, instead of her sweet one burning the hairs in my nostrils.

“Majority custody?” She seethed. “How fucking dare you?”

I shrugged. “I’m doing what is best for Penelope. She doesn’t need to spend half her life on airplanes, Maura. She needs a steady home.”

“Oh, I agree. That’s why she is better off with me.”

“How? When you and I both know you’ll ship her off to a boarding school as soon as you can. She doesn’t need a life cooped up in some private stuffy school, only seeing us on holidays.”

“It’s one of the best schools in New Zealand.”

“It could be the best school in the solar system, and I wouldn’t care. She’s only five years old for crying out loud…You know it’s not right,” I exhaled deeply. “I’m tired of fighting you on this, Maura.”

“Then stop,” she snapped. “Let me take her, and we can work something out. You can have her for half of the summer holidays, and every second Christmas?”

I shook my head. “That’s not enough.”

“I raised her for two years without you. I did that. I was a single mother, looking after a baby, and now you want to take my baby from me?”

“You chose to do that. You hid her from me, and then weaponized her for more money in our screwed-up divorce.” My voice remained unusually steady. “You’ve done nothing but lie to me since the day and hour we married.”

“That’s not true.”

I laughed without feeling. “You cheated on me, numerous times. You hid your pregnancy, which is a lie in itself. You lied about loving me when in truth you loved my bank balance and the life it provided you. You lied about the DNA being potentially false. Not to mention you lied about those emails you apparently sent.”

“I didn’t lie…”

“Maura, I have the proof.”

She opened and closed her mouth.

“See if I were like you, this would be the part where I blackmail you into doing what I want,” I said. “But consider yourself lucky that I want to be nothing like you.”

The second Stefan sent the files, I wanted to blackmail her. I wanted to make her suffer like she made me suffer for years.

Now? Something had changed.

I didn’t want to be the same man who hid behind his blackened heart and used it to hurt those around him.

I didn’t want to be the same miserable version of myself any longer, stuck in the same harmful patterns day in and day out.

Not when there were those in my life who deserved better than that.

Penelope deserved better.

Orla deserved better.

Hell, I wanted to be better for them both.

“Can I see her?” Maura asked solemnly. “I have tickets to see a show in New York tonight, and my girlfriend cancelled on me. I’d like to take Penelope instead.”

Good to see our daughter’s an afterthought.

“That’s fine,” I said. “She can stay with you tonight if you wish?”

“You aren’t scared I’ll run off with her?”

Yes.

“No.” I shook my own demons away. “I trust you would have enough sense not to do that.”

“I’ll go and get her now, give me your address and tell the nanny…”

I interjected firmly. “Our nanny is called Orla.”

A single brow arched. “Tell Orla that I am on the way to pick her up.”

“Hank can take care of that. I’ll ring him and get him to meet you somewhere.”

Maura shook her head as she checked her watch. “It’s a long enough drive with a five-year-old to New York. I will swing by now that she’s finished school for the day.”

Merde , why did I agree to meet Jaxon?

Torn between going home to protect Orla from my ex-wife and going to find out exactly what Jaxon wanted to say, I stood rooted for several minutes, unable to make a decision.

Finally, I fired off a text message to Orla, pre-warning her that Maura was on her way as I ran to my car and drove straight to Jaxon.

The quicker I heard what he had to say, the quicker I could get home.

Walking into Dade Diamonds, I headed straight for Jaxon’s former office and found him sitting at his old desk.

I reasoned with myself that there was no need to get rid of Jaxon’s office because no one needed the space, all the while ignoring the true reason: I half-expected, half-hoped he would realize his mistake and come back.

“What’s so urgent?” I asked, standing in the doorway.

He pointed to the seat on the other side of his desk. “Come, sit.”

“ Non, I am good right here.”

“Frederic…”

“Don’t make me ask again, Jaxon. What’s so urgent that you couldn’t wait to speak to me? I have places to be.”

“How was court?” Jaxon ignored my question. “Did the judge give their ruling?”

It was official, I was going to kill Elliott.

“I’m not here to discuss that with you. I came because you said you needed to tell me something. If you aren’t going to tell me what that is, then fuck you for wasting my time.”

The familiar sound of Jaxon’s back molars crunching together echoed through the office. “Wait.” He sighed. “Look, I’m only doing this because I can’t listen to Grand-mère harp on anymore.”

“About what?”

“You,” he said firmly. “She’s worried about you. This thing with Penelope, the fact you won’t talk to her about it — she is concerned.”

I swear that old woman is going to drive me to the brink of insanity.

She was the closest thing I had to a mother after maman died, stepping into the role and taking us four and my useless father under her wing the best she could.

Sadness, anger, grief — they consumed me as a child right up until, well they still played such a massive part of my life. So as much as Grand-mère tried to fill my maman’s role, the little broken boy I was didn’t have any more room for her love.

“She wanted me to check in on you,” Jaxon continued. “She wants us to make amends, Frederic.”

“I have no problem with you, petit frère . ”

“But you do have a problem with my wife, which means you do have a problem with me,” he countered. “After everything, you still see Evelyn wrapped up with her father.”

“If that was the case, then why didn’t I follow through with our plans, huh?” I snapped. “I could have very easily destroyed your wife’s family’s name, with or without your help. But I didn’t. Because you stupidly fell in love with her.”

“I’m not apologizing for falling in love.”

“Don’t I know it?” I scoffed. “Don’t you realize it’s the reason why I didn’t follow through with our plans to destroy Reynolds, because I couldn’t do that to you.”

My brother’s jaw twitched.

“Because as fucked up as we are, as fucked as we had to become to survive losing our maman and live with that bastard of a sperm donor, I didn’t want to hurt you by hurting her.”

“You never told me that.”

“Because I was beyond angry that you went and fell in love with her.” I buried my hands into my hair, gripping the roots to center myself. “And then Maura came along and threatened to take Penelope away, and well, everything else didn’t matter anymore.”

“I…” His words fell short.

“Holding onto all this anger, all this pain, it’s exhausting. I’m exhausted, Jaxon,” I said flatly. “I don’t hate your wife. I never hated her. I hated her father and the part he played in our past. But truthfully? I don’t hate him anymore.”

“What changed?”

“Holding onto my past… I can’t do it anymore, not when it’ll ruin any chances I have of a future.”

“Ah.”

“I’ve come to realize that some things in life are more powerful and important than hate.”

Jaxon let out a low whistle. “Not going to sugar coat this to you, but you’re talking awfully like a man in love.”

In love.

Merde, that wasn’t possible, right?

Love was cruel and wicked, and I swore I’d never fall in love again.

Sure, I liked Orla. She was beautiful, talented, sweet, and one of the most caring people I’d ever known. I enjoyed being in her company, I was captivated by how she had stolen my little girl’s heart, and I liked the way she made me feel.

She was the first person in too long who banished the self-doubt writhing around within me. I adored the moments she called me on my bullshit, and I practically yearned for those fleeting moments alone with her.

One smile from her was enough to make my whole day, and when I made her laugh — it was like hitting a hole in one.

I turned on my heel. “Yeah, maybe I am.”

Leaving my speechless brother behind, I walked out the door and headed home to the woman who, with each day, was daring me to allow myself to fall hopelessly in love with her.