Avery
I returned to work with the knowledge that my son and my dog were both safe with Jacy. She’d moved into the spare room next to mine and opposite Declan’s, the shared bathroom down the hall, with the ease of a bolt sliding home. I’d never asked if she could cook, yet Jacy relegated herself to chief cook and bottle washer without complaint nor any this isn’t in my job description whining.
Declan adored her. As did Max.
Come the Monday after Jacy moved in, I sat in my office in the downtown region , answering phones and e-mails, making deals and hefty commissions, studying the market via online platforms, content that I could work as long as I needed to, and that Declan had a sort of mother figure in his life he could turn to.
While I didn’t exactly plan for Jacy to become his mother figure, I confess I hoped she would. When my wife, Elsa, left us, there remained a hole in our lives that couldn’t be filled. I did my best to be both father and mother to Declan, but I also knew I’d utterly failed. He needed a woman in his life.
And Jacy, I hoped, would fulfill that need.
Her simple yet elegant beauty haunted me as I focused on market conditions and encouraging my clients to take my investment advice. Her startlingly green eyes stared at me from my computer screen. Her red-gold hair, falling past her shoulders and nearly to her waist captivated me. As did her slender, firm body and pert boobs. I blinked and tried to banish her image from my mind’s eye.
No, I hadn’t sought out any girlfriends since Elsa departed. I had no time and very few options in this town of less than ten thousand souls. Any available ladies were either old and widowed or young and far too young. Declan needed me more than I needed to get laid.
Abruptly, my cell buzzed, startling me out of my overactive imagination. The phone’s screen revealed my oldest friend and confidante, Barry. With a grin, I clicked the answer button.
“Dude.”
“Hey, man.” Barry sounded cheerful and confident. “How’s it hanging?”
“Long and low. You know that.”
He laughed. “Cool. How’s Declan?”
I leaned back in my office chair, smiling. “Happy. I found the perfect nanny for him. Gorgeous with lovely smile.”
“Is she his nanny or yours?”
I laughed. “His, of course. Not that I don’t daydream just a little. Even Max likes her.”
“That damn mutt likes everyone,” Barry complained. “Not a good guard dog at all.”
“Don’t underestimate my dog, man. How’s by you? And your lil wife?”
“I get laid often enough to keep the mini me happy. She wants kids. Can you imagine me a dad?”
“Yeah. You’d be a good one.”
Barry made a sour noise. “I’m not like you, dude. I’m not dad material. I keep the condoms on and pray none break.”
“Once your first kid is born, you change,” I commented. “Take the leap, Barry. Get her preggers. You’ll never regret it.”
I heard his deep sigh cross the many hundreds of miles between us. “Look, Avery, this isn’t just a social call. I’ve heard that the big guy, Ian, has learned the name you now live under.”
My blood turned to ice. I gripped my cell hard as I leaned forward over my desk. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, man. That’s why I’m calling. Get thee gone, my friend. Move. Change your name again. Get Declan and that useless mutt out of dodge. I mean it.”
Lowering my face, I contemplated what his advice meant. Changing towns. Finding a new nanny. A new house Declan would have to get used to. Fresh friends, neighbors, a place where no one knew us, and the big dude would have to start his search over if he wanted me.
I groaned. “I can’t. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“That’s not the point,” Barry snapped. “He thinks you did. He’ll put you on trial, find you guilty, and banish you. What will happen to Declan if that happens?”
I ran my free hand through my hair, panic singing in my veins. “I’m not running,” I said, my mouth dust dry. “Let him try to convict me. I’m owed a fair trial.”
“Yeah, you are.” Barry tried to stifle a groan and failed. “But Ian is already certain you’re guilty. That’s all that matters. He’s the head honcho, the chief judge. What he says goes.”
I sat up straight, my courage returning. “The council will rein him in. They believe in fairness, listening to the evidence. Barry, I can’t run. I can’t do that to my son.”
“I sorta knew that.” Barry sighed. “Don’t say I didn’t try. Look, just know I’m on your side. I’ll testify on your behalf, if necessary. Count on that. You acted in defense of your home and family.”
“Thanks, Barry. I mean it.”
“I know. Stay safe, okay?”
“I’ll do my best.”
I clicked my cell off and dropped it on my desk. I stared into blank space, seeing nothing, ignoring my ringing phone, and wondered if I’d made the right decision. Only Declan mattered. His well-being, his psychological stability, his emotional health. Nothing else. What happens if I’m found guilty and banished? What then? Who’ll care for Declan then?
Unable to answer those questions, I focused my attention on my work, in making money. For not just Declan’s future, but also my own. Without funds in the bank, we’re both screwed.
***
My mind on Barry’s dire call, I walked into my house to the scents of something Italian wafting from the kitchen. Max, ever delighted to see me, ran across the front room to lunge into my arms. Ignoring everything I’d tried to teach him, he licked my face with an exuberance I couldn’t help but chuckle at.
“You’re an idiot,” I said, pushing him onto all fours. “Get down.”
Grinning, panting hot doggy breath into my face, Max refused my command, thus forcing me to push his paws from my chest. Unrepentant, he danced around my legs, barking like a fool as I set my briefcase near the stairs and walked to the kitchen.
As exuberant as the mutt, Declan charged across the kitchen to leap into my arms. Again, the image of Ian landing on me with both feet flicked through my head as I held my son close. I must protect him. Nothing else matters. If I must run again….
“Hi, Dad.”
Holding Declan in the crook of my arm, I smiled. “Hiya. What’s new and exciting around here?”
“Jacy is teaching me to cook.”
“Wow. She’s trying to do herself out of a job.”
I glanced at Jacy, who met my gaze briefly before blushing. I couldn’t ignore how cute she looked when her skin turned that bright shade of pink. I grinned. “What’s cooking, chef?”
“Lasagna,” Jacy replied, finally returning my smile. “I hope you like it.”
“How can I not? I’m already drooling from the smell.”
Jacy bent over to peer into the oven, offering me a fine, long look at her delicate backside. Heat grew and spread through me, and I lost all thoughts of Barry’s dire phone call. That woman’s ass could make a stick horny.
“Dad?”
I caught Declan watching me carefully, and my face turned red. I felt it smolder as though hot coals lay just under my skin. Hastily, I set him on his feet.
“Do I have time to change?” I asked.
“Sure,” Jacy replied. “Dinner won’t be ready for about twenty minutes.”
“Be right back.”
I climbed the stairs to the second floor, muttering under my breath. “Way to go, ace. Just put your lust out there for everyone to see.”
As I changed from my business attire to simple jeans and a t-shirt, I pondered the risks of staying where I was. If Ian knows where I am, what will he do? True, he’s the head honcho. But he can’t forcibly arrest me and put me in some sort of jail. Our laws expressly forbid an arrest and banishment without a trial first.
So, I’m safe from being hauled away in chains. What then? He could order me to face the council and abide by their judgement. If I’m found guilty, I’d be banished to the extreme north of Iceland, to a remote island. Forced to survive as best I could, live in a cave if I could find one, unable to communicate with anyone or ever see Declan again.
I shuddered.
“I can’t,” I muttered thickly. “I can’t risk it. If I face the council, I’ll lose.”
My stomach in knots, I slowly returned downstairs and to the kitchen. Pausing before I entered, out of sight, I listened to Declan’s happy chatter and laughter, Jacy’s warm responses. I clenched my fists, my jaw tight. I’d have to leave this house, and Jacy, behind. What did I owe her? Nothing. If I abandoned her, she’d be stuck without a job.
“I can’t make that my problem,” I grumbled, my voice low. “She’s good for us, but I can find someone just as good as she is somewhere else.”
Stepping into the kitchen, I brought the happy talk to an abrupt halt. Both Declan and Jacy obviously saw my grim expression and tight jaw before I arranged my expression into a more pleasant demeanor.
“Can I help?” I asked, forcing lightness into my voice, my face.
“Uh, no,” Jacy replied. “We’re about to make a salad, weren’t we, kiddo?”
Declan, ever aware of the fine nuances of people’s emotions, studied me for a long moment before finally returning his attention to meal preparation. “Yeah.”
He stood on a stool to break lettuce into a bowl while Jacy brandished a paring knife to good effect. I sat at the table, half my mind on escape with the other half listening to Jacy explain the nutritional merits of tomatoes, carrots, onions, and cucumber.
“I don’t like onions,” Declan declared.
“Too bad,” Jacy commented. “Around here, you eat what you’re given. Got it?”
I chuckled inwardly at the stern mother-like tone Jacy offered and the face that Declan made in response.
“I’ll pick ‘em out,” he said.
“You can pick some out,” Jacy replied. “But you have to eat a few. Who knows, you might find you like onions after all.”
“Blech.” Declan stuck his tongue out as Jacy cut green onions into the salad.
“Cover the onions with salad dressing and you’ll never know they’re there.”
“Why do I hafta eat ‘em, anyway?”
“They’re good for you. You want to grow up to be as big as your dad, don’t you?”
Declan eyed me over his shoulder. “No. So I don’t need onions.”
“Too bad, so sad, sucks to be you.”
I couldn’t control the burst of laughter that Jacy’s statement brought. I tried to cover it with my hand, but Declan’s brows lowered in disapproval. I snickered and earned for myself a scowl. His young, cherubic face wasn’t meant for such expressions, and seeing it only made me laugh harder.
“Daaad.”
“You’ll eat your onions, child.”
“Don’t call me a child.”
“That’s what you are,” Jacy said, eyeing him sidelong. “Or are you a thirty-year-old dwarf?”
“Dad’s making fun of me.”
“Dads are entitled to do that. Eat your onions, grow up to be bigger than he is, and you can get your revenge by beating him in an arm-wrestling contest.”
Her meal wasn’t just excellent. Just seeing her beautiful face across the table had me thinking twice about running away again. Leave her behind? Take her with us? Neither was a good option. As we ate, making light conversation, I realized I couldn’t run. Not again.
I’m not leaving Jacy. Whatever happens, I’ll protect them both from the council’s wrath.