I flipped him off and went back to my sandwich.

In fact, that’d been exactly what I’d had planned this morning, but in my haste to get over to Bennett’s, I’d completely forgotten my meds.

It really wasn’t that big of a secret, either. It was just something that I’d found, over time, that men weren’t very comfortable with.

They didn’t like that I was restricted to what I was allowed to eat. They also didn’t like that they couldn’t take me out to eat without me having to order something specially made that would allow me the carbohydrates I needed to keep my blood sugar from elevating or plummeting.

It was all a delicate process, one I’d learned to get used to over time.

And one that most men saw as a severe weakness, and over time, one that they didn’t really feel like handling since they didn’t have to.

I was that ‘defective girl.’

At least, that’s what my boyfriend who I’d been stood up for prom had said by way of explanation as to why he was standing me up.

“He’s not Reggie. Bennett’s Bennett,” Paxton said softly.

I glared at him as I tossed the sandwich I’d made down in front of him.

Then picked up my own and bit into it viciously.

“I know that!” I said around a mouthful of food.

He grinned. “Do you?”

I nodded.

“Then act like it.”

Chapter 12

Dogs. Because sometimes talking to a man about your problem is too much effort when you have to tell them why they’re stupid in the middle of said explanation.

-Fact of life

Bennett

“Daddy, are we going to see Lennox today?” Reagan asked as I walked her across the crosswalk with my sister in the lead, and me behind her.

“I don’t know, baby. I hope so,” I said softly, circling my hand around her long ponytail and letting the length work through my fingers.

She smiled up at me. “I like her.”

I smiled back at her, heart warmed by my girl. “I know you do, baby girl. We’ll definitely see her tomorrow, though. She promised.”

Reagan grinned and squeaked when Gabe and Ember’s, another couple that lived at the Free compound, son, Luca, kicked a rock at the back of Reagan’s feet.

She whirled around and threw an accusing insult his way. “Stop it, you lecher.”

I snorted. “Lecher?”

She nodded solemnly. “Yeah, Aunt Payton used it this morning with Uncle Max when Uncle Max wouldn’t stop putting his hands…”

I slapped my hand over Reagan’s mouth. “Baby, this is one of those times when you don’t repeat what you saw, okay?”

Reagan grinned. “Yes, daddy.”

It’d been three long days since I’d seen Lennox, and a day and a half since I’d spoken with her on the phone.

She’d, of course, texted me back when I texted her, but it was as if she were taking a step back after that night I’d gone with her to dinner at her parent’s house.

Something I allowed her to do because I knew she needed it.

“I really want her to come to one of my softball games,” Reagan said excitedly. “I think she’ll bring me good luck.”

I rolled my eyes.

People coming to her games brought her ‘good luck.’

Too bad Lennox wasn’t here to listen.

“Let’s go, slow pokes!” Payton yelled loudly from the front of the line.

I smiled down at Reagan, kissed her cheek, and then tugged her ponytail. “Be good, baby girl. And make sure you’re ready to go at five, as soon as I get there, okay?”

Reagan smiled, then gave me a thumbs up before she disappeared around the corner.

My walk back to my cruiser was unhurried, and became even slower when my phone started to vibrate in my pocket.

“Hello?” I answered the call without looking at it.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but I don’t like it,” a voice from my past hissed.

I blinked.

Then blinked again before coming to a halt.

“Who is this?” I asked sharply.

The woman on the other end of the line hissed, and it was in that moment that I realized who it was.

Corrinne.

I’d spoken to her about ten times over the span of Reagan’s life, and although it still sounded faintly like her, it definitely didn’t sound like she was seventeen anymore.

She sounded like an old woman who smoked two packs a day.

“It’s the mother of your child. The one you said wouldn’t owe you a fuckin’ dime, but then I get a letter in the mail that says I owe over twenty thousand dollars in back child support. Support for a child that was most definitely supposed to be solely yours,” Corrinne hissed. “Or, at least, that was what I’d been led to believe, you lying bastard.”

My eyebrows raised as I said, “I didn’t ask for any of your money, Corrinne. In fact, I’ll give them a call in the morning and tell them I refuse it.”

Corrinne growled. “Yeah, you’ll do it right now. They took that money out of my checking account, and I don’t need Buck screaming at me about our money being gone. I need that money today. Now. So call right now.”

I barely contained the urge to pull my hair out.

Just two minutes on the phone with that woman had a headache screaming at the back of my temples.

“I’ll call in the morning because I’m at work right now,” I said.

“Benny…”

When she started to protest, I cut her off.

“It’s Bennett. And the answer is still no. I’ll deal with it in the morning,” I said stiffly.

Corrinne growled. “Fine. Then I guess that, just maybe, I should try to see this kid of mine since I’m going to pay for it.”

With that she hung up, and I nearly crushed my phone in my hand.

Yanking open my car door, I dropped down into it and slammed the door.

“Fucking bitch!” I bellowed.

Michael gave me a surprised look.

“What’s going on, buddy?” Michael asked.

I glared at him.

“I don’t want to fuckin’ talk about it.”

***

Three hours later

“What the fuck crawled up your ass?” My sister asked as she stood next to me at the fence.

I didn’t look at her.

If I did, I just might yell at her, and she didn’t deserve that.

The ref, however, did.

“That was in the strike zone you moron!” I yelled.

I mean, even I could see that it was!

What the fuck was he watching? The lightening bugs? The grass grow? Because it sure as fuck wasn’t the pitching.

I felt rather than heard Payton walk away when I didn’t answer her.

It was a good thing.

I was in a very, very bad mood.

After a very long conversation with my lawyer, I found that one single slip of paperwork had slipped through the cracks. That one single piece of paperwork being the one that signed complete custody of Reagan over to me.

Todd Masterson, my lawyer, had been extremely apologetic, and said he would remedy the situation immediately, but that didn’t make me feel any better.

It wasn’t like it was his kid that it happened to.

Sure, the man was family and all, being married into the Free family by way of James’ mother, but right now I couldn’t help but be a little miffed with him.

I’d yet to inform my parents.

I didn’t want to worry them if I didn’t have to, but I just knew this was going to turn out really, really bad.

Like the worst type of bad.

The type of bad where I’d have to be in contempt of court because I refused to let Corrinne have my child under any circumstances.

Then I felt her.

It started out as cool palm right above my elbow, but turned into a warm body pressing into my back, and two arms looping around my belly.

Lennox laid her head against my back, between my shoulder blades, and gave me a tight squeeze.

Instantly I felt better.

Calmer.

Her being here was one less thing that I had to worry about right then.

“Hey,” she said against my back.