Lisa drove off, in shock still from it all, making it home on autopilot.
As she sat on her couch, her mind began to spin, thinking about what the reaction would be to her being pregnant. She first thought of Harlow. He was old enough to have at least thought about children once. He was certainly old enough to have a child. However, he was the most free-spirited, the most likely of the two to not want to settle down in any way. The fun and free spirit he had was his best trait, yet it didn't translate into the idea of having a family, not yet.
Then, her thoughts went to Leonardo. He was a sweet and caring man. He was kind, and was a religious man. He might want children. He would certainly be loving and help take care of any baby that was his, but he was young, maybe too young in this modern world to be thinking about that yet. In fact, when Lisa was being honest with herself, she would admit that given the choice, she would have waited until she was 30 to settle down and have kids, instead of the way things had happened with Thomas. Of course, she would not trade her wonderful boys for the world, but that didn't mean she had been at all ready for them.
Part of her wondered if she should even tell them at all. Could she just see this through another month to sew her wild oats and then back off? They had agreed that this couldn’t possibly last forever. But the thought of just cutting them off like that, especially from their possible child, didn't seem right. It hurt. But then, could she pick one, could she choose one to be with, or handle being with whichever one was the biological father?
Lisa’s head hurt at all of the thoughts that were spiraling out of control. She had never seen herself as a what-if person, but she was getting in that rut quickly.
What Lisa knew, though, was that there was no way she was hiding this forever. She had a small frame, and this was her third child. She could easily show by the second trimester, if not sooner. She would need to figure out fast how to tell them and how to move forward, or she would be in an even more awkward situation.
Lisa glanced up at the clock and then down at her phone. It was time for the boys to be picked up from school, and she was going to be late if she didn't get up and go get them.
Lisa plastered on her happy-mother face for their sake, knowing she could not let them in on this secret yet, not until the adults worked it out.
Then, she got into her car and took off, pretending like she had not just been given bombshell news.
Chapter Thirteen
Harlow had just grabbed a cup of coffee as he headed into the office, where Leonardo was already waiting for him. He took a sip while he closed the door behind him, trying to ignore the fact that the room was a bit on the cramped side with two muscular male officers in there.
Leonardo was already on the desktop they had been provided, mostly for paperwork and tough cases that required research. It wasn't something they used too often, but this was a special occasion. They were in dire need of figuring out what the hell Thomas Henderson was up to and why he was so adamant on threatening Lisa over his criminal money mistakes. That is, if he even truly did anything wrong.
“So, it looks like you have already started; what have you found?” Harlow asked, leaning over the screen. He was teasing, though he could hear the huff in Leonardo's voice. That was how they always were; Leonardo the conscience and Harlow the jokester.
“I haven't done anything without you, only logged in. Did you say that you're pretty sure she kept her married last name with this guy?” Leonardo asked him, changing the subject quickly. He hated when it was a serious situation and Harlow wanted to make light of it. Yes, making something a better mood was great sometimes, especially when they ended up finding a very hurt victim or something in the line of duty, but this was not like that. This was a woman they deeply cared about, who could be in a lot of trouble if they didn't do something about the way her ex-husband was acting. And they needed more information quickly, before they got caught using their resources for personal projects.
“Yes, because her boys have the same last name as her: Henderson. I am sure she just kept it for their sake,” Harlow answered, looking a little more mature about the whole thing.
Leonardo nodded and began typing what they knew about Thomas into the database: his name, age, location, and workplace so they could pull up any records and notes that were being made about his case.
Sure enough, not only did those come up, but so did some past criminal history that they were not expecting. Had he really offended in some way before and Lisa not known about it? “Check this out,” Leonardo said, turning his head to look at his partner. Harlow would want to see this. When Thomas was 18, most likely right before he and Lisa got pregnant and married, he had forged a check and gotten caught. As a first offense and the fact that he was so young, he got off with community service. But then there was another charge for just a few months ago for the same thing. How he got out of that one without anyone realizing, especially his family, Leonardo couldn't fathom.
“You’re kidding me!” Harlow exclaimed, almost spitting out his coffee. He set the cup down on the table and leaned in closer as Leonardo began to scroll through the files from the recent investigation with Thomas's business.
As the two men began to scroll through what was in front of their eyes, they both found it hard to believe. This was not just some minor case where an audit needed to be done on a year or two of taxes, but a huge case with years’ worth of possible tax fraud and evasion with the business, as well as Thomas's personal finances. Lisa had never had any part in the business, and Leonardo knew from asking her that she didn't do their taxes ever, either. Usually the government and IRS were pretty lenient with wives of those convicted of such crimes if they were homemakers, because they had no income of their own to file on or worry about. It was clear that Lisa was squeaky clean in this case, as long as she did not agree to do what her ex wanted: hide assets at her home. That would make it look like she was in on it all while they were married. That could lead to a long jail sentence.
Leonardo gave Harlow a knowing look. This was not good news. Thomas was a desperate man with a long financial criminal record. Maybe he had no real charges yet, but people who were in these kinds of situations could be unpredictable. Leonardo and Harlow had been on calls before where someone lost it over financial hardships and being found out for criminal activity. Someone always got hurt, and the one who was most likely to get hurt in this scenario was Lisa.
“Geez, we can't let this guy anywhere near her, even if they share kids. This could have so many implications if her and her boys get dragged into this,” Harlow said, letting his fist come down angrily against the wooden desk. It was a good thing it was pretty sturdy. “I get that people do stupid things for money sometimes, but this is completely insane. It's like he has never been honest a day in his life!”
“Calm down, Harlow. You know this is not the way to approach this. I am as angry and worried for Lisa as you are, but she needs us to be strong and collected right now in order to help her through this. We can’t go flying off the handle. Besides, reactions like that are surely going to get us caught,” Leonardo chided, trying to calm the situation down. He could not deny that he was upset, either. He did not recall ever seeing something this bad in his career before, but Thomas was a real piece of work. Lisa was lucky to be out of that marriage.
“This is why you're the rational one and why we are partners. I probably would have already lashed out at this man. I know I’m a cop, but sometimes, the typical slow-system justice is not good enough. I can't believe he is trying to drag her into this when she has those two boys to take care of!” Harlow continued, pacing in the tiny space next to the desk. “Do we tell her all of this so that she knows? I mean, maybe she can do something about the boys, keep them with her for a bit because he is being so unpredictable?” Harlow questioned, finally standing still and looking to his partner for advice. Harlow was a man of action and wanted to get on the ball, but he knew Leonardo would be more level-headed and logical about this.
He would know how to proceed, but it was driving him crazy that they couldn’t just arrest Thomas now. It looked pretty cut-and-dry that he would eventually be convicted of this crime.
“Honestly, no, I don't think telling her would do anyone any good. It would only get her worked up and looking over her shoulder. We keep the gory details to ourselves and look into getting her and the boys a little better protected, from teaching herself defense and making sure they always have a safe way home and all of that to actually asking that patrol be stepped up in the area. Or, we could hire a private officer to watch some of Thomas’s moves, so we know if he is up to something that would affect her,” Leonardo offered. He didn't know if it would be right to pull in any more resources from their precinct. It was against ethical codes, but maybe having Thomas watched wasn't a bad idea.
“I like the idea of that guy being watched, with him being up to no good. He is the main threat right now, and that way we can be prepared if something is going down,” Harlow answered.
“Then, I will make some calls tonight,” Leonardo offered.
Just then a knock came at the door, and none other than their boss opened it, pouring in with a smug smile that made his salt and pepper mustache turn up. “I thought you boys were off the clock now. I hope you are not trying to milk hours outta me,” he said, tugging up his pants even though he had a leather belt around them. It was just something he did.
Harlow glanced at Leonardo, knowing they were caught and hoping the reprimand would not be so bad.
Their boss leaned over, taking a short peek at the screen. Leonardo had minimized most things, but their boss looked down at them like two children who had been caught playing baseball in the house. “You know, I don't recall either of you being on a case that requires research, either,” he chided, and Leonardo bowed his head in shame. He was doing all kinds of things lately that were not indicative of his character for Lisa. Yet, he couldn't exactly regret it, even if he would greatly regret the consequences. “Oh, don't look so glum. I’ll let you off with a warning. I was crazy about a woman once,” he teased with a wink.
Harlow looked at his boss in shock, followed by Leonardo.
“People talk. We all know you both hit it off with that woman at the auction. Enjoy it while it lasts,” their boss said with a chuckle before leaving the room.
Harlow couldn’t help but laugh at the encounter. “Well, that was something. C’mon, let’s go before we get in any real trouble. We have a plan to put in place anyway.”
Leonardo nodded, and they grabbed their coats, going out the door to their cars. As he got in the driver's seat, Harlow wondered how long it would be before Thomas would finally get justice so that Lisa could feel safe.
Chapter Fourteen
Lisa stared at her phone as if something might jump out of it after her if she moved a muscle. It was Friday afternoon, and the boys had planned all weekend. She had allowed it that way. It was their friend's birthday, and they were going to have a sleepover and play some video games and then have an all-day party on Saturday. Lisa knew the parents involved, so she wasn't too afraid about it. Besides, she thought, it was a better place to be than with their father, who she was still worried might show up and demand her help again.
She had other plans, though. This weekend, she would probably not even be at home. She planned to use it to begin figuring out what to do about the fact that she was carrying the child of one of the two officers she was in a ménage relationship with.
Ugh, of all the things to happen...She loved the idea of the child. She knew she could be a mother all over again, maybe even more so this time, now that she was older and had done it twice over, but the idea of bringing it into the world without a true father figure was rough. Maybe she was just a little old-fashioned that way. She hoped that at least one of the men would want to pursue something; a relationship, fatherhood, whatever that looked like when they sat down and talked about it, but she didn't even think she was ready to reveal anything yet. It was time to take Harlow's suggestion and get to know them as separate men, and gauge which one might be the better choice to pull into this situation.
Lisa had never seen that part for the future, where she would have to choose between them, but she should have known it was always coming, from the moment she won the date with the pair of them. These kinds of things only worked in the bedroom.
No more debating, Lisa finally went into her contacts to pull up Harlow's number. She didn't know what his schedule was like for the weekend, but she hoped she could find a time to catch lunch or maybe a movie with him, so she could just have quality time alone. She had ruined it with him the last time.
Harlow picked up on the fourth ring, and Lisa found her body responsive to his voice already, probably an early pregnancy symptom. She remembered she was like that the last time too, though the pull of Thomas was no longer there.
“Hi, Harlow, I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time,” she said nervously. She was still not used to being so free and forward with men.
“No, actually, our shift is just ending. We were getting ready to leave. How are you?” he asked. Lisa began to clam up at the idea that Leonardo could be right beside him. She felt so guilty about the fact that she was planning on beginning to date them both separately, like maybe she would end up pitting these good partners and friends against each other, but what choice did she have?
“If you haven’t told him yet who is on the phone, can you not?” Lisa said quietly, not wanting her voice to be obvious through the receiver if Leonardo was nearby.
“Oh, okay. Leonardo is in the break room anyway. There are some snacks in there, and I think he is grabbing one. What is going on? Is everything alright?” Harlow asked. Lisa hated that she was worrying him or breaking this up with the three of them when it had been so much fun thus far, but she really needed to figure this out. Maybe they could still all be together one or two times before she got too far along, but it would be few and far between if she was putting her all into dating these two men and still being a mother.
“Yes, I just was thinking about what we had planned on before and hate that we had to interrupt it because of my ex-husband. I would like to reschedule, but I still am unsure about letting Leonardo know or not that we want to see each other as a twosome sometimes,” Lisa admitted, the guilt eating away at her stomach.
“Oh, okay, what did you have in mind? I would love to reschedule that.” Harlow’s voice had picked up, and Lisa could feel his excitement. It made her feel a little better about the whole thing, knowing she was making him happy. She didn't doubt she would have a great time with him. In fact, she wanted to see him sooner now that she had heard his voice.
“How about dinner and a movie later tonight, if that wouldn’t put a damper on any of your Friday night plans? My sons are having a sleep over for a friend’s birthday, so they will be taken care of,” Lisa told him, her voice taking on a cheerier tone.
“Sounds perfect, I love late-night movies.” Lisa could almost picture Harlow winking at her as he said it. That was just the way she liked him, flirty and dirty. “I will be around to pick you up at a little after seven, is that alright with you?” he asked her, and Lisa could feel the prickling under her skin at the prospect. What would it be like to be with him alone?
“I will see you then.” Lisa hung up, knowing that she would be making a similar call to Leonardo later, but she ignored that thought. Instead, she dialed her son Sean’s cell, knowing they would be heading out of school now and hopping into their friend’s car. Lisa needed to check on her boys before she did anything for herslef. It was her top rule in all of this. It would be the same even when choosing to get married again, if she ever did. It would be up to her boys if they would go along with it; if they didn't, it wasn't right. Hopefully, this pregnancy would go slow, so she wouldn't have to be worrying about that right around the corner.
“Hey, Mom, we’re in the car and driving now. Man, we are so stoked. He already got one of his gifts
early, this new game,” Sean began right away upon answering the phone. It made Lisa smile and laugh.
“Well, I bet you two are going to have a great time. Just remember the rules, his mother’s and mine, please,” Lisa reminded him, knowing her boys had been good thus far, but the older they got, the more likely they were to get into trouble.
“Of course, Mom.”
“Call me if you need anything.”
***
Lisa laid out a purple wrap dress. It wasn't terribly formal but still had that sexy date feel. It was also rather comfortable. She had a pair of black flats out as well and had decided to put her hair up into a ponytail and then curl it. She was feeling confident about tonight but still nervous. Being with both men had been different and overwhelming, but it had meant less time and capacity to think and worry about what each individual man thought of her or what to do with him. Now, she had to stand on her own instead of going with the flow.
She went back to her phone, knowing she needed to make her other plans as well, for Saturday. She needed to make the most of her time while she had it, and she knew Harlow would be at home getting ready right now and nowhere near Leonardo.
“Lisa?” Leonardo asked as he answered, his deep voice sounding sweet and comforting through the receiver.
“Yeah, hi, Leonardo, is this a bad time?” she asked. Why had she become so formal with them all of a sudden?
“No, not at all, but is everything okay? Thomas hasn't been around again, has he?”
Lisa’s heart warmed at the fact that he was worried about her. “No, he hasn’t. Thank you for asking. I was actually calling about something else.” She took a deep breath to ready herslef. This was not something that Lisa and Leonardo had spoken about before, seeing each other separately, and he had a strong moral compass. He could easily turn her down because he felt guilty, and then she would just be seeing Harlow. Not that Harlow wasn’t a catch, but she would hate for that decision to be ripped away from her. “I have been thinking a lot about where this relationship is going. I know we had said that this could not go on forever, and as much as I want it to, I believe that as well. I don’t want to end anything, but I would like to get to know you as a separate person,, if you wouldn’t mind? I just know that the two of you have your own lives outside of being partners, and I would like to know just Leonardo if that makes sense.”
Two Serve And Protect_A Reverse Harem Romance Page 7