The Undisputed Series

by Teague, A. S.

  I wasn’t even offended, because dammit, the old lady was right like she always was. “I know, Gram.”

  She stroked my cheek, her crooked finger comforting me. “I think that taking on this kid is going to be harder than you will ever imagine. Yeah, he was a dream while he was here, but that was only for a few days. Once he settles in, he’s going to get comfortable. And when that happens, he’s going to test you in ways you never would have thought he would. He’s a teenage boy. Trust me”—she winked—“I know all about how teenage boys test you.”

  I chewed on my bottom lip. Was I ready to have a teenager? My girls were a long way off from that age and every time I thought about it, I shuddered. I wasn’t ready for them to be hormonal and hate me.

  But Max was different. I told Gram so.

  She shook her head. “That poor child has been through so much. He’s going to have scars that you won’t be able to see and wounds you may never be able to heal. You need to know that going into it and you need to make sure you are truly ready, and capable, of loving him through it all. Because he’s already been abandoned once. That boy won’t survive another loss.”

  “I’d never abandon him,” I breathed.

  Her lips curved. “I know.”

  “So, how do I tell Ryker that I want to adopt Max?” Just saying the words aloud made my stomach flip. But it wasn’t with dread or worry. It was with excited anticipation.

  Gram grinned. “You just sit him down and tell him. And you make sure you do it when I’m around, so I can be there to see him overreact.”

  I laughed and drained my wine glass. “That would be cruel and unusual punishment!”

  “Well”—she shrugged—“wouldn’t be the first time I’d taken a bit of pleasure in watching my boy squirm a bit. Let’s be honest, dear. As much worry as he put my old heart through as a boy, seems only fair.”

  I stood and took my glass to the kitchen, giving it a rinse before putting it back in the cabinet. “All right, Gram. Wish me luck.”

  “Good luck, my dear.”

  * * *

  I’d thought about the best way to approach Ryker about what I wanted and decided I would wait until after we’d gotten the girls in bed for the night.

  I was settled on my side of the bed, glass of wine on the nightstand, and watched as he got undressed and slid between the sheets next to me.

  Here goes nothing.

  “Honey, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

  He turned toward me and propped himself up on an elbow. “Actually, there was something I needed to tell you too. You go first.”

  I sucked in a deep breath. This was it. “It’s about Max.”

  His eyes darkened. “Is he okay?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I think so.”

  His face was still lined with worry, but the fear in his eyes faded away, replaced with a guarded concern.

  I had no idea how this was going to turn out, and I bit my lower lip, trying to pick my words carefully.

  Finally, I decided the only thing to do was push ahead. “I can’t stand the thought of him living in a foster home or group home.” I reached for Ryker’s hand and laced my fingers through his. “Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is his face as he climbed into the back seat of that social worker’s car.”

  I hadn’t been able to shake the image from my mind all day, no matter how hard I tried.

  I sucked in a deep breath and blurted the words while I still had the courage. “Ryker, I want him to stay with us.”

  My heart thundered in my chest as I waited for his reaction. He didn’t speak, just pressed his lips into a firm line, his eyes roaming my face, searching for what, I didn’t know.

  I couldn’t stand the silence, so I started pleading my case. “I know it’s crazy, to have this teenage boy come live with us. I know we just talked about having more kids and it was a hard no from me. I know it’s not going to be easy, that it won’t be some fairy tale where he just slides into the family and we all live happily ever after. I know all those things, but I still feel like he belongs here with us. And I’m willing to do whatever it takes, no matter how hard it is.”

  Ryker remained silent and my stomach fell. He wasn’t going for it. I couldn’t blame him. It would be a big change. Bigger than anything we’d experienced before.

  I squeezed his fingers. “Please, say something. Anything.”

  He pushed up from where he was reclined on the pillows and turned, pulling a leg under him and pulling his hand from mine.

  Disappointment washed over me. I’d always been persistent, often doing what I wanted despite his protests. But this was different. Bringing another person into our lives, a child we would have to support and care for, wasn’t something I could decide to do on my own.

  No matter how sure I was that it was the right thing to do.

  “You aren’t saying anything,” I whispered, my heart breaking as I realized how much I loved Max.

  His face was so serious, his usually bright eyes clouded and the longer he didn’t speak, the more I began to think I’d made a mistake.

  “Doll,” he clipped. He pulled the blanket that was at my waist down, revealing my legs. With strong hands, he grasped my ankles and pulled them on either side of his waist. Dropping my legs, he grabbed my arms and pulled me up until I was straddling his lap and we were face-to-face.

  He cupped my cheeks and pulled my lips to his, kissing me hard. It was full of emotion and as his tongue swirled with mine, I sifted my hands through his hair and held on.

  “God, I love you,” he murmured as he pulled away, his teeth grazing my lower lip.

  My eyes had fluttered shut and I worked to force them open. “What just happened?”

  His laugh was hardy. “Glad to see I’ve still got it.” He winked and ran his palm over my bare thigh, his fingers tracing the crease of my hip.

  His face got serious as he confessed, “Reb, I’ve spent the day trying to figure out how to tell you that I want to adopt Max.”

  My heart that had just been a bunch of shattered pieces in my chest exploded, taking all the air from my lungs with it. Like a fish gasping for air, my mouth opened and closed, no words or sounds escaping my lips. I managed to squeak a response after several seconds. “You’ve what?”

  “There was a reason I wasn’t around much today. Went to the jail and saw his father.” He grimaced. “That didn’t go too well. So, my next stop was our attorney’s office.”

  “You what?” I sputtered again. A million thoughts ran through my mind at once, but the most pressing question tumbled from my lips first. “You went to see Joseph?”

  His lips curved downward as he answered, “Yeah. That guy’s a real piece of work, you know that? Said I just wanted to use Max for personal gain.” He shook his head. “Although, his words weren’t quite that eloquent. Long story short, he’s not going to give up custody on his own.”

  My stomach dropped. It was what I feared the most. That Ryker would get on board, but Joseph wouldn’t. “What did the attorney say?”

  Ryker smiled. A big, wide, genuine smile that gave me hope. “Said that there’s not a judge in this state who wouldn’t give us custody. He went ahead and filed an emergency custody hearing for us. For tomorrow.”

  “I can’t believe it.”

  He shook his head. “Me neither, Doll. Didn’t think you were going to go for it. Figured I was gonna have a fight on my hands convincing you. But I was willing to pull out all the tricks in my hat.”

  I arched a brow. “You think you have tricks in your hat that would convince me to do anything?”

  Ryker leaned forward in response and ran his tongue along my collarbone, sending a delicious chill up my spine. When I shivered, he tipped his head back and grinned. “You know I do.”

  When he winked, I laughed and shoved at his shoulder. “So, where do we go from here?”

  He gently pushed me from his lap and pulled the blanket back over my legs, settling in beside m
e. With his fingertips, he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and then traced the curve of my jaw. “We go to the courthouse tomorrow.”

  I nodded. “How confident was the attorney?”

  “Seemed to think it was a done deal.”

  “What if it’s not?” I whispered.

  He shook his head. “Don’t think that way. We have to be positive here.”

  A ghost of a smile crossed my face. “Oh, the irony. It wasn’t that long ago that I was the one reassuring you that everything was going to work out. When did you become the optimistic one?”

  His hand drifted down my side, coming to rest on my hip. “When I managed to land the most amazing woman on the planet, I realized there was nothing in this world I couldn’t do.”

  My heart fluttered. “You’re a charmer, you know that?”

  He winked. “Yes, yes, I do. I’m hoping I can charm you out of your panties tonight too.”

  His lips brushed across my cheekbone and his tongue teased my ear.

  “I could use a distraction,” I told him honestly. “And you’ve always been pretty good at taking my mind off things.”

  He rolled, his large frame covering my body, and settled his hips between my legs. “We’re really gonna do this, aren’t we?”

  “Well, you’re on top of me, so I suppose we are.”

  He rolled his hips. “Well, yeah. But that’s not what I meant.”

  “Oh,” I whispered. “Yeah, we are. I’m scared, though.”

  His eyes warmed. “You’re Rebecca Toler Hawke. There’s nothing that scares you.”

  “What if the judge says no? I don’t think my heart could take it,” I told him honestly.

  He pressed his lips to my forehead. “Not gonna happen, Doll.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut and nodded. “Kiss me.”

  He wasted no time granting my wish and it wasn’t long before the slide of his tongue against my own took away any of the fears I had.

  Chapter Ten

  Ryker

  “What do you mean the hearing has been postponed?” Rebecca cried, her beautiful eyes filling with tears.

  The attorney frowned as he steepled his fingers together. “Looks like there’s been a relative come forward.” He shuffled some paperwork and then looked back at us. “Ah, an aunt. She’s claiming to be the sister of Max’s father.”

  “An aunt? There is no aunt!” Rebecca cried again, her voice cracking. “Never once, in all the years we’ve known him, has there ever been mention of an aunt. Or an uncle. Or anyone. It’s always just been his father, Joseph.”

  I rubbed circles on her back, hoping it gave her some measure of comfort, but knowing it didn’t.

  This couldn’t be happening. We’d been so close to getting Max home with us. “Has she taken custody of him yet?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Not yet.”

  “Well, why not?” Rebecca snapped. “Why the hell is she letting him sit in a group home any longer than necessary?” She shoved out of the chair she’d been perched in and paced the floor, her rant in full swing. “I mean, if she really cares about him, which let’s just be honest here, she probably doesn’t. If she did, then she would’ve visited over the years, right? So, if she has any shred of concern for Max, then why hasn’t she already picked him up? Better yet, why did she let him end up in foster care in the first place?”

  “Mrs. Hawke, I understand your concern. But there are certain steps that must be taken in order to gain custody of a minor. Just like you, she must petition the courts and have a hearing before she can take him into her home.”

  Rebecca’s face fell. “Oh.” Defeated, she shuffled back over to the chair she’d been seated in and threw herself into it.

  I grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Reb, look at me.”

  When she turned her head, I met her sad eyes with my own and leaned in, dropping my voice to barely more than a whisper. “If he has family, then that’s where he belongs.”

  Her mouth opened, but I shook my head to silence her protests. “Doll, it hurts me too.”

  She pressed her lips together and squeezed her eyes shut, a single tear rolling down her cheek. That single tear hurt worse than any of the punches I’d ever taken, and I wanted nothing more than to find a way to stop any more from falling.

  As I turned back to where the attorney sat behind his massive desk, I asked, “So where do we go from here? Are we just supposed to go home and forget this kid we care about ever existed? Is there any chance we can meet this aunt? Talk to her?”

  His face grew even more grim. “Unfortunately, as long as she checks out, the courts are always going to place children with family members.”

  “As long as they check out?” Rebecca quipped, her voice laced with a hope she shouldn’t have.

  I knew how to handle her over the top excitement. I could navigate a way around her anger. I had plenty of experience in dealing with her brand of crazy. As a matter of fact, it was my favorite thing about her. But what I wasn’t versed in was Rebecca when she was devastated. I had no idea what to do to take her pain away, only that I knew I needed to do something. And the hope that was shimmering in her eyes was surely going to lead to nothing more than crushing disappointment. And I was not prepared for that.

  “Reb, honey. Let’s not get our hopes up here,” I told her softly.

  “You don’t get to tell me how to feel, Ryker,” she snapped. “Hope is all I have right now.” As her eyes blazed, I smiled. There was the fiery Rebecca I knew and loved.

  I held up my hands. “You’re right. We should hold onto hope.”

  We left the attorney’s office with our hearts broken, but full of the hope that even if Max did not end up living with us, where we felt he belonged, we would at least be happy knowing he was loved and safe. At least that’s what we told each other.

  But the truth was, we weren’t so sure that would be the outcome of this situation and neither of us wanted to leave it to chance.

  “I have a plan,” I told her as we drove home, the car filled with a palpable sadness.

  She quirked a brow and I elaborated. “You really think I’m gonna just walk away from this kid without knowing for sure that he’s going to be okay?”

  The crease in her brow vanished, replaced by a crinkle in her eye as she smiled wide. “I love it when we’re on the same page.”

  * * *

  I didn’t believe for one second that there was an aunt who wanted custody of Max. Rebecca hadn’t been lying when she said it had always just been him and his father. We’d never heard mention of any relatives, much less an aunt who would want to take custody of a teenage boy she barely knew.

  So, I did what any man on a mission would do. I took a page out of my wife’s book and went to see Joseph in jail.

  I didn’t doubt for a second that he would agree to see me. He was the kind of man who had more ego than sense, and I knew he wouldn’t miss an opportunity to rub what he perceived as a victory in my face.

  He was sitting at the visitors table when I walked in after passing through security, a smug smile on his face.

  “Back again, Ryker?” he sneered. “What’s the matter? Didn’t get what you wanted and had to come back and beg?”

  While training was the most important part of training to be a fighter, controlling your emotions was a close second. So, his smack talk didn’t faze me.

  In fact, it made me chuckle. “It’s a wonder you don’t constantly sport a black eye with that big mouth of yours, Joseph.”

  His shifted in his seat, the attempt to flex his arms hindered by the shackles at his wrists.

  I smirked. “Hard to be the tough guy when you can’t move your hands, huh?”

  “Fuck you,” he spat.

  I groaned. “Original.”

  “You’re not gonna get my boy. Don’t know what the hell you’re doing here.” It was laughable, the way he acted like he had any leverage over me at all while he sat handcuffed in the orange prison jumpsuit. I had to fight
to suppress the belly laugh that was clawing its way out of me.

  I rested my forearms on the edge of the table and clasped my hands together, letting my bare wrists take the show. I may have been a better man than Joseph Galloway, but that didn’t mean I was above rubbing my freedom in his face. “Listen, Joe. Can I call you Joe?”

  “No, the fuck you can’t.”

  “Right.” I nodded. “So, Joe. Rebecca and I were surprised to hear you had a sister.”

  He glared at me. “Yeah, well, I do. And she wants to take care of my kid until I get out of here. Which will be soon. They ain’t got shit on me.”

  I nodded. “Sure, sure. Look, where did you and your sister grow up?”

  His eyes narrowed. “What’s it matter?”

  “Oh, it doesn’t. Just curious.”

  “We grew up here,” he said simply, his eyes darting around. “Is that what you came for? A little family history lesson?”

  I shrugged. “Just want to make sure Max is going to be well cared for with your sister. It’s Margie, right?”

  He jerked his chin.

  “And she’s your older sister?”

  His eyes narrowed. “I don’t gotta tell you shit. And I know you’re not here just to make sure Max is gonna be okay. So, what’s your angle?”

  I had to hand it to him. For someone who was usually only worried about scoring his next hit, he wasn’t dumb. It didn’t look like I was going to be able to pull one over on him. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to give it one last shot.

  I held up my hands. “No angle. Like I said, just want to know that Max is going to be okay. Despite what you may think, Rebecca and I really care for him.”

  He sneered. “That wife of yours always thought she was better than everyone else.”

  I let the insult roll off my back. I couldn’t afford to lose my temper and any shot I may have at catching him in the lie that I knew he was telling about this woman being his sister.

  “Rebecca has always been good to you and Max.”

  “You’re right.” His eyes gleamed, the sheer cruelty in them making my stomach roll. “She has always been good to Max. Just makes taking him away from her all the sweeter.”