Dark Guardian (Black Hoods MC #3) - Avelyn Paige Page 0,22
file into my bag, grab my leftovers, and shove up from my chair. I move to walk away, but he reaches out and grabs my arm.
“Don’t do this, Grace. Please.” I jerk from his grasp and leave him alone to eat his meal. I don’t look back.
Fat tears run down my cheeks as soon as I get outside, my chest heaving as a pang of anger roars out of me the second I’m away from him. Tonight is a major turning point in our friendship. Likely the end of it, I think. Aaron doesn’t easily forgive, and leaving him there like that, I might as well have plunged a knife into his heart. Mine too, if I’m being honest. For so many years, I’ve relied on him like a crutch when things got tough. Maybe a little too much. It may hurt right now, but this is for the best, for both our sakes.
Judge
“Uh, Gene?” I turn to find Kevin standing in the doorway to the garage, his basketball resting against his hip. He nods his head toward the street, and I follow his gaze to see Grace Halfpenny climbing out of her car, her bun wound so tight at the back of her head, I’m surprised her skin isn’t peeling off.
“Inside, bud.”
“But—”
“Inside,” I repeat. Shoving past him, I move to intercept her before she comes too far onto my property. Her eyes lock with mine, but her steps never falter as she moves closer. I hate that her skirt fits her figure so well.
“Mr. Grant,” she says, extending her hand for me to shake.
Glancing down at it, I curl my lip in mock disgust. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Her hand drops. “I thought I’d maybe try a do-over of our conversation from the other day.”
I glower at her, totally ignoring the perfectly placed freckle just above her lip. “Do they actually pay you to fuck with people’s lives?” Pulling my wallet from my pocket, I find a crisp hundred-dollar bill and offer it to her. “Here, take this for your time. Now leave.”
She bristles at that. “Mr. Grant, my job is to ensure that all children are free from abuse and taken care of. That is my only goal, ever.”
“Well, good then. End of discussion and job well done. Kevin and Nat are being well taken care of, and I personally see to it every single day that they’re both free from abuse. You can go on your merry little way and find someone else to fuck with.”
She sighs. “That’s not the way this works.”
“That’s exactly the way this works. I’m not gonna bend over and let some bitch from DFPS come between me and my kids.”
“They’re not your kids, Mr. Grant.”
Finished with her and her bullshit, I jam a finger in front of her face and lean in close. “They’re more mine than yours. You don’t know them at all, and I’m supposed to let you come in and take them off to some foster home run by strangers? Fuck that shit.”
“They need to have a legal guardian, and all I need is for you to prove that’s what you are, legally.”
My blood boils. “You and I both know that ain’t gonna happen. But neither is you taking those kids outta this goddamn house.”
“I don’t—”
“You think some overwhelmed foster parent is going to know that Natalie can’t sleep without the light on? Or that Kevin needs a fan running in his room all night long?” She stares at me, her mouth hanging open. “Will they know that Natalie hates apple juice, but will devour an entire bag of apples as long as you slice them up for her?”
She swallows. “No, but—”
“Will they know that Kevin wants to play football but has never had anyone care enough about him to teach him how? And if they did, would they spend hours in the backyard teaching him, just like I do every single fucking night?”
I’m shaking with frustration and anger as she opens her mouth to speak and then closes it. Pressing her lips together, she tries again. “Look, Mr. Grant, I’m not here to argue the validity of the foster care program with you. I’m here to make sure these kids are in your home legally. And until we can make it legal, we need to come up with a solution.”
I glare at her. “Oh yeah? And what exactly is your solution?”
She squares her shoulders and looks me in the eye. “I need you to hand over