collecting my clothes.
Patrick
Present day
Leaving Madeline asleep in our bed, I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and grabbed a t-shirt from the drawer. Quietly closing the bedroom door, I began pulling the shirt over my head as I walked down the hallway. Entering the living room as the shirt cleared my eyes, I stopped cold in my tracks.
“Um, hi,” I practically stuttered. You’d think a man who was capable of what I’d done today to the Millstones would have a better command over the English language when coming face-to-face with his teenage daughter.
Ruby’s dark hair lay in one long braid draping over her shoulder as she looked up from the tablet in her hand. “Oh, hey, you.”
“Maybe we could try Patrick?”
Nodding, she asked, “Is Mom asleep?”
“She is. Do you need something?”
Ruby shrugged. “I thought I could sleep down here tonight if you don’t mind. Even though the penthouse is huge, I get the feeling I’m cramping Mr. Sparrow’s style.”
A scoff escaped my nose. “Ruby, of course I don’t mind. I would like nothing more than this to be your home. You’re welcome to stay wherever you want. Have you checked out the two spare rooms in this apartment?”
“Yeah, they’re kind of generic.”
“Well, that’s me. Why don’t you pick one room and then figure out what additions or substitutions it needs to make it yours, a place you’ll feel comfortable and at home?”
Her blue eyes shone as she looked up from the sofa. “Really? I mean, I need to go to school, so I won’t, like, live here all the time.”
The message from Reid had said he wanted me down on 2. They had information about the Ortizes and something important about the Ivanov bratva, yet continuing this conversation suddenly felt if not more important than that, then equally so.
Going to the kitchen, I popped a coffee pod into the coffee maker and reached for a mug. Turning back toward the living room, I again marveled at how much Ruby looked like her mother at the same age. There were the obvious differences. Ruby wasn’t homeless or hungry. She didn’t need to steal apples to live. Those issues alone gave her an aura of confidence Maddie lacked long ago. Nevertheless, the similarities outweighed the differences. Her mannerisms were very much like her mother’s, such as the way she sat with one leg beneath her and the way she teased the end of her braid, wrapping her hair around her fingers until it hung in a curl.
Ruby looked my way.
Warmth filled my cheeks at being caught staring at my own daughter. “I’m sorry we don’t have hot chocolate.” It was all I could think to say. “We’ll get some.”
“Lorna gave me a few pods to bring down here. I put them in the cabinet above the coffee maker.”
Opening the cabinet, I saw six hot chocolate pods that could be made just as I’d made the coffee. “Would you like one?”
“Nah, I’m good.”
Once my coffee was done brewing, I took the cup and sat upon the sofa. “I’m not even going to pretend I have any clue what I’m doing when it comes to you,” I said honestly. “Your mom and I married when we weren’t much older than you, but essentially, for the last seventeen years, I’ve been single. After she and I lost touch, I joined the army. After that, I moved back here, to Chicago. At first, I lived in an off-campus apartment by myself. That lasted for a few years while I attended the University of Chicago. Then, Sparrow had a vision for this place.” I lifted my chin. “Pretty fucking lofty…” I cleared my throat. “Sorry.”
Ruby snickered. “I’ve heard worse.”
“But you don’t say it?”
She shrugged. “Sometimes. Go on.”
“He had this vision for…” I tried to think of the best description.
“World domination?” Ruby offered.
It was my turn to laugh. “You do catch on fast. That may eventually be his goal; however, his vision started with a plan for the city. He had the means, the willpower, and eventually the opportunity to make it happen. Mason, Reid, and I were fortunate enough to be included in his plans. Since then, I’ve been here.” I gestured about the room. “And do you know what has never been in this apartment?”
“A teenager.”
“Yes, you got me. However, I was thinking hot chocolate.” I lifted my brows, opening my eyes wider. “Can you believe it? Never has it been here, not one drop or one cup.” My smile broadened. “And opening the cupboard just