give me my freedom.”
She ignores me and asks Hayes, “When can I move the animals? I already chose a company that can do it and scheduled it in case this wasn’t some scheme he cooked up to get rid of me.”
That sounds insane, but it makes sense. She doesn’t trust me. Is this why she has been asking for so much money? To piss me off and to see if I’ll budge. Would I give her the money if I had it?
Probably, and I bet she still wouldn’t give me the divorce.
“I think the barn is ready,” Hayes answers. “Let me give you my girlfriend’s number. You can text her, and she’ll give you all the details.”
“Make sure that whoever you hire sends the bills to my office,” I remind her. “Do you want me to hire the moving truck?”
“You should if you need to move your things. I have everything I need with me,” she responds, and her attention is back to her phone and Hayes. “What’s your girlfriend’s name?”
After she gets Blaire’s details, she leaves without saying another word.
Hayes jokes, “She seems nice.”
“Actually, if I’m not around, she is lovely,” I answer without going into much detail because she is a sweet person.
“What happened between you two?”
I fucked up, but he doesn’t need to know that. We aren’t those kinds of brothers, are we? “She was hot, I was infatuated, and now I can’t get rid of her.”
My answer is vague and pretty cold. I don’t think he’d like me very much if I tell him what happened between us. Does it even matter?
Chapter Nineteen
Leyla
During my drive back home, I keep waiting for Pierce to call me to demand I sign the divorce one more time. He doesn’t. I brace myself for when he threatens to force it, which I know he can do. Nyx explained that to me a couple of times. He hasn’t done it, and I hope he doesn’t do it. I have to call the adoption agencies to check on my applications. They keep losing them.
Fostering a kid has been another challenge. I went through all the training they requested and even volunteered in their offices so they could get to know me better. They came to my apartment twelve times, and they could see it’s ready to receive a baby. The nursery is teal and grey with farm animals. I have clothes from preemie to two years old for boys and girls.
I swear, if that man hadn’t told me that we’d filled that house with children, I wouldn’t be this desperate for a baby.
When I arrive home, I feed the kids and then take them for a walk before calling Blaire. I take a deep breath and greet her when she answers, “Blaire Wilson.”
“Hi, this is Leyla Aldridge. Hayes gave me your number,” I say with a bit of hesitation.
What did Pierce tell them about me? He mentioned she’s nice and told me about her charity. I made an anonymous donation last week. She seems nice in her pictures, but so many people these days look lovely on social media, and they are anything but.
“He said you could give me more details about the barn,” I continue, reminding myself that I’m almost thirty and not a child. “I’m not sure if Pierce mentioned it, but we have two horses, an alpaca, two dogs, and chickens. Is it big enough to fit them, or do I need to find somewhere to board them until we can build a bigger place for them?”
“Hey,” she answers. “I’ve been wondering about you and the kids, as Pierce calls them.”
She sends me a few pictures of the barn. The place looks a lot like our barn. The stalls are pretty similar, and so are the doors. I want to ask if Pierce had anything to do with the design or if it was like that before, but I don’t.
“Is there a chicken coop?” I wonder if I should order the materials to build it and where they will stay in the meantime.
“No, but I can build you one if you show me what you have in mind,” she offers.
“I wouldn’t want to impose,” I disregard my question.
“You’d be doing me a favor. I’m bored to tears during my free time, and I can use an excuse to avoid working at The Lodge,” she says assuringly. “What else do you need for them?”
We spend some time discussing the kids. I send her pictures, telling her how crazy Ally can