Daddy PI: Book 1 of the Daddy PI Casefiles Frost, J (acx book reading txt) 📖

“I understand. And this family solicitor you recommended, she’s in Manchester but you think she’s as good as any London solicitor?”

“I do,” Samuels says firmly. “At half the price.”

“Well, I appreciate that.”

“Any custody battle is likely to get expensive but Rona will give it to you straight. If she doesn’t think you can win, she’ll tell you rather than running up a big bill.”

“I appreciate that, too.”

“In the interests of full disclosure, Rona’s a relation. My sister’s boyfriend’s cousin. But I’d heard about her before my sister began dating Eph. She really is good.”

“Thank you. I’ll call her.”

“Mr. Logan.” She clears her throat. “I’m not trying to dissuade you. Mr. Ainsworth-Porter’s threat is both actionable and vile, particularly against an unborn child. But if your relationship with Mrs. Porter has any, um, elements of the matter that brought you to Manchester a few years ago, you have to understand that the Surrey Police are going to dredge all of that up, in a way that’s likely to be unpleasant for you. And if you end up in front of a judge to determine custody, it’s likely to come out there, too.”

I tuck my phone into my shoulder so I can rub my hand over my face. “I’ve thought about this. I understand the details of my relationship with Miranda will probably come out, and that it may make both the police and a judge unsympathetic. But I have to try. I can’t leave my daughter in the hands of man who threatened to kill her.”

“I understand. In that case, I suggest you be up-front with Rona so she knows what she’s getting into. I don’t think it will affect her decision to take the instruction, but she’ll be able to give you better advice if she knows everything from the beginning.”

“Okay, I appreciate that. Thanks so much for all your help, and congratulations.”

“Congratulations?”

“From memory, you were a Detective Constable the last time we spoke. You made Sergeant.”

“Ah, yes, I did. Thank you. Next time you find yourself in Manchester, pop in and say hello.”

Pleased that I haven’t alienated her, I say my good byes. I check the time again and call the number she’s given me for Rona Sutton, even though I’m sure her office will be closed. I get the lawyer’s voicemail and leave a message.

Shutting off my phone, I stare at the black screen as though it can give me answers. Am I doing the right thing? Will involving the police make Colin think twice about hurting the baby, or will it just escalate him from threats to actual violence? I wish I knew the man better. Now, I never will. Involving the police will make an enemy of him. And do I even want custody of Miranda’s baby? I’ve never felt any driving urge to have a family. I’ve been happy just being Uncle Logan. Even those futile, two a.m. dreams I nurtured of Miranda leaving Colin and choosing me never went beyond marriage. I can’t reconcile my lifestyle with having kids, although I know Ryan and some of my other club-brothers and sisters manage somehow.

My phone doesn’t give me any answers. I remind myself of Emily’s warning not to get too far ahead of myself. The first step is to make sure the baby’s safe. The next step is to force Miranda to take a paternity test. I’ve started the ball rolling. That’s all I can do for now. Time to put all this shit aside and concentrate on the things I can do. And the first of those is take a shower and shave for my little girl.

10

It’s been well over an hour since the security guard seized Logan’s bag. More than fifteen minutes since I heard his voice through the connecting door. More than five minutes since I heard the pattering of his shower.

I’m trying hard to be patient. Not to be anxious. He told me everything would be fine. I trust my daddy. I’ve been productive while I’ve been waiting. After rinsing the entire Sahara out of my bathing suit, I’ve showered, shaved, and done the lotion ritual but skipped my backside again. When Daddy didn’t appear even after I’d taken the time to dry my hair, I got busy on my laptop. I’ve caught up on my blog tour, researched free shared-schedule apps since it occurred to me that it would be easier to keep a schedule if I had it on my phone, and written another scene of lust-soaked nobility. My highlander romance is shaping up faster than I deserve, given how little time I’ve spent on it since meeting Logan.

It’s not that I’ve been sitting around, twiddling my thumbs. It’s just that I really, really want to be with my daddy. We’ve had such a good day already and I want more. I know I’m being greedy. I should be grateful that he’s given me so much attention. He’s busy. He has a lot on his mind. I don’t want to add to his burdens by being too demanding.

But I want my daddy so much.

I square my shoulders and open a new document in my manuscript program. Before I started the highlander historicals, I wrote a couple of paranormal romances. Vampires, werewolves and sidhe, oh my. It was a three-book contract, and although they sold pretty well, I ran out of inspiration before I even managed to outline a fourth book. That was right around the time I left Ash, and I didn’t have much inspiration for anything other than writing absolute bastard villains and killing them off in ever-more gruesome ways. That worked well for historicals, so I stuck with them. But playing with my Wolfy-Daddy these last few days, I’ve remembered how much fun werewolves can be.

Most werewolf books are set in forests, or cities if they’re urban fantasy, but I have a vague recollection from my research that there are also desert wolves. After playing on the beach today, a