Behaving Badly in Vegas (Vegas Love #3)

48. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Hunter

I looked everywhere… in my suit pants from last night, under a stack of mail on the counter, by the bathroom sink. Hell, I even looked in the refrigerator because that was a totally logical place.

“What are you looking for?” Charli asked as she made my to-go cup of coffee.

“Have you seen my watch? I must have taken it off when I gave Carina a bath last night and I can’t find it anywhere. I don’t even remember taking it off.” At this rate, I was going to be late for work. I really didn’t care what Leonard thought, but I didn’t feel like hearing him berate me again.

“It’ll show up.” She handed me the cup. “I’ll do a thorough search when Carina goes down for her nap.”

“Thank you, dollface. I owe you one.” I owed her way more than one. The woman practically saved my life when Carina showed up. I didn’t know how I would have done this without her.

Charli lifted Carina’s hand and waved it at me. “Bye, Daddy. Have a good day at work. ”

Every time she did something like that, it made my heart swell. I’d never given a lot of thought to being a father, but I now realized it was the best thing in the world. I kissed them both. “I hope my girls have a great day too.” The whole situation was so domestic, and I didn’t hate it. I loved it.

What I didn’t love was not being able to find my watch. My father bought one for both Trent and me on our twenty-first birthdays. Trent lost his to a woman who robbed him blind. It was so stupid, and I loved rubbing it in his face.

My wrist felt naked without the watch, but Charli was right. It would turn up. She’d probably find it at the bottom of my clothes hamper or under the bed.

When I got to work, my father called me to his office. Usually, I dreaded it, but I couldn’t think of anything I could be reprimanded for except maybe my covert mission to get rid of Leonard. He wouldn’t be happy if he knew I had Tom digging into shit he shouldn’t be digging into. I had to believe the triangle of trust was solid. Trent might not be my biggest fan, but he wouldn’t rat me out. When we had issues, we handled it like civilized human beings… with our fists.

I poked my head in my dad’s office, and he motioned for me to sit. I took the seat opposite his desk and crossed one ankle over my knee, trying to look relaxed when I felt jittery as fuck.

“How’s the Leonard investigation going?”

“I actually found some stuff, but I’m still playing detective. I have a feeling it’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Fuck. I was afraid you were going to say that.” He ran his fingers through his hair in a very uncharacteristic manner. “I can’t believe I let this happen.”

“It’s not your fault. The man is shady as shit. He went to great lengths to hide what he was doing.” It was kind of his fault for not keeping better tabs on Leonard but pointing that out would only make him feel worse. “I’ll let you know when I have my full report finished. Then we can say goodbye to him for good and hopefully stop him from doing this to anyone else. ”

“Right.” He nodded. “How are things going with Carina’s mother?”

“Not as awful as I expected. She’s not a bad person, but she definitely got on the wrong track. Carina seems to love her, so that’s a positive. Charli hates her, but honestly, I think she’s jealous of another woman coming into the picture.”

“That’s totally understandable. Not that it’s the same, but Rose practically threw me out when your mother showed up. I regret not being faithful in my marriage, but I got you, so something good came out of it. I wish I hadn’t hurt Rose. It took years to convince her she was the only one for me.”

“Why did you cheat on her?” It was something I always wondered but never had the nerve to ask.

He rubbed his clean-shaven chin. “We got in a fight one night shortly after Trent was born. It was over the curtains, of all things. Stupid really. We were both under a lot of stress. Trent was a colicky baby and neither one of us were getting any sleep. One night, we both snapped and said things we didn’t mean. Next thing I knew, I was sitting in a dive bar, drinking away my sorrows. Men make bad decisions when they’re drinking.”

“Don’t I know it. I was pissed at everyone the night Carina was conceived, so drunk I barely remember the night.”

“Anyway, I knew it was wrong taking your mother to a hotel. I promised myself that Rose would never know and that it would never happen again.”

“Then I showed up.”

He nodded. “Then you showed up. I was as shocked as Rose, but looking back, it was one of the best days of my life.”

I rubbed my wrist where my watch was supposed to be. “What was she like?”

“Your mother?”

“Yeah. I’ve always wondered about her.”

“I don’t remember much except that she was beautiful and a really good listener. I wish I could tell you more. I have the paperwork she signed locked in my safe. If you ever want to find her, I can give it to you. ”

Did I want to know my mother? Of course, I did. All these years, I wondered how my life would have been different had she not given me up. But what if meeting her was an epic disappointment? With everything going on in my life, I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that emotional roller coaster. “What was her name?”

“Her name was Angela.”

“Oh.” I don’t know why I never asked before. Guess it never seemed like the right time.

“Why all this interest in your mother? I mean… why now?”

“I’m wondering if I’m doing the right thing for Carina. I don’t want to fuck this up.”

“You’re not going to fuck it up. With things like this, there is no right or wrong answer. We do what we think is best with the information we’re given. Whatever happens, you’ll know your heart was in the right place when you did it and no one can fault you for that.”

I hoped he was right, because everything I was doing was for my daughter and I didn’t want to let her down.

When I got home, Jennifer was already there, which surprised me because I thought we had an agreement.

I threw my keys and wallet on the kitchen island. “You’re here early.”

She smiled up at me from where she was feeding Carina something that looked like applesauce. “I got off work early, so I figured I’d get a little one-on-one time with my little boo-boo bear. It’s not a problem, is it?”

Fuck! It might have been a problem. Hell if I knew. “Where’s Charli?”

“Umm. I think she’s in the laundry room.” She waved her arm in the general direction .

I found Charli rinsing one of Carina’s onesies under the water and scrubbing at a brown stain on the material. “God, that smells foul.” I held my hand up over my nose.

“You’re telling me. She had a blowout right after Jennifer arrived. I had to give Princess Poops-a-Lot a quick bath.”

I chuckled. “Did you just make that up?”

“The name fits. How can so much disgusting stuff come out of such a tiny baby?”

“It’s a mystery.” I motioned to the kitchen with my head. “How long has she been here?”

“I don’t know. What time is it now?”

I looked at my naked wrist and shrugged.

“I guess about an hour.”

“You’re okay with her here?” After last night, I didn’t want a repeat.

“Being a team player.” She pasted on a huge smile that she couldn’t even pretend was real. “Oh, and no luck with the watch, but I’ll keep looking.”

“That’s so weird. I felt like I was walking around with my hand cut off today.”

Charli rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic. It’s just a watch. I’m sure you can buy another one.”

“It’s not just a watch. My father gave it to me, and it was superexpensive.”

She sprayed some spot cleaner on the stain and rubbed more, before tossing the onesie in the washing machine with the rest of the clothes. “Well, I’m sure it’ll turn up.” She scrubbed her hands and dried them with a towel. “What do you want for dinner tonight? I’ve been too busy to even think about it.”

“How about I order takeout?” Despite her tantrum last night, Charli had been a trooper cooking dinner for all of us every night. It was way beyond her nanny duties and maybe I’d gotten a little too comfortable having her around, taking advantage of her good nature .

She slumped back against the washer. “That would be fabulous. Would you mind if I took a quick shower before dinner? I feel like I’ve been running all day.”

“I’m thinking Chinese.”

“Perfect. I haven’t had Chinese food in forever. Can you order me chicken chop suey with white rice and an egg roll?”

“Yes, ma’am. Go shower and I’ll order the food.” I swatted her ass as she left and then went back to the kitchen. Jennifer scrolled through her phone while Carina banged on the tray of her high chair with applesauce on her cheeks and in her hair.

I sighed. “I presume she’s finished eating.”

Jennifer looked up from her phone. “Oh yeah. She was starving. Are you sure Charli’s feeding her enough?”

“Charli has her on a schedule. The doctor said she’s right on target for weight gain.” I pulled a washcloth from the drawer and wet it, then wiped Carina’s hair, face, and hands, making sure to get every bit of the sticky mess. I removed her bib and threw it on the counter, then picked up my princess. “Did you miss Daddy today?”

She patted my cheeks with her chubby hands. “Da… da… da.” There was nothing better than holding my girl and hearing her call me Dada . In the few short months since Carina arrived, she’d stolen my heart, and I never wanted it back.

“You want Chinese food?” I asked Jennifer.

She finally put her phone down. “I can’t afford it, but thanks for asking.”

“That wasn’t the question. I asked if you wanted it.”

“Oh well, in that case… yes, I’d love some fried shrimp. I’ve barely eaten today.” Jennifer took Carina from me and gave her a stuffed dog, which my daughter immediately squeezed to her chest. When her phone pinged again, Jennifer frowned at the screen.

“Is there a problem?”

She bit her lip. “It’s my landlord. I’m late on my rent and he’s threatening to evict me.”

My eyebrows shot up. “How late are you? ”

“Two months,” she said, as her face scrunched up. “I’ve been trying to get on the straight and narrow for Carina, so I quit my job dancing and started waitressing. It doesn’t pay close to what I used to make. God, I can’t afford to lose my apartment.”

“How much do you need?”

She folded her hands in her lap and bowed her head. “I’m behind four grand.”

I rhythmically tapped my fingers against my lips. Everything inside me said not to give her any money, but I didn’t want to see her out on the street either. I could easily afford it. What kind of person would I be if I let the mother of my child become homeless? “I can give you the money.”

“Oh no… I couldn’t possibly accept that. It’s not your responsibility,” she insisted.

“Let me do this to help you. I’ll give you five thousand to help with next month’s rent too.” It was the right thing to do, no matter what my gut told me.

Her face broke out into a huge smile. “That’s incredibly generous. It would help so much!”

“I’ll write you a check.”

“Actually, cash would be better.”