Page 79 of Vail

“What?” Jordan asked with curiosity.

Lana explained it to him since I couldn’t. I was trying to get my stomach to calm down. It also gave me time for the weight of what was happening to sink in.

“Vail!” Hartley yelled, racing into the room.

“Here,” Lana said, taking a break from talking to Jordan.

“What the hell happened?” Hartley panted. “I heard Lana rushed into the building and Jordan raced back.” His hair was a mess and sweat dotted his forehead. Air sawed in and out of his lungs.

“Did you run here?” Jordan asked.

“Yeah, it was quicker than driving. I got to the building and the elevator was taking too long, so I ran up the stairs.” He leaned against the doorway. “Holy shit, I need to exercise more.”

Jordan gave Hartley the abbreviated version. With every word he spoke, Hartley’s eyes got wider, while my heart finally began to calm down.

“Do you know Ava well?” Hartley asked.

“I met her on multiple occasions, but it’s been years.”

“She’s twelve,” Lana stated. I was close in my estimation.

“Does she remember you?”

“According to Celine’s attorney, she does. She has fond memories of playing with Vail.”

A smile teased my lips. “I used to sit on the floor with her and play with her dolls. We’d give them pretty outfits and do their hair. Sometimes Celine would join us. We’d play board games or go for a walk. Gil never did. He was content to watch TV while I bonded with his family.”

“Fuck him,” Hartley bit out. “Sorry, but fuck him. I’m glad he’s dead. Could you imagine if Ava went to him?”

A chill rushed over my skin. I was glad Gil was dead for a multitude of reasons. When faced with the idea of him being a father figure to Ava, hell no.

“What do you want to do, Vail?” Jordan asked.

I looked at him, at the love in his eyes. I could feel his concern where his hand brushed over my arm soothingly. Hartley’s breaths were finally coming slower. His eyes were misty, probably thinking what I was.

In that moment, taking in the men I loved, I asked, “Do you want to help me raise her? I don’t want to do this if you’re not on board. It’s not just about me. We’re in it together. I’m not leaving either of you. If I take custody of Ava, I need you to be on the same page.”

“It would mean upping the security,” Jordan said. “She has to be protected. I’d spend more time at home, maybe pull back on some of my commitments.”

My eyebrows raised. “Are you quitting that side of things?” I didn’t hesitate to bring it up in front of Lana. She knew damn well what Jordan did and didn’t do. She protected him better for it.

“No, but bringing a child into this changes things. I could slow down so I’d be here more often.”

“I’m only down the street,” Hartley said. “I can take over at night so Jordan can work. Between the three of us, we could do this.” A smile teased his lips.

I was a bit shocked, to be honest. “Are you two saying what I think you are?” Jordan wasn’t young. He remembered what it was like raising JJ. But he also knew what he could have done differently. He was actively working to repair the relationship he had with his son.

“I didn’t want more children,” Jordan stated. “The thought of Ava being placed with people she doesn’t know doesn’t sit well with me. She already formed a connection with you.”

“Agreed,” Hartley said. “She’s been through hell and back. We can provide her with a stable environment.”

“I think stable is a bit of a stretch.”

“Okay, so maybe it is, but we can do this. If you want to, Vail.”

My sick stomach that was already settling was quickly changing to an overwhelming feeling of hope. Ava had been through a horrible ordeal. I wasn’t sure what she knew of her uncle, but she lost him and her mom. Her life had been turned upside down. If we could help her, be there for her, we should be.

“I didn’t want kids,” I said aloud. “Now, I can’t imagine her going into foster care or a place she doesn’t want to be.”

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