Page 47 of Naughty by Nature

Wade was laughing in the background. “You pigs can’t do anything to me. I haven’t done anything but talked to my wife.”

“Ex-wife, Wade,” she called, looking at him. With a look at Brock to watch Sheridan, Cheyenne took a few steps across the street toward Wade. “You signed the paperwork, remember? And you signed the paperwork relinquishing all parental rights to the girls. Do you have any idea how much child support you got out of Wade? Probably close to a hundred grand. Do you have that kind of money, considering you just got out of prison? Because if you try to insert yourself into their lives again I can guarantee you I will take you to court and sue for all the back child support you’ve missed. You’ll be paying me back for the next thirty years.”

Wade had gone quiet as he stared at her over Patterson’s shoulder. Finally, something was beginning to sink into his hard head. “What are you talking about?”

Cheyenne found the first chink in his armor— money. “It’s easy. For years you said those kids weren’t yours, then you literally signed paperwork to not…claim…them. Now you want to claim them? Then it’s like land taxes. You’re going to owe.”

Cheyenne didn’t actually think he would owe if she took him to court, but it sounded plausible. There had been a reason why she’d always been the one to do the bills in the relationship. Wade had been pretty at one point, but the finer points of handling money escaped him.

Cheyenne waited to see what he would do. If he thought he would be on the hook for such an astronomical amount…

“Would the feed store give you more hours if the county garnishes your wages?”

Wade glowered at her over Patterson’s shoulder and it took everything she had in her not to smirk, to act concerned. She sensed victory.

“I think you’re lying, bitch,” he snarled suddenly, calling her bluff. “I think you’re scared shitless I’m going to demand to see my kids. If I do, I guarantee you I’m going to take really good care of them.”

With a smile promising pain, Wade turned away and stalked toward his truck. Cheyenne watched him go and wished he would just get swallowed up by Hell, where he needed to be, but it didn’t happen.

Sheridan rested a hand on her shoulder and she turned to him, dry-eyed. “I think I need to sit down before I fall down.”

With an arm around her waist again he walked her to the truck and lifted her into the passenger seat. He hit the remote button on the key fob to start the vehicle and lukewarm air started blowing. He stared up into her eyes, humor lightening the green. “Look at you, little badass. Standing up to him like you’ve been waiting to do exactly that.”

“I have been,” she admitted. “You know how you always replay conversations in your mind, and reword things so that you win the argument? I had years of that built up,” she told him ruefully.

Sheridan cupped her face and as natural as breathing, she leaned into him for a kiss. Just a light one. Then she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck.

She didn’t cry— she wouldn’t let herself. But she did absorb as much of his support as she could. “I don’t like arguments like that,” she whispered. “It’s one thing between kids, it’s a natural growth stage, but adults shouldn’t resort to violence like that. It takes too much out of me to argue like that.”

“I agree,” he sighed. “And I’m sorry that I almost lost my temper. It’s not the way a man should act around a woman, and especially not the way the county sheriff should act. I’m glad Brock and Sean had a good hold on me.”

They laughed together lightly, and she pulled back to look him in the eyes. “Wade always knew how to push my buttons. If he has any talent in life, that’s it. Don’t feel bad about it. I appreciate that you were trying to protect me.”

“I promise you that I will always do my very best to protect you, Cheyenne.”

Her heart shuddered at the words, and they smiled at each other.

“Let me talk to my guys for a minute and we’ll go home.”

Cheyenne pulled her skirt in as he shut the truck door, and she tipped her head back against the rest. Home. Yes, they needed to go home.

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