Page 10 of Edge of Danger

A man who had called her needing advice about swaddling a baby... How bad could he be? And maybe he would find Robert and all of this hell could be over with.

Not all. Tessa rubbed her tired eyes. Even if Robert showed up again, her hell wouldn’t be finished. She’d have to worry about that later.

She headed for the bus station with just enough cash to get her to San Antonio, hoping she wasn’t making the worst mistake of her life.

Chapter Four

Thank heaven for swaddling.

Last night’s fractured sleep was far from his usual state of unconsciousness, but it had been better than the few stolen minutes he’d been able to snatch the other nights since Walker had come into his life.

Brax was functional, but barely. And he wasn’t ready for this. Any of it. He’d never planned to have a kid in the first place—even if he had, didn’t a person usually have a little time to prepare themselves? To learn, to adjust their mentality?

A man didn’t normally have a baby dropped into his life with no warning and no way out of the arrangement.

“What about calling a nanny service?” Maci bounced Walker slightly as she walked back and forth. Though Chance saw Maci as an annoyance and was grateful to have her preoccupied with a baby, Brax saw her as a saint.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Weston agreed.

Brax blew out a long sigh. “I don’t know the first thing about choosing a nanny. I don’t know anything about any of this.”

“That’s the point of calling a service. They do the vetting for you. All you have to do is say yes or no once you meet the nanny they send.” Maci shrugged. “It’s an idea, anyway.”

“It’s a good idea.” And when Weston decided something, that was that.

“Sure. Whatever.” Brax leaned back into his chair, eyes closing. “If it means that I can get some sleep every once in a while and come to work without lugging the baby and all the stuff that comes with him, count me in. This can’t go on forever.”

Weston perched on the edge of Brax’s desk, holding the paperwork. “I looked into this.”

“And?”

“No big surprise, it’s a mess.” He pointed at the signature next to Brax’s printed name. “Obviously a forgery.”

“Yeah. Robert got a little creative there, didn’t he?”

“And this Raymond Volver, the judge who signed it without even setting eyes on you? Very shady.”

“That’s Robert’s cousin through his mom, and the only reason my half brother isn’t in prison, I guarantee it. Ray cleans up after Robert all the time.”

“I’m fairly confident an impartial judge will overturn this.”

Brax nodded slowly, staring at the wall. “Yeah. But we all know what happens when guardianship is revoked. Walker goes into the system.”

Weston put a brotherly hand on Brax’s shoulder, a silent affirmation that no one wanted that to happen. “We’ll track down Robert, figure it out. For your sake and for Walker’s.”

Brax put his hand on Weston’s. Walker’s soft noises floated in from the reception area where Maci paced with him.

And it was sweet. Fatigue and frustration weren’t enough to keep him from smiling.

Walker was the only living blood relative Brax had besides Robert. Not that he felt alone. He hadn’t for years, ever since his mom and dad had taken him in at twelve and shown him what family could mean.

Walker was his blood. Brax couldn’t willingly, knowingly dump the kid into the foster care system. Not with his personal history.

By late morning, it was clear everybody had needed a break. Luke was still off in his personal happy place with his fiancée and would be in later. Chance was out shopping for baby supplies. Weston was following a lead for a client, though Brax knew leaving the office hadn’t been necessary. Maci had volunteered to pick up lunch.

Brax was alone with Walker.

At least the baby was sleeping, swaddled up in his car seat. He was so much cuter that way. Was it wrong to think that?

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