Page 49 of Broken Chains

Maddie only stayed a few days, but Lizzy and her mate, Cole Anderson, had made the switch to spend the summer in Collier Pack. I knew having her here made Peyton very happy.

Tim and Kenneth were busy cleaning out the gardens and working on landscaping. They had even gotten the old greenhouse up and functional enough to start growing vegetable seedlings.

Brady and I had been steadily working on repairs to the house. Everything was coming along great and ahead of schedule.

I felt like I was on cloud nine, and then everything came crashing down around me.

It started as a normal day. I got up early to find Eve already in the kitchen with Peyton, dressed and ready to start the day. She was sitting in her high chair, babbling away as Pey made breakfast.

“Morning, sleepyhead. You just missed the boys. The last of the hydroponics parts came in last night and so Tim and Kenneth were up really early, excited to get started,” she told me, flipping a pancake before turning to kiss me.

It was just a quick peck, but I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to kiss her for real. She sighed happily. It still amazed me that this woman was mine, and the way she looked at me like I hung the moon made me feel powerful and want to be the best man I could possibly be.

When the last pancake was on the plate, we sat and had a quiet breakfast, just the three of us. I cherished mornings like this. It wasn’t that I didn’t love having my brothers around, I did, but the rare occasion I got my girls all to myself would always be my favorite.

I wasn’t looking forward to the job before me and knew it was going to be a rough day, but I pushed that all aside and just enjoyed our time together.

Much too quickly it was time to head out. Peyton was already late for her job and Eve was due at daycare. I loaded her up in the van and made the drive into town. I still hated that we had to use daycare, even if it was only two half days a week, but I knew my daughter was in good hands and she always seemed happy to be there with the other kids.

I kissed her sweet curls, reminded them that Peyton would pick Eve up by two, and left for my first job assignment. The Rutgers. In my younger days I had enjoyed the extra tips that came from the former mayor’s wife. They’d definitely come with strings attached, but she liked that I was always discreet. I certainly didn’t want anyone knowing I had slept with the town’s biggest gossip—or any of her friends, for that matter. Gratefully, it had never become an issue.

When Melina became pregnant, I really had tried to do right by her, and I had stopped taking jobs for clients I’d slept with. I always had an excuse when she came to me, and it had been working until today.

Judith Rutgers was a woman used to getting her way and she had insisted that no one else could possibly do the repair she needed done. No one but me, that was.

I pulled up to the million-dollar house I’d worked on many times over the years with a sense of dread. I grabbed my toolbox and walked to the side entrance, because it would be disrespectful for a handyman to enter through the front foyer. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

No surprise, Judith answered the door herself in a skimpy dress that was far too short, yet was somehow pulled down low enough to show more cleavage than necessary.

“Hello, Mrs. Rutgers. I was told you have a leaky faucet that no one else in the company could possibly fix. Can you have someone show me which one?” I asked, trying to keep it as professional as possible.

She pouted. “There’s no rush, Oliver, and no need for such formalities here among old friends.”

I sighed. “With all due respect, Mrs. Rutgers, I have a very busy schedule today and need to get this completed as quickly as possible.”

“Ollie,” she said sweetly. “I’m sure you can carve a few extra minutes for me,” she purred in a seductive voice. I shuddered in disgust when she ran her perfectly polished finger down my arm, and bit back the urge to growl at her. Even if I’d wanted to entertain her ideas, which I did not, my wolf would have none of it now that we had mated Peyton.

“I told you the last time I was here. I can’t do that anymore.”

She frowned, not accustomed to being told no. In truth, I should never have gotten involved with her to begin with, or any of the others for that matter. I had been young, still in high school the first time she’d propositioned me. She was an older beautiful woman and I was a horny little teen who thought having sex for a few extra bucks was the best job in the world. I wasn’t that horny little kid looking for an escape from my life anymore, and I would never disrespect Peyton in that way.

“There is no leaking faucet, Oliver. I just missed you,” she confessed.

“Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t do that anymore. I’m in a solid relationship and I have a daughter to think about. I’m not going to screw that up,” I admitted.

She was furious, but I turned and left.

An hour later I got a call from my supervisor. He didn’t even call me in but fired me on the spot after Judith complained. I tried to explain what happened, but he wouldn’t even listen. He told me to pick up my final paycheck in a week, but that he was done with me.

It wasn’t fair. I hadn’t done anything wrong, but it didn’t matter, because a guy like me would never be trusted over a woman of her stature.

I drove around for a few hours, lost. I had cut back to just that job to allow more time at home, and now I didn’t even know how I was going to manage to put food on the table. I needed to start looking for work again right away, but I found myself in a dark place, facing all the demons of my past. There were a hundred times he could have fired me for legitimate reasons, and it stung like a bitch that when it finally came down to it, I hadn’t even been guilty of anything.

I didn’t know how to tell Peyton. I didn’t want to see the disappointment in her eyes. I was letting them all down.

Even though I wasn’t in the mood for a job hunt, I pushed my pride aside and did the one thing I swore I’d never do. I drove over to the factory just outside of town. Nearly everyone in Larken Pack worked at the factory. They worked hard for shitty pay and poor benefits, but at least it was stable work.

I pulled up to the building and sat in the van for over an hour, getting up the courage to take this step. It was necessary and I didn’t see any other way around it, but I hated that it had come to this. Worse, I knew Cruz had recently been promoted to head foreman, which meant I had to deal with him.

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