Page 120 of Ramsey & Emerson

“So, he likes them young, but not pedophile young,” I remarked in thought.

“I guess that depends on your definition of pedophilia,” Maddox retorted. “While the dictionary claims that it’s a psychiatric disorder involving sexual attraction towards prepubescent children, as far as I’m concerned, a fifteen-year-old girl is a child. If she wasn’t, then she’d be able to vote, join the military, move out, drop out of school, etc. So, yeah, I guess it depends on your definition of the word.”

“You thought you were grown at fifteen,” Emerson stated pointedly.

“And I was wrong,” he replied easily. “Luckily for me, I had two parents that were constantly in my ear about that, so that helped to keep me grounded.”

“What else did you learn?” I asked, eager to find out everything.

“Five out of the eight went on to lead decent lives, and they seem to be doing well,” he went on. “Well, relatively speaking, they’re doing well.”

“And the other three?”

I began rubbing Emerson’s back after she asked the question, and it was clear that Adrian Cossacks was going to have to pay in a way that was going to have to bring Emerson peace. I also had no doubt that Maddox would make it happen, even if I didn’t say anything about it. Seeing Emerson upset bothered Maddox just as much as it bothered me and Ram.

“One died in a freak house fire about six years ago,” Maddox answered, his voice softening for his mother’s benefit. “The house that she’d been renting had faulty wiring, and her younger sister had been able to get a healthy wrongful death settlement from the property owners.”

“Okay, so what about the other two?” I asked.

“One is in a shitty marriage with two kids and a loser for a husband, and the other one lives alone and works at a bookstore,” he said, his voice still soft. “From all accounts, the second girl keeps to herself, but I don’t know if that’s due to her personality and shitty upbringing, or if it’s a direct result of her relationship with Adrian Cossacks.”

“And does the other girl work?” Emerson asked. “Or is she dependent on her husband?”

“She works at a crafts store, and her husband stays home and watches the kids,” he said, grimacing a bit, reminding me of just how very chauvinistic we all were. “Now, with daycare costing what it costs, it could be cheaper for him to stay home and watch the kids, but I don’t think so. I dug deep into their online presence, and he’s just a loser. Still, their kids are as cute as buttons.”

Emerson looked up at me. “Ramsey?”

“I’ll get right on it, baby,” I promised her, not even needing to ask for details.

“I already beat you to it,” Maddox announced. “She had really good grades in high school, so she was able to get some financial help for college. However, she dropped out during her junior year when she got pregnant with her first child. With no help from her man, she immediately started working odd jobs. They got married while she was pregnant, then had their second child three years later.”

“What did you do?” Emerson asked, eyeing our youngest son carefully.

“I sent her an email from our education department, telling her that she’s been randomly selected to continue her education on behalf of Educational Pursuits. The letter stated that all her educational costs will be paid for, and that includes any childcare that she may need, travel accommodations, etc.” Maddox looked like a kid in a candy store, and it really should be disturbing how much we enjoyed messing with other people’s lives. “I also informed her that Educational Pursuits would take responsibility for all of her household expenses, so that she can continue her degree without worry. All she has to do is provide us with the statements of her bills for the past six months.”

“Okay, good,” Emerson sighed. “Hopefully, it’ll make a difference.”

Maddox and I exchanged a look before he said, “Mom, you can lead a horse to water, but-”

“Yeah, yeah…I know,” she quickly said, interrupting him. “I just…I’m going to think positive.”

“Well, since my work here is done, I’m going to head home,” he said as he stood up from the barstool. “If I leave Cassidy alone for too long, then she’ll start thinking that she can live without me, and I can’t have that.”

I grinned as Emerson let out a choked laugh. “What is it with you men?”

“Hey, don’t look at me,” Mad retorted before jerking his chin my way. “Take it up with the man that raised me.”

Getting serious, Emerson said, “Thank you, Maddox.”

His entire face softened as he looked at his mother. “It was either this, or else watch Dad go to prison, and we kind of like having him around.”

“Thanks, son,” I drawled out.

Maddox just grinned before leaving, taking his plate of fruit with him. Now, was he really going to eat it? I had no idea. However, I knew my son well enough to know that he’d cut off his own arm before intentionally hurting his mother’s feelings.

“The kid really is something else, isn’t he?” Emerson remarked, and she wasn’t wrong.

Chapter 30

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