Page 20 of The Hottest Daddy
“I will, I promise. I just think Berry will need a period of adjustment. She may seem fine, but if she thinks I’m trying to replace her mom … I hate to think she’d be upset about us. We just have to be patient.”
River smiled ruefully. “I was never very good at being patient.”
Sunday chuckled. “Time to practice. We have all the time in the world.”
Chapter Nine
But the next day, when Sunday drove up to the Castle, she felt the change in mood immediately. Walking into the kitchen, she saw Carmen alone, her face grim. “What’s going on?”
“Angelina Marshall. She’s suing River for custody of Berry.”
“What the fuck?” Sunday was immediately angry. “How does she even know Berry exists?”
Carmen sighed and indicated Sunday should sit. “Apparently she knew even before River did. From what we can tell, she’s been stalking every girlfriend that River had, even down to the one-night stands. That included Lindsay. River’s never talked to his girlfriends about what Angelina did and so, apparently, Lindsay thought nothing of it when Angelina contacted her.”
Carmen rubbed her face, looking tired. “She was playing the dutiful grandmother for years, without River’s knowledge. When she found out Lindsay died …”
“That bitch,” Sunday hissed, her heart breaking for River.
Carmen nodded. “Of course, she played the selfless grandmother figure to Berry, so the child doesn’t know that she’s an evil succubus. River is beside himself.”
“I should go find him.”
“Please,” Carmen patted her hand. “He’s been in such a funk this morning. I can’t reach him.”
Sunday made her way slowly to River’s studio—a room she had never been in—and hoped he wouldn’t think she was intruding. She knocked. “Come in.”
She slipped inside and was assailed by glorious color. Vast canvases with vibrant pinks, reds, green, golden yellows and deep, ocean blues. She gasped a little, taken aback by the beauty of them. “Oh, River …”
He was sitting, gazing out of the window and when he looked at her, she saw the raw pain in his face. She went to him and wrapped her arms around him. He buried his face in her neck, his arms tight around her. They said nothing for the longest time, just held each other. Sunday felt tears in her eyes. She couldn’t comprehend what was going around River’s head. To potentially lose his daughter to his abuser? It was unfathomable.
Eventually River pulled away. “Thank you for coming,” he said in a low voice. “You seem to know instinctively that I needed you. That means a lot.”
She stroked his face. “Tell me everything.”
River squeezed his eyes shut. “Baby, as much as I want to … I can’t. What happened between Angelina and myself? It’s too much. It’s horrifying. All I want to do is keep Berry safe from that woman.”
“But you have to face what she did to you sometime, River. Deal with it. Until you do, she’ll always have this hold over you.”
River shook his head. “No.”
Sunday drew in a deep breath. “You know I’m with you, right? For whatever you need. But I’m not going to be an enabler. You need to deal with—”
“What would you know about it?” His outburst shocked her and she saw the depth of his agony. She touched his face.
“I can’t know, River. But I’ve been in situations where I felt helpless. I’m just saying … to be at your strongest, maybe it’s time.”
River looked away from her. “I can’t.” Barely a whisper.
“Jesus, River … what did she do to you?”
But he said nothing. Eventually Sunday gave up, and standing, she touched his shoulder. “I’ll leave you alone. Just know I’m here for whatever you need.”
As she reached the door of his study, she heard him call her name. “I’m sorry I snapped at you, Sunday.”
“It’s okay. I’ll see you later.”
At suppertime, she joined Carmen and Berry in the kitchen. To her relief, Berry seemed unaffected by the somber mood of the house, climbing onto Sunday’s lap and talking excitedly about her ‘Nanna’ coming to see her.
