Page 134 of Secret Squirrel

“Wait, you think Duke should take him in?”

“I didn’t say that. I’m saying that he’s a possibility. He clearly wants what’s best for Theo. CPS is considering him because he was married to Carolyn. They wanted my opinion if Duke would consider taking him. They aren’t thrilled with the idea that Theo’s adoptive parents went outside the law to acquire him.”

“I thought you said they understood?”

“Understanding is not the same thing as being okay with what they did. They’re leaving Theo with them for the time being so they don’t disrupt his life any more.”

“So, you want to know what Duke would want,” I surmised. “You’ll have to ask him.”

“Rae, this affects you too. What I’m saying is you need to discuss the possibility with him.”

That was moving way too fast for us. Yes, I’d already decided Duke would be in my life as long as he didn’t fuck it up. But discussing a kid felt like something way beyond what I was ready for. This couldn’t be my decision in any way. Duke had to do what was best for him and the kid, and that couldn’t include my feelings in any way.

“Like I said, you’ll have to ask Duke. I know what you’re saying, but this can’t be about me in any way. If Duke wants Theo to stay with him, it can’t be because of me. That kid needs to come first.”

“And what about what you want?” he asked, his eyes assessing me.

“I don’t fit into this at all,” I said. Yeah, it hurt to say that. I didn’t want to think that I didn’t have a say in this, but it was the right thing to do. I had to remove myself from the equation and let Duke make this decision for himself. Only then would I know if we could move forward in our own relationship. If he based it off what I wanted, he would always wonder if he made the right choice. And I didn’t want that hanging over my head for the rest of my life.

33

DUKE

My leg ached despite the pain meds. I really wanted to hit that fucking button and get a nurse in here to give me what I needed, but I had to get through this meeting first. But it was damn hard to concentrate when all I could think about was getting some meds into my system so I didn’t have to suffer through this anymore.

I shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position, but it didn’t help. I rubbed the top of my thigh, trying to push more blood into my leg for better circulation. The tingling feeling wouldn’t stop. It was like falling asleep on your arm and then all the blood rushed back in. Except, that feeling didn’t go away. I was beginning to worry that the doctor wasn’t telling me everything I needed to know, but I didn’t want Rae to know. She’d only demand answers that I wasn’t sure they could give.

“What was the purpose of your meeting with…Xavier Roth?” Sheila asked. She was the CPS agent in charge of Theo’s case, and had come here to interview me. “Mr. Mason, this will go faster if you’ll pay attention.”

“I’m sorry, is the fact that I’m in pain making this difficult for you?” I bit out.

She flushed bright red, ducking her head. “I’m sorry. Let’s try again. What was the purpose of your meeting with Xavier Roth?”

I glanced to the FBI agent standing in the corner of the room. He shook his head, telling me not to answer that question. Cash had called in the FBI as soon as he took out Roth. Now this fucker standing in the corner dictated what I could say at any given time.

Sheila glanced at the man and shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “Were you aware that Theo was sold off to the Anderson’s?”

Again, I glanced at the FBI agent. He shook his head again. I wasn’t allowed to answer a single fucking question because it was part of an ongoing investigation. But I still had to meet with CPS so they could close the case or whatever it was they were trying to do.

“I’m sorry,” she said, turning to the agent. “I’m trying to conduct an interview, but you’re not allowing him to answer any of the questions.”

“It’s an ongoing investigation. You can ask anything you want, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get the answers you’re looking for.”

“Then why am I here?” she asked in frustration.

He shoved off the wall and walked over to her. “What is it you want to know?”

“I’m trying to assess if Mr. Mason is a viable candidate to take in Theo.”

“What?” I asked, not seeing that coming.

“What can you tell me about that?” she asked.

He nodded. “I can tell you that Mr. Mason acted in the best interests of the child when he hunted down the people that took him. I can tell you that no one would know about what happened to the boy if it weren’t for him. I can also tell you that he’s an upstanding citizen with a good job. He would never harm the child, and even though the child isn’t his, he would do everything possible to take care of him.”

“Um…do I get a say in this?” I asked.

But the social worker continued to stare at the agent. “And how can I be sure that violence won’t enter the home? Look at him. He’s got a bullet wound in his leg and he looks like he went ten rounds with Evander Holywood.”

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