Page 29 of Off Limits Daddy

I sat back as I tried to decipher what that meant.

"The man told the lady that he could get more information that was on the papers?" Oliver asked his daughter.

"I guess so. I don't know, Daddy." She buried her face in his chest.

"You're doing great, baby."

"Yes, thank you, Olivia. You've been a big help."

Olivia looked up at her father. "Did I help Aiden?"

He smiled at her, and in that smile, I saw so much love. It answered the question about whether he missed the freedom and sunshine in California. "You did."

I rose from the couch. "Thank you very much to the both of you.”

Oliver stood and sent Olivia back into the kitchen as he prepared to walk me to the door. “Do you have an idea of what Olivia overheard means?”

“An idea? Maybe. It sounds like Darcy wanted to sell the social security numbers and live large, while Donovan wanted to use them against Wally. He didn’t see it as losing money like Darcy did?—”

“Because he knew where the numbers were coming from? How Wally was getting them?”

I nodded. “Of course, I don’t know that, and I can’t ask Donovan, which is probably why he’s dead.”

“And why I want us as far away from it as possible.”

I could understand that. “I’ll do what I can, but as I mentioned, I’m going undercover with Mr. Ashworth and Aiden. I want you to know so that if anyone asks, you can support the cover.”

He gave a soft laugh. "Lindsay's going to get a kick out of that. Brett probably will too."

"Yes, well, the goal here is to protect Aiden and put Wally away."

"Absolutely." Oliver walked me to the door, and I said goodbye. I drove back to my small apartment and packed a bag to take over to Duncan’s. I didn’t pack a lot. I didn’t actually own a lot. Work clothes, and a few casual ones.

As I drove over to Duncan’s, I replayed what he had said to me when I left that afternoon and what I’d replied with.

Who says I’m not thinking it too?

God help me. How was I going to get through this investigation with my sanity intact?

8

Duncan

Ihad to admit that I was surprised when Veronica returned to my home that evening with a bag to stay with me and Aiden. Sure, she'd left with the parting comment that suggested she had been thinking about me as I had been thinking about her. But I was sure her letting that comment slip would be the reason she wouldn't follow through on this crazy plan. I was certain she’d regret saying it and not return.

When she arrived, I took her bag up to the room and then gave her the code for the garage so she could park her car next to mine in the garage under my brownstone. Then I finished cooking dinner, and as we sat down to eat, I asked her not to talk to Aiden about Wally Creighton and what Aiden might have seen. I didn't want the kid to worry that each time we sat down at the table, he was going to be grilled. Veronica gave me a look, and I wasn't sure if she was annoyed that I wasn't going to let her interrogate the kid or annoyed that I thought she was the type of person who would make him lose his appetite by questioning him. I found her difficult to read sometimes. She came off as cooland aloof, all business, and yet, she instinctively knew how to be gentle with Aiden. And I suppose me as well when my ego took a hit.

As usual, I did most of the talking through dinner with Aiden every now and then saying a word or phrase. Veronica didn't say much either except that she had stopped by Lindsay and Oliver's home and told them of our situation. That surprised me, and then I wondered what they thought. I imagined that when Brett found out, he'd probably razz me. For a long time. I wanted a family, and I could see him teasing me by saying I could adopt a child but had to get a pretend wife. Of course, I’d never revealed the night in the sauna I’d spent with Veronica.

After dinner,I spent time with Aiden and then got him ready for bed. Once he was down for the night, I offered wine to Veronica thinking we might sit and talk about how we were going to pull off this fake engagement. But she had disappeared into her room, telling me that she had work she needed to do. I hated the idea that she could be avoiding me, but then I considered that she really was working. She seemed like the type to work all the time. But she shouldn’t have to sleep and work in her room.

I headed up the third floor where I had an office. When Aiden came to live with me, I set up a new office on the main floor so I wouldn’t be far away from him when he was home. I could give Veronica my old office.

I went up to see if I needed to clean anything or order something. It was as I'd left it, several bookcases, a desk and chair, a couch, and a coffee station. I made a mental note to restock the coffee, and then I headed to my room. After getting ready for bed, I read a little bit then hit the sack.

The next morning, I woke and dressed in jeans, a Henley T-shirt, and a plaid wool shirt over it. I headed down to the kitchen to make breakfast. I was surprised to find Veronica already there, having coffee and toast as she looked at her phone.

"I hope you don't mind, but I made myself coffee and toast,” she said as I entered.

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