Page 57 of Off Limits Daddy

I nodded. "It's going to be like Christmas vacation. We had fun, didn't we?"

He nodded.

"But you can't get out of learning, so we're going to have school together too."

"Here?"

"Yep. It'll be an adventure."

Aiden's lips twitched up, just a little bit, but it was enough that for a moment, it felt like everything would be okay.

"Let's go figure out what to study, okay? We'll get some snacks and plan your education."

We went down to the kitchen, where I made celery and peanut butter with a glass of milk. While we ate, I researched our options, making a list of topics that included spaceships and dinosaurs, because why not? It felt good being proactive, to forget the ugliness of the world for a moment.

Once we had our list, Aiden went to the living room to play with the gaming system. It gave me time to deal with the next item on my list—call Brett about work.

I dialed his number, and he picked up after the second ring. "Dunk. How does it feel to have part of your day free?"

"Not great, actually."

"What's up? You sound tense."

I took a deep breath. "Listen, man, something's come up with Aiden. We're… we're in a bit of a situation here."

"Say no more. What do you need?"

"We need to lay low for a while."

"Jesus. Did something happen?"

"Yes. At school." I pinched the bridge of my nose as I considered just how close I came to failing Aiden, to not protecting him.

"What the fuck?"

"I don't know what's going on except that I need to keep him safe." I knew he'd understand. He was just as protective of Lindsay when she was little, and now Grayson.

"Of course. You need me to handle things with the business?"

"I'll try to deal with what I can at home?—"

"Don't worry about that, Duncan. Really. You went above and beyond for me when I was dealing with Miranda and then recently with Lindsay and Oliver. Consider the business taken care of. You just focus on Aiden."

Since he had a second business, it felt like too much to ask. Even so, gratitude surged. "Thanks, Brett."

We talked details for a few more minutes before hanging up. With Brett on board and homeschooling taking shape, things were as settled as they could be under the circumstances.

I joinedAiden in the living room, where we played an ancient version ofMario Kart. As my little car raced alongside Aiden's, I wondered what Veronica was discovering up in her office. Had she formed an idea about who’d tried to kidnap my son? Was she closer to putting those fuckers away for good?

When Aiden bored of the game, I pulled out his art supplies. Maybe he'd draw something that would help Veronica solve this case. Then again, I wished he'd draw rainbows or dogs. The poor kid needed something else in his head.

"I'm going to start dinner, okay?"

"'Kay."

I left him in the living room and headed to the kitchen. Cooking offered some relief. The sizzle of vegetables hitting the hot pan was a comforting sound, one that spoke of normalcy in a time that was anything but. With the veggies cooked, I added tomatoes and herbs to make spaghetti sauce. It was Brett's recipe, and while I never made it as well as he did, it was still pretty tasty.

With the sauce simmering, I put water on for the noodles and prepared garlic bread. Then I texted Veronica to let her know when dinner would be if she wanted to join us.

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