“Shee-it,” Linus pushed out. “You can say that again. It’s only been a coupla weeks.”

“Not like you, I know I got it good, I don’t wait a year to tag it as mine,” Joke gave him shit.

“Below the belt, bud,” Linus replied, a smile in his voice. “Now I gotta hope like fuck she’s off work. This I gotta see.”

“Goin’ to her now. I’ll ask. Text you if I can confirm and I’ll get in touch with Mrs. Heely,” Joker said.

“Right. Either way, ’spect I’ll see you soon.”

“You will, Lie. Tell Kam I said hey, and same to your kids.”

“You got it. Later, Car.”

“Later, Lie.”

They disconnected and Joker shoved his phone in his pocket before mounting his bike. He was riding to Carissa when he felt it ring. Riding, he didn’t grab it.

He was still riding when he felt it vibrate with a text.

At a red light, he took it out.

The missed call was Carissa.

The text was her too.

I need you home, sweetie.

He didn’t like that, the call and then a text and what that might say with all the shit she was swimming through.

But he liked the way she used the word home.

He sent a quick text back, Almost there.

Then he got his ass there.

He parked in the back and came through the back door to see her in the kitchen, Travis to her hip, her eyes on him, and her expression openly freaked.

He didn’t like that either. Not at all.

“Talk to me,” he ordered and it came out almost like a bark.

“Okay, I went to that place that Stacy told you to tell me gives good money and doesn’t mess you around on used jewelry.”

“Knew you were doin’ that today, Carrie,” he told her, and he did know. He just hoped Stacy was right and they didn’t fuck his girl over because he was in the mood to have dinner and relax with his woman and her boy, not go out and teach some jeweler asshole a lesson with his fists.

“Well, before I went, I looked it up on the Internet. Checked to see what I should get, you know, on online auctions and other places, just in case he still tried to undercut me.”

“Right,” he bit out when she stopped talking.

“And they didn’t. They actually gave me better. It’s quality stuff and my engagement ring was three and a half carats. The tennis bracelet brought almost as much as the engagement ring. It was a lot, Carson. Far more than I expected. And they don’t do commission. He bought them right there.” She shook her head. “It’s enough to pay off my attorney bill and my credit card and get Travis some new clothes and have some left over to actually start a savings for when I might be able to go to school to be a stylist. I mean, I should have thought of doing this months ago.”

“None a’ this explains why you look freaked,” he pointed out.

“Well, I was excited,” she stated, bouncing Travis further up on her hip, which brought Joker’s attention to the kid and he saw belatedly that Travis had a ring with a duck head in his hand. The minute he got Joker’s attention, though, the ring was on the floor and he reached out to Joker with both arms, twisting to do so.

Carissa contained him but Joker didn’t make her do it for long. He strode forward and pulled the boy out of her arms and into his.

Travis reached up and latched onto his lip.

Joker ignored it and lifted his brows to Carissa.

She gave a start, her eyes on her son, and looked to Joker.

“I was excited,” she repeated.

“Said that,” he told her, and when he did, Travis made a noise, clearly enjoying the feel of Joker’s lip moving while he was latched on to it.

“So,” she went on immediately. “I went to the bank. I made a deposit. Started a savings account. Then I went to my old attorney to settle the bill.”

When she stopped and didn’t go on, he prompted, “And?”

“And… it was paid.”

Joker’s hold on Travis tightened just as Travis lost interest in his lip, let it go, and started to bang his hand against the base of Joker’s throat.

He looked down at him and muttered, “Be with you in a sec, kid.”

“Bah, lah, gah,” Travis replied.

“Gotta talk to your ma,” Joker told him.

“Bah, bah, dah!” Travis cried.

“Patience, son,” Joker advised.

“Gah!” Travis yelled on a throat slap.

Joker looked back at Carissa.

“Neiland,” he guessed quietly.

She nodded her head. “I asked. They confirmed. It wasn’t anonymous. He wanted me to know.”

Joker put his teeth to the back of his bottom lip, about to clip fuck but stopped himself just as Carissa kept talking.

“As you know, Angie said to keep the money he gave me Monday, use it, but keep track of it, what I used it for, and don’t go crazy. But this…”

She trailed off and he asked, “You call her about this?”

“Yes, right before I called you. She said it’s not my problem if he makes a decision to pay those fees. We didn’t request it. It was done by his own choice, so he can’t come after us or use it against us. And she thought it was a bit fishy that my old attorney accepted it without informing me, but payment is payment and everyone likes to get paid. Once paid, if he doesn’t get what he wants out of that gesture, Aaron can’t go after them to get it back. Since the request didn’t come from us and we didn’t do anything else to lean on him to do it, she also can’t see any way he can use it to get to me. But she’s wary.”

She had a right to be wary.

This was the beginning.

“He’s starting his game by tryin’ to buy his way back. It’s a faulty strategy,” he stated. “Straight up, he gave you that debt, Carrie. It’s his. Always been his. It’s never been yours. He’s not finally mannin’ up and accepting his responsibility for that fuck-up. He’s makin’ another play. But that’s not on you. He did what he did. Only thing you can do is move on without that liability that wasn’t yours in the first place. If it means you breathe easier financially, then good, ’cause you shouldn’t have had to take that hit in the first place.” He hefted Travis up a couple of inches and finished, “Done.”

“You think it’s that easy?” she asked.

“Why would it not be?” he asked back.

“Because nothing with him is ever that easy.”