Page 58 of Justice II

“Then leave my phone alone, nosy.”

She giggled. I kissed the top of her head and opened her coloring book.

I was supposed to be reviewing business before this interview. Instead, I was looking for a purple crayon because the one I’d given her wasn’t the right purple.

I loved my girls. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was having to be in three places at once while everybody needed something only I could give them.

Dream couldn’t go through her normal day yet. Storie needed more attention than I felt like I could spare. Meanwhile, my phone hadn’t stopped ringing since we left the house.

Quest had offered to let me take time off. I was starting to think I needed to listen. But taking off didn’t mean I would stop thinking about everything happening here. I knew myself. I’d be at home answering calls while telling the girls to give me another minute.

While I needed help and would be hiring a nanny soon, the bulk of the stress was always going to fall on me. And Storie added another complicated layer.

Skye used to make sure Dream ate before she got hungry enough to start whining. She knew where everything was. If I said I needed to work late, she handled it.

I missed that. But I missed Melody when the house was quiet, too.

I missed walking into the kitchen and having her look up at me. I missed bothering her while she cooked. Some nights, I would reach for my phone before remembering I was the reason she wasn’t there.

I had been so sure putting her out was the right move. Now I had questions I should’ve asked before I opened my fucking mouth.

And missing her went beyond the utility of her in my life. I felt like we could’ve built something real had it not been for the lies.

“Daddy, look.”

Dream held up the page. She’d colored a butterfly with the purple she made me dig for.

“That’s nice, baby.”

“It’s for you.”

“Then I’m putting it up in here when you finish.”

She lowered the book and went back to work.

I looked at her cast.

She had told me more than once that Storie didn’t push her. She’d tripped. Every time I asked, she gave me the same answer. Eventually, she had gotten irritated and told me she’d already said what happened.

I needed to stop asking her to give me a different answer. She was the one who fell, and I hadn’t seen it.

Still, I wanted to know what happened in my house when I wasn’t there. Between what Melody told me and everything I hadn’t been paying attention to, I was done guessing.

I picked up my phone and called about having cameras installed. I wanted coverage around the house, including the deck, and in the common areas inside. I asked for the earliest appointment they had.

Dream didn’t look up until I ended the call.

“Who was that?”

“Somebody coming to do some work at the house.”

“Can they fix my swing?”

“What’s wrong with your swing?”

“It squeaks.”

“I’ll look at it.”