"Rennie, we need a goalie!" Nina hollered from the street.

Rennie's head, which had been resting on her mother's shoulder, shot up, her eyes bright. "Gotta run, guys. The team needs me."

Elise sat on the bottom porch step, her eyes still on her daughter.

"I'm going to be expecting all the details later on," Paul said, a grim look on his face. "There's no no way this is going to happen. Those Sorensons need a wake-up call. Think they can push my daughter and granddaughter around. Not happening. Not again." He kissed the top of her head before he stomped off toward where the kids played soccer. way this is going to happen. Those Sorensons need a wake-up call. Think they can push my daughter and granddaughter around. Not happening. Not again." He kissed the top of her head before he stomped off toward where the kids played soccer.

Brody sat next to her, sliding an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him. "I'm giving you a pa.s.s because I can see how upset you are and I don't want you to lose it in front of Rennie. But don't think that means I don't expect to hear everything."

She heaved a breath. "I gotta tell you, Brody, I'm pretty done with being managed."

"Tough s.h.i.t, Shorty. I'm not managing you, anyway. I'm asking you to share what is going on so I can help."

They kept their eyes forward, both of them watching the kids play, both scanning the faces of the people a.s.sembled.

" 'Shorty'?"

"You arguing that you're not?"

"If you weren't so abnormally large, I wouldn't be." He snorted. "Thank you."

"I need to make a phone call. Will you . . ."

"What? Just ask me and it's yours." Christ, the moment words left him, he realized how very true that was. Everything inside him went still for a moment and then clicked into place.

"Will you just . . . Don't let anyone get near her."

"Of course." He turned her head, tipping it so he could see into her eyes. "Baby, you two are my girls. I'll protect you. I'll protect you both. Do you trust me?"

She nodded. "Yes. But I don't want to burden you with my s.h.i.t." She leaned in and kissed him before taking one more look at Rennie and heading inside.

Her hands shook so hard she had to take a quick shot of tequila before she could dial the darned phone.

"Childers."

"Frank, thank G.o.d it's you. I'm sorry to bother you on a Sat.u.r.day. It's Elise Sorenson and I've just been served with legal papers. The Sorensons are trying to take her again. I thought they couldn't! I thought this was done."

He sighed. "d.a.m.n those people. Honey, can you fax the papers to me?"

"Yes. I have a machine here at home."

"Okay. Get them to me and I'll look them over and call you tomorrow unless there's something really concerning. Try not to let this get to you. We'll make sure Irene is protected."

"How did they find out where I was?"

He sighed again. "I don't know, but it can't be that hard. You're running a school under your name. A little bit of investigative work and they'd know. They used investigators before." "I hate them. How long will this be a threat?"

"We'll make sure they can't after this. Just fax me the papers so I can see them too. I imagine my office will be getting a copy of the filing, but they're not overly trustworthy."

"I'm faxing this right now," she said, looking out her front windows toward where Rennie played with her band of guardian angels. "Thank you so much. I'm sorry to bother you on your weekend. I didn't, well, I hope I didn't interrupt."

He laughed. Frank Childers was a very old family friend, she'd grown up thinking he was family because she saw him and his wife, Veronica, so much.

"Honey, you know you can call me anytime you need me. Now, try and relax. It might be wise to be sure the school knows not to release Irene to anyone but you and your folks."

She closed her eyes against that fear and thanked him again before hanging up.

By the time she went back outside, the shaking had stopped, but she'd read enough to figure out they were trying to declare Elise unfit and take sole custody. The papers filed charged a significant change in circ.u.mstances and appealed to the court, located in another county she noted, to intercede to grant them custody and stop Elise from seeing Rennie at all.

As she'd antic.i.p.ated, her parents and Brody looked up expectantly when she approached the group.

"Mom! I blocked two goals. So Adrian let me have a bite of his ice cream. Just one bite and I stopped running around and rested and Adrian let me sit in his lap and he sang me and Nina a song. How awesome is that?"

Elise couldn't help but laugh. "Take a breath there. Sounds like an awesome time was had by all. Weren't we going to do some painting?" The best way to get through was to focus on something. This was supposed to be fun. No reason to let them hurt her any more than they already had.

"Yay!" Nina and Rennie jumped up and down.

Maggie held up a bag. "I brought some old T-shirts from home. The kids can wear them while they paint."

"Good idea." Elise moved to the table and covered it in butcher paper while Maggie and Erin taped it down. One of the other mothers put out containers for paint.

Elise loved this kind of stuff. Ken's parents didn't do this with him. They never did it with Rennie either. They never let her run around, never took her to the park, never took her to a movie and let her have a blue Slushee just because. They didn't know her favorite color, they didn't know how she liked her eggs cooked, and they didn't know which pair of shoes was her current favorite.

Elise did.

Elise was her mother. Elise had taken care of Rennie without Ken's help since Rennie had been born, and there was no f.u.c.king way those a.s.sholes would steal her child out of spite. Irene was hers hers.

"You all right?" Erin asked quietly as they worked to set everything up.

"No. No, I'm not. But I have to be right now for Rennie."

Erin nodded. Elise appreciated Erin so much, so much she didn't know if words could ever capture it. Erin understood her in a way few others did. This on top of being a really fun person. They'd grown even closer since sharing their pasts. She had a best girlfriend for the first time in over a decade and it mattered.

"You know where I am if you need to talk. If you need anything. All you have to do is ask."

She hugged Erin briefly and began to squirt the paint into the containers as Maggie helped get the kids into the T-shirts. Once the painting began, the moms just stood back and tried to stay out of the way. Quietly, she gave Erin a very brief overview and asked if Todd or Ben could come over and check that her home security was in good order.

Erin excused herself and came back quickly. "Todd will be by tomorrow to look at everything."

Elise thanked her and felt marginally better.

She felt his approach before she saw him. His scent hit her nose as his body heat blanketed her side.

"You're going to have to hose Rennie down after this," Brody said, kissing her briefly. She allowed herself to lean in to his body and he hugged her tighter.

"She'll love it, even if the water is so cold her lips turn blue. My kid loves the water."

He grinned. "Did you know that Erin's building has a pool?"

"Oh my gosh, that just occurred to me." Erin turned to Elise. "We do have a pool. It's rarely used, but maintained really well. You two should come over and swim. That would be fun."

"Erin, your idea of fun puzzles me. You have two super-hot men to go home to and you think listening to Rennie screech and splash around is fun?"

Erin hugged her around where Brody hung on. "I'll need the practice. This morning there was a plus on the stick."

Elise hugged back, kissing Erin's cheek. "That's wonderful news."

"It really is."

"You two wanna fill me in?" Brody's look was patiently amused.

"Adrian needs to come over here too. But he's being flirted with, so I don't want to interrupt."

"You told her her!" Brody pointed to Elise. "She's never made you chocolate chip pancakes, I bet." He sort of pouted, and Elise had no other choice but to cup his cheek. Good gracious, he was just so much to her. At that moment, she wanted to pour her heart out to him, wanted him to take care of things while she stayed in bed under the blankets. It sucked always to be the one to have to fix things. never made you chocolate chip pancakes, I bet." He sort of pouted, and Elise had no other choice but to cup his cheek. Good gracious, he was just so much to her. At that moment, she wanted to pour her heart out to him, wanted him to take care of things while she stayed in bed under the blankets. It sucked always to be the one to have to fix things.

Erin giggled. "She's cuter. Plus, you and Adrian are like a combo platter. I can't tell one first and not the other."

"Adrian!" Brody called out to his brother.

Adrian looked up from the conversation he'd been having with Martine and nodded in Brody's direction, but he continued to listen to Elise's mother, smiling and making Martine flutter her eyelashes.

"My mother is as bad as Rennie is with the flirting." Elise handed out new sheets of paper and took the others, using clothespins to hang the paintings to dry.

"You're an old hand at this," Brody said. "Then again, Rennie's quite the artist, so clearly it helps."

"I figured out pretty quickly that she loved to paint and draw, so we've perfected the process over the years. On days like this I can let her work outside. But normally I put out a painting tarp on the dining room floor and let her work there."

"You and I are going to talk later tonight," he whispered as he leaned in.

"Can't. My parents are hanging out, and tomorrow is a school day so everyone will be in bed early."

"You're going to tell me."

She sighed, thankful to see Adrian approach finally.

Brody kept an arm around Elise's waist, holding her in place. He liked her there with him and he liked everyone knowing it. Another part was that his protective instincts had gone into overdrive and he didn't trust anyone else to protect her as well as he could.

He also liked seeing how close she and Erin had become. Erin had told him Elise had shared her story. He was relieved she'd shared, but he couldn't help but wish it had been with him. Erin said she'd tell him if he asked, but that she thought Elise should tell him herself. He agreed with that, but at the same time he really wondered what had happened and if his basic impressions were true.

"Guys, you're going to be uncles again."

Brody's heart stopped for a moment when he'd really heard what she'd said. Then joy salted with a bit of sadness came over him as he moved with Adrian to hug their sister.

"When? When are you due? How long have you known? Are you okay?" Adrian said, sounding very much like the worrier he was. 'Course, Brody was worried too.

"I just found out before we got here. I'm not telling anyone else until I'm through the first trimester. I don't know when my due date is yet. I'll see my doctor this week and they'll have an approximate time. And I'm more than fine. I'm ridiculously happy. It's a good time in my life. Steady. Full of love. I have no complaints." Erin turned a bit. "Where are you going?"

Brody turned too, catching a red-faced Elise, who'd begun to slink away.

"Well, it's a private family moment. I didn't want to intrude."

Brody simply reached out with his open hand, and with a sigh from her, she took it and he drew her back to his side.

"You're a dumba.s.s." Erin said to Elise. "You're family. I'd like you to be the G.o.dmother. Rennie can be like an honorary G.o.da.s.sistant."

Elise hugged Erin. "I'd be so honored. Rennie is going to flip her lid when she finds out."

Elise was so grateful for her friends, Brody most of all, for keeping her laughing and entertained all day so she wouldn't dwell. But now that they'd cleaned up the area, it was clear to her she needed a long, hot bath and a big gla.s.s of wine.

But first to tell her parents after they got Rennie to bed. Brody had stuck around, hoping to corner her, but it had truly been so chaotic she wouldn't have had the opportunity to have tell him even if she'd wanted to. Rennie was more than tired, she was over overtired and overstimulated, and she vibrated with that grumpy, hyper and suddenly weepy personality girls her age got after days like the one she'd just had. Elise was exhausted just dealing with it.

He'd finally kissed her and told her he'd be stopping in or calling very soon, and he ordered her to come to him if she needed anything. She liked that he was concerned, the allure of it, of unburdening herself to a man like Brody, who would step in and fix it all for her, who was powerful. But at the same time, Ken had managed her for two years before she began to wise up. Even until the moment he died, he tried to control her, and now his d.a.m.ned parents were doing it in his stead. There was simply no way she'd be managed by anyone again.

"Holy cow," Elise said as she took the gla.s.s her father handed her way and collapsed on the couch. "She's out. Snoring and drooling already. I think today gets two thumbs up from Rennie."

They just stared at her until she sighed, took a big gulp of wine, and gave them all the details..

Her father shot to his feet and began a five-minute diatribe using all the best swear words in both English and French. Her mother narrowed her eyes at the mention of the Sorensons and their allegations that Elise was unfit. Unfit! The word agitated her, angered and insulted her. She was a good mother.

"Frank will contact me tomorrow and I'll know more."

"Is her pa.s.sport up-to-date?" her father asked casually, but they all knew why he asked.

Elise nodded. She would run as far away as she could if the court awarded her child to those beasts. There's no way she'd put Rennie at their mercy so they could ice all the beauty, sweetness and spirit from her.

"Right or wrong, yes. It's up-to-date, as is mine."

Her mother leaned forward, her weight on her elbows. "The court isn't going to find for them. You know that. You're her mother and you're a d.a.m.ned good one at that. She's happy, well adjusted, doing well in school and has lots of friends. They're not going to rip her away from you. The Sorensons don't even know her. They've never tried."

"I know know that in my head, but my heart isn't convinced. That's my baby and I can't let go of the fear in the back of my mind. I feel like throwing up." that in my head, but my heart isn't convinced. That's my baby and I can't let go of the fear in the back of my mind. I feel like throwing up."

"We'll make it through. This family will stick together and we'll overcome this challenge. We'll hear what Frank has to say and we'll know more then. Do you want us to stay over?" her mother asked.

"No, I'm good. I did talk to Todd today about getting a better security system here, and he's going to get me a quote later this week. But I'm afraid I'm not going to want her walking home with Nina until this is all taken care of."

"Daddy and I can show up on the two days a week she goes to Nina's and walk with them both."

"This makes me so mad! Nina lives a block from the school. Two first-graders walking one block with all those other kids out and crossing guards too, and I have to have her escorted."

"They've transferred all their energy to you for killing Ken. When he needed killing. If I could have killed him after you did, I'd have gladly done it." Her father had his mean face on and Elise felt better.

"Go home. I'm all right, Rennie doesn't need to know about any of this for the time being."

"If you're sure. If you two want to come stay with us for a while, we have the room."

"I appreciate the offer. Really. But I don't want them to disrupt her life any more than it has to be disrupted. I want her to have normal. It's why I came here."

Brody sighed as he caught sight of Erin standing in the doorway, smiling at him. "Figured you'd come over," she said. "Looked like Martine and Paul were going to hang on awhile." She led him inside and he took the beer Ben handed him.