Playing with fire (Amelia Shepherd) ABANDONED

forty two

"An' then Zozo chased us," Myles told Mallie and Amelia after dinner.

"An' Rina helped us run away," Scout giggled.

"And hid us from Zozo," Pru laughed, leaning into Scout's side with a grin.

The three kids were sat across their mothers' laps, Scout and Pru on Mallie's while Myles was sat with Amelia. The three of them had massive smiles, faces wiped clean after their messy dinner.

"Arike! It's time to go," Bill stood up.

Amelia immediately grabbed her phone and hurried out of the barn, Myles clinging to Maya as he climbed onto her lap.

"Mama fast," he said.

"Oh, you're using her middle name?" Bailey spoke up.

"It is her true name," Bill said. Mallie rolled her eyes, wrapping her arms tighter around Scout and Pru.

"Th... This doesn't have to be a battle. Alright, we all love her. Mallie and Amelia love her," Bailey tried to calm Bill down.

"They don't love her as much as her grandparents do. Arike," Bill said louder, holding his hand out.

"Can we not do this around her?" Mallie snapped, covering Pru and Scout's ears while Maya did the same to Myles.

Mallie's jaw clenched and Carina quickly stood up, taking Scout and carrying him over to Maya and Myles. Mallie stood up, putting Pru on her hip as she kissed her forehead.

"Until the lawyers make a decision, she's staying with us. That is what Dean wanted and that is what's happening. I don't give a shit that you're her blood. You've never wanted to know her until Dean died and you and your wife realised that you fucked up with your son. She isn't your do-over or your second chance and you can't take a kid that barely knows you. You never cared until now and it's not acceptable," Mallie said calmly, covering Pru's ears so she didn't have to hear this.

"How dare-"

"I do dare, Mr Miller. Dean and I went through utter hell together. This whole team and I are going through utter hell mourning the man he was. But the one thing holding us together is knowing that Dean left a legacy behind. Dean left Pru behind, and he left her to me. She's staying with me. If you want her, you take that up with your lawyers," Mallie said, turning Pru away from him.

"Mallie, baby," Amelia hurried into the barn with their lawyer, a man called Robbie Allaway, behind her.

"Mr Miller, I'm Robbie Allaway, the lawyer representing Mrs and Mrs Cruz in the case. The courts specifically dictated that, until this case is ready to be discussed with all evidence present for your custody case, custody of Pruitt Arike Miller remains with the Cruz family as dictated in Dean Miller's will," Robbie said.

"She's my granddaughter," Bill said loudly.

"And you're scaring her," Bailey scolded him, moving to rub Pru's back.

"Mr Miller, all this is doing is going against you. I understand why you want your granddaughter with you, but until we go to court, she remains in the care of Mrs and Mrs Cruz. You harassing them just proves that you are not fit to have her in your custody," Robbie said calmly.

Bill stared at them for a few seconds before his gaze landed just on Mallie, Pru's head buried in her neck while Mallie ran her fingers up and down Pru's back to keep her calm.

"Just a few nights. I'll bring her back this time next week, or you can pick her up. Whatever you prefer. Please. My wife needs her granddaughter on a day like today," Bill said.