Until Lilly (Until, #3)(26)
“Lilly, here are the papers that I told you about, and there is also a list of affordable lawyers in there that you can contact.”
“Thank you. And I know that the answer will probably be no, but do you think that I can get the address of the lady this happened to? I would like to see if she needs anything.”
“I'm sorry, but I can’t give that information out, but I can give her your information, and she can choose to contact you,” he says with a shrug.
“Okay, well, thank you,” she says quietly, taking the file folder from his hand.
“My card is in there as well, and if you need anything or have any questions, you call me.”
“I will, thank you,” she repeats, and I see the tears beginning to fill her eyes once again.
“Let’s get you out of here, baby,” I say softly, and then Trevor is there, taking her out of my arms and pulling her in for a hug.
“Don’t worry, sis. We’ll get this figured out,” he tells her, rocking her back and forth. I hear another loud sob come from her before Trevor transfers her into my arms.
“You good riding with dad?” I ask Trevor before scooping Lilly up into my arms. She doesn’t protest, just wraps her arms around my neck, laying her head against my shoulder.
“Yeah, man, call me tonight,” he says, looking at Lilly once more before shaking his head.
“Thanks for coming, Dad,” I say as we start making our way out of the building. Once outside, my dad holds open the door of the truck for me as I set Lilly inside, making sure she gets buckled in. When I'm done, I kiss her forehead, and then tilt her chin up to kiss her lips. “Give me a minute to talk to my dad, and then we can go.” She nods, not looking me in the eyes. “Look at me, baby.” She shakes her head. “Lilly, look at me.” Her eyes come up and meet mine. “This will all be worked out; I promise you.”
“Okay.” The word sounds defeated. I press my mouth to hers in another quick kiss before hopping out of the truck and slamming the door.
“You’re right; she didn’t do this,” my dad says, and Trevor nods in agreement.
“I know.” I pull off my hat, running my hands over my hair and face.
“I'm going to call Dan tonight and see if he can tell me anything as a friend. In the meantime, I want you to call our lawyer and get him on the case. Any of the lawyers in that folder are going to be severely over-worked and underpaid, and it will show in their work.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“You know I got your back, and I'm glad you finally got your girl, son. I know what you had to deal with, and it was wrong of me to add Lilly into the same category as Jules without giving her a chance.”
“It’s fine. Can you tell Ma that I’ll come get the kids later, after I get her settled?”
“No problem,” he says, patting my shoulder. “Take care of your girl.”
“Call me if you need anything,” Trevor says as I walk around the front of my truck.
“Thanks, T.” I pull open the door to the cab of the truck and climb inside.
Once we pull up to the apartment, I look around realizing Lilly’s car isn’t in its usual spot. “Where’s your car, baby?”
“It wouldn’t start, so I had to get a ride with David from the school,” she says, unbuckling her seatbelt.
“Why didn’t you call me?” I feel my pulse start to speed up. I hate that something happened to her and she didn’t call me. And it pisses me off that I'm pissed she was in a car with another man. I shut off the truck and turn my body towards her, resting my arm on the steering wheel, trying to look casual, even with the blood pumping more rapidly through my veins.
“You were working, and I didn’t want you to worry or hear you say that you were right about my car being a piece-of-crap.” She shrugs, opening the door and hopping out.
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“Really?” She turns towards me, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“Okay, I may have said that your car was a piece of shit.” I shrug and smile. Throwing my arm around her shoulders, I whisper into her ear, “Looks like you’re getting a new car, baby.”
“Um, no, I’m getting a lawyer. I am not going to have enough money for a new car.”
“Okay, first of all, you are going to be using my family’s lawyer, and second, I am paying for the car.”
“I don’t have the brain power to argue with you right now, but when I do, I will let you know that you’re not buying me a new car. And as for the lawyer thing, if I can afford him, that’s fine. If not, I will have to look somewhere else.”
“What part of that didn’t you understand?” I ask, pulling her to a stop and turning her towards me. I place my hands under her jaw, tilting her head back slightly. “I’m paying for the car.” I cover her mouth with mine before she has a chance to say anything. When I pull my mouth away, her lips are still close enough that they brush mine with each word I say. “You, our daughter, and occasionally Jax ride in that car. You three are the most important people in my life, and I will not have you riding around in a piece-of-shit car when I can easily get you something that is safe. And when the kids go to bed tonight, you’re going to explain to me why the f*ck you didn’t call me when your car broke down. And you better come up with something better than you didn’t want to bother me at work, ‘cause as of right now, my palm is itching, and I plan on spanking you for that shit.”