The Baby Battle Read Free Page A

been. He tucked his glasses into the same suit pocket where his paperwork had been stashed. “I know this must come as a shock, but I’m sure we can make this work.”
    “Of course.” Her every instinct screamed to shut him out, but she also realized that, legally, he had rights she couldn’t ignore. To do so would make her seem unreasonable, irrational and uncooperative. Judges hated every one of those traits. During countless trials she’d coached clients to at all times keep their cool.
    “Liv!” Steph shouted from the patio. “Hurry! The babies are playing. Grab your camera!”
    Tag O’Malley asked, “Is our son out there?”
    Upon hearing the man refer to her baby as “our son,” always unflappable, always in control Olivia crumpled to the floor.

Chapter Two
    “What did you do to her?” Tag glanced up from where he knelt on the floor to see a petite brunette charging at him like a ticked-off momma grizzly.
    “I’m calling 9–1-1,” said a corkscrew-curly blonde, who was right on the brunette’s heels.
    “Whoa,” Tag said, giving Olivia Marshall’s shoulder a gentle nudge. “Whatever happened to this little lady she managed all on her own. I was just standing here when she collapsed.”
    “Likely story,” the brunette said, arms tightly folded.
    “W-what happened?” The mother of Tag’s son stirred, her moss-green eyes darting around the room.
    “That’s what we’d like to know,” said the woman with the phone. She’d put it on speaker. Every ring annoyed Tag more.
    “This is 9–1-1. Please state your emergency.”
    “There’s a man in my friend’s house.” She hastily gave the address. “We think he hit our friend and—”
    “Stop.” Hand on her forehead, Olivia Marshall easedupright. Tag helped her to a sitting position. Sure, he hadn’t been directly to blame for her fall, but the news he’d delivered hadn’t helped. “There’s no need to involve police.”
    “But he hurt you,” the brunette pointed out.
    “Ma’am,” the tinny-voiced operator asked, “is everything all right? Would you like me to send an officer to your location?”
    “No,” Olivia said, hopefully loud enough for the dispatcher to hear. “Everything’s fine.”
    “Just in case,” the woman said, “I’m sending a patrol. Routine procedure following a distress call.”
    “Ladies…” Holding up his hands in the universal sign for surrender, Tag said, “Seriously, the last thing I wanted to do was upset anyone. I mean, I see why Ms. Marshall would understandably be upset, but I never dreamed she would faint.” Shaking his head, Tag couldn’t believe how what he’d prayed would be an unforgettable first meeting with his son had turned into a nightmare. Oh, for sure he wasn’t likely to soon forget the scene, but for far different reasons than he’d expected. Even worse, he had yet to see his boy. Did the tiny fella look like him? Hopefully without the crooked nose Tag had inherited from Uncle Frank. “This isn’t going at all how I’d expected. I’d just like to hold our son.”
    Olivia snorted. “Like you honestly thought you’d waltz into my home, demand that I hand over my baby and I wouldn’t have a problem with it?”
    “What?” the other women asked in unison.
    “Whoa,” he protested with his hands still held up. “For the record, I haven’t demanded anything. I’m just trying to—”
    “Not to leave you out of the loop,” Olivia said to her friends, “but what’s going on is a long story.” When she struggled to stand, Tag gave her a hand up. Tension knotted her clenched arm muscles. Though it’d been a while since he’d touched a woman other than family, he could see this one’s energy plainly read Back off . Once she was safely on her feet, he complied. “Sorry to cut the afternoon short, but it’d probably be best if you two left.”
    “Olivia…” The blonde took her hand. “Please tell us what he’s done. We can help.”
    “No,” Olivia said,