Chapter 14: Stupid Boy
"So what made you think you could take a life / And just push it push it around / I guess to build yourself up so high / You had to take her and break her down / she let her heart and soul right in your hands
/ And you stole her every dream and you crushed her plans / She never even knew she had a choice and that's what happens / When the only voice she hears is telling her she can't / You stupid boy"
"Payson, adoption in this situation would be very difficult," Steve explained.
"Why?" she asked.
"In order for Sasha to adopt Harper, Jeffrey would have to give up his parental rights. Do you really think he'd be willing to do that?"
"I think if he steps out of line one more time I'm going to make him," Payson said. Steve laughed.
"I'm glad we're on the same side, Payson. I wouldn't want to be going up against you."
"Will you just send me the papers for Jeffrey to sign? I'll find a way to make sure he does." Payson promised.
"I'll send them first thing in the morning," Steve assured her. Payson hung up the phone and slumped against the kitchen counter, gathering herself for a moment before dialing another number.
"Hello love," Sasha's voice answered. He didn't sound quite as happy to hear from her as he would have before their fight, and Marty's warning echoed in her head.
"Feel like a date?" Payson asked. She needed to take her mind off of the situation with Jeffrey, and spending time with Sasha sounded like the perfect distraction. Besides, they hadn't had a proper date in a long time, it was always family time with Harper.
"What did you have in mind?" Sasha asked.
"Well, Harper is at the zoo with Jeffrey, so how about an early dinner?" Payson looked at the oven-clock and saw it was just five o'clock.
"I'll pick you up in ten minutes," Sasha promised.
#
"That was Payson?" Marty asked, sitting back on the couch in the Rock office. Sasha nodded, gathering the papers he'd been working on into a pile and shoving them to the edge of the desk.
"Apparently Jeffrey has Harper for the evening, don't know what that's about, but we're going to dinner."
"Are you going to tell her what's bothering you?" Marty asked. Sasha sighed, shaking his head.
"Payson knows where I stand and I know where she stands, I'm not going to force the issue. Either we'll work it out or we won't, but neither is going to happen today so I'm just going to try to enjoy what we have right now," Sasha said forcefully, almost as though he was trying to convince himself.
"You're a stronger man than me," Marty muttered. Sasha snorted with laughter.
"Well we've known that all along, haven't we? Or have you forgotten my right hook?"
#
The restaurant was crowded for five thirty on a weekday, but Payson and Sasha were seated quickly. He followed her to their table, his hand brushing against the small of her back, and he delighted in the shiver he felt course its way through her skin.
The host that seated them pulled Payson's chair out for her, something Sasha usually did himself, and took his time admiring her backside as she sank into the seat. Sasha held back a growl, but not a glare; narrowing his eyes at the young man until he left.
"You're cute," Payson giggled as Sasha sat down. He scowled at her.
"What?"
"The way you get all jealous like that, it's cute." He scoffed, mocking outrage.
"It's not cute! It's manly," he insisted. Payson snorted and picked up her menu. For a few moments they were silent as they looked over the impressive dinner options. Sasha ordered himself a Scotch and Payson a glass of white wine, her favorite.
"So, Harper said something interesting when Jeffrey came to pick her up today," Payson started.
"What was that?" Sasha asked. He still wanted to know what Jeffrey was doing picking up Harper on a day when he wasn't scheduled to have her, but he would save that for later.
"She called you Daddy Sasha," Payson said. Sasha felt his heart leap a little at the words.
"Did she?" He hadn't heard Harper refer to him that way except for that night they'd spent playing at the Rock, and he had to admit he loved that she felt comfortable enough to say it in front of her biological parents.
"Mhmm. Jeffrey was pissed," Payson laughed. Sasha smirked. "So what do you think?"
Sasha set down his menu and looked up at her, his eyes meeting and holding her gaze. He couldn't read the look in her eyes; one moment he thought it was cautious hope and the next he thought it was wariness.
"About what?" He asked, wanting to be sure he knew what she was asking.
"About being Harper's Daddy?" Payson clarified. Sasha tried not to get too excited, tried not to scare Payson with how happy the idea made him. The last thing he wanted was for her to push him even farther away.
"You and Harper are very important to me," Sasha said as he reached across the table and took her hand in his. "You're my family. I already think of myself as a father…figure to Harper."
Sasha watched as tears welled in Payson's steely blue eyes. His fingers tightened around hers, waiting with bated breath for the rest of her reaction.
She smiled.
"I love you, so much," she said, her voice wobbling with the tears. She lifted herself out of her seat, leaning across the table and thread the fingers of her free hand through his hair. He lifted himself to meet her, pressing his lips against hers.
For a few moments they just froze, hovering over the table, their lips pressed firmly together, unmoving. Sasha felt hot tears hit his cheeks, Payson's emotions finally spilling over. An instant later her tongue flicked out and she nipped at his bottom lip. He knew that they were in the middle of a crowded restaurant, and public displays of affection were never his favorite thing, but he didn't care. This was the first time in a long while that Sasha didn't feel the wall of marriage between them, keeping them separate.
"I love you," Sasha gasped, his voice hoarse. They pulled slowly apart, sinking back into their chairs, still staring at each other. And then, it was like a dam breaking; they started to laugh.
They were attracting stares, and they knew it, but they couldn't pull themselves together for long enough to stop laughing. Finally, taking a deep, shuddering breath, Sasha sighed happily and reached out to trace his fingertips down Payson's cheek. She leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttering shut.
"I've missed you," she said quietly.
"I missed you," he echoed. "So, why is Harper with Jeffrey tonight?" Payson's lips pressed into a thin line and she sighed, shaking her head.
"He just showed up and told her they were going to the zoo. I'm so angry with him, Sasha, I could just…hurt him. Badly."
"I know, love," Sasha said sympathetically. Payson waved a hand in dismissal.
"We're not going to talk about him tonight. This is our date," she said firmly. Sasha smiled.
"Right. No more talk of the wanker," Sasha agreed. Payson snorted with laughter.
#
Payson was deliriously happy on the drive home from the restaurant. Things between her and Sasha had seemed to turn a corner at dinner, the tension had melted away and she felt light and carefree for the first time in weeks.
Until they got back to her house.
It was almost nine and Jeffrey still hadn't brought Harper home or called to say where they were. She had expected him to be waiting at the house like he usually did when he brought her back from one of his weekends, but he and Harper were nowhere to be seen. Payson's heart started hammering painfully in her chest and she reached out to grab Sasha's arm.
"They aren't back," she whispered, staring at the dark house. Sasha frowned and then realization dawned on his face. He reached for her hand.
"Calm down, I'm sure it's nothing. Why don't you call Jeffrey and see where they are?" Sasha suggested. Payson fumbled around for her phone, hitting Jeffrey's speed dial assignment with shaking fingers and then listening to it ring.
"Mommy!" Harper shrieked happily as she answered the phone. Relief flooded Payson. If Harper was answering the phone and sounding so happy, she couldn't be in mortal danger. Right?
"Hi baby! Where are you?"
"Uncle Mike's!"
Payson felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. "Uncle Mike" as Harper had called him was one of Jeffrey's clients; one of his very young, very spoiled, and very immature clients. He was a staple of L.A.'s party scene, and Payson had no doubt that he was the one who started Jeffrey on recreational drugs use.
"Where's your Dad, Harper? Put him on the phone," Payson said, fighting to keep her tone even. She felt Sasha's hand squeeze hers.
"He says no," Harper said, sounding confused.
"Honey, are you at Uncle Mike's house in L.A. or his house in Aspen?" Payson asked, feeling her knees getting weak. There was a long stretch of silence before Harper answered and it made Payson want to scream.
"Aspen," Harper finally said.
"Okay baby, I want you to stay right where you are. Daddy Sasha and I are coming to get you," Payson promised, smiling just a little at the sound of 'Daddy Sasha.' "Got it? Do not leave Uncle Mike's."
"Okay Mommy," Harper said happily. The phone went dead and Payson resisted the urge to dial his number again and keep Harper on the phone for two hours, just to make sure nothing happened.
"He's her father," Payson hissed as Sasha reversed quickly out of the driveway and pointed the truck towards Aspen. "I shouldn't have to worry whether or not she's safe with him."
The ride was silent, broken only by Payson's occasional directions. Sasha wanted to say something to help her, to calm her down, but he knew that right now Payson needed her mind to be on Harper. She didn't want distraction, she wanted focus. He wanted his fist in Jeffrey's face.
Finally, after two long hours, they pulled up in front of a monstrous, modern house. Payson was out of the truck before it had even really stopped, and as soon as he could throw it into park and get out, Sasha was following. The sounds of a party reached their ears quickly, Sasha could practically feel the heavy bass line in his feet. Payson didn't falter, she just marched right up to the door and stormed in. Sasha followed quickly, watching in stunned awe as Payson marched over to the stereo, turned it off and addressed the crowd.
"Where is he?" She asked. Every hand in the room pointed up the stairs. Payson took the stairs two at a time and then turned left down a long hallway, seeming to know right where she was going. Sasha followed her to a room with a card table, where several men were playing cards and Harper sat in the lap of some guy he assumed was Uncle Mike. She picked a card from the ones in his hand and laid it down on the table with a broad smile. A quick scan of the room showed no sign of Jeffrey.
"Mommy! Daddy Sasha!" Harper shrieked. She jumped out of Uncle Mike's lap and flew across the room, into Payson's arms. Payson hugged her tightly, peppering kisses over her face before handing her off to Sasha. He held her tightly against his side.
"Take her back to the truck. I'll be out in a minute," Payson said, her voice low and strained. Sasha knew the men in the room were about to face his worst nightmare; an enraged Payson Keeler.
As he left the room with Harper, Sasha spared a glance over his shoulder. Payson had taken Mike's chin in her hand and was staring into his eyes. After a moment, she slapped him away in disgust and marched towards a closed door.
"What's Mommy doing?" Harper asked. Sasha tore his eyes away and kept walking.
"She's just got to have a chat with your Dad, puiule."
#
Payson never thought the phrase "seeing red" was a literal description of what someone saw when they were angry. But as she stormed across the room to Mike's master bathroom, where Jeffrey was probably snorting lines, she knew it was absolutely true. Her hands connected with the door, sending it flying open with a satisfying crash. Jeffrey stood bent over the marble counter top, a rolled dollar bill in hand. White lines of cocaine almost disappeared against the marble.
Payson couldn't help herself. She flew into the room, knocking the bill from Jeffrey's hand and swiping her own across the counter, sending cocaine flying through the air and onto the floor, probably wasting thousands of dollars. Careful to hold her breath so she didn't get any of it, she took a stunned Jeffrey by the ear and dragged him out into the hall.
"What the fuck, Payson?" Jeffrey roared, bent low as he tried to ease her grip on his ear. When she did let go, she planted her hands on his chest and shoved him into the wall.
"You are done!" she screamed at him. "You are out of Harper's life forever, Jeffrey!"
"The hell I am!" he screamed back. Payson clenched her fists, trying not to actually punch him.
"You are. How can I trust you not to let this happen again? Huh? I can't! You're going to sign away your parental rights or I will have them taken from you," Payson hissed.
"So Sasha can pretend he's Harper's Dad? I don't think so," Jeffrey laughed.
"Sasha is more a father to Harper than you will ever be. I'm done talking about this. I'll bring you the papers on Tuesday and you will sign them," Payson said.
"And if I don't?"
Payson just stared at him for a moment, stunned that he was behaving this way. Finally, shaking her head, she turned to leave.
#
"Is it crazy that I don't want to let her out of my sight for even a second?" Payson asked Monday morning as she and Sasha got ready for the day ahead.
"I think that's a natural instinct to have, but she'll be perfectly safe with your Mom and Dad. They won't let her anywhere near Jeffrey," Sasha promised. Normally, Harper spent her weekdays at a daycare near The Rock, to help her learn to socialize with other children and make friends, but after the incident at Uncle Mike's, Payson had decided that she was better off with her parents for a little while.
"I know, I just…if Jeffrey did something, if anything ever happened to Harper…"
"Shh, I know love," Sasha muttered, pulling her in for a hug. Payson pressed her face into his chest and lingered for a moment before pulling away.
"Okay, she'll be fine. Here we go," Payson said firmly. Sasha knew one of her pep talks when he heard one, and he smiled a little.
"Actually, I'm going to meet you there a little later. I have a couple of things to take care of this morning," Sasha said. Confusion flickered in Payson's eyes before she shrugged.
"That's fine. Anything fun?" she asked. He offered her a smile.
"It might turn out that way."
#
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Marty asked as Sasha parked his truck outside Jeffrey's Denver home. The thing was gargantuan, more house than anyone could possibly need, especially for a second home.
"Are you here to play Jiminy Cricket or to help me scare the hell out of this guy?" Sasha bit out. Marty laughed softly.
"Calm down, I'll be your muscle." Together they got out of the truck and climbed the steps to the front door. Sasha raised his hand to knock and then they waited. Long, tense moments passed.
"Are you sure he's home?" Marty asked quietly.
"He's home," Sasha promised. Right on cue there was a flurry of movement from inside and a second later the door flew open to reveal a harried Jeffrey. Sasha fought a smile; Jeffrey looked like he'd just been put through the ringer.
"What do you want?" Jeffrey asked when he realized who was standing on his stoop.
"I want to have a chat," Sasha said, pushing his way inside. Marty followed.
"Get out of my house," Jeffrey said, holding the door open. Sasha shrugged and shook his head.
"Sorry, I have a few things I'd like to say to you. Sit down." When Jeffrey made no move to sit, Marty clapped him on the shoulder and steered him towards the couch. Jeffrey looked shocked, and a little scared, which gave Sasha more joy than it probably should have. It reminded him of their younger days, when he and Marty were rowdy, trouble making elite athletes.
"If you think you can just come into my house and…" Marty smacked the back of Jeffrey's head.
"Shut up," he growled. Sasha moved to stand in the middle of the room, imagining he was the Godfather.
"You don't even know what you've lost, do you?" Sasha asked. Jeffrey frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
"Payson. And soon enough Harper. You should have counted yourself the luckiest man alive to be married to her, and instead you threw it all away," Sasha mused. Jeffrey snorted.
"She's the one who chose to leave." Sasha resisted the urge to beat Jeffrey senseless.
"And after you gave her so many reasons to stay; the late nights, the drugs, the other women. What wife wouldn't want that kind of relationship?" Sasha asked, disdain dripping from his voice.
"Look, you don't know me, and you don't…"
"If you say that I don't know Payson, I will beat you to a bloody pulp," Sasha growled. "I've known her better for longer than you could ever dream of."
"What is it, exactly, that you want?"
"I want to tell you how utterly stupid you are. And I want to let you know that if Payson comes by with those papers and you don't sign them, you'll regret it every day for the rest of your miserable life," Sasha said.
"You think you can steal my family away from me?" Jeffrey asked. It was taking all of Sasha's strength not to punch him.
"I think you lost them all on your own," Sasha said, grinding his teeth together. "For once in your life, make the right choice and sign. Those. Papers."
"You don't scare me, Belov. Tell Payson the only way I'll sign those papers is if a judge orders me too."
Finally, Sasha snapped. He whirled on Jeffrey and crossed the room in four large strides, grabbing Jeffrey by the hair and wrenching his head back. It had been a very long time since he'd allowed himself to lose control like that, while he was sober at least, and a part of him felt ashamed for not being the bigger man. But a larger part of him wanted nothing more than to repay Jeffrey for all the pain he'd caused Payson.
"Don't you think you've put your daughter through enough, already?" Sasha asked harshly. Jeffrey strained against his hold.
"Get. Out."
Sasha let go of Jeffrey's hair, pushing his head hard to the side. Then he looked up at Marty, who gave a tiny shrug and then an even tinier nod. Sasha smiled.
And then he punched Jeffrey square in the jaw.
A/N: And I bet you all thought things with Jeffrey were over, didn't you? Mwahahaha! Okay, maybe you didn't, but still.
A HUGE thank you to elsinore, HopeFlies, JCI, goalie19, JTellersOldLady, BearyFunny66, AndromedaJane, LauraW89, and poppetrussell for reassuring me about that last chapter! You guys are seriously amazing.
So, warning, updates may slow down (I know what you're thinking; how could they possibly get any slower?) but I just found out that I'm moving to Denver in like…five weeks. And there's a lot to be done so I have no idea how much writing I'll be able to get done. But I will try my best!
Let me know what you thought!