All I Need: Rod & Daisy (All Of Me Duet Book 2) by A.D. Justice (electric book reader txt) 📕

“You’re too generous, Rod. But I’m taking you up on that offer before you change your mind.”

On the way to school, I receive a call from Juliana. I drop the kids off at the front door and sit in the car to talk to her in private.

“What’s up, Jules? You’re calling early this morning.” I hold my breath and brace myself for bad news.

“My brother is up to something he refuses to tell me about. Do you have any idea what he’s doing?” No hello. No good morning. Just straight to the point. She’s pissed.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific than that. He’s always up to something, so that’s a bit of a loaded question.” I’m relieved this call is only about Rod and not about her health. I don’t think I could stand another setback.

“Fair point. My best friend, Karen, said Isa’s dad has been asking about me. I haven’t heard from him in five years, and suddenly he’s interested in how I’m doing. He’s also asking about Isa, even though his parental rights were stripped after he abandoned her at three months old. Karen poked around for me and found out Rod paid Gabe a visit a couple of weeks ago. I need to know why he felt the need to go see him and what he’s up to. This has opened up a lot of old wounds. What if he happens to show up out of the blue? What if he tries to get his rights reinstated? Can he even do that? I’m not even there to explain any of this to Isa.” Her voice quivers as the words tumble out of her mouth.

“Slow down, Jules. Take a breath, and let’s talk this out. There has to be a reasonable explanation for all this. He hasn’t told me anything about his visit, but he has been quieter than usual since we’ve been back. I assumed it was because he was so worried about you.” My thoughts swirl as I attempt to piece this puzzle together.

“Daisy, you don’t think he’s getting everything lined up to… to give Gabe custody of Isa, do you?” Her voice breaks and I know she’s frantically wiping away tears without even being able to see her.

“There’s no way in hell he’d do that, Jules, and you have to know the answer without asking. He adores you and worships her. As protective as he is of both of you, he’d never trust her care to some guy who split five years ago and hasn’t tried to make amends since then. There has to be another explanation.”

“You’re right, and I do already know the answer to the question that’s pestering me. I feel guilty for even thinking anything negative about Rod. It’s because of my fever and all the medications I’m on. I’m delirious. Rod never liked Gabe anyway, so his sudden visit doesn’t make sense. Now I can’t stop thinking about Gabriel, and he’s not someone I want on my mind. Can you find out what’s going on for me?”

“You got it. If I have to, I’ll put Rod through the third degree tonight until he gives up the information. CIA interrogators will come to me for training after this. I’ll break him.”

She chuckles with me, relieving some of her pent-up frustration. We talk a few more minutes before I have to go inside. She sounds calmer when we disconnect. “Thank you. I love you, Daisy. You’re the sister I never had.”

“Love you, too, little sis. You focus on getting better, and I’ll man-handle your brother in your absence. We’ll talk later, after I find out what he’s up to.”

The rest of the day goes by so slowly, and this topic stays at the forefront of my mind every second. I’m racking my brain to figure out why he would’ve contacted Isa’s father after all this time, and while Juliana is in the hospital. They’ve been Rod’s whole life for so long, there’s no way he’d abandon them now. But he hasn’t mentioned going to see Gabe, even though whatever was said between them has clearly affected him and explains his off behavior.

When I arrive at Rod’s, I get the kids settled in to work on their homework and Louise makes snacks to hold them over until dinner. Rod’s in his office, staring intently at his laptop when I enter. He looks up at me and a sexy smirk slides across his face.

“Given my proposition any thought today? I’ve had a very long day alone after spending so much time with you for the last few weeks.”

“It has been a long day, hasn’t it?” I drop down in one of the chairs across from his desk. His smile fades as concern etches in his features.

“What’s wrong, babe? What happened?” He moves around the desk and sits next to me, holding my hands in his.

“Juliana called me first thing this morning. Very upset. Powerless while she’s in the hospital. Rumors of Gabe asking around about her and Isa have reached her. She also knows about you going to visit him. What are you up to, Rod?”

The color drains from his face as my words sink in. He remains stock still and silent for several heartbeats. I slide to the edge of my seat, unsure of what to expect next, but positive I’ll need to pace around the room while trying to make sense of it all.

“Rod, you need to talk to me. What’s going on?” I prod again.

He drops his chin to his chest and stares a hole into the floor. “That motherfucker. He was supposed to keep his mouth shut.”

“About what?” I squeeze his hand to prompt him to talk to me.

“Promise not to get mad at me?”

“No. But I promise to hear you out. That’s the best I can do.”

“Fair enough. Gabriel Rivera was Juliana’s college boyfriend, and he’s Isa’s father as you know. He hasn’t been in their lives since Isa was three months old, but