“What do you want to do today?” I asked her as I finished putting her hair up in a ponytail.
“Can we go swimming?”
“Not in this dress, we can’t.”
“Oh yeah. The park?”
“You might get your dress dirty.” I said, putting the brush and hair accessories away. “How about a movie and lunch?”
“Yay!” She jumped up and down.
I pulled out my phone to see what was playing. Luckily there was a kid’s movie that looked sweet. I ordered tickets on my phone.
“Did you have fun with your mom this weekend?” I toyed over whether or not to ask. It seemed normal to inquire about her weekend, and yet, under the circumstances it could be construed as trying to get information.
“Yes, we went to the zoo. Papa Leo told me about animals.”
“Papa Leo?” Is that really what Veronica told Maisie to call him? That felt like an even bigger betrayal than Maisie wearing a dress.
“That’s her new husband but he’s not my dad. My daddy will always be my daddy.”
“Yes, absolutely. You have the best daddy, Maisie. He loves you so much.”
She grinned. “He gave me ice cream last night.”
I smiled back. “Did he?”
“I wish he could come with me to Mommy’s house. I don’t know why he can’t.”
“He doesn’t want to get in the way of your time with her. You do like being with her, don’t you?” Inwardly I winced as I realized that might not be an appropriate question. Then again, if I was ever asked to testify in court, what Maisie told me could help.
“Yeah, but I like it here better.”
“Sometimes it’s hard to adjust to new things. When you get used to her house, it will be better.”
Maisie shrugged. “I can’t do very much there. Just play in my room unless Mommy takes me to the park.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can’t color or play in the living room because I might mess it up.”
If Veronica was going to be a mom, she’d need to learn to deal with kids’ messes. “Just like you’re not used to being there, your mom and Leo,” no way was I calling him Papa Leo, “need to get used to having you there.”
Maisie tugged on my hand and I squatted down as her face turned serious. In a quiet tone she said, “My daddy and mommy were fighting last night.”
“Oh?”
“I could hear them in my room when I was putting on dresses to show Daddy.”
I rubbed her arms as I tried to figure out what I should ask or say. “How did that make you feel?”
“I didn’t like it.”
“Did you tell your daddy?”
She shook her head. “He was sad too. I think he didn’t like the dresses Mommy bought me.”
“Oh honey, I’m sure that wasn’t it. Sometimes mommies and daddies disagree. But they both love you. And I know your daddy loves you no matter what.”
“What’s a nanny?”
Huh? “A nanny is someone who helps raise kids. Sort of like how I stay with you while your dad works, although nannies often live with the family.”
“Can you come live with me and daddy?”
My heart squeezed. “I live next door.” Wanting to move on to a new subject, I said, “Let me text your daddy to tell him what movie we’re going to see and where we’ll have lunch.”
“Can he come to lunch with us?” Maisie’s eager eyes shone with hope.
“I don’t know. I can ask him.”
Unfortunately, Dylan had an appointment with a lawyer, so he couldn’t make lunch. But Maisie seemed to have fun and that evening she and I made lasagna, Dylan’s favorite. When he arrived home, I saw the tension on his face, but he smiled and acted normal for Maisie.
“I love lasagna,” he said when she rushed to the door to tell him. He scooped her up and held her, making me wonder if he worried that his days of coming home to her were numbered.
“I know.” She pressed her hands to his face. “Are you happy, Daddy?”
“Ecstatic.” He kissed her cheek and put her down.
“Why don’t you set the table, Maisie?” I said.
She rushed off.
“Was she okay?” he asked, as he watched her in the kitchen.
“Yes. She said she heard you and Veronica fighting.”
“Fuck,” he said under his breath.
“Did the lawyer give you any tips?”
“He thinks it will be outrageous if she goes for sole custody given her track record.”
“Well, that’s good.”
He gave a short nod. “But she’s married and settled.” He used air quotes around the word settled. “Apparently, he feels judges still have biases towards moms, especially ones that are doing the right thing and need a second chance.”
That didn’t sound hopeful. “What’s with the settled bit? Is she not settled?”
“Sure she is. Today. But Veronica gets bored easily and likes the limelight. I give her six months tops before she’s off on her next adventure.”
“That would be good for you.”
“If she has custody, she could take Maisie with her. I wouldn’t see her.” Emotion swept over his face and I wanted to hug him.
“Is there something I can do to help?”
He shook his head. “Just be there for her.”
I wanted to be there for him too, but since that had been such a disaster on Friday, I simply smiled. He didn’t ask me to stay for dinner, which hurt but wasn’t surprising.
“Take the lasagna out in ten minutes,” I said as I got my purse.
“Thank you, Tessa, really. I know this … well …”
I held my hand up, because I felt tiny stabs in my heart every time he tried to apologize or make things between us less weird. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
12
Dylan
The first two days after Maisie returned from her mother’s, I felt like she was going to be ripped from me any minute. In fact, on Tuesday, I suggested that Tessa bring Maisie to the gym, where we had a children’s area to provide childcare to members who were working out. I also arranged for our rock-climbing instructor to give Maisie a lesson on the rock wall.
Like usual, Tessa was amazing. She kept Maisie’s life normal, filled with adventure and fun. She was sweet to me even though I didn’t deserve it. And while Maisie consumed my days and even a few nightmares, Tessa showed up in my dreams as well. I felt like a fool and a douche, and yet at the same time, those few minutes of stroking my dick to images of her in the shower and then coming were the only times I wasn’t living in fear.
By mid-week, I began to relax for two reasons; one was that Veronica hadn’t once called Maisie to talk with her. She wanted for Maisie to come live with her, but wouldn’t call to chat with her? She hadn’t even asked about arranging a visit. The second reason was that I hadn’t been served with papers. I wondered if maybe she’d changed her mind.
On Friday, that hope vanished as I received an envelope with a petition for sole custody of Maisie. I immediately called my lawyer, who expressed shock that she’d ask for so much in light of her history. Me? I wasn’t shocked. Veronica was a do-or-die, all-in, type of woman. It had been one of the things that had attracted me to her back when we met in college.
“What can I do?” I asked.
“Fight, of course. It’s a process, and you’ll need to prove you’re the best parent to raise Maisie. There’ll be a home visit and interview, maybe even more than one,” he explained.
“What about Veronica?”
“Her too, with her new husband. That will be in her favor. As I said, judges still lean towards thinking two parents and the biological mom are best, but I do think we have a good case.”
“She hasn’t called Maisie or asked for a visit,” I said.
“Good. Keep track of all that. Fathers do win custody sometimes, so it’s not unheard of.”
But I knew Veronica wasn’t a normal mom. She was a celebrit
y. A celebrity that people liked. I could out her as not having seen her child in nearly a year, but that seemed harsh. Then again, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to protect Maisie. If this went to court, chances were it would come out, and she had to know that. Did she want Maisie so bad she was willing to risk hurting her reputation?
Then there was the fact that Leo had money. Lots of it, based on my research of him. I had a lot of money too, but he was one-percenter wealthy. Not only could he outdo me financially, but he was old-New York money, which meant he had connections. Odds were good that he knew someone in New York who would know the local judge overseeing this case.
As I drove home, my anger festered until I couldn’t take it. Not wanting to explode in front of Maisie, I pulled over and called Veronica.
“I never, ever, kept her from you and now you do this. You stab me in the back and try to rip us apart.”
“Oh, come on, Dylan,” she said in that way that made me feel like I was an emotional pussy. “I’m not out to get you. And ripping you apart is a little melodramatic, don’t you think? Maisie had a lovely time with us. I doubt she’ll feel ripped apart.”
“Then you don’t know the first thing about kids.” How could I make her see? I worked to tamp down my anger. “Listen, I’m all for you being in her life, but it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You’re her mother and I’m her father. We have to share. For Maisie’s sake.”
There was a pause on the line. “I don’t want to take her from you Dylan, but this is what was recommended.”
“By who?” She didn’t want this?
“I want to see her more, and Leo and his lawyers said there was nothing to keep you from stopping my visits.”
“Veronica … I’ve never stopped you. I’ve never even threatened to stop you.”
“I know, and I told them that, but they said it was better to have the extra legal protection.”
“So ask for joint custody. This document asks for full.”
“I want full, Dylan.”
Fuck. “You won’t win.” I waged a war in my head about how down in the mud I should go. “You have a career image to consider, Veronica.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“This will make the news and gossip rags, you know it. I won’t be talking to them, but it will get out that you were the one that left her. That you haven’t seen her.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“Maybe. But there’s nothing I won’t do to protect Maisie. Nothing.” I hung up, feeling a little sick to have threatened to ruin her image, and yet my desperation couldn’t stop it.
I sat in the car, working to calm myself so I could go home and act normal for Maisie. What the hell could I do to ensure she stayed with me? Why wasn’t it enough that I’d been her sole provider for nearly three years since Veronica decided she’d rather be a supermodel than a mother? Why would her claim get more weight than mine?
“With a new husband, that will be in her favor.” The lawyer’s words came back to me.
I’d stayed single for several reasons. One was that I didn’t want to take my focus off Maisie. I didn’t want to have her grow up with a step-parent that didn’t love her like a parent. But I also didn’t want to put my own heart at risk again. All the reasons I wasn’t married again were going to hurt me now in my attempt to fight for Maisie. Maybe what I needed was to get married.
“Ah, fuck,” I said as I turned down my street. What a dumbass response. I had no prospects for marriage. While my lawyer said these cases can go on for months, even years, chances were low that I’d meet a woman I liked enough in time to make a difference.
I pulled into my driveway, parked, and headed inside.
“Shhh … he’s here,” Maisie’s loud whisper said.
I looked around and saw blankets strewn over the couch, coffee table and a chair.
“I’m sure he won’t find us,” Tessa’s voice came from inside the makeshift fort. A wave of emotion filled me. What were the odds Veronica would do something like mess up the living room to make a fort? When we’d been married, she’d created one of those living rooms that were only for show, but that you couldn’t actually sit in or use. There was no way she’d allow this type of mess.
“Huh … I wonder where Maisie and Tessa are?” I tossed my keys on the table by the door.
I heard Maisie snicker and giggle.
“I wonder if she’s in the kitchen.” I walked past the tent, stopping right outside the opening.
I heard a little squeak.
“Is that a mouse? Do I have mice in the house?”
Another little snicker came from the tent.
I heard movement. “Boo, Daddy!”
“Argh!” I jumped back and put my hand over my heart. “Maisie, you scared me. Where were you?”
“In here. We made a fort. Do you want to come in? Tessa and Mr. Whiskers are here too.”
“Really? I can come in?”
“Yes. Come on.” She crawled backwards into the fort as I dropped down to my hands and knees. Inside, I saw Maisie smiling so happily it made my heart stop. Next to her, Tessa had a little tea set, and the stuffed cat, Mr. Whiskers, was next to her.
“We’re having tea. Would you like some?” Tessa smiled as she held up a teacup.
In that moment, clarity came like a lightning bolt. Who better to be the perfect wife and step-mother to Maisie than the woman who’d been the perfect friend to both of us for the last year?
13
Tessa
Dylan looked weary and sad when I’d first peeked through the blanket hanging over the furniture to see him enter the house. When he bent down to come into the fort, I saw the father who loved his daughter more than life itself.
He looked at me when I asked if he wanted tea and something flashed in his eyes. I wanted to believe he had an epiphany and realized I could be a woman who cared for him, but that was stupid.
“I’d love some tea.”
Our fort was spacious for me and little Maisie, but Dylan was humongous. Or maybe it was just the tight quarters that had me close enough to feel his warmth and inhale his sexy scent. It made me yearn for what I couldn’t have. Because that hurt, I wanted to get away.
“I’ll tell you what. You have a tea party with Miss Maisie and Mr. Whiskers, and I’ll go whip you guys up something for dinner.”
“Can we eat in here? Pahllleeeesssseeee?” Maisie clasped her hands over her heart and looked at me and then Dylan.
He looked at me. “Is it conducive to fort eating?”
“Ah … how about grilled cheese?” That seemed fairly safe.
“Yes. I love grilled cheese,” Maisie bounced, her little head poking the blanket roof.
“Grilled cheese it is.” I started to crawl out.
“Why don’t you stay and eat with us?” Dylan said before I could stand.
I looked into the fort, surprised by his offer.
“Yes. Stay, Tessa.” Maisie said. “Mr. Whiskers wants you to stay too.”
I smiled, even though inside I hurt a little bit, because I knew he was being nice. His offer didn’t mean he wanted me. “Yes, that would be fun.”
I whipped up four grilled cheeses, including one for Mr. Whiskers knowing Dylan would eat it. I also cut up some fruit and made a veggie plate as I knew Dylan always wanted Maisie to have fruits and vegetables with her meals. I put everything on a tray and carried it to the fort, where I heard Maisie and Dylan chatting away. I hated how much I wanted to be a part of them.
“Knock, knock,” I said. “Food delivery.”
“What service,” Dylan said, reaching out and taking the tray from me.
I crawled in but sat near the door, ready to make my exit when the fun and games were over.
We ate together, and each bite was harder to swallow than the one before as we interacted like a family and yet, we weren’t one. At least, I wasn’t a part of it.
When the food was done and it was time to clean up, I told Dylan I’d
clean up the dishes while he gave Maisie her bath.
“Thank you, Tessa, really. I don’t know how I’d manage without you.”
I liked being appreciated. At least he recognized my contribution, even if he didn’t care for me like I did for him.
“Listen, don’t go when you’re done. I’d like to talk to you after I get Maisie to bed, if you have time. Do you have a date or something?” His expression looked apprehensive at that last question.
“No. I have no plans tonight.”
“Tomorrow night?”
I shook my head. Jared hadn’t called since the night we’d hung out, so apparently I didn’t have the opportunity, as Dylan might describe it. Just as well, since I didn’t have the desire for him either.
“No,” I said, wondering about his interest in my personal life. Maybe he just wanted to know I had a new guy to help alleviate his guilt about what had happened between us. “I can stay.” I figured he either wanted to give me an update on the custody case or perhaps fire me since it was so weird to work for him since I’d given him my virginity.
“Great. Thanks.”
I did the dishes and finished cleaning up the living room. I sang quietly along with Dylan and Maisie as he played his guitar as she took a bath. Later I snuck down the hallway to listen as Maisie chatted about her day and Dylan read her a couple of stories.
Eventually, I headed back to the living area to wait for them to finish. When he first emerged from the hall, he looked very serene. It wasn’t an expression I saw much anymore, and I missed it. When he saw me, he swallowed, and looked a bit nervous.
My belly said uh oh, even though I had no idea what was up.
“Do you want something to drink. I think I might have some wine hidden away somewhere.”
I shook my head. “No, thank you. Is something wrong, Dylan?” I wanted to get this over with. The anticipation was making me antsy.
“Mind if I get a drink?”
It’s your house, I thought. “No. Go ahead.”
Heart of Hope: Books 1-4 Page 55
