Offically Over It

by Vale, Lani Lynn

  “Be that as it may,” the judge said, “that has no relevance to what we’re discussing today.”

  I gritted my teeth so hard that I heard my molars creak in protest.

  “There’s a possibility that he’s not even Nathan’s kid,” Eerie’s lawyer tried. “How do we know that the illegal DNA test performed on this child was done correctly?”

  The judge nearly rolled her eyes.

  “Fine,” she said. “Another DNA test will be performed immediately. The child’s representative will be the one in control of the DNA test. In fact, he will choose a company to perform this test. Because I know that your next argument will be that the defendant’s wife works there. All parties in agreement?”

  The baby’s lawyer, Nathan’s lawyer, and Eerie’s lawyer—who might I add looked as if this was a lost cause—all nodded their agreements.

  Eerie looked like she’d swallowed a lemon.

  I would’ve laughed had I not wanted that judge’s attention on me.

  The judge was scary.

  She was scary good at picking through lies—the ones that Eerie had tried to spin all morning—and I didn’t want her to realize that I was a complete and utter faker.

  That Nathan and I were just playing at being married.

  Even if we were getting really darn good at it.

  Every morning since our deal had been struck, we’d woken up in each other’s arms.

  We went to sleep in each other’s arms, too, if he was there and not at work.

  I was beginning to get comfortable in the routine. Beginning to feel like this was what happiness felt like. What perfection personified meant.

  I had a house. A husband. A baby—even if I did have to share that baby with Eerie, I was really beginning to love the guy—and my dream job.

  This was all that I’d ever wanted since the moment that I’d fallen in love with Nathan.

  Though, granted, in my daydreams, the baby was supposed to be mine and Nathan’s, not Nathan’s and another woman’s.

  But, seeing as Eerie had always done some freaky, creepy shit that always turned out bad for me, I didn’t see the point in going down that particular rabbit hole of fuckedupness.

  “Pending DNA tests,” the judge said as she looked at Nathan’s lawyer, “what else do you have that you’d like me to consider?”

  “The name change, your honor,” Swayze said. “That’s something that needs to be addressed immediately.”

  I felt my fingers tense.

  The judge pulled her glasses from her nose and rubbed her eyes with her opposite hand. “And the name? Why does that need to be changed? We can just add the last name to the birth certificate.”

  Nathan looked sick for a moment as Swayze explained the importance of the name.

  Judge Batista turned to survey Eerie who started to sink down low in her chair as if she couldn’t quite believe that all that information could have somehow been said.

  “You’re telling me you named that child after a person that attempted to murder the child’s father?” the judge asked Eerie.

  Eerie lifted up her chin.

  “Stanley’s my father’s name,” she said.

  Stanley was her father’s name.

  What wasn’t her father’s name was Jones.

  Which Swayze pointed out seconds later to my smug satisfaction.

  The judge turned to Nathan then.

  “What would you like to name your child?” she asked.

  “Darren Wolfgang Amsel Cox.”

  “Amsel?” Judge Batista asked.

  “That’s actually my adopted father’s last name. Amsel. I go by Nathan Cox, though. Always have. I didn’t want to take my biological father’s name away when that’s all I have left of him, and neither did my adoptive father.”

  Understanding was written all over her face.

  “Gotcha,” she said as she looked at the child’s lawyer who looked quite bored. “Do you have any problems with that, Mr. Prater?”

  Mr. Prater shook his head. “I’m all right with the name change. I don’t think it’s in the child’s best interest to be using a serial killer’s name, anyway.”

  The judge nodded. “All right then. Pending DNA tests, we’ll reconvene in a week’s time. The name change has been granted. As for now, you two will co-exist in that NICU. Mom takes the morning. Dad takes the evening. There will be no fighting in between,” she raised an eyebrow at Eerie, looking at her pointedly. “Please think of your child for now, Ms. Foster. It will only help your cause later.”

  With that, she slammed the gavel down and walked out of the room.

  “That went better than could be expected,” Swayze admitted. “I think that you did well, keeping your calm.”

  She looked at Nathan as she admitted that. “You could’ve done a lot of harm like Eerie did, yet you kept your cool. Good job.”

  “So what now?” he asked, looking briefly at me before returning his attention to his lawyer.

  “Now we get your DNA test. We wait for the results, and then we hope that the judge sees Eerie for the jerk that she is,” she said, uncaring that Eerie and her lawyer could likely hear every single word.

  There was a loud snort and then an, “I’m going to the NICU to see Stanley. I have an hour before it’s considered ‘afternoon.’”

  Swayze cleared her throat and said, “Not Stanley. Darren. Or Dare if you’d like. I’ll make sure that the hospital is aware of the name change, too. And, ma’am, technically the morning and the afternoon are separated at the twelve p.m. hour. As of right now, it’s my client’s turn.”

  Eerie did not look happy.

  Me, on the other hand? Yeah, I was fucking jovial as we walked out of the courthouse hand in hand.

  “That look on your face makes me want to kiss you,” Nathan said as he led me to his bike.

  I grinned and took the helmet that he’d procured for me at an estate sale—helmet prices were ridiculous. And I’d seen this one driving down the road with him on the way home from visiting the baby one day.

  “Then what are you waiting for?”

  He didn’t answer.

  Instead, he kissed me.

  Later that night, after I’d gotten into bed and Nathan had crawled in beside me, he’d startled me by saying, “I want this to be real.”

  I’d lain there in shock for a few long seconds as I’d processed his words.

  “You want what to be real?” I asked carefully.

  “I want you and me to be real.” I heard his head move on the pillow, but since it was so dark, I couldn’t see his face. “I want this to be a real marriage. I want you to fall in love with me.”

  Too late.

  Way, too late.

  “I know it’s early yet,” he continued. “I know that this is something that is likely not going to happen overnight. But I want this marriage.”

  He was saying all the right words, and he had no fucking clue that he was doing it, did he?

  “I…” I paused. “I’d do just about anything for you, Nathan. Even marry you, have a baby that wasn’t mine, and deal with you having the scariest job on the planet.”

  I didn’t say that I already loved him, though.

  I had to make sure that what he said was true.

  I knew that he wanted them to be true. I knew that he had great intentions. But I had to guard my heart or he’d break it.

  “So you’re willing to give this,” he said, placing my hand on his heart, “a try?”

  “Am I willing to try to fall in love with you?” I asked curiously.

  He hummed in agreement. “Yes.”

  I felt tears welling in my eyes at his words. “Then yes. I’d be willing to give anything a try.”

  I’d be willing to give you the heart right out of my gaping chest if that was what you asked for.

  Chapter 21

  I know life is unfair, but this is fucking absurd.

  -T-shirt


  Reggie

  “I’m sorry, but what?” I asked, thinking that I hadn’t heard it correctly.

  “Your drug dealer friend was let out on bail, and they gave him the kid,” Nathan repeated. “Can you believe that?”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger. “That’s… irrational. What the absolute hell were they thinking?”

  “I have no clue,” Nathan admitted, sounding much more tired than when he’d left this morning. “Are you headed to the NICU?”

  Since Nathan was working tonight, I had the day to spend with my little guy all on my own.

  The only problem was I’d have to pass Eerie all by myself on the way in and her way out.

  It was going to be grand, I just knew it.

  I also knew that she wouldn’t leave until I got there. She ‘didn’t want to leave him alone.’

  More likely, she just wanted to make things difficult for us.

  “Yeah,” I confirmed. “I’m about to get in the elevator now.”

  “I also asked Dare’s lawyer to give you a call. He said he had some important news to share but needed to call me back. I’m literally about to walk into a meeting with Luke and the rest of the SWAT team, so I can’t talk to him when he calls back,” he apologized.

  “It’s fine. I’m not doing anything today,” I said. “But I’m getting into the elevator, the call’s gonna drop any second.”

  He laughed and said goodbye, disconnecting just before my phone went dead.

  I rolled my eyes.

  The hospital was like a dead zone. The moment that I entered the building it started acting sketchy.

  The moment you rose up above the second floor, things got really crappy.

  Which was why, as I was stepping off the elevator, I was kind of surprised to find my phone ringing.

  “Hello?” I answered, not recognizing the phone number.

  “This is Darren’s lawyer, Prater?” Mr. Prater, who was former military, said with an authoritative voice. “I’m calling for Regina Cox?”

  “This is she,” I said. “How are you today, Mr. Prater?”

  “I’m well, thank you for asking,” he said. “I have some news on the DNA test.”

  My brows furrowed. “Really? What’s the news?”

  Yesterday when the baby’s lawyer had sent this stuff to his lab. I hadn’t expected to hear back from them so fast. But when the judge had said that it would be expedited, she wasn’t kidding around!

  “The DNA provided is a match for the father. However, the DNA that you gave us for the mother is not a match. The potential mother’s DNA that you gave us isn’t related to her at all,” Mr. Prater explained, having no clue just how much he’d just rocked my world.

  My mouth fell open in surprise.

  “We repeated the DNA test again with a fresh sample obtained from Ms. Foster. It was confirmed. She is not the baby’s mother,” Mr. Prater continued.

  “Okay.” I squeezed my eyes tightly shut. “Okay. Thank you so much.”

  I immediately tried to call Nathan and got nothing.

  Again, I called.

  Still nothing.

  Fuck! Did he turn his phone off while he was in the meeting or something?

  Growling in frustration, I moved toward the washing station and took care to make sure I was super, duper clean before gowning up and heading into the NICU.

  When I saw Eerie, I almost wanted to laugh.

  Little did she know that her entire show was about to be interrupted.

  I walked over to the nurses’ station instead of going directly to the incubator where my guy waited.

  The other charge nurse, Willet, smiled at me. “How are you today, dear?”

  “I’m doing quite well,” I said as I smiled. “I have some news.”

  Willet raised her brow in question. “And what’s that?”

  “I just got a call from Dare’s lawyer. He’s said that there is no genetic match between Eerie and the baby. The baby isn’t hers, which means that from now on, she won’t be allowed into the NICU,” I said, guessing what Nathan would say the moment he found out.

  Willet’s brows went up. “Do you have that in writing? Because, I swear, that’s the worst thing I can think of right now—telling her that she’s not allowed back.”

  “I’ll have it to you by the end of the day,” I promised. “I’m calling our lawyer as soon as I can. I’m sure that she already knows, and is already working on it, but I just wanted to give you a heads up.”

  Willet grinned then. “If I could’ve dreamed of anything for you, it would be that. I think that’s the best possible outcome.”

  I agreed.

  Out of every possible scenario, this one had never crossed my mind.

  The scenarios that I had considered?

  -Nathan and Eerie getting joint, shared custody.

  -Nathan getting full custody, and Eerie getting visitation.

  -Eerie getting full custody and Nathan getting visitation.

  -Me killing Eerie.

  Out of all of my possible scenarios that I’d figured could be a possibility, Eerie not being the mother had never, ever occurred to me.

  How did stuff like that happen?

  She’d carried the baby for nine months and it still wasn’t hers?

  Jesus.

  We really needed to talk to that doctor.

  There was something more going on there that I had no clue about, and I had a feeling that he knew a whole lot more than he was telling us—including Eerie.

  “Well, I’m happy for you,” Willet admitted. “She’s kind of a… pain.”

  I had no doubt.

  “All right,” I said as I steeled myself. “I’m gonna go.”

  She snickered. “Good luck. God be with you.”

  I tossed her a look over my shoulder that clearly conveyed that I was going to need it, then straightened my shoulders before making my way toward the back of the room where little man was set up.

  I felt like my feet weighed a thousand pounds as I made my way forward.

  Eerie looked up from where she was sitting on the chair next to the bed playing on her phone and sneered.

  “You’re early,” she snapped.

  I looked at my watch.

  “Actually, I’m a bit late.” I ignored her jibe.

  “Oh,” she fibbed. “It is twelve. Imagine that. Time flies when you’re having fun.”

  I didn’t say anything as I waited for her to get up, but she didn’t.

  I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “It’s time to go,” I said carefully.

  “Actually, it states on the agreement from the judge that I can stay until Nathan arrives. It says nothing about you,” she countered. “So I’ll just sit right here and wait for him to arrive.”

  I narrowed my eyes.

  But it was more than obvious that she wasn’t going to be leaving if she had anything to say about it, so I decided to go ahead and make my call to the lawyer.

  “It states that you have to leave at noon,” I countered. “It has nothing to do with Nathan at all.”

  “Well.” She shrugged. “If Nathan can take advantage of the non-visiting hours, then I should be able to, too. So I’m staying.”

  I narrowed my eyes as I dialed the number of the law office Swayze co-owned with her father.

  She answered on the first ring.

  “The judge has already dropped the case, full custody was awarded to Nathan,” she said without waiting for me to answer.

  My mouth fell open. “Really?”

  “Really,” Swayze confirmed. “Like, no joke, I just got off the conference call with the baby’s lawyer, Ms. Foster’s lawyer, and the judge. It’s over for now until Ms. Foster’s lawyer can figure out what the next step is. Apparently she’s been unreachable over the last half an hour.”

  I looked at Eerie, sitting all pretty and unaffected in the ch
air, unaware of her entire world being pulled out from under her.

  “Okay,” I said. “Do you have some sort of documentation that I can show her?”

  Eerie looked up at those words, eyes narrowed in anger.

  She knew that I was talking about her.

  How funny.

  Twat.

  “I do,” Swayze admitted. “Do you want me to fax it over? Is she giving you trouble?”

  “I do and she is,” I confirmed.

  “I’m sending it now,” she said. “I’ve got all the information right here. Let me know if you need anything else, okay? And make sure that the nurses on shift save this for their files.”

  After communicating that I would, indeed, have them save the information, we hung up and I nearly smiled when I could see the wheels spinning in Eerie’s head.

  I looked away from her before she could ask what was on the tip of her tongue, and then started toward the fax machine that had started whirling before I’d even reached it.

  After the papers were spit out, I walked them over to the charge nurse and showed them to her.

  Her brows rose, eyes wide.

  “You might want to go ahead and call security,” I admitted. “This is going to get ugly.”

  “It’s a good thing that it’s lunch time,” she admitted, looking around the nearly empty NICU. The only people that were there right then were the nurses, me, and Eerie.

  The nurses—neither of which I worked with often—were staring at me as if they knew it was about to go down.

  I winked and crossed my arms, leaning against the nurses’ station as I waited for Willet to call in security.

  They arrived within two minutes, and by that time, Eerie was more than aware that she was about to be kicked out.

  She just had no clue as to the actual reason.

  I couldn’t wait to enlighten her.

  Eerie angrily grabbed all her shit and started to stalk out the door.

  I looked over at Willet and said, “Will you make a copy of that and bring it to me outside?”

  Willet nodded and did as I asked while I followed Eerie out the doors of the NICU.

  It was as I heard her walk up behind me that I said, “Eerie, you’re not allowed to come to the NICU anymore.”

  She snorted. “Whatever.”

  “No,” I disagreed. “I’m being serious. As of today, the judge awarded us full custody of Dare.”