by Liv Brywood
As she walked toward the door, he stood rooted in place. Did she really think that little of him?
Maybe she was right. He couldn’t even keep a houseplant alive. What made him think he could keep a baby alive? And if he took custody, he was trapped for 18 years. He couldn’t even commit to a job for longer than two. He hadn’t been in a relationship with anyone for more than six months, and even that was a struggle. How could he reasonably expect to take care of a baby?
As he exited the sheriff’s office, he turned back to talk to Emily. She was already gone.
He walked through the snow-covered town toward the bar. His truck sat at the edge of the empty lot. A fresh layer of powdery snow blanketed the exterior. After climbing in, he turned on the truck and cranked the heater as high as it would go. A whoosh of chilly air filled the cab. While he waited for it to heat up, he contemplated his next move.
Heading home would be the smart thing to do. He needed to sleep off the hangover if he had any hope of having a clear head. But, St. Andrew’s was only three blocks away. His son was so close. If he went to the hospital, would they let him see his child? Would he be breaking any laws?
He frowned. What kind of law would keep a father from seeing his child? Emily wouldn’t have told him about the hospital if there was a law against it, right?
After shifting into drive, he headed toward the highway. He glanced left, toward where he lived; then glanced right, toward the hospital.
His bear rumbled in his chest. Until now, the beast hadn’t given an opinion one way or the other. Alcohol usually put his bear to sleep for a day or two. Not today. The beast clawed at his chest before leaning toward the right.
“You want to go to the hospital?”
His bear chuffed with approval.
“We could get in trouble—again.”
His bear didn’t care. It wanted to find the baby and sniff it to confirm it belonged to them. The beast had a point. Up until now, he’d been taking Emily’s word that the DNA matched. He’d know for sure if he could sniff the baby.
“I guess we’re turning right. I hope we don’t regret it.”
Several minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot behind the hospital. Since he wasn’t sure if he would be allowed to see his son or not, he’d decided to sneak in. Better to be safe than sorry.
Inside, he followed signs to the neonatal unit. A large glass window ran the length of the hall. He counted seven babies. Which one was his?
Three pink blankets narrowed it down to four. A nurse glanced up and smiled. She walked to the door and opened it.
“Are you one of the fathers?” she asked.
“Yes. My baby was in a car crash.”
“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Slater.”
“Oh… uh, we weren’t married.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss, and so soon after having a baby. I can’t imagine.”
He couldn’t imagine either. Not that he didn’t care about Genevieve’s death, but he hadn’t seen her in over a year. They’d only dated a few weeks. He wouldn’t even call it dating. Mostly screwing like rabbits behind the restaurant.
“Thank you. Can I see him?”
“Of course. I’ll get him.”
She returned with the swaddled baby in her arms. Unsure of how to hold him, Kade opened his hands. The nurse placed the child’s head against his bicep and draped his torso down the rest of his arm. He trembled as she backed up a step.
His bear inhaled deeply. The unmistakable scent of his son wafted into his nose. A punch of pure love filled his heart. His bear chuffed with excitement. Without a doubt, he was holding his flesh and blood.
“Are you okay?” The nurse rushed forward as Kade swayed.
“Just light headed for a second.”
“Don’t worry, your son is perfectly healthy. We’re planning on releasing him tomorrow. You’ll be able to take him home soon.”
He nodded. Apparently, she hadn’t heard about the custody issue. Not that it mattered. According to Emily, it all came down to the judge’s ruling tomorrow. There was a chance he wouldn’t get custody of his son. Most judges would look at his rap sheet and laugh him right out of the courthouse. On paper, he wasn’t fit to be a father, but in his heart, he was more than willing to take responsibility for his child.
“Take him now while we have the chance,” his bear silently pleaded.
Kade quickly dismissed the idea. If he kidnapped his son, then there was no way he’d get custody. For now, he’d have to take his chances in court.
After reluctantly giving his son back to the nurse, he stood at the window and watched her give the baby a bottle. His son’s cheeks flushed and plumped as he sucked away at the nipple. In that moment, he decided to fight like hell for his son. No matter what happened in court tomorrow, he’d make sure he left with his baby.
2
Emily paced the hallway outside the courtroom. She checked her watch for the seventh time in three minutes. The hearing was starting in five minutes and Kade had yet to appear. Damn him. Totally irresponsible, as usual. What did she expect, that a baby would change him?
She shook her head. How naïve could she possibly be?
One minute before nine, she pulled open the door to the courtroom and walked inside. She found a seat behind Melanie Olsen, a representative from the Department of Child Services. Several elderly people filled the gallery. A single newspaper reporter sat to one side, furiously typing on his phone.
A door behind the bench opened and the court clerk strolled in.
“All rise. The honorable Judge Franklin is presiding.”
The judge took the bench and called the first case. As the proceedings commenced, Emily glanced over her shoulder at the entrance. Where was he? Sure, she’d only given him a fifty percent chance of showing up, but what little hope she had in her heart faded fast. She wasn’t entirely sure why she even cared, but when it came to Kade, she’d never been rational to begin with. He had a way of stripping all reason away in favor of hedonistic pleasure. But she wasn’t young and dumb anymore. She’d grown up, while Kade had remained unreliable and irresponsible.
When the gavel hit, she jumped.
“Next case,” Judge Franklin said. “This is a custody hearing for baby Slater. I understand the child’s father is applying for custody. Kade Hunter?”
The judge’s sharp gaze traveled through the gallery.
“Your Honor,” Melanie said. “Mr. Hunter is not present. In light of this development, we’re recommending that baby Slater be placed in foster care.”
“Your Honor…” An older woman stood. “If I may address the court.”
The door at the rear of the courtroom banged open. Everyone turned as Kade barreled into the room.
“I’m sorry I’m late. There was an accident on the highway and I had to wait while highway patrol moved a tanker truck off the road.”
“Mr. Hunter,” Judge Franklin stared down his nose through a pair of bifocals. “I don’t care if the abominable snowman came down the mountain to do circus tricks in the middle of the highway. I expect responsible parents to arrive in court early.”
“I’m very sorry, Your Honor.” Kade at least had the decency to look contrite. “I fully intend to take responsibility for my son.”
The judge glared for a moment before adjusting a stack of papers on the bench. He kept the entire court in suspense for several seconds before addressing Kade.
“I’d been planning on granting you full custody, but in light of your inability to make it to a simple court date, I’m inclined to only grant temporary custody.”
“What?” Kade’s lips pressed into a thin line.
“You have ninety days to prove you’re responsible enough to take legal custody of your son. My understanding is that you didn’t know about him until yesterday.”
“Yes, Sir. His mother didn’t tell me she was pregnant.”
“It sounds like you had quite the relationship.”
“It was…
brief.”
“Nevertheless, I prefer to place children with their biological parents as much as possible.”
“Thank you, your honor.”
“I’ll be assigning an officer to monitor your progress.”
“Wait!” The older woman stood and approached the front of the room. Security guards moved toward her. She stopped next to Melanie. “I’m Tucker’s grandmother. Kade is totally unsuitable as a father. I’m here to petition for custody.”
“Ma’am, what’s your name?”
“Olivia Slater. Genevieve was my daughter.” Her voice cracked. “She died in a car accident.”
“I’m very sorry for your loss,” the judge said. “I don’t see a formal petition for custody.”
“I didn’t have time to file one, but you can’t give Tucker to Kade. He’s a criminal. He spent the night before last in jail and his arrest record is a mile long.”
“Only half a mile long,” Kade grumbled.
Emily shot him a scathing look meant to make him keep his mouth shut.
“I’m aware of his record,” the judge said. “Every offense involved bar related mischief. As part of my ruling, Kade is banned from visiting any bar or from purchasing alcohol for the next ninety days.”
“What?” Kade leaned forward.
“Trust me, son. You won’t have time to drink and carouse with a baby. You’ll be lucky to get more than a few hours a sleep a night until he gets older. Bar hopping will be the last thing on your mind.”
“I object,” Olivia snapped. “This is preposterous. How can you hand an innocent child over to someone like him?”
“I understand your concern,” the judge said. “So I’m assigning... Ah, Deputy Redson. It’s a pleasure to have you in my court again. I’m assigning you to weekly welfare checks. I expect a complete report delivered to my office each Monday for the next three months.”
“Your Honor…” Emily stood. “I’d be happy to assign this case to one of the other deputies. I don’t think I’ll have the time to check up on Kade—Uh, Mr. Hunter.”
“What could possibly be more important than the welfare of a child?”
“Uh…” She struggled to find a valid excuse but came up short. “Yes, Your Honor.”
“This is unbelievable,” Olivia said.
“Mrs. Slater, I promise we will revisit this matter in ninety days. If Mr. Hunter isn’t doing a satisfactory job, then I will grant you full custody.”
“Thank you.” Olivia skewered Kade with a disgusted look. “I can wait a couple of months if it means getting permanent custody of my grandson.”
“Excellent. This matter is settled.” Judge Franklin slammed the gavel before calling the next case.
* * *
Kade followed Emily, Olivia, and the family services lady into the hall. Being responsible for a child terrified him, but not nearly as much as the prospect of losing his son. When Olivia had spoken up in court, he’d almost lost it. He’d barely been able to keep his bear in check. The beast still simmered just under the surface, itching to get his claws into Olivia. How dare she try to take his son away.
“You are a worthless, no good, immature piece of shit,” Olivia snapped. “I can’t believe the judge gave you temporary custody. Mark my words, if you even sneeze the wrong way, I’ll be back in court demanding custody before you can wipe that snot nose of yours.”
“Olivia—”
“Mrs. Slater.”
“Mrs. Slater, I assure you that had I known about Tucker earlier, I would have stepped up to help take care of him. Your daughter hid him from me.”
“Don’t you dare talk about my daughter. She was nothing more than a piece of ass to you. Men like you should be ashamed. How many other babies have you left in the lurch? How many other women have you broken?”
“Broken? I didn’t break Genevieve.”
“How would you know? You didn’t stick around long enough to see the aftermath.”
“We had a fling. Don’t try to pin this on me. She was a more than willing participant.”
The slap came so fast he didn’t have time to react. His cheek stung with a thousand pinpricks of pain.
“You disgust me.”
Olivia turned on her heel and stalked toward the end of the hall. When she disappeared around the corner, he reached up to rub his burning cheek.
“I guess we know where she stands,” he muttered.
“Can you blame her?” Melanie asked. “You’re lucky the judge is obsessed with birth parent’s rights. If you’d drawn Judge Collins, there’s no way he would have granted even temporary custody with your record. Consider this a gift. I texted the social worker who’s watching Tucker. She should be here in a minute. I have another case to check on.”
“Have a nice day,” Kade said. As soon as she was out of earshot, he added, “Jerk.”
“She’s right,” Emily said.
“Can you just not right now. I’ve had enough shit from people today. I don’t need it from you too.”
“You don’t get to talk to me like that. I’m not a teenager anymore and you’re supposedly a responsible adult. Just because we used to be friends doesn’t mean I’m going to go easy on you. I’ll be dropping in unannounced to check on the baby. If I see anything amiss, I’ll take Tucker and he’ll be reassigned to Olivia, permanently.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No, not threatening. I’m telling you exactly how this is going to play out. The only thing I care about is Tucker’s wellbeing.”
He bit back a snarky response. No point in pissing her off even more. If she was the key to keeping his son, then he’d have to watch what he said. Whatever friendship they’d shared in the past wasn’t going to help him now.
A social worker approached with Tucker in her arms. He sucked a blue pacifier as if his life depended on it. The baby’s forest green eyes matched Kade’s.
When she handed the baby to him, he panicked. He wasn’t even sure how to hold him without dropping him. Sure, he’d held him for a minute the previous night, but the nurse had been standing right there in case he fucked up.
“If you decide you don’t want him, you can take him to the nearest hospital or sheriff’s department and drop him off, thereby relinquishing custody. No questions asked.” She thrust the baby into his arms and dropped a huge diaper bag at his feet. “Have a nice day.”
Before he could react, she turned and walked away. He gingerly cradled Tucker against his chest. Kade stopped breathing for a second before drawing a shaky breath.
“I don’t know the first thing about taking care of a baby,” he whispered.
“Then call your mother,” Emily said. “I’m sure she’d be happy to raise your children for you.”
Her biting sarcasm hit him harder than a sucker punch. She really seemed to hate him. But could he blame her? The one time she’d really needed him, he’d been too drunk to drive. He’d promised to be by her side the day of her father’s funeral, but he’d completely failed. He’d been passed out on the couch while she’d been forced to take a cab to the funeral home. She’d refused his apology and had slammed the door in his face. He still felt horrible about letting her down. She’d needed him, and he wasn’t there.
“I can’t call my mom,” he said.
“Why not?”
“She’s not talking to me right now.”
“What did you do?”
“She’s been asking me to repair the roof over the barn for a few months and I just haven’t had time. She’s pissed now.”
“Why didn’t you make time?”
“I was busy.”
“Family should always come first. If you really wanted to fix the roof, you would have made time. I’m sure you could have pried yourself away from Five Claw’s long enough to hammer a few nails into place.”
“Fine. You know what, don’t help me. I’ll figure it out.” He picked the diaper bag up and set it on a nearby table. He used one hand to hold the baby while he riffled through
the contents with the other. “Baby formula, a bottle, a blanket, more pacifiers… That should be enough to get me started.”
“Good luck, Kade.” Emily gave him a pitying look. “Remember what the social worker said. There’s no shame in giving up your son if you can’t handle taking care of him.”
“That’s never going to happen. I’ll figure it out.”
“I’ll be by to check on Tucker later this week.”
“Good. Then you’ll see that I’ve got this totally under control.”
“I sure hope so.”
As she walked away, he frowned. No one thought he could handle taking care of his son, yet they were giving him a chance. He knitted his brows together. He wasn’t going to fuck this up. He’d show everyone just how wrong they were. He’d be the best father who ever lived and they’d all regret doubting him.
With renewed confidence, he flung the bag over his shoulder and adjusted his grip on Tucker. Kade held his chin high as he headed toward the parking lot. His confidence lasted a full two minutes before Tucker spit the pacifier out and started wailing.
In a panic, Kade scooped the dirt-crusted pacifier up and stuffed it in his pocket. He fished a fresh pacifier out of the bag and plopped it into Tucker’s mouth. The baby stopped screaming and sucked away. It all seemed easy enough until he realized he didn’t even have a car seat. He couldn’t hold the baby in his lap while he drove.
“Shit.”
He glanced around the parking lot. No one was around. How the hell was he going to manage this? The closest store that could possibly have baby things was a mile away.
Out of other options, he trudged toward the store. This was only a minor setback. He’d get a car seat and be on his way in no time. If he took it one step at a time, he’d figure this baby stuff out. All he had to do was keep his head and not give into the ever-present fear that he was going to make a huge mistake and inadvertently kill his son.
3
