SEAL of Approval

by Lynn Faye

  “I know you were worried about Ashley, and I just wanted to call and assure you things are alright. She has decided to go into rehab, and Izzy is staying with us for a few weeks.”

  My heart sank at her words. Going to rehab wasn’t a little deal, it was huge. Ashley wouldn’t have given up her time with Izzy to go away to rehab unless things were really out of control. When she was pregnant, Ashley had stopped drinking cold turkey without any problems.

  “I could come get Izzy, and she could stay with me while Ashley does her treatment.”

  “Absolutely not. Izzy is in school, and we don’t want to disrupt that for just a few weeks. Ashley will be out in no time. Plus, I’m sure Izzy will want to see her mother on the weekends.”

  “Mrs. Edwards, no offense to you and your abilities, but I am her father, and I should be there for her if Ashley is not able to be.”

  There was a long pause, and for a brief moment, I thought that Mrs. Edwards might agree with me and let me pick up Izzy. But of course, it wasn’t going to be so easy, and Mrs. Edwards wasn’t willing to forgive and forget the past me she knew.

  “Devin, you’re just as irresponsible as Ashley, and I’m not going to let you take Izzy. She needs stability, and neither of you has been living very stable lives. All the partying and traveling you do, that’s no place for a little girl.”

  “Mrs. Edwards, that’s not my life now. I have a home and a stable life in Chicago.”

  “I think your idea of stability and mine are different. Now Ashley gave me temporary physical custody, and of course, you still have joint legal custody, but I really don’t think a big argument would be helpful to Izzy at all. Do you?”

  She was right about that; I had never thought arguing with Ashley’s family was a good idea. They were also Izzy’s family and causing a big scene with them wasn’t what I wanted my daughter to know me by.

  “I am a different man than I was when Ashley and I were together. I really wish you would give me the opportunity to see Izzy and be there for her while her mother is getting better.”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Mrs. Edwards said and then hung up the phone.

  I was livid. So angry that I could barely see straight as I stood in the middle of my lawn and tried to figure out what to do next. I needed more information, though, and that was going to take a few days for Ronald to gather things. It was bound to be a very long week of waiting.

  ***

  I didn’t call Ashley’s family all week long, mainly because I wanted to hear what Ronald had to say before I called them back. When I finally saw Ronald’s name on my caller ID, I couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say.

  “Tell me what’s going on,” I said as I answered the phone.

  “It’s bad Devin, really bad.”

  “I heard she’s in rehab, but it sounded like she would be out in a few weeks.”

  “Ashley was picked up for a DUI about a year ago. She got another one six months ago, and then two weeks ago she got her third. Florida has some mandatory sentencing laws that relate to DUI’s and felonies. It’s possible she could spend ten to twenty years in prison.”

  “What the hell! All for drinking and driving?”

  “Yes, they are cracking down, and the fact that she got so many within a short period of time doesn’t help. She was also charged with possession.”

  “Of drugs?”

  My mind spun as I tried to wrap it around what I was hearing. The only reason I’d stayed away from Ashley and Izzy was because I thought she was a good mom and had been taking excellent care of my daughter.

  “She had some prescription pain medication on her that wasn’t actually hers. Her lawyer argued to get her into a rehab facility while she awaits her court case. But she’s not getting off free on this. She’ll serve a minimum of five years, and that’s if her lawyer is really good.”

  “Her mother didn’t tell me any of this,” I fumed as I wrote down everything that Ronald was saying.

  “They probably don’t know what’s going to happen. I suspect they are optimistic that her going to rehab will help her sentencing, which it will, if she finishes it, but she won’t get out of jail time. Not with the new mandatory laws.”

  “Wow, this is crap.”

  “Yeah, you should be able to get custody of your daughter pretty easily if you wait until her sentencing.”

  What Ronald didn’t know was my long history of arrests and troublemaking over the years. I wasn’t confident at all that a judge would choose me over Ashley’s parents.

  “I’ll get in contact with a lawyer as soon as possible. Thank you, and please send me the information that you gathered.”

  “It’s already in your email; let me know if you need anything else.”

  My hands shook as I went to my laptop and opened the message from Ronald. For years, Ashley had continued drinking and using prescription drugs. She seemed to manage with the help of her family, but she hadn’t been doing it on her own like I thought. Her parents were picking Izzy up and taking her to sporting events. Ronald had even included a sign-up roster from school that had Izzy’s parents as the people to call in case of emergency, not Ashley.

  My jaw clenched at the deception they had all played against me. This was my daughter they were messing with. This was my life. I should have been seeing her; I should have been spending time with my daughter and showing her that I was a changed person, and she had someone she could count on.

  As angry as I was at Ashley and her family, I was equally angry with myself for believing them and never questioning what they were saying. This was my fault too. I shouldn’t have accepted their answers and reasoning for pushing me away. I should have insisted on being there for my daughter. Things were about to change, though, as I dialed Ashley’s family on my cell phone.

  “Hello Devin, Izzy isn’t here right now. She’s in school,” Mrs. Edwards said.

  “I’m actually going to come visit this weekend. I just wanted to give you a heads up.”

  “No, no, no. We are going to be really busy …”

  “It’s okay; I’m sure we can find time to connect,” I insisted without letting her finish.

  “No, you can’t come visit. You’re irresponsible and not a good influence. You’re too unstable, and I just can’t have that around Izzy right now.”

  I wanted to scream at Mrs. Edwards and tell her she didn’t have the ability to make those kinds of decisions, but I knew I had to keep my cool. Both Ashley and I had a rough past, and I knew it. What Mrs. Edwards knew about me wasn’t at all the person I was, though.

  “I’ve got a stable family life now Mrs. Edwards. I’m not sure how much Ashley has shared with you, but I have a home and a wife, and I live a very calm day to day life.”

  I couldn’t tell you why I said I had a wife. Maybe I thought it made me sound more responsible. Maybe it was because I knew Mrs. Edwards had always hated that Ashley and I had not gotten married. But for whatever reason, I’d said the words, and I couldn’t take them back.

  “You’re married?” she asked in a little bit of shock.

  “Yes, didn’t Ashley tell you?” I continued my lie. “It’s a new marriage, but she’s a lovely woman, and I would really like to have Izzy meet her. Considering everything that is going on with Ashley I promise I’ll keep my visit short, and I’d just like to have some time with Izzy and give her a big hug.”

  There was a long pause, and I felt like I had finally won Mrs. Edwards over enough that she might agree to my visit. Of course, I didn’t need her to agree in principle. I could get lawyers involved and cause a big scene, but I just didn’t want to do that. I just wanted to see my sweet little girl and assure her that I was here for her.

  “You and your wife can come this weekend. I’m not going to tell Izzy, though, just in case you don’t show up.”

  My gut turned at her words. She wanted me to bring my wife? I cringed at the mess I’d gotten myself into.

  “I don’t think my wife wi
ll be able to come. But I will certainly be there.”

  “If you are coming, you should bring your wife. It wouldn’t be good for Izzy to hear about the woman and not get to meet her.”

  “Um … but she’s working. She …” I fumbled as I tried to figure out a good excuse. “Well, I’m sure we can arrange some time off for her. We will be there Saturday morning. Thanks so much, Mrs. Edwards.”

  “I look forward to meeting this woman who has finally tamed you,” she said as she hung up the phone.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  Not only did I not have a wife, but I wasn’t even dating a woman. My last semi-serious relationship had ended a year before, and none of the women I’d brought on fun trips in the recent months were at all what I’d consider bringing around my daughter. I dialed Jacob quickly as I tried to figure out what to do.

  “Okay, do you know any nice looking women who would be marriage material?”

  Jacob broke into laughter at my statement and took a full minute to calm down.

  “No, I don’t know that kind of woman. Why?”

  “I basically need a pretend wife for this weekend. It’s a long story. Anyone that’s stable and willing to put on an act for the weekend will do.”

  “Dude, what the hell is going on?”

  “There’s a big mess with Ashley, and I basically told her parents I was married in an attempt to prove how stable I am.”

  “So let me figure this out. To prove you are a stable, law abiding, responsible adult, you lied to them and made up a wife?”

  “Shit, when you put it that way it sounds bad.” I laughed as I fell back onto my couch and tried to figure a way out of the mess I had just made for myself. “Seriously, I just need a girl who can go this weekend. I’m sure once they see how stable I am, I can work things out on my own from there.”

  “So you need to hire a woman for the weekend.” Jacob laughed. “I’m sure there’s a service for that.”

  “Not like that! I need a nice girl. Stable, reliable, you know.”

  “Basically, no woman you or I would date.” He continued laughing. “Ask Cindy, maybe she will do it.”

  “That’s a perfect idea!” I said as I jumped up. “She’s smart, reliable, and totally stable. I mean she’s not all that pretty, but I’d settle for her.”

  “Maybe don’t use that as your sales pitch,” Jacob said. “You might want to actually rethink that wording. She’s a pretty woman, just in a casual kind of nerdy way.”

  “Yeah, yeah, she is pretty. Okay, I’m going to call her.”

  “Good luck!”

  Chapter 7

  Lilli

  “So you were in his house, what was that like?” Anna asked as we sat waiting for our turn at the tattoo parlor.

  “Surprisingly calm. He’s actually a really nice guy.”

  “Yeah, I got that from the whole not sleeping with you thing. He’s got to be a decent guy to have said no to you.”

  “I know. So what tattoo are you getting?” I asked as we paged through a book showing pictures.

  “I don’t know. I’ll just wing it. How about you?”

  “I’m getting a rose with stars around it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s pretty,” I joked. “No really, it has some sentimental meaning to me.”

  “Ahh, that’s a good idea. You don’t want to get a tattoo for the rest of your life that means nothing. Like I’m about to do,” Anna said as she pretended to laugh. “I’m just going to get a star or something cute.”

  “So anyways, I can’t figure out what was going on with his ex, though. She seemed pretty crazy, but he was still so calm talking to her. I’d like to know more.”

  “I can’t believe he’s got a daughter. That’s pretty crazy. I’ll need to get a better look at this guy. I’ve only seen him from up in his bedroom while he was stalking us as we got home.”

  I didn’t have any plans to introduce Anna to Devin anytime soon. She was a wild child and a very bad influence on me. She definitely didn’t need to be hanging around Devin while I was still trying to figure out if there was something going on between him and me.

  “Ms. Cook, I’m ready for you,” the tattoo artist said as he stood looking at us from the counter.

  He was decked out in a short-sleeved black T-shirt and had arms covered in a variety of artwork. His hair was clean cut, but he also had huge gauge earrings. The tattoo artist was a unique combination of clean-cut and trouble maker.

  “Eww yes, this is going to be fun,” Anna said as she put her finger up to her lip and bit it sexually.

  “Do you know what you want?” he asked.

  “You,” she teased.

  It was amazing to me how much she teased and tortured men, yet she was still a virgin. I chalked up the unending sexuality to the fact that she was storing it up for the last few years and hadn’t gotten her release yet.

  “You can have me, but how about for your tattoo?” he asked without losing a beat.

  “I was thinking of getting a teddy bear,” she said out of the blue.

  “What happened to the star?” I asked.

  “I changed my mind,” Anna said as she continued to flirt with the tattoo artist.

  I followed the two of them into the back, and we continued to talk while he drew up a sample for her before he got to work. It was a quick process, and within fifteen minutes, Anna had agreed to the design and had her shirt pulled up so he could put it on her upper hip.

  “I don’t think I’m going to go out this weekend. Last weekend was a bit much for me.”

  “I gotcha, are you going to stay home?”

  “I have no idea, but I just don’t want to be that girl who is just wild and partying all the time. That’s not me. I mean it is me because I’ve been doing it since I got home. But I’m getting a little tired of it all.”

  “Then do something different,” Anna said in a matter of fact tone. “You can be whoever you want to be. Be wild. Be tame. Be a nerd, it doesn’t matter. Just be happy.”

  For such a wild and crazy girl, Anna hit the nail on the head with that comment. All I wanted was to be happy, and my partying wasn’t making me happy any longer. I still had no real idea what I wanted to do with myself, but staying up all night and getting sick from drinking didn’t seem to hit the spot for me any longer.

  “Do you know what you want for your tattoo?” the artist asked as he continued to work on Anna.

  “Yeah, just a red rose with some small stars around it. Like this,” I said as I pulled out a picture of exactly what I wanted.

  “A woman who comes prepared, perfect.”

  “Can you do this?”

  “Honey, I could do that with my eyes closed. Where do you want it? Your tit? Lower back? Inner thigh?” he asked in a creepy way as his eyes veered toward my inner thigh.

  “Um, no, I was thinking of my ankle.”

  “That area hurts pretty badly. Might not be a good place for a newbie to start out with.”

  “What about your arm?” Anna offered.

  “I don’t know. I kind of had my heart set on my ankle.”

  I’d imagined getting a tattoo for a few years and just never got around to it. So when Anna suggested going to get her tattoo, I was excited for the opportunity to finally get mine. I was tired of thinking about stuff and not doing it.

  “If you can handle the pain, I’m fine with doing the work,” the tattoo artist said.

  “I’ll make it work,” I said without having any confidence in my ability to actually handle the pain.

  I was able to work through pulled muscles and other aches and pains from working out, but I couldn’t think of a single time when I’d been in real pain. I’d never broken a bone, so this was going to be a new and interesting experience for me.

  When it came time for my turn in the tattoo chair, my hands were sweating and shaking as I climbed into the leather torture spot. Anna held onto my hand tight as the man prepped the area and showed me a drawing of w
hat he was going to do. Despite my dislike of the man and his crude way of looking at me earlier, he did do very good work, and that put my mind at ease as I leaned back and covered my eyes to prepare for the pain.

  The first touch of the needle against my skin didn’t seem as painful as I thought it was going to be. It wasn’t until about a minute into the process that my brain seemed to register the extent of the pain, and I squeezed Anna’s hand tightly as the tears rolled down my face.

  “What was the meaning of your tattoo?”

  “It’s my favorite flower, and my father told me a story about it once that stuck with me.”

  “Are you okay,” Anna asked as she stayed close to me.

  “Yep,” I lied.

  The pain was radiating throughout my leg, and I swore I could feel it all the way up to my kneecap. It took everything I had inside of me not to move my leg while he was working, but I knew that would make things worse and would ruin the work he was doing.

  For a full hour, I held onto Anna and tried not to sob from the pain. I was clearly crying, but my tears were silent, and that was about as good as I could do considering the situation. Some spots on my ankle were downright excruciating as the needle glided over them, while other areas were just painful and not quite as bad.

  “I’m almost done,” the man said as he grabbed some more color and went back to work. “It’s turning out very nicely. You’re doing a great job.”

  “Thanks,” I managed to mumble.

  When it was over, I had a beautiful three-inch red rose with a dozen small gold stars around it. Exactly what I wanted. The relief flooded my emotions, and I handed the man his money and quickly made my way out to Anna’s vehicle.

  “I think we need a delicious smoothie as a reward. I mean if you’re not drinking yet.” Anna laughed.

  “Considering it’s noon, no I’m not drinking yet. Let’s go to The Juice Bar on Williams Street. They do this amazing smoothie with fresh strawberries and lemonade, it’s to die for.”

  “Deal,” Anna said as we climbed into her Range Rover.

  “Didn’t that hurt you at all? It was so painful for me,” I continued to complain as she drove us for our drinks.