by Lyssa Layne
“Whatever.” I shrug, trying to play it off before I lower my voice. “Thanks for watching the boys.”
Now it’s Ashley’s turn to be nonchalant. “Yeah, whatever, you needed to get laid.”
My cheeks are now on fire and I swat at her, hissing her name. “Ashley!”
She throws back her head, her own glow from pregnancy making her cheeks a rosy red. “I remember just a few months ago when you were trying to bean Jace Richards with a baseball and now you’re boning him.”
I giggle and pinch her thigh. “What can I say? I judged him too quickly.”
“Ow, that hurt,” she mutters, pushing my hand away and rubbing her leg. “So, what about now? How do you feel about him?”
Jace stands outside the dugout as the teams switch positions. All the kids high-five him as they run to the bench, anxious to bat and try to score some runs. I let out a dreamy sigh and in a lovey dovey voice that even makes me queasy, I answer her question. “Now, I don’t know what I’d do without him. Grey adores him and he’s the only person that’s been able to help Sam through Jen’s death.”
Ashley leans toward me, nudging my elbow. “And you?”
I force myself to look away from the hot coach on the field to face my best friend. “I love him, Ash. I never thought I’d fall in love but of all people, Jace Richards has stolen my fuckin’ heart.”
Ashley moves her arm around my shoulders, pulling me to her for a hug. “I’m happy for you, Laur, but don’t make me lecture you on cussing.”
We both laugh and I realize Jace is wearing off on me as much as he is the boys. If cussing is the worse habit we learn from him then it’s far better than if Grey grew up to be like his father. The game ends a few innings later and the boys aren’t even done high-fiving the other team when I stand up to make my way to my boys.
“Hurry, hurry, get your man!” Ashley teases me and she starts to gather all the toys and games she brought to entertain her younger kids.
I keep walking, turning my head to stick my tongue out at her like I used to do in middle school. When I look forward, I run straight into Adam who grabs my biceps to keep me from falling over.
“Whoa there, Teddy. Where’s the fire?” His eyes gleam with a familiar look, the one that lets me know he’s about to drop a bomb on me.
I push his arms away, trying to hide my disgust of him showing up at the very end of the game wearing khaki pants and a dress shirt. He’s only here to make his weekly appearance and try to fool Grey into thinking he was here the entire time. I try to step around him, but he moves with me, blocking the way.
He reaches in his pocket, pulling out an envelope and handing it to me. “I was going to give this to you when I pick him up tomorrow but hell, why not now?”
I stare at the white paper as though it’s on fire, too scared to take it from him and read what’s inside. “What is it?” I manage to ask.
“Well, you know Bianca and I are moving to New York after the wedding so this is a motion my lawyer filed.”
I roll my eyes and snatch the envelope out of his hands. “Come on, Adam. I thought we were going to try to work it out on own own. Why did you have to go and get lawyers involved?” Because he has a shit ton of money and wants to make everything harder for me.
“Read it, Laurel. I want full custody.”
I swear my jaw drops completely to the ground and my heart stops beating. “Wh-why?”
“He’s my son, too, Laurel, and I know this will be the only way that I’ll get to see him. Besides, you’ve got a kid to take his place now so what do you mind?”
I swear to everything holy that I’m going to smack the smirk right off his face. Anger explodes in my chest and I take a step toward him, doing my best not to draw attention to ourselves. Lowering my voice, I say, “Are you fuckin’ kidding me? You’re going to hold it against me that I’m taking care of one of my best friend’s son after her death? Sam is in no way replacing Grey and you know it.”
His grin gets bigger and he tucks one hand in his pocket. “I’m sure I can convince a judge that it’s not fair to Grey for you to split your time between the boys. Plus, you know I have some other dirt on you…Teddy.”
My hands tremble and I ball them up to try to hide it. “You’re going to bring that up in court? That’s low, Adam, even for you.”
“And don’t forget that new boyfriend of yours, Laurel. Jace Richards, really?” He shakes his head, making a tsking sound. “It won’t take a genius for a judge to grant me custody on that fact alone. A criminal sleeping under the same roof as our son? What kind of mother are you?”
In an instant, my body experiences every emotion from rage to despair and I bump Adam’s shoulder as I walk by him, trying to escape this hell so I can collect my thoughts. I don’t get far when he grabs my forearm, squeezing it as hard as he can. He leans his mouth to my ear and whispers, “Don’t waste your time or money, Laurel. Just sign the papers and you can see him any time you’re in New York.”
Tears burn my eyes when Adam is shoved from behind. Jace towers over him, anger taking over his features as he clenches his jaw. “Let go of her.”
Adam releases my arm with a sneer. “Not only is your boyfriend a criminal, but he’s violent, too. Never mind, Laurel, don’t sign the papers. I’m going to enjoy putting this felon in his place and watching you fall apart as I ruin your life.”
He doesn’t even acknowledge Grey, who’s standing a few feet behind Jace, watching the entire scene unfold. Jace opens his arms, waiting for me to step into them, but I move quickly, corralling Grey and Sam toward the car. I hear Jace’s footsteps as he chases after us.
“Laurel, wait! Laurel!”
I open the car door, almost shoving the boys inside. When I turn around, Jace is right there, trapping me between his body and the car. His hands move to my cheeks, forcing me to look at him.
“What the fuck is going on? Why are you running from me?”
His eyes search mine and I want nothing more than to be in his arms right now, holding my hand until this nightmare is over. Instead, I move his hands off my face and shove him as hard as I can, putting just enough space between us that I can open my car door.
“We can’t be together. We’re done.” I gasp at the end of the sentence, pain rippling through my chest as I hear the words out loud myself.
“What? Why? Because of that fuckin’ douc—”
Jace reaches for me again, but I slide into the driver’s seat. “You’re not a father, you wouldn’t understand.”
I slam the door closed and start the engine. Jace calls after us as I drive away and I watch him in the rearview mirror until he’s out of sight. My hurtful words echo in my mind because Jace has been more of a father than either of these boys have ever had.
CHAPTER 25
Jace
My fingers drum against the steering wheel while I sit in my car a few houses down from Laurel’s place. I can’t shake the image of that asshole’s hand wrapped around her arm. Rage like I’d never felt before coursed through my body and I seriously wanted to rip his arm out of socket and beat him with the fuckin’ thing. Just thinking about it brings back the raw emotion and I slam my hand against the steering wheel. I don’t have a fuckin’ clue what he said to her but if I can’t talk some sense into her, I might lose her and then I’d be right back to where I started before I arrived in Florida.
I’m trying to give her time to cool down so we can rationally discuss what the fuck happened. Her reminder that I’m not a father to either Grey or Sam fuckin’ ripped my heart in two but I know that’s not her, that’s not the real Laurel and she doesn’t feel that way. Fuck, at least I hope she doesn’t feel that way. I pull the key out of the ignition and walk down the sidewalk, counting to ten repeatedly in my head, forcing myself to focus on the numbers and not the situation at hand.
When I get to the front door, I reach for the doorknob, about to let myself in like I have every day for the past month, but I catch myself. This isn�
��t my house…yet. I count one more time then knock on the door, not even sure if Laurel will answer it or just sit inside quietly until I give up and leave. Lifting my hand to knock again, the door opens and Laurel stands before me. Her outfit from earlier, my shirt and hat, are now replaced with a long maxi dress. Her eyes are bloodshot from crying and for the first time since I’ve met her, she looks defeated.
Before she has the chance to slam the door in my face, I step inside and wrap my arms around her. She hesitates for a few seconds then locks her grip around my torso and squeezes me hard as even more tears fall. I do nothing more than hold her, petting her hair, and trying to console her although I’m still not sure what the fuck is going on. Long before I’m ready to let go of her, she pulls away, shaking her head frantically and walking toward the kitchen. I follow her while she paces like a madwoman, muttering and making comments that don’t make any sense whatsoever.
“It’s like the fuckin’ crockpot lid. I knew it would break, I knew to get the chair to reach it, but like an idiot, I tried to get it down and it shattered all over the floor. A crockpot ruined even though I knew better.”
Her hands move up and down as she rambles about this crazy story and I look around the room trying to find this broken crockpot and making a mental note to buy a new one next time I’m at the store. Her body pivots and she paces in the other direction. When she gets in front of me, I grab her by the waist and pull her to me.
“You’re breaking up with me because you broke the lid to the crockpot?” I’m trying really hard to follow but she might as well be speaking another language at this point.
Now in my arms, Laurel sighs and shakes her head. “No, that’s just an analogy. I’m breaking up with you because Adam is taking me to court for full custody of Grey.”
My hands tighten on her tiny waist and that same rage from before hits me again. The dickhead that makes me feel this way isn’t here so I take a deep breath and count to ten so I don’t take my anger out on Laurel.
“We’ll fight him, babe. You’re a fuckin’ awesome mom, any judge will see that so you’ve got nothing to worry about. Don’t push me away, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be by your side for all of it.” I stroke my thumbs over her cheeks, relaxed slightly that she’s just freaking out and doesn’t really want to break up.
She shakes her head, pulling away from me and moving across the room so she’s out of reach. “He’s going to use both you and Sam against me…and anything else he can dig up.”
I can feel the vein pulsing in my forehead and I wish that bastard was right here in front of me so I could beat his ass. I came to this town to escape my past, I should’ve known someone would fuckin’ throw it in my face, but never did I expect it could be used to hurt anyone besides me.
Eight…Nine…Ten. “What’s Sam have to do with custody of Grey?”
Laurel’s eyes get glassy and a single tear falls down her cheek. “He says that I already have a replacement for Grey, that I don’t need both of them.”
I take a step toward her but stop. “Laurel, we can work through this. Don’t say we’re done, I can stop coming over, give you space until this gets worked out, but I’m not letting you go. Why doesn’t Sam come stay at my place until then too? Then you can focus on Grey, once that’s settled then the four of us can move forward together…as a family.”
Laurel shakes her head, dropping her gaze to the floor. “Jace, I can’t just send Sam to live with you. I’m his foster mom and you’re…well, technically you’re—”
“A fuckin’ criminal.” She doesn’t lift her head, she doesn’t even make a rebuttal, and I’ve been put in my place. The place where I’m the scum of the Earth, undeserving of anything good, and getting the backlash of being the bad guy again.
I hold my hands up and nod. “Fair enough, I get it.” Taking two steps toward her, I lift her chin and kiss her softly. “You know where I am if you need me. Just remember that I fuckin’ love you, Laurel. You and those boys are my world now and I understand if it’s better for them if I’m not a part of their lives, but never will anyone steal my heart like the three of you have.”
Fresh tears shine in her eyes. Lowering my head, I kiss her one more time, afraid it might be the last. Laurel’s fingers run through my hair, pulling me closer to her as she opens her mouth, letting me kiss her even more. I can feel the wetness of her tears on my cheeks as we embrace and as much as I don’t want to, I pull away and end the kiss. Before either of us can speak, I turn and walk out of her house. Once I’m on the sidewalk, I start to jog until I get to my car. Sitting in the driver’s seat, I don’t start the engine because I can’t see. Hot tears blur my vision and burn down my cheeks because I’m afraid I’ve lost more than I ever have before.
Laurel
It’s the calm before the storm. The boys are in bed, but I know it’s only a matter of time before Sam wanders into the living room looking for Jace. They’ve both been asking for him since the game and they saw our showdown in the parking lot. I tried to blow it off by saying he had to work but I know that lie won’t last forever, hell, it won’t even last until tomorrow since we’ve all grown accustom to having him home with us. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I miss him too and he’s only been gone a few hours.
“You didn’t have to kick him out.”
I glance over at Ashley, who is sitting beside me on the couch and almost drooling over the glass of wine in my hand. I guzzle down what’s left in the glass and set it on the coffee table. I lay my head in her lap as I stretch out over the cushions.
“Yes, I did and you know it. Adam will stop at nothing to ruin me. You saw what he did before.” I squeeze my eyes shut just thinking about the lies Adam told in court during our divorce.
Ashley plays with my hair and shrugs. “True. Adam is a vindictive asshole who has made it his life mission to screw you over for the decision he made in high school to have sex without a condom, but that doesn’t mean you have to still roll over and take it.”
I open my eyes and look up at her, cringing. “You have the worst analogies, you know that, right?” Seriously, for a mom of three with another on the way, she has the dirtiest mouth and that’s saying a lot considering I was dating Jace Richards.
She shrugs. “You know what I mean. Adam knew you weren’t on the pill, there was a box of condoms sitting beside the bed where you created Grey, and he insisted he’d pull out. You admitted yourself that Adam Darbis wasn’t a great lover then so don’t let him fuck you now, Laurel. Stand up and fight him!”
I sit up and turn to face her. “What the hell do you think I’m doing?”
“Letting him win! You know just as well as I do that this has nothing to do with Grey and everything to do with Jace Richards. The game hasn’t even started and you’ve already given him the victory.”
I throw up my hands, not understanding her line of thinking at all, but then again, it is Ashley. “You think any judge will even consider giving me partial, much less full custody, if they see Jace sitting beside me? He’s a fallen hero, he tainted the game of baseball, I might as well just let Grey go now.”
Ashley narrows her eyes. “That’s not what you were telling me before. Suddenly you’ve changed your mind about him…again? Come on, Laur, you know Adam can’t stand the thought of you being happy. He feels like you robbed him of his youth by getting pregnant and he’s relished in the fact that you’ve been single since the divorce. But then shit got real when Jace Richards walked into your life and you found your happiness, even more than that, Grey found a father and Adam’s not about to let that happen. You really think he wants to take Grey to New York so him and Big Boob Bianca can live happily ever after? No! He’s taking Grey away from you to ruin your life and nothing will change in their father-son relationship.”
I rub my temples. “I know that, Ash, but it doesn’t change Jace’s past which can do nothing for this case. Not to mention Adam thinks I’m replacing Grey with Sam and don’t forget the whole teddy inc
ident too. I’m fucked, Ashley, totally fucked.”
She perks up. “What teddy incident?”
My cheeks blaze and I start to ramble as I tell my best friend the only secret I’ve ever kept from her. “In a last ditch effort to save our marriage, I got all slutted up in a skimpy teddy and waited for Adam to get off work. Grey was at my parents’ so it was just going to be us for the evening. I waited until almost midnight for him before I fell asleep on the couch. When the front door opened, I woke up and ran to him in the hallway. It was dark and I didn’t expect it to be anyone but Adam. In the darkness, I found his hands and put them on my breasts then leaned in for a kiss. Our lips had barely touched when the light flicked on behind us and I saw Adam in the doorway. It was Kurtis that I’d thrown myself on.”
Ashley laughs and shakes her head. “Oh that time? I thought you were going to say you got Adam to wear a teddy or something.”
The redness extends to my ears where I can feel my pulse racing. “You knew about it? Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
Ashley rolls her eyes and touches my cheek, my skin sizzling under her fingers. “Because I know you, Laurel, and I figured if I ever mentioned it that you’d be completely mortified…just like you are right now. So, what’s that have to do with custody of Grey?”
I lean back against the couch and squeeze a pillow against my chest. “Whenever I’ve brought up his infidelities in the past, he always brings it up, claiming that Kurtis and I were messing around behind both of your backs. He knows I’d do anything to protect you and I never wanted you to think that’s what was going on, but now he’s put me in a position where I have to choose not only between Grey, Sam, and Jace but now you, too. See what I mean, Ash? He’s royally screwed me over.”
Ashley leans toward me and takes my hand. “First off, you will never have to pick between your son and me, Grey will always come first. Second, I could give two shits about Kurtis making it to second base with you. Trust me, he’s told me many a times how beautiful you are and I don’t disagree. Third, fuck him, Laurel! Choose everyone and make him prove that he’s man enough to be the father he should be.”
