by Brie Paisley
“Gabbie! I’m going to spank you if you hit me one more time!” I tell her sternly.
“No, mommy! Peas, mommy!”
“Be good for mommy, okay?”
“Okay,” she says in the sweetest voice. I sigh hoping she doesn’t hit me again. I’m sure I’ll have a few bruises on my arm from that stupid remote.
I walk into the kitchen, thinking I need to start lunch when the doorbell goes off. Gabbie squeals loudly and runs to the door.
“Gabbie, do not open that door,” but it’s too late. She already opened the front door. I roll my eyes getting annoyed that Gabbie’s being such a menace today. I see the local sheriff standing on the porch as I approach, and my heart sinks. This can’t be good.
“Ms. Ava Walker?”
“Yes? What’s this about?” I grab Gabbie from running out the door and pick her up. She pulls my hair, and I sigh waiting for the sheriff to tell me why he’s at my house. I hope nothing serious happened.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but you’ve been served,” he tells me as he hands me an envelope.
“What? This can’t be right.”
He nods and says, “I’m sorry, ma’am, but it is. Take a look at the papers and contact your lawyer if you need any help.” He nods and turns to leave. I watch him go, stunned that I just got freaking papers. What the fuck? I shut the door and set Gabbie down. She takes off running while yelling, and throws a toy at the TV. I sigh deeply, trying not to lose my temper with her. She’s testing me today. I lay the envelope on the bar. Gabbie throws a toy and it hits me on the leg.
“That’s it! Come here, right now!”
“No, no, no!” She yells while running away from me.
I catch her by her arm and pick her up again. I take her to her room and put her in her bed. She of course screams and kicks but I just lay her back down again. We do this numerous times, before she finally tires out and falls asleep. I back out of her room and crack her door. I return downstairs, worried what the envelope contains. I look at the white envelope for the longest time before I grab it and slowly open it. My heart’s racing and I have to take a few deep breaths before I unfold the papers.
The first thing I see makes me panic.
Malcolm is suing me for custody for Gabbie. How could he do this to me? I skim over his lawyer’s papers, worrying what the hell I’m going to do. When I get to the part where I need to submit Gabbie’s birth certificate and provide a DNA test I drop the papers and walk away. I make my way to the couch with shaky legs and I have to grab onto the back of it to keep myself from falling to the floor. I fall onto the couch and cover my face with my hands. I want to scream. I want to call and demand why he’s doing this to me. But as I drop my hands from my face, I realize that won’t do me any good. Plus I have no idea how to get a hold of him now. The room blurs from my tears. I don’t understand why after all this time Malcolm is trying to sue me for custody. And he doesn’t want joint, he wants to take her away from me and push me out of her life completely. I can’t stop the tears from falling. I clutch my hand to my chest, feeling my heart literally hurting. I feel sick.
How dare he do this to me?
He left us. He walked away, without a single word. I have no idea if seeing me at the club got him to thinking and deciding to sue me or not. I have no way to even talk to him about this. I doubt he would even listen to me, but I have to try and get him to drop this. I wipe my eyes and I get up and grab my phone of the kitchen island. I have to dial Viktor’s number three times before I get it right. My hands won’t stop shaking and I put my hand over my forehead waiting for him to answer.
“Ava, I can’t talk right,”
“Viktor, you have to come home right now.” I hate cutting him off but I need him.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen to you or Gabbie?” I can hear ruffling of papers and I hear him close a drawer.
“No, we’re fine. But something big just happened.”
“What is it?”
“Viktor, just come home. I don’t want to do this over the phone.”
He says something in Russian, and I have a feeling it wasn’t him telling me something nice. “Alright. I’ll be on my way in five minutes.”
“Thank you.”
I hear him sigh and I don’t wait for him to say anything before I hang up. I toss the phone on the island, and I go to Gabbie’s room. I quietly walk to her small bed and I climb in with her. I snuggle behind her and she turns over as she puts her arm around my neck. I hold her tightly scared to death that I might not get to do this anymore. I know these past few days have been horrible, but I cannot lose her. Not to Malcolm. There’s no way in hell I will let him take Gabbie away from me. I’ll fight him throughout the entire time if I have to. I will be strong, I’ll be a raving bitch if it calls for it. But I swear to myself, that I will never let Malcolm have her.
I see Viktor walk into Gabbie’s room a while later. I slowly get out of her bed and smooth her hair back. I motion him to follow me, and we stop when we get to the island. I don’t say a word to him. I just hand him the papers, and cross my arms over my chest. He frowns and I can see his jaw starting to clench as he reads the lawyer papers. I still don’t say a word when he finishes and sets the papers back down. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.
“I know a good lawyer you can go talk to tomorrow about this.” Viktor rubs the back of his neck and I can tell he’s trying to reign in his anger. He drops his hand and looks at me. “This is complete bullshit. Let him try to take her. That bastard hasn’t been here since day one. Even before that. There’s no way I’m letting this happen.”
I flinch at his hard tone. I know it’s not directed at me, but I still don’t like him when he’s this angry. All I can do is nod, hoping maybe if he gets it out, he’ll calm down so we can think this through.
He sighs deeply seeing me on the verge of tears again. He holds out his arm, calling me to him. I slowly walk over to him, letting him put his arms around me. He rubs my back and rests his head on mine. “It’s going to be fine. There’s no way he’s going to get custody. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m just fucking livid.”
The way he says Malcolm won’t get custody, makes me wonder. He says it like a fact, as if he knows something I don’t. Or maybe he’s just that confident in the lawyer he knows. “I understand why you’re pissed, I’m angry too. But we have to calm down and think about what to do.” He leans down and kisses my forehead. “Thank you for coming home. I just couldn’t handle this by myself. And I knew you would know what to do.”
“Of course I came. Why wouldn’t I?”
I shrug, not really knowing what to say back. He pulls me away from him so he can look at me while he says, “I know I’ve been working a lot lately and I’ve been a dick. I’ve just had a lot going on since this past weekend and the stress is getting to me. I’m sorry for taking it out on you and I promise to do better.”
“Thank you. Honestly between you being an ass, and Gabbie terrorizing me for days, I thought I was going to lose my damn mind. And of course,” I turn and pick up the papers off the island, “I get this bullshit today. Why does he want custody now? He hasn’t been here. He didn’t call or care to come see Gabbie after she was born. He’s never once shown he wanted to have anything to do with her until now. I don’t understand it.”
“I don’t know, Ava. Maybe seeing you at the club made him wonder about her. I can’t say what his reasons are, but I promise you, Gabbie isn’t going anywhere.”
I nod and smile at him for giving me the confidence I need. I have to be strong through this. I can’t just let Malcolm run all over me, and get whatever he wants. That was the case before when we were together, but not anymore. I won’t let him. He hasn’t been a part of my life or my decisions since he left. Even before then. He was never involved, and now he thinks he can take her from me. I won’t let that happen. Viktor takes his phone out of his slacks and says, “I’m going to call the lawyer now.”
“Thank
you.”
He walks away and dials the number. I listen as he talks to someone about making an appointment and I turn back to the island. I look over the papers again, wanting to hate Malcolm for doing this to me. To Gabbie. She doesn’t know him, doesn’t even know he exists. I feel the rage in the pit of my stomach. Malcolm is a selfish prick I drop the papers again, knowing if I don’t I’ll end up driving to his mother’s house and kick him square in the balls. I hate everything about this entire situation. While Viktor is still on the phone, I start to look for Gabbie birth certificate. I’ve no clue where it is actually. I start to search through the junk drawers in the kitchen first. I huff, when I find its not there, and I walk over to my filling cabinet by my bookshelf. I search some more, and I stop when I feel Viktor’s hands on my shoulders. He massages me, and I start to relax under his touch.
“What are you digging for?”
“The papers said I needed Gabbie’s birth certificate, but I can’t seem to find it. I have no idea where it could be.” I sigh again, and look up when Viktor takes his hands off me.
“There’s no need to search for it. I’ll take care of it,” he says, but something seems off about him all of a sudden. He looks angry.
“I don’t know what that means. How are you going to take care of it?”
“I need you to trust me, alright? Can you do that?”
I cross my arms over my chest as I stand, wondering why he’s acting like a jerk about it. “Yeah, Vik. I’ll trust you, but you could at least let me know what’s going on. I mean it’s not like Gabbie is yours, so you’re not at risk here.” I wish I could take back the words as soon as they leave my mouth. I can tell my words hit him in the worst way, and he walks away from me. “Wait, Viktor, I’m sorry I didn’t mean that.” I plead with him as he walks towards the door.
“Is that what you really think? Because if so, you’re surely mistaken. I may not be Gabbie’s biological father, but she is my daughter.”
“Vik, I’m sorry. I know you love Gabbie. I didn’t mean what I said.” I start to panic. I know I fucked up saying that.
“Yeah, I bet you didn’t. I can’t understand why you would even think that. After all this time, after all I’ve done for you.”
He opens the door to leave and my stomach drops. “Don’t go, Viktor. Please.”
He shakes his head as he says, “I can’t do this with you right now.” And he walks out, slamming the door behind him.
What the fuck did I just do? Why am I always pushing him away knowing he’s right about everything he told me? I stare at the door for the longest time before I have to walk away. I hear Gabbie crying upstairs. I make my way to her, all the while thinking I hope I didn’t push Viktor to far this time.
The next day, I hold Gabbie in my lap while Viktor and I wait to talk to his lawyer. I’m a bundle of nerves, and the tension between Viktor and I is making me feel worse about the whole situation. Gabbie plays on my phone while we continue to wait. I hate waiting. I hate not knowing what’s going to happen. I feel Viktor’s hand slide across my back, and I glance over at him. He smiles at me and I hope this means he’s forgiven me for my stupid mouth. He doesn’t say anything, but I do feel a little of that tension lift.
I jump a little when our names are called. I pick Gabbie up, putting her on my hip as Viktor puts a hand on my lower back. I’m thankful for the gesture. He has no idea how much strength I’m drawing from it. Somehow he keeps me from running in the other direction. The secretary walks us to the lawyer’s office and Viktor and I take a seat in front of the desk. I sit Gabbie back in my lap, and I’m so glad she’s behaving today. She’s sucked into whatever game she’s playing. I don’t think she’s said two words since I let her have it.
“Mrs. Moore will be with you in just a moment,” the secretary tells us before she leaves us, and I take a quick look around. It’s a typical lawyer’s office. Nothing really stands out and it’s just as you would see on TV or in a movies. Plain walls except a few diplomas. A bookshelf filled with lawyer books. A few plants, a couch by the window, and a desk. I’m not impressed, and I definitely don’t feel at ease being here. But, I guess none of that matters as long as Mrs. Moore can do her job right.
I shift uncomfortably in my chair, moving Gabbie to my other leg. Her boney butt is starting to make my leg go numb. Viktor puts a hand on my bouncing leg and says, “It’s going to be fine. We’re going to figure out a game plan and fight this. Okay?”
I nod and sigh deeply. I can’t help but to be nervous right now. Gabbie’s future with me is on the line. I grab Viktor’s hand on my leg and I squeeze it tightly. I feel him rub his thumb on the back of my hand and I try to let him comfort me some more. Finally, Mrs. Moore walks in and sits down at her desk.
“Nice to see you again, Viktor.” She turns to me as she says, “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you. I’m Molly Moore.” She stands and reaches over the desk to shake mine.
“Nice to meet you and thank you for meeting us on such short notice.”
“It’s not a problem. Viktor asked for a favor, and I couldn’t say no. He’s one of my biggest clients.” I awkwardly smile at her, trying to remember she’s Viktor’s business lawyer. I hate that I feel jealous of her. She’s twice my age probably, but she looks good for her age. Her shiny black hair is pulled back into a tight bun, exposing every part of her beautiful face. I try not to stare at her but it’s hard not too. I look down at my feet, wishing this meeting would hurry up. I don’t want to look at her happy brown eyes, or her perfect lips. Even her teeth are whiter than anything I’ve ever seen. She must get them bleached.
I look up to her, even if I really don’t want to, when she starts to ask me questions. “What can I do for you, Ava?”
I begin to explain to her what’s going on with Malcolm and I, starting from the very beginning. Viktor hands her the papers I was served yesterday, and she quickly looks them over. I stop talking when I notice a glance between them, but I brush it off and begin telling her about what happened at the club. I’m glad Viktor never interrupted me as I told Mrs. Moore my story, and his hand never left mine. Once I’m finished telling her all of it, she takes a pen and starts to write down something.
“Alright, we could do this a few different ways. But, my main concern is how this is going to affect your daughter.” She smiles at Gabbie then continues. “I always hate this part of my job. The outcomes are not ideal for the children in some cases.” I glance away, starting to worry. “I want to help you do what’s best for your daughter, and I definitely don’t want this to turn into a nasty court battle.”
“Do you think that’s will happen?” I ask.
“I can’t tell you a definite answer for that. Custody hearings can go a million different ways. I would suggest trying to talk to the father first,” I feel Viktor’s hand grab mine harder as Mrs. Moore says this. “See if you two can’t work something out with maybe some visitations. I’ll get started on preparing your paper work and get a game plan in order if it comes to the worst case scenario. I have a few things I’ll need to get started,” she hands me a list of documents she will need and says, “Try not to worry about it so much. Considering how the father left you the way he did and had no contact with either of you until recently, I have high expectations that no judge will take your daughter away from you.”
I nod and finally feeling so much better about it. I smile at her and thank her as she stands up to walk us out. I pick up Gabbie, still playing her game, and I walk towards the door.
“Give me just a minute, okay? I need to ask Mrs. Moore a quick question.” When I frown at Viktor, clearly confused, he adds, “About the club. I’ll only be a moment.”
I shrug my shoulders, and I walk out of the building and unlock my SUV. I place Gabbie in her car seat, buckle her in, and I get in as we wait for Viktor to come out. We sit for a lot longer than a moment and I’m starting to get frustrated. I’m ready to go home and relax on the couch.
�
�Mommy, hers going home?”
I turn around in my seat and smile seeing Gabbie finally getting off the game she was playing. “Yes, baby. As soon as Viktor comes back.”
“Okay, mommy. Me’s huggy.”
“Okay, baby. We’ll go home soon and I’ll make you some food.”
I turn back around when she picks up my phone again. The wonders of technology. I still can’t believe she was so quiet and so well behaved the entire time we spoke with Mrs. Moore. I really hope this whole custody thing with Malcolm doesn’t get ugly. I don’t want Gabbie being the one that suffers from it. I glance at the clock on the dash. Viktor has been gone for over fifteen minutes. What in the world could they possibly be talking about? I wait for a little longer, deciding to go get him if he doesn’t come out soon. I finally see him walking out, but he doesn’t look very happy. He gets in the SUV, and starts it up. He doesn’t acknowledge me or Gabbie as he backs out of the parking lot. He pulls out on the highway, and I notice how tightly his hands grip the steering wheel.
“Are you alright?” I hesitantly ask him.
He glances at me for a second, and I watch him as he let’s go of the steering wheel. He places his hand in mine, but I know something’s still bothering him. He doesn’t smile or say anything and every few seconds I can see his jaw clenching. I try not to let it bother me that he’s pissed off about something, and doesn’t want to tell me. He’s asked me to trust him, but ever since Malcolm came back into our lives, he’s been acting differently than before. I want to think maybe it’s because I’m stressed and he’s working more at the club. I just want him to talk to me about it.
As Viktor gets closer to home, he’s really starting to worry me. He hasn’t said anything to me, and I can’t help think I’ve done something wrong. I know Viktor likes to keep his personal business private, but it really bothers me at times when does this. When he pulls in my driveway, I get out and slam the door. I get Gabbie out and I hold her hand as we walk into the house. I take my phone away from her as she runs inside and goes straight to the remote on the coffee table. I set my phone down on the kitchen island and I walk over to help her. But, she doesn’t want or need my help. Peppa Pig comes on the TV and I can do nothing but stare at my child in amazement. She’s one and a half and knows how to not only turn on the TV, but work the DVR to play one of her favorite shows. Seeing she has things under control and she’s busy watching TV, I walk into the kitchen to make some lunch for us.
