No matter how much I wished Paige’s threats would just go away, I didn’t know if I could survive all of it hanging over my head. I’d been ignoring her messages and calls at Giovanni’s direction, but it wouldn’t be hard to get to us if she really wanted to.
Her first demand – that I bring Evie to a restaurant and hand her over like a borrowed book – showed how irrational Paige was about custody and parenting. Would she show up at my apartment? Would she try to take Evie if I refused to give her up? You saw stuff like that on the news all the time. The thought that Paige could appear at any moment and challenge me would make me too scared to enjoy life. “What do you recommend?”
Giovanni toyed with a gold band on his left hand for a moment. “Ultimately, it’s your decision. If it were me, I’d get everything legal now. I’d prefer to know where things stand.”
That morning, Evie fussed when I dropped her off at the new babysitter, a young lady named Roxy who did part-time coverage through the same agency where I’d found Sam. She was a tiny blond with a quick smile and a safe childcare set-up in the house she shared with her girlfriend. I requested they stay indoors and made sure she knew not to let anyone pick Evie up but me.
Both Roxy and her girlfriend were both fully vetted and background checked, of course, and I knew Evie would end up having fun. She’d already sent me two photo update texts with pictures of Evie playing with soft toys and enjoying a drink from her favorite sippy cup.
It still made me nervous, though, leaving my baby with someone I’d only met once in person before. How would I feel if I had to leave her with Paige? I realized Giovanni was still waiting for me to answer.
“What would that look like? I mean, what can I ask for and get?”
He cracked a smile. “I’m glad you know that those are two different questions. You’re Evie’s biological parent. You’re on the birth certificate. You’ve cared for her alone for her whole life and there are no problems, right?” His dark eyes bore into me. “Tell me now if anything negative or questionable might show up. Anything. I don’t like surprises.”
I shook my head immediately. “No, nothing. I don’t even have any speeding tickets. No drugs. No wild nightlife. No revolving door of men and women. I’ve never even had any serious complaints about my business services.”
“Good. So, IF Paige wants any type of custody, I’d make sure she has to jump through all the hoops: evaluations, counseling, parenting classes, home visits.” His dark eyes bore into mine. “This isn’t punitive. I’m not one of those lawyers who feeds on spite and works to pit parents against each other. These things help ensure time with her is the best choice for Evie.”
When I nodded, he continued in a softer tone. “One outcome is split custody. Half the time with her, half with you. That’s only if she passes everything with exceptional results and takes obvious and decisive action that demonstrates her true desire to play a genuine role in Evie’s life going forward.”
The thought of living without Evie half the time made my gut clench, but I took a deep breath and nodded. Paige wasn’t a monster, right? She left, yes, but that didn’t mean she’d hurt Evie if she went through all the trouble of getting back into her life.
“Visitation is more likely. Supervised at first. I’m a big proponent of gradual and careful reintegration when it comes to estranged families. It has to be all about what’s best for Evie.”
I nodded. “I agree.” I tried to look at things from a different perspective. Maybe Paige would learn to step up andbecome a great parent. People could change, right? If that was a possibility, I didn’t want to keep Evie from knowing her mother. We could put aside our animosity for her sake.
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
Giovanni smiled again. “Do what exactly?”
“I want to petition for full legal custody right now. If she wants visitation or anything, it would be on her to take action and file with the courts, right?”
He nodded. “Yes. Okay. Let’s do it.” After typing more on his laptop for a moment, he eased the lid shut and stood up. “I’ll get the paperwork ready and filed as soon as possible. She’ll be served for the court appearance within the next two weeks. I’ll also send you a file with a lot of questionnaires to fill out. Don’t skip anything and don’t lie.” His dark gaze bored into mine.
“No, of course not.”
Another nod before he turned to walk with me to the door. “Call me with any questions. I’ll talk to you soon.”
I stepped out into the cold, still air and hurried up the steps to where my SUV stood in the driveway. A little more of the weight pushing down on me lifted, and I sucked in a deep breath before blowing out a plume of fog. Giovanni was right. Taking action was better than sitting around and hoping the worst wouldn’t happen.
The thought of taking action brought Sam’s pretty smile to mind, which quickly shifted into a memory of those sexy briefs stretched over his firm cheeks. I looked forward to our first official date on Friday. The restaurant looked great, and I wanted to spend more time getting to know Sam personally. The thought of what we might get up to afterward though… That would keep me warm even in the most frigid weather.
***
I leaned closer to Sam and whispered in his ear on our way out of Happenstance late Friday evening. “That’s my attorney’s husband.” The flamboyant man apparently owned the restaurant I’d chosen for our first date. He flitted between the tables like some kind of bright, exotic bird. “I saw him at our last meeting.”
Sam looked over his shoulder, which brought his cheek within kissing distance. I couldn’t resist brushing my lips against his smooth, freckled skin. His gaze shot to mine and a spark of heat blazed in their cool depths.
The moment broke when a group of four pushed in through the door, and we sidestepped to let them past to the host stand. The night lay still and cold beyond the colorful entryway and glass doors. Our fingers linked as we hurried to my SUV.
Our first date went well. Conversation rolled as easily as it ever did, and we stayed away from well-covered topics like Evie and especially the court case. I wanted to get to know Sam, and he seemed as interested in me as a person. A friendly game of twenty questions started with standard topics like education, family, and hobbies before descending into those strange ‘getting to know you’ things people dragged out at networking events. I’d gone to several of those while launching my business, and they were half helpful and half painful every time.
Once we got to dessert, it was down to ‘If you had to hide a giraffe or face death, where would you put it?’ and laughter rolled between us as easily as breathing. I hadn’t gone on a date since the early days with Paige, and I’d forgotten how much fun it could be. Sam injected some much-needed fresh air into my life. He helped me forget the darkness for a while.
The SUV idled at the last red light before the intersection that required I make a decision. A right turn would take us toward Sam’s apartment where I’d drop him off with a sweet kiss goodnight. A left turn would head toward mine.
Before I had a chance to open my mouth, Sam leaned across the center console and slid his palm over my thigh. “You are taking me back to your place, right?”
