Mack ran a frustrated hand through his hair and flung a hand in the direction of the table. “I’m trying to figure out if Lacey’s fears are warranted.”
“What… fears, exactly?” Noah leaned forward and picked up a paper. “Why would she lose custody of her kid?”
It was difficult to rein in Mack’s frustration as he forced himself to explain the situation. It was too late to go back. He’d already told Noah too much. But he needed to talk to someone. “She had Bridger when she was a teenager.”
Noah shrugged. “Yeah, so? I knew she was a young mother.”
“And her parents raised him for his first five years of life.”
That got Noah’s attention. “Like… what are you saying?”
“I’m saying, they wouldn’t let Lacey raise her own kid. Not even when she officially became an adult and moved out. Lacey had to literally fight for custody of her own child.”
Noah let out a low whistle. “That’s harsh.”
“It was controlling, is what it was,” Mack muttered bitterly. “And apparently, they hold it over her head all the time, now. They threaten to fight to regain custody if they think she’s doing a bad job or if Bridger isn’t getting what he needs.”
“You’re kidding,” Noah whispered. He stared hard at the papers on the table, then his brows shot upward. “That’s why she broke up with you, isn’t it?”
“We’re not broken up,” Mack snapped. He might be in denial. He knew that. But he wasn’t going to let her just walk away from him. He was going to fix this.
Noah chuckled, then his expression sobered. “You realize that a relationship only works when both people are active in it.”
Mack shot him a warning look. He wasn’t going to humor his brother with a response. “Her mother found out about the year I spent here.”
Noah’s shock reflected Mack’s own feelings. “Do they think that you…”
Mack shrugged. “Would it matter? This isn’t just abouther.” He spat the word, not willing to speak Kayla’s name aloud. “It’s about the whole thing. I only spent the year here because I was in trouble with the group of friends I had back home.” He dragged a hand down his face and blew out a hard breath. “Lacey’s mother thinks I’m a bad influence or some nonsense. I guessshe believes that if Lacey dates me, then Bridger isn’t in a good situation.”
“That’s bull?—”
“Noah.” Caleb’s warning voice drew their attention, and they both looked to see Caleb entering the kitchen.
Their older brother noticed the paperwork and paused, then frowned. His gaze flicked up to Mack, and he heaved a sigh. “She told you.”
Mack stiffened. “She told you?”
Caleb’s focus shifted from Mack to Noah and back before he moved across the room and opened a cupboard to retrieve a glass. The room had gone eerily silent, as if the very air was holding its breath to hear Caleb’s response. If Lacey had been willing to tell Caleb, what did it mean that she’d kept it from Mack?
He stood and stared hard into the back of his brother’s head. “Did she tell you?”
His brother put the glass under the faucet, filling it before he turned to face Mack. “Not really. She didn’t even tell Sammie outright when they were living together, but there were signs that something was going on between Lacey and her parents. And the fact that she was so overly protective of Bridger to begin with was a big sign, too. Sammie asked Lacey about it after they knew each other for a while, and Lacey just said her relationship with her parents when it comes to Bridger’s well-being was complicated.”
The more Mack thought about it, the more what his brother said made sense. If he’d been paying attention, he would have beenable to put the pieces together. Lacey had to fight for custody of her own kid. The only people who would have held it from her would have been parents because of her young age at which she had Bridger, or Bridger’s father.
Seeing as the latter was completely out of the picture, that wasn’t likely.
Slowly, Mack lowered himself into his seat and let out a heavy breath. Pressure weighed down on him from all directions as he surveyed the documents in front of him. “From what I can tell, her parents could attempt to take Lacey back to court to regain custody if Bridger’s life changes for the worse.”
Noah scoffed. “How is having a strong male influence in his life worse than having no one? Wouldn’t the court be able to see that more support is better?”
Mack shrugged, feeling like he was losing this battle with each passing second. “It doesn’t matter, does it? If Lacey’s parents—who had been raising the kid since he was born—think he’s at risk, all they have to do is convince the judge of it.”
The silence pressed down on them once more, each of them lost in their own thoughts.
“What if you had character witnesses? I highly doubt that Lacey’s folks would have proof that you’re a bad influence.”
Mack offered his younger brother a wry smile. “They don’t need proof. Not really. They just need a good lawyer who’s worth his weight in gold. Corrupt men are everywhere, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes as long as they get the paycheck in the end.”
