Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“She doesn’t.”
Jerry sighed. “What’s going on? Is she visiting relatives, or . . .?”
“She’s trying to take my son away from me. She wants to move closer to her boyfriend’s family. Up north.”
“Oh,” Jerry said with renewed interest. “That’s definitely not okay. If that’s your only concern, Ryan, you don’t have to pursue full custody. This is already covered, and you have joint conservatorship, so any decision that involves your son’s well-being isn’t just up to her.”
I grinned with sudden relief. I felt stupid not having thought about it before. Darlene must have thought I’d either forget about that little nugget or she had. She was good at making decisions without thinking, so it wouldn’t surprise me in the least. “Thanks, Jerry.”
“Sure. Now, if you still want to pursue full custody, we’ll need to talk details. You’ll want to start with keeping your visitations. It’ll look good for you to see him when you can and make some record of that visit.”
I shook my head, already thinking about what I could tell Darlene. “Nah, don’t worry about it.” I paused. “At least, not yet. Let me figure it out, and I’ll get back to you. Bye.” I pulled the phone from my ear, prepared to end the call, when I heard Jerry say something on the other end.
“Yeah?” I asked.
“You still need to keep up your end of the agreement, Ryan. If she’s talking about moving, there’s a chance she’ll try to petition the agreement. She might be looking to fight for full custody herself.”
My jaw tightened. It wasn’t like the Darlene I’d married to be sneaky. If nothing else, Darlene was honest to a fault. She never missed a chance to tell me about my failures, but she also always told me what I could do and what I was doing right, and she always wanted the best for her family. As cruel as she could be, I knew that much about her.
But she wasn’t the Darlene I’d married anymore. She was the one I’d divorced.
“Thanks.”
“Talk soon,” Jerry said, and this time he hung up, leaving me on the other end staring out the window of the quiet suburban street. I wasn’t sure how long I stayed that way, only that my mind spun with so many questions and thoughts about what to do and how to do it. I was supposed to have James every other weekend. I hadn’t seen him any of those weekends because of this damn job. If there was any chance at all that Darlene was going to pursue full custody, and if she was trying to do it behind my back, I was sure it was that asshole boyfriend of hers telling her to do it.
No matter what, though, I couldn’t give her any proof that she should have it. And the first thing I had to do was keep up with my time, my weekends, with the kid. How the hell would I pull that off? I didn’t even live in an apartment yet. I hadn’t had time to look.
My arm fell to my side, and my body slumped. I needed a place for him to live. The warehouse wouldn’t do it, and that was the second thing. Or maybe it should be first. I shook my head, at a loss for words and options. I had a lot of things to do, but my business was the only thing I had going for me right now. Jerry had said I had that in my favor, so I had to use it.
Chapter 7
Christie
I had never been to a steakhouse, the fancy ones where people walked around shaving meat off of skewers. The charcoal-gray carpet darkened the already dim room. Eggshell walls were made lighter by the sconces that cast a soft orange glow toward the ceiling. The chandeliers offered a soft glimmer above, but I couldn’t see the art lining the walls between sconces or even the nametags—or were they pocket squares? —on the waiters’ chests. It had seemed like a good idea to come here at the time, but now I was wondering if I was celebrating too early.
It wasn’t like I had any job prospects. I took a sip of red wine that had made me feel like a kid, ironically, buying some cabernet I knew I wouldn’t like just because the waiter recommended it. I wasn’t sure how adults celebrated and realized this was the first time I’d done so truly on my own. Mom had always pushed me to do things outside my comfort zone, but when I did, she flipped a switch and wanted to know everything, everyone, every time. It was easier not to do anything at all, and I found I liked it that way. I just wished I’d spent a little more time trying. I was nearing thirty.