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“Do they have a court date set?”
I shrug. “I don’t have a clue.”
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.” Adam starts in, lining out a plan to hire a family lawyer to get them on the case as soon as possible. Katie is going to be pissed at me, but if we don’t have someone get started on this, the chances of her losing Cody will be even higher. We need someone on our side who knows family law better than anyone.
“The right person could have this case dismissed in no time,” Matthew points out.
“Exactly my thoughts.” Adam looks at me with all the love only an older brother could give you. “We’ll get this taken care of. Katie and Cody are ours now. We won’t let some asshole hurt them.”
Relief like I haven’t felt in a week settles in my gut. I still have another hurdle to overcome, but I know that whatever happens, she and Cody will have this mess taken care of soon.
That is, if Katie agrees to let us help her.
I stare at the front door of Katie’s house. I haven’t found the gumption to go inside yet. I’m not sure what kind of welcome I’ll receive, even before she hears that I went behind her back.
After I met with Adam, I went to O’Malley’s to try and get some work done. In the end, I just sat at my desk and got lost in my thoughts. The work I didn’t get done will keep until tonight when I have to close. It’s probably a good thing that I have to work. If Katie’s extra pissed at me, I’ll head straight there. If she’s not… Well, I don’t see that happening, but I can hope.
The front window’s blinds lift. Cody’s little fingers wave through the crack, and I can’t fight the smile that takes over. I really love that kid. Knowing he’s waiting for me makes me get out of my truck.
I barely get through the door before Cody barrels into me. “Hey, Codes. How was school today?”
He pulls at my arm while I slip off my boots. “I’ve been waiting forever for you to get home. I got to pick a prize out of Mrs. Shultz’s prize box today.”
“You did? Way to go. What did you do to get that honor?” I sit on the couch and listen as he goes through his entire day. It’s like he’s been holding it in all day and is only now getting to share everything he did.
Hearing about his day has become one of my favorite things. I just wish Katie was in here with us to share about hers, as well. It makes me wonder where she is right now. She hasn’t made an appearance to even say hello.
Cody finally takes a breath, giving me the opportunity to ask where his mom is.
“She’s in her room making more calls. I don’t know how she knows enough people to call, but she’s been in there since we got home.” He shrugs.
“How about you watch a show until I can whip us up some dinner, yeah?”
“Okay.”
I run my hand over the top of his head and get off the couch to find Katie. I slowly open her bedroom door to keep from startling her. She’s sitting on her bed, her head bowed over her lap while her fingers rub at her forehead.
She’s not on the phone, so hopefully it’s a good time to talk. “Hey, little dove.” I sit next to her. There’s an inch of space between us that feels more like a mile.
Katie lifts her head, dark circles ringing her eyes. “Hey, when did you get home?”
“About twenty minutes ago. I’d have come to say hi earlier, but Cody wanted to tell me about his day. Did you see the prize he picked out of the box?” I chuckle.
Katie frowns. “He got to pick a prize from the treasure box? He didn’t tell me.”
“Oh, well, I’m sure he was just waiting for the right time.” Fuck. I thought he was spewing his guts because he was excited. I didn’t really believe he’d been waiting for me to get home.
“It seems like there are no good times anymore.” Katie slumps, her shoulder leaning against mine. I take the physical contact as a good sign. I reach over to squeeze her thigh in solidarity. What I’m about to say isn’t going to go over well, so I’m taking what I can before she blows.
“Well… I have something to talk to you about regarding that.”
She raises her eyebrows.
“I went to see Adam today and told him what’s going on with the case. He has a whole team of lawyers he works with at his company. He said he’d ask them for a family lawyer recommendation. When he gets a couple of names, he’ll connect them with you so you can vet them to be sure you like them. If you like them, Adam asked if he could pay their fees. He wants to get this sham of a case thrown out just as much as we do.” I want to keep talking in the hopes that if I say enough words, she’ll accept the help and be happy. Based on the anger flashing in her eyes, I can already tell it won’t work.
Katie doesn’t say anything for a long minute. She stopped looking at me after I told her Adam would ask for a recommendation.
She stands and walks away from the bed before whirling around. Her anger is palpable. This is going to be worse than I thought.
