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“He really is. He has a few nieces and nephews, so he’s had a little practice with babies. That’s a bonus.” I glanced toward Madison. “Do you ever hear from Graham when he’s out at a fire?”
“Not usually. There’s not a lot of reception out there. Once they get closer to towns, we hear from them,” she explained.
“Has he ever gotten hurt?” I couldn’t help but ask.
Madison shrugged. “Not seriously, but a few minor things. They carry a lot of gear and the work is hard. It’s definitely a possibility, so you have to live with that.” Her tone was practical.
Anxiety spun in my chest.
I thought about her comment over the following days. I was a little startled at how much I missed Griffin. The intensity of our connection was powerful. I felt as if the invisible bonds between us were tightening swiftly, the distance almost strengthening it.
He had been gone for over four days when I got a call from an unfamiliar number. My stomach started churning when I saw I had a voicemail. My thumb hovered over the voicemail, itching to hit delete. Nausea welled up when I eventually listened to the message.
It’s Paul. I heard through the grapevine that you moved away from Fireweed Harbor. My parents want to meet the baby if it’s mine.
Sheer panic surged inside. Part of me wanted to immediately call back and tell him to fuck right off. I had enough sense not to do that and decided to ignore his message until I had a chance to talk to an attorney. I wished Griffin were here because he would know what to tell me.
With anxiety churning like a storm in my chest, I dropped Teddy off at daycare. I managed to keep myself from completely falling apart until I got into my office and closed the door. I sat down at my desk with my hands shaking. I didn’t want Paul to be involved in Teddy’s life. I didn’t trust him at all. I thought about calling my parents. They’d come up to visit a couple of times since Teddy was born. And yet, I’d kept the details about Paul vague because it was embarrassing. Even though I knew I’d done nothing wrong, I was still ashamed.
As I scrambled inside, my brain finally landed on Quinn Blackthorne. She was the lead corporate attorney for Fireweed Industries. She would know what to do. With my hands still shaking, I pulled up her number and called her.
“Quinn Blackthorn,” she answered, her tone crisp.
“Um, hi, Quinn. It’s Tish Reeves.”
She must’ve heard something in my voice. “Tish? Are you okay?”
I cleared my throat, scraping for what little composure I could dredge up. “I’m sure you know I had a baby and the father isn’t involved at all. But, um, I got a message from him this morning. He says his parents would like to meet Teddy. I don’t want him involved at all! What do I do?” My voice was rising to a squeaky pitch.
“Okay, we’ll figure this out. I can put you in touch with Colin, my cousin at our law firm. He handles all the family law cases. But first, breathe.”
I forced myself to draw in a slow breath. “I’m sure I sound like I’m freaking out, I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect this call.”
“It’s okay. I’m sure it’s stressful,” she said in a soothing lawyer tone.
“Do you mind giving me Colin’s number?”
“Already planning on it. I’ll reach out to him so he knows who you are. He’s a good guy and an excellent attorney,” she assured me.
“Thank you, Quinn.”
While Quinn and I weren’t that close personally, she had always been nice to me around the office. She was married to Kenan, one of Griffin’s older brothers.
“If you don’t hear from Colin this morning, zap me a text and I’ll nag him. Unless he’s tied up in meetings or court, I expect him to reach out to you immediately,” she added.
Seconds after we ended the call, my phone vibrated with her forwarding his contact information. Just as I saved it to my contacts, his call came through.
“Hi Colin, it’s Tish. I’m assuming Quinn reached out to you,” I said.
Colin’s voice was warm. “She said it was really important that I reach out as soon as I could.”
I quickly summarized the situation, ending with, “Paul hasn’t been in touch at all, and I just don’t trust him. Not after what he did.” Although I’d had to force myself through it, I’d explained how I ended up pregnant.
“Grandparents don’t have legal rights, but they can petition the court for visitation,” he explained. “In this case, I strongly recommend we file to make sure you have full legal and physical custody. Are you opposed to the grandparents having visitation?”
“No, as long as Paul doesn’t have a say. I was honestly relieved he hadn’t responded to my message before. I decided to have my baby because I wanted to anyway, but I still don’t trust him after what happened.”
“So he’s never responded until now?”
