“No.”
“Logan?” She ran up the stairs. She found him at his desk on his computer. “Do you know where your father is?”
“No.” He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I just. I—I can’t find him.” She left his room, hurrying to her bedroom, hoping to find something, anything to relieve the fear consuming her. “
“Mom?”
She spun around at the sound of Logan’s voice. “Is he home?”
“No. What’s going on? Why are you so upset?”
“I don’t know.” She put her fist to her mouth. “I just—I need to find him.” He needed her. She could feel it with every pore of her being.
“Do you have him on your phone? You know, the tracking app?”
Lina parked beside Phil’s BMW. The church was dark, but the door was unlocked. She saw him as soon as she stepped inside. Relief surged through her, knowing he was at least physically okay. He was kneeling in one of the pews, his head bent in prayer. She hesitated, not sure whether to interrupt him.
Her heels tapped on the worn hardwood floors as she approached but he didn’t seem to hear her as he continued to pray. When she stopped within feet of him, she realized he was crying, his shoulders shaking. She’d never seen him cry.
“Phil?” She sat down beside him, clutching his arm. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“I need to be alone, baby,” he said, his voice raw with emotion. “Please.”
“No.” She stroked her hand over his back. “You have to tell me what’s going on.” Tears came to her own eyes. “Did something happen to your parents?”
“No.” He shook his head. He covered his eyes with one of his hands.
“What? You have to tell me,” she whispered. “Please.”
“She’s taking him. She’s taking Liam. They’re moving to New York.”
Her heart dropped. “No.” She shook her head. “She can’t do that. Call your lawyer. Make them stop her.”
“I can’t stop her.”
“What do you mean you can’t stop her? You’re his father. He needs you.”
“The judge almost always sides with the custodial parent in cases like these.”
“She isn’t a fit mother. We can prove it—show the judge how many hours she leaves him with the nanny. We’ll tell them about the way she left him over Christmas. The bite marks—there are medical records. We can beat her.”
“Those arguments only come into play if I’m fighting her for custody.”
“Then fight her for custody. She isn’t taking him away from us. He needs you. He needs you too much.”
“I can’t make you do that.”
“Make me do what?” She shook her head. “I love him. She isn’t taking him away from us.”
Lina met Adele for breakfast the following morning. Phil was gathering evidence for the temporary custody order his attorney planned to file first thing Monday morning, so Lina had offered to take Liam with her.
“You can’t be surprised,” Adele said after Lina told her the events of the previous day. “The only reason she was here was to get Phil. She’s finally accepting that will never happen.”
“She’s not taking him,” Lina said emphatically. “Whatever it takes. We’re going to get him.” She felt a lump in her throat as she looked at Liam, whose eyebrows were pulled together in concentration as he tried to zip up the jacket of the teddy bear he was holding. Losing him wasn’t an option.
“What about Logan? What did he say?”
“Nothing yet.” She pulled her gaze back to Adele. “We haven’t told the kids. There’s nothing to tell them yet. But Logan is starting to come around. It may be an adjustment, but he’ll be okay. Phil thinks we have a good chance of being granted joint custody. With that she can’t leave.”
“Who’s going to watch him while you work?”
“Probably a nanny. I’m not going to worry about that yet.” She’d do whatever it took, even if it meant switching to interior decorating full time so she could be home with him, if that’s what the judge required.
“Is he always this good?” Adele asked.
“He’s good at entertaining himself if that’s what you mean. I think he’s been forced to.”
“I’m pregnant,” Adele calmly announced.
“What?” Lina’s eyes flew to Adele. “By—by William?”
“Yes, by William,” Adele said, frowning at her. “He’s my boyfriend.”
“I know. I just—why didn’t you tell me?”
“I just did.”
“Does he know?”
“Of course he knows. It was his idea. I’m forty-three years old. I didn’t even think I’d be able to get pregnant. I was just trying to humor him. It only took him a month to knock me up—asshole.”
“Oh my God, Adele.” Lina came around the table and gave her a hug. “You’re going to be a mom.”
***
As Lina preceded Phil and his attorney into the courtroom two weeks later, nerves churned in her stomach. She sat in the first row behind Phil and his attorney. A few minutes later she heard the sound of the door opening as Kim and her lawyer appeared. Lina didn’t acknowledge her, staring straight ahead as Kim took a seat at a table beside her attorney.
A door in the back of the room opened, and a bailiff ordered everyone to stand as the judge entered the room. The next hour was a blur. Phil’s attorney spoke first, outlining their case and what they were seeking, full custody of Liam. Phil didn’t expect to get it, but he thought it would give him a better chance at gaining joint custody.
Kim’s attorney stayed mostly silent as Phil’s attorney claimed Kim didn’t spend enough time with Liam, providing fifteen months of invoices from seven different babysitters. Liam spent an average of sixty-five hours a week away from Kim, not including his time with his father. Next, the Christmas incident was outlined. This time Kim’s attorney did object, stating his client had offered Liam to his father and that the caregiver in question was licensed in the state. Finally, Phil’s attorney listed the number of extra weekends Kim had given Liam to Phil over the past six months. It amounted to an extra weekend each month. The attorney ended by saying that it was more in Liam’s interest to be a member of a two-parent household.
When Kim’s attorney spoke, he argued that it was unreasonable to make Kim stay in Maryland when her extended family all resided in New York. She had secured a position offering a substantial pay increase at a firm with more potential for personal growth. He argued that she was trying to build a career, and as a single working mother, the hours she spent away from Liam shouldn’t be held against her.
When the lawyers were done speaking, the judge announced he would have a decision by the following week. Lina released a breath as she watched him leave the room. She had no idea how he was going to rule.
“I’m not staying here,” Kim announced, addressing Phil directly as they all came to their feet. “We can end this all right here. If you agree to no child support, you can have full custody.”
“He agrees,” Lina said.
Kim continued to look at Phil. “Good. You can pick him up later today.”
“Again?” Katie asked when Lina told her they were having a family meeting in the living room. “This is getting ridiculous.”
Moments later Lina was beside Phil on the couch. Logan was in the club chair, and Katie was kitty-corner to them with Liam on her lap.
“Lo Lo,” Liam announced, pointing at Logan.
“Why does he constantly say my name?” Logan asked.
“Because he loves you,” Katie said. “Don’t you, Liam?”
“Your mother and I went to court today to keep Kim from moving with Liam to New York,” Phil began. “We left court with full custody. This is his home now. With us.”
“All the time?” Logan asked. His gaze swung between his parents.
“Lo Lo!” Liam shouted.
“You hear th
at, Liam?” Katie asked. “You’re going to live here all the time. No more crying because you have to leave.”
“Yes, all the time,” Phil answered Logan. “It’s going to be an adjustment for all of us. But it was the only way we could keep her from taking him. We’re going to have a nanny come to the house to watch him while your mom and I are working.”
“What about his mom?” Logan asked.
“He’s a Hunter,” Lina said. “He belongs with us.”
Epilogue
Four years later…
“Liam Michael Hunter,” said the announcer.
Phil watched Liam confidently stroll across the stage to receive his diploma for completing kindergarten. As soon as he had the certificate in hand, he dropped down to one knee, pumping his fist in the air. The audience roared with laughter.
“Logan,” Lina whispered. “Did you tell him to do that?”
“No.” Logan laughed. “Matt did.”
“No, I didn’t.” Matt laughed.
“Did you get it?” Lina asked Phil. “Did you get a picture?”
“Yeah, baby,” Phil answered. “I videotaped him.”
“I can’t believe it,” she whispered. “He’s growing up.”
“I don’t know if five is growing up.” He stroked his hand down her back when he realized she was crying.
“You know what I mean.” She clutched Phil’s arm as she leaned against him. “And now he’s leaving.” He was spending the next month with Kim’s parents at their cabin in upstate New York.
“You have me and Logan.” Logan had just arrived home after completing his sophomore year at Duke where he was studying architecture. Although he’d been heavily recruited for lacrosse, he’d decided he didn’t love it enough to play in college. He’d ended his relationship with Tiffany the year before, breaking not only Tiffany’s heart but Lina’s as well. He’d told Phil he was too young to tie himself to one girl.
“It’s not the same. The house is going to be too quiet without him.”
“I’m sure Adele and William will let you borrow Elijah,” he teased. Adele’s son, who was now three, was notoriously energetic. He had only two speeds, tornado level and off.
“Be nice,” Lina said.
“I was serious.” He looked past Lina to where William was standing with Adele, holding a sleeping Elijah. It had taken a full two years, but Adele had finally forgiven him. She’d even asked him to give a toast at her wedding reception when she’d married William.
“I can’t believe she didn’t show,” Lina whispered.
“I can.” She was talking about Kim. Kim’s parents, who were standing in the row directly behind them, had said she’d planned to come. In the four years since Kim moved to New York she’d visited only twice, and on both occasions she’d had meetings in Washington. She had no real interest in Liam. Her parents came down regularly. Lina insisted they stay at the house so they could have quality time with Liam. They’d taken him to Disney World the year before for a week, but this would be the longest period of time Liam would be away from home.
Phil’s gaze shifted to Katie, who was staring down at her phone, no doubt responding to a tweet about Matt. She’d graduated a week earlier from the University of Maryland with a degree in philosophy. There had been times over the past couple of years when he’d wondered if she’d finish. Matt’s career had begun to take off. Katie handled all of his social media, which had become a full-time job. She’d persevered, though, managing to graduate with honors. They were leaving the following week for Europe, where Matt was playing to sold-out venues across Scotland and Ireland. They’d been dating six years. Katie had informed Phil a few days earlier that if she believed in marriage, she’d marry Matt. Of course, she didn’t believe in marriage because it was a man-made institution.
Phil’s gaze traveled over his family. He figured Liam was the only graduate with three pairs of grandparents in attendance. To Alice’s delight, she was Liam’s favorite. He spent a weekend a month with Lina’s parents, and Alice served as their on-call babysitter.
Megan, who was standing directly in front of them with her boyfriend, a medical student at the University of Chicago, had just completed her second year of law school at Northwestern.
Phil pressed his lips into the side of Lina’s head, tightening his arm around her. He was truly blessed.
After the final graduate walked across the stage, the guests filed out of the auditorium and into the main lobby, where refreshments were being served. Lina smiled when she saw Liam making a beeline to Logan, confirming her suspicion that he was the one who’d told Liam to drop to one knee when Logan gave him a high five.
He came to her next, pausing just long enough to let her kiss him before shoving his certificate at her. “Look, Mommy. It says my name.”
“It does. Why don’t I hold it for you? I’ll keep it safe.”
“I’m going to go play with Alex,” he said.
“Wait.” Phil clasped the lapel of his jacket before he could run off. “You need to thank everyone for coming.”
“Thank you for coming!” Liam yelled excitedly before bouncing away.
“Interior Design magazine is featuring your kitchen on the cover,” William said, stepping up to Lina.
“My kitchen?” Lina’s eyes widened.
“I just got the e-mail. The New York property. This is huge, Lina.”
“Oh my God.” She turned to Phil. “Did you hear that? My design.” Her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest.
“I heard.” He framed her face with his hands. “And I’m not surprised. Congratulations, baby,” he said before kissing her softly.
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