by Tara Brent
“I’m not here for pleasure,” she informs me, still not willing to leave the attitude anywhere but in her head. “I’m here for my son!” She yells that last sentence at me.
For a moment, I’m stunned to silence as I let her words sink into my brain.
“Lucas is not your son, Trish, and you know that,” I say in a calm tone hoping she might catch on.
“He’s my flesh and blood and I want him,” she hisses at me.
“Don’t do this to him, Trish,” I plead. “Tell me what you’ve really come for, and don’t use Lucas as your excuse.”
“I’ve come for Lucas. I’m in a relationship now and I can take care of him,” she says as if life's so simple.
“Except that you can’t, Trish. It’s illegal,” I reply, and it’s all I have to throw at her right now.
“No one can stop me from taking my baby. I gave birth to him, Chrissy, not you. He’s my little boy and I love him!” She starts to raise her voice again.
“I don’t believe that you’re here for Lucas. I know you, Trish, there has to be another reason. You've never shown an ounce of love for him in the past, so what's changed?"
The office door starts to open and I have a terrible vision of Drew walking in. Luckily it’s mom, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I have a renewed hope that she can help me sort this out.
“Mom, tell Trish that she can’t have Lucas,” I say in a trembling voice and tears starting to form in my eyes. Though they’re more tears of frustration at my selfish sister.
“Oh! My goodness, Trish,” mom says as she closes the door. “You can’t possibly expect to drag little Lucas around with you. What on earth made you think you could behave in such a way?”
“Mom, I’m with a great guy right now and I want my son back. She can’t have him anymore. She’ll have to have her own children ‘cos she ain’t having my son no more!”
“Keep your voice down,” mom says, looking as shocked as I feel. “Patricia, you know this isn’t legal,” mom tries. “You have to go to the courts to get any access at all for Lucas. You’re not even allowed visits after the last time you were around him. Are you still using drugs?”
“That’s nothing to do with either of you,” Trish snaps.
“Look, Trish, here’s the keys to the house,” mom hands over a set of keys. “You go settle in there and Chrissy will come and talk to you when she’s calmed down. You can't discuss this here. Does that sound fair?”
Trish snaps the keys from mom's hand and gives me a killer of a look as if all this is my fault.
“I expect to see you today,” she emphases and exits the room, leaving the door wide open.
I follow her out because I don’t want her anywhere near Lucas. In fact, I don't want her bothering the children at all. Lucas doesn’t even know who she is. So far, in his little life, she's made no attempt to get to know him. I'm grateful when she heads straight out the door. In a sense I’m relieved to be rid of her, but also I’m in a panic. Never, in a million years, did I ever think that Trish would attempt to be a mother to Lucas. She made that clear many, many times over. The last time she was in our lives, she was constantly doped up with drugs or alcohol. Then, she got herself arrested and kicked out of town for a disturbance she caused in a bar.
As she leaves the apartment my heart sinks into my stomach. This is the worst thing that could ever happen to Lucas. He thinks I’m his mommy and that’s how it’s been all his life. What the hell has prompted Trish to behave in this way I do not know. Even she had agreed that this was the best decision for him because of her way of life.
I’m standing numbly as I watch the door slam shut behind her. Mom takes me in her arms and leads me to the sofa to sit down before I fall down.
“What will I do, mom?” I ask, but I know she doesn't have any answers.
I hear the outside door open up again thinking it's Trish, but Drew walks in from his jog. He takes one look at me and knows something’s wrong right away. Drew can read me like a book.
“Is he back?” He asks, assuming it’s Paul.
I try to speak to him but no voice will come from my mouth. Instead, I burst into tears and collapse into my mom’s open arms.
Chapter 24
Not on My Watch
“Her sister is back,” I hear mom say to Drew while I try to pull myself together.
“You mean, Trish?” He asks. “Why should that cause Chrissy so much upset?”
Mom leads me into Drew's bedroom where there's a small couch. She sits me down and leaves the room. Drew comes in and sits next to me, hugging me warmly.
“I’m lucky to be surrounded with so much love,” I snivel to him. “That’s what I wanted for Lucas, lots of love. That’s why I did it.”
“Hey, baby, people love you because you’re a loveable person,” Drew whispers in my ears. “Trish was never even likable, let alone loveable. You don’t have to worry about her. Whatever she’s after this time, we’ll sort it out together.”
I nod my head indicating a silent, "No."
“It can’t be done, Drew. It will be so ugly if we go to court and fight over him.”
“Who, Chrissy? I’m lost. Who are we fighting over? You don’t mean that dickhead, Paul, I hope?”
I half-laugh at his words. Whenever he mentions Paul’s name, he always has a look of distaste on his face. It looks almost comical.
“You’ve always been there for me in the past, Drew. But even you can’t produce miracles,” I tell him. “I love you so much and I would have told you the truth when the time was right,” I say, knowing that I have no choice but tell him now.
“Are you going to tell me Paul is Lucas’s father? Is that it? Don’t worry, babes, we can sort anything out together. Even news as bad as that. Anyway, what has that to do with Trish? Why has she upset you so much?”
“Trish is Lucas’s biological mother." There, I've admitted the words of truth. As I hear myself saying those betraying words, it breaks my heart that Lucas didn’t come from me.
“Okay, you going to explain to me what happened then?” He asks, oh so gently.
“You remember she moved with us to the reservation when we left? Well, she hated it there and she ran away. Within a year she was back and pregnant. She was going to have the baby adopted because she wanted nothing to do with him. I couldn’t let my own nephew be raised by strangers, so I adopted him. So far, she’s left us alone. And now she says she’s in some happy relationship and wants her son back.”
With those words, I choke up, once again. I can’t help it. The thought of Lucas being brought up by the likes of Trish and her lifestyle, well, it terrifies me.
“You are an amazing woman, Chrissy Montgomery, and I have such a deep love for you.”
Drew pulls me close and I can feel the warmth of his strong body. How I need him right now, how I need him so much.
“Trish will have the fight of her life on her hands if she thinks she’s taking Lucas away from this family. No court in the world would allow her to do that,” he reassures me.
“I'm scared though, Drew,” I sob. “The thought of Lucas being so lonely if he ever had to go live with her, it breaks my heart.”
“It’s not going to happen, Chrissy. Not on my watch. We’ll get the best lawyers in the land to fight her. Lucas will never even know it’s happening. Now come on, let me see a smile on that beautiful face,” he says, now cupping my face with his hands.
I look into his deep blue eyes and I see the man I have always loved and continue to love to this very day. Here before me is my soul mate.
“It’s just that I’m going to have to tell Lucas that I’m not really his mom, and I know he’ll be so upset over it all.”
“We’ll tell him together and we’ll make sure he understands it all. Besides, we might not have to tell him yet. Sure, if the courts say she can have some visits, then we can introduce her into his life. If they refuse, we can wait until he’s old enough to learn the truth.
“Oh, god,
you’re so sensible, Drew,” I say as I manage a half-smile.
“That’s better. I hate to see you like this. Now go wash up and then you can tell me everything that’s happened.”
As I was showering, Drew joined me and we lathered each other in sweet-smelling bubbles. Besides a few passionate kisses, we mostly behaved ourselves. Whilst this was a time for love and trust, it wasn’t a time for selfish desires and passions.
“...And that’s when she told me that she’s now in a relationship and wants her son back,” I say, sometime later as I'm drying my hair with a towel. “We gave her the keys to my house and said I’d meet with her later. I needed to calm down.”
“Why don’t you let me go?” Drew suggested.
“No, Drew, this is between me and my sister. I’m going alone and digging deeper into what’s brought her here. There’s always a reason for everything with Trish.”
“Well, you know her best. Let me drive you there and I’ll sit in the car and leave you to it. I don’t want you dealing with this crap on your own.”
“Only if you promise not to come in. Lucas is my son, Drew, and I want to be the one to defend him.”
“I promise,” he says, kissing my naked shoulder. “But if you do need my help, all you have to do is say the word.”
“Oh, Drew, whatever did I do to deserve a man like you? I love you so much,” I tell him.
I still need to deal with Trish by myself though. Something’s happened to her and I suspect she needs my help. Tonight, I’ll find out why.
Chapter 25
A Surprise Visitor
“You’ll stay here, promise me?” Chrissy orders me as she gets out of the car to go see Trish.
“I’ll be waiting right here. Come and get me if you need me,” I tell her. I have no intention of going against her wishes.
It doesn’t surprise me what Chrissy did for her sister in the past. That’s the sort of person she is and that’s why I love her. She is selfless, always putting others first. Yet her sister, Trish, is the complete opposite. They are very different siblings, no doubt due to having different mothers. Having only met Trish’s mother once when I was a teenager, was enough. I got the impression she didn’t care much for anyone but herself. It’s no surprise that’s why Trish turned out as she did. Despite all the love and support she got from Chrissy’s mom, who tried to bring her up as her own daughter. Lisa and Chrissy are alike, that’s why my family accepted them so easily. They are both kind, caring people and Lisa was a great nanny for me when I was a wee nipper.
Don’t get me wrong. I want nothing more than to barge in there and sort this mess out my way. But, this is Chrissy’s ball-game and the rules are up to her. I won’t interfere unless my help is asked for. Still, I’ve already hired the best lawyers that specialize in custody rights. Trish is not taking Lucas from Chrissy. Lucas is a great little guy and I’m hoping to become his father. I’m not letting Trish or anyone take that away, so I’m behind Chrissy all the way.
I lean forward and switch on the radio and the music jumps out of the speakers. “We Will Rock” by Queen blasts into my ears and I tap to the rhythm with my hand on the steering wheel. Glancing up I see Chrissy has arrived at the door of the house. Hah! I wonder if she'll knock on her own door? Almost immediately though, it opens up and instead of Trish greeting her, it's Paul! What the fuck! Is this some sort of trap? There goes my minding-my-own business. I’m out of the car in a flash, leaving Queen blaring out through the open car door.
“Chrissy!” I shout over.
She turns and looks at me as she hesitates and takes a step away from the door. Paul's hand snakes out and grabs at her arm. He drags her into the house. Charging up the porch steps to get through the open door, I'm almost there when he manages to slam it in my face.
This time I'm going to knock some real sense into that idiot! I bang on the door with both my fists and it reverberates under the assault.
“You open this fucking door right away you bastard! If you don't, trust me you’ll regret it!”
I run around to the window, that’s just been replaced, and peer into the room.
“You let me in or I’ll break this glass, just like you did!” I shout at him as I see him entering the living room holding Chrissy by her wrist.
“I don’t trust you!” He yells back at me. “You’re not coming in!” The window is open a crack so I’m able to make out what they are saying.
“Chrissy, are you okay?” I look at her to catch her eye.
“Yes, Drew, I’m fine," she replies in a calm voice. "A little shocked but it's okay.” She seems in control of herself. “I've no idea what this is about, Drew. For some reason, Paul’s terrified you’re going to hurt him. He's told me that you threatened him at his trailer, is that true?”
“Yeah. And I’ll do much, much more than threaten that little weasel if he lays one finger on you. What the hell has he got to do with your sister? You never said he was involved with her.”
“I don’t know, but I guess I’m about to find out. Listen, let's all calm down.” Chrissy says, the only one who seems to have a grip at the moment.
For me, I'm on the edge of exploding right now. I’m about to respond when she gives me the hard stare.
“Drew, I came here to speak to Trish and that’s what I’m going to do,” she says firmly. “Okay, Trish, let me hear what you have to say.”
All I can do is listen and watch through the glass. This is so frustrating!
All eyes fall on her sister who remains seated on the small sofa the whole time. Then the neighbors come over to me, asking if they should call for the police.
I hear Chrissy speak to Paul, “I’m going outside to let my neighbor Barry know that all’s well. When I get back, I want an explanation,” Chrissy says with an air of confidence.
I watch as she opens the front door and comes outside on her own to speak with her neighbor. While she's distracted, I take the opportunity to get through the front door. Immediately she comes in after and throws me a hard stare.
“You’ve gotta be on your best behavior, Drew, promise?” She demands.
“Yeah, yeah, I will be,” I say, throwing both my hands in the air in submission.
We enter the living room together. Paul's face goes drip-white when he sees me. The sniveling bastard is probably gonna piss his pants again, but he seems to keep control.
“W...w...what's he doing in here? Paul stammers. "He’s crazy! Told me he's gonna kill me!"
“No, he won’t do anything like that, Paul," Chrissy says, giving me another harsh stare. "Drew will be on his best behavior, won’t you Drew?"
I say nothing but nod my head.
“Right, Trish,” Chrissy says turning to her sister.
“This is Paul and we're getting engaged,” Trish tells us.
Again, I try to speak and Chrissy puts her arm up to stop me.
“I can look after Lucas now," Trish continues. "Paul's going to help me. We're going to be his mommy and daddy," she finishes.
“Trish, do you know anything about Paul?” Chrissy asks her sister.
“I know that you’re crazy over him if that's what you mean," Trish spits back. "He’s mine now, and so is Lucas,” she says, standing up to go over to Paul.
“Is that what he told you?” Chrissy asks, still with her calm voice. I don't know how she can stay so calm. All I want to do is beat the living daylights of that punk. “How did you meet him?” Chrissy asks.
“I'd come back here to see my boy. One day I was watching you from a distance. At that point, I didn’t want you to see me, but I saw you with Paul. So, I approached him in a bar, because I’d seen you two together. He said he’d arrange for me to see you and we swapped contact details. My boyfriend, Zac, forced me to leave town because he had stuff to do. I never got around to meeting you. Then, Paul contacted me about a month after that and we started writing to each other. He told me all about what you did to him. How he had to go to prison because he took Leave from
the forces ‘cos he wanted to see you. You’re a bitch, Chrissy, and I don’t want you bringing up my little boy anymore.”
“Wow, Paul, that's an unbelievable story," I say, shaking my head in disbelief. "And you believe him?” I ask Trish.
“Why shouldn’t I?” Trish replies, looking a bit shocked. “He’s good to me and he’s gonna help me be a mom ‘cos he knows that’s what I want.”
I’m clenching my fists into a ball and trying my hardest to keep from exploding. Yep, my instinct is to knock the shit out of that weasel, but I promised Chrissy and I say and do nothing.
“Your relationship with Paul is your business, Trish,” Chrissy says. “But, I’ll tell you now, neither of you is seeing Lucas until a court tells me that you can. You hear me, Trish? As for you, Paul, I can see the tricks you’ve played on my sister. You know that she’s vulnerable and I wish I could save her from the likes of you. Sadly, she won’t listen to me so there’s nothing I can do to get her away from you.”
“Just let me see my little boy, Chrissy,” Trish cries out. At the same time, she makes a move towards Chrissy. “You’ve got no right keeping him from his real mommy!”
I move in front of Chrissy to block Trish from getting to her. Finally, I get to say my piece.
“I told you before, Paul, to leave town. Considering your bladder incident the last time we met, I can’t believe you're still here. You and your floozy can get out of this house in the time it takes me to drop Chrissy off and return. The next time we see you two will be in a courtroom.
I take Chrissy’s hand and lead her towards the door. "Come on, Chrissy. You can see he’s manipulating her and it’s out of your hands now. Let me deal with them. Please.”
She’s shaken and her calmness is diminishing. Chrissy nods her head at me in silence. It's her way of telling that she's had enough and I can step in now.
“I’m gonna take you home then I’ll come back and lock the house up, do you agree?”
“Yes, Drew. I do. Thank you,” she says, her voice breaking into a croak.