by Leigh, T. K.
“I’m sorry for barging in on you like this. I just… I need to talk to you.”
I cross my arms. “Don’t you have a lawyer for that?”
She pulls her lip between her teeth, nodding in what seems to be resignation. “I deserve that.” There’s a slight quiver in her chin as she wipes beneath one of her eyes. Then her voice turns urgent, pleading. “You have to understand where I’m coming from here, Andrew—”
“Oh, I understand. I understand you’re trying to take my kids from me when I’ve done nothing but raise them, care for them, love them…” My voice trails off. I take a moment to collect myself, my despair turning to rage. “You’ve done nothing but turn my entire world upside down.” My lip curling, I lean into her. “You had the audacity to beg me to come back to you when you were pregnant. I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping our family together. Little did I know, you were just tricking me into raising someone else’s child!”
“And you should hate me for that,” she chokes out, tears falling down her cheeks. In all our years together, I don’t think I saw her cry once. “I hate myself for that. I can’t take back what I did to you all those years ago.” She pauses, inhaling a long breath. “But I can make it right going forward.”
“Make it right? You think asking for custody modification is making it right?” I whisper-shout, doing my best to keep my voice down so my girls don’t overhear and come running to see who I’m talking to. “You think trying to take Charlotte from me altogether is making it right?”
“No,” she shoots back, her eyes widening. “I’m here to make amends for that, too. To fix my momentary lapse of judgment.”
“Did you know who Skylar was?” I demanded, the vein in my neck twitching. “Is that why you accepted her help? Figured the two of you could join forces?”
“Andrew, please.” She clasps her hands together, imploring me to listen. “When she approached me, I had no idea who she was. I was on my lunch break the day after I went to see you. I was looking up family law attorneys on my laptop to see what I could do to have a little time with them when a woman walked up and claimed her step-brother was one of the best family law attorneys in the state. She was so kind and compassionate, I soon found myself sharing the whole story with her, even the part about Charlotte not being yours. When I finished, she hugged me, reassuring me that everything would be okay, that she’d help me get my kids back. She even agreed to pay all my legal fees.”
“And you didn’t think that was a giant red flag?”
Her lips part as her dark eyes search mine. I’m on the brink of laying into her even more, stopping when I see something I never thought I would. Regret. Remorse. Sorrow.
“Of course I did,” she exclaims, her hands balling into fists. “But I was hurting after you refused to even consider my proposition, refused to allow me anywhere near those girls. I am not the same woman I was when we knew each other, but you were too stubborn to acknowledge that people change.” She pinches the bridge of her nose, shaking her head, her shoulders slumping. “It’s no excuse. In retrospect I wish I’d taken a step back to analyze the situation before jumping into petitioning for custody, knowing full well what it would to do you. I just wanted to spend time with those girls. That’s all. I had no idea my lawyer would bring up what I told him about Chase and Charlotte. After I learned that, I demanded he retract the motion, but he claimed it was too late. It was at this point I told my husband everything.”
“He didn’t know?” I furrow my brow, blinking. How could she be married to someone and keep something as big as this from him?
“He was aware of you and the girls. I just hadn’t told him I filed for visitation.”
“What prompted the change of heart?”
“I saw the Celtics game a few weeks ago, the one you attended.” I swallow hard at the mention of the game that almost cost me everything. “People still know you, especially considering your name’s been in the news recently regarding the possibility of coaching for the Bruins. Then I saw Skylar. I didn’t know who she was, other than being the woman who offered to help me. When I saw her approach you, I’d never felt so sick in my entire life.” She covers her heart with her hand, her complexion paling, her voice cracking.
“That’s when I realized it was too good to be true. I came clean to my husband, and the following day, he helped me hire a new lawyer.”
“So you can continue seeking custody?” I bark out.
She vehemently shakes her head. “No. I hired someone new to help make it all right. Not just what I’ve put you through this past month, but the past seven years.” She reaches into her oversized purse and hands me a large envelope.
“What is this?” I glare, my lip turning up in a sneer. “The last time someone showed up at my door and handed me an envelope—”
“Please, Andrew. Just open it. Of course, someone will show up at your door Monday morning to deliver the official copy. I just…” She pauses, tilting her head to the sky. A breeze picks up, her dark hair blowing in her face, a peacefulness about her. When she returns her eyes to mine, she swallows hard. “As difficult as it was for me to come here, I didn’t want you to go another second worrying about what the future holds for you and your girls.” She sniffles, using her arm to wipe her tears that are now falling relentlessly. Apart from the deep, dark eyes, this woman bears absolutely no resemblance to the woman I married, in temperament or appearance.
Studying her with guarded skepticism, I shift my gaze downward, withdrawing a set of papers from the envelope. This scenario is too reminiscent of that day back in May when I was served with her request for custody modification. This time, the stack of papers stapled together is much thinner, containing only two pieces. At the top is the caption “Withdrawal of Custody Modification Petition Without Prejudice”.
I snap my head up, inhaling sharply, my heart thumping in my chest. “Does this mean what I think it does?”
“I’m not going to fight you for them. I hope you’ll eventually find it in your heart to forgive me for putting you through this and will let me be a part of their lives. I understand if you can’t do that right now, but I hope you will someday.”
I shake my head, my eyes continuing to read the words on the page, a huge weight lifted off me. But there’s still the problem of Charlotte.
“What about—”
Sensing what I’m about to ask, she interrupts. “My lawyer seems to think this will be sufficient.” She hands me a second envelope.
With shaky hands, I unclasp it, pulling out several more sheets of paper. My eyes gloss over the words. This time, I’m even more confused as I read a statement by Chase Gardner relinquishing his parental rights. Then I sift through the rest of the papers. One caption reads “Affidavit in Support of Consent to Adopt”.
“My lawyer’s dealt with adoption cases before,” Carla explains, noticing my furrowed brow. “Most of them aren’t as complicated as this one, but in order for you to adopt Charlotte, all this state requires is for her biological father to relinquish his parental rights and for the biological mother to consent to the adoption. Normally, it occurs in the case of a step-parent adoption, but there’s no reason for Charlotte not to be yours officially. You just have to file the petition.”
I return my eyes to hers, my words caught in my throat. Despite everything she put me through, this gift is more than I ever thought her capable of. It demonstrates she’s not the same woman I married, the same woman who ran out on my girls and me, the same woman who had no regard for us.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, I wrap my arms around her, hugging her tightly, all the tension leaving my body. “Thank you,” I barely manage to say. “Thank you so much, Carla.” I keep her enclosed in my embrace, my heart full for the first time since I received her original request for custody. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to explain exactly how much her doing all of this to make amends means to me. She could have stopped at retracting her petition for custody. But this, giving me ev
erything I need to make Charlotte mine makes me view Carla in a completely different light.
“I’m so sorry for what I did,” she laments into my chest. “I’ve been so selfish. I don’t deserve your compassion or forgiveness. I just hope I can make it up to you.”
I pull away, smiling as I wave the envelopes in my hand. “This is a pretty good start.” I push out a laugh, cutting through the thick tension.
“I hope so.” She steps back, swiping at her tears. “I’ll let you get back to your day. I just wanted to give these to you.” She holds my gaze for another moment, then turns from me and toward her car, her posture slumped. “Just keep me posted on how they’re doing, if you can.” She gives me a tight smile as she opens the door.
“Carla, wait!”
She meets my eyes, her brow lifted. “Yes?”
I hesitate, chewing on my bottom lip. I never thought I’d be able to stand being in this woman’s presence without growing wild with rage at how much she hurt me and those little girls. I never thought I’d ever be able to forgive her. Just like I want Brooklyn to forgive her father for what he did, I need to do the same here.
“Do you want to come in? Spend a little time with them?”
She chokes out a sob, her hand going to her mouth to cover her quivering chin. “Are you sure?” She can’t hide her disbelief at this turn of events. I almost can’t, either.
I nod, smiling warmly. “A wise woman once told me that forgiveness is a difficult thing, but so is living with regret.”
She laughs as she dabs at her tears. “That sounds like something Gigi would say.”
“I don’t want to live with any more regret.” My tone becomes serious. “Just give me a minute to talk to them first. Okay?”
“Of course,” she answers quickly. “I’ll wait out here. If it’s too much, too soon, I understand. I’m just thankful you’re willing to do this. You have no idea what it means.”
I nod, retreating up the front porch, pausing as I’m about to open the door. “Actually, I do.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Drew
“What is she doing here?” Molly barks out the instant I walk into the kitchen.
I come to a dead stop, bewildered. Brooklyn stands with Molly and Gigi by the island, each one wearing a different expression. As expected, Molly is pissed, Gigi is concerned, but Brooklyn appears more empathetic.
“Shh.” I place a finger over my mouth, glancing into the living room where Noah and Uncle Leo seem to have the girls occupied.
“Seriously. What makes her think she can just—”
“She came to drop off these.” I toss the documents onto the countertop. Three sets of eyes zero in on them. Molly and Gigi furrow their brow, but it only takes Brooklyn a few seconds to read the captions on each of them to realize what it means, the importance of these papers.
“Oh, Drew,” she exhales, wrapping her arms around me. I place a hand on her back, relishing in the warmth of her body against mine. Nothing’s ever felt so right. And it feels even better now that I no longer have to worry about my girls, either. For months, I’ve been dreading June ninth, worried I’d forever remember it as the day I lost everything. Instead, it’s the day I’ve gained everything.
“I don’t get it,” Molly says. “There’s a reason I never wanted to be a lawyer.”
“Carla’s withdrawing her request for custody modification,” Brooklyn explains, facing her. I keep my arm around her waist. “She’s also given Drew her consent to adopt Charlotte and even went so far as to obtain Chase’s relinquishment of parental rights.”
“English, please.”
“It means Drew can adopt Charlotte. Officially. And Carla and Chase won’t stand in the way.”
“Daddy?” a small voice says. We all whip our heads to see Charlotte standing off to the side, Alyssa beside her. “What’s going on?”
I open my mouth, unsure how to explain all this so they’ll understand and not hate their biological mother. They’ve always been compassionate and understanding, thanks to all the positive influences in their lives. I pray they’ll be compassionate and understanding of this situation now, too.
“Come here, girls.” I squat to their level, gesturing for them to come closer.
With long expressions, they head toward me, their steps sluggish and uncertain. I grab each of their hands in mine, smiling at them. “You know how I told you about your real mother a few weeks ago? How she was asking the judge to allow her to spend time with you?”
“Yeah,” Alyssa replies, her tone filled with hostility, her distaste for the situation mirroring Molly’s. There’s no doubt where she got her attitude.
“Well, she came over to tell me she wasn’t going to do that anymore, that she hopes we can work this out between ourselves instead. After she saw you girls at the museum a few months ago, she asked if I’d let her spend time with you. I was so hurt by what she did to me and you, how she left all of us, that I didn’t consider her needs. I didn’t believe her when she insisted she changed, refused to acknowledge how much she did change. I was selfish and told her no. I hurt her, just like she hurt me, hurt us.”
“Good,” Alyssa sneers.
“Lyss.” I narrow my gaze on her. “I want you to listen to what I have to say, because whether you like it or not, this woman gave birth to you, and she will always be a part of you.”
“But she’s trying to take us away from you. And she lied to you about Charlotte.”
I run my thumb over their knuckles, looking between the two of them. “That may be true, but she also did something to make up for that, something she didn’t have to do. She’s given me her consent to adopt Charlotte as my own.”
“Adopt?” Charlotte asks, her brow furrowed.
“Yes, sweetie. There are still a few steps we’ll need to go through, but I plan to call my lawyer first thing on Monday to get the wheels in motion to make you mine officially, something that wouldn’t have been possible without your mother’s consent.”
“So I’m not going to have to go live with someone else?”
With a smile, I shake my head. “No, sweetie. This is your home. And it always will be. I understand how confusing this must be for you.” I shift my gaze to Alyssa. “For both of you. I know you’re angry about what she did, and you have every right to be…” I trail off, struggling at how best to encourage them to look past Carla’s mistakes. Brooklyn squeezes my shoulder. I tilt my head, briefly meeting her supportive smile before I return my eyes to the girls. “You remember how I told you I’ve loved your auntie Brooklyn a very long time?”
They both nod.
“Well, you see, I hurt her…bad. So bad, in fact, that she had every right to never want to talk to me again. I made her a promise that I’d always be there for her, but I broke that promise.” I squeeze their hands tighter. “But she found it in her heart to forgive me, to give me a second chance. That’s part of life, girls. Everyone makes mistakes. No one’s perfect. I don’t want you going through life hating your mother because of this. She loves you both so much. Enough to sacrifice her own happiness for yours. As much as she wants to get to know you, she’s withdrawn her request for custody so you can stay with me. Take it from me. That gesture is so selfless, especially considering she has the right to be a part of your lives.
“You are smart, caring, empathetic girls. I have no idea what I did to raise such amazing people. What I’m about to ask of you may be difficult, but I beg you both to reach deep down and find the compassion I know you both possess. I want you to meet her. I want her to get to know how incredible you both are. And I want you to get to know your little brother.”
They shoot their wide eyes to each other, inhaling a breath at the same time. Then Alyssa slowly looks back at me. “We have a little brother?”
I nod. “I’m sure she’ll tell you all about him, if you give her this chance. So, can you do this for me? Can you keep your hearts open?”
Charlotte gazes at Alyssa, looking to he
r for guidance.
“Okay,” Alyssa says, nodding. “We’ll meet her.”
I smile and pull them into my arms, squeezing them. “Thank you.” I kiss the top of their heads. “I love you both so much. And your mother does, too. Just give her a chance.”
“Okay,” they respond again. I keep them in my embrace for several more moments. This will be an adjustment for everybody. There will most likely be some slips and falls along the way, but I know we’ll all be better in the end.
Gradually releasing my hold on them, I stand. Brooklyn kisses my cheek, encouraging me, and I turn toward the front door, a nervous flutter in my stomach at how this will all play out. All I can do is support my girls through this big change.
The instant I open the door, Carla whips her head toward me, the trail worn into the sandy path evidence of her pacing. She looks at me with a questioning expression.
“Come on in.”
All it takes is three words and the tension she’s carried since we first ran into each other all those months ago melts off her. She takes a deep breath, then steps toward me, her eyes darting around.
I grab her hand in mine, the feel of her fingers intertwining with mine odd. There’s no spark, no fireworks, no electricity. But there never was with us.
“It’ll be okay.”
She pushes out an anxiety-ridden laugh as I lead her through the entryway. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous.” She lowers her voice, leaning into me. “I didn’t expect to see them today. I would have brought them a gift or something.”
“Trust me.” My light tone cuts through the strain. “They have more than enough toys.”
“I don’t doubt that for a minute. You spoiled me when we were together. I can only imagine how you dote on those little girls.”
We turn the corner into the kitchen, our conversation ceasing as we come face to face with Alyssa and Charlotte, who wear the same curious expression. You could hear a pin drop as we all remain still. The girls survey Carla, seeming to analyze everything about her. Carla trembles beside me, swiping away her tears with her free hand.