“Surely you two can come to an agreement.”
“What? Shared custody? No. I’ve got to go. I need to circle the wagons. The only person that matters right now is Tommy.” She hung up and collapsed into Thomas. “I’m so sorry. This is a total repeat of what happened to you. You can walk away if you want. I’d understand.”
He rose from the couch as if that was exactly what he was going to do. Instead, he laid Tommy down in the playpen and came back to her. In seconds, she was in his lap and the safety of his arms.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“I’m so sorry.”
He leaned back to look at her. “This isn’t your fault.”
She took in a shaky breath. The tears that had been absent before now flowed down her cheeks. “But I’m putting you through the same thing. It’s like nightmare on repeat for you.”
With a soft caress, he moved her hair from her face. “No, it’s not. I thought so too initially, but it’s nothing like what happened before.”
She sat up taller. “How can you say that? You have a child in your life and it’s most likely going to be ripped out of your existence. Do you think you’ll see Tommy again when she gets him back?”
He gave her a dark look. “She’s not getting him back.”
“You’re right.” She tried to hop off his lap, but he held her to him. “She can’t have him if she can’t find him. I have to leave.”
“No, you’ll stay, and you’ll fight with me.” He looked at the baby. “He’s worth fighting for, don’t you think?”
“Yes, and he’s worth running for too.”
“If you took him from me that would be a different scenario.”
She leaned into him and let him comfort her. “But you’d still lose him either way.”
“Yes, but there’s no deceit on your part. You told the truth from the beginning.”
“I told you she wouldn’t come after the baby and she has.”
“You didn’t know that. Sarah knew Heather wasn’t mine from the beginning. She lied. You were simply mistaken. Heather was never mine. Even if I’d stayed like Sarah wanted me to, she would have never been mine. I wouldn’t have been able to trust anything about my life again. It would have been a life built around lies.”
“Tommy is not yours either.”
He smiled. “Oh, but he is. You brought him to me. You invited me into your lives, and you gave me a son. Named him after me. He’s mine. You’re mine. I’ll fight for both of you.”
“Where do we begin?”
“By calling in sick.”
They both called off their shifts.
Tommy woke up and Eden fed, bathed and dressed him because Thomas told her to be ready at ten. She stood by the door, her entire being tense and tight as a piano string.
“Hungry?”
“No, I can’t eat.”
“You’ll have to because you can’t feed Tommy if you don’t. We’re going to the diner.”
He was right. The damn man was always right, but the diner? At a time like this?
“Shouldn’t we be calling someone? I don’t have much money, but maybe I can make payments to a lawyer.” She held up the summons. “I’m due in court next week. She knows I can’t fight her so why draw it out? No doubt she paid extra to expedite the matter. I have a week to make a plan.”
He opened the door. “I made a few calls, turns out we have a resident lawyer. Never see him because he spends most of his time commuting to and from his office in Silver Springs. We’re meeting Frank at the diner. Turns out he’s on vacation.”
She walked out, carrying the baby in the safety seat. “Not going to be much of a vacation if he’s going to help us.”
Thomas helped them into the truck. Before he closed the door, he leaned in and kissed her. “We’ve got to believe that things will go our way.”
Eden didn’t like to lie to herself, but hadn’t she been doing that her whole life? Especially when it came to her sister? She’d truly believed that Suzanne could do anything she set out to do. She’d never considered the baby was a way to save her marriage. What the hell was she thinking when she agreed to be surrogate for her sister?
“I always wanted her to like me. Wanted to be able to be something special in her eyes. She ignored me my whole life.”
Thomas backed out of the driveway and headed toward town. He reached for her hand. “Sometimes we put our faith in the wrong people.”
“I had a baby for her so she would value me. What the hell was I thinking?” The truth hurt. She was thinking of herself. Always trying to find her place in her sister’s heart.
“Don’t beat yourself up. You may have entered into parenthood for a different reason, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that you’re a good person and a wonderful mother. Maybe this was what the universe wanted for both of us.” He squeezed her hand. “It’s not how I would have chosen to meet you, but so far it’s worked out nicely.”
“We’re a house of cards ready to fall.”
“I can’t believe that.” He took a quick glance over his shoulder to Tommy, who was again fast asleep, completely unaware of the impact he’d made on so many lives. “Look at him. He’s the glue. No way are we falling apart.”
They pulled into an open spot in front of Maisey’s Diner and walked inside to find only one man dressed like a lawyer. They had a look to them. Put together, somewhat sinister, expensive.
“Frank?” Thomas laughed. “You’re Frank the lawyer?”
“Thomas. You’re who called me?”
The two men embraced.
Eden didn’t know what the hell was going on. She set Tommy’s carrier on the chair next to her and stared at the two men, who seemed to know each other. It wasn’t until she cleared her throat that they turned to her.
“You know each other?”
Frank seemed to blush. “Kind of. We played poker in Silver Springs once a month, but then this guy disappeared. Haven’t seen him since. We only use first names in the games. Keep it simple. Beer. Poker. Money. What the hell happened to you?”
“It’s a long story.” He turned to Eden. “He funded that leather sofa we watch Netflix on each night.”
“Man’s a shark when it comes to card games,” Frank said.
Maisey moved toward them with a pot of coffee swinging between her fingers. “You guys want coffee or something?”
“Cakes and bacon for me and Thomas, and whatever Mr. Arden wants.” Eden took the seat next to the baby. Thomas sat on his other side, both of them like sentries guarding a treasure. Frank took the remaining chair and ordered coffee and pie.
He pulled out a yellow legal pad and a pen. “Let’s get started.”
They sat for an hour and explained the scenario to Frank. He stayed quiet and scribbled notes on a pad of paper. He picked up the summons several times.
“This is just a motion to be heard at this point. We may be able to settle this out of court.” He turned to Eden. “Did you say your sister is concerned about public appearances?”
“Yes, it’s not who she is but how she’s seen that matters.”
He smiled. “Great, that will play nicely into our hands.”
Eden tore her napkin into tiny shreds. “Will you take payments? I’m working, but it’s only part-time.”
Thomas turned toward her. “We’ll figure it out. I can take a loan.”
Frank laughed. “You owe me. We’ll settle the cost later. I’m thinking a single game. You win we’re pat. You lose and you have to teach me how in the hell you win.”
“Basically, you’re not charging us?” Eden dunked Thomas’s fully intact napkin into her ice water and patted her face. The nerves were eating her alive. Hormone fluctuations and imminent disaster were a bad mix.
He lifted his shoulders. “It’s an Aspen Cove thing.”
“What’s next?” Thomas asked.
“You take care of that baby and leave the rest to me. I’ll meet you in court next week. Hopefully, we can clear th
is up quickly. It’s an unusual case and could set a precedent. The best thing for us is to come to an arrangement. If it comes down to a legal custody fight, it’s going to be a tough one. I’ve got some research to do.” He gathered his things and left.
“Do you think he’s the right fit for the job?” Eden cradled her head in her hands.
“I have to trust Doc. He told me to call him.” He looked at her with such love in his eyes. “Doc hasn’t led me astray yet.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Thomas
Each day was endless waiting for the court date to appear and then again it seemed to approach at breakneck speed. He didn’t understand how something can be both too fast and too slow at the same time.
Going to work was like walking into hell. The job he loved became a heavy burden on his back. Each hour he was at work was an hour he wasn’t with Tommy and Eden.
The mornings weren’t so much a problem because he could pop over to the vet clinic to see them. He met them for lunch each day, but how was he supposed to shove a lifetime into a week?
Frank and he had shared several conversations and the news was often grim. There were very few cases like theirs. Usually at least one parent shared DNA with the child. That parent was generally awarded custody unless they were deemed unfit. In their case, Tommy wasn’t related by genetics to either party, which made the case come down to something as simple as who’d paid for him.
He kept that information from Eden because she wasn’t handling the situation well. Her bag was packed and ready to go if she had to run. She didn’t know he’d found it, but it was hard to miss her things thinning in the closet they shared.
At a time when they should be rejoicing and looking forward to a life they would share together, they had to worry about keeping all the fragments in one place, so once this was over, they could piece their world back together.
“You ready?” He tugged at the tie at his neck. He didn’t normally wear a suit, but he wanted the judge to see him as a man capable of caring for the baby. He knew Brady and Suzanne would be dressed to impress.
“You don’t have to come.” She smoothed down the front of her dress. Eden was slimming down naturally from breastfeeding but the stress of the impending court case had her dropping weight quickly. She’d lost at least five pounds in the last week.
“I do, and I want to.”
“I’m so sorry I got you involved in all this.” She leaned into him and breathed him in. She’d been doing that a lot. It was as if she was inhaling him into her memory.
“You didn’t. Doc did, and I’m not sorry. You and the baby are the best things that have happened to me.”
“I know but what happens if they take him away?”
He wrapped her into his arms. “We’ll figure that out if and when we get there.”
“How are you so calm?”
He wasn’t calm. He was a raging inferno inside but letting it go wouldn’t serve anyone. He’d work his frustration out on the punching bag at the station tonight.
“I’m trying to be strong for both of us. Let’s go and show them we are the best parents for Tommy.”
* * *
Frank Arden met them at the entrance to the courthouse.
“Are you two okay?”
Thomas held the baby carrier because Eden’s hands shook so much, he was afraid she’d drop him.
“We’re hanging in there. Aren’t we, sweetheart?” He wanted so badly to kiss the quiver from her lip.
“We’re meeting in a smaller courtroom. The Cornings have agreed to let the judge decide the case once everything is laid out.”
“Now they’re the Cornings?” Eden’s voice was razor sharp.
“Better to distance the emotional connection. Trust me, it’s best this way.”
“Let’s get this started so we can get home and resume our lives.” Thomas hoped and prayed that this would all be over today, but his gut told him differently. They weren’t fighting over a car or a house or a puppy. These proceedings would determine how the lives of five people would play out for eternity. The most important being Tommy.
The clickety-clack of their heels echoed through the halls of the mostly empty courthouse. It was either a slow day for Silver Springs or the Cornings, trying to avoid a public scandal, had managed to finagle their way onto a custom docket.
When Frank Arden opened the door, Thomas saw Eden’s sister for the first time. They were nothing alike. Eden was soft and kind looking while Suzanne looked like a fireball spit from a dragon’s mouth.
Her expression showed nothing. She had a better poker face than anyone he’d ever met. That was his superpower. It was why he’d won so many games against Frank. He didn’t have a tell, but neither did Suzanne. Brady, on the other hand, looked like he’d eaten a green watermelon.
Suzanne moved past her lawyer and rushed toward Eden and the baby until Thomas put the wall of his body between them.
“I’d suggest you move back to your side until the judge grants you permission.”
“I want to see my son.” She peeked around his body to the carrier he held firmly behind him.
“You can see him if the judge awards you custody. Until then, he’s Eden’s son, and they belong to me.”
She rolled her eyes when she stepped back. “Caveman much?”
The gavel hitting the desk grabbed their attention.
“I’m Judge Russell and I’ll be hearing your case.” He was a tall man with a head of black hair and a robe to match. “It’s my understanding that you’d prefer to avoid a legal battle and would favor a mediation of sorts. This isn’t generally how we do business but given the circumstances, I’m willing to try, but I reserve the right to move this to normal court proceedings if that seems necessary. All in agreement?”
They nodded and took seats in front of the desk. The Cornings sat on the right with their lawyer while Eden, Thomas, and Tommy sat on the left with theirs.
It took several hours for both lawyers to state the facts as they knew them. It was the discrepancies in the two stories that had Thomas worried. He knew Eden to be an honest woman, but her sister claimed she’d taken off and wouldn’t return her calls. Basically, she accused her of kidnapping.
“I want to get a few things clear.” The judge flipped a page of his notepad and started scribbling again. “Eden, you say your sister told you to put the baby up for adoption?”
“She did. She informed me that she and her husband had split, and she no longer wanted the baby.”
“Liar,” Suzanne called. It took a warning look from her lawyer to shut her up. When she calmed down, she added, “I handed her a check for the delivery and told her I’d be there.”
Eden fisted her hands so hard Thomas was certain her nails would draw blood. “Sir, can I say something?” She flexed her hands as if trying to get the blood moving through them again.
“Yes.” He turned toward Suzanne and put his finger to his lips.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’ve done many things for the wrong reasons. I had a baby for my sister because I wanted her to value me—to make me a part of her life. She begged me to have a child for her. I’ve never known her to not put one hundred percent into something she wanted badly. Suzanne always gets what she wants. However, this time she didn’t really want the baby. She wanted to hang on to her husband and, like many desperate people, she thought a baby would do it. While I refuse to spread my sister’s dirty laundry around in a court of law, her motives were not geared to the child but to her own desires. I’m guilty of that to a point too, but I gave birth to a beautiful boy. I decided to have him for much the same reason as Suzanne. I wanted to keep someone I loved in my life.”
“Hard lessons in life are often painful.” His pen moved across the page.
“Yes, but they are also the most valuable. I learned a lot about myself along the way. I’m willing to do anything for Tommy. He’s the only reason for anything at this point. His existence shows me there’s good in
the world and perfection in imperfect moments. He reminds me each day that the sunshine doesn’t come from the sky, but from his first smile. Each time he grips my hand, he grips my heart. I can appreciate those things, but I’m not sure my sister can. She wants what she wants, but does she know why? I believe you’ll make the best decision in the interests of Tommy.” She cleared the frog from her throat. “At least I hope you will.”
He laid his pen down.
“Ms. Webster. I can see that you love the child, but I also see that you will struggle to provide for him.” He looked down at his notes. “You work part time at a vet clinic. You’re single and live in a house with a man you’ve known for a couple of months. Your baby has no room of his own. How is that providing a stable life for him?”
Thomas wanted to shout out that he wasn’t just a man who shared a house with her. He was financially able to support them both, but he was not part of the suit and had been warned by Frank to not speak.
“You’re right. I live with a man who has been a father to Thomas. Who pays the mortgage on time and provides everything we need. I live in a town that seems to know what I need before I do. I only have to think about it, and it seems to show up on the front porch. It’s not conventional, but it’s perfect in its own way. What’s better for Tommy? Should he be surrounded by people who have wanted him from the beginning or handed off to a woman who wanted to return her purchase?” Eden pulled out the uncashed check. “I never cashed it because how could a value be put on his life?” She reached into the carrier and picked up the baby. “Tommy can’t be bought, but he can be loved. Who is better suited to do that? Me, who has shown that I’ll do anything for him, or my sister who will turn him over to capable hands until he can go to boarding school?”
“I’d never,” Suzanne screamed. “He’s mine. I paid for him. Picked out everything about him. He’s perfect because of me.”
Brady shook his head and leaned back like he’d given up. Suzanne’s lawyer asked her to take a seat, which she reluctantly did but probably only because her stilettos were killing her feet.
One Hundred Goodbyes: An Aspen Cove Romance Page 16