“No,” she said out loud. “Absolutely not.”
With a sigh, she pushed that thought out of her head, focusing instead on J.J. She wasn’t sure how much longer she would have with him, so she drank in every second. Pulling him in close, she smelled his beautiful baby hair. She caressed his impossibly soft skin and listened to the sound of his tiny breaths. His lip moved in a sucking motion, as if he was dreaming about nursing.
She loved him so much her body ached. There was simply no way she’d allow him to be taken from her.
She was scheduled to meet with the lawyer the next day. If he seemed to imply that jail time was inevitable, she decided she would just pack up and move to another country. She had the financial means to do so, and very little was actually keeping her where she was, especially since George had officially disowned her. She’d have to say goodbye to her sister, and, of course, Jim was there.
She scoffed out loud at the thought. Jim technically lived there—it was where his mail got delivered—but his home was practically in England these days. Maybe she could have moved to London; that way, she could have avoided jail time and actually seen her husband more.
Or not.
In reality, Jim was a non-issue. She honestly didn’t care whether he remained in her life or not. It was all about J.J. now—he was the only one who mattered to her, and she would have done anything to stay with him. She determined she’d have to look into which countries didn’t have extradition agreements with the United States and pick one of those to move to. While she doubted the court system would have wasted money looking for her with only false police report charges against her, she didn’t want to take any chances. She wanted to be able to raise her baby in peace, without having to look over her shoulder all the time.
This seemingly beautiful plan got dashed when she realized Jim would likely press kidnapping charges against her if she did that. He wouldn’t have done it out of love for the baby—after all, he was willing to travel back to England before J.J.’s umbilical cord even fell off. He would have definitely made a stink to save his own image, though. She could see him shouting from the rooftops that his wife had run off with his baby, claiming that he was all distraught over not being able to see his son.
The thought of his phoniness made her sick.
She realized she was overthinking again. She needed to stop her brain from going to all these places and just focus on the miracle in her arms. She’d have to hear what the lawyer had to say before making a decision, so there was no sense in speculating until then.
For the next few hours, she just needed to enjoy her baby.
Chapter 34
Melissa wore a sweater and a pair of dress pants to the lawyer’s office, and she had her hair styled into a neat bun. She looked like a librarian.
She waited nervously in the lobby, holding J.J., wondering what was taking so long. Her appointment had been for twenty minutes earlier. Nobody ever seemed to be punctual anymore.
“Ms. Schuster?”
Putting her diaper bag over her shoulder, she carried the baby with one arm and the infant carrier with the other. Awkwardly, she headed toward the office. “Do you need help?” the receptionist asked.
“No, thank you,” Melissa replied. “I’ve got it.” She hoped she looked as pathetic as she felt and that she’d score some sympathy points with the lawyer.
Her plan seemed to work, based on the expression on his face when she walked through the door. “Wow,” he noted. “You have your hands full.”
She smiled sweetly. “It’s no problem.”
My name is Melissa Schuster, she thought to herself, and I’m as wholesome as they come.
“Please, have a seat.”
She put all of her stuff down and held onto the baby, clutching him to her chest.
“What brings you in here today?”
“I need help.”
“What can I help you with?”
She looked as helpless as possible. “I need you to keep me out of jail.”
He appeared shocked by her statement. “You are facing the possibility of jail?”
“I’m afraid so. I did something stupid, and I’ve come to regret it.” She told the lawyer the same story she’d told the police, concluding by saying, “I am hoping they can get Dylan out of jail. I truly am. And I’m hoping that I don’t end up going there myself.”
“Okay,” the lawyer began, “so…you’ve confessed to this already?”
“Yes, sir. And it was videotaped, so I can’t deny anything.”
“I’m not suggesting you deny anything,” he replied. “I’m thinking, though, that your best bet would be a plea.”
“A plea?”
He nodded. “Offer to make it right.”
The thought of giving Dylan anything made her want to vomit, but she would have sold her soul at this point to stay with J.J. “How can I make it right?” she asked innocently. “What I’ve done is so wrong.”
She was making her own skin crawl. She would need to take a shower when she got home.
“Well,” he began, “what I’ve found is that the almighty dollar can go a long way.”
She looked at him with wide eyes but didn’t say anything.
“We can propose a deal,” he continued, “and see if the young man is willing to accept it. Perhaps if we can get him to settle on a dollar amount, we can go to the judge and say we’ve reached an agreement out of court.”
“Can I really buy my way out of this?” she asked. “Aren’t these criminal charges I’m facing?”
“Yes, but we’re looking at an overcrowded prison system. If we can come up with a way to settle this on our own, I think the judge would be willing to let you go with probation.”
Melissa released a breath that made her feel fifty pounds lighter. Although, the relief was short-lived. “You think the judge would be willing to let me go with probation?”
“I can’t make any promises, obviously. The best I can do is reach out to this young man and see if he is willing to accept your terms. I’ll start out with a low-ball offer, of course, assuming he will counter. Hopefully, though, we can come to an agreement that everyone can live with.”
“Including the judge,” she muttered.
“Yes,” the lawyer replied, “including the judge.”
She closed her eyes. “Do I need to see him? Dylan, I mean. I’m not sure I can look at him.”
“I’ll handle it,” he replied. “I know you fear for your safety, so I won’t make you meet with him.”
“Thank you.”
“Now,” he said, placing his elbows on his desk and interlacing his fingers. “Let’s talk dollar figures.”
Melissa stood before the judge, more nervous than she had ever been in her life. She hated the idea of her fate being in someone else's hands. That was the one thing she dreaded the most, and she'd spent her entire adult life making sure it never happened.
Yet there she was, about to find out her future.
"Miss Schuster," the judge began, "I understand you have reached a potential plea deal with the prosecutor?"
"Yes, your honor."
"In exchange for a guilty plea, you would receive six months probation and you would agree to pay the victim restitution in the form of one hundred dollars per day of wrongful incarceration, amounting in twenty-seven thousand, six hundred dollars. Is that correct?"
"Yes, your honor."
The judge took off his glasses, laying them upside down on his desk. "You do realize that the charges against you are very serious, and I don’t need to accept this plea deal."
"Yes, your honor."
"We don't take what you did lightly. You played God with someone else's life. Fortunately, you had a change of heart, but that young man could have spent ten years in prison based on your lie."
"I’m sorry, your honor."
The judge looked at the paperwork in front of him, appearing to mull it over. He seemed to take forever, flipping through the pages, not saying a wo
rd as he decided her fate.
She was dying inside.
“You have no criminal record,” he eventually said. “This is your first offense.”
She remained silent, unsure if she was supposed to say anything.
He considered the paperwork some more, scratching his chin. He appeared to be having a tough time with this decision.
“I can sentence you to jail,” he ultimately said, “but doing that wouldn’t change what happened to that young man. And I understand you are currently nursing a baby?”
“Yes, your honor.” Melissa dared to feel some optimism.
After another long bout of silence, he said, “I like the idea of you paying restitution. That is going to happen whether I send you to jail or not.”
She stood to lose in every possible way. She wished the judge would just make up his fucking mind and say his decision already.
The seconds ticked by without a word. The judge finally said, “Here’s what I’m going to do. I am going to accept your guilty plea and honor the plea deal, but you will be given strict conditions for your release. You will be on probation, and one little violation will land you in prison. Do I make myself clear?”
"Yes, your honor." The air that had been missing from Melissa’s universe suddenly returned, and she was able to breathe for the first time in ages.
"You will be assigned a probation officer,” the judge went on, “and you will remit payment to the clerk's office. When you leave my chambers, you will receive further instructions. Do you have any questions for me at this point?"
"No, your honor."
"So, what is your plea?"
She sucked in and released a breath. "Guilty, your honor."
"Okay, very well, then,” the judge said. “I hereby sentence you restitution and six months probation. Case dismissed."
Chapter 35
February
J.J. sat propped up against the corner of the couch, wearing the sticker announcing he was four months old today. Melissa talked lovingly to him from behind the camera so he would smile, and he didn't disappoint. She just loved his toothless grin, drool and all.
After snapping the pictures, she scrolled through them, trying to decide which ones to post online. Her audience was pathetically small, reduced to her parents, sister and a handful of friends from college, but at least they enjoyed the shots and encouraged her to keep posting them.
Putting the camera down, she picked up the baby, who had essentially become her entire life. With George out of the picture and Jim still traveling three weeks of every month, she found herself alone with J.J. much of the time. That was okay with her, though. At least she wasn't all by herself anymore.
She did marvel at how much her son looked like Dylan. The shape of J.J.'s face and his dark brown eyes were a constant reminder of the few blissful weeks she'd shared with his father. She found it hard to believe the affair had ended over a year ago; in some ways, it felt like yesterday.
An unexpected knock on the door startled her. After putting the baby on the floor under his activity gym, she walked over to the window and peeked outside, seeing a car she didn't recognize in the driveway. She craned her neck, trying to get a look at the front steps, but she couldn't see who was there. After a quick mental debate between answering the door and hiding behind it, she decided to take her chances and open it.
There, standing right in front of her, was Dylan.
She took a step backward and covered her mouth with her hand. He looked just like she remembered, except he was sporting a layer of sexy stubble that he didn't usually have the year before. Somehow, it made him look even more irresistible than the memories she'd stored in her mind.
After her initial shock wore off, she was gripped with terror. J.J. was lying on the floor in the other room, and he was the spitting image of his father. Dylan would have been able to figure everything out in a matter of seconds.
Willing herself to regain control, she stood up tall and looked over his shoulder into the driveway. "Nice car."
"Thanks," he replied. "I bought it with the money you gave me." He flipped his hair back with his hand, asking, "Got a minute?"
She stood for a long time, torn over what to do. She knew she couldn't let him in, but she desperately wanted to know why he was there.
In fact, she desperately wanted to take him back into her bedroom and relive what they'd shared the year before.
While she stood there debating, J.J. began to cry in the background. Melissa's eyes shifted instantly to Dylan's, although he seemed unfazed. "I know you have my kid," he said coolly. "That's why I'm here."
She sucked in an inhale, ready to argue, but she opted to remain quiet. She would wait to see what he had to say before she decided to admit or deny his paternity. Without a word, she stepped back and invited him in.
He walked past her, and she sniffed in his scent. Memories of his body flooded her mind, making her unable to think clearly. She didn't like this feeling. She wanted to be in control of this moment. She wished she'd had some warning that he was coming so she could have braced herself. She hated being caught off guard.
Dylan instantly headed toward the sound of the cries. Melissa's heart stopped beating as he entered the living room, where the baby continued to fuss under his gym. Dylan approached him, standing for a moment with his hands in his jacket pockets, just looking at the baby. "He seems pissed," he eventually said.
"He's clearly not happy at the moment." Melissa bent down and picked him up, putting him on her hip.
Dylan continued to look at him, giving that squint that had melted Melissa's resolve so many times before. She was unable to figure out what he was thinking, and it drove her crazy. Without saying a word and without being invited, he walked over and plopped on her couch with his arm extended casually out to the side.
"What is it you want, exactly?" she asked.
"Just to talk," he replied. "And to see my kid."
"I wish you wouldn't refer to him like that," she told him. "This is mine and Jim's baby."
Dylan shrugged calmly. "Whatever you say."
"How do you even know I had a baby?"
"Your brother told me."
Melissa's found herself unable to breathe. George had promised to keep her secret. Had that been a lie? Despite her panic, she forced her tone to reflect skepticism. "My brother told you that I had your baby?"
"No," he replied, "your brother told me that you had a baby. I drew my own conclusions about the rest."
"Well, you didn't draw the correct one." She stood so Dylan could only see J.J.’s back.
Dylan raised one sexy eyebrow. "Yeah. Right." He leaned back, folding his arms across his chest and crossing his legs at the ankles. "Don't worry. I'm not trying to take him from you. In fact, I don't plan to admit he's mine, even if you start running around telling people that he is. I just wanted to see him, that's all."
Melissa engaged in another mental debate, ultimately deciding that Dylan was most likely telling the truth. Lowering her shoulders, she walked over and sat down next to Dylan on the couch. She placed the baby onto her lap, sitting him upright on her legs, facing his father.
Dylan's expression reflected the awe he was feeling. He stared at the baby for a long time, eventually saying, "You mean to tell me that isn't my kid? He looks just like me."
Melissa only bit her lip; she couldn't deny that was the truth.
"What's his name?"
"J.J." She decided against telling him that stood for James Junior.
"Cute," he replied. "Cute name and a cute kid."
She raised her eyes to Dylan's and gave him a slight smile. After a brief moment of eye contact, Dylan returned his attention to the baby. He reached out his finger, allowing J.J. to grab it.
"Do you want to hold him?" Melissa asked.
"Sure don't," he replied. "Babies aren't my thing."
A long moment of silence ensued. Melissa was afraid to say anything, unsure of the real reason Dylan was there. It wa
s possible that he was there to seek revenge...after all, she had screwed him over in the worst possible way. Or maybe he really was there just to see his son. The uncertainty of the moment made her uneasy.
She didn't like that feeling at all.
"You know," Dylan began, breaking the silence, "I really need to give you credit."
"Credit?" Despite her best efforts to sound confident, Melissa's voice cracked.
"Mm-hmm. I underestimated you."
She cleared her throat but didn't reply.
He flashed that irresistible squint of his. "I thought you were just a lonely, desperate housewife. I thought you were going to be so easy." Nodding slowly with approval, he added, "You really had me fooled."
She bit her lip to stifle her smile.
"I was walking around thinking I was the one taking advantage of you. I was sure I was calling the shots. It didn't even occur to me that I was essentially at your mercy the entire time."
Melissa only looked at her lap.
"Your plan was diabolical, you know that?"
Finally speaking, she softly announced, "I'm aware."
"I've got to say," he replied, reaching out to touch J.J.'s foot. "I really respect that."
Chapter 35
With those words, Melissa relaxed a little bit. She cocked her eyebrow and smiled at Dylan, saying, "It was pretty good, wasn't it?"
"It was masterful. I had absolutely no idea you were fucking with me, and I was putty in your hands."
"The plan wasn't necessarily to fuck with you," she told him. "I left my options open. I was perfectly willing to leave you be. I only pulled the trigger because you were blackmailing me."
"That wasn't why."
She raised her eyes to meet his.
"You know that wasn't why," he repeated with a smirk.
She didn't argue because her denial would have been unconvincing.
"I will say, I am enjoying the money," he told her.
"I see you have a new car."
"Well, new to me," he replied. "I like it, though. I've already fucked two different girls in it."
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