The Art of Falling in Love with Your Fake Fiancé: A small town closed door romantic comedy (Sweetkis

7. Levi

SEVEN

In the fun way small towns work, of course I called our family lawyer and asked if I could stop by to get his advice on something. Did you think I was going to sit here and be served papers by Lorna quietly?

Buzz Sherman has been our lawyer and family friend for as long as I can remember. When everything went down last year and I found out about being Duncan’s guardian, I’d asked him to look over all the paperwork and to be available in case I needed him. Look, this is the first time I’ve been “willed” something, and for it to be a human life, I want to make sure I do it right.

When I turned into Buzz’s driveway in town, he was already sitting on his porch waiting for me. He always reminded us of Santa Claus growing up—in fact, one year, Mom had him come out to the farm and play Santa for Austin and me, as well as for his two kids, who are both grown and gone now. I think one went to Los Angeles and is now a lawyer, too, following in his father’s shoes. The other owns a taco stand somewhere in the Florida Keys. It’s like he couldn’t have two more different kids if he tried.

“Thanks for seeing me on such short notice, Buzz,” I call out, slamming my car door and walking across the lawn.

“Anything for you kids. You know that you and your mom mean the world to us.” He stands, indicating I follow him inside.

The old Victorian home sits on the edge of Sweetkiss Creek Park, one of the best spots to live in my opinion if you’re going to dwell here in town. You get the benefit of a green space across the street from your front yard, and you’re still a quick walk into the shopping district if you want to do anything or grab a bite to eat.

We settle in his study, Buzz taking a chair across from me, grabbing a legal pad and a pen. “May I see the papers you were served?” he asks. I comply, handing them over and then I settle in to wait for him to review them.

It feels like ages, but he finally grunts his dissatisfaction.

“Well, she’s going to try to make things difficult for you, isn’t she?” Buzz angles himself in his chair so he’s facing me. It’s late afternoon now and the sun is starting to get lower in the sky, but it hasn’t started to disappear yet. Its warmth still emanates enough heat that I can feel it through the window panes sitting here in Buzz’s study.

“I guess so. I mean, I know she wasn’t happy that I was chosen to be guardian, but…” I shake my head and run my fingers through my hair. “I don’t know what to do, Buzz. He needs to settle in and something like this could ruin the work we’re trying to do to help him.”

“No, I get it. Mary told me about Duncan. I know he’s a bit quiet and still in some shock, as I’m sure you can understand.” Buzz’s features are soft, but his mouth is drawn in a tight line. “I hate these cases because the child can quickly feel like property.”

“I don’t want that,” I offer.

Buzz reaches out to pat my shoulder. “I know, I wasn’t talking about you,” he says knowingly. “This can go a couple of ways, depending on the judge you get, really. They could try to show you as unfit to be his guardian because of the amount of time you’re on the road for football.”

I’d wondered if that was going to be a problem. “Doesn’t it count that it’s the way I make money and I’ll be able to provide for Duncan by doing my job?” Tom and Katie had also left him a sizable trust fund which he”ll be able to access when he’s old enough, and provisions while he’s under my care so he never has to want for anything, but still. If I’m going to be a dad, I’m going to be a dad, you know?

“Funny enough, because you’re single, that could hurt you. Doesn’t matter that your family is tight and your mom or brother can step in at any time, nor that you’re making a decent salary in the NFL. Duncan’s grandmother may try to show you as unfit.”

“This is insane, right?” Folding my arms in front of me, I can’t help but to throw myself back into the chair with a little anger, to the point the chair rocks for a second before it stops and stays still.

“You need to breathe, son,” Buzz says in his soft Southern drawl. “I’d offer you a whiskey, but since you’re driving, a Cheerwine seems more appropriate.”

Cheerwine. The best cherry-flavored soft drink ever. “Yes, please.”

Buzz leans forward and picks up his desk phone and hits a button. Someone on the other end picks up and he rattles off an order: a glass of ice, Cheerwine times two, and a couple of Moon Pies.

Grinning, he turns back to me. “Those were always the best comfort foods for our family. I figure we could both use ‘em right now.”

“Thanks, Buzz,” I say, my shoulders shaking with a small laugh. “What else do I need to be prepared for?”

“Well, they’ll look at you—not just look, but their lawyers will scrutinize everything you do and bring that with them to court. They’ll want…no, need, to prove that you’re unfit because the law doesn’t favor a grandparent in cases like this. Not when the parents have assigned guardianship and laid it out in a will.”

“So I should, by all rights, be able to win this?”

“Not necessarily. Like I said, it depends on the judge you get and the case made by their lawyer.”

The study door creaks open, and a guy in his mid-twenties enters with our comfort items on a tray. He places everything down on the coffee table in front of us and leaves as stealthily as he entered.

“New intern,” Buzz says. “He’s working here a few hours a week for college credit.”

Buzz has always had a great reputation as a family friend, but as a lawyer, he is the man. The guy you do not want to see up against you when you walk into a court of law, which has always boded well for us in the times we’ve needed him most.

“He’s got a good teacher,” I say as I grab my Cheerwine and crack it open, pouring it over ice.

“Here’s to that,” Buzz says, holding his can in the air as we clink them. “So, when you know who your judge is we can make a plan, but for now you need to do things that show you are currently, and plan to be in the future, an active member of Duncan’s day-to-day life.”

“How can I do that when I’m on the road starting in August or September?” My coaches are aware of this very new situation and I know I’ll get some grace as we go into the new season, but this is starting to stress me out.

“Are you planning on still playing football?”

If he only knew how weighted that question was these days. “At the moment, it’s unclear. I’m processing things.”

Buzz nods in understanding. “Okay, let’s go on the basis that you stay playing pro ball. Get your family involved—your brother, mother. Your girlfriend?” The last part of the sentence comes out as a question, with Buzz’s hopeful eyes honing in on me.

“Girlfriend?”

“Or fiancée?”

“Fiancée?” Laughing, I shake my head and put down my drink, grabbing for the Moon Pie. I need the chocolatey goodness of marshmallow and graham cracker in my belly right now for this topic. I’m a guy who is not ashamed of the fact that he can eat his feelings. “How did I go from girlfriend to fiancée in a matter of two ticks?”

“Let’s be honest here,” Buzz says, sitting back in his chair as he peels open the wrapper encasing his Moon Pie. “It’ll look good to the courts if you’re showing signs of settling down. Showing plans to get married and provide Duncan with a family.”

“But,” I manage with my mouth full, “I have a family. My mom and my brother. No one questioned us when my dad left, did they?”

“Different circumstances, Levi. She’s your maternal momma. She had you, so she has rights. She is blood. You’re…not.”

That is obviously not what I want to hear, and I’m pretty sure it’s evidenced by the look on my face.

“What’s that look for?” Buzz inquires, raising his Moon Pie in the air. “’Cause in our house you can’t be in a bad mood with a Moon Pie.”

“It’s unfair. I’m the one Tom and Katie wanted Duncan to be with, whatever their reasons were, and to think that his grandmother could come along and take that custody from me is nuts.”

“If you really want to do this, to step up and be a dad to this boy and help guide him, then you may need to do things so it looks as if.”

As Buzz puts his soda to his lips and eyes me, I let his words resonate. “As if?”

He nods, taking a swig. I wait for him to gather his thoughts and speak again.

“Unofficially, I’m going to give you the best advice I can because I love you guys and I consider the Porters to be family.” His face suddenly turns serious as he leans forward and sets his drink on the coffee table, placing the Moon Pie on the plate next to it. “Even if it’s not true, you need to paint a picture for the court that you are stable. You, Levi Porter, cannot and will not be rocked. You are able to provide for Duncan like nobody ever can or will—”

“I can do that,” I say, interjecting.

But Buzz isn’t finished. “I need you to read between the lines,” he murmurs, his elbows on his knees as he leans closer to me, as if taking me into his confidence. “It must appear that you’re settled down. That you’re in the process of making roots.”

There’s something in what he’s saying that I”m starting to catch on to, not going to lie the extra emphasis he’s placing on certain words helps. But would he really be advising me to try and put one over on the courts?

“Are you saying I should lie, because if—”

“No, I’m not saying that,” Buzz snaps, holding up a hand and shaking his head. “There’s nothing wrong with taking your truth and painting it a bit more, shall we say, abstract than what it really is. Kind of like the saying printed on a vehicle’s side mirrors.”

Now I’m really confused. From kids to cars in the blink of an eye. “Huh?”

“It says, ‘Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.’ In this case, it’s that the objects may have a different relationship than what is really there.” He looks me in the eye sternly, his expression so serious, I half-expect him to bust out a PowerPoint presentation on the importance of eye contact in intense situations.

Somewhere in the recess of my brain, though, I’m starting to understand. A lightbulb goes off at the same moment a lightning bolt hits me in the side of my head. “You think I need to have a partner, a fiancée?”

Buzz sits back in his chair and shrugs his shoulders. “You said it, I didn’t.”

“Oh, come on.” Throwing my hands in the air, I stand up. “I need to find someone to play house with me so I can be Duncan’s guardian?”

“I’m not saying you have to, but I am saying it will help for you to appear to be headed in that direction.”

There’s a knock at the door, and the young intern appears, peeking his head through the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt. Mr. Sherman, you have your last appointment of the day in a few minutes.”

“Ah.” Buzz’s eyebrows wiggle. “Thank you, Jim.” As the door closes, Buzz hops up and looks at his hands. “I should get prepared for this. How are you feeling?”

How am I feeling? Horrible. Confused. Angry. Not enough.

“I guess I’ll be okay. Once I find someone to marry me.”

“That’s the spirit.” Buzz chuckles as the door opens again and a small woman carrying a bag of supplies enters, shooting a glance my way as she does. Seeing the look on my face, Buzz grins and holds up his hands. “Weekly manicure. I look at my hands a lot and I can’t stand a hangnail. The bonus is the hand and palm massages. Amazing. My hands actually feel relaxed when we’re done. Like wet, limp noodles ready for some sauce.”

Only in Sweetkiss Creek.

Standing, I hold out my hand and shake his. “Thanks for your time, Buzz. I appreciate the advice.”

“I assume you want me across this?”

“Please.”

He nods to the papers on his desk. “I’ll keep those here, then, and we’ll do everything we can to make sure Duncan stays with you and your family. But in the meantime, get him more settled here and into a routine that’s with you and the rest of the Porters. Something tangible where we can show that he’s thriving under your care. You’ve got job stability, that’s not a problem, but we want them to see you as a dad.”

A few minutes later, after I’ve said goodbye and turned down the offer to get my nails done as well, I send a text to my mom so they know I’m okay. Then I point my car in the direction of a certain apartment building in town.

I could use a friend right now. My best friend.

I need to see Georgie.