Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Laurel
The stinging in my eyes was fierce, but there was no way I would let him see me cry. I set my wine glass on the table and stood up.
“This ends tonight. From now on, we only see each other at the office.”
“I understand,” he lowered his head. “But please say you and the girls will still come to dinner at my dad’s house tomorrow night.”
“Why should we?”
“Because we’ll all be there, and I know Morgan would want you there. And I would like you to come.”
“You don’t get to do that.” I waved my finger. “I don’t care what you want anymore. But we’ll still go. Text me your dad’s address.”
“I’ll pick you and the girls up.”
“No! I can drive myself.” I grabbed my purse. “Your days of doing anything for us are over. I’ll see you tomorrow, Julian. ”
I opened the front door, swallowed hard, and walked over to Parker’s to get the girls.
“Come on, girls. We have to get home. It’s getting late.”
“Are you okay?” Parker whispered, walking over to where I stood.
“Not really. Your brother is a real piece of work.” I breathed out a laugh to keep from sobbing.
“I know, and I’m sorry. He can’t let go of the past.”
I put the girls in the car and tried to keep it together on the way home, although my body shook. The girls were unusually quiet. They could tell something was wrong but were too afraid to ask.
After tucking them into bed, I changed into my nightshirt, climbed into bed, and the floodgates finally opened. If there was ever a time I needed my parents, it was now. But they were on their cruise, and I wouldn’t ruin it for them.
“Ah, you must be Laurel!” A young woman exclaimed, hugging me. “And these beautiful young ladies must be your daughters. Come in.”
“Laurel Evans. My firm’s beautiful and talented new attorney. Hello, sweetheart. I’m Harry.” He hugged me.
“It’s nice to meet you, Harry.”
“Oh, my goodness. Who are these lovely little girls?”
“This is Stella, Sara, and Sophie.” I smiled.
Harry took the girls with him to show them his train collection. Morgan walked over with Maddie and hugged me.
“How are you? ”
“I’m okay. Hey, sweetheart.” I smiled at Maddie. She held her arms out to me, so I took her.
Julian and I were on edge today after last night’s conversation. We hardly crossed paths and exchanged just a couple of words. I saw him staring at me from across the room while he talked with his brothers. Maybe coming here was a big mistake.
Love summoned us to the dining room for dinner. We all took our seats. The girls sat by Julian, and I sat as far away from him as I could.
“I have called all of you here tonight because we have some news.” Harry reached over and took hold of Love’s hand. “We’re having a baby.”
“Excuse me!” Parker choked on his drink.
“What?” Roman voiced loudly.
“How is that possible?” Julian asked.
“I had my vasectomy reversed, and we did IVF,” Harry said. “It took a couple of tries, but we finally did it.”
“You’re too old to have another kid, Dad,” Julian said.
“I have to agree with him,” Roman said.
“I can’t believe we’ll have a brother or sister thirty-some years younger than us. Dad, that is just nuts.”
“When the kid is our age, you’ll be in the ground, Dad. What the hell were you thinking?” Julian said.
“I think it’s wonderful news.” I smiled. “Congratulations to you both.”
“Thank you, Laurel,” Love said.
“I’m happy for you. Congrats!” Morgan smiled, holding up her drink.
“At least two people at this table are happy for us,” Harry said.
“Dad, it’s not that we’re unhappy,” Roman said. “You just have to look at it from our point of view.”
“Yeah, Dad. It’s weird,” Parker said .
“Says you.” He pointed at his sons. “Love and I are incredibly happy that we’re having a baby, whether you like it or not.”
After dinner, I stood on the beach, staring at the water illuminated by the moonlight while everyone else was at the house. Julian walked up and stood next to me.
“Can you believe Love is pregnant?” he asked.
“Yeah. I can. And I think it’s great. They’re obviously in love and want to share a child together. You can’t fault them for that.”
“I don’t. It’s just weird.”
“I have to go.” I began to walk away and felt his hand wrap around my arm.
“Laurel, wait. I don’t want things to be weird between us because of what happened.”
I slowly closed my eyes momentarily before turning around and facing him.
“It’s a little too late for that, Julian.” I yanked out of his grip and went back to the house.
He wanted to go on like nothing happened between us. Maybe he could do that, but I couldn’t. The hurt was real, and I swore to myself that I would never let another man hurt me in that way again.
Two Weeks Later
“Are you ready?” Julian walked into my office.
“Yep.” I grabbed my briefcase, and we headed toward the elevator.
We stood together, waiting for the elevator, shifting uncomfortably, our eyes avoiding each other’s gaze as we had done the past couple of weeks. The tension between us was thick. As we climbed into the back of the Escalade, I stared out the window, watching the scenery blur by. The drive to the courthouse was a whole other level of discomfort, and I wished I would have driven myself.
“This case wasn’t an easy one,” Judge McCray spoke. “I’ve listened to both sides, reviewed all the evidence, and have made my final decision. When it comes to child custody cases, I don’t take things lightly. I rule on how this will affect the child’s well-being and future. This court decides that sole custody of Kayla is awarded to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. Court is dismissed.” He banged his gavel.
I turned and hugged Mr. and Mrs. Anderson as tears streamed from their eyes.
“Thank you, Laurel. Thank you so much.” Her grip around me tightened.
“You’re welcome. Congratulations.”
I stared at Lindsey Burton as she sat in the chair, face buried in her hands, sobbing. I felt for her. I really did. But the reality was that Kayla would have a better life with Mr. and Mrs. Anderson than with Lindsey. Morgan discovered that Lindsey was a waitress at a small diner by day, and she sold herself to men by night. Lindsey didn’t think anyone would ever find out about her night job, but we did.
“Great work,” Julian said.
“Thank you.” I paused on the steps of the courthouse, scanning my surroundings. A sense of being watched enveloped me, causing me to halt abruptly. That’s when I saw a man staring at me from across the street in the distance—sweatpants, T-shirt, beard, mustache, and a baseball cap pulled low. The moment he saw me catch his gaze, he abruptly turned and walked the other way.
“Are you okay?” Julian asked.
“I’m fine,” I said, my heart racing as we climbed into the Escalade .
Later that afternoon, I was sitting at my desk when my phone rang. Glancing at it, a number appeared—a number I didn’t recognize.
“Laurel Evans,” I answered.
Silence filtered on the other end. Yet, beneath all the quietness, I could detect the subtle sound of the person’s breathing. Then I heard a click.
Jumping up from my desk, I walked over to Morgan’s office.
“I got another call, but this time, it came up as a number.”
“What? Let me see?” Morgan held out her hand.
I handed her my phone. She typed the phone number into her computer.
“We got that son-of-a-bitch. This phone number pinged off a cell tower in West Hollywood by these apartments right here.” She pointed. She opened her desk drawer and pulled out her gun.
“Let’s go see who this motherfucker is.” She smiled.