Chapter Two A Fresh Start
Christian
“I swear to God, Christian! If you take Oliver out of Houston, I’ll have my lawyers so far up your ass, you’ll be spitting custody paperwork!”
I clench my jaw, holding my phone away from my ear so my ex’s screeching voice doesn’t damage my hearing. She has always had a way of ruining my day. Thank god I don’t have to deal with her on a day-to-day basis anymore. Ignoring her threat, I continue moving through my home office, pulling documents out of drawers and books off of shelves that I want to be taken to the new house in Blue Ridge.
“I’m not having this conversation with you again, Theresa,” I hiss. “I have custody of Oliver, and I can take him wherever I want. A smaller town will be good for him. He’ll be able to live a more grounded, normal life away from the city crowds and media.”
“Oh, please,” Theresa spits. “You’re not doing this because it’s what is best for Oliver. You’re doing this as a fuck you to me!”
Unfortunately, that would be something you would do.
I roll my eyes, trying hard not to play into her games. “Not everything is about you, Theresa. I am doing this because it’s what’s best for Oliver. It’s too difficult for him around here now that the press knows he exists. I need to get him away from the chaos.”
I need to get him away from you.
I don’t say the last part out loud because I know that would just give her more ammo to use against me. She’s been munitioning any little negative thing she hears about me, hoping something will stick and prove I’m not a fit enough parent to have full custody of our son. Keeping my mouth shut is what’s best for everyone in this situation. I’m not about to risk losing Oliver just because she pisses me off.
“And whose fault is it that the press found out about him? I told you I wanted to keep him a secret for as long as possible, but you just had to take him to Disney World yourself, didn’t you? You couldn’t have just sent him with the nanny.”
“I wanted to be with Oliver,” I counter. “And I’m not the one who insisted on keeping him a secret in the first place. That’s your problem, Theresa, not mine.”
She releases a screech that has me holding my phone away from my ear again.
“Christian, if you go through with this, you’re going to regret it,” she snarls.
“Take it up with my lawyers,” I snap, before hanging up the call. Theresa immediately tries to call me back, but I ignore her call and put my phone on silent. She’s not going to drop the issue, but I’m not changing my mind.
I’m moving to Blue Ridge to give Oliver a better life, away from the chaos of the city, just like I said, but I’m also trying to protect him from Theresa and her schemes. I can’t believe I once loved her… or, at least, thought I loved her. I’m not so sure anymore. When we’d first met, she’d seemed so sweet and naive, but her true colors came out in the end. By then, she was pregnant, and I wasn’t going to walk away from my kid.
I wish I could say the same about her. She didn’t have a problem walking away from Oliver after he was born. Which is something I’ll never fully understand. Now she’s trying to waltz back into our lives, thinking she can reclaim Oliver like he’s a piece of missing luggage.
Fuck that. It’s never going to happen.
Shaking my head, I try to banish all thoughts of Theresa from my mind and focus on preparing this room to be packed. The sooner Oliver and I are out of Houston, the better.
As I’m arranging a pile of books on my desk, the office door opens behind me, pulling my attention. Glancing over my shoulder, I’m surprised to see my father standing in the doorway. His aged eyes stare at me with curiosity.
“Christian,” he says with a nod.
“Hey, Dad,” I reply with a small frown. “What are you doing here?”
The last thing I was expecting today was to see him. He enters the room like a man on a mission, stopping just in front of my desk.
“I wanted to talk to you about this move,” he starts, causing me to let out a small sigh as I scratch the back of my neck. “Are you really sure you’ve thought this through? That you’re not just doing this to get back at Theresa?”
Fucking hell, not him too.
Exhaustion fills me hearing him speak. Between him and Theresa, I’ve had enough of the conversation. I don’t understand why they both seem to have it in their head that I care about how Theresa feels in this situation. She burned her attempt at being a mother years ago.
She was the one who chose the path she wanted. Not me.
“No, Dad. I’m not doing this to get back at Theresa. I’m doing this to protect Oliver and to keep him out of the spotlight.”
“Protect him from his mother,” Dad clarifies.
While that is also true, it isn’t to the extent he and Theresa seem to think.
“Essentially,” I snap. “Protect him from Theresa, among other things. You and I both know she’s only come back into his life because she’s trying to preserve her image now that the world knows about Oliver. She hasn’t given a damn about him for three years and now she’s petitioning for custody! You can’t expect me to sit back and do nothing.”
I’m sure there’s even more she’s after, but I don’t know exactly what it is yet.
Money maybe?
Theresa is never one to pass up an opportunity to gain something for herself. Money, position, influence… she’s like a shark smelling blood in the water when it comes to her own self-advancement.
My dad shakes his head, his brows furrowed. “No, I don’t expect that, son, and I understand why you want to protect him now. It wasn’t right for Theresa to insist that you keep Oliver’s birth a secret, or to abandon him the way she did, but the boy needs a mother.”
“Theresa is no mother,” I counter. “Just because she gave birth to him doesn’t mean she can do whatever she wants with him. She didn’t want to be his mother when he was born, so why should she get to change her mind and upend his entire world now? He doesn’t even know who she is.”
“Christian, I understand.” Moving around the desk to stand next to me, my dad puts his hand on my shoulder and gives it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m not saying I think Theresa has any right to do what she’s doing, but I want to make sure you aren’t doing any of this to be vindictive towards her. Oliver deserves to have a mother, and if she’s willing to try…”
“I’m not sure she is,” I grumble. I check my silenced phone and already have several missed calls and threatening texts from her, just as I predicted.
Typical shit.
“If you really think this is what is best for Oliver, then I support your decision, son,” my dad replies, looking resigned. He is rather traditional when it comes to family, so it makes sense that he would be much more willing to give Theresa the benefit of the doubt than I am. He just doesn’t understand everything I went through with her. He wasn’t there to see all the ways she gutted me and messed with my head.
And he won’t either. It’s no one's business but mine.
“Thanks, Dad,” I murmur.
“Why Blue Ridge, though?” he finally asks with a sigh. “I don’t understand why you are going to that town in particular. There’s nothing really out there.”
“Exactly. It’s quiet. Plus, Garrett lives there, and the company’s got an oil field just outside of the town, so I’ll be able to continue overseeing operations, even though I’m not in the city.”
“I see.” Dad nods, idly picking up a crystal paperweight shaped like a lion’s head, weighing it in his hand. “At least you’ll have some sort of foundation to build on.”
There’s something in my dad’s tone that catches my attention. I look up with a furrowed brow and study his expression. He appears pensive, his lips pressed together in a thin line as he studies the paperweight. His thick silver hair is slicked back, and his face is clean shaven as usual. At fifty-seven, Paul Tallow can still turn heads with the best of them. Looking at him is like looking in a mirror with my reflection aged about thirty years. Same slender nose, same strong jaw, same blue eyes. My grandpa always said I looked just like Dad did when he was my age, and it’s easy to believe.
I’m not certain I’ll be able to say the same about Oliver.
Oliver’s smart as a whip and lively, but he’s small for his age. He was sick a lot as a baby due to vitamin deficiencies and severe allergies, including one to peanuts, all of which I can’t help but wonder if it had an effect on his growth. Though the doctors don’t believe so, all I can do is to be hopeful he will hit a growth spurt soon.
“Are you okay, Dad?” I ask, pushing aside my wandering thoughts to focus back on my father and his solemn silence.
He glances up at me and gives me a half-smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.
“It’s just going to be hard not to have you and Oliver around here anymore,” he confesses, his tone soft. “I’m going to miss you both.”
I give him a small smile and relax my shoulders. “It’s not like we’re moving out of the country. Blue Ridge is only a couple of hours away. You’ll be able to visit us whenever you want, and I’ll have to come back to Houston for work. Plus, I don’t know if this move is permanent. We might be back after things with Theresa have been worked out.”
Dad gives me a slightly relieved smile and nods. “I know, I know. I just will miss having my little guy around.”
“You could come with us.”
Chuckling, Dad shakes his head. “No, no, I need to stay here. Your grandfather needs me around, and someone has to keep an eye on the company over here while you get settled. It’s all right. I’ll be fine, I promise.”
“I wish none of this was happening,” I confess, dropping into my leather desk chair and letting my head drop back with a groan. “I didn’t anticipate things getting so complicated so quickly.”
“That’s life.” Dad shrugs. He checks his watch and continues, “It’s about time to pick Oliver up from daycare. Do you want me to go get him?”
As much as I want to do it myself right now, I can’t. There’s so much that I still have to do and any help I can get, I’ll accept.
“If you don’t mind. I should stick around here and oversee the packing. Mrs. Hanson has the entire house staff preparing for our departure.”
Dad smiles. “All right, I’ll head out then. That does remind me, have you had any luck finding him a daycare in Blue Ridge?”
The question causes a sigh of relief to escape me.
“Actually, yes. Garrett recommended a place. Says his sister works there as one of the teachers, so he’ll be in good hands.”
“Oh, that’s excellent news,” Dad says. “At least you’ll be able to get Oliver to socialize with other children. He’ll be able to make friends faster.”
“Yeah.” I grin. “Yeah, it’s good. At the end of the day, this is all about him and making sure I’m giving him the best life possible.”
My dad turns to go, leaving me alone surrounded by my piles of books and files, and my mind full of worries. I need to protect Oliver and getting him out of the city and away from Theresa is the best way forward. I’m certain of it.
But, deep down, I know there’s a part of me that just wants to run. To take my son and go somewhere where no one can take him from me or mess up our lives. As much as this move is for Oliver, it’s for me too.
Blue Ridge is going to be my family’s safe haven… and I’m not going to let anyone threaten my family.