Chapter Ten A Crazy Idea
Christian
I pace back and forth in my office, phone pressed to my ear as my lawyer, David, lays out the latest developments in the custody case. My free hand clenches into a fist at my side as I think about the mess Theresa has caused.
Fucking bitch.
“Christian, I know this is frustrating, but we have to stay calm,” David explains, trying to make me see reason. “We can use her actions against her in court, but we need to handle this strategically.”
“Calm?” I echo, my voice laced with frustration. “How the hell am I supposed to stay calm when every time I step outside, I’m swarmed by paparazzi? All because Theresa couldn’t keep her mouth shut about where I am?”
David sighs on the other end of the line. “I understand, but we need to focus on what’s important—your son. The more she pulls stunts like this, the more it works in our favor. We can demonstrate to the court that she’s not acting in the best interests of your child by exposing him to this kind of media frenzy.”
I know he’s right, but it doesn’t make this any easier. Every time I think about the look on my son’s face when he sees those cameras, when he hears them shouting questions that no little kid should ever have to hear, it makes my blood boil. He didn’t ask for any of this. He’s just a kid, caught in the middle of something he doesn’t understand.
“She’s doing this on purpose, David,” I say, stopping in front of the large window overlooking my backyard. The view, which usually brings me some semblance of peace, does nothing to calm me now. “She wants to push me over the edge, make me look like the bad guy. And the worst part is, it’s working. I’m losing my mind over this.”
“I know, Christian,” David replies, his tone more sympathetic now. “But you have to remember why we’re fighting. She’s using the media to try and paint a picture, but we have the truth on our side. You’ve been a good father—stable, reliable—and that’s what the court will see. We just have to stay the course.”
I let out a long breath, trying to release some of the tension coiled in my chest. “What’s our next move? How do we get ahead of this?”
“First, we’ll file an emergency motion to restrict her ability to disclose your whereabouts or your son’s to the press,” David explains. “We’ll argue that it’s detrimental to his well-being. Judges tend to take that kind of behavior very seriously, especially when a child’s safety is at stake.”
“That’s good,” I say, nodding even though he can’t see me. “And what about damage control? How do I keep the paparazzi from turning my life into a circus in the meantime?”
“I’ll reach out to some contacts in the media,” David answers. “See if we can get them to back off, at least to a reasonable distance. But in the meantime, keep your head down. Limit your outings, and if you need to go anywhere, have security with you. We’ll get through this, Christian. It’s just a matter of time.”
“Time,” I mutter, rubbing a hand over my face. “I just want this to be over. I want my son to have a normal life, away from all this insanity.”
That’s why I moved here! That’s why I wanted to keep our life here as quiet and simple as possible.
Of course, Theresa just had to blow it all up without any thought as to how this would affect Oliver.
“And we’ll get there,” David assures me. “But you have to be patient. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Theresa is going to keep pushing, and we need to be ready for that. But remember, every move she makes that puts your son at risk only strengthens our case.”
I nod, even though part of me still wants to throw something, to yell, to do anything to vent this frustration. But I know David’s right. I can’t lose my cool, not now. Not when everything is on the line.
She’s going to get what’s coming to her in the end.
“This would all be much easier if you had a woman who could act as a stable mother-figure for Oliver,” David says with a wistful sigh. “That would be a slam dunk for the courts.”
Is he serious right now?
“I’m not even dating anyone, David.”
“I know,” he grumbles. “But I can dream, can’t I? Anyway, I’ll get to work on easing the media pressure on you right now, and we’ll go from there.”
“Thanks, David,” I finally say, my voice calmer than I feel. “I appreciate everything you’re doing.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” he replies. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I have more updates. In the meantime, try to take care of yourself, Christian. Your son needs you to be strong.”
“I will,” I promise, even though I’m not sure how I’m going to manage it.
When the call ends, I stand staring at the phone in my hand. The weight of the situation presses down on me, heavy and suffocating. I try to take some comfort in David’s words and his advice, but there’s a nagging worry in the back of my head. Even if I’m stable and reliable, will that be enough? I know how much harder it is for fathers to get custody over mothers, and I also know how manipulative and clever Theresa can be. She, no doubt, is planning on using all this against me, despite how confident David is that we can show how damaging to Oliver her actions are. She’s going to flip this against me, and she’s a good enough actress that she’ll be able to convince the court that her version of events is the truth.
Setting my phone down on my desk, I turn and gaze out my window overseeing my backyard again. What am I going to do? I need to figure out some way to ensure I’ll get custody of Oliver. Letting Theresa have him is simply not an option. Sighing, I run a hand through my hair in frustration as I close my eyes, trying to rid myself of the throbbing migraine forming at my temples.
What the hell am I going to do?
The soft buzzing of my phone causes me to groan as I dread the idea of Theresa calling to start more of her drama. Instead of dread filling me when I check the caller ID, my heart practically leaps into my throat at the sight of Haven’s name across the screen.
Is this fate intervening? No… that’s wishful thinking.
Clearing my throat, I let out a heavy breath and answer. “Hello?”
“Hey,” she replies, sounding hesitant. “Um… I was wondering if you and I could talk?”
“Sure.” Crap, do I sound too eager? “Do you want to talk now, or…?”
“Would you mind if I came over?” she asks, catching me slightly off guard.
“Uh—not at all. Oliver’s already in bed, so if you want, you can come over.”
“Okay,” she says softly. “I’ll be there in twenty.”
“Sounds good… I’ll see you soon.”
She ends the call, and I stand frozen in place, completely baffled. She had made it pretty clear earlier that she didn’t want anything happening between us. And I was fairly sure I’d probably never be able to get her over to my house to even babysit in the future after what happened between us.
Now she suddenly wants to come over?
I can’t help but feel a little eager to clear the air between us. Our conversation at the daycare center this morning didn’t really get anywhere and then after the shit with the paparazzi, it sort of made everything worse. Hopefully, she isn’t coming over to tell me Oliver can’t come there anymore because it isn’t safe or anything.
That would absolutely devastate him. He loves it there.
As much as I want to look forward to this visit with her, I’d be lying if I didn’t feel a bit of nervousness over it.
***
Punctuality must really be something that Haven thrives on because she keeps to her word when twenty minutes later she’s stepping out of her car and making her way to my front door.
“It’s good to see you,” I call out, as she makes her way towards me.
“Hey,” she murmurs softly, with a look of hesitation in her eyes. “Sorry, I know it’s late.”
“Don’t worry,” I reply, stepping aside so she can come into the house. “It’s not too late. Come on into the living room and we’ll talk.”
She nods and silently steps forward, allowing me to follow in behind her as I close the door. She doesn’t need me to show her the way to the living room, and finds a place on the couch as I take a seat next to her. At length, I can’t stand the quiet and I clear my throat.
“So… what did you want to talk about?”
Haven glances up at me with a sigh. Exhaustion fills her gaze as she shakes her head, clearly trying to find the words to what she wants to say. “Honestly, I’m not sure why I came out here.”
“Oh… well, you said you wanted to talk about something. I figured maybe it had something to do with what happened today at the center.”
“Huh?” She stares at me slightly confused before shaking her head again. “No… no, that isn’t it at all. I just… I guess I had a bad day and wanted to be somewhere that wasn’t—I don’t even know.”
The fact that she is clearly having a bad day and wanted to go anywhere and felt that my house was somewhere safe she could retreat to makes me feel some kind of way. I can’t exactly explain it, but a mixture of pride and satisfaction fills me knowing that she wanted to come here out of all places I’m sure she can go.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She bites her bottom lip, casting her eyes towards the large stone fireplace in my living room before her shoulders sag a bit in defeat. “It’s just that… my mom is sick. Really sick. Dying, in fact, and all she wants is to see me married and happy before she goes, but that’s the furthest thing from my mind right now. And I can go talk to my best friend Marie about it… I wanted the comfort of someone who isn’t going to lecture me about my romantic life.”
“Oh, shit,” I gasp, completely caught off guard. “I’m so sorry, Haven. I had no idea. I mean, your brother told me before your mom was sick, but I had no idea it was that bad.”
“Really?” she asks, furrowing her brows. “He never told you?”
I shake my head, letting out a heavy breath. “No, he didn’t.”
A small smile lines her lips as she lets out a scoff that almost sounds like laughter. “That sounds about right. He likes to keep things to himself if he can. He’s always been like that.”
“Is there anything I can do?” I ask after a moment, searching her face for any sign that I can help her in some way. The fact that I’ve known her brother for years and he never as so much told me what was going on eats at me.
“It’s fine,” she whispers, clasping her hands together in her lap. “I don’t know why, but… when I left the hospital, I couldn’t think of anyone but… you.”
“Me?”
She shrugs with a small nod, turning to me once more. “It’s stupid, but yeah.” Pushing to her feet, she turns to face me and shakes her head. “I’m sorry, this was a mistake. I should go… I shouldn’t be bothering you with all of this.”
“No, wait… don’t go.” I reply, standing to my feet as I take her hand. “You don’t have to leave. I know we don’t know each other that well, but I want to be here for you. Even if you just need to cry your eyes out in my living room or something. I’m not the greatest at giving advice in this kind of situation… but I can be a good listener.”
She stares at me, clearly trying to fight back the tears that line her eyes. Everything about this woman has captivated me since the moment I met her. And maybe it’s the thought of losing Oliver leaving me panicked, of the sight of Haven so upset that’s got me wanting to solve her problems along with my own.
And technically, there is a solution to both of our problems, in this room.
“Christian, I…”
“Marry me.” The words are past my lips before I fully realize I’m speaking them. My own mind doing a somersault as I try to process what the hell I just said.
It’s completely ridiculous on all fronts, but I mean—what the hell?
Haven gapes at me like a fish out of water. Her eyes wide, and her mouth open. Part of me instantly regrets asking. She made it clear that she just wanted to be friends and here I am acting like a fucking crazy person asking her to marry me.
“What?”
“Marry me,” I say again, after clearing my throat. “Look… I know it sounds crazy?—”
“It is crazy,” she scoffs, taking a step back from me. “It’s completely fucking crazy.”
“Yeah… well, that might be the case. But hear me out. If we got married, Oliver would have a good mother figure in his life, which will help me maintain custody, and you’d be able to make your mother’s final wish come true.”
Haven looks overwhelmed and bewildered, but I can tell she’s also intrigued by the way she’s biting her bottom lip.
“Are you sure about this? Because it really is crazy, Chris. I mean—like really crazy.”
“I am,” I assure her, my tone heavy with conviction. “Listen, it doesn’t have to be forever. Maybe a year. Long enough for me to win my custody case and for you to make sure your mom… goes in peace. Then, if you want to run away from me forever, you can.”
Her eyes widen slightly and the color drains from her face, but then she squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head. It only takes a moment before she’s looking at me again, and when she does, there is determination in her eyes.
“Right… okay. That makes sense. I can do a year. I mean, I already feel like I’m losing my mind with everything else going on so—why not. What else do we need to figure out?”
The fact that she’s agreeing makes me smile. For a moment, I was seriously expecting her to run out of my house screaming, telling me I’m insane and need help.
But she isn’t. She’s actually agreeing to it.
“It would only have to be a marriage in name only. I wouldn’t have any, um, expectations of you.”
I feel my cheeks burn as mortification pulses through me. It’s so freaking awkward to have to assure her that I won’t try to sleep with her if she marries me. I mean, if she wants to sleep with me, I definitely won’t object to it.
In fact, I’d be thrilled.
“Uh, thanks.” She chuckles, averting her eyes for a moment as a smile crosses her face. “That’s good to know, I guess. Anything else?”
“We should probably have a bit of a dating period, so to speak,” I continue. “Put on a bit of a show for the paparazzi and make the relationship seem real.”
She appears thoughtful for a moment and then nods. “Yeah, that makes sense.”
“I’ll have my lawyers draw up papers tomorrow, if you agree.”
“You want me to say yes by tomorrow ?” Her eyes go wide again, and slightly confusion fills me. I thought she was already saying yes.
“I’d like you to,” I reply, my tone firm as I try to hide my confusion.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she mumbles. “This is a lot to think about.”
“Take your time tonight and think it over,” I reassure her. “But I really think this will be a perfect solution to both of our problems. And like I said, after a year we can call it off.”
She sucks in a deep breath and gazes up at me with an uncertain expression.
At length, she slowly nods. “All right… I’ll think about it. What, um, what would we tell Oliver if we went through with this?”
“We’ll figure that out when he’s older. For now, he’ll just be happy to have you around more. He really likes you, you know.”
That earns me a soft smile. “He’s so sweet. I just don’t know how I feel about lying to him.”
“We won’t have to lie,” I promise her, though I’m not sure how it can be entirely avoided. “Trust me, I don’t want to make this more complicated than it needs to be. I’m only suggesting this because I truly think it could be beneficial for both of us. I think we can help each other right now.”
Haven nods and slowly starts to turn.
“Okay,” she says as she moves toward the living room door. “I promise, I’ll think about it. I’ll let you know by the end of the day tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.”
She gives me one final look before disappearing out of the room. When I hear the front door open and close, I release a long breath. Holy shit. I can’t believe I just made that offer to her… and she’s actually considering it.
If she says yes, it really could be just what I need to ensure that Theresa doesn’t win in court and take Oliver from me. Haven might be my best chance at keeping my family whole, and I’m going to take that chance no matter what.