Chapter 6 #2
“He called because he wanted to set up the visitation with his wife—his ex-wife," Tanner corrected himself.
"But when he reached out to her by phone, he found out his number was blocked.
He tried to reach out to her new boyfriend, whose number he had, and it said the line was disconnected.
So…so now he has no way to get in touch with the woman currently holding his children hostage. "
"Wow. That's heartbreaking."
Tanner sniffed as more tears flooded his eyes. "Yeah, it is. And it's my fault."
Unable to stop myself, I reached down and cupped his face.
My thumb swiped away the tears that fell as I held him steady.
"None of this is your fault, bud. You did the best you could.
The other team didn't play fair. They manipulated the situation, and without the kids speaking up for themselves, you were already fighting an uphill battle.
It's an unfortunate reality that they favor the women in courts.
Sometimes it's necessary, yes, but in your situation… "
I allowed my voice to trail off because there wasn't anything I could say. Tanner and I both knew how fucked up it was. There was no doubt about it.
I wanted to make it right for him though. Wanted to give him relief from this devastating news.
"Shouldn't there be something in place?" I asked. "Something that ensures the court has a connection between the mom and the dad?"
Tanner sat up straighter, his eyes widening. "Yes, yes there is. Why didn't I think of that?" He smacked himself in the head.
I moved one of my hands up to stroke the space he hit as I frowned. "Hey now, no hitting yourself. Everything is fine. We figured it out together."
He smiled at me then, and I felt my own smile blooming.
This sweet young man in my hands was perfect.
He was everything that I would want if I were looking for a partner.
It felt like Wren had hand-picked him and put him in front of me.
My husband knew my type, and he understood what I would want after I had lost him.
This was his meddling, no doubt about it. I 100% believed Tanner was brought to me by my long-gone husband.
I eventually let his face go and brought my hands to my legs, clenching my fists so I didn't reach out to touch him again. Patience was the key here.
"Why don't you go ahead and reach out to the court? I'll wait right here while you make the call," I said.
I leaned back against the headboard as he started tapping away on his phone. He put it to his ear and his voice changed immediately. Gone was the broken boy from before, and in its place was the professional lawyer.
As I listened to him, my mind wandered, and I thought of everything around Tanner in this situation. He's been taking care of people for so long that he didn't know how to let someone else help him.
But what if I taught him?
What if I could step in and show him that taking care of himself is just as important? Or letting someone take care of you is just as important, in this case?
It would be one tiny step, one action each day, to show him that it matters and that it can change things. I could show him what having a Daddy is truly like.
His call wrapped up quickly and then he was turning my way and bouncing on the bed. "The judge said that he would get me the information right away. He said what she's doing is illegal and doesn't sit well with the verdict that was laid down."
I smiled as I patted his knee before quickly pulling my hand back. He frowned at the movement but still kept some of his excited energy.
"Thank you for suggesting it, Simon. I don't know how long it would have taken me to think that up.
Maybe we'll actually get somewhere. If she keeps doing things like this, we could even reopen the trial, and I could possibly win—even though it's not about winning.
I want what's best for those kids and for my client. He was devastated."
"I'm sure he was. This sounds like an imperfect situation, one where nobody is winning, not truly."
"You're right," he said as he yawned widely. "I was trying to relax before they called."
"Well, why don't you do so now?" I said.
"Is it bad for me to be lazy even though I napped earlier?" he asked me.
I shook my head. "No, your body is exhausted. You've had an emotional time. Why don't you try a quick little power nap? Maybe thirty minutes this time. I can even keep track for you."
He bit his lip, then looked around the room. "Would you stay?" he asked, hope threading through his voice. "So I'm not alone when I wake up?"
My heart rate sped up at the question, at the hope in his tone. "Yeah, bud, I'll stay with you.”
I got up, then motioned for him to lay down. Once he was spread out, I took the weighted blanket and eased it over him. It wasn't the kind you could really tuck around someone, but he looked just as cozy as if he had been made into a human burrito.
I longed to kiss his forehead, to push his hair back and encourage him to rest. Instead, I moved across the room to the chair in the corner and took a seat. I crossed my legs and gripped the armrests tightly to avoid getting up.
"Get some rest, bud," I said softly.
His eyelids fluttered closed. Soon his soft snores filled the air.
As I watched him, all I could envision was a future exactly like this—years and years filled with naps and me tucking him in. All the thoughts from earlier came rushing back, painting pictures of domesticity and care.
"I'd take care of you forever if you'd let me," I whispered.
Thank goodness he was asleep. I had no idea how he’d react to my confession.