Chapter 6 #2
Now I had to put my life in her hands and trust that she’d take good care of my kids and me. If Evan did sue me for custody, I’d be screwed because I wouldn’t make Gabby and DJ do anything they didn’t want to do.
I just hoped I wouldn’t end up in jail because of it.
—————
Forty minutes later, I pressed the buzzer to Kennedy’s building and waited.
“Hey!” she said through the intercom. “Come up. Second floor.”
The door beeped, and I pushed against it with my shoulder before walking inside and looking around.
I’d never been here before. Mr. Stafford, who had been the town lawyer before Kennedy, wasn’t somebody I was interested in befriending, especially since I couldn’t stand his son and daughter, who were around my age.
They were a part of the old mayor’s country club crony set, and even though Brett, the son, had turned out to be an undercover FBI agent and had helped bring down crooked Mayor Henderson, I’d never really gotten to know him.
The building was old but well-preserved, with a beautiful oak staircase and plush beige carpet running up the middle. I ascended the steps, taking in the original art deco carvings, the picture rails adorning the walls, and the opulent chandeliers hanging from the ceilings.
Kennedy obviously did okay for herself, which made me feel better about putting my life in her hands. Evan possessed a touch of the narcissisms, to the point where even if he knew he was fighting a losing battle, he’d still continue the war just to be petty.
As I reached the second floor, Kennedy called, “In here,” from behind an open door directly in front of the staircase.
I walked through to see her sitting at a big, wooden desk, typing on a computer.
She saw me walk in and gestured to the empty chair facing her.
She watched me sit and settled back in her chair, her eyes assessing me. “Everything okay?”
“I need legal counsel,” I announced.
“Well, you’ve come to the right place,” she told me with a rueful smile. “What’s going on?”
Over the next ten minutes, I told her everything from meeting Evan and getting pregnant, the affair and subsequent divorce, and everything in between. Throughout the conversation, Kennedy nodded encouragingly, raised her eyebrows a few times, and took a few notes.
When I got to the part where I discovered the way Rachel had spoken to Gabby, her sultry, blue eyes flashed, and she quietly demanded, “The bitch did what?”
I had the feeling that when Kennedy Stone spoke quietly, shit was about to hit the fan, but still, I persevered. “I know. I wasn’t happy either. Hence the phone call to Evan to cuss his ass out.”
Kennedy shook her head disbelievingly. “How fucking dare she?”
My heart twisted. “I know. I went through the same emotions last night. I called Evan and told him that if he wants to see the kids, he has to come here and visit, alone.”
“That’s good,” she murmured, her expression thoughtful as she checked something on her computer. “You didn’t stop him from seeing them; you just gave him conditions in order to protect Gabby.”
“And DJ,” I added. “He loves his sister. It screws with him when he has to witness that shit.”
“Of course,” she agreed. “It would upset Kai too, if it were Kady.”
I smiled.
It may not have seemed like it on the surface, but Kennedy and I had a lot in common. Our boys were friends, and even though Kady was older than Gabby, they got along great, too. Kennedy and Breaker’s twins were good kids, and she had the same easy-going attitude as me when it came to raising them.
Kennedy leaned forward. “First thing we do is write to Evan through his attorney and make a formal request for his partner to not be present whenever the kids visit. We give him a chance to agree. If he doesn’t, we make a formal request to the courts for full custody.
The good thing is that the kids are older now, so a judge will take their testimonies into consideration.
In the meantime, we’ll ask that he visit Wyoming to see them.
I don’t want you to have any contact with him.
If he calls, you politely tell him that in the future, all communication has to go through your attorney and hang up.
He can call the kids and talk to them if that’s what they want, but if he tries to question them about what’s going on, ask Gabby and DJ to tell you, and then write everything down.
I want dates, times, and what he said. The courts won’t take kindly to him involving them in your beef. ”
I smiled because it was clear that I needed a pit bull in my corner. One who would bite into my ex-husband’s ass, lock its jaw, and refuse to let go until he cried for mercy.
“I hate involving the kids, but it’s at their request that Rachel isn’t around, so just ask them to tell you the basics so you can start a paper trail that we can use for evidence in case we have to sue him for emotional abuse.”
“The kids won’t care,” I told her. “Now, your fee—”
She waved a hand, effectively cutting me off.
“I don’t charge family. This will take up about two hours of my day, and actually, since I took on my associates and interns, my workload has diminished drastically.
These days, my main clients are the Speed Demons, but the work is contract-based, seeing as they mostly behave themselves.
I work pro bono for the women’s shelter, but that only takes up one day of my week unless we have a court date.
I’m starting to get work from the Kings of Anarchy, but I think Pagan’s trying to ease me in gently before he hits me with the big stuff.
Honestly, Rosie, I’m spoiling for a good fight, so this will be my pleasure.
Let’s just call it an apology for opening my big mouth earlier. ”
I leaned forward and snaked my hand across the desk to take hers. “Sophie told us what happened with Breaker last night. I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
She gave me a tight-lipped smile. “My husband’s PTSD is part of our lives. It’s something I have to deal with. On the whole, Kit’s happy and healthy, so I can cope with the odd meltdown.”
“Of course you can,” I agreed. “But I’m here if you ever need to talk, vent, scream, or shout.”
Kennedy laughed softly. “Thanks, Rosie. I appreciate that.”
“You’re an amazing woman, Kennedy Stone,” I told her.
“Well, duh,” she sassed back. “Of course I am, but you’re pretty incredible too. If it’s any consolation, Tristan was right: a man can change his ways when he meets the right woman. You’re a catch, babe, and don’t let your guy forget it.”
I laughed softly, my heart warming at the fact I’d just made a new friend. “Oh, don’t you worry about that. You can rest assured, Donovan O’Shea has met his match in me.
—————
Studying my outfit in the full-length mirror, I nodded to myself.
I looked hot, but it wasn’t too much.
My skirt was short and my shirt unbuttoned low enough to show some serious cleavage, but the thigh-highs covered enough leg to keep things classy.
I wasn’t the type of girl to adhere to the whole ‘show leg or boob, but never both’ rule.
I wore what I wanted, and if I flashed a bit of ass cheek and side boob, then so be it.
After slicking on my nude pink lip gloss and drenching myself in my favorite date night perfume, I was ready to go.
I’d purposely gotten ready early so I could have a quick talk with the kids before I went out.
I wanted to tell them about my meeting with Kennedy and get their opinions.
They needed to understand everything that was about to go down and be okay with their part in it, and the consequences.
I slipped my lip gloss, perfume atomizer, and phone inside my bag and made sure I had some cash and cards on me, then I came out of my room and made my way downstairs to the kitchen, where the kids were chilling out.
Gabby looked up from her seat on the couch at the far side of the room, where we usually gathered to watch TV together, and smiled. “You look hot, Momma.”
“Thanks, baby.” I smiled, my gaze hitting DJ’s, who was usually more critical of what I wore than his sister due to the fact that he was a teenage boy and a protective alpha-in-training. “Do I pass inspection?”
His eyes flicked down me then back up again, and he sighed. “It could’ve been worse, I guess.”
“DJ!” Gabby admonished. “Mom looks hot.”
“Exactly!” he bit out.
Gabby rolled her eyes at her brother, and he went and rolled his eyes right back at her.
A lot of eyes went rolling in my house. I was the master at it, and I’d passed my world-class talents down to my kids because they could eye-roll up there with the best of them, and usually at me.
“What time is Donovan picking you up?” Gabby asked me.
I walked over to where DJ sat at the breakfast bar. “In about fifteen minutes. I wanted to talk to you guys before I went. It’s about your dad.”
Two sets of eyes slid to me.
“What about him?” DJ asked.
I took a seat next to my son and motioned for Gabby to join us. She paused her movie and came straight over, sitting on the stool opposite.
“When I spoke to your dad last night and told him you didn’t want to go over while Rachel was there, he threatened to sic his lawyer on me,” I explained.
Gabby’s eyes welled up, and DJ’s mouth went tight.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” I assured them. “Your dad was mad at me, and no doubt he let his emotions get the better of him. Still, I thought it would be better to get prepared just in case, so I arranged a meeting with Kennedy.”
“Good,” DJ muttered. “Kai told me his mom’s a shark.”
“That’s definitely the impression I got too,” I agreed. “Kennedy told me not to communicate with your dad anymore, or at least not until we get this sorted out. Any talking needs to be done through our lawyers, just in case we need to go to court at a later date.”
“If you go to court, I’m telling the judge everything,” Deej threatened. “So if Dad knows what’s good for him, he’ll drop it.”