9. Easton
Easton
Once we made the decision to head to Atlanta, it didn’t take us long to get on the road.
With six pairs of hands, packing for a newborn and two adults was a snap. And while leaving the safety of my house gave me pause, I saw the advantage of meeting with the lawyers Lisa used face to face.
We could have cut hours off the journey by flying but I didn’t want to bring attention to the baby in our care. Driving might take us half a day or more, but with Vail and Quade coordinating our trip from Love Beach, our arrival in Atlanta will be smooth no matter what time we get there.
Glancing at the dashboard I notice we need to stop for gas sooner than later. I’m sure, like me, Vivi would welcome a break too. Hours in a car, no matter how luxurious my Range Rover is, aren’t comfortable for anyone.
Well, except the baby sleeping soundly in the back.
He was due for a bottle half an hour ago but he slept right through so I kept driving. It must be the vibration of the car keeping him asleep.
I have to admit, I’m surprised by how easy he is to look after, both last night and today, but I’m not about to push our luck; he’s bound to get hungry soon.
“We’ll stop at the next gas station,” I tell Vivi.
“Okay.”
She’s been quiet for most of the drive. I know she’s doing things on her laptop I probably won’t be happy about, although before we left, Vail made sure to put my mind at ease by telling me she has multiple systems in place to keep any deep digging she does under wraps.
My thoughts might have been occupied before, but now all I can think about is whether she’s putting herself at risk to help me.
“What are you doing?”
“Searching social media for anything and everything I can find on Jenny and Lisa Kincade.”
A sigh of relief rushes from my chest. “Legal searching.”
The last thing I want is for Vivi to get herself into trouble with the authorities. In spite of Vail’s promise she knows what she’s doing and he’s got her covered, I’m wary of her digging up information on Lisa.
“Don’t worry, it’s all legal. Nothing the general public can’t find.”
“What have you found so far?”
“The father. I think.”
“Oh.” In all of this I haven’t once thought about the man who fathered the baby Lisa put in my care. “Is he going to be a problem?”
“I don’t think so. But if he works out who Lisa has given the baby to, maybe.”
“Any red flags? Alcohol? Drugs?”
“No. Just a poor college student with mounting debt.”
“So I could pay him if he proves a hurdle?”
“I’d say so. From his social feed he looks like a frat boy.” She hums as her fingers click and scroll. “I’m looking at his parents now.”
“Why?”
“Because they might be unaware he’s given them a grandchild and could be another hurdle if they find out.”
“All right, let’s put them and the father aside for now, concentrate on Lisa first.”
“I’m just covering all the bases.”
“I get that, but our priority should be Lisa and getting all the right legal paperwork for us to keep Cade if that’s what she wants.”
“Cade?”
“Kincade. For his mother and grandmother. But we’ll call him Cade.”
“Hmm… I like that.”
From the corner of my eye I see the smile on her face, and I can’t deny the burst of pleasure her acceptance gives me.
I like pleasing this woman.
Fuck . I just plain like her .
And the baby’s name isn’t the only thing I’ve been thinking about while driving. “I have a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Vail had a hard time getting custody of Van because his ex took off before they got married, and I was thinking, adopting Cade might be difficult because I’m single.”
“All true.” Her fingers continue to tap away.
“I know I’ve asked a lot of you already, but if the lawyer suggests being married would make things smoother, would you consider a marriage of convenience to help me adopt Cade?”
It’s the last reason I want to put a ring on Vivi’s finger, but if I can convince her to marry me to secure Cade’s future I’ll have a way of keeping her close.
“Sure.”
Her answer should relieve some of the stress that’s been building with each mile we travel, but it doesn’t. She said it so off-handedly that I have to wonder if she even really heard me.
“Vivian.” I put a sharp edge in my voice so she knows I’m serious. “I’m asking you to marry me.”
“I know. And I said I would.”
“Just like that?”
“Well, no. But I’ve been thinking about how difficult it might be for you to keep the baby and I came to the same conclusion as you. If you were married, adopting him would be easier.”
“You’ve thought about it?” I shouldn’t be surprised—the woman’s brain works at a thousand miles an hour. If anyone would have crossed this particular bridge first, it would be Vivi.
“I told you my brain is always spinning.”
“What else have you thought about?”
“The father.”
“Ah.” Now I understand the social media searching. “You think he could be a problem.”
“It stands to reason he might be. Felicity caused a lot of trouble for Vail and they lived together for all of Van’s life before she took off.”
She isn’t wrong. Vail might not be Van’s biological father, but he was the only father in the boy’s life from before he was born.
“There’s a gas station at the next exit.” A glance in the review mirror at the small mirror Vail fitted to the headrest behind the carseat shows me our quiet baby is squirming, a sure sign he’s about to wake up. “Cade is starting to stir.”
With a yank on her belt, Vivi twists and turns and rises up until she can see into the carseat. “You’re right. And he’s on the nose.”
“Good timing then.”
“I’ll get his bottle sorted if you change him.”
“Let’s see what facilities they have before we decide who’s doing what. If they have a baby change room, we can deal with him there instead of in the back of the car.”
“That would mean a long stop.”
I see her glance my way as I change lanes. “I’m okay with that. We should get some snacks and drinks while we’re here.”
“How much longer is it to Atlanta?”
“I’ll check my emails when we stop to see what hotel the guys have booked us. Once I know that I can plug the address into the GPS and get an estimated arrival time.”
“Okay, I’ll deal with feeding the baby and?—”
“Cade. Let’s get used to calling him that.” Now that I’ve decided on a name and said it out loud, I want to use it. The thought of him not having an identity hasn’t sat well with me.
“I’ll deal with Cade and you figure out how much longer we have to drive so we can plan snacks and drinks to see us through.”
“Knowing how long will help us plan our next stop too.”
“You think it’ll be that long? He’s going four hours between bottles.”
“Maybe. I’d rather not rush and risk him being upset if we can’t stop.”
Cade has suffered enough in his short life. From now on, no matter what happens, I’ll make sure his life is a good one, that he has everything he needs and wants.
“Oh.”
“What?” I move into the exit lane. “What was that oh, for?”
“Vail emailed us both our accommodation details.”
“What hotel?”
“It’s not a hotel.”
My gaze meets hers briefly. “Then where are we staying?”
“It’s an apartment.”
“It must be a serviced apartment.” Which makes sense. We can come and go as we please and not worry about housekeeping coming in daily.
“No. It’s an apartment. And it’s being furnished with everything we need for Cade right now.”
“Does he say whose apartment it is?”
“Yes. QVE purchased it this morning.”
I laugh. “Of course it did.”
QVE owns numerous properties around the country, and I’m not talking about the ones we’ve bought and refurbished. There are the apartments in Charleston, New York, and LA. The holiday house in Florida, the chalet in Colorado.
And now, an apartment in Atlanta.
“Hmm…”
Vivi’s hum draws my attention. “What?”
“It’s in a part of town…” her fingers fly over the keyboard. “I think it’s near where Jenny lived.”
“Is that where Lisa is?”
“I’m not sure. I think so. Until six months ago she was living at home while attending college.”
“She’s not at college now?”
“No. I can’t give you a definite answer, but I’d say she dropped out to have Cade. She’s probably still at the house she shared with her mother.”
“Right. Makes sense.”
“There are a couple of scenarios but I can’t confirm which is correct without digging deep.”
“Don’t. We’ll get settled tonight and tomorrow, then see about meeting with the law firm Lisa drew that document up with.”
“Jenny worked there.”
“What?” I slow the car and turn into the gas station that’s conveniently located next to a public rest stop.
“Jenny Kincade was employed as a paralegal-slash-office manager at the law firm Lisa used.”
“Oh. That should make getting answers easier.”
“I’d say so. It looks like Jenny was a valued employee. She’s listed on their website in a number of places.”
“Is there an after hours number we can call to make an appointment?” I pull up to a pump. “Stay here while I fill up. I’ll move over to the rest area when I’m done.”
I don’t give her time to comment. I’m out of the car, running my card, and pumping gas within a minute.
A number of thoughts are spiraling in my head.
The first thing I need to do is find out what the state of Georgia requires for us to get married. If I can convince Vivi to do that while we’re here, I stand a better chance of adopting Cade.
And I finally get to do what I’ve spent months thinking about.
Claim Vivi as mine.