Chapter 26 #2
Cade had it right. There would be more than one dead body Sarah and Thomas would have to climb over before they set their greedy hands on my daughter.
The tips of my fingers brushed the fine hairs on Lily’s head, soothing me. She’d fallen asleep eating, the nipple half hanging out of her mouth, a little milk stain gathered on the burp cloth.
Gently, I extracted the nipple and studied her. The slope of her nose, her downy hair, reminded me of Naomi. The tiny fingers that clutched a part of my shirt. She’d only been in my life for a handful of weeks, and yet she’d changed everything.
Lily was my biggest line in the sand. After her, there was no going back. She made me into a new and better Noelle, and I would remain forever altered.
I took a few more moments to appreciate and soak in her calm, steady presence before I tightened her swaddle blanket, stood up, and gingerly transferred her to her crib. Lily settled with a stuttering breath.
The floorboards creaked outside Lily’s room, drawing my eyes higher.
Cade stood there in a pair of sweatpants, an old shirt, his hair adorably mussed.
Hawk and Cora must have left; I’d been ruminating longer than I planned.
It threw me off when he stepped out of the wranglers and button-up flannel, but I liked the carefree side of him.
The stubborn, thoughtful lines remained along his face, and so did the smell of horse and hay.
I drew closer to him, and his arms opened. He welcomed me into his side, pressed a kiss to the top of my head.
“Hawk and Cora just left,” he whispered, eyes on Lily. His hand began to draw a pattern on my back, a clue that he’d fallen into deeper thought. The sounds of Wyatt and Cody clearing off the back porch with a shovel, then clomping down the stairs and toward the barn, left us alone.
“Hawk tapped into his network and sent text messages to all of his high-profile attorney friends in Texas. One of them knows the top family law firm in the state of Wyoming, and they practice out of Jackson City, which is a little over an hour from here.” Cade laughed softly.
“He didn’t just find an attorney, Noelle.
He found the single best, most powerful Wyoming-licensed team.
Hawk’s already spoken to the lead partner, Channing, and Channing wants to meet with us later this week. ”
My brow lifted. I didn’t know much about Hawk beyond what Cody told me in passing before dinner.
Formerly known as the Ballcap Billionaire, Hawk used to work in big-picture medical care and communications before he left the rat race, and moved to Wyoming with Cora.
According to something Wyatt said, Hawk had connections upon connections.
I wouldn’t be able to afford a single one of them.
There was a we that continued to arise in Cade’s words that I didn’t want to question, but couldn’t help it. Cade and I had firmed into a relationship. A budding, tenuous, careful, but passionate duo born out of intensity and a mixture of falling togetherness that didn’t quite make sense.
But that didn’t equate with a we throughout a custody battle that could go on forever, nor the finances of said custody battle. Not with him dropping tens of thousands of dollars on renovation costs.
Right now, I needed Cade’s emotional support. I genuinely couldn’t do this without him. Did he thrive on being needed? What if we built a relationship on desperation and passion, and it fell to pieces once life became predictable and routine?
Could a relationship grow from intense necessity and a cowboy’s sense of honor?
I licked my lips, trying to sort through all the qualms his statement brought up, and settled on the most obvious one.
“Cade, that’s wonderful. I can’t tell you how much it means, but I can’t afford—”
He stopped me with his hand flat on my back.
“Hawk has it covered.”
“What?”
Cade shook his head. “He already said he doesn’t want you to pay a dime.
He’s honored to pay Channing to advocate for Lily, and Channing’s team is ecstatic to help.
Channing is . . . well . . . a big deal.
A closer, Hawk said. Brought in to wrap up cases that have the potential to go wrong.
A cowboy, too, but well-connected. That’s all Hawk will say about it, and frankly, that’s all I want to know.
Hawk says that Channing is going to reply to Sarah and Thomas’ attorney immediately, and then we’ll meet up with him.
You have family in high places, Noelle.”
Family, not friends.
How was it so simple for him?
Tears heated my eyes, but I was too tired to blink them back. Instead, I sagged into Cade and let them wash out. He pressed his back to the wall, pulled me more firmly against his chest, and wrapped his arms around me. We stood in the hallway, where I clung to hope.
No, to Cade.
Dear Counsel,
I represent Ms. Noelle Morgan in the matter concerning the minor child, Lily Morgan. We are in receipt of your correspondence and have reviewed your clients’ stated concerns.
At the outset, let me be clear: Ms. Morgan is the child’s primary caregiver and has provided consistent, stable, and appropriate care since birth. Any implication to the contrary is both unfounded and unsupported.
Your clients’ assertions appear to rely on selective observations made during a brief and prearranged visit, rather than any substantive understanding of the child’s daily environment or well-being.
For the sake of clarity, we address your concerns as follows:
Residence: The home in question is structurally sound and undergoing routine improvements. At no point has the child been exposed to unsafe conditions.
Household Composition: The individuals referenced in your letter are known, vetted, and consistently present members of the household who contribute to a stable and supportive environment. Any suggestion of impropriety is misplaced.
Financial Stability: Ms. Morgan maintains sufficient resources to provide for the child’s needs. Additional documentation can be provided upon proper request.
Caregiver Condition: Your clients’ speculation regarding Ms. Morgan’s health is inappropriate and irrelevant, absent of any credible evidence of self-neglect or incapacity.
It is our position that your clients’ proposed action is not rooted in the best interests of the child, but rather in preference and incorrect assumption.
Should your clients choose to proceed, we are fully prepared to respond accordingly and to demonstrate, through appropriate channels, the stability and suitability of Ms. Morgan as a caregiver to Lily Morgan.
We would encourage your clients to reconsider initiating litigation that is unlikely to achieve their desired outcome and may ultimately prove disruptive to the child they claim to prioritize.
Please direct all further communication through this office.
Sincerely,
Channing Finn
Finn and Barker Law Firm