Chapter 23 #2
“I’m definitely right. Now come on. Let’s go spend some downtime with the army we have on our side.”
The sound of laughter hit them as soon as Solo opened the door. Inside, the living room was already full. Woody was sprawled on one end of the couch, RB was perched on its arm, and Shay and Rosie were curled up together on the other end. Solo figured Gabe and Lori were in the kitchen.
The apartment was neat, with leather furniture, framed vintage truck posters, and a bookshelf full of military history and mechanics manuals.
Lori and Rosie’s influence was starting to show in small ways: a couple of throw blankets in soft gray and baby blue, a potted plant on the windowsill, and actual curtains in the living room instead of the blinds RB had put up a couple of months ago.
“There they are!” Woody jumped up and pulled Solo and Janie into a hug.
“Be cool, Woody,” Shay said, unfolding herself from the couch.
She was wearing a fitted sweater and skinny jeans that looked high chic in a way that Shay managed effortlessly. The femme energy she exuded in a room full of butches always made her stand out.
Shay pulled Solo into a hug, then turned to Janie with a warm smile. “Hey, Janie. Glad you could make it.”
Rosie was right behind her, immediately wrapping Janie in a gentle hug. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m...” Janie’s voice wobbled. “I’m okay.”
“You don’t have to be okay,” Rosie said softly. “Not with everything going on.”
Solo recognized the tone Rae used and was reminded again why Rosie had been such a good therapist before switching to marketing, though Shay had mentioned she was considering returning to therapy.
Gabe emerged from the kitchen with a stack of pizzas, and Lori trailed behind her with a tray of vegetables and dip.
Gabe pulled Solo into a bro hug, then embraced Janie in a more traditional way. “Glad you could make it. Beer? Wine?”
“Beer,” Solo said and looked at Janie. “And non-alcoholic wine for you?”
“Yes, please.” Janie tugged hard on Solo’s hand.
Janie’s fear and tension practically radiated from her, and Solo draped her arm over Janie’s shoulder. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “Everyone here loves you. Not like I do, obviously, but they love you.” She squeezed Janie’s shoulder lightly and winked.
They settled in the living room after everyone refreshed their drinks.
Gabe sat in her armchair with Lori snuggled between her legs, Shay and Rosie settled back on their end of the couch with Woody on the other end, and RB dropped onto the floor.
Solo and Janie squeezed together on the loveseat, and the easy nature of the gathering began to seep into her bones.
She exhaled and melted into the soft upholstery.
She hadn’t realized how much she’d needed to be surrounded by her people until right now.
“So,” Shay said, “let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Janie’s mom is being a nightmare, and we’re going to be testifying. Tell us what we need to know.”
“David’s going to prep you individually,” Solo said. “But basically, you’ll be asked about our fitness as parents. What you’ve seen when we’re with the girls, whether we seem stable and capable, that kind of thing.”
“Easy,” Woody said. “You’re both great parents. The girls are happy and healthy and clearly loved. What kind of monster tries to take kids away from parents like you?”
“The kind who wants control of a trust fund,” Janie said quietly.
“Can you walk us through what’s going to happen?” RB asked, leaning forward. “At the hearing?”
Janie took a breath, and Solo smiled as she shifted into lawyer mode, straightening her spine and raising her head high.
“Both sides will present their case. My mother’s lawyer will try to paint us as unfit.
They’ll talk about me leaving the house, our demanding jobs…
” Janie scanned the room and sighed. “And they’ll probably make veiled comments about our lifestyle.
Our lawyer will counter with evidence of stability: our new nanny, Carmen, the couples’ therapy, the strong family support system, and our character witnesses.
The judge will ask questions, review all the evidence, and make a ruling. ”
“And this emergency motion?” Gabe asked.
Solo practically jumped from her seat and stood to attention at the sound of Gabe’s command voice, the one that had led them through combat zones and some other sticky situations.
“We don’t know yet what new evidence she’s claiming,” she said, though she had a damn good idea.
“David’s reviewing the filing, but he’s got other clients too.
So we don’t know the details yet, but she’s asking for temporary custody while the case is pending, which would mean the girls would go to her immediately. ”
“Absolutely not,” Shay said. “That’s not happening.”
“We’re doing everything we can to prevent it,” Janie said. “But my mother has resources. And she knows how to present herself as the concerned grandmother.”
“What about character witnesses for Janie specifically?” Lori asked. “Not just as a parent, but as a person?”
“That’s where Rae comes in,” Shay said. “And that guy Austin from Janie’s law firm, as well as your assistant, right? They can all speak to who you are.”
Janie gave a quick nod, but her entire body tensed against Solo’s.
She hadn’t really gotten close to anyone, and she didn’t have the chosen family and friends like Solo did.
Only Maria had penetrated that fortress, and David had said it would seem desperate to bring in a character witness who’d only known Janie for a couple of weeks.
“Rae will talk about the postpartum depression.” Rosie looked toward Lori. “As Janie’s therapist, she’s seen Janie actively working to get better.”
Lori nodded at Rosie. “And you can talk about how Janie has been helping you with your loan fraud. I know we’re both new to the group, but we’ve seen how tight you all are, how you have each other’s backs, no matter what.”
Tears burned Solo’s eyes, and she stared up at the ceiling, trying to fight them off. “You guys don’t have to—”
“Stop,” Shay said, but her tone was affectionate. “We’re family. This is what family does.”
They talked through the timeline, the strategy, and what each person should emphasize in their testimony.
Gabe, as Solo’s former commanding officer, would speak to Solo’s character and reliability.
Shay would talk about the garage, about Solo’s work ethic and dedication to both her business and her family.
Woody would discuss Solo’s commitment to her responsibilities.
RB would...well, RB would probably say something inappropriate, but she’d also fiercely defend Solo’s fitness as a parent.
After about an hour of legal talk, Shay stood up and stretched. “Okay, enough of that. We’re supposed to be having game night, not a war council. Who wants to play Mario Kart?”
“Oh, you’re going down,” Woody said, already reaching for a controller.
Solo laughed. “You say that every time and then RB destroys you.”
“That’s because RB is secretly a gaming prodigy.” Woody stuck out her bottom lip. “It’s unfair.”
“I just have good hand-eye coordination,” RB said and grinned widely.
They played for an hour with trash talk flying, Woody getting increasingly competitive, and RB quietly dominating.
Shay’s running commentary had everyone laughing, her natural charisma filling the room.
Solo noticed how Rosie watched Shay with obvious adoration, how they kept finding excuses to touch, fingers brushing, their hands always seeking each other out in small intimate gestures that spoke of a relationship still in that giddy early phase.
It was the same way Gabe and Lori moved around each other, careful but magnetic, still learning each other’s rhythms but clearly falling hard.
A pang of something that wasn’t quite envy registered in Solo’s gut. Wistfulness maybe. She and Janie had been like that once, in the beginning. And they were finding their way back to it, but it looked different now. Scarred and harder won, but maybe stronger for it.
During a break between rounds, Shay cornered Solo in the kitchen while she was grabbing more beer.
“How are you really doing?” Shay asked. “And I don’t want more of the brave face bull you’re putting on for everyone. I want the truth.”
Solo leaned against the counter. When Shay took the time to talk, Solo always listened.
“Terrified.” She took a long pull on her bottle, hoping she might swallow some of her emotions along with the beer.
“But fucking angry too. Who does Angela think she is? She failed as Janie’s mom so now she wants a second chance with our kids? It’s fucked up.”
“It is.” Shay grasped Solo’s shoulder, her penetrating gaze looked right into Solo’s soul. “What else?”
“I’m trying not to fall apart because Janie needs me to be strong.”
“You know it’s okay to not be strong sometimes, right?” Shay raised her eyebrows and stared at her. “You can still be the baby of the group who doesn’t have it all figured out.”
“I’m not the baby anymore,” Solo said, a little taken aback when she realized she meant it. “I’m a mother of three. I’m fighting for my marriage and my family. I’m...I’m an adult now.”
Shay smiled. “Yeah, you are. And you’re handling it really well. We were worried that you’d spiral when Janie left and maybe fall into old patterns and start drinking too much. Or even shut down completely.”
Solo’s chest tightened. “I won’t lie, I thought about it. I was on my knees literally and figuratively the morning Janie left. But then I heard my girls calling for me, and I knew I couldn’t. My whole family needed me, and I wasn’t going to let them down.”
“Your whole family,” Shay said, giving Solo that same intense gaze. “Not my girls need me.”
Solo frowned. “What?”