Chapter 30
Cal
Hannah and I are in her bedroom, putting away some of the new clothes and toys Meghan got her for Christmas.
"Did you have fun at mom's house?" I ask, noticing that she's being unusually quiet.
"I met my new nanny," she says as she folds the last T-shirt and tucks it into one of the cubbies in her closet.
"Nanny?" I repeat, just as the doorbell rings. "I'm going to go get the door, baby, but I want you to tell me all about it."
I head downstairs to open the door, feeling my blood boiling. Nanny? The idea that Meghan takes Hannah home only to leave her with a sitter instead of spending time with her is unconscionable.
"Hi," Elle says as soon as I open the door. Her hazel eyes meet mine, and all the tension I’d been feeling fades away.
I reach for her, pulling her into my arms. I kiss her lightly on the lips. "I missed you," I say.
"It's only been an hour," she says, wrapping her arms around my neck.
Her scent is a balm to my frayed nerves, and her gaze envelops me in peace.
The contrast between the feelings Meghan draws out of me every time I see her and how Elle has made me feel since the day I met her is jarring.
"You make me happy," I whisper in her ear as I pull her even closer.
"You make me happy, too," she whispers back, her smile growing wider.
"Where’s Hannah?" she asks, looking around the room.
"She's upstairs, putting some clothes and toys away," I respond, taking her by the hand and guiding her to the couch.
I pull her down next to me, and after glancing down the hall to make sure Hannah’s still upstairs, I turn to Elle. "Get this," I begin. "Hannah just told me she met her new nanny."
"Okay," Elle says, clearly confused.
"Hannah’s never had a nanny," I say. "Meghan doesn’t have her enough to warrant paying for one."
"What are you thinking?" she asks.
"I think Meghan is up to something," I say. "Hannah didn’t call her a babysitter—someone you'd pay forty bucks to watch her for an evening. No, she called her a nanny. Something more permanent."
"You might be reading too much into it, babe," she says, squeezing my hand gently.
I shake my head, my mind already drawing some logical conclusions.
"Come with me," I say, standing and gently pulling Elle to her feet. "Let's go question my five-year-old."
Elle chuckles. "Only if I get to play the good cop," she says, following me up the stairs.
***
"Elle!" Hannah exclaims as soon as she sees her.
Elle smiles, sitting on Hannah's bed to give her a hug. "Hi, sweetie! I missed you."
"I missed you too," Hannah replies, holding up a coloring book with zoo animals on the cover. "Look what Mommy got me."
"Ooh," Elle says, flipping through the pages. "You're going to have so much fun coloring these cool animals."
"Will you color with me?" Hannah asks.
"Of course," Elle replies, reaching for the box of crayons. "Your dad just told me you have a nanny. What's her name?"
"Gabby," Hannah says, opening the book and spreading it flat on the bed.
Elle slips off the bed and sits on the rug next to Hannah, ready to color a large tiger, while Hannah tackles the cubs on the other page.
"Is Gabby nice?" Elle asks, filling in the tiger’s stripes with an orange crayon.
"Uh-huh," Hannah replies, not offering much more. Her face is set in concentration as she outlines the fence enclosure around the tiger cubs.
"Is she older, like Grandma Jo?" Elle asks casually. "Or is she younger, like your mommy?"
"She's nineteen," Hannah says. "She's in grade fourteen."
I hold back a chuckle threatening to escape. "So she's in college?" I ask.
"Yes," Hannah says. "She said she's a soph... soph... sophomore? I asked if that was past fifth grade, and I counted up until I said fourteen. She said, 'Yes, the fourteenth grade is a sophomore in college.'"
"Hannah Banana," I begin gently. "How long did Gabby watch you?"
Hannah lifts her hand, counting one, two, three fingers. "Three."
"Three hours?" Elle asks, meeting my gaze.
"Three days," Hannah corrects. "Her bedroom is next to mine at Mommy's house."
My heart sinks, and Elle immediately senses the shift in my mood.
"So you, your mommy, and Gabby spent three days together?" Elle asks. "What did you all do?"
"We opened gifts," Hannah says. "We played games, hide-and-seek, jumped rope in the backyard, watched cartoons, and two movies."
"Did Gabby go home to see her family while you were there?" I ask.
"Nope!" she responds. "Gabby never left."
"Did your mommy leave?" Elle asks, the question that’s been eating at me.
Hannah nods. "Mommy was there, and we opened all my gifts together. She loved the necklace I gave her."
"What about after that?" I ask, holding my breath.
"She left," Hannah says. "Then she came back to pick me up and bring me back home."
I close my eyes and swallow the lump in my throat. A surge of anger and frustration threatens to spill out, but as soon as I meet Elle’s gaze, a sense of calm washes over me. I nod to reassure her I’m okay.
We all grow quiet, the only sound in the room being the soft swish of crayons moving across the pages of the coloring book. It fills the silence just enough to distract, but not enough to ease the tension building around us.
"Daddy," Hannah says, making both Elle and me focus on her. "Is it true that I'm going to live with Mommy next year?"
"What?" I say, trying to keep my tone even.
"Gabby said," Hannah adds.
"Gabby said what, sweetie?" Elle asks gently.
"Gabby said she was going to watch me and drive me to school every day. I don’t want to move, Daddy."
"You’re not moving, baby," I say, my voice firm, though I bite back the words over my dead body.
***
We eat dinner together and watch a movie. Elle and I do our best to keep the mood light and fun for Hannah, but beneath the surface, we’re both replaying her words: “Is it true that I’m going to live with Mommy next year?”
After kissing Hannah good night, I turn on her nightlight and gently click the door shut as I walk out.
Downstairs, I find Elle in the kitchen, putting away the dinner plates. The leftovers are neatly stacked in glass containers inside the refrigerator when I open it to grab a bottle of water.
Elle turns to me, leaning against the counter. When our eyes meet, she smiles and reaches for my hand.
"She's out like a light," I say, returning her smile, but wanting to avoid the one subject we both know is hanging in the air.
"I love you, Cal," she whispers as I wrap my arms around her. "And whatever it is, we’ll face it together."
"She wants to take Hannah," I begin, as if opening the floodgates.
"Not so she can be a real mother to her, but to spite me. She hired a full-time, live-in nanny so she can leave my baby all day, every day. She can go out and do whatever she wants, without any responsibility toward her child—just to keep her away from me. She knows that’s the only way she can wound me. "
"We’ll fight it in court," she offers, her eyes never leaving mine.
"I can’t afford the level of legal warfare she’ll rain down on me," I say, a wave of panic settling in my chest.
"But I can," she responds. "If she’s been an absent parent all these years, a judge will see right through her game. If money’s what you need to make sure that happens, then you have it."
"Absolutely not," I say, shaking my head.
"Are you really going to let pride keep you from fighting this from a point of strength? We have to do whatever it takes to make sure Hannah stays where she belongs."
"I can’t ask you to spend what might be an exorbitant amount of money on a battle that isn’t yours."
"The second you put this ring on my finger," she says, holding up her hand, "your battles—hell, your wars—became mine."
"We're not talking dimes and nickels, Elle," I say, the weight of the truth pressing down on me like a ton of bricks. "We’d be going up against the Fletcher empire."
"First things first," Elle says. "We’ll call Max in the morning and ask him to put us in contact with the best family attorney in the state."
"Elle," I begin, ready to protest, but one glance in her direction tells me she’s not going to back off from helping me in any way she can. And right now, what I need is legal help. "I’ll take that name, but I’m not taking your money.
Nate and I inherited some money from our grandmother.
It’s in a trust I haven’t touched. There should be enough there to get the ball rolling.
"I'm certain Nate and the rest of my family will help if I need it. "
"You have such an amazing, close-knit family," she says, wrapping her arms around me. "And now, I’m a part of it too."
I gaze into her hazel eyes and take a deep breath. "The calm you bring into my chaos is what draws me most to you."
"The unconditional love you bring into mine is what draws me to you. The way you look at me, the way you touch me here..." She places her hand over her heart. "You’ve loved me and tried to protect me since the day we met. It just took ten years for me to realize it."
"I love you," I whisper, before kissing her. She kisses me back with such tenderness and surrender that the fears and stress of the day disappear as she melts into my arms.
***
"I can't lose my little girl," I say, the daunting thought resurfacing in my mind, cold and suffocating.
"Son," Dad begins, his voice calm, the way it always is when he’s trying to reassure me. "We would never, ever let that happen."
I glance at Sylvie Menard, the family attorney Max recommended, hoping she can put my mind at ease. Her expression is serious, and I can tell she’s been thinking about the next steps. She’s been quiet so far, but I need to hear something concrete.
"Cal, we’re in a tough spot here," she says, her voice measured. "Meghan can file for a modification of custody if she feels she has grounds to do so. If she’s planning on keeping Hannah away from you, she’s going to fight for full custody.
And from what you’ve told me, she’s already taken steps toward that. "
"She hired a full-time nanny," I explain, my voice thick with frustration. "The nanny said she’s going to be taking Hannah to school every day, looking after her. And that's when I realized—Meghan is planning something. She's going to try to take her away from me."
Nate leans forward in his chair, his brow furrowed. "What do you mean, ‘planning’? You have full custody, right? She can’t just waltz in and take Hannah away from you. Can she?"
I shake my head, exasperated. "I don’t know, Nate. It’s like she’s been waiting for the right moment. I’m just not sure what her angle is, but I know she won’t stop until she gets what she wants."
Dad’s face hardens as he looks at me. "She hasn’t been there for Hannah all these years. You’ve been the one raising her. You’ve been there every step of the way. I don't care what tricks she tries to pull now. She can't rewrite history."
"I agree," Sylvie says, her voice cutting through the tension. "But even though you have full custody, Cal, that doesn’t mean she can’t petition the court for a modification. If she’s made arrangements for a nanny, if she’s trying to get Hannah in her home more frequently, she’s setting up a case for herself.
She might argue that Hannah’s current living situation isn’t stable or that you’re not able to meet her needs anymore. "
I feel my stomach tighten at her words. "You’re saying she could actually win this? Even after everything?"
Sylvie nods. "It’s possible, yes. But we can fight this.
We need to show that Hannah is thriving under your care, that she has stability, love, and the support she needs.
But we also need to prepare for the possibility that Meghan will try to make you look unfit somehow.
Question your parenting, your ability to provide for her emotionally and financially. "
Mom, who’s been quiet up until now, speaks with a firm tone. "Cal, you need to prepare yourself for the long haul. Meghan will stop at nothing to get what she wants. And if she thinks she has a chance, she’ll use whatever resources she has to fight you in court."
"I know," I reply, my voice tight. "If this turns into a legal battle, I could lose everything I've worked for, while Meghan will have barely scratched the surface of what she can afford in legal fees."
"That's where we come in," Dad says, his tone unwavering. "Your mother and I are with you every step of the way. We’ll do whatever it takes to help."
"Count me in," Nate says, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, his expression thoughtful. "So what’s our next move? We can’t just sit around waiting for her to act. We need to prepare for the fight."
Sylvie looks around the room. "First, we make sure that any attempt to change the custody arrangement is contested. We’ll file a motion to keep the current custody order in place and request an emergency hearing if necessary.
Then we gather evidence to show that your home is the best place for Hannah. "
When her gaze lands on me, I feel a surge of determination. "We’ll fight this. I’m not letting her take my daughter from me."
Sylvie nods. "We’ll prepare for the worst, but we need to make sure we show the court why Hannah should remain with you.
We’ll need documentation of everything—Meghan's behavior, any evidence of neglect or lack of involvement. And we’ll need to present a strong case about how much you’ve been there for Hannah. "
Nate looks at me, a fire in his eyes. "She’s not taking her, Cal. No chance."
I swallow hard, feeling the weight of the battle ahead. But with my family backing me and Sylvie leading the charge, I know we can win this. "I won’t let her," I say, my voice steady with resolve.