Chapter 26
Twenty-Six
Luca
Of course, Harper won’t let me carry her off the airplane or inside the compound when we arrive back at my parents’ house.
Her feet are thoroughly bandaged, and she tries to hide the limping, but the bottoms of her feet are ravaged.
I’d like her to see a doctor or get checked out at the hospital after what she’s been through, but that’s a fight I’m not ready to have with her and there would be a lot of questions.
“Luca!” my father’s voice bellows through the hall and there’s a breath of relief that I recognize when I see him. “Harper,” he says and nods, pleased to see her as well.
Harper brushes past him, heading straight for the playroom. “Where’s Zeke?”
“He’s with Paige and Nikki.”
“Did they go to the park?” I ask, glancing around. It’s chilly outside, but there’s still daylight.
My father sighs and shakes his head. “They were meeting with a lawyer on your behalf.”
“A lawyer?” Harper glances from my father to me. “What about?”
“We should probably discuss what happened, but we’ll need to speak with the police. Your parents, Harper, called the local sheriff’s office and reported your disappearance. It’s been all over the local news, and they’ve been insisting on taking full-custody of Zeke.”
“What?” Her eyes widen and my stomach bottoms out.
“Don’t worry,” he says, nodding for us to follow to his office.
I keep an arm wrapped around her waist. She’s slow as she walks, the pain inevitable, but she winces through it. My wife is definitely stubborn.
“Your parents previously had custody of your son,” Dante says.
“Yes,” Harper says with a faint nod. “He’s in my custody now.”
“Well, since you were missing, they decided to challenge Luca’s custodial rights since he’s not Zeke’s biological son and were intending to take our family to court on Monday.”
“Tomorrow,” I whisper, glancing at Harper.
My father leads us to his office, opening the door and waiting for us to enter before closing it behind us. I let Harper take the closest chair, not wanting her to be on her feet any longer than absolutely necessary.
Her gaze tightens. “Well, I’m home now. My parents aren’t getting custody of Zeke. If something were to happen to me…” Harper says and glances at me as she sits.
I interrupt her before she can finish her thought. “I would get custody of Zeke, wouldn’t I? We’re married.” I take a seat beside her, reaching for her hand, giving it a squeeze.
My father sighs. “It’s not that simple. Harper would need a will specifying who Zeke’s legal guardian would be. Do you have one?”
Wordlessly, she shakes her head.
“In that case, Zeke’s biological father or grandparents could gain custody. A stepparent would be a last resort, especially if a biological family member were petitioning for custody.”
“That’s fucked up,” I grumble. “Zeke is my son.”
“And that’s why we were consulting an attorney, because your parents made it abundantly clear that we had to hand Zeke over to them.
We refused. There were a few colorful words exchanged, and I fully anticipated being served custody papers Monday morning; it’s why I had the girls seek out an experienced attorney. ”
Harper squeezes my hand, her gaze set on me. “Your father is right. We should draw up a living will.”
“That’s not good enough,” I say. A living will only has any merit when Harper is dead. Not only do I not want to think about that, what about if she’s incapacitated? “I want to legally adopt Zeke. He’s my son too.”
“We can have the lawyer draw up the papers,” my father says, glancing at Harper, “as long as you’re in agreement.”
“Of course,” Harper whispers and glances at me. “Are you sure?”
I can’t believe she’s asking me that, after all we’ve been through together. “One hundred percent. We’re not separating our children.”
“Children?” my father repeats and glances between us.
“Harper is pregnant,” I say, breaking the news to Dante. A huge grin spreads across my face. It’s not something we’ve discussed, but it happened, and we’re married. There are far worse situations to be in, like where we were a couple of hours ago.
She pulls out of my touch. Her eyes narrow and her nostrils flare as she stands. “I really wish you hadn’t just announced that to your father.”
Not a doubt in my mind she’s pissed. She doesn’t so much as flinch from the abrasions on her feet as she glares at me, fuming and folds her arms across her chest. “I’m not sure I even want to keep it.”