Chapter 39 Took Time
TOOK TIME
“Well, if it isn’t my baby daddy.”
Chance didn’t know what he expected, but it wasn’t hearing that when he was led into the room to talk to Baylee a week later.
He told Monica he didn’t need her with him for this and he’d report back. Partially because he was embarrassed over this entire situation, knowing that Jocelyn’s family was so close with the Olsons.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Maverick?”
Baylee shrugged. “I wasn’t in the mood to deal with the logistics.”
“What?!” Talk about a stupid reply.
“I don’t like sharing.”
He looked at the woman in front of him. She wasn’t what he remembered.
Her blonde hair was braided away from her face, no makeup on and her skin was blotchy with some pimples on it. The fake nails she had were gone and she was thinner than he remembered.
On the surface, her appearance reflected her living situation. But deep down she’d never been this cold.
“Seriously? Because it sounds to me like you haven’t been much of a mother and might have just as happily handed him over to me.”
Baylee stared at him. “Then I wouldn’t have gotten assistance.”
“I don’t buy this is about food or rental assistance,” he said. “There is more to it. You would have gotten money from me.”
“He was mine,” Baylee said, lifting her chin. “I’ve never had anything that was mine before. Not new. You saw where I lived. I grew up in places like that. I had to work hard for what I had and it was never enough. I finally got to a place where I was experiencing the finer things.”
Drug running. Look at how well that worked out.
“And it didn’t occur to you to give our son something better?” he snarled. “Rather than leave him with your mother?”
He couldn’t control the shaking of his voice. She needed to see how livid he was.
He didn’t have much growing up either but never lived in filth. Never complete neglect. He received everything in life from his grandmother and nothing from his mother, but that didn’t mean he was going to treat his child the same way he was raised.
“I didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it’d be.”
“Being a parent isn’t, and I’m not sure why you thought otherwise,” he said. “But it sounds like you just picked up whenever you wanted and left him with your mother who appears barely able to help herself.”
He’d texted a few pictures of Maverick to Nettie. To just keep her as part of her grandson’s life. He didn’t get a reply to the last two for a few days, then finally a message that she was glad Maverick was doing well and adjusting.
He took that as a subtle sign to give her more space, which he was more than willing to comply with. He wanted to say he had tried.
“She could handle Maverick good enough. He’s walking now and talking.”
“Barely talking,” he said. “He’s doing better now that he’s getting the care he needs and should have gotten all along.”
“Why are you here?” Baylee asked, looking at her hands rather than him.
“I want answers,” he said.
“I told you why I did it.”
He didn’t believe it. “Come on, Baylee. Seriously? Either you didn’t know I was the father, which is ridiculous since he looks just like me, or you didn’t care.”
“I didn’t know right away,” Baylee admitted.
“Then why name him that? You told me I was a Maverick.”
Baylee laughed. A nasty, evil sound. “Come on, Chance. I always liked the name. It had nothing to do with you. I called every guy I was with a Maverick. It makes them feel good about themselves.”
He couldn’t remember her being like this, but then told himself, he didn’t know her that well.
For a month they hooked up, got some food, some drinks, and hit the sheets. Nothing more in his eyes and obviously not in hers.
He didn’t even know or remember what kind of a job she had other than that she came to his place because she had roommates.
“How long are you going to be here?” he asked. There was no reason to ask more of why she did what she had.
There was a darkness in her he hadn’t witnessed before and didn’t want to see anymore. He wasn’t sure what was truth or fiction out of her mouth.
“No clue. My mother isn’t posting bail, and I don’t have it. Could be months before a trial. I’ve got a court-appointed attorney. He says I can plea when the time comes and I’ll get a few years.”
He let out a breath. “You were arrested for the sale of drugs?” He knew this but wanted her to tell him.
“I was working.”
“Working?” he asked.
She looked around as if she was worried someone would hear her. It didn’t matter what she said to him. He had no say in her outcome.
“It paid well. I got to party all day and stay at their place. All I had to do was deliver packages a few times a week.”
“Drugs,” he said.
She laughed. “Packages. I didn’t know what was in them.”
“Bullshit and I don’t care.” He came here for one reason. “I need you to sign the custody agreement giving me full custody.”
He put the envelope on the counter.
“You’ll get it anyway with me being here,” Baylee said, frowning. “Why do I need to sign it?”
“Because it will be sooner if you do.”
And get child services off his back.
Not that it’d been horrible. Shelby stopped over one more time on his day off, saw how well Maverick was doing and said she wouldn’t be back anytime soon.
Baylee’s head went back and forth. “I’ll sign for you if you post my bail and get me out of here.”
“Your bail is set at two hundred and fifty thousand,” he said, laughing. “First off, I don’t have that kind of money, and second, I sure the hell wouldn’t give it to you if I did.”
“I only need twenty-five thousand for a bondsman.”
“How come the people you work for aren’t posting it for you? Guess you’re not that valuable to them.”
They most likely had more women they could get to do their deliveries. They’d want to cut ties with anyone who was caught once.
“They say they don’t have it,” Baylee said. “You give me that and I’ll sign the papers. Another twenty-five thousand for back child support and I’ll be gone from your life. Sounds like a deal to me.”
He knew this would happen. That she’d want money. Fifty thousand was a sizeable chunk from his savings. Money he’d need to put down on a house. His rainy day fund would be so much less when he had another person depending on him.
Money could be earned back, but the security of knowing Baylee was out of his son’s life was greater.
He picked the envelope up and stood.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Twenty thousand for me,” Baylee said. “To get me started.”
She was negotiating with him. He could play this to his advantage.
He’d have to give her back child support if she was out, but it wouldn’t have been fifty thousand for two years. No way.
“You know as well as I do, what is owed to you isn’t even close. Do you think my attorney hasn’t already figured it out?”
Monica had already told him what he’d have to owe to Baylee for the past two years and it was just over her bail bond fee. That was figuring in no income at all for Baylee along with no childcare costs since Maverick didn’t attend daycare and got free healthcare.
“How much?” Baylee asked.
“Enough to cover your bond fee,” he said. “But I’ll be generous and give you ten thousand more to sign papers you’ll stay out of Maverick’s life until he’s eighteen.”
He couldn’t ask for more than that. He just wanted his son not to be touched by the nastiness in this room.
Monica was already drawing up all the documents to show neglect. Added to the fact that Baylee was in jail now and would be for years, they didn’t see a problem with him getting full custody, but it all took time.
Time he didn’t want to wait for.
“Ten thousand?” Baylee asked. “And I’m out of here and don’t get to have any contact with Maverick?”
“That’s my offer,” he said. If she skipped court hearings, that’d be the bondsman's problem. “I’ll transfer the money to your attorney to deal with your bond. My name isn’t going on anything. It’s all up to you and your responsibility.”
“Whatever,” Baylee said. “Give me those papers to sign. I need to get out of here.”
“New ones have to be drawn up.”
“If you leave here without me signing them, I might increase my offer,” Baylee said, smirking.
“And I might take the whole offer off the table,” he said.
He turned and left. He’d call her bluff.
Her screaming at him to come back and get her out of there gave him the answer he needed.
He had to go home and shower this place off of him, but he’d stop to see his attorney first.
Once he was in his truck, he texted Jocelyn. He’d told her what was going on today. He hadn’t planned on it, but deep down he needed the moral support. It was hard for him to admit that.
But she came through. Not only had she given him a hug and a kiss, but cooked dinner for him to bring to the firehouse for his next shift so he didn’t have to think about it.
She’d been taking care of him without him asking so that he could focus on everything else and his son.
He’d never been in a relationship like that before. Where he had someone he could lean on.
The least he could do was let her know how it went.
“Well,” she said when she answered. “How much money is it going to cost you?”
He snorted. “It started at fifty and I left with it at thirty-five. She thought I had it ready for her to sign and get out right then and said if I left she could change her offer.”
“Bitch.”
“I told her I could withdraw mine and walked out.”
“Good for you,” she said. “I would have done the same. Hell, I wouldn’t even give her that much.”
“Twenty-five is for the bail bondsman. I don’t owe her anything more than that in back support. She said she’d stay out of Maverick’s life if I gave her another ten.”
“Do you believe her?”
“Honestly, I think she’d do it without the money. She doesn’t care about him and never did. I’ve got enough in my favor for me to get full custody regardless.”
“But it’d take time,” she said. “And you don’t want to wait.”
“No,” he said. “I don’t. Maverick has a long way to go, but he’s getting comfortable. He’s settling in.”
“I know. He’s such a good kid. A little hyper now and again, but it’s fun too. Jayce was more active than me.”
“Maybe it’s a boy thing,” he said.
“How long do you think it will take for all of this to get done?”
“Am I a horrible person if I tell Monica to drag it out until the first of the year so we can have a peaceful holiday? Once she’s out, I’m not sure what she’ll do. I don’t think she’ll try to see Maverick.”
“But you don’t want to take that chance either. And attorneys never move fast. Don’t take this the wrong way, but do you have the cash?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I do. It’s fine.”
She didn’t need to know it’d cut into other things or give him more worries, but it’s not like it’d leave him with nothing.
He had investments he could cash in but wanted to avoid that if he could.
Everything else in his life worked out in the end; this would too.
There wasn’t anything wrong with his apartment for now. It was bigger, nicer, and in a better location than any place he had lived as a kid.
“There you go,” she said. “Baylee has been in jail for over a month now, what’s another one? Without you, she’d be there until her trial. It’d go as time served since she’ll end up back there, right?”
“She’ll end up back in jail. No doubt. I’m sure she’s not thinking about it being time served, but that is on her. If she skips her date or trial, she’s someone else’s headache and it will only add to her sentence.”
Selfish of him to hope that happened.
“I’m sure she isn’t thinking of anything more than an hour at a time,” he said. “I’m on my way to see Monica now. She knew what was going on. I’m positive it was going to take time anyway for this to happen, then with the holidays.”
Jocelyn laughed. “A few more weeks will hurt no one but her and will give you some peace of mind.”
“I need it,” he said. “Thanks for everything, Jocelyn.”
“Don’t thank me. I care. You know that. About both of you.”
It was the closest she’d come to saying how she felt.
“The same. I’ll see you later tonight.”
“I’ll be at your place when I get out of work,” she said. “I thought maybe I could spend the night, if you don’t mind. I can drop Maverick off at daycare for you so you’re not rushing out the door so early.”
“I’d like you to spend the night,” he said. “We’ll figure out tomorrow when it gets here.”
Which was how it felt he was living his life now. One day at a time.
It sucked when he’d finally gotten to a place where he could plan.