Chapter 24
Chapter twenty-four
The nondescript diner next to the intersection looked too normal for a meeting that would decide my future. I was terrified. I was confused. I was hopeful. The emotions all scrambled together into one giant ball of anxiousness.
Vance pulled into a parking space in front of the big sign advertising “the best burgers in the country.” Putting the car in Park, he turned to me. “Everything will be fine.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. Because even if she doesn’t want to help us, I’ll find a way for you to keep the girls. We have a lot of dirt on your ex, and no judge will ignore that.”
I wasn’t as positive as Vance, but I appreciated the words nonetheless. Maybe if he said it often enough, I’d believe that everything would be fine too.
Taking a deep breath in, I dipped my chin. “Let’s do this.”
It was only me and Vance at the meeting; Keely and Malena were back at the office. Keely would also pick up the girls and take them back to her place, since Addy’s mom wanted to meet in the afternoon, and there was no way I would make it back in time before school finished.
I craned my neck to look inside, but the sun reflected off the windows and I couldn’t see anything. Was she here? Or had she changed her mind?
Vance took my hand, and together we made our way inside.
The building was long but not wide, and the back wall was taken up by a bar, the other with bench seats facing into the parking lot. There weren’t many people inside, and only one woman was sitting by herself.
When she looked up and I saw her face, there was no doubt in my mind that she was Addy’s birth mom. While Addy looked a lot like Cockalorum, her eyes were identical to her birth mom’s.
I realized I didn’t even know her name, having always called her “birth mom.” “What’s her name?”
“Leticia Foster.”
My eyes widened. “As in Senator Foster’s wife?”
“Yes. Or at least on paper she is. Rumor has it that he likes his women a little younger.”
She watched us as we approached, her face looking at least ten years younger than what I knew her age to be. Her hair framed her face in perfect curls that fell to below her collarbone, her makeup flawless.
She stood up when we were a few steps away, holding out her hand. “Ms. Porter.”
Turning to Vance, she shook his hand as well. “Mr. Moore.”
I slid into the seat opposite her, Vance following. “Thank you so much for meeting with us. I appreciate it.”
She lifted a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “I didn’t have much of a choice, now did I?” Looking at Vance, she placed her hands on her lap. A cup of coffee sat untouched in front of her. “I don’t have much time, so let’s get straight to the point, shall we?”
Vance nodded, setting a stack of papers on the table. “We want you to give up your rights to Adelaine Porter and sign a written declaration and consent form that you want Mae Porter to adopt her.”
“So her name is Adelaine? I wondered what he would call her. At least he didn’t pick one of those ridiculous new age names.
” Her voice was emotionless, her eyes scanning the pages in front of her.
“If I sign this, I expect to never hear from you again. This needs to stay buried.” She looked up, her stare piercing. “Are we understood?”
Vance nodded. “You have my word.”
No other words were spoken while we waited for her to read through the papers. I resisted the urge to fan my face, or fidget with the cutlery on the table. Or worse, rip the napkin apart.
When she reached for the pen, my movements stopped and I was holding my breath. When the scratch of the pen filled the air, I released my breath in a shaky exhale.
Placing everything back on the table, she picked up her handbag and slid out of the booth. “Good luck.”
Mrs. Foster nodded at us, and my eyes stayed glued to her as she swiftly left, not once looking back. Getting into a black sedan, she pulled out of the parking lot not a minute later.
Vance put his arm around me, hugging me into his side. “You did it.”
“I don’t think I did much at all. She’d already made up her mind to sign before we even got here.”
How anyone could want to give up their child was unfathomable to me. But I didn’t have to understand it, since in this case it worked in my favor. I would fight tooth and nail for Addy and Elana. And Mrs. Foster had given me one more crucial piece to help win my battle.
I got up, not wanting to stay at the diner as a restless energy flowed through me. “She didn’t even ask to see a photo of her.”
Vance took my hand, stopping me. “It’s her loss. And my guess is the only thing she was thinking of was how to best avoid a scandal.”
Drinking in his now-familiar features, I marveled at how lucky I was that he was mine. Because there was no doubt in my mind anymore that he was.
Squeezing his hand, I nodded. “It seems her now being married to a senator worked in our favor.”
We drove back to the office, where Keely was pacing the reception area. Riley, who had been sitting behind my desk, jumped up as soon as we walked through the door.
Keely reached us first, studying my face. “How did it go?”
I smiled, because I’d finally allowed a glimmer of hope to take root. “She signed the documents.”
Keely cheered, then threw her arms around me, swaying us back and forth. “That’s great news. I’m so relieved.” She stepped back and pulled her phone out of a pocket in her dress. “I’ll let Malena and Linny know.”
“How are the girls?”
She finished typing and beamed a huge smile at me. “Happy as can be. Malena promised them they could walk Miles and get ice cream.”
“I’m not going to the apartment. I’m going to Vance’s. I didn’t bring the special pens that glow in the dark, and I wanted to use them today.”
Picking the girls up from Malena’s went about as well as expected.
They had loved Vance’s house so much that they were ready to move in.
And to be honest, so was I. I was only human, after all.
His bathroom had a spa. And a rainfall shower.
And two vanities. Heated towel holders. A mirror that had those little lights lining the edge that let you see everything down to the smallest pore.
Not that I had any interest in seeing my pores.
I knew the sad state they were in. And if I ever had the urge to, I could also do yoga in his walk-in closet that was the size of our apartment.
“We need to go back to our apartment tonight since that’s where we live.” I passed the abandoned building on the corner that looked like it would blow over in the next storm. “And Vance is coming over, and he’ll bring Orange and Winston back.”
They were still at Vance’s, as we’d been running late this morning. But since he seemed to be Winston’s favorite human, it would be easier for him to wrangle the little devil in furball disguise into his carrier.
Elana wasn’t convinced and dug her heels in. “You have to respect my batteries. And I want to go to Vance’s.”
Turning into our apartment complex, I winced at the sight of two people clearly selling something at the side of the building.
One of them looked an awful lot like my neighbor.
“It’s not batteries. It’s boundaries, pumpkin pants.
” I navigated into one of the empty spaces and turned the engine off.
“And I think it means something different than what you think it does.”
I helped her out of her seat because she refused to unbuckle herself.
Then I had to carry her because she refused to walk.
Then she refused to hold my handbag, so I had to grip it with my fingers while still holding her.
Addy reluctantly came out of the car and dragged her feet the whole way up the stairs.
I couldn’t leave her to go up in her own time, since I was under no delusion about what kind of neighborhood we now lived in.
I wanted eyes on my girls at all times. Therefore, we took it one slow step at a time until we were finally at my front door.
My destroyed front door that was hanging on for dear life on one hinge.
Addy made a move to run inside, but I held her back. “Okay, change of plans. Who wants to go to Betty’s diner?”
Elana’s legs suddenly worked again, and she slid out of my arms and landed on the floor with a thunk.
“I do, I do, I do,” the girls yelled, then rushed down the rickety stairs that made suspicious groaning noises.
Jumping up and down next to the car, they called out to me to walk faster. I didn’t waste time getting them into their seats and locking the doors as soon as we were all inside.
I hit Call on Vance’s number.
“Ipo. You guys back at the apartment yet?”
“Vance.” My voice wavered, but I cleared my throat. I didn’t want the girls to know anything was wrong.
“What happened?”
“Can you come to the apartment, please? I need you.”
“I’m in the office, so I’ll be about five minutes.”
“Okay.”
“I love you.”
We hung up, and I sent a message to the group chat.
Me: Can someone take the girls for a little bit? Got back to the apartment and the door is open. I think someone might have broken in. Don’t want them to know what happened.
Malena: I’ll be there in five.
Keely: So will I.
Linny: I’m stuck at home without a car, but you can drop them off any time! Hope you guys are okay.
Me: Thanks, guys. I’ll wait in my car outside the apartment. Promised the girls a trip to Betty’s.
Malena: I’ll take them.
Keely: I’ll stay with you.
Two minutes later, three cars screeched into the lot, coming to a stop right next to me. Malena, Keely, and Vance all jumped out.
Not wanting them to spook the girls, I turned around to look at them. “Malena is going to take you to Betty’s. I remembered I have to do some work.”
Since all they heard was greasy food, they didn’t protest.
As soon as I was out of my car and had closed the door, Malena was on me, enveloping me in a tight hug. “Thank God you’re okay. Have you called the police yet?”