36. Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Six
Stephen
One minute, I’m so sure Landon is mine that it’s a foregone conclusion; there’s no other way this result can go. But the next minute, I’m talking myself out of that outcome, afraid to wade too deeply into those waters.
Beside me in Dr. Bennett’s office, Ava is clutching my hand. We drove straight here after Ava called Gage to pick up Landon from school so we could deal with the fallout. Whatever that may be. Gage is the only person other than me who Landon seems to completely trust behind the wheel of a car.
“The result doesn’t matter,” I say to Ava. “Doesn’t change anything for me.”
Logically, my statement can’t be true even if I want it to be. If he’s mine, Raul has less of a stake in Ava’s life. If he’s mine, Celia committed the ultimate betrayal of the one child who’s still speaking to her. If he’s mine, Ava had my baby.
And that—that changes everything.
Even having those ideas linked in my head—Ava, my baby—causes a shock wave of ferocious protectiveness like I’ve never felt before. Guarding and defending Ava came naturally, and I’m stunned to realize there’s a higher level of care than the one I’ve been at.
But if she’s the mother of my child? There are no limits to what I’d do to make sure she and Landon are never hurt again by another living soul.
The door to the examination room opens, and Dr. Bennett walks in with two manilla envelopes in his hand. “Sorry to keep you waiting. Gastro is going around the staff. Been a busy day.”
He slides into his rolling chair and rotates to face us both. “I have two copies of the results. One has to stay here with its original seal to qualify as a court document. But I can give you the additional copy I ordered to either open here or to take home with you.”
“Take home,” Ava says before I even have time to process the options. “We’ll open it at home.” She squeezes my hand, but she doesn’t look at me.
It occurs to me that she still doesn’t believe her mother could have forged the results, that she probably thinks the document will confirm I’m not the father. She wants privacy for me. For us.
“If Raul Santos is not Landon’s father,” I say, “what are our options?”
“That’s a question for a lawyer,” Dr. Bennett says with a grimace.
“Messy, honestly. At least that’s my perception.
Raul will be the legal father on every document—birth certificate, passport, health information, school…
I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to speculate what a court would do.
I rarely see any outcome. I just provide the proof and testimony for my role in paternity cases. ”
“Thank you,” Ava says, holding out her hand for the envelope. “We appreciate your help.”
We drive back to my house in silence, and Ava keeps fiddling with the edge of the envelope, and I don’t know if she wants to rip it open or keep it sealed forever. Whatever is inside has the power to change all our lives.
When we get into the apartment, I toss my keys on the side table and say, “Are you going to open it or am I?”
Ava clutches the envelope to her chest and follows me through to the living room. Instead of sitting down, she paces. But I sink into the couch.
I wouldn’t say I’m okay with whatever the result might be, but I’m resigned to my fate—whether that’s the outcome I want or not.
“Did you mean what you said?” Ava asks, whirling on me suddenly. “The result doesn’t matter?”
“Of course it matters,” I say, exasperated. “That’s not exactly what I meant. But it doesn’t change how I feel. Not about you. Not about Landon.”
“If Raul wakes up, and he’s actually Landon’s father, he’ll take him from me. He’ll do everything he can to take him from me.”
“And we’ll do everything we can to stop him. Ava, you’re not alone in this. I’m not going to watch him tear apart your life and do nothing. I spent years in the police force. There are… There are options.”
“Is that a ‘I know where to hide the body’ conversation?”
“I do know where and how to hide bodies, but no. Murder is obviously not the first line of defense.”
“I don’t want to open this,” she cries, thrusting the envelope in my direction. “Because either outcome…”
“I know,” I say, standing up to take the envelope gently out of her hand and drawing her into my embrace. “I know. Maybe neither of us is prepared for the emotional fallout of whatever this says, but legally, we need to know. It’s important that we know.”
“Okay,” she says, stepping back and running her hands through her hair. Anxiety is coming off her in strong waves—a version of her I’ve never seen. “You open it. I’m getting a drink from the kitchen.”
I go to the couch and sink back down, my finger toying with the edge of the envelope, the same way Ava did in the car.
Fuck it. Rip off the Band-Aid, right?
With a sharp tug, I tear the edge of the seal, and I don’t stop until pieces of the envelope are lying on the floor. Then I draw out the sheet of paper, half expecting that I won’t understand what I’m seeing, even though I’ve viewed similar documents in legal cases before.
I scan the page, and disbelief sits on my shoulders. Of course, this result was possible, but I never let myself believe it.
Ava hovers at the entrance to the living room from the kitchen, a glass of water in her hand. “You going to keep me in suspense?”
“Landon’s mine, Ava.” My voice is hoarse with emotion. “Celia lied. He’s mine.”
She closes her eyes and sinks to her knees, the glass falling to the floor with a thump, water seeping everywhere. “How could she? Oh, my god. How could she?”
A mixture of elation, frustration, and sadness swirls in me, a confusing concoction.
He’s mine. But Ava’s lost her mother, Landon loses the father he knows as his, and I’ve lost six years with my kid.
Six fucking years. All those firsts. Seeing Ava pregnant with my baby. Gone because Celia Tucker wished it so.
I set the results on the coffee table, and I crouch on the floor to fold Ava into my arms. She’s sobbing uncontrollably, clutching me like I’m the only buoy in stormy seas. Whatever else she’s saying, I can’t make it out.
But I don’t even know how to unpack her emotions when I can’t figure out how to unpack my own.
“She didn’t just lie to me,” Ava says, gasping for breath. “She actively worked against me. She stole my happiness.”
And mine.
I pick Ava up, and I carry her through the apartment into my own. Maybe we could sort all of this confusion out on the floor, but I need to hold her properly, run my hand along her back. Fucking think about what we’ll have to do.
Laying her on the bed, I crawl into it behind her, gathering her into my embrace.
“What do I tell Landon?” Ava asks, clutching my shirt.
“Nothing,” I say, my voice gruff. “Until we know where we stand legally, we tell him nothing.”
“If Raul dies—”
“We can’t count on that, Ava. We shouldn’t. We have to plan as though he’s going to pull through, and he’s going to be pissed. We have to be ready.”
“My cousin, Caitlin.”
“We should go see her.”
Ava rolls away from me as though she’s steeling herself for a fight. She drags her hands down her face, taking the last of her tears with them. “Then we’ll go see her now.”
“Ava…”
“I’m not letting anyone else direct my life anymore. I’m not. I’m done. Fuck my mother. Fuck Raul. I know what I want, and now I just need Caitlin to tell me how we get it.” She gets off the bed and takes a deep, shuddering breath. “Are you coming?”
“Wherever you go, I go.”
Caitlin is with a client when we arrive, so Ava and I are in the waiting room.
While I’m still trying to process my feelings, Ava’s gone into attack mode.
She’s on her phone, looking up paternity cases.
Unfortunately, from the mumbling I’ve heard, our case is unprecedented in Bellerive.
There’s no clear decision to guide what we’re up against.
A young woman comes out of the office, and Caitlin follows her.
“Do you have time—” her secretary starts.
“I’ll make time. Ava, Stephen, come in.”
Ava reaches for my hand, but she leads us into the room. Out of her purse, she takes the paternity test result and slides it across the desk to her cousin.
“What’s this?” Caitlin asks, scanning it.
“Raul is not Landon’s father, and I have proof. I want to know how we remove him from the birth certificate and every other aspect of my son’s life.” Then she glances at me, grabs my hand again, and says, “Our son’s.”
Caitlin releases a deep breath and presses the paper flat on her desk, clearly thinking through her response. “Raul is still in a coma?”
“Yes.”
“Any signs he’ll wake up?”
Ava hesitates, and she avoids looking at me. “I’m told the doctors are hopeful.”
A tidbit she did not share with me. Of course, I’ve avoided asking. I wanted our little bubble in that apartment to last. Who knew that finding out I’m Landon’s father would burst it?
“This will have to go to court unless Raul willingly signs away his parental rights. That’s the main Bellerive law that’ll lead the case, I’m sure.
If he fights it, there’s a good chance the court will grant him access to Landon.
He’s been one of his primary caregivers since he was born.
” Caitlin meets Ava’s gaze and then mine.
“Landon calls Raul Dad, and on paper, he’s a good provider, a good enough man.
You are unlikely to get rid of him completely if he doesn’t want to leave Landon’s life.
The court may also take Landon’s opinion into account, but at six, I can’t tell you how much weight that would have—in either direction. ”
“That’s not good enough,” Ava says, her tone angry. “I want him cut out.”
“Then, if he wakes up, you’ll have to convince him to cut himself out. Maybe Raul will let it go peacefully. Even if he wakes up, traumatic brain injuries can have a variety of impacts on behavior. Maybe you’ll get lucky.”
I don’t want to consider how bad unlucky could be. The guy was a vindictive prick before. Seems impossible to believe or even consider that he might come out of a coma as a docile teddy bear instead of a roaring grizzly.
“I don’t want him in Landon’s life anymore,” Ava says, and I hear the edge of tears in her voice.
“Okay,” I say, speaking for the first time since we left the apartment. “We’re going home to regroup.” I rise out of the chair and offer Ava my hand. “Thank you for your time and expertise, Caitlin. We appreciate it.”
“This isn’t right,” Ava says as I lead her out the door. “Maybe Raul was tricked too, but I’m not letting my mother win, and I’m not letting him win. They don’t get to ruin my life and not face any consequences.”
“We’re not powerless, Ava. But we need a plan.
Trust me. A plan is vital.” Because Ava might not have ever gone up against her mother or a man like Raul, but I’ve witnessed all of their machinations up close and personal before.
Landon might have my DNA, but legally, I’m not sure Celia or Raul will ever really let him be mine.