Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
K yle tucked his hands behind his head. “I love Ruthie with all of my heart, you know that, so I hope this doesn’t come out wrong, but it’s really nice to have a break from being solely responsible for her.”
Mitch glanced at his son, currently sprawled on the sofa in Mitch’s office. “Didn’t sound wrong at all. I understand that. You’ve been her only real parent for three months. It had to be exhausting.”
“Yeah. Babies are a lot of work.”
“Yes, they are. You’ve done a great job with her. I hope you know that.” Mitch turned his chair to see his son better. “I am really impressed with the way you stepped up and took care of her.” He smiled. “My kid has a kid.”
Kyle rolled his eyes, clearly amused. “I’m not such a kid anymore, Dad.”
“I know.” He was twenty-six. An adult. A father. Which brought to mind something else Mitch had been thinking about. “With me and Joyce helping, you’ll have a lot more time on your hands.”
Kyle nodded. “I will, for sure. I’ve already found that to be true in the short time I’ve been here. I also know I need to do something with my life.” He sat up. “I need to provide for myself and Ruthie. Not saying I don’t appreciate what you’re doing for us, I do. But I need to pull my own weight. And as crazy as it sounds, I want her to be proud of me.”
Mitch understood that. He’d felt that way himself as a father. Still did. “Do you have any ideas about what you want to do? You were interested in writing once upon a time. Although that’s not the easiest way to make a living.”
“I’m still interested in writing, but I’ll need something besides that. I know you don’t just start out making money,” Kyle said. “Although I did write a book.”
Mitch’s mouth fell open. “You took care of an infant and wrote a book? What are you? Superhuman?”
Kyle snorted. “Not even close. No, I finished the book before Ruthie was born. I could barely write a grocery list after she came along. I don’t know if my book is any good, but I was thinking I might read through it, polish it up, and start submitting it.”
They were on delicate ground now. Mitch could easily help Kyle’s book get in front of the right people, and with his connections and reputation, he could probably get Kyle a publishing contract. It would be as simple as making a phone call.
There was a list of publishing execs out there who’d take Kyle’s book just because he was Mitch’s son. They’d make that the main selling point no matter what the quality of the book was. The name Mitchell Ripley would be on the cover along with Kyle’s. He’d seen it happen before.
Something told Mitch that wasn’t the route Kyle would want to go. All the same, it was worth talking about.
“I could help,” Mitch offered. “If you want.”
Kyle shifted position, putting his elbows on his knees and interlacing his fingers. “I know you could. I know doors would open based on your name alone. But…that feels like cheating. I don’t want to be a nepo-baby.”
Mitch narrowed his eyes. “A what?”
“You know. A kid with famous parents who gets perks because of who they are. Nepotism at work.”
“Ah, right.” Mitch felt some satisfaction that he’d guessed how Kyle would feel about that. “I respect that, but as you know, publishing is a tremendously hard business.”
“I know. I don’t expect much besides the standard rejections, but I really feel like I need to do this on my own. Otherwise, I’ll always wonder if the book actually had any merit or if it was just my name. Well, your name. In fact, I’m thinking of submitting under the name Kyle Pelham.”
“Your mom’s maiden name.” Mitch nodded in approval, pleased that Kyle would go that route. “Has a nice ring to it.” He hesitated. “Do you want me to look at the book? Give you feedback? I’d do my best to be unbiased.”
Kyle seemed amused by that. “You don’t even know what genre it is.”
“I read widely. I’m sure I could handle it. Wait. It’s not some super sexy romance, is it? Might have to draw the line at that.”
Kyle laughed. “No. It’s a thriller.”
Mitch’s heart sank a little. The thriller market was tough. Competitive. Few people broke out and made a name for themselves. Not only that, it was rife with copycats who just put out their own versions of the bestsellers.
“You don’t like thrillers?” Kyle asked.
“I love thrillers. Good ones, anyway. Hard to break out in that market. Not a lot of original ideas.”
Kyle nodded. “Yeah, I know. I think I did something a little different, though.” He sat back, resting his arms along the back of the sofa. “Remember that time you came to talk to my tenth-grade English class?”
“You mean a thousand years ago? Sure.”
“You said something that stuck with me. You said a good writer writes what he thinks readers want. A great writer writes what people didn’t know they were missing.”
Mitch’s brows rose. “I said that? I should write that down.”
Grinning, Kyle continued. “I read a lot of thrillers before I started writing. So many of them were the same story over and over. I did not want to do that. No point in it. I worked hard to come up with something that no one else had done before. I’d love for you to read it and see what you think.” Smile gone, he blew out a breath. “You might tell me it’s crap and, if so, that’s okay. I trust your opinion.”
Always nice to hear. “Do you think it’s crap?”
“No,” Kyle answered. “I think it’s good. But that’s like me saying Ruthie is the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.”
“She is,” Mitch said. “I’m sure Joyce would agree.”
“Dad, we’re biased. Joyce, too. Same thing with the book, you know. I’m too close to it.” He shrugged. “Truthfully, if you don’t think it’s good enough to go on submission, I might either shelve it, or self-publish it under a completely different pen name just to see if I can make a few bucks on it.”
More than anyone, Mitch understood the urge to be read. Wasn’t that why most writers created stories? To share them with readers? “Send the manuscript to me and I’ll start on it tonight.”
“Thanks. I really appreciate this.” Kyle inched toward the edge of the couch. “I’ll get it sent, then I’d better go check on Ruthie.”
“Hang on a second. About Ruthie…” This was the conversation they really needed to have, but Mitch knew he might be opening a can of worms. “What’s the situation with Addison? I mean with custody. Is she going to show up here and demand Ruthie back?”
Fear filled Kyle’s eyes. “I hope not.” He leaned forward again, then got to his feet and paced toward the bookcase. “I’m such an idiot. I was so concerned about getting out of there that I never thought about Addison changing her mind. Which is exactly something she’d do. If she comes after Ruthie—”
“We need to be prepared. Which means we need to get proactive about this and go after custody. Sole custody. If she really doesn’t want Ruthie, it should be simple.”
Kyle turned and shook his head. “Nothing with Addison is ever simple. If she thinks there’s some way to make this work for her…” He looked sick to his stomach. “Dad, I have an awful feeling she’s going to want money.”
Mitch nodded calmly. “I’ve considered that. And if that’s what it comes to, so be it. I’ll pay her. But not until she signs over custody. I’ve already reached out to one of the best family law attorneys in the state. I hope you don’t mind, but this has been on my mind a lot since you arrived.”
Kyle returned to the couch and sat. “I don’t mind at all. I’m glad you thought about it. I cannot lose Ruthie. It would kill me.”
Mitch had no intention of losing that child, either. “I’ll need Addison’s information. Her address, her phone number, that sort of thing. We’ll get a custody agreement drawn up and have it sent to her as soon as possible.”
“Okay.” But the worry had yet to leave Kyle’s face.
“I know this is a lot to think about, but don’t get lost in what-ifs. Ruthie is here . And we’re going to keep her here. It might sound crass but there are times when having money really does make a difference.”
Kyle nodded, still looking miserable. “I’m sorry about all of this. If I hadn’t left after mom died…”
“If you hadn’t left, you wouldn’t have Ruthie. Good things in life rarely come from choosing the easy path. This is all going to work out, you’ll see.” Mitch needed to believe that just as much as his son did.
Getting sole custody of Ruthie might be the hardest battle they’d face, but they’d do it together.