Chapter 3
Kaden swung in the tire swing Jagger had one of the farm hands put up in the large oak behind the house.
Jagger should be at the stables checking on the horses, but he wasn’t going to take his eyes off Kaden until the situation with Tanya was settled.
He didn’t know where she was or what her plans were, and until he did, Kaden would be kept close.
She said she’d get a lawyer. He scoffed at that idea.
First, unless something had changed, she was broke.
She’d received nothing from Jagger’s grandfather because she’d cheated, thereby forfeiting the substantial income she’d have received per the prenuptial agreement.
Second, she was an ex-exotic dancer, who’d gotten involved in drugs and eventually abandoned Kaden to run off with her violent drug dealer. What judge would grant her custody?
He could remember vividly the day she left.
She’d planned to take Kaden with her, but Jagger had caught her as she tried to sneak out of the house with a three-year-old Kaden.
The fear that harm would come to Kaden had gripped him hard then too.
Jagger had tried to help her navigate the toxicity of his family.
He’d even tried to get her into rehab, but she’d refused.
Even after nearly dying twice. She could refuse all she wanted, but she wasn’t going to take Kaden.
So Jagger told her that she could go, but he’d call the cops if she took Kaden.
There was a glazed, clouded look in her eyes; she swayed and slurred her words.
She was stoned. He’d told her she’d be arrested and her rights terminated if she left.
He reminded her that Talbot money would make sure she never saw Kaden again.
She didn’t protest when he’d taken Kaden from her arms and told her to go.
She left, with barely a look back, which Jagger assumed meant that she had tried to take Kaden to hurt his grandfather, not out of motherly love.
When he learned his father had paid her to leave, he was convinced he’d done the right thing by keeping Kaden.
Now she was back, looking pretty good. She looked younger now than she had the day she left; she’d gained some weight and her coloring was normal.
She hadn’t slurred or swayed. Nevertheless, that didn’t mean she was completely off the drugs.
Plus, what if she was still with her drug-selling boyfriend?
Did she really want to be a mom or had the money she’d taken from Jagger’s father run out?
Regardless, she said was calling a lawyer, which meant, he should too.
“If she really does have her life together, she might have a chance,” Alexis Fairchild, Jagger’s long-time friend and attorney in New York, explained.
“She did drugs through most of his childhood and abandoned him. How is that possible?” Jagger pinched the bridge of his nose.
“The courts have a soft spot for moms. Even in today’s enlightened society, the idea that children are better off with their biological moms is deeply ingrained.”
“Even drug-addicted ones?”
“If they quit and get their acts together, yes. It’s not like you don’t have a few skeletons yourself.”
“I never did drugs.” He’d been drunk before, but not in years and, as far as he knew, he’d never been photographed inebriated, which meant there was no proof.
“I’ve always been available to care for Kaden when he needed me.
” Although, Miss Beemer might not agree.
At least when it came to Kaden’s education.
“My suggestion is, if she shows up again, see if you can work out a visitation. That would ensure you retain custody and control.”
“No. She gave up any right to be in his life when she chose her drug dealer and heroin over Kaden. I don’t think he even remembers her.”
“Maybe we don’t have to worry about it. Maybe she’s given up and left town.”
“What if she hasn’t?” Jagger looked up as Kaden called to him to watch how high he could swing. Jagger gave a thumbs-up.
“Like I said, you might have a tough time keeping custody if she’s got her life in order. You’re a single man who isn’t related—”
“I am related to him.”
“But you’re not his father. You have your own past to contend with and, while living in Podunk, Virginia suggests you left that life behind, you’re still unsettled.”
“So if I were married, I’d have a better chance?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. Family law isn’t my forte. Listen, let me hit up my network and see who’s recommended in your area. It’ll probably be someone in Richmond or Washington. I can’t imagine I know someone who knows anyone in the middle of nowhere Virginia.”
“You know me.”
“Yes, but you’re not a lawyer. Let me find someone who can help you with this.”
Jagger nodded. “I’d appreciate it.”
Except for the part of the day Jagger spent in Kaden’s class, the day progressed as normal. Late in the afternoon, Jagger took Kaden with him to the stables. Kaden filled his pockets with carrots and was the most popular person among the horses.
After dinner, they went for a walk in the woods. Jagger considered asking Kaden what he remembered about his mother but changed his mind. Or more accurately, chickened out. Kaden was Jagger’s child as if he had fathered him. Like a son. He’d do whatever it took to protect him.
They were just getting back from their walk when Grayson met them along the trail, just outside the large grassy area.
Grayson’s stiff body and tense voice let Jagger know something was up. “You have company, again, sir.”
The “again” set Jagger on edge. “Where is she?”
“I wouldn’t let her in the house.”
Rude, but good. Jagger nodded. “Will you watch Kaden? Keep him back here.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Kaden, I’ve got to take care of something. You stay out here with Grayson. Maybe you can show him how fast you can run.”
“I’m fast.”
“So I’m told.” Grayson put a protective arm around Kaden that reassured Jagger.
Blowing out a breath, Jagger headed into the house, through the kitchen, and out to the foyer. He looked out the window, hoping Tanya had taken a hint and gone away. He saw her beat-up car, but not her.
“No.” Irritation and panic snaked through Jagger. He yanked open the door. “Tanya!” He stepped out onto the front porch, looking right and left. She was walking along the house, getting ready to turn and head to the back. “Tanya!”
She stopped and looked toward him but didn’t move to return to the front of the house.
“You take another step onto my property and I’m calling the police.”
“Jagger.” Her tone pleaded with him to reconsider.
“I’m serious. You’re trespassing.” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “Get over here.”
She looked toward the back of the house and he thought she was going to defy him. Apparently, she thought better of it. With a shake of her head, she made her way back toward him.
“I just want to see him. He’s my son.”
“You had years to see him every day.”
She looked down in what appeared to be shame, but Jagger was determined not to be swayed by her. “I messed up. I was messed up. But I’m good now. I’ve been clean for a year. I’m ready to be a mom now.”
“Really? You think it works like that? You were a mom, and you selfishly abandoned him. You can’t decide when and if you’re ready to parent when you already have a child.”
“I know, I know. I can’t change the past. But I can make it right now.”
He shook his head. “Too little. Too late. He’s mine.”
Her eyes flashed with anger. “He’s not. I’m his mother.”
“I’ve got papers that say he’s mine. Legally. I’m serious about protecting him and I will call the police if you don’t leave now.”
“You can’t just take him.”
Jagger laughed. “You’re a piece of work, Tanya. I didn’t take him.”
“You did. You took him from me when I was trying to leave.”
“You were high. I was protecting Kaden. I offered to help you, but you loved your drugs and dealer more than Kaden. Maybe if you’d shown up in court after G.W.
died, you’d have had a chance. Maybe if you’d been there for his birthday or Christmas, he’d know who you are. But you didn’t, and now he’s mine.”
“I never heard about court.”
“That’s not my fault.”
“You probably didn’t try to tell them about me.”
Jagger shook his head at her stupidity. “The court knows there’s a mother. The fact that they couldn’t find you is your fault. You never told anyone where you were. And now it’s time for you to leave again and never come back.”
“Jag—”
Jagger held up his phone. “I’m calling the police now.” He dialed.
“Please.” Tears streamed down her face, but Jagger wasn’t swayed.
“Hi, Mitch.”
Her eyes narrowed and hate was etched on her face. “I’ve already talked to a lawyer and I’m going to get him back.” She stalked to her car and drove off.
Chelsea walked up the front steps to Mitch and Sydney’s Craftsman-style home.
Chelsea was happy for them, just as she was happy for Lexie and Drake.
They’d all found their soul mates. She envied them as well.
She longed for true love. A husband, a home, and kids.
She knew it wasn’t too late, but her need to always work to stay afloat financially made dating impossible.
Even now, she was on the cusp of losing the home her ancestors had built over a hundred years ago.
It had been mortgaged to pay medical bills for her mother.
Had her mother lived, the financial burden would have been worth it.
But her mother didn’t respond to treatment.
In hindsight, Chelsea knew she wouldn’t.
Brian’s death, just a year before the cancer diagnosis, had weakened her mother’s health and resolve.
The official cause of death was cancer, but Chelsea knew it was really a broken heart.
Shaking her head of her woes, Chelsea knocked on the door.