Chapter 15 #3
He stepped back, taking a deep breath. He stared at her for a long moment. “For a moment, it was perfect.”
She wanted to ask him what he meant, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he turned away and headed back to his desk. “I’ve got some more work to do.”
“Yes, of course.”
The next week until the court date, Chelsea worked harder to project the air of a loving wife, and Jagger didn’t push her to continue their affair. They were back to where they’d started.
On the morning of the court day, she stood in the closet, trying to figure out how to dress like a mom.
Many of the moms she knew wore shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops during the summer, just like she did.
Chelsea was certain that wasn’t what Mrs. Monroe meant by “dress like a mom.” The problem was, Chelsea didn’t have much else.
As a teacher, she rarely had to dress up.
Mostly she wore cropped or long pants. Her shoes mostly consisted of some variation of sneaker or flip-flop.
Eventually, she chose a light blue skirt with a white sleeveless blouse and white flats.
Jagger was quiet all morning and withdrew into a broody state the closer they got to the courthouse.
His lawyer met them out front. “She’s already here. There’s something I want to ask you before we go in.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Not a problem. She’s got Jacob Masters as her lawyer. He’s not cheap. I thought you said she didn’t have money.”
“She drives an old car so I didn’t think she had much. Maybe she has some left over from what my father gave her.”
“She’s working at a diner, so it’s strange she’d have the money for that caliber of lawyer.”
“Does he work pro bono?” Chelsea asked.
“Masters? No. I’ll look into where she might be getting the money.”
“I don’t think she ever sold drugs, but maybe she is now.” Jagger offered.
“I’ll ask the PI. Now, when we go in there, don’t say anything. The way you look now, it might be better not to look at her either.”
Jagger frowned.
“You do look fierce.” Chelsea threaded her arm through his, hoping to reduce the tension.
“Let me do all the talking unless the judge speaks to you directly.”
Jagger nodded.
“Remember, this is just a hearing. Odds are this will end with a trial date. Okay?”
“I understand.”
Mrs. Monroe entered first with Jagger, holding Chelsea’s hand, following.
She glanced at Tanya. There was no way anyone would take her for a drug addict or stripper.
Chelsea wondered if her lawyer gave her the “dress like a mom” speech too.
She wore a light pink dress and her brown hair was pulled into a loose braid down her back.
Her head turned, her gaze stopping on Jagger.
Chelsea would have expected a venomous glare, but Tanya’s expression appeared more apologetic than adversarial.
The court appearance followed exactly as Mrs. Monroe said it would, until the judge ordered a trial and a guardian ad litem for Kaden. At that point, Mr. Masters asked for visitation for Tanya.
“No.” Jagger’s rough voice echoed through the court.
The judge, who for the most part had appeared bored by the proceedings, sent him a chastising glare.
Mrs. Monroe patted Jagger’s hand. “Your honor. My client apologizes for his outburst. However, he does want me to remind the court Miss Gilson hasn’t seen or even attempted to contact Kaden Talbot for two years.
The boy doesn’t know or remember her. It would be disrupting to his life, not to say traumatic, to send him off to spend time with a total stranger. ”
“So noted.” The judge turned back to Mr. Masters. “I have to agree. While I understand your desire to put your life back together, Miss Gilson, my job is to make decisions in the child’s best interests. You haven’t made a single attempt to see or contact your son in two years?”
“Not before now, your honor.” Tanya looked down, and Chelsea could only imagine the guilt she was feeling at the dreadful choice she’d made two years earlier.
“With that said, children have a natural curiosity about their parents. Regardless of the outcome of this trial, Kaden should be reacquainted with his mother.”
Chelsea squeezed Jagger’s hand, hoping he wouldn’t make a scene. His jaw tightened and his hand nearly broke hers as the tension gathered in his fingers.
“I’m ordering two, two-hour supervised visits a week with Miss Gilson and Kaden to be conducted at the local social services building.”
“Your honor,” Mrs. Monroe kept her voice neutral. “We also applaud Miss Gilson’s efforts to get her life in order. However, at this point, we have no proof that she has. How do we know she’s not still using drugs or involved with people in that culture?”
“You should let me finish, Counselor. Miss Gilson will need to agree to drug testing over the course of the investigation period.”
“My client doesn’t object to that,” Mr. Masters said. “We do have one issue with Mr. Talbot. He’s not originally from this area, and he has the money and means to flee with the boy.”
“Oh, please.” Mrs. Monroe waved Mr. Master’s comment away. “If Mr. Talbot was going to flee, he would have done it the first day Miss Gilson trespassed on his property threatening to take the boy.”
Mr. Masters took in a calming breath. “He flies to New York frequently—”
“For business. And yes, he takes Kaden as well as his wife and staff. However, he travels out of state only infrequently. He has lived full-time in Charlotte Tavern for over a year. He’s started a business that helps the local area.
He’s married and settled with a woman whose family has been in the area for over two hundred years.
More importantly, Mr. Talbot doesn’t shirk his responsibilities.
” Mrs. Monroe looked at Tanya as she spoke the last words.
She turned back to the judge. “Mr. Talbot isn’t going anywhere. ”
“So far Mr. Talbot has cooperated, but he needs to contact the court if he has any plans of traveling out of the Commonwealth.”
“He has no plans for such a trip at this time.”
The ride back home was silent. Chelsea wished she could do something to comfort him, but what could she say?
There was nothing that could make his fear and pain go away except for Tanya to drop the case or the judge to award custody to Jagger.
Since neither of those were happening, all she could do was sit quietly and let him stew.
Once home, he went straight to his office. Chelsea went out back, where Kaden was playing some imaginary game involving a stick used as a sword.
“You’re back.” Mrs. Stanton launched herself from the chair where she sat supervising Kaden. “Where’s Jagger. Did it go badly?”
“There will be an investigation of all of us. The judge ordered visits with Tanya.”
“No! Where’s Jagger?”
“He went to his office.”
Mrs. Stanton looked out toward Kaden and then to Chelsea.
“I’ll watch him.”
With a nod, she left. Chelsea tried not to think that a better wife would be comforting Jagger. Instead, she had to focus on what would best help him. Mrs. Stanton had raised Jagger. She’d know better than anyone how to get him out of his brooding mood.
“Miss Chelsea.” Kaden waved. “I’m playing pirate. Want to play too?”
She trotted out toward him. “Let me find my sword.”
Jagger was working in his office the following Monday when Mrs. Monroe called.
For days he’d been living with the fear of losing Kaden.
It wasn’t right. No matter how much room Chelsea tried to give him to stew or Mrs. Stanton tried to placate him, they couldn’t help him manage the powerlessness he felt.
Damn Tanya! Seeing Mrs. Monroe’s name on his caller ID only ratcheted up his agitation.
“The guardian ad litem will be Meg Carter. That’s good. She’s generally fair to dads, and we have a good case to depict you as a father figure to Kaden.”
Jagger ran a hand through his hair, hoping she was good to nephews too.
“The visitations are set up for Tuesday and Thursday from two to four, unless there’s some reason that can’t be done. You told me your schedule is flexible.”
“It is.” Jagger sank back in his chair, feeling like everything good in his life was slipping away.
Even Chelsea was detached, despite her attempts to play her part, which she’d improved at.
In many ways, she reminded him of the women he knew in New York.
Not that she was shallow, but everything about her was an act.
Of course, wasn’t that what he’d asked of her?
“There’s something else.”
Jagger sat up at the edge to Mrs. Monroe’s tone. “What?”
“Mr. Masters’s fee is being paid by an attorney in New York. A Ralph Johnson.”
Jagger went completely numb. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. You know him?”
“He’s my father’s attorney.”
There was a pause. “Your father doesn’t like you, does he?”
“This is about money. He’s probably worked something out with Tanya to get at Kaden’s trust.”
“Can he do that?”
“No. The trust is separate from the guardianship. I’m in charge of it.” Still, a niggle of worry crept up Jagger’s spine.
“If she’s in cahoots with your old man to steal Kaden’s money, that’s something the court should know about.”
“That would be illegal?”
“Depends. What’s worse is that it would look like she was using her son to get rich.”
A part of Jagger believed his chances would be better if Tanya was using his father to get access to Kaden’s money.
He wished she would just ask him for money, because he’d pay any price to have her out of their lives.
Another part of him was angry at the possibility that her quest was to get Kaden’s money and not to be his mother.
Jagger knew firsthand the pain of parental rejection and didn’t want Kaden to experience it.
“Can you use it?”
“I can certainly try.”
Jagger didn’t hang up after talking to Mrs. Monroe. Instead, he immediately dialed Alexis and told her about this new situation. “I need you to go over those trust documents again and make sure there’s no way my dad or Tanya can have access to Kaden’s money.”
“Your grandfather wouldn’t allow for that.”
“I need you to make sure.”
“I’ll get right on it.”
After that call, Jagger hung up, although he considered calling his father.
It wouldn’t do any good. Tipping off his father that he knew he was paying Tanya’s legal fees could backfire if there was any way to use it against Tanya in court.
Jagger had always known his father was a greedy bastard, but he hadn’t known just how far he’d go to get what he wanted.
His father hated Tanya and Kaden, and here he was helping her to get custody.
How the hell did he even know she’d filed?
Maybe Tanya had gone to New York first and Colin saw an opportunity in her effort to get Kaden back.
A little thing like a legal document wouldn’t stop Colin from trying to get Kaden’s money.
Wasn’t that what he’d told him at Marlene’s party?
Jagger laughed at his father’s idiocy. If he continued to spend money on legal fees to get Kaden’s money or fight G.W.’s will, he’d spend more than he’d get. But that was his father; always wanting what he couldn’t have just to spite people.