Bad for You by Weston Parker
31
TRISTIN
Lawyers had always puzzled me. Sometimes, it felt like a person could walk into their offices with one issue and walk out with a dozen different new ones. But at other times, it was such smooth sailing that when the answer came long before it was expected, like in this case, it caught me completely off guard.
“I’ve been in contact with the mother,” Edward’s crisp voice said at the other end of the line. “She’s ready to turn over all parental rights. She said it worked for Little Orphan Annie and Daddy Warbucks, so hopefully it will work out better for Lou than staying with her.”
“What?” I sat up straight in my chair, the spreadsheet I’d been working on and the meeting I had starting in just a few minutes forgotten. “Just like that? It’s only been a couple of days. Surely, she can’t care so little that she’s willing to sign him away without any fight whatsoever.”
The lawyer exhaled heavily. “I don’t know what to tell you, Mr. Ramsey. The social worker was just as surprised, but she’s taking care of things on her end as we speak. Ms. Thurston wants a cash fee to relinquish her rights, of course, but she seems eager to, and I quote, ‘get this behind her.’”
“A cash fee,” I muttered, screwing my eyes shut. “Of course. It’s not a problem, but is that even legal? Did you tell her I’m willing to provide them both with financial support while she gets herself cleaned up? I told her that as well, but I’m not sure she remembers. If we do it that way, they wouldn’t be separated.”
“She remembers, but she’s not interested. We offered her the works, even support from social services’ side and a guaranteed job with American Aviation when she gets out of rehab, but she keeps saying she never should’ve had the boy.”
“Jesus.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “We’re sure she’s not going to change her mind once she’s had some time to cool off?”
“It doesn’t seem that way. She has a cousin in Arkansas who said she can come live with them. It appears she’s been wanting to up and leave for quite some time. She just never had the money to get there, but I don’t think she was planning on taking Lou with her either way.”
I stared out of my office window, looking out over the city and wondering how the fuck any parent could be so cruel. While I knew very little about her personal circumstances and knew I shouldn’t be judging her, I couldn’t help it. She had been offered a lifeline to lift herself out of said circumstances and the opportunity to keep her child in the process, but she just wasn’t interested? She’d been planning on abandoning that sweet young boy regardless?
It was unconscionable.
“There will be a lot of legalities to take care of on the back end,” Edward continued, sounding more reserved than usual himself. “We’ll have to get started with the formal processes as soon as possible, then there’s the matter of the cash fee and setting up the payment in a legal manner. Reimbursement for certain expenses is allowable in some cases, but we’ll get to all that. The more pressing question is whether you’re sure you want to do this.”
“Is that even really a question?” I turned my head and studied the clouds as they drifted lazily by. “We can’t just leave him out there in the big, wide world all by himself.”
“No, but social services can look into suitable foster homes for him. Ms. Thurston has made it quite clear to the social worker that she was planning on chucking the boy out on the streets anyway the day you came by. All the phone calls and messages from the school that day were the last straw, as far as she was concerned. It’s a damn good thing you were there, but that doesn’t mean you have to take him in permanently.”
“Let me talk to Brittany,” I said. “I’ll be in touch with you soon with our answer. I know it’s urgent, but I also know that this is a big step for her. She’d be a mother to a boy with emotional issues, and that’s a lot of work, especially for someone who isn’t married and doesn’t have a support system around.”
On the other hand, I’d love to marry Brittany and be her support system. I was ready to take on the challenge of raising a child with her. Irrespective of what she wanted to do, I would support her decision, but a big part of me wanted us to adopt Lou, get married, and form a family together.
Fuck, it was everything I’d always wanted. My literal dreams come true, but that didn’t mean she was ready for any of it. Or that she still wanted it with me.
“That’s fine,” Edward said. “It is a big step, so I’m sure you can be afforded some time to think it over, but I can’t promise how much time you’ll be given. The social worker is understandably very concerned about this situation. She’s already uncertain about placing Lou with a teacher whose only intention on that day was to see him home safely and talk to his mother about the incidents that had taken place. While she appreciates both of you stepping up when the child needed you, that’s a far cry from being ready to take responsibility for him permanently.”
“I understand. Do what you can to buy me a few days, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”
Long after the lawyer had hung up the phone, I sat frozen behind my desk. Archer knocked on the door eventually, and a quick glance at the clock on my computer told me I was over thirty minutes late for this meeting.
“Come in,” I said. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Bring them in. I’m going to need to leave as soon as we’re done, though. Will you be able to handle the rest of today by yourself?”
He frowned, eyes dark with concern, but nodded anyway when I didn’t offer an explanation. “Sure, boss. Anything I can help with?”
“In the long run, maybe. I’ll let you know, but I’ve got it covered for now.” Or at least, I had it as covered as anyone could have it at this point.
My main priority was making sure both Brittany and Lou were okay. I wanted to be there when they got home, spend some time with Lou, who’d had an appointment with the guidance counselor earlier, and then I needed to let Brittany know what was going on with Ms. Thurston.
Lou and Brittany were talking quietly in the living room when I came in. I could see he had been crying, but she’d managed to calm him down before I’d gotten there. He even managed a smile when I joined them, and then they told me all about his session with the counselor and how their day had gone.
Brittany had dinner ready, and while we were eating around her dining room table, I felt happier and more at peace than I had in a long time. Lou was obviously comfortable here with Brittany already, and she even pulled a few laughs out of him before the meal was over.
Later that night, after we’d put Lou to bed, she and I sat down in the living room again. We had steaming mugs of cocoa in our hands, and she listened, wide-eyed, when I told her everything Edward had told me.
“I can’t believe his mother would just throw him away like that,” she said once I was done, tears glistening in those big blue eyes. “So now what? He wouldn’t do well in a group home, and honestly, I don’t know if I’d ever get any sleep again not knowing that he was safe and sound.”
I took her hand in mine, stroking along the outer length of her thumb. “For what it’s worth, I know you would make an excellent mom, but I understand if this is too much. It might not be a group home he ends up going to, and you could keep tabs on him at school.”
“He doesn’t deserve any of this, though.” Her voice cracked with emotion. She dragged in a deep breath to keep the tears at bay. “I know he’s gotten into a lot of trouble, but he’s a really good kid. He’s smart, and funny, and he’s such a sensitive little soul. Life handed him a crappy hand, but he’s never acted out for no reason. He even stands up for that no-good mother of his all the time.”
“He is a good kid,” I agreed. “If you decide to do this, you have to know that you won’t be in it alone.”
“I can’t ask you to commit to raising a child with me, Tristin. We’ve only just gotten back together, and there’s still so much we have to figure out between us. I really do appreciate all your help, but I can’t ask you to do this.”
“It’s a good thing you’re not asking, then.” I dipped my head, waiting until she brought her gaze to mine so I could look directly into her eyes. “We’ll figure out what we need to between us, but you know how I feel about you. Besides, like you said, Lou doesn’t deserve any of this. I’ve already asked Edward about setting up a trust fund for him. Whatever happens with us and whatever you decide, he’ll have enough money to get by.”
She sucked in a breath, bringing her hand up to cup my cheek as she drank me in. “You really are a good man. You know that, right?”
I put my hand over hers, moving it down to my heart. “I’m better when I’m with you. I wouldn’t have even known about him if not for you, and even if I had, I don’t know that I’d have done for him what I’m doing now. This otherwise useless thing in my chest beats only so I can stay alive to keep you happy.”
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she released a slow exhale. “I feel the same way about you, but this isn’t only our decision to make. Lou isn’t a puppy we’ve taken in that we just get to decide to keep. We should talk to him about it, see how he feels, and then take it from there.”
“I like the way you think.” I released her hand to wipe away the tears that were tracking down her cheeks. “We’ll find the right time to ask him, but whatever happens, I’m all in, Brittany. All. Fucking. In.”
I punctuated the last words with chaste kisses to her mouth, then pulled her close to me and lay back on the couch. We talked for hours about what it might be like to raise Lou together if he agreed, but eventually she was dozing off, and it was time for me to leave.
As I drove home, the picture of the life I wanted to have with them became clearer and clearer in my mind. It was so fucking close now that I could almost reach out and touch it. If I was lucky, and barring any unforeseen complications, it just might be mine soon.
Everything I’d ever wanted was right there. I just fucking hoped it stayed right there, because I’d upend the whole damn world to keep it if someone tried to take it away from me.
