Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 81831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
* * *
MELISSA: Okay, but we WILL talk about this later. I want to help! Love you.
* * *
TESSA: Love you, too <3.
Chapter 27
Melissa
I end the chat just as Wesley and Aaron emerge from the door leading back into the bullpen area. Wesley looks serious, but relatively relaxed, and Aaron is grinning.
I stand, my heart lifting. “Hey! You’re smiling! A smile is good, right? Did you get everything sorted out?”
“The police believe me,” Aaron says. “They realize this is all just a misunderstanding.”
I glance to Wesley for confirmation from a less optimistic party. “Yeah? So, we’re all good?”
“Aaron’s in the clear as far as any legal ramifications of this are concerned,” Wes says, pushing on before I can get too excited. “But that doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods. Ben and Radcliffe could always decide to file some kind of motion for modified custody based on what they see as a threat to Chase’s safety posed by your new living situation.”
“But why?” I demand. “Aaron’s done nothing wrong. The police are convinced of that. So am I, and I’m his mother. I was there when the perfectly innocent nudity happened. Doesn’t that count for anything?”
“It does,” Wes says. “And taking this to court, if that’s what they decide to do, might very well backfire on them.” He lowers his voice as he adds, “We’re still a fairly traditional community. The chances that you’ll get a judge who likes hockey stars and traditional families where the mother is the primary caretaker over a same-sex couple are decent.”
My nose wrinkles and a yucky taste rises in my throat. “I don’t want to win that way. I don’t want to win at all. I just want to keep moving forward as a parenting team, the way we were before.”
“Well, that should be easier soon,” Aaron says, his smile still in place. “My coach wants me back in Minneapolis ASAP. The team doctors liked the look of the scans I sent over the other day. My trainer wants to start me on a sauna and ice bath regimen before I ease into physical therapy next week. So, I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Oh.” I try to keep my expression pleasant, to hide the fact that my insides are currently an elevator in free fall, full of screaming people. “That’s great. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. And I’ll make a big show of arriving back in the city,” he adds. “Be sure all the news and gossip sites cover it so the Wisconsin fans know coming after me in Bad Dog would be a waste of time. You and Chase should be safe to go back to your house and everything can go back to normal.”
I nod and smile, but the inner elevator car is picking up speed and I have to get out of here before I start screaming along with the people trapped inside. “Okay, well, I guess I’ll just head back to the rental, grab my things, and—”
“I already had Nora get everything for you,” Aaron says. “Barrett met her at your house to drop off the suitcases. And Nutty. Nora set up his enclosure in the corner of the living room and he’s already been fed. So, the only person you’ll have to worry about feeding is you. I’m going to stay with Gram at her place tonight and will head out tomorrow.”
“Wow,” I squeak through my tight throat. “Thank you so much.” Tears are coming. Coming in fast, leaving no more time to play it cool. “Okay, bye, see you both later, thanks so much, Wesley.”
I exhale the words in a rush and dash for the door, emerging into a gray, snowy afternoon that perfectly matches my mood. I power walk around the corner of the brick building, keeping my head down, sucking in breaths of cold air and willing the tears to stay in my eyes until I’m safely inside Charlotte and on my way home.
I reach the car and swipe the snow from the front glass with my coat sleeve before ducking inside and starting the engine. There, the familiar scent of the musty VW bug I’ve had for most of my life comforts me. It also reminds me that my longest functional relationship, outside of my immediate family, is with a car.
The thought sends tears exploding from my face. They leap out of my eyeballs like in one of the cartoons Chase watches on Saturday mornings as I replay every sweet and sexy word Aaron said to me last night. And yes, I’m the one who avoided talking about how exactly we were going to make this work, but deep down, I wanted it to work.
I hoped it would.
I hoped so hard…
But now the hope is gone, and my son is at his dad’s house, where Radcliffe is whipping Ben into a frenzy over nothing, I might have a court battle ahead of me, and I’m going home alone.