She never looked more beautiful, smiling through her tears.
“I can handle anything Erin has to throw at me as long as you’re by my side. Let’s meet with Hadley together.”
Her upturned face was full of love for me. “I’d like that.”
Avery
I wanted to hold hands with him on the way to the office, but I had to drive separately so I could work afterward. After we parked, I took his outstretched hand, never letting go as we walked into the conference room, listening while Hadley went over the affidavit.
It was nice being on this side of the table even if I hated the reason he had to be here. After Hadley answered his questions, I walked him to his car.
He leaned against his SUV, pulling me into his embrace. “Thank you for coming with me.”
“I want to be here for you and Declan. I hate that this is happening.”
“I hate it too.” Where my tone was filled with conviction, his was more resigned as if he’d accepted the possibility that Erin would be a part of Declan’s life in some way from now on.
“Are you planning to tell Declan?” This question had been floating through my mind ever since Griffin told me Erin appeared on his porch.
“His counselor said to tell him if she filed a formal motion contesting guardianship. Hadley said the judge might want to talk to him too, so he should be prepared.” Griffin looked at me as if he valued my opinion too.
I tried to think about the situation logically as if I was still their attorney, not Griffin’s girlfriend. “I think he’s a smart kid and can read that’s something’s wrong. What if she approaches him outside of school or when we’re not around? You don’t want him to be blindsided. He doesn’t even know what she looks like.”
He hugged me tighter to him. “You’re right. I hadn’t even thought about that. We’ll do it tonight. What time will you be home?”
“When do you need me there?”
“Let’s do six. I’ll order something for dinner, we’ll eat, then talk to him.” When we first started talking, Griffin’s voice was resigned, now it was full of dread.
“It will be okay.” If Declan had to see Erin, even if only for visitation, we’d worry. We knew nothing about Erin other than she’d abandoned her baby and never looked back.
“I hope so.”
That night, we sat on the couch with Declan. It was Griffin’s idea to place Declan between us so he understood I was going to be there for him too.
“What’s going on?” Declan’s brow wrinkled as he looked from me to Griffin as if he was worried he was in trouble.
Griffin’s body was tightly coiled even though his voice was deceptively calm. “Your mother is in town.”
“What? Why?” Declan’s voice raised in pitch, his eyes darting frantically from Griffin to me.
“She has it in her head that she should be able to see you.” Griffin’s lips were pressed into a straight line.
Declan laughed without any humor. “You’re joking.”
Griffin shook his head. “I’m not. She knocked on the door that day you thought Avery was here.”
“The day you said there was someone selling something at the door.”
“That’s right. I didn’t want to alarm you if it was nothing. If she was going to walk away. I have paperwork that says I’m your guardian. The court granted me power to make decisions on where you live, where you go to school, what doctor you can see. She filed a motion asking the court to grant her guardianship since she’s your biological mother. It’s not likely it will be granted, but there’s always a possibility.” We’d agreed I’d step in to talk about the legal aspect if he had any questions, intending to tell him the truth as gently as possible.
Declan swallowed. “Does it matter what I want? That I’ve never met her?”
“All of those things matter, Declan.” Griffin’s voice was soft. “I’d like you to come to court. Avery will sit with you outside. If the judge wants to talk to you, you’ll be there. You can tell him or her whatever’s on your mind.”
“Okay.” Declan’s eyes were full of anxiety.
I wanted to relieve Declan’s anxiety, I wanted to remove anyone from his life that threatened his happiness. The urge was so strong, it made it difficult to draw in a deep breath.
He was probably wondering if his whole life was about to change again. I wanted to say it wouldn’t, but you never knew how a judge would rule. I couldn’t make him any guarantees to settle his mind. All we could do was to be there for him, answer his questions.
“Do you want to meet her?” Griffin held himself rigid while he waited.
I knew it cost him to ask but he was doing the right thing.
Declan was quiet, his gaze on the floor before he finally raised it to Griffin’s. “I should, shouldn’t I?”
“There is no right or wrong answer. It’s whatever you want,” I said.
“I don’t think I want to see her. She wanted nothing to do with me. I don’t know why things have changed.” Declan fidgeted on the couch as if he was uncomfortable admitting that.
“This might be some ploy to get something she wants.” Griffin shifted closer to Declan on the couch, resting a hand on his shoulder.
“Like what? Your money?”
Griffin raised his brow. “How do you know about that?”
Declan looked away. “The kids at school talk. It was in the news.”
“It might be. If you want to meet her at some point, I’ll make it happen. If you don’t want anything to do with her, I’ll do everything I can to make sure that happens.” Griffin’s tone was full of conviction.
I’d never felt prouder of him. He’d more than met the challenge of being Declan’s caregiver. He looked out for him, he protected him.
“I want to live with you.”
Griffin’s body sagged in relief as he pulled him into a hug.
I placed a comforting hand on Griffin’s arm before going into the kitchen to give them space. I heard murmurings from the other room but kept my attention on my phone, mindlessly scrolling through emails.
A few minutes later, Griffin’s hands rested on my shoulders. “Why did you leave?”
“I didn’t want to intrude.” I turned in his arms to face him.
“You’re not intruding.” He lightly squeezed his fingers on my shoulders as if to emphasize his point.
“I get that, but you need your time with him. He needs to know he’s number one in your life.” Having a child means putting him before our relationship.
“You are too.” He said each word slowly as if each word held weight. He pulled me into his chest.
I closed my eyes, reveling in the sensation of being in his arms, content, happy, loved. I never expected to be number one in Griffin’s life. I was content to be a part of his life. His nephew should come first, but I understood what he was saying, we were both important to him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Avery