“Lexington,” I whisper her name.
“Are you home?” he barks into the phone.
“Yeah.”
“I’m on my way.” The line goes dead. I drop my phone and fall to my knees. I scoop my baby girl up in my arms and hold her close. She coos, making her sweet baby noises, and the emotion that’s been threatening to bubble to the surface since I read that fucking letter the first time, falls from my eyes.
“Evan!” I hear Kinley yell.
Kinley!
Turning at the sound of her voice, I watch her run into the living room. She stops when she sees me, and tears begin to fall from her eyes, matching mine. I stand to greet her. She loves my little girl as much as I do. “Evan,” she breathes my name. I have Lexi cradled in one arm, and I hold the other one out to Kinley, an open invitation to come to me.
I need her.
She wraps her arms around my waist and I do the same, holding her tight against my chest—my girls, both of them.
“Fuck, bro, what the hell is going on?” Aaron asks.
Kinley steps back, and I want to stop her, but I don’t. “Got home today and was going through the mail, got that letter.” I point to the letter now lying on the floor.
Aaron bends to pick it up, and I watch his face as he reads the words. “Holy shit. Can they do that? Misty’s gone?”
“Apparently.”
“Can who do what? What do you mean Misty’s gone?” Kinley looks up to me, searching for answers.
Reaching out, I run my thumb under one eye then the other, wiping her tears. “Misty died in a car accident almost a month ago. Her parents are suing me for full custody of Lexi,” I explain.
“What? No, they can’t do that.” She turns to look at Aaron. “Can they do that?”
Aaron holds up the letter. “Says here they are claiming Evan can’t give Lexi what they can.”
“Of course, he can. He loves her,” Kinley fires back.
“I know.” Aaron holds the letter up. “This states that they feel they can provide the guidance she needs with both a father and mother figure in the household.”
“Bullshit!” I seethe.
“She signed her rights away,” Kinley sobs. “She gave her up. This sweet, beautiful little girl, she just gave her away. She didn’t love her. They have no right.”
“I don’t really know much about the laws, but I know there are grandparent rights and all that. Not sure how that works if the parent signs away their legal rights to the kid,” Aaron says, worry in his voice.
“Fuck!” I yell, the sound startles Lexi and she starts to cry. Kinley steps close to me once again and starts to sing as she rubs her back. Lexi calms instantly.
“It’s my guess this is a farfetched attempt. They can’t claim you are unfit, so they are claiming that psychologically she will be better off with a mother and father figure—ironically enough, the relationship their own daughter refused to provide to her,” Aaron says.
Now that I’ve calmed down, I call bullshit too. “Yeah, I was pissed off and scared as hell at first, but now that you’re here and broke it down, I agree.”
“We need to get married,” McKinley blurts out.
“Say again?” Aaron says.
McKinley looks up at me. “We have to get married, Evan. You’ll have a wife and Lexi will have a mother. They will no longer have an excuse to take her from us.”
From us. This girl.
“Kinley,” Aaron says softly. I can see this is tearing her up.
“No, Aaron. You know I’m right. If Evan gets married, they have no fight. I’m the best choice. I won’t hold him to the marriage after all this shit blows over, and it would be believable. I’ve been there since he found out. I was there when she was born. Hell, Mom and I watch her,” she ticks off items one by one, raising her fingers as she does.
“McKinley, I can’t let you do that. There has to be a way to fight this.” Those are the words that come out of my mouth. Inside, I’m screaming YES!
“I’ve been to all her doctor appointments. I’ve been there, Evan. This will work. I know it will. We can’t let them take her.” She breaks on a sob.
“It’s crazy as hell, but she has a point, man. This would kill their only concern and the reason for the suit,” Aaron agrees with her.
What the hell?
“Evan, can I…can I hold her, please?” McKinley asks, her voice small. As bad as I want Lexi in my arms, I can see the real fear in Kinley’s eyes as well. She needs this just as much as I do. I give my baby girl a kiss on the top of her head before passing her to Kinley.
I watch Kinley as she holds her close; she loves Lexi. Never in a million years did I ever imagine this is how things would be; never thought I would be contemplating marrying my best friend’s little sister. Hell, she’s my best friend too.
Can we do this? Will this work to stop the lawsuit? Can I marry her and then let her walk away when this all blows over? Regardless of the fact I will want to hold on tight, I’ll have to let her go. We’ll have to live under the same roof, share every aspect of my life with her, and then let her go because that’s the right thing to do. She’s offering me a way to fight them to keep my baby girl. I won’t hold her back when this is over.
“McKinley, you’re amazing for offering, and I can never thank you enough, but this is a big deal.”
“You’re right, it is. They want to take her from us, Evan. We can’t let them do that. We have to do whatever it takes to make that happen. You can trust me. I won’t hold you to the marriage once we get them to drop the suit.”
“What happens after you divorce, once this all blows over and they start the suit up again?” Aaron asks.
She shrugs. “I’ll still be around, be in her life. We can play it off that I’m still her mother figure. I would be honored to play that role for this little girl.” She pulls Lexi in a little closer to her chest.
“That could work, man,” Aaron agrees.
“McKinley, I can’t let you do this.” My plea is weak at best. My head is telling me it’s the right thing to say. My heart is telling me to drag her to the courthouse right this second. That maybe there won’t be an end once we have a beginning.
“You’re not letting me do anything. I want to do this.”
“Your parents?” I say meekly.
“They’ll get it, man. Don’t worry about our parents. I think she’s right. This is the best way. You won’t be strapped to some stranger or some girl who will try to take your ass to the cleaners when this is over. Kinley has been here from the moment you found out. You all have spent a lot of time together. She has a point about the doctor’s appointments and all that stuff. This will work, man. Take her up on it. Save your little girl from those monsters,” Aaron tries to persuade me.
I’m convinced. I just needed to appear to put up a fight and make sure she understands what she’s volunteering to do.
“McKinley, look at me.”
Her eyes snap to mine. I step into her, closing off the space between us. “I need you to look me in the eye and tell me you are really okay with this. You will be putting your life on hold for me---for us.”