“Just about done.”
“Awesome. When I get home, I’ll make the bed. Her stuff is in the dryer.”
“Sounds good, baby. See you in a few.”
“Be home soon.” I drop my phone back into my bag, then pay for the groceries, load up my car, and head to The Wedge to get our sandwiches. Halfway home, my phone rings, and I look at the screen on my dash and frown when I see my divorce lawyer’s number.
“Andy,” I answer, surprised to hear from him, since it’s been months since we last spoke, probably around the time I wrote him his last check.
“Aria.” His voice is somber, and unease makes my hands grip my steering wheel. Every time I’ve spoken to him in the past, he’s sounded reassuring; he’s never once sounded somber. “It seems your ex-husband has decided to file a claim with the courts, asking for more alimony.”
“What?” I breathe, not sure I heard him right, but knowing I did. What the hell?
“The good news is he doesn’t have a leg to stand on. The bad news is we are going to go back in front of the judge to prove he doesn’t deserve more than he’s receiving at this time.”
“You’re kidding, right?” He must be, because I’m already paying Josh more than is even justifiable, so it’s unbelievable he’s asking for more now.
“I wish I was.” I hear him shuffle some papers around. “But this isn’t something you need to be concerned with, Aria. He doesn’t have a case.”
“Right.” I shake my head, remembering him saying the exact same thing when he was representing me during my divorce and Josh’s lawyer brought up alimony. He was positive then that I wouldn’t have to pay my ex-husband, but he was wrong—so very, very wrong.
“As soon as the official documents are brought to me, I’ll call you, and we’ll discuss things further.”
“Sure,” I agree, with nothing else to say, and he hangs up after saying a quick goodbye. Part of me wants to call my mom to ask if she knew Josh was planning on doing this. To see what she thinks about it, if she didn’t know that her perfect Josh is trying to get more money out of me, all because I refused to get back with him. The only reason I don’t call her is because I don’t know what I will say if she makes it seem like I’m at fault.
When I reach my house, I pull around the driveway and back my car up so I don’t have to travel too far with the stuff in my trunk. I take a couple deep breaths, then get out and head to the trunk and carry the pumpkins to the porch, placing them next to the mums I have on the three steps. Then I grab as many shopping bags as I can, which is almost half the trunk. After maneuvering my way inside, I set the bags on the floor in the kitchen and head back out to get the rest of the stuff. As I lean into my trunk, I’m stopped when Tide steps up to my side and rids me of my burdens in one of his hands and carries them inside.
Needing another moment to myself to wrap my mind around what Andy just told me, I get back in my car and park it next to Tide’s truck in the driveway that isn’t really a driveway but a dirt patch in the yard. When I get out, Tide is waiting for me at the top of the steps, and I can tell just by the look on his face that he knows something is wrong.
I walk toward him, and he opens his arms as tears of frustration fill my eyes. “Baby,” he whispers, and I don’t say anything for a long time. I can’t; words are trapped in my throat, making it hard to breathe and impossible to speak. “What the fuck happened?”
“He wants more,” I finally get out, and his hold on me gets even tighter.
“What?”
“Josh…” I drag in a ragged breath before letting it out. “He wants more. He wants more money from me.” I press my face against his chest and shake my head. “I don’t get it. I don’t understand him. He’s already gotten more than he should have. How could be possibly want more?”
“Who told you this?” he asks, placing his fingers under my chin, and I tip my head back.
“My divorce attorney.” I admit with tears in my eyes, making his image blurry as I tell him about the phone call, and his expression fills with disbelief before morphing into rage.
“What the fuck?”
“I don’t know.” I pull in a breath, then let it out slowly. “I think I need to talk to a different lawyer though. I’m worried that if I stick with my divorce attorney, Josh will win like he did last time.”
“Then we will start looking at lawyers,” he says easily, giving me a squeeze. “I know there’s a few attorneys in town you could talk to, or you can ask your agent if she knows someone she’d recommend. Sometimes those fancy big-city lawyers are better at getting the job done. And who knows? You might get a judge who says that he doesn’t deserve anything at all from you.”
“Maybe,” I agree. “I’ll call Rachel after we have lunch and see if she knows anyone in LA. She never liked Josh, so I’m sure she will be happy to help me.”
“No matter what happens, I’ve got your back.” He cups my cheek, and I lock my eyes with his, realizing the fear I felt the last time I was in this situation isn’t there. Not that I’m not worried—I’m just not scared, because I’m not alone. I have people who care about me, so even if I lose, I still win. “It will be okay, no matter what it will be okay.” He kisses me softly before he tucks my face against his chest, and holds me tightly. After a few minutes he asks quietly. “Do you want to go with me to pick up Olivia from school after we eat?”
“I think I should take that time to call Rachel.” I tip my head and he nods.
“Let’s go eat, then while you call Rachel, I’ll go pick up Olivia from school, run by my place, pack her a bag, come back here pick you up and we’ll go out to dinner.”
“That works.” I agree and he bends to kiss my forehead, then takes my hand. After sandwiches he takes off, I don’t call Rachel right away. I put away groceries, make Olivia’s bed, then take the vacuum upstairs to go over the carpets Tide laid upstairs one last time. I want her to feel comfortable here, especially if this becomes a regular thing, which I really, really hope it does. Honestly, I wish Tide would move in officially, since he’s basically living with me already. I just don’t know if it’s too soon for me to bring up the topic of us living together, and I don’t want to rock the boat when things are going so well.
After running the vacuum over the unicorn-shaped rug in front of Olivia’s bed, I look around and smile. The room is cute and perfect for a little girl, with a stylish double bed with a tall headboard that has lights attached on either side of it that she can tap on anytime she needs them. Nightstands for her books and a dresser to match all of them are a very pretty gray that looks antique with the whitewash overlay. I didn’t want to go too overboard with pink, so I picked out a frilly white comforter set and floral curtains, along with a small doll house for her Barbies. There’s a nightlight for her dresser that is supposed to light up the ceiling like it’s covered with stars.
With one last look around, I carry the vacuum back downstairs, grab my cell, and go to my office, taking a seat at my desk as I dial Rachel’s number.