“Wow, the lady is bitter.”
He nods. “I wasn’t there, but Burke and Myles witnessed it. Thankfully, Matilda wasn’t there either. My dear mom, who didn’t know that Megan was Matilda’s grandmother, told her she wasn’t ours but yours.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” I say, cautiously.
“Yeah, but then Megan demanded we give her Matilda. She claimed that you were neglecting her.” He flinches. “I grabbed my girl, and we left. Myles and Kingston escorted Megan outside. She threatened to sue you.”
“Take me to Matilda, please.” I swallow hard. My body trembles, just like my words. “This could be nothing.”
“Babe, I need you to take a deep breath and remain calm. We have to take care of this issue today before it becomes a problem. Our girl is okay at home. My sister and brothers are with her. She’s safe.”
He’s right. I can’t lose my mind right now. “Okay, I-I can do that.”
“We’re going to jump into a video conference with Nyx and Pierce Aldridge. He’s her partner at the law firm. I called Persy and explained to her what had happened. She agreed to take down the four episodes where Matilda is featured. I thought you had taken care of that.”
I facepalmed my forehead. My eyes open wide. I’m trying not to panic, but it’s impossible. “Does Megan know about them?”
“Not that I know of, but Nyx said that she wants anything that they can try to use against you away from their reach. Even though the calls were harmless. They’re gone.”
I fidget with my hands while processing all the information. “Maybe…maybe she’s not taking any action. She’s been doing this for years. Torturing me. It’s…”
I look up at him. His eyebrow arches, and it’s almost as if he’s saying do you believe that?
“Right, we have to be proactive.”
He nods.
I spent three hours on a videoconference with Nyx and Pierce. I tell them about Pax, my relationship with him, and the accident. I disclose that I have more debt than the entire population of the world. They learn about my three jobs and how Zach and my family help me with Matilda so I can work.
After the meeting, we drive to Zach’s, where his brothers and sister are preparing dinner. My kid is helping them or more like bossing them around. Although I have a fantastic family, I realize that she needs a lot more than just three people. I’m glad she has Zach and all the St. Jameses on her side.
By Wednesday, Megan Blackthorne files for custody of Matilda, claiming that I’m an unfit parent. She demands full custody of my daughter. She states in the lawsuit that I work as a stripper, and therefore I’m a bad influence, and I shouldn’t have any contact with her.
Thankfully, Nyx had filed a restraining order on Monday against Megan, claiming that she’s harassing me and is suing her for slandering my reputation.
Though her allegations are all lies, the state of Washington takes those kinds of accusations seriously. Child Protective Services is investigating me. Nyx suggests a contingency plan in case it happens.
Zach stops showing up at my house at midnight. Instead of taking care of Matilda when I work at night, Teddy is the one who does it. Because he can’t stand the distance, he starts traveling around the country and even to Costa Rica, where Eros lives part-time with his wife. Our relationship is a bunch of texts and late-night FaceTimes that aren’t enough. He calls Matilda every day so she doesn’t feel abandoned. We’re all going to therapy. It’s the only, or maybe the best, way to deal with the distance.
Two things become obvious—the three of us are a family, and we have to figure out our future once we get rid of Megan. But are we going to survive this test?
Chapter Thirty-Two
Zach
I feel like I fucked up Autumn’s life in the worst way possible. When Nyx proposes that I keep my distance, it sounds like I’ve been sentenced for a crime I didn’t commit. This is worse than the death penalty.
Instead of flying away from Seattle, I want to barricade myself with my family and protect them from people like Megan Blackthorne. Autumn is alone in a tough place where she never wanted to be. I can’t help but think that I put her there. It’s hard to find the courage to let things be and trust her and the system.
From afar, I send her everything I think she can use, like the support of my family. The day social services knocks on her door, I stay away from my girls. Also, I reach out to Persy. I need guidance and emotional help to get through this. Helping is what I do to forget that life sucks and not being able to lend a hand to the people I love kills me.
Autumn is the type of woman who’s making me rethink everything I know. She leaves me breathless at the same time as she gives me life. I’d do anything for her. Even step into the most uncomfortable place and confront me.
Therapy is a bitch. My problems are deep. Deeper than I ever thought. I don’t know how I go from “I might lose my family to I caught my father fucking the maid when I was twelve, and two years later, my mother was giving a blow job to her assistant.”
Yep, I witnessed my parents cheat on each other. I carried that secret with me. None of my brothers knew about it. Not even Burke. I buried those memories because the last thing I wanted was to break up my family. That also kept me in an emotional limbo. I wanted to feel, to love, and to be a part of something. I also stayed away because what if they hurt me.
That need for having something meaningful but not wanting to fall in love brought me to Calliope Brassard. We were bad for each other, but neither one of us recognized it. If possible, I would’ve stayed with her until the end of time because I refused to be the one who broke up the relationship. It all goes down to the trauma I carried with me as a child. A trauma I didn’t know I had.
Working through therapy while my girls are away helps me grieve my brother, my wife, and my inner child, who died the day he felt responsible for the happiness of his entire family.
It’s hard to confront my demons, but I do it because I want a future. Autumn and Matilda are my future. There’s a lot more to us than just these few months.
I feel it in my heart that there’s a connection between Autumn and me. Something eternal. An infinite continuity that might come from the beginning of time.
My reward for being away from them is the nightly calls and the daily texts. At night, I read Nancy Drew's books to Matilda before she falls asleep. We’re making sure she understands that I’m still in her life, but I have to travel for the time being.
Will we survive this?
Time will tell, but I’m willing to fight for my family. One day, I’ll propose to Autumn, and we’ll have more kids to fill our house.
In the first week of June, I almost break my promise to stay away from them because it’s Matilda’s end of the school year recital. All my family goes, even my parents. I miss the first public appearance of Donovan and Florence St. James. Teddy texts me a few pictures and said they behave like civilized people. What blows me away is that they’re treating Matilda like a St. James, even when Autumn and I aren’t together officially. It’s around three o’clock when I text Autumn, hoping she’ll answer.