Chapter Thirty-three

EMILY

Nothing like having your ex-husband harass you over speakerphone when you’re on the way to pick up your daughter from school. It’s not like he couldn’t have waited an hour until I was sitting comfortably on my couch. Maybe he was hoping I’d crash.

“I don’t understand you,” Lionel said over the speakerphone. “I just don’t understand how you don’t think us getting back together wouldn’t be better for Juniper.”

I scoffed extra loud, wanting Lionel to hear it over the phone. “Are you kidding me? You went to Mexico with your little girlfriend last week, and now you’re talking about getting together again? You complained about me doing some things with Logan Hawkins, but he’s the first man I’ve spent any time with since our divorce. That girl wasn’t the first woman you’ve been with since our divorce. Or even the second or the third.”

Lionel fell silent for a few seconds before finally responding. “I told you already the trip made me realize a lot of things. Same thing with your trip to Japan and Juniper being in the hospital. We should be together. For our daughter’s sake. Remember that when you’re too busy being self-righteous.”

I hit the brakes hard. Lionel distracted me so much I almost ran a red light. I winced and glanced in my rearview mirror. No one was close. Thank God. The last thing I needed was a ticket or an accident.

“Be together?” I said. “We were together. We were married, but you cheated on me. A lot.” The light turned green, and I pressed the gas. “And you’ve spent the last two years telling me how I wasn’t enough and how it was my fault. It wasn’t all that long ago you said I was selfish and that’s why you strayed. Does any of this ring a bell? Or was that a different Lionel I was talking to?”

“You’re being stubborn.” Lionel grunted. “And selfish. You’re worrying only about yourself and not thinking about Juniper.”

“I am thinking of Juniper.” I barked out a laugh. “How would Juniper being around us when we’re fighting and while you’re cheating be good for her?”

“At least she’d have her parents together, and I stand by what I said before.” Lionel let out a labored sigh. “It’s one thing if we’re together, but otherwise, I’m going to need full custody. For her sake.”

I jerked the wheel hard, taking a hard right into a nearby parking lot. My hands shook on the wheel, and my heart pounded. I still was about fifteen minutes from the school, but I didn’t want to be on the road when I started screaming at my ex-husband. It wouldn’t do Juniper any good if I died in a five-car pileup.

“You son of a bitch,” I said. “I called it off with Logan, and you’re still saying you’re going to take Juniper?”

“I have to think about what’s best for Juniper. Like I said, stop being selfish, Emily.”

Closing my eyes, I leaned back in my seat, my hands now gripping the steering wheel tightly.

“You’re the adulterous bastard who was using drugs. I’m tired of you telling me I’m being selfish. I don’t know what this is about, but I know it’s not about what’s best for Juniper, and I’m not going to let you bully me, Lionel.”

“Keep telling yourself that when I get full custody. I’ve given you a choice. We get back together, or Juniper lives with me full-time.”

“Go to hell, Lionel.” I grabbed my phone and pressed end.

I stared at my phone, waiting for Lionel to call again. He’d probably be pissed that I dared to hang up on him, but I didn’t care. He talked about getting back together with me, but he couldn’t go three seconds without being rude.

He’d called a couple of times the last few days. Both times, he pelted me with the same garbage about how we needed to get back together. Today was the first time he’d threatened to take Juniper since he’d ordered me to stop seeing Logan.

A good minute or two passed before I trusted myself to move again. I reached over and picked up my phone. Then, I killed the Bluetooth connection to turn off the speakerphone.

I rubbed my sweaty hands together and took several deep breaths, desperately trying to not cry again. I hated that Lionel had so much control over my feelings. He’d hurt me in our marriage and had done nothing but hurt me since.

Now he was doing it with the one thing I cared about most. Juniper.

It wasn’t fair at all. I’d done what Lionel asked. I’d broken up with Logan, even though I’d fallen for him, but my bastard ex was still threatening me.

I wondered if he really thought Logan had some dark past he could discover. It smelled a lot more like he was getting the competition out of the way.

Lionel might have been harboring some bizarre and sudden fantasy about us getting back together, but no matter what he did, it’d remain a fantasy. The newfound arrogance of my ex shocked me, and that was saying something.

Whatever happened between him and his girlfriend in Mexico, I doubted it changed the man. Even if he managed to behave for a few months, eventually he’d continue to cheat on me. Then, he’d turn it around and try to make me feel awful because I wouldn’t smile and let him get away with it.

No, ma’am. That was not going to happen. No way. No how.

He couldn’t force me to marry him again by threatening me with Juniper.

Something clicked in the back of my mind, and I winced.

“Emily, you’re being dumb,” I whispered. I needed to stop letting him dictate the terms of everything and realize all the cards I had to play.

Just because Lionel said he would go for full custody didn’t mean he’d get it. If all it took was a little girl getting sick to lose custody, there’d be a lot more parents losing their kids.

Why was I letting Lionel spin me up so much? The more I thought about it, the more it felt like an empty threat.

Somehow, I’d let this man always convince me that I was in the wrong, even though he was the one who cheated, lied, and manipulated. The only reason I’d even agreed to joint custody was I’d thought it would be better for Juniper to grow up with her daddy around, but that didn’t mean I had to sit there and take the man’s emotional abuse.

I glared into the mirror, desperate to glower at someone’s face. Lionel didn’t care. Not really. I was sure of it. All this talk of Mexico and the hospital sounded fake.

After all, he didn’t seem to care at all about Juniper being sick until he’d come back and spotted Logan.

I scrolled through my contacts list until I found my lawyer’s number and gave him a call. I should have done this from the beginning instead of Lionel manipulate me.

“Law offices of Green, Green, and Hall,” the chipper receptionist answered.

“This is Emily Blue,” I said. “I need to speak with George.”

“One moment, ma’am. Let me see if he’s available.”

Blake Shelton played over the phone while I waited and nibbled my lip. My lawyer would know better than me if Lionel could somehow get custody of Juniper.

“Good afternoon, Emily,” George said. “It’s been a while. Is there a problem?”

I let out a nervous laugh. “That obvious?”

“No one ever calls their lawyer to chat. For one thing, it’s too expensive.” He let out a loud laugh. George always did like his own jokes.

I waited patiently for him to calm down. “Lionel’s threatening to go for full custody,” I said. “Saying because I was dating a man and because Juniper got sick and ended up in the hospital, he can get full custody.”

“That’s what Lionel said?” George chortled. “Oh, that’s rich. I hope he’s not paying his lawyer much if that’s the kind of advice he’s getting.”

“You don’t think all that matters? What if he makes up some lies or something? I can’t…I won’t let him take Juniper.”

“Emily, take a deep breath and calm down. If it were that easy, then every angry ex-husband or wife would lie through their teeth. The court is going to want to see actual evidence.” He cleared his throat. “Now, it’s important that you be honest with me. I’m not here to judge you. I need to know so I can help you.”

My stomach churned. I didn’t like the way he was talking. “I’ve never been anything but honest.”

“Good. Is there any evidence out there of you doing something inappropriate? Maybe something on a phone or something? People can hack those, you know. Revenge porn and all that. The internet’s made this kind of thing a lot messier.”

“There’s nothing like that,” I said, shuddering at the thought of Lionel having naked pictures of me to spread around.

“And this recent hospitalization for little Juniper. What was it for? Was she injured? Fell?”

“No, nothing like that. It was pneumonia after getting strep.”

“Good, good,” George said. “That makes thing easier.”

“Why?”

“That way he can’t accuse you of abuse.”

I gasped. “He wouldn’t.”

“Never trust an angry ex-husband, Emily, especially one who is trying to take your child. I’ve seen much worse in my time.”

I let out a long sigh. “Okay.”

“I’m glad you understand. Now a few more questions. Did the police come and take a statement at the hospital? Did Children’s Services show up?”

“No, not at all.”

“Um-hmm. Then I wouldn’t worry. If the doctors thought at all there was any evidence of neglect or abuse, they would have reported you to Children’s Services. The law requires it.”

I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “What does this mean, then?”

“What it means, Emily, is Lionel has nothing to offer a judge. You have doctors who can testify you weren’t neglectful, and I don’t know what Lionel believes, but it’s not against the law for divorced women to start dating again.” George cleared his throat. “Not to mention, you have photographic evidence of his own cheating and other evidence of his drug use.” He clucked his tongue. “You see, Emily? This is the problem with trying to be nice. Contrary to my advice, you didn’t use that during the divorce proceedings. It would have headed a lot of this nonsense off at the pass. I suggest we prepare a formal letter to inform your ex-husband that we can and will use said photographic evidence if he wants to stir the pot.” He snickered. “That ought to shut him up. Even better yet, let’s meet with his lawyer and do it face-to-face.”

Relief started to spread through my body. George was right. Lionel could bluster all he wanted, but he didn’t hold all the cards. I did, and I needed to remember that when he threatened me. He wouldn’t be able to take my little Juniper from me. If he kept it up, he was going to lose joint custody.

The evidence of drug use would be a good start. I didn’t want to use it, but I also couldn’t let him push me around.

“I’ll call your receptionist later and set up an appointment,” I said.

“Good, good. And Emily, don’t worry. There’s no judge in Tennessee who would give Lionel Blue full custody on such flimsy grounds.”

“Thank you, George.”

“Have a good afternoon, Emily.” He hung up.

Staring at my phone, I thought over the emotional torment I’d been dealing with over the past few days and also the suffering I’d dished out to Logan, a man who didn’t deserve it.

I swallowed as I remembered the look on his face when I’d told him it was over.

I’d messed up. I groaned and leaned forward, resting my head on the steering wheel.

I’d panicked. I should have calmly thought it through and realized Lionel couldn’t take Juniper from me. Maybe I could explain that to Logan, not that he had any reason to listen to me after the way I’d treated him.

Tears streamed down my cheek. There was no way he’d ever trust me again. I don’t know how he felt, but I’d stomped on his feelings. Disrespected him. Humiliated him. A man like him couldn’t handle that. He wouldn’t want to be with a woman who would do something like that, a woman who’d let her ex manipulate her so easily.

I was a damned idiot. Lionel might have threatened me, but I was the one who all but spit in Logan’s face, a man who’d treated me and my daughter with nothing but the utmost respect. A man I loved.

I still needed to pick up Juniper. I pulled the car back into traffic, wiping my tears on my sleeve. I bawled as I hit the first light.