Chapter Sixteen
Sawyer
With only two days left before the custody hearing, the tension has started to rise again. Chad and AJ are both on edge about the possibility of losing the children to Mr. and Mrs. Collins. I’ve been in touch with Jonathan, and he’s confident Chad will be granted custody, but whether or not the Collinses will get visitation rights is another story. AJ doesn’t believe they’d want that. Either they’ll want full custody and the money that comes with the children, or they’ll take nothing at all. He doesn’t believe they want any kind of meaningful relationship with Harper and Austin, and after the conversation I had with Mrs. Collins, I tend to agree with him.
So when they show up at Chad’s house on Sunday afternoon, we’re all more than a little shocked.
“Shit.” AJ steps back from the front window and looks around the room then focuses his gaze on me. “I don’t know if we should be here.”
I know I shouldn’t be there. I’m not on duty and shouldn’t be with clients on my personal time unless there’s an emergency. As urgent as I consider my time with AJ and Chad to be, I don’t think Sally or the Collinses would agree. “Should we hide?”
“Yeah, I think so.” AJ turns to Chad. “Can we wait in your room?”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll get rid of them as soon as possible.” Chad picks some toys up off the ground and runs his fingers through Harper’s hair. We didn’t fix her pigtails after her nap, and she’s looking a little feral. Probably not the best impression with the grandparents.
AJ and I slip into Chad’s room but leave the door slightly ajar so we can hear the conversation going on out in the living room.
The doorbell rings, and Austin immediately starts to scream. AJ reacts on instinct, stepping toward the door to take care of his nephew, but I hold him back. Chad can handle him, and we need to stay hidden, at least I do.
He closes his eyes and nods, knowing this is for the best.
Once she’s inside, we can hear Mrs. Collins’s voice clear as day. She’s not the quietest woman. “Harper, darling. You’ve gotten so big. Come give Grandma a hug.”
AJ rolls his eyes at his mother’s theatrics. Even to me, she sounds fake, and I’m terrible at reading people. I wrap both hands around his bicep and rest my head on his shoulder. This way, he can’t get away, and I’ve got an excuse to cuddle for a few minutes.
“Harper, do you remember your grandma and grandpa? They came to visit.” Chad’s calm voice makes me smile, and I don’t miss the emphasis he put on the word visit.
“Mr. Ludwig, my husband and I would like to thank you for taking care of our grandchildren until we could get here. I’m sure you can imagine how difficult it’s been to lose our only daughter, and we’ve needed some time to mourn. But now that we’re here, we’ll be able to take them off your hands and let you get back to your life.”
Her super-sweet voice makes me want to puke. I know Chad won’t fall for her lies, but it still makes me nervous to leave him alone with that woman. After my brief interview with her and her husband, I hoped to never have to hear that condescending voice of hers again. It’s amazing someone as sweet and caring came from such evil people.
“I’m sorry if you came all this way, but there seems to be a misunderstanding. I’ll be keeping the children permanently, but perhaps we can work out some kind of visitation schedule, here in Denver, of course.”
“I assure you there hasn’t been a misunderstanding. These are my grandchildren, and I will not be leaving this godforsaken town without them. I’m prepared to offer you compensation for your troubles. How does ten thousand dollars sound? I’m sure you can find something interesting to spend that kind of money on.”
Disdain is dripping from her words, and I can picture her looking around Chad’s modest home with disgust. Now I’m glad I’m holding on to AJ, or I might rush out there to kick her out myself. Of course, I’d lose my job, but I don’t even care about that right now. I just want her gone.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Collins. Mr. Collins.” I’d forgotten Mr. Collins was even in the house. He hasn’t said a word since arriving. “But I’m going to have to ask you to leave. If you have any questions for my attorney, I can give you his number. Otherwise, I’ll see you at the hearing.”
The front door opens, and the sound of heavy footsteps trails away until the door slams shut. AJ and I rush out, pulling Chad into our arms in a group hug.
“You were great, babe.” AJ whispers the words, and Chad shudders.
“I’m just glad they’re gone.” Chad looks at me. “Was I too rude? Did I make things worse?”
“Not at all.” I lean my head on his shoulder and lower my arm to his waist. “You said exactly what you should have said. I just wish Jonathan could have been here with you. I hated leaving you out here on you own.”
“Me too.” AJ presses his cheek to Chad’s. “I’m sorry you had to experience her bitchy side. She usually reserves that for family…but I guess money matters also bring out the bitch.”
“I should call Jonathan.” Chad breaks away and reaches for his phone. “He needs to step up his game to keep the kids with us.”
I don’t know if Chad is speaking mostly to AJ or to me too, but I still like knowing he’s not alone in this fight. We’re all on his side, and I’ll do anything I can to make sure we win this.
~**~
Jonathan comes over a few hours later. If he’s surprised to see AJ and me there, he doesn’t show it. He sits down at the kitchen table and pulls out several files, getting right down to business.
“According to the trust attorney, the custodial guardian will have access to the trust to take care of the children’s needs. Anything left will be distributed to them when they reach the age of eighteen.”
“Eighteen?” I ask, surprised by the number. “But Britney and AJ had to wait until they were twenty-one.”
Jonathan glances at Chad then responds to me. “That’s true, but since this is a transfer of probate assets, the rules are different. It’s like Britney had the money in her possession at death and left it to her children. Since they’re minors, they can’t directly access it until reaching the age of the majority. But their guardians will have full access to the funds to provide for their living expenses.” He turns back to Chad and levels his gaze on him. “There’s a lot of money at stake. The Collinses will claim you’re only after the money.”
“That’s bullshit!” Chad pounds his hand on the table, letting the accusation get under his skin. “I didn’t even know about the money until recently. I had already filed for permanent guardianship when I found out Britney had a trust, but I didn’t know that would go to the kids.”
Jonathan holds up a hand to placate Chad while AJ and I both scoot closer to him, resting a hand on each of his thighs. “I know you didn’t. And since you have the means to provide for them without the trust, that will go a long way in the judge’s eyes. I just want you to be prepared for what you’re going to be accused of on Tuesday.”
Chad takes a deep breath and relaxes his tense shoulders. “Yeah, okay. I understand.”
Jonathan turns to AJ. “Are you positive you aren’t going to pursue guardianship? If you don’t do it now, you won’t really have an opportunity to change your mind in the future. If he chooses to, Chad could be approved to adopt them in as few as six months. And there’s no going back from there.”
AJ looks deeply into Chad’s eyes as he addresses Jonathan. “I’m positive. I want all of our resources focused on Chad getting custody. He and I can work out the details later. After we know my parents are out of the picture.”
Jonathan nods and turns to Chad. “Who is going to be in the courtroom with you?”
Chad rests his hand over mine on his thigh and his other hand on AJ’s. “These guys for sure. And probably Josh and Tyler. Oh, and Marge will definitely be there. Maybe a few other guys from the station. My chief said he’d be willing to come if it’ll help.”
Jonathan is taking notes then he addresses AJ. “How do your parents feel about you being gay?”
AJ laughs out loud. “Not happy. They pretty much ignore the issue as long as I don’t talk about guys or mention my life in any way.”
Jonathan nods thoughtfully before turning to Chad. “Judge Galvez is somewhat traditional. I don’t think your sexuality will come up at all, so it shouldn’t be a problem. But if AJ is there, and his parents figure out that you’re gay too, they might try to call your character into question.”
I think back to other cases I’ve presented to this judge and agree that he can be influenced by public opinion. “I’ve seen him completely change his decision based on what he thinks other people would expect to happen.”
“Oh, yeah, of course.” AJ pulls away from Chad and places both hands on the table. “I don’t need to be there.”
“Yes.” Chad grabs his hand and pulls it back to his lap. “You do need to be there. I need you there.”
They look into each other’s eyes, having one of their silent conversations. After they find whatever answer they’re searching for, AJ looks back at Jonathan. “What if I sit in the back? I want to speak against my parents, even if I don’t say anything on behalf of Chad.”
Jonathan looks between the three of us and nods in approval. “Yeah, that’s okay. Any arguments you’d like to make against your parents should be written and provided to me immediately. Like, today. I’ll need to submit them to the court prior to the hearing.”
Chad squeezes both of our hands, clearly grateful to have our support during this stressful time.