Chapter 5

Lauren

I woke up to find Gage lying next to me, awake and quietly staring at the ceiling. “You’re going to be late getting Ollie to school if you keep lying there.”

“I need to talk to her, and I don’t even know where to start.”

“I’ll go with you. We are a family, after all.” I leaned forward to give him a kiss, and he held me close a moment as if he would never let me go.

“Fine, do we have to do it now, though? I mean, the whole your grandmother is going to try to take you every other week for the rest of your life part?”

“I say we mention Edna and see if she’s interested in a visit first. We’ll feel it out. Come on.” I sat up and inched my way to the edge of the bed, and he jumped up and hurried into the bathroom ahead of me. “Not nice, honey.” I got to my feet and followed to wash my face and brush my teeth before completing my morning routine before him.

We walked into Ollie’s room together and saw her peeking out from under the covers. “Good morning, sweet cakes. How’s Daddy’s little girl?” Gage went in and sat with her on the bed. She pretended to wake up, giving a dramatic yawn and a very convincing cough. Her fake sneeze, however, had Gage and me exchanging a glance.

“I feel so sick, Daddy.” She closed her eyes and then lay back, turned her head and moaned. “So sick.”

“Do you have a tummy ache?” Gage gave her a suspicious look, and then she coughed again.

“I think I have a bad fever.” She opened one eye and peeked at me. “I might even be conscientious.”

“I think you mean contagious?” I pulled my lips in tight to keep from laughing. Gage didn’t fair too well at trying not to laugh and gave a little chuckle.

“Yeah, that too.” She coughed again, and I was afraid by the time she got done with her performance, she’d have a sore throat from faking it.

I reached down and felt her forehead. “Nope, no fever.”

“I should stay home from school anyway. Just in case, right Daddy?” She turned her head and gave him a sweet smile.

“No, I think you’re well enough to go to school.”

“No, Daddy. I feel like I’m dying.”

“Then let’s load you up and take you to the hospital. I’m sure they’ll want to take a pint of blood to do tests and see what’s wrong. You might have to stay there, so it’s a good thing you’re still in your pajamas.” He reached down to get her, but she screamed and kicked.

“I think I’ll be better in my bed all day. Tell him, mama!”

I shook my head, not about to undermine his authority. “No, I don’t want to take chances. If you were well enough to go to school, that would be different, but I have to agree with your father.”

“Fine, I’ll go.” She threw the covers back and hurried across the room to her private bathroom and slammed the door.

“What’s that all about?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she wants to stay around to see Chloe, or she’s upset over the fact that Ava is leaving. I don’t think Chloe would have said anything about Edna to her.”

After a moment, she came out of the room. “What about Grandma Edna?” She lifted her little chin and put her hands on her hips.

“She called yesterday and wanted to know if you would like to go for a visit soon and perhaps stay a week with her?”

Her eyes widened, but the look on her face wasn’t one of happiness. “A whole week?” She shook her head. “I don’t want to go back and forth again.” She started to whine and stomped her little foot.

“How about just a quick visit?”

“Will I have to stay the week?”

“No. I promise I won’t make you stay a week, but she’d like to see you. You wouldn’t mind seeing your grandmother, would you?”

My back stiffened as he promised. He had no way of knowing the law wouldn’t make him give Edna a week, and now if that promise was broken, she’d be disappointed and devastated.

“I want to go spend a night or maybe two, but not longer. Wade will miss me.”

“We would all miss you.” Gage knelt down and gave her a hug as Chloe came into the room to say good morning.

“Give me a minute, Chloe; I need to speak to my husband.” I pulled him aside. “Why did you promise her?”

“Because she needs to know I’ll protect her, and I’m serious. If she doesn’t want to go for a week, then I’m not going to make her.”

“It’s the courts that will make her, Gage, not you. She needs to be aware that there is a possibility. That’s all I’m asking. She’s going to have faith in that until it’s broken.”

“I’m not going to let her down.”

“You hope. You may not have a choice.”

Chloe cleared her throat. I turned to see that she had Ollie by the hand, and the little girl was all ready for school. “I just thought I could maybe drive her to school if that’s okay, and maybe take her to the donut shop on the way?”

“That would be fine, Chloe, thanks.”

“Okay, tell them bye, ladybug.”

Ollie crossed the room to give us a half-hearted hug and then grabbed hold of Chloe’s hand. “Let’s get this day over with.” The poor kid sounded so defeated as she left.

I followed Gage to the kitchen for some coffee to go. “I’m not sure what that’s about, but it’s got to be something.”

Gage shrugged. “Is it me, or is everything falling apart?”

“It feels that way, but it will be okay. This is supposed to be a time of coming together. We’ll make it through this and any obstacle that comes our way.” I gave him a kiss, and then we went to get dressed for the day.

I left for work, knowing the issues would weigh on us both through the day, but hopefully, in the end, it would all turn out to be all right.

Reed met me at the door when I arrived for work. “Glad you came in. I’m ready to talk about that big case before you leave again today.” He had a lot of nerve talking about how I’d left when he’d skipped out early for lunch.

“Then let’s get down to business. What’s this one about?”

Reed opened his case and took out a folder, which I took as I passed him on my way to my office. I sat down at my desk and opened it.

“James Bivens?” I doublechecked the company and the defendant’s name. “This is one of Gage’s biggest partners. I’m not even sure if this isn’t a project he worked on.” The case was about an apartment complex fire due to faulty wiring. The project had been subcontracted, but Bivens was in charge.

“We need this case; it’s one of my biggest clients.” Reed’s brow creased deeply, and he tugged at his collar.

“I’m telling you there might be a conflict. Even if Gage is not part of this job, he’s affiliated with this man and his company, and if Bivens finds out that Gage’s wife-to-be is looking into a case against him, then I’m pretty sure it’s going to ruin their relationship. Not to mention we’ll have to throw the entire case out on a technicality. No way.”

“Is this the man who Gage saved?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Well, he’ll probably live to regret that is my guess.”

“Reed, that’s a horrible thing to say.”

“Well, it might be, but he could choose better friends. No telling what kind of suits will start coming out of the woodwork now that this one has come out. You need to talk to him about it, and tell him what a case like this could mean for us. I will understand if you can’t do it, but I can’t lie and say I’ll like it.” Reed turned and walked out the door as I covered my face with my hands. Coming back to work was a mistake, and with this happening on top of everything else, it was like a dark cloud had come to settle over our happy home.