24
I frown as I stare down at the piece of paper in front of me.
“What is it?” Jenna asks.
“I…” I whisper in horror.
“What is it?” she asks again.
I read it out loud to make sure I’m not imagining this.
Cameron Stanton seeks full custody of Owen Tucker
Temporary emergency injunction requested.
Los Angeles Courthouse on the 8th at 10:00 .a.m.
Closed courtroom application granted.
Legal representation not required as per temporary order requirements to enable time to prepare for full case.
Full custody hearing to be heard in twenty-eight days.
“He wants custody,” I whisper in horror.
“What do you mean?” Jenna snatches the papers from my hand and reads them.
I drop to a seated position on the couch in shock.
“What the hell?” Jenna growls. “Is he a fucking idiot? You were obviously drugged. You don’t do drugs!” she yells in an outrage.
I hold my chest in pain as the thought that he actually thinks Owen is unsafe with me hits home.
How could he do this?
My head drops to my hands in dismay.
“Oh shit, Ash, that’s tomorrow. The court case is tomorrow,” Jenna gasps.
I glance up at her. I don’t even know what to think. What the hell is going on?
Jenna goes over to the window and stares out at the men surrounding the property. “These men are here to make sure that you don’t run with Owen.”
“What?” I frown, I stand and go over and peer out through the curtains. “Are you serious?”
“Why else would they be here?”
“I don’t believe this,” I whisper.
“Get the fucker on the phone.” Jenna growls as she runs to find my phone.
I drop back onto the sofa; this is the warning. This is what he was warning me about if I didn’t leave the club. I knew he wasn’t a man to be crossed, but this?
She passes me my phone and I stare at it in my hand. “I’m not ringing him. I’m going over there.”
Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned.
I’ve hit an all-time low.
Who the hell does he think he is?
I buzz his doorbell at the gates of his house, and they open immediately.
He’s expecting me.
I march up to the front doors and he waits with the door open. I storm past him into the house.
“Please, do come in,” he mutters sarcastically.
“What the hell is this?” I cry as I hold the court papers up to him.
“Calm down.”
“Calm down?” I scream. “You have been a father for five fucking minutes and you think you can look after him better than me?”
He glares at me. “I’m not out doing drugs, Ashley.”
“Neither am I!” I scream.
“The proof is in the pudding. Where did you spend last night? Where?” he yells.
I stare at him through angry tears.
“I sat at your bedside in the hospital all night, praying that you survived. Praying to God that I never have to tell my son that his mother died from an overdose.”
“I was drugged,” I whisper.
“Because you put yourself in that position!” he yells. “Who the fuck were you with last night?”
“Some girls from the club.”
“Who were the men?” He growls. “Were they clients?”
I wince at the accusation. “What?” I shake my head. “They were men we just met out. It was nothing. Some of the girls were partying with them.”
“With drugs?”
“They dropped some coke.”
“Did you?” He growls.
“No, Cameron. I swear to you, I didn’t.” I shake my head in anger. “Don’t tell me you have a perfect history, either, because I know you haven’t.”
“I would never take cocaine if I knew I had a kid at home waiting for me.”
“That’s the difference between us…” I scream. “For the last five years you’ve been out partying and screwing everyone you want with a clear conscience, while I’ve been at home struggling to able to afford to live while looking after your baby!”
“I didn’t know about him, Ashley, or I would have helped you,” he yells.
“Help me now, Cameron!” I cry. “This isn’t about you versus me.”
“Don’t make it like that then. You set the rules here.”
“How?” I shake my head. “By not doing what you say? Is that it? Is that what this is about? Do you honestly think that you can tell me what to do?”
“I don’t want where you work to come back to haunt Owen later in life,” he snaps.
I step back in disgust. “You double standard, rich bastard.”
He narrows his eyes in contempt.
“You go to that club.” I poke him hard in the chest. “You have fucked girls in that club and you have the balls to judge them as if they are nothing.” I sneer, and I push him again in the chest, but he catches my hand mid-air.
“Don’t push me, Ashley, or I’ll fucking push you back.”
“Is that another threat, little rich boy?” I sneer.
He squeezes my hand in his and steps forward, forcing me to step back. “Don’t push me, Ashley. You won’t win.” He growls.
My eyes tear up. His power scares me.
He scares me.
“You said you loved me in the hospital,” I whisper.
He steps back and drops his head.
“Is that true, Cameron? Do you love me?”
His eyes meet mine and he swallows slowly. “You know I do,” he breathes.
“Then don’t do this.” Tears fall slowly down my cheeks. “Don’t take him away from me.”
Softness crosses his features, and he steps forward to cup my face in his hands.
“It’s temporary, Ash.” His eyes search mine. “Just until you get yourself sorted.”
I stare at him through my tears.
“I promise you.” I pause as I try to get my wording right. “It’s just been a bad week. He’s not in danger.” I wince from the heartache. “I’m a good mom, Cam.”
He pulls me into an embrace and holds me as my body shakes from the tears.
“We can work this out,” I whisper against his shoulder.
“I have to do this, Ash.”
I frown and pull out of his grip as I step back. “What?”
“I have to take precautions to protect him.”
“You’re really going ahead with this?”
His eyes hold mine. “He has to come first.”
“He does, Cameron. He has always come first for me.”
“It’s temporary,” he repeats.
I step back in horror. He’s going to do this whether he loves me or not.
I shake my head. “Cameron, I swear, if you do this to me, I will never forgive you.”
“Don’t say that,” he whispers as pain crosses his face.
“Then don’t do this!” I cry, panicked.
“Ashley, I have to,” he snaps, and with renewed determination, he walks to the door and opens it. “Now… You need to leave.”
I shake my head as my tears roll down my face. “Cameron. No. I’m begging you. Please.”
He closes his eyes as he tries to block me out.
“Cameron, listen to me,” I whisper. “We can work this out. We can share custody.”
“Ashley. Leave. Now.” He gestures to the doorway.
I stare at him. Who is this man?
“I will see you in court tomorrow,” he says without emotion.
“Is that why you have guards on Owen?” I ask.
His eyes meet mine.
“Do you honestly think I’d take him?” I whisper as the tears roll down my face.
He drops his head in shame.
“Do you?”
“I don’t know what you would do anymore. The last week has shown me that. You’ve lied to me all along. From that first day in the hospital, you have done nothing but lie to me. I don’t know who you are, I don’t know what to think, I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
Pain crosses my face. I need to get away from him right now. I can’t take this hurt any longer.
My eyes hold his. “Believe this, Cameron,” I whisper. “I will never forgive you as long as I live.”
I turn and walk out the door with my broken heart shattered deep in my chest.
“All rise,” the clerk calls.
As we all stand, I feel like I’m having an out of body experience.
I’m in a small courtroom in LA. Cameron stands on the other side of the room.
We’re both alone. This is a closed hearing and neither of us have legal representation. The big case is in a month and I will be prepared for that one.
I’m not giving up without a fight. But if I do lose, I will run.
I will not lose my son.
The only people here are two secretaries and a security guard.
I glance over as we wait for the judge to arrive, and Cameron’s eyes are fixed firmly on the floor. He can’t even bring himself to look at me.
He feels guilty, and so he should. This is a cowardly act if ever I saw one.
I bring up his child and this is how he repays me.
The door opens, the judge comes into view, and the floor sways beneath me. I know that face.
It’s the man from the club.
Judy.
I frown. That’s why they call him Judy. Judge Judy.
He’s a judge.
My angry eyes flash to Cameron and he drops his head even lower and blows out a deep breath. He knows that he goes to the club. He knows that I hate him.
I’m going to lose.
My heart starts to race.
Tears instantly fill my eyes as I contemplate what’s about to happen.
The judge sits down and reads the papers and then glances up and does a double take when he sees me. His eyes travel over to Cameron and he frowns.
He knows that Cameron spent the night with me in the Escape Lounge. Hell, he even bid against him for the honor.
I close my eyes as I sit quietly while he reads the papers in front of him.
“What’s going on here?” he finally asks.
We both stay silent.
“Mr. Stanton, address the court,” he orders.
Cameron stands. “I’m applying for temporary custody of my son, your Honor.”
“Why?”
“Read the paperwork,” Cameron replies, his hatred for this man shining through.
“I have and I want to hear it from you. Need I remind you that you’re in my courtroom?”
This man is so rude.
Cameron pauses and his eyes find mine. “I feel that his mother is going through a hard time at the moment and that it is in the best interests of the child if he stays with me for a while. It’s temporary,” he adds.
“I see.” The judge watches him carefully and then his eyes travel to me.
“You took an overdose this week, Ashley?”
“I was drugged, your Honor,” I reply. “I didn’t knowingly take drugs. I would never do that.”
His eyes assess me for a moment.
“You are involved in prostitution?” As if he doesn’t know… snake.
You screw girls there every night behind your family’s back.
“No,” I reply flatly. “I work at the bar in a club that has prostitutes working in another area of the club. It’s by association that I have been accused of this,” I answer firmly.
He raises an eyebrow in question. I would dearly love for it to go on the record that he is a client if he wants me to elaborate.
A fucking aggressive, sleazebag of a client.
He inhales deeply as he flicks through the paperwork. “What do you request of the court, Mr. Stanton?”
“Temporary custody until I am reassured of Miss Tucker’s state of mind,” Cameron answers.
“There is nothing wrong with my mind,” I hiss.
The judge peers over his glasses at me. “You’re a medical student, Ashley?”
“I am.”
“Do you know the consequences of your future if you are charged with prostitution?”
I drop my eyes to the floor in shame. “I do.”
“Your Honor, I have offered Ashley financial support so she can stop working at the bar, but she has, so far, refused,” Cameron interrupts.
The judge’s beady eyes peer up over those glasses again. “Is that true, Miss Tucker?”
I pause for a moment. “Yes, your Honor.”
He frowns and flicks through the paperwork again and then rests his eyes up on us both intermittently.
“In light of this week’s events with Miss Tucker overdosing, I feel I have no choice but to grant twenty-eight days temporary custody to Mr. Stanton in the interest of the child’s safety. Ashley, you are to attend drug counseling before the next court hearing.”
I frown.
He bangs the gavel. “Court adjourned.” Judy snaps his folder and stands to leave the room.
I swallow the lump in my throat and concentrate on the carpet in front of me.
No.
No.
No.
This can’t be happening.
I feel Cameron’s hand on my shoulder. He squeezes it as an offer of sympathy.
I brush it off and stand defiantly. “Don’t you ever touch me,” I whisper. “I hate you.”
Cameron
I sit at the kitchen counter, thinking about today’s court case. Ashley was beyond devastated and, even though I know I should be happy I won, that I can guarantee Owen’s safety…
I feel like shit.
The front door opens in a rush and I hear Natasha’s and Adrian’s voices. I instantly roll my eyes.
Here we go.
Stan is with me already. He came here straight from work after the court case at midday. He knows how low I am.
Natasha comes into view and her face falls when she sees me. “Is it true?” she asks, her voice filled with horror.
I stare at her as Joshua walks into the room behind her. He kisses her on the cheek, but her attention stays firmly fixed on me.
“Answer me, Cameron,” she snaps.
“Tell me you didn’t go through with it,” Murph begs.
I drop my head in shame.
“What the fuck, Cameron?” Natasha yells. “What the hell do you think you are doing?”
“He’s protecting his child,” Joshua interjects.
“He doesn’t need to!” she yells. “Ashley is a fantastic mother.”
“She’s forgetting to pick him up. She’s working in a strip club one minute and overdosing the next. What am I supposed to do?” I reply in my defence.
“You are supposed to support her.”
“You never forget your kids.”
Her eyes widen in disbelief. She’s looking at me like I’m stupid. “I have three nannies, Cameron. I have security around the clock and I have never paid a damn bill since I’ve been with your brother.”
Joshua and I stay silent.
“Have you two honestly lost your minds?”
I drop my head.
“She’s doing the best that she can. She works in that damn strip club to pay for Owen’s food, and I can tell you right now, if I had no money and no support, I wouldn’t think twice about any job that provided stability for my kids.”
“You wouldn’t work there,” Joshua grumbles.
Natasha turns on him like a crazy person. “I would sleep with the fucking devil to give my kids a home, and you should know that every decent mother on the planet would do the same,” she yells as she slams her hand down on the counter. “Have you two deviated so far from reality with your privileged life that you have lost all compassion?”
“Obviously, they have,” Murph mutters under his breath.
“Shut up, Murph,” I say firmly.
“No, I won’t. This is fucking ridiculous, Cameron,” he snaps. “I can’t believe you are going through with it.”
“What am I supposed to do?” I yell. “You tell me what I’m supposed to do when I know for a fact that Ashley is driving around with Owen in the car, surviving on only two hours sleep, twice a week.”
They all stay silent.
“If he gets killed in a car accident from her falling asleep behind the wheel and I knew that I could have stopped it... I could never live with myself,” I cry.
Natasha drops her head to her hands. “Cam,” she whispers.
“I don’t know how to stop her working there. I don’t have any choice,” I reply sadly. “This is out of my control. I didn’t want to do this.”
“You are doing the right thing, Cam.” Joshua sighs sadly.
Natasha screws up her face. “Would you turn on me like this?” she asks Joshua in disgust.
“If I knew you for one week and you had lied to me the whole time and you tried this shit on with my child… Fucking truth, I would.” He growls.
“Then you’re an asshole, too,” she screams. “That’s it, I’m leaving.” She storms toward the front door. “Adrian?” she calls out.
Joshua rolls his eyes, knowing he’s now in the shit, too.
“Coming,” Adrian calls back. “Cam, I’m telling you now, if you do this, Ashley is gone for good. You can kiss her goodbye. She will never forgive you.” With one last lingering look, he disappears after Natasha and the front door slams behind them both.
Fear rises in my chest.
The house falls silent and I am left alone with my brother, each of us lost, deep in thought.
“I have to do this,” I murmur sadly.
He puts his hand on my shoulder. “I know you do, mate. I would do the same.”
Ashley
It’s just turning six in the evening—the time Cameron said he is coming to get Owen. The guards are out the front, surrounding the house.
The house is silent and sad.
I pack the last of the things in Owen’s suitcase as I try to pretend I’m happy that he’s going on a holiday.
Jenna is in her room crying. We’ve both been distraught all day.
She can’t even face Owen.
I need to be the bigger person and not let my son be scared by what’s happening.
He’s only a baby.
“Where’s my cap?” Owen asks.
“I already put it into your suitcase,” I whisper. I take his favorite ten books and put them into the suitcase on top of his clothes.
“Will you come and get me tomorrow?” Owen asks. “I don’t think I want to sleep there, either. Can you sleep over, too?”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “No, baby. Mommy can’t come.”
He thinks for a moment. “But where will I sleep.”
Tears fill my eyes. “You will sleep with Daddy.”
“But he might not let me sleep with him.” He frowns, concerned.
“He will.” I smile. “He told me that it’s okay,” I assure him as I keep packing.
Owen frowns. “I’m not going to go. I want to stay here with you.”
“You need to go, baby. It’s going to be so much fun,” I whisper.
I see the black Audi pull up and I wince as I try to hide my emotions.
Oh my God. I can’t do this.
I close my eyes as I try to gain the strength that I need to get through this. I want to scream and fight and cry and beg him not to take him, but I know that’s only going to upset Owen. I can’t do that to my little man.
Cameron sits in the car and I slowly seal the suitcase shut. “Dad’s here,” I whisper.
Owen jumps off the bed and peers out the window, smiling brightly.
“Dad!” he calls, and he takes off out of the bedroom, runs downstairs, out the front and up to the car. Cameron gets out and picks Owen up to hold him in his arms.
I watch from the upstairs window as the tears stream down my face.
Cameron glances up and sees me. His face falls and he drops his head to kiss Owen’s temple.
I wheel the suitcase downstairs and out onto the porch. I can’t help it now. The tears won’t stop.
Owen runs up to me, and his face falls when he sees my distress. “What’s wrong, Momma?” He frowns.
“I’m just going to miss you, baby.” I smile as I bend and take him in my arms.
I hold him tight to my chest as I scrunch up my face from the pain. Cameron watches on in silence.
I fake a smile. “You be a good boy for daddy.” I straighten his shirt and his pants.
I turn to Cameron. “He needs to sleep with you… In your bed,” I whisper. “He gets scared on his own.”
Cameron’s haunted eyes hold mine.
“Promise me he can sleep with you,” I push out through my tears.
Cameron nods. “I promise,” he whispers.
I squeeze Owen and hold him tight until, finally, I know I have to let him go.
“Go with Daddy, baby,” I whisper.
I grab him once more. This is unbearable.
Cameron takes the suitcase from me and I bite my bottom lip to stop myself from sobbing loudly. He takes Owen’s hand and leads him out to the car.
I watch on as my heart hurts and the tears run down my face.
He opens the car and lifts Owen into the seat and straps him in. I feel like I’ve just been shot. I start to cry, hard and uncontrolled, and I know I need to get inside before Owen sees me. I stagger back and make it through the door only to fall into the fetal position on the sofa where I let myself sob.
No, no, no. This can’t be happening. He took him.
He took my baby.
I cry out as the pain becomes unbearable. “No,” I cry as I shake my head violently. “No, no, no.”
I feel Jenna’s hands on my shaking shoulders. “It’s okay, Ash. It’s going to be okay, baby. We’ll get him back. I promise you, we will get him back.”
The screen door bangs and we both look up to see Cameron standing in the foyer.
“Change of plans,” he whispers through haunted eyes. “Owen will stay here now. I’ll come and get him at the weekend.”
My face falls.
Cameron clenches his hands at his sides, unsure what to say next. Without further word, he turns and leaves, just as Owen comes in the front door.
I stare at Owen for a moment, completely in shock. What just happened?
I smile awkwardly through my tears. “Baby, you’re back already?” I run and scoop him up into my arms and sob with relief.
Thank heavens.