On Tuesday morning, Anna sat in Blair Hansen’s conference room, feeling more confident as the attorney sat down next to her.
“Good morning, Anna,” Blair said with a smile. “I hear we have multiple acquaintances, several of whom called, asking me to meet with you.”
“I’m not surprised,” Anna said apologetically. “I’m lucky enough to have several people eager to help me. I suspect my best friend Ashley is one of them.”
“And Tyler Norris, Kevin Vandemeer, and Kevin’s sister, Megan, who doesn’t even know you.” Blair laughed. “You have a lot of people in your corner. That’s always a good sign. Why don’t you fill me in on what’s going on?”
While Blair took notes, Anna spent the next ten minutes telling Blair about her relationship with Phillip, and the divorce, the stipulation that she keep Toby in the UK, and how little Phillip was involved in Toby’s life.
Blair finished writing and looked up at her. “I’m not going to lie—the fact that your divorce was in the UK makes things more difficult. Have you contacted your attorney in England?”
“No, he died a couple of years ago.”
Blair held her pen in midair. “I know a barrister who helped me with a case a few years ago. If you can get me a copy of the decree, I can have him take a look. You said you’ve been here helping your elderly father?”
Anna explained her situation about caring for her father and how she was supposed to return in four weeks, but he couldn’t be left alone and her employer wasn’t sympathetic to the situation.
“It sounds like perhaps you need an advocate with your employer,” Blair said as she wrote something on her legal pad. “I’m not aware of the laws on the UK in regards to family leave, but a large corporation should be able to handle up to six months’ leave especially if you’re still working.”
“I hadn’t considered that,” Anna said.
Blair grinned. “That’s why I get paid the big bucks. Now tell me about your ex-husband. Will he agree to let your son stay longer?”
“Phillip doesn’t know we’re here.”
Blair glanced up with a blank expression. “And the decree doesn’t allow for you to take him out of the country?”
Anna’s stomach twisted into a pretzel. “No.”
“You realize that depending on the wording in your decree, you could be accused of kidnapping your son?”
She sucked in a breath.
Blair’s expression softened. “Obviously, you hadn’t.”
“Phillip hasn’t seen Toby or paid child support for three years,” Anna said, trying not to panic. “I called him before I left, but I was frantic to get home to my dad, and there was so much to take care of before Toby and I left…I never called him again.”
Blair reached out and covered Anna’s hand. “Deep breath. If your ex-husband hasn’t been part of your lives, then it sounds like he doesn’t even know you’re gone.”
“He tried to call me.” Anna’s heart hammered against her rib cage. “On Saturday. It would have been late there—early hours of the morning—but I didn’t get to the phone in time and he didn’t leave a message.”
“And you didn’t call him back?”
Anna shook her head. “No. After Toby was born, he drunk-called me from the pubs off and on for about two years, telling me he was sorry and begging me to give him another chance. Before Saturday night, he hadn’t called me in over a year. I wondered if he drunk-dialed me and figured it out when he heard my voice mail.”
“Do you think he knows you’re here?”
Anna twisted her hands in her lap, feeling like she was going to be sick. “I don’t know. What if he does? What if he tries to take Toby?”
“If it should come to that—which I sincerely doubt it would—we could stress how emergent the situation was and that you made an attempt to contact your ex. Do you perhaps have a record of calling him?”
“Uh…” Anna’s brain was still roiling with the news she could be accused of kidnapping Toby. “I called him from my cell phone.” She reached for her purse with shaking hands. “I’m sure it’s still listed in my call history.”
“Anna.”
She glanced up at Blair.
“Relax. I will make sure you’re not arrested for bringing your son here. Okay?”
She nodded, still keyed up but feeling slightly relieved. “Okay.”
“Why don’t you get your phone out and take a screen shot of his number and the date?” Blair reached for the phone on the table and pushed a button to call her assistant. “Melissa, I need you to get me the number for Lyle Murphy, that London attorney I consulted on the Smeller case about two years ago.”
“Will do, Blair,” Melissa answered right away. “Do you want me to place the call?”
“Yes, please. But it’s probably after hours so call his cell, and if he gets ticked, remind him that he owes me. We need to put Anna’s mind at ease.”
Fifteen minutes later when Blair hung up with the London attorney, Anna was no longer paranoid that the police were going arrest her as soon as she walked out the door, and Blair had given her hope.
“If your ex-husband hasn’t been part of Toby’s life up to this point,” Blair said, “he might not put up a fight, but the fact he has the stipulation in the first place…Is Phillip vindictive?”
“Sometimes.”
Blair pressed her lips together then said, “The best course of action is for you to call him and explain that you’re here and why, then see how he reacts. If he handles that well, then broach the subject of making changes to the decree. The fact he’s shown little interest bodes well for you, and it would be in your best interest for him to agree and avoid a long, drawn-out fight. It usually helps if you offer something in return. Perhaps agree to bring Toby back once a year to see your ex. It sounds like you can afford the trip so make it clear you’ll foot the bill. Also, if you really are adamant about not collecting back-owed child maintenance, suggest that you’ll forgive all the money he owes you if he’ll agree. In fact,” Blair said, tapping her pen on her legal pad. “Start with that. Save the visits as leverage in negotiating.”
Anna nodded. “Good idea.”
“Lyle’s prepared to take action depending on how your conversation goes.”
“Thank you, Blair.”
Blair smiled. “Nothing makes me happier than helping women in difficult situations.” She stood and grabbed a business card from a stack on a credenza against the wall, then picked up her pen and wrote a phone number on the back. “This is my cell phone number. Call me after your conversation with Phillip or for any reason.”
“Oh…” Anna said, looking down at the card Blair handed her. “I’d hate to disturb you.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Anna.” She grinned.
Anna walked out of the office, holding her cell phone in her hand, wondering when to make the call. She considered waiting until later, but decided now was best, especially with the newly gained confidence Blair had given her.
She stopped at a coffee shop on the first floor and ordered a drink, then sat down and looked at her phone.
My whole future will be determined by this call.
She shook her head in irritation. She wasn’t prone to melodrama and now wasn’t the time to start. Deciding to be pragmatic, she quickly pulled up Phillip’s number and placed the call, wondering if he was still at his office. It had to be close to seven in the evening.
Her heartbeat picked up as the phone began to ring. After two rings she wasn’t sure he’d answer, but then she heard his voice on the other end.
“Hello?”
“Phillip. It’s Annaliese.”
“Annaliese? This is a surprise.”
“I called you nearly two months ago.”
“Yeah, about that…Sorry I never called you back. I was busy.”
“For two months?”
“Well…in my defense, we are divorced.”
She almost countered that they had a son together, but considered that it might be best to hold off bringing up Toby. “You called me Saturday night.”
“Yeah, well…”
When he didn’t say anything else, she decided her drunk call theory was correct. “There was a reason for my call a couple of months ago.” Only after the words came out of her mouth did she realize she sounded curt.
“Oh, Anna,” he groaned. “I don’t want to fight with you. Let’s start this conversation over again.”
Leaning her elbow on the table, she rested her forehead on her hand. “Okay.”
“Annaliese, so lovely to hear from you,” he said in the upper-crust voice he’d always reserved for when he was with his highbrow family.
She couldn’t help grinning; there was no denying Phillip had always been a charmer and he could pour it on pretty thick. “Thank you, Phillip. What have you been up to?” She intentionally left off for the last three years.
“I got a new job. A grown-up one.”
“Your previous jobs were grown-up jobs,” she said without malice. “You just never treated them like you were a grown-up.”
“I’ll give you that.” He paused and some of the playfulness left his voice. “I’ve been working on it.”
“Have you met someone?” she asked. She thought she’d been that someone once.
“No,” he said. “But my birthday’s next week and something about hitting the big three-nine makes you do a lot of thinking.”
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, worried about where this conversation was going. She also noticed that he hadn’t commented on the fact that Toby’s birthday was only a few days after his. “Well,” she said, “it sounds like you’re making steps in the right direction.”
“I’ve been thinking about us.”
Shit. “What in particular?”
“Where did we go wrong, Annaliese?”
She sighed. “You weren’t ready to settle down. You weren’t ready for a family.”
“So how are you?” he asked, ignoring her statement. “Are you still with WorldCon Bank?”
“Um…yeah…and that’s partially why I called.”
“Are you having trouble with your job?” He paused. “You need money.”
She expected him to sound pissed that she might be asking for money, but he sounded… guilty. This might work to her advantage. “Actually, the reason I called you a couple of months ago was to tell you that my father had an accident and broke his leg. He’s in pretty bad shape.”
“Oh, Anna. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah…He needed help so I came here to take care of him.”
He paused. “You’re in the States now?”
“Yeah.”
“What about Toby?” His tone was sharper.
Her back stiffened, and she prepared herself for an argument. “He’s with me.”
“You took him there without talking to me?” he asked, starting to sound combative.
“Phillip, I tried to call you.”
“Still…”
“Still nothing. Why would you care?” Anna asked. “You haven’t seen him in three years, not to mention you haven’t paid a dime of child maintenance.”
“So that’s what this is about?” he asked, starting to get angry.
“No, Phillip,” she said, forcing herself to keep her cool. “It’s about my father. He was in the hospital and needed daily physical therapy. If I didn’t come help him, he would have gone to a rehab center. It would have killed him. I got the call from the hospital and made arrangements to leave all within two days. Like I said, I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer. And since you hadn’t seen Toby in years, I didn’t think coming to the States for three months would make any difference.”
He was silent for several seconds, and Anna’s blood pressure rose. What if he gave her trouble over this? “So you called me to tell me you’re in the States.”
“Actually, there’s more.” When he didn’t respond, she said, “My father’s not progressing as quickly as his doctor would like. He can’t live alone anymore.”
“You’re wanting to stay longer?”
“Yes.”
“Why do I get the feeling you’re not calling to say you’re staying for two more weeks?”
“You’re right. I want to move back here permanently. My father’s not getting any younger, and he and Toby are starting to get to know each other. Dad’s teaching him how to play checkers.” He was silent again. “I’d like to handle this amicably, Phillip.”
“You’re asking me to give him up?”
“Haven’t you already done that?” she asked softly.
“I’m no good with babies, Annaliese. We both knew that. I was waiting until he got older.”
“That’s not how it works, Phillip. You can’t just ignore your child until you think he’s going to be fun, because guess what? That boy has been a delight his entire five—nearly six—years. You owed your son support—both emotional and financial.”
“Ahh, the child maintenance…but it wasn’t like I was seeing him.”
“You think child maintenance is like a usage fee?” she asked in disbelief. “Since you don’t see him, you don’t have to pay for his expenses?”
“I never said that,” he said defensively.
“No, it was just strongly inferred.”
“I know I’ve screwed up, Annaliese. I told you I’ve been thinking things over, and I know I’ve fucked up. You want me to start paying maintenance?”
“Honestly, Phillip, I’ll let every pound of maintenance go if you just agree to let me live in the States.”
“So you are asking me to give him up?”
She took a breath to sound calm and rational. Better to play this a different way. “I don’t want to shut you out of his life. Toby’s beyond curious about you.”
“I’m sure you gave him an earful,” he retorted.
“No. I haven’t vilified you. What purpose would it serve to make him bitter? I want better for him. I want him to be happy.”
“Has he asked about me?”
“Occasionally,” she answered truthfully. “I’ve told him that you have your own life and we have ours, but it’s no reflection on him.”
“He thinks I’m not there because he’s done something wrong?”
“He’s a small child, Phillip. He looks for answers. But he knows other children with absent parents, or no father at all. He’s not traumatized by it.” This was going off track. She really needed him to agree. “Like I said, you’re welcome to see Toby. We can plan trips back to London so you can see him for days at a time.” She paused. “I’d like your blessing to stay.”
“So if I agree…what do you need from me?”
“I’ll have my barrister draw up the paperwork for you to sign.”
“I’ll be giving him up.”
“No,” Anna said. “I promise you that you can see him.”
“You’d do that even after I haven’t contacted you for three years?”
“Toby is my priority, Phillip.”
“I know,” he said, sounding aggravated. “He always was.”
She didn’t dare touch that comment.
He cleared his throat. “I need to think about this.”
“Of course,” she said, even though she’d hoped to get his immediate agreement. “If you have any questions of concerns, feel free to call or text.”
“It was really good to talk to you, Annaliese.”
“Yeah, you, too.”
“I’ll let you know soon.”
He hung up, and she was about to call Matt when her phone rang with Phillip’s name on the screen. Was that a good or bad sign?
“Well, that was fast,” she said as she answered the phone, trying to keep her tone light and breezy.
“There’s no doubt I’ve been a wanker, and I’m trying to be a better person. It took me about three seconds to realize I needed to do the right thing.”
Her breath caught in her chest. “Does that mean…”
“You can stay,” Phillip said. “But I want to start seeing Toby.”
She shook her head, trying to lodge her brain back into place and negotiate. “Yeah…of course. I can bring him back for a week over summer break.”
“I want two weeks. I can take him to see my parents.”
She almost protested, then realized Toby needed this connection to his father’s family. “Okay.”
“Okay…” Phillip paused. “I screwed us up, Annaliese. I’m sorry.”
“Water under the bridge, Phillip.”
“It really was good hearing from you.”
She didn’t want to talk about the past. She was too focused on the future. “I’ll have my barrister send you the paperwork.”
“All right. Good-bye, Annaliese.”
“Bye.”
Anna hung up and stomped her feet under the table in excitement. She called Blair and told her the news, and Blair said the barrister would have the paperwork sent out within the next few days.
“Does it usually move that quickly?” Anna asked.
“No,” Blair admitted. “But the faster this is signed, sealed, and delivered, the better.”
* * *
Matt was on the jobsite talking to the electrical foreman about a setback on the outdoor shopping mall they were working on, trying to keep his mind off Anna.
He’d been anxious all morning knowing she was meeting with Blair, and had made enough screwups that he’d considered sending himself home until he heard from her. As the morning had gone on, he’d gotten more worried. She’d promised to call him after her appointment with Blair but now it was lunchtime. What did it mean that she hadn’t called?
He was just about to pull out his phone and call her when he saw her father’s car pull into the parking lot. She’d never visited him on a jobsite. This couldn’t be good.
As Anna got out of the car, Matt held up a hand and said absently to the foreman, “Hold on, Dan. Give me a minute.” By the time he’d finished the sentence, he was already several feet away.
She was in a white blouse and a black skirt that showed off her figure, and her three-inch heels reminded him of the night he’d seen her at the first soccer practice. Why hadn’t she called him? Was she here to deliver bad news?
“Anna?” he asked, still several feet away but unable to read her face.
She saw him and started to cry.
“What happened?” he asked, trying not to panic. “Did you talk to Blair?”
She nodded, starting to sob. “I called Phillip.”
“What? You did? What happened?”
She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest. “I can’t believe it. I had to come tell you.”
“Anna, you’re scaring the shit out of me. Whatever happened, we’ll work it out, okay? Just tell me.”
She shook her head, trying to catch her breath. “No. That’s not it. I’m sorry.” She sucked in a breath and slowly pushed it out. “I can stay.”
Sure he’d heard her wrong, he cupped the sides of her head and stared into her face. “What?”
She covered his hands with her own. “Phillip agreed. I can stay. I don’t have go back.”
“I need to hear this again,” he said. “Say it again.”
A watery smile spread across her face. “I can stay.” She started to cry again.
He crushed her mouth with his and kissed her, and when he lifted his head, he blurted out, “Marry me.”
“What?”
“I love you, Annaliese Fischer. We’ve wasted twelve damn years, and I don’t want to wait another minute. Marry me.”
She gasped. “But…don’t you want to wait to be sure?”
“I am sure. I’ve never been so damn sure of anything in my life. You’re still the same person I loved back then. We can wait five minutes, five months, or five years, and it’s not going to change. I want you to be my wife.” Oh, shit. “You want to wait.” A new panic washed through him. Was she going to turn him down like she had twelve years ago? “We can wait. You can turn me down. I won’t be upset this time.”
Anna shook her head. “No. I want to marry you…it’s just all happening so fast.”
“But it feels right, doesn’t it?” he asked.
She nodded, smiling up at him. “Yeah. It feels perfect.”
He kissed her again, still wondering if he was dreaming. “I can’t believe it.” Then a new thought hit him. “I don’t have a ring. Shit, I screwed this up, didn’t I? Tyler proposed to Lanie with a marching band.”
She smiled up at him then brushed her lips against his. “I have the ring. The one you gave me.”
His heart skipped a beat, sure he’d heard her wrong. “You kept my ring?”
“I picked it up off the table. When I came home for Mom’s funeral, I brought it with me. I was going to apologize and, if I’m honest, see if you’d forgive me. I think part of me hoped we could start again. But Ashley said you had a girlfriend, and I was devastated. Between losing my mom and knowing I’d lost you for good, I put it in the bag of her clothes to give to the thrift store. But Dad must have found it and kept it all this time. He put it in a box of photos he gave me last weekend.”
He felt like he was going to be sick. So much fucking wasted time. “Anna, I didn’t have a girlfriend six years ago.”
“What?”
“Ashley was wrong. I didn’t have a girlfriend when you came back for your mother’s funeral.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I did the math in my head already. I wondered how many times our paths almost crossed and missed each other. I was single.”
She started to cry again. “I’m sorry.”
“No. No. No more tears over the past.” He gave her a hard kiss. “Only happiness for us. We’re due.”
“Ask me again,” she said, wiping her face. “Ask me to marry you again.”
Matt got down on one knee and took her hand. “Anna, make me the happiest man alive and marry me.”
“Yes,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Yes. Forever, yes.”