Chapter Eighteen

ETHAN

“Riley is settling into her new routine pretty well,” my mom says as we get started on dinner.

“She really is,” I agree, glancing over at my daughter. Riley’s long since stopped asking about her mother altogether, which should probably worry me, but for right now I’m just relieved at not having to find a way to explain something that my daughter won’t be able to actually comprehend for several years.

“How are things going with the partnership between you and Lara? I know there’s been some tension,” my dad remarks.

I shrug. “Lara and I are doing fine. She’s great with Riley, and manages to get her back to me on time every drop-off, and she’s always ready to go when I come to pick her up,” I say.

“Her father seems to think there’s a problem,” Mom says, glancing from me to Riley.

“It’s not a big deal,” I tell her, dismissing the idea with a wave.

“I heard from my friend, who works down at the courts, that Nathan’s been making some inquiries about Lara getting sole custody of Riley,” Dad says a bit more firmly.

I’m shocked, but not surprised. Nathan was never my biggest fan. I look at my daughter. She’s too young to even know what the words are about, but she can read the mood pretty easily, and slows down her eating.

“Let’s save this for a time when our little girl isn’t listening,” I suggest.

“She’s too young to understand, anyway,” Mom says dismissively.

“Nathan can want what he wants, it doesn’t matter,” I tell my parents.

“You don’t think he’s going to be able to convince Lara? She only has him left in her family,” Dad points out.

“She’s also told him pretty upfront that the situation we’ve got is what Alexis wanted, and that’s the important thing,” I counter.

Riley starts to fuss, and I know if my parents aren’t going to drop the topic, I need to at least get her into her playpen and away from the discussion. I clean her face and hands and lift her out of her high chair.

“I’ll be back,” I tell my parents, and take my daughter into the living room just off the dining area. I give her one of her toys and set her in her playpen, while I’m away from my parents I take my phone out to text Lara.

My parents are going on about your dad wanting to pull some kind of legal bullshit?

I know a little bit about what Lara’s said to her dad, but I’d had no idea that Nathan was actually pushing for any kind of court ruling.

I know Lara’s at dinner with her father, because she’d told me so. Nathan seems to be lonely, and I can’t blame her for wanting to spend time with her father, who has no one else in the world really other than her. My parents at least have each other.

I slip my phone into my pocket and go back to the table where my parents are still eating. I pick at my food, trying to think about what to say.

“It’s not a big deal,” I tell them finally.

“We just want to make sure that you’re paying attention. That you’re prepared in case Nathan takes some kind of stand,” Dad says.

“It’s a non-issue. If Nathan tries something legally, he’s going to need Lara’s backing, and he doesn’t have it,” I insist.

“If you’re sure,” Mom says doubtfully.

I look at her for a long moment.

“What do you mean by that?”

She shrugs.

“I just know that Lara and you had history, and that when you and Alexis got together…” she lets the sentence die off.

“It might be easier than you think for Nathan to convince his daughter that she should have full custody of your daughter,” Dad says, and I’m not sure whether he’s finishing Mom’s sentence or making his own point.

“Let’s just change the subject,” I say, glancing back into the living room at my daughter.

Riley’s playing with her toys, totally oblivious to our conversation, and I can only hope she stays that way. I make a mental plan to get back to my house as quickly as possible, even if it’ll be lonely with nobody but me there. My parents planned to keep Riley until I can pick her up after work the next day.

My phone buzzes in my pocket but I can’t look at it. I try to keep my parents’ minds off the topic of my father-in-law or the possible ways he might be influencing my sister-in-law to come against me for custody of my daughter. But even as I tell Mom and Dad about work and about Riley’s new milestones, in the back of my mind I can’t help but wonder if maybe they’re right that Nathan would be able to convince Lara more than I would.

I give Riley a kiss goodbye and finally take out my phone as I head to my car, reading through a few texts that Lara has sent me while I’ve been with my parents having dinner.

I swear to God, I have no intention of taking Riley away from you.

The next one, sent a few minutes later, says:

I think my dad might be losing it a little bit.

The last one, which I got right after I walked out of my parents’ house, is probably the most ominous.

Dad is off the rails. I need to get out of here. I’m leaving here in the next fifteen minutes, if it’s at all possible.

I get into my car and text Lara that I’ll call her when I get home. Obviously she and I have a lot to talk about, whether or not we’d rather do anything else. I’m worried about what her father might have said to her, but at least I can be pretty confident that she’s not willing to go along with whatever it is.