Chapter Twenty

~James~

My return flight had been… strange. The entire time I was flying through the air I wanted nothing more than to turn right around and go back to Nicole. Between planning for the baby, making sure she was settled and just enjoying her fine company, going back to the office seemed like pure torture.

But I had to, so I did. A person didn’t get to have a successful company at my age by faffing off and doing whatever they wanted. No, I had responsibilities back home and for the moment they trumped my responsibilities to Nicole.

Besides, I would get a chance to visit for the signing of divorce papers and everything else that we needed to work out. Admittedly, I’d been so shocked by the baby and the corresponding whirlwind that I had created, that I’d almost completely forgotten about all the ducks that needed to be in a row for the divorce. I needed to make sure I didn’t do that again.

Of course, I should have known that my lawyer and closest friends would never let me forget once I got back to work.

I managed to avoid them for the first couple of hours, catching up on emails and setting up meetings that I had postponed. But the good luck could only last so long, and it was still well before lunch when my secretary buzzed me on our intercom.

“Sir, your lawyer is on the phone.”

I just stared at the speaker, as if I could will it away in just a glare, but that only resulted in an unnatural silence that had my secretary asking if I could hear her.

“Put him through,” I said in what I hoped was a neutral tone.

“Yes sir, of course.”

There was another brief pause as she transferred him and then my desk phone was ringing. He’d probably been calling my cell all morning, but I conveniently had it on silent in my pocket and hadn’t checked it since I had arrived.

“So, custody agreement?” His tone was flat, perhaps what some people might even mistake as inviting, but I knew better. I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, he was talking again. “And what’s this lease that’s been faxed to my office? Not to mention that the insurance packet we were sent from that department for a non-employee receiving full coverage.”

I steeled myself, putting on my most profession, in charge voice. “I-”

“Look, I know I’m just your legal counsel and not your friend, but after working together for quite a while, please, please tell me that this isn’t all for the woman we have been searching for.”

I didn’t know when he learned that he could talk to me like that, but it was something that I would have to rectify quickly. “I can’t say that because then it would be a lie.”

I could hear him trying not to sputter in exasperation on his own end and failing miserably. “Not- I… Are you serious?”

“When am I not?”

I couldn’t blame him for his incredulousness, the situation was certainly anything but typical, but that didn’t mean I was going to let him talk to me disrespectfully. I was going to give him a minute to calm down before I put him back into the pocket he seemed to be acting out of.

“You… you do know that she is absolutely taking you for a ride, right?”

“I can see how you would assume that, but that is not the case here.”

“Not the case here?” He countered. “Not the case here!? She’s a no name woman from Vegas who just happened to get married from you when she was drunk and now, since I’m guessing she pregnant from the whole child custody thing, she’s having you support a baby that you don’t even know is yours!”

“What reason would she have to lie?”

“Every reason! You’re her golden ticket! You’re her easy street and you’re falling for it hook, line and sinker!”

“I’ve let you go on because I realize this situation is no doubt baffling from your perspective, but I’m going to remind you that you are my employee, not my friend, so if you cannot have a professional conversation with me, I recommend you hanging up and calling me back when you’ve collected yourself.”

“I… right. Apologies. But certainly, you can understand why I am concerned.”

“Of course, the situation has all the ingredients for a classic gold digger scenario. But in what world have you heard of a gold digger running away, trying to keep their identity a secret and never asking for anything. She even agreed to the divorce immediately.”

“With the caveat that you take care of the child?”

“No, that was my idea. She refused me several times at first, but I was… persistent.”

“Wait… you offered? Why in the hell would you do that?”

“I’ll remind you that I have no need to explain myself to you.”

“I know, I know,” he sighed, taking a long breath. “I just…I know my job is just to give you what you need, but if you explain the whole situation to me, I’m sure that I would be able to protect you better and make sure there are no unexpected bumps in the road.”

That was fair. I was sure that if my mother was alive for this, she would be reacting quite similarly. She always was far more practical than me. “She was living in her car,” I said, deciding on just how much I wanted to reveal. “The only reason I found out is because after I took her to dinner to explain the divorce, I had to drop her off back there.”

“She was homeless?”

“Yes. And you understand why I couldn’t let her stay that way. Even if I hated her, which I don’t, if I’m going to have a child, I want them to be healthy.”

“I just… why did she run? Why did she pawn the ring?”

“She was afraid I would pressure her to lose the child. Which is understandable, as I feel like that’s a pretty common troupe.”

“Ugh, man or woman in privilege forcing the innocent but poor ingénue to do away with the accidental baby, I’m familiar with it.” The line went quiet for a moment, and I could almost hear him thinking. “Would you have?”

That wasn’t a question that I had been anticipating. I sat there a moment, thinking. “I would like to say no, because my mother always taught me to respect that other people’s bodies are their bodies and I don’t have a right to them. But… I wonder if would have tried to influence her to change her mind.

“Children are inconvenient, and I don’t want them. They make noise, they poop everywhere, and they throw up every few minutes. They cost a ton of money, you never know what you’re going to get, and even if you win the lotto and get the best child in existence, they could be killed by a school shooter, or some disease, or a car accident.”

“If you feel that way, why did you jump in feet first? Am I mistaken in thinking that you haven’t even gotten a paternity test yet?”

“No, you’re not incorrect.” I expected a lot more legal talk and a lot less moral talk. “I… I guess I’m not entirely sure. I just know that the moment I found out that there was a child in her, I needed to do whatever I could to make sure that child came out as perfect and healthy as they could possibly be.”

“I… I see. So, as your legal counsel I am going to advise you to ask for a paternity test at her next major doctor’s visit. I’m also going to send you a packet full of basic information that I would like this woman to fill out. Next of kin, medical history, things such as that.”

“Don’t you have that in the insurance paperwork?”

“Some, but I’d like it all in one place, and there are a couple of holes here and there.”

“And that’s it?”

“What do you mean?”

“No more yelling? No more stating all the terrible decisions I’m making?”

“In the end I’m your legal counsel, not your mother. I can tell that you are completely invested in this, so my only job is to protect you and make sure you get what you want.”

“I appreciate that.”

“And you’re sure this is what you want?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then that’s all that matters. But do me a favor and keep this on the down lo until we’ve dotted all our I’s and checked our Q’s. We don’t want anyone interfering or any copycats trying to get a meal ticket.”

“You think someone would?”

“I don’t know, have you stuck your dick in anything lately?” I didn’t answer that, just letting him sit in that silence. “Right, right. Over the line. I guess I’m also more involved in your whole situation than I thought. I’ll get that packet to you as soon as I can.”

“Thanks. I’ll get it back to you as soon as you can.”

“Sounds good.”

The phone line clicked off and I sighed. I really had stepped in it, hadn’t I? Even explaining myself to someone relentlessly logical like my attorney hadn’t been enough to shake me. I had almost hoped it would, but here I was, sitting at my desk and hoping that I had made the right decision.

I guessed time would tell.