Brendan shrugged. “I have someone helping me out on the farm, and he’s using one of the extra rooms.” He figured that was all she needed to know.
“You know I filed an appeal of our custody agreement,” she said, her eyes growing hard. “They’ll look at everything, and I included the type of company you keep.” She actually sneered.
Brendan shrugged. “You should know that appeals courts don’t take new evidence. You don’t get to retry the case. They just look at what happened to see if the lower court made a legal mistake. That’s all.” Now it was his turn to smile. “You also know that my lawyer and I get to respond to anything you say. So you don’t stand a chance. Not at all.”
She grew angry. “You sonofabitch. You don’t get to do this shit to me.”
Brendan sighed. “I haven’t done anything to you.”
“Bullshit. You took away my life, my career as a rider. You snatched all that way when you left me.”
Brendan closed the distance between them. “All you wanted to do was ride and get all the accolades and leave the work to everyone else. I got tired of cleaning up your messes and picking up after your laziness. I didn’t love you anymore. And while you’re at it, think about this: I got custody of our son. In Pennsylvania, that’s still pretty rare. So keep that in mind.” There was no need for him to go into any more detail; he had gotten his point across.
“You really are an asshole, you know that,” she spat. That was Jenn’s go-to if she were losing an argument. When she started calling him names, she was out of all other ammunition.
“Maybe,” he said before turning away. Brendan didn’t look back as he went inside, closing the door. After a minute or two, Jenn pulled out of the drive and sped away.
“Daddy, look what Grandma gave me,” Jameson said as he showed Brendan a stuffed bear with big eyes and a blue bow. It was cute. “She said it would watch over me when I’m scared.”
Brendan smiled. “That’s really nice, Jameson. I’m glad you like it.” He lifted him into his arms. “And I’m glad you had a good time.”
“Mama made me eat peas,” Jameson said as he made his yuck face. “I don’t like peas.”
“Did you stay at a hotel?”
Jameson shook his head. “At Aunt Cindy’s house. There were lots of other kids to play with.”
“Did your mommy stay with you?” Brendan asked.
Jameson shook his head. “I played with the kids and Grandma.” He dumped his bag of Legos on the floor while Brendan met Lucas’s gaze. Lucas tilted his head toward the kitchen, and Brendan followed him.
“Do you know anyone in her family who would talk to you?” Lucas asked.
“Of course I do. Her aunt Lilly gave testimony in my favor at the custody hearings. She wrote a letter to the judge explaining how Jenn would take Jameson to visit the family and then pretty much disappear for the weekend, leaving the relatives to watch over him. And I’m willing to bet that was what happened this weekend. I can give Lilly a call and see if she’ll tell me what happened.”
“If I were you, I’d call Greg and see what he thinks. You may need Lilly in the future, so it makes sense to keep your powderdry. I don’t know. I’m just saying to get someone’s perspective who’s much better at thinking long-term than I am.”
“Good idea,” Brendan agreed. And he didn’t want to question Jameson on this.
“Daddy, I’m hungry,” Jameson half sang as he hurried into the kitchen.
“Did you stop to get something to eat on the way home?”
“No. Mommy said you could feed me,” he told him, and Brendan ground his teeth before getting Jameson some string cheese and crackers. Then he sat with him at the table while he ate, just to be with him. “I missed you, Daddy.”
“I missed you too.” He lightly hugged Jameson and got one in return.
“Brendan,” Lucas said softly, holding the bear that Jameson had been given. He also had Roary, which he handed to Jameson. Then he set the bear on the counter. “It’s a camera,” he mouthed.
It took Brendan a second to realize what he was saying. Then he gasped. “Take it away,” he said softly, and Lucas picked it up again and took it to the other room. When he returned, Lucas sat with them. “Where did you put it?”
“The bear is in the toy box,” Lucas said calmly. Brendan wanted to yell, but he kept himself calm. After all, he had placed trackers in Jameson’s suitcase and in Roary, but that was to make sure that they didn’t leave the state, not to spy on her.
“Can I go play now?” Jameson asked once he had finished his snack.
“Yes. I’ll make us some dinner in a little while.” Brendan held his head in his hands once Jameson raced out of the room. “What do I do?” Brendan asked.
Lucas shrugged. “I don’t think there’s a lot you need to do. It’s in the toy box, and Jameson doesn’t seem particularly interested in it. Just leave it where it is for now, and in a fewdays, if he doesn’t ask for it, I’ll see if I can take it apart and disable it.”
