Now I had to put my life in her hands and trust that she’d take good care of my kids and me. If Evan did sue me for custody, I’d be screwed because I wouldn’t make Gabby and DJ do anything they didn’t want to do.
I just hoped I wouldn’t end up in jail because of it.
—————
Forty minutes later,I pressed the buzzer to Kennedy’s building and waited.
“Hey!” she said through the intercom. “Come up. Second floor.”
The door beeped, and I pushed against it with my shoulder before walking inside and looking around. I’d never been here before. Mr. Stafford, who had been the town lawyer before Kennedy, wasn’t somebody I was interested in befriending, especially since I couldn’t stand his son and daughter, who were around my age. They were a part of the old mayor’s country club crony set, and even though Brett, the son, had turned out to be an undercover FBI agent and had helped bring down crooked Mayor Henderson, I’d never really gotten to know him.
The building was old but well-preserved, with a beautiful oak staircase and plush beige carpet running up the middle. I ascended the steps, taking in the original art deco carvings, the picture rails adorning the walls, and the opulent chandeliers hanging from the ceilings.
Kennedy obviously did okay for herself, which made me feel better about putting my life in her hands. Evan possessed a touch of the narcissisms, to the point where even if he knew he was fighting a losing battle, he’d still continue the war just to be petty.
As I reached the second floor, Kennedy called, “In here,” from behind an open door directly in front of the staircase. I walked through to see her sitting at a big, wooden desk, typing on a computer. She saw me walk in and gestured to the empty chair facing her. She watched me sit and settled back in her chair, her eyes assessing me. “Everything okay?”
“I need legal counsel,” I announced.
“Well, you’ve come to the right place,” she told me with a rueful smile. “What’s going on?”
Over the next ten minutes, I told her everything from meeting Evan and getting pregnant, the affair and subsequent divorce, and everything in between. Throughout the conversation, Kennedy nodded encouragingly, raised her eyebrows a few times, and took a few notes.
When I got to the part where I discovered the way Rachel had spoken to Gabby, her sultry, blue eyes flashed, and she quietly demanded, “The bitch did what?”
I had the feeling that when Kennedy Stone spoke quietly, shit was about to hit the fan, but still, I persevered. “I know. I wasn’t happy either. Hence the phone call to Evan to cuss his ass out.”
Kennedy shook her head disbelievingly. “How fucking dare she?”
My heart twisted. “I know. I went through the same emotions last night. I called Evan and told him that if he wants to see the kids, he has to come here and visit, alone.”
“That’s good,” she murmured, her expression thoughtful as she checked something on her computer. “You didn’t stop him from seeing them; you just gave him conditions in order to protect Gabby.”
“And DJ,” I added. “He loves his sister. It screws with him when he has to witness that shit.”
“Of course,” she agreed. “It would upset Kai too, if it were Kady.”
I smiled.
It may not have seemed like it on the surface, but Kennedy and I had a lot in common. Our boys were friends, and even though Kady was older than Gabby, they got along great, too. Kennedy and Breaker’s twins were good kids, and she had the same easy-going attitude as me when it came to raising them.
Kennedy leaned forward. “First thing we do is write to Evan through his attorney and make a formal request for his partner to not be present whenever the kids visit. We give him a chance to agree. If he doesn’t, we make a formal request to the courts for full custody. The good thing is that the kids are older now, so a judge will take their testimonies into consideration. In the meantime, we’ll ask that he visit Wyoming to see them. I don’t want you to have any contact with him. If he calls, you politely tell him that in the future, all communication has to go through your attorney and hang up. He can call the kids and talk to them if that’s what they want, but if he tries to question them about what’s going on, ask Gabby and DJ to tell you, and then write everything down. I want dates, times, and what he said. The courts won’t take kindly to him involving them in your beef.”
I smiled because it was clear that I needed a pit bull in my corner. One who would bite into my ex-husband’s ass, lock its jaw, and refuse to let go until he cried for mercy.
“I hate involving the kids, but it’s at their request that Rachel isn’t around, so just ask them to tell you the basics so you can start a paper trail that we can use for evidence in case we have to sue him for emotional abuse.”
“The kids won’t care,” I told her. “Now, your fee?—”
She waved a hand, effectively cutting me off. “I don’t charge family. This will take up about two hours of my day, and actually, since I took on my associates and interns, my workload has diminished drastically. These days, my main clients are the Speed Demons, but the work is contract-based, seeing as they mostly behave themselves. I work pro bono for the women’s shelter, but that only takes up one day of my week unless we have a court date. I’m starting to get work from the Kings of Anarchy, but I think Pagan’s trying to ease me in gently before he hits me with the big stuff. Honestly, Rosie, I’m spoiling for a good fight, so this will be my pleasure. Let’s just call it an apology for opening my big mouth earlier.”
I leaned forward and snaked my hand across the desk to take hers. “Sophie told us what happened with Breaker last night. I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
She gave me a tight-lipped smile. “My husband’s PTSD is part of our lives. It’s something I have to deal with. On the whole, Kit’s happy and healthy, so I can cope with the odd meltdown.”
“Of course you can,” I agreed. “But I’m here if you ever need to talk, vent, scream, or shout.”
Kennedy laughed softly. “Thanks, Rosie. I appreciate that.”
