Time he didn’t want to wait for.
“Ten thousand?” Baylee asked. “And I’m out of here and don’t get to have any contact with Maverick?”
“That’s my offer,” he said. If she skipped court hearings, that’d be the bondsman's problem. “I’ll transfer the money to your attorney to deal with your bond. My name isn’t going on anything. It’s all up to you and your responsibility.”
“Whatever,” Baylee said. “Give me those papers to sign. I need to get out of here.”
“New ones have to be drawn up.”
“If you leave here without me signing them, I might increase my offer,” Baylee said, smirking.
“And I might take the whole offer off the table,” he said.
He turned and left. He’d call her bluff.
Her screaming at him to come back and get her out of there gave him the answer he needed.
He had to go home and shower this place off of him, but he’d stop to see his attorney first.
Once he was in his truck, he texted Jocelyn. He’d told her what was going on today. He hadn’t planned on it, but deep down he needed the moral support. It was hard for him to admit that.
But she came through. Not only had she given him a hug and a kiss, but cooked dinner for him to bring to the firehouse for his next shift so he didn’t have to think about it.
She’d been taking care of him without him asking so that he could focus on everything else and his son.
He’d never been in a relationship like that before. Where he had someone he could lean on.
The least he could do was let her know how it went.
“Well,” she said when she answered. “How much money is it going to cost you?”
He snorted. “It started at fifty and I left with it at thirty-five. She thought I had it ready for her to sign and get out right then and said if I left she could change her offer.”
“Bitch.”
“I told her I could withdraw mine and walked out.”
“Good for you,” she said. “I would have done the same. Hell, I wouldn’t even give her that much.”
“Twenty-five is for the bail bondsman. I don’t owe her anything more than that in back support. She said she’d stay out of Maverick’s life if I gave her another ten.”
“Do you believe her?”
“Honestly, I think she’d do it without the money. She doesn’t care about him and never did. I’ve got enough in my favor for me to get full custody regardless.”
“But it’d take time,” she said. “And you don’t want to wait.”
“No,” he said. “I don’t. Maverick has a long way to go, but he’s getting comfortable. He’s settling in.”
“I know. He’s such a good kid. A little hyper now and again, but it’s fun too. Jayce was more active than me.”
“Maybe it’s a boy thing,” he said.
“How long do you think it will take for all of this to get done?”
“Am I a horrible person if I tell Monica to drag it out until the first of the year so we can have a peaceful holiday? Once she’s out, I’m not sure what she’ll do. I don’t think she’ll try to see Maverick.”
“But you don’t want to take that chance either. And attorneys never move fast. Don’t take this the wrong way, but do you have the cash?”
