It’s time we discuss Leo’s future. He is my family by blood. We think he would be better off with us. I have contacted a lawyer and intend to begin the process. Your cooperation will be appreciated.
Best, A
My hand clenches the phone so tight that I almost wish the screen would shatter.
I’ve only met Anita once before, almost six years ago. My late wife, her cousin Bella, invited her to our wedding, even though she was estranged from most of her relatives due to theircontinued support of her previous boyfriend—Leo’s biological father—despite his cruelty.
After that, I can’t remember Anita ever giving enough of a fuck about Bella or Leo to check in. She might have sent a holiday card once or twice, obvious afterthoughts, but when Bella passed away, Anita wasn’t among the two cousins who helped me lay her to rest.
Nor did she say a word when I kept Leo under my roof and continued raising him as my son.
Now, here she is, appearing out of the blue, determined to ruin everything.
It was stupid of me to drag my feet on the adoption process. I should have done it right away, should have ensured that Leo couldn’t legally be taken from me as soon as possible. Bella and I were already discussing it before her accident.
It’s just another hurdle,I tell myself.There will be a way around it as long as I keep my head.
At least I don’t have to worry about Leo’s real father coming for him. Last I checked, the bastard was still in prison.
I brace my hand against the wall for a sense of balance.
“It’s just a problem,” I say out loud. “Problems are solvable.”
Nobody in the station overhears me talking to myself, thankfully.
But suddenly, I can’t stomach the thought of smiling for a camera. Not now that I’m faced with the very real possibility that my son—because that’s what Leo is, no matter what anyone tries to argue—might be handed back to the family that willingly pardoned the man who made Bella’s life a living hell. The man who certainly would have made Leo’s life a living hell, too, if Bella hadn’t escaped that cursed relationship when he was still just a baby.
I close my eyes and think about my wife. It’s been four years since I lost her, which is longer than the amount of time we had together. I’ve known for a while now that I’m ready to love again, ready to find someone who would care for Leo as their own, just like I do. Bella would want me to be ready.
And I know that, without a doubt, she wouldn’t want Anita to take Leo.
Around the corner, the door to the filming room yawns open. Old Bill comes ambling out. It’s my turn.
But I can’t.
I need to move, not sit still. I need to think, not speak.
With a silent apology hurled in Lila’s general direction, I slip away and head downstairs to the gym.
My heart hammers, agitation crawling in the marrow of my bones.
The gym is blissfully empty when I push open the door, and I’ve never been more relieved to be alone in my life.
I yank off my hoodie, not caring that I have nothing on underneath, and head straight for one of the treadmills. I can run faster than this. I can beat it.
Punching at the buttons, I set a steady pace and start running. I’ll regret not warming up, but for now I just need the exercise to dull the anxiety threatening to pull me under.
So, I run. And run.
About six and a half miles later, I realize that cardio isn’t quite doing the trick. I need to do something more tactile before I explode.
Hopping off the treadmill, I head to the free weights. I start a basic arm routine, going through the motions like its second nature.
Maybe it’s just a threat. Maybe Anita had a weird dream and woke up thinking about Bella, and was briefly inspired to fire off a threat like that. Maybe she doesn’t really have an attorney. Maybe this will turn into nothing at all.
Or maybe it’s true. Perhaps, because Station 47 has been in the news so much recently—and it wouldn’t be hard for Anita to figure out where I work—she thinks she has real evidence to prove that I’m not a fit father for Leo. All she would have to do is point to the scandal that Banks insists on blowing out of proportion.
If the wrong judge looked at the case, I’d lose in a heartbeat.
