“How dare you—” Chelsea fires towards me but stops after her solicitor stares her down.
“Please, Mr Pine. Continue,” he says as Chelsea glares my way with venom in her eyes.
“As I was saying, there would be a requirement for supervised visits initially, then at a later date, if all went well, Mrs Graham could take the child for a full weekend or a holiday.”
“Why don’t you trust me with him? I’m his mother,” Chelsea snaps, and I can’t help but fight back.
“Because I couldn’t count on you turning up. I’m not putting Ozzie through that shit.”
“That’s enough, Mr Graham.”
I back down as Morrison continues. “This is obviously a sensitive issue for you both and while you would usually agree to the custody arrangements privately, it’s clear you need time and guidance. Now, as you can understand, your proposal for full custody will need careful consideration by my client, although I’m sure we can reach a mutually beneficial agreement.”
“I will insist on a Consent Order if your client is willing to go ahead,” Alex says.
“That sounds reasonable,” Morrison agrees. “Now, Mrs Graham, we can discuss the points brought up today at length when we return to my office.”
“What a waste of time,” she spits, then storms out of the room while Morrison turns back to us.
Morrison stands from his seat, giving us both a false smile. He clears his throat. “I suggest we meet again in onemonth to complete everything we’ve discussed. Thank you both for your time.”
We shake hands while, in the background, Chelsea is heard shouting the odds down the corridor. Is she so deluded to think shagging another guy and leaving her son for days was a good idea?
Once they leave the room, I ask, “What happens now?”
“We apply for a Consent Order which outlines visitation rights, the address where your son will live, and additional information such as holiday arrangements. From there, a judge will need to approve it. It just gives us that extra level of security instead of settling for a verbal agreement. I wouldn’t want to leave anything to chance in this matter.”
“Yeah, me too, although I wouldn’t expect Chelsea to agree to everything.”
“Don’t be surprised if we encounter a few difficulties, but I’d say we’re in good shape. Your soon-to-be ex-wife wouldn’t risk losing such a large amount of money. It seems to be her principal driving force and a large part of what she’s about.”
“That’s pretty spot on, Alex.”
“Try not to worry,” he says while seeing me out, but I know what Chelsea is capable of. Hopefully, this time, I’ve backed her into a corner.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
TOMMY
One minutethe guys and I are talking about a riff we want to try out, the next, we’re in Ash’s music room experimenting with it. We've been in here for a couple of hours, and when Ash looks up from his guitar, Max and I follow his line of sight to see what’s caught his attention.
Calla is leaning against the door frame, smiling as she listens to us mess around.
“Are you guys okay to finish now? The food is ready when you are.”
“I’m starving,” Max says.
“I’m pleased to hear that because I’ve over-catered as usual.” Calla smiles.
“Let’s go, guys.” Ash kisses his wife full on the lips as they lead the way, arm in arm.
We’re having a family day at Ash and Calla’s and everyone descended on them at the same time. Everyone but Angie, that is, and I’m impatient to see her.
With Connie beside me and Oz running ahead, we met Bernie and Mrs C on the driveway and Dani as we stepped inside the hall. Again, I had to give Max a warning stare afterhe winked at Connie. Although a blush formed on her cheeks, she walked straight past him as if he were invisible. A girl like Connie is too good for Max. I’m glad she’s not interested.
Ash and Calla welcomed us into their home and Ozzie’s little hand left mine as soon as he saw Zoe and the twins. It has me wondering if Oz is happier without his mum in his life. He hasn’t asked me about her in a while, even though I try to keep her in his thoughts.
Every day, I wait for a call that never comes, yet a week ago, Chelsea gave me dagger eyes across a meeting room when I suggested I have full custody. The truth is, she's too selfish to bring up Ozzie. I even tried to get in touch after our meeting at the solicitors, but she didn’t reply. If Chelsea doesn’t watch it, not only will she have to win our kid back legally, but also emotionally.
