Fallon nodded. Charlie had no interest in children.
“He’s doing this to hurt you. I’m not saying we should get married, but I am saying we don’t just roll over and give Charlie whatever he wants. Let’s talk to Monty about other options, okay?”
Fallon nodded and swiped at his face. There were a few tears, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. His chest ached from holding back his scream, and his stomach was hurting. Mango was doing backflips and shit—shit. Could a meltdown hurt the baby?
“My darling. You’re shaking again,” Gage said.
Fallon shook his head. “Do you think I hurt?—”
“No. Mangoes are resilient,” Gage told him.
Fallon almost wanted to laugh. But he also kind of wanted to cry. Pushing up to his hands and knees, he made the slow climb to his feet and straightened his shoulders. “This is always so embarrassing.”
“You’re also in the office of someone with an autistic son who has meltdowns,” Gage reminded him.
Oh. Right. Lucas.
He’d almost forgotten.
That actually did help. Walking back to his chair, he sat down and looked over at his boyfriend. “Can you find him? I want to see what our options are.”
Gage leaned over and kissed Fallon long and slow before pulling back—a slow drag of his hand along Fallon’s jaw. “Don’t move.”
Fallon couldn’t if he wanted to. He was exhausted from head to toe, and he still felt all shaky, but he was also determined. He would not let this happen. He would not let Charlie near his child. He would die first.
He wouldkillfirst.
The door opened a few seconds later, and Monty walked in, looking as calm as he did when they first met. He offered Fallona small smile as he resumed his seat and folded his hands on the desktop.
“Tell me your biggest concerns.”
Fallon liked that. He liked that Monty was going to be straightforward and not try and soothe him with platitudes and bullshit. “I’m trans.”
Monty nodded. “Yes. I was made aware.”
“Will that work against me in custody court? Charlie will absolutely try to use anything against me if he really wants to take it this far.”
Monty’s brow furrowed in thought. “I can think of a couple judges who might have a personal bias, but I don’t think they’re presiding over family court. There’s nothing illegal about you, Fallon. You don’t have a record. You have a job and the means to provide for a baby. There’s no legal reason to interfere with that. And Charlie’s criminal record will work against him in family court.”
“But?” Fallon pressed. He knew Monty wasn’t saying everything.
“But most courts also believe that regardless of what the second father’s record might be, he has the right to see and be involved with his child.”
Fallon’s gaze dropped to his lap. His hands fidgeted almost on their own will. “I wasn’t going to tell him. I wasn’t…I was going to keep it to myself. Does that make me a monster?”
“You’re protecting your child. It doesn’t make you a monster,” Monty said. “But it’s a morally grey area.”
Fallon could understand that. “I think I want to do the test. I don’t want to drag it out and force the baby to go through all that crap. What—what do they do? Is it dangerous? Can it hurt them?”
“No,” Monty said. “There’s a blood test they can take from you to analyze the fetal DNA.”
Fallon looked up. “Is it accurate?”
“Very.”
He looked over at Gage for his next question. “Willhebe there?”
“Absolutely not.”
