All I remembered was Vance pulling me on top of him and hearing his heartbeat against my ear as I fell asleep.
Chapter twenty-four
Thenondescriptdinernextto the intersection looked too normal for a meeting that would decide my future.I was terrified.I was confused.I was hopeful.The emotions all scrambled together into one giant ball of anxiousness.
Vance pulled into a parking space in front of the big sign advertising “the best burgers in the country.”Putting the car in Park, he turned to me.“Everything will be fine.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.Because even if she doesn’t want to help us, I’ll find a way for you to keep the girls.We have a lot of dirt on your ex, and no judge will ignore that.”
I wasn’t as positive as Vance, but I appreciated the words nonetheless.Maybe if he said it often enough, I’d believe that everything would be fine too.
Taking a deep breath in, I dipped my chin.“Let’s do this.”
It was only me and Vance at the meeting; Keely and Malena were back at the office.Keely would also pick up the girls and take them back to her place, since Addy’s mom wanted to meet in the afternoon, and there was no way I would make it back in time before school finished.
I craned my neck to look inside, but the sun reflected off the windows and I couldn’t see anything.Was she here?Or had she changed her mind?
Vance took my hand, and together we made our way inside.
The building was long but not wide, and the back wall was taken up by a bar, the other with bench seats facing into the parking lot.There weren’t many people inside, and only one woman was sitting by herself.
When she looked up and I saw her face, there was no doubt in my mind that she was Addy’s birth mom.While Addy looked a lot like Cockalorum, her eyes were identical to her birth mom’s.
I realized I didn’t even know her name, having always called her “birth mom.”“What’s her name?”
“Leticia Foster.”
My eyes widened.“As in Senator Foster’s wife?”
“Yes.Or at least on paper she is.Rumor has it that he likes his women a little younger.”
She watched us as we approached, her face looking at least ten years younger than what I knew her age to be.Her hair framed her face in perfect curls that fell to below her collarbone, her makeup flawless.
She stood up when we were a few steps away, holding out her hand.“Ms.Porter.”
Turning to Vance, she shook his hand as well.“Mr.Moore.”
I slid into the seat opposite her, Vance following.“Thank you so much for meeting with us.I appreciate it.”
She lifted a perfectly shaped eyebrow.“I didn’t have much of a choice, now did I?”Looking at Vance, she placed her hands on her lap.A cup of coffee sat untouched in front of her.“I don’t have much time, so let’s get straight to the point, shall we?”
Vance nodded, setting a stack of papers on the table.“We want you to give up your rights to Adelaine Porter and sign a written declaration and consent form that you want Mae Porter to adopt her.”
“So her name is Adelaine?I wondered what he would call her.At least he didn’t pick one of those ridiculous new age names.”Her voice was emotionless, her eyes scanning the pages in front of her.“If I sign this, I expect to never hear from you again.This needs to stay buried.”She looked up, her stare piercing.“Are we understood?”
Vance nodded.“You have my word.”
No other words were spoken while we waited for her to read through the papers.I resisted the urge to fan my face, or fidget with the cutlery on the table.Or worse, rip the napkin apart.
When she reached for the pen, my movements stopped and I was holding my breath.When the scratch of the pen filled the air, I released my breath in a shaky exhale.
Placing everything back on the table, she picked up her handbag and slid out of the booth.“Good luck.”
Mrs.Foster nodded at us, and my eyes stayed glued to her as she swiftly left, not once looking back.Getting into a black sedan, she pulled out of the parking lot not a minute later.
Vance put his arm around me, hugging me into his side.“You did it.”
