Vince Romano v. April Taylor. Petition for Emergency Custody Hearing.
The words swam in front of her eyes. Vince had filed for an emergency hearing. He wanted a DNA test to establish paternity. He wanted joint custody. The right to walk into her house to see Kevin.
The hearing was scheduled for ten days from now.
"April?" Sonny's voice seemed to come from very far away.
She looked up at him, and her voice when she spoke was hollow. "He's actually doing it. He's suing for custody."
Sonny's face went hard. "We'll fight him. We'll get you the best lawyer in the state."
April looked down at the summons again. At Vince's name printed in cold, official letters.
"I'm not losing my son," she said quietly. The fear was still there, sharp and cutting, but underneath it was something harder. Something fierce.
"Damn right."
April grabbed her phone off the table. "I'm calling Arden. She told me she knows the best family lawyers in Boulder if it comes to that."
“Right. Her patients.” Arden ran an animal therapy program for kids with autism, PTSD, and physical disabilities.
Arden picked up. “April, hey. What do you need?”
“He did it. He filed for an emergency custody hearing and got it.”
“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry. Let me text you a phone number. One of the parents just went through a custody hearing and she loved her lawyer.”
“I’m worried I have to appear in person. I wonder if I can do a video from the safehouse?" April asked, though she already knew the answer.
"Probably not for emergency custody hearings,” Arden sighed. “It depends on the judge. Some require physical presence. There, I just texted the contact info. Good luck. We all love you and Kevin. I can come down after my next appointment if you need company."
April teared up. Sonny put his arm around her and pulled her close. “We love you, too. Don’t worry, my dad’s here right now.” She smiled up at him. “We’ll see you later.”
Shane's handscurled into fists. "It's the one time you have to be exposed."
April stared at the summons lying on the table. She’d shown it to Shane the minute he came home from work. “Maybe we can do a video conference?”
“We’ll see.”
Over my dead body is he taking Kevin from me.
From us.
But to fight for Kevin, she'd have to leave the safehouse. She'd have to walk into that courthouse—the one place Shane couldn't carry a weapon, the one place she'd be vulnerable.
And somehow, she knew Vince was counting on exactly that.
TWENTY-FIVE
April’s lawyerhad an office in Boulder that felt more like a cozy living room than a legal firm. Soft gray walls, comfortable chairs in warm fabrics, plants on the windowsill catching afternoon light. A framed photo of Gabriela Vasquez with her family sat on the desk beside her diplomas—three kids and a golden retriever, all smiling. April had gotten the referral through Arden. Thanks to her therapeutic animal ranch for kids and vets with PTSD, Arden knew the best lawyers practicing family law in Boulder County. Gabriela was sharp-eyed and no-nonsense, and April liked her immediately—right up until she started talking.
"No video,” Gabriela said, her hands folded on her desk. “You have to be there in person. I’m sorry.”
“This shouldn’t be happening at all,” April said. “He’s not on the birth certificate.”
“He has biological rights. Without documented abuse—police reports, hospital records, restraining orders—it's your word against his."
April's stomach dropped. "But he hit me. Multiple times. He tried to—" She couldn't finish the sentence.Tried to hurt our baby. Tried to make me lose Kevin.
