"Gabby said what, sweetie?" Elle asks gently.
"Gabby said she was going to watch me and drive me to school every day. I don’t want to move, Daddy."
"You’re not moving, baby," I say, my voice firm, though I bite back the wordsover my dead body.
***
We eat dinner together and watch a movie. Elle and I do our best to keep the mood light and fun for Hannah, but beneath the surface, we’re both replaying her words:“Is it true that I’m going to live with Mommy next year?”
After kissing Hannah good night, I turn on her nightlight and gently click the door shut as I walk out.
Downstairs, I find Elle in the kitchen, putting away the dinner plates. The leftovers are neatly stacked in glass containers inside the refrigerator when I open it to grab a bottle of water.
Elle turns to me, leaning against the counter. When our eyes meet, she smiles and reaches for my hand.
"She's out like a light," I say, returning her smile, but wanting to avoid the one subject we both know is hanging in the air.
"I love you, Cal," she whispers as I wrap my arms around her. "And whatever it is, we’ll face it together."
"She wants to take Hannah," I begin, as if opening the floodgates. "Not so she can be a real mother to her, but to spite me. She hired a full-time, live-in nanny so she can leave my baby all day, every day. She can go out and do whatever she wants, without any responsibility toward her child—just to keep her away from me. She knows that’s the only way she can wound me."
"We’ll fight it in court," she offers, her eyes never leaving mine.
"I can’t afford the level of legal warfare she’ll rain down on me," I say, a wave of panic settling in my chest.
"But I can," she responds. "If she’s been an absent parent all these years, a judge will see right through her game. Ifmoney’s what you need to make sure that happens, then you have it."
"Absolutely not," I say, shaking my head.
"Are you really going to let pride keep you from fighting this from a point of strength? We have to do whatever it takes to make sure Hannah stays where she belongs."
"I can’t ask you to spend what might be an exorbitant amount of money on a battle that isn’t yours."
"The second you put this ring on my finger," she says, holding up her hand, "your battles—hell, your wars—became mine."
"We're not talking dimes and nickels, Elle," I say, the weight of the truth pressing down on me like a ton of bricks. "We’d be going up against the Fletcher empire."
"First things first," Elle says. "We’ll call Max in the morning and ask him to put us in contact with the best family attorney in the state."
"Elle," I begin, ready to protest, but one glance in her direction tells me she’s not going to back off from helping me in any way she can. And right now, what I need is legal help. "I’ll take that name, but I’m not taking your money. Nate and I inherited some money from our grandmother. It’s in a trust I haven’t touched. There should be enough there to get the ball rolling. "I'm certain Nate and the rest of my family will help if I need it."
"You have such an amazing, close-knit family," she says, wrapping her arms around me. "And now, I’m a part of it too."
I gaze into her hazel eyes and take a deep breath. "The calm you bring into my chaos is what draws me most to you."
"The unconditional love you bring into mine is what draws me to you. The way you look at me, the way you touch me here..." She places her hand over her heart. "You’ve loved me and tried to protect me since the day we met. It just took ten years for me to realize it."
"I love you," I whisper, before kissing her. She kisses me back with such tenderness and surrender that the fears and stress of the day disappear as she melts into my arms.
***
"I can't lose my little girl," I say, the daunting thought resurfacing in my mind, cold and suffocating.
"Son," Dad begins, his voice calm, the way it always is when he’s trying to reassure me. "We would never, ever let that happen."
I glance at Sylvie Menard, the family attorney Max recommended, hoping she can put my mind at ease. Her expression is serious, and I can tell she’s been thinking about the next steps. She’s been quiet so far, but I need to hear something concrete.
"Cal, we’re in a tough spot here," she says, her voice measured. "Meghan can file for a modification of custody if she feels she has grounds to do so. If she’s planning on keeping Hannah away from you, she’s going to fight forfull custody. And from what you’ve told me, she’s already taken steps toward that."
