I inwardly beam at that. Knowing that I’m doing an okay job of taking care of him sends a wave of relief through me.
“Once you have full custody of Braeden, I think, in time, things will settle down for him, but a loss like this lasts a lifetime.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling myself.”
The doctor turns to Braeden. “I’ll see you next week, Braeden, okay?”
The boy nods and comes to stand close to me, being clingy again. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but Dr. Gibson smiles at it.
“I’ve already set the appointment up for next Wednesday at the same time.”
“Thanks, Doctor.”
“You’re welcome.”
Before he walks away, I stop him. “Hey, do you have any therapist recommendations for me? I should see one, too. I’m assuming there’s a conflict of interest if I see you as well?”
“Yes, I highly recommend you see someone else while I treat Braeden. I know a few I could recommend. I’ll send you an email later with their contact information.”
“Thanks again.”
When the doctor steps back into his office, I rest my hand on Braeden’s shoulder. “Ready to head home?”
“Yeah,” he says softly.
“We’ll need to get to bed early. Tomorrow’s a big day.”
Chapter 25
Calvin
Istopsohardin my tracks as I’m leaving the courtroom that Braeden crashes right into me. Not the best look after getting legal custody of the boy.
“Ow,” he says.
“Sorry, kiddo.”
I wrap an arm around him, pull him next to me, and point. “Look who came to congratulate us.”
To say that I’m surprised to see Seth waiting for us when we come out of the hearing is an understatement. He has my very soul gravitating toward him. I want to sweep him up in my arms and make him mine forever.
He hasn’t seen us yet, sitting there on his phone, scrolling and waiting.
“I really like Mr. Seth,” Braeden says quietly.
“God, I really like him, too. He’s a better man than I’ll ever be.”
The boy tugs on my suit jacket. It’s hard to yank my eyes off Seth to look at him. “You’re good, too.” Before I can retort, he says, “Go say hi. I need to use the restroom.”
“Okay. I’ll be right here.”
Braeden walks off, and I shove my hands into my pockets, fumbling with the keys there as I make my way toward Seth. My heart and stomach are doing the tango the closer I get. When I stop in front of him, he looks up, then his pretty blues grow wide, and he stands.
“Hey,” he says. “How’d it go?”
I say nothing and gather him in my arms and hold him like that for a while. His hands slip under my jacket, fingers digging into my back. Nothing is said between us while we hug each other. He’s wearing my favorite cologne just for me.
“He’s mine,” I finally say.
