My chest feels full in a way that still surprises me. “I think so too.”
Kinsey bumps her shoulder against mine. “Just remember—we’re here for you. You’ve got us. You’ve got Cam. And Evie has so many people in her corner she practically needs bleachers.”
I swallow hard, emotion thick and warm. “Thank you. Both of you.”
Brynn wraps an arm around me. “Always.”
Kinsey throws her legs over mine dramatically, nearly knocking over her coffee. “And if Daniel ever shows up again, I’ll choke him with my old rugby jersey.”
I sink back, smiling while they trade jabs, grateful for a moment where the world feels light again.
The call comes later that night, just as I’m packing up the last of Evie’s art supplies from the kitchen table.
I almost don’t answer it. My phone buzzes once, twice, my lawyer’s name lighting up the screen like a warning flare. For a second, I just stare at it, my stomach tightening with that familiar dread that’s been living under my ribs since all of this started.
I answer anyway.
“Mrs. Wells,” he says, voice careful. “I wanted to give you a heads-up on a new development.”
My fingers curl around the edge of the counter. “Okay.”
He pauses. “Daniel’s attorney has raised concerns about the validity of your marriage.”
“Validity?” I repeat.
“They’re arguing that the timing suggests it was entered into for fraudulent reasons,” he explains. “Specifically, to influence the custody outcome.”
My throat goes dry. “They’re saying it’s fake?”
“I wouldn’t use that word,” he says gently. “But yes—they’re implying it’s performative. That it exists on paper but not in practice.”
I stare at the fridge, at Evie’s drawings held up with alphabet magnets. A crooked heart. A stick-figure family with too many arms.
“We’re legally married.”
“And that’s our position,” he agrees. “But they’ve requested documentation. Proof of cohabitation. Witness testimony that supports the relationship being genuine.”
I let out a slow breath, my chest tight. “So now I have to prove that my marriage is real.”
“Kate,” he says carefully, “this doesn’t mean they’ll succeed. It means they’re trying to shake the foundation. Create doubt.”
Of course they are.
“You should tell Mr. Wells. This will likely come up during the hearing.”
The anger begins to rise up in me. Daniel has tried from every angle to pull the rug out from under me. And this time, it isn’t just legal—it’s personal.
We hang up a moment later, and I dial Cam.
Chapter fifty-three
Cam
Gordy’s feels busier than usual tonight, maybe because my head won’t quiet down long enough to separate the noise from my own thoughts. We’re just days away from the hearing and the stress is starting to set in. Especially after Kate’s call earlier.
When I got home, I talked her off the ledge. Honestly, Daniel’s attorney can search for all the proof he wants, we know what’s real. And I think the entire town has been rooting for us since the coat closet mishap at Knox and Brynn’s wedding.
Kate practically pushed me out the door when Knox texted to say he and Brynn were headed to Gordy’s. She needs her alone time and she wanted to start finalizing her statement for the hearing. So I helped put Evie to bed and checked twice to makesure she was okay and now I’m in a booth with Knox, Brynn, and Kinsey. We’re sitting at our usual booth near the back, plates of wings and fries already half gone.
