“Mrs. Teager,” he replied gently, folding his hands on the table, “I just want you to warn them. If Lance and Lacey are called into court and no one has talked to them that the judge might ask them who they’d rather live with…it will hurt them more, overwhelm them more, than if you talk to them about it beforehand. And I strongly suspect that if you don’t, your husband will get ahead of you, make absurd promises, and win them over…” He rubbed his tense jaw. “…Win them over to his side.”
Mrs. Teager stared at him with such horror that Connor’s heart clenched. Yes, he had a heart, even if some questioned it. But you didn’t win negotiations by loudly proclaiming that you were capable of compassion. Connor had no problem being called acold-blooded jackassby his opponents instead of aloving jerk.
“They’re seven years old! They should never have to make a decision like that!”
He swallowed. “No, they shouldn’t,” he admitted. But sometimes children had to shoulder more than they should. “Ultimately, it’s out of our hands, Mrs. Teager.”
She nervously picked at her thumbnail. “But you said it probably won’t go to court. That you’re trying to reach an out-of-court settlement beforehand.”
“That’s true, but custody cases are always more complicated. Especially when your partner insists on sole custody to force you to reconsider the divorce.”
“Yes, but that’s just it. Malcolm doesn’treallywant it…”
“Mrs. Teager,” he replied sharply, pushing the gravity of the situation, “you know your husband better than I do. Is he a good loser?”
She swallowed and gripped the tabletop. “No. He’s the worst loser.”
Yes, he’d known that after meeting him just once. Her husband was all about his power, and he was willing to humiliate and make his wife suffer for daring to file for divorce. He wouldn’t relent.
“But he’s not a bad father,” she whispered, looking at him earnestly. “Really. He always read to them in the evenings. He attended Lance’s field hockey games. It would be better for them if he stayed in their lives. He worked too much and, yes, the housework, parenting, parent-teacher conferences, and the rest mostly fell to me, but…I had more time! Ienjoyeddoing it. Idon’t want his cars. I don’t deserve them. I just want us to find a good solution for the kids and…”
“Did you really have more time, Mrs. Teager?” Connor asked coolly. “Are you telling me it took you less than sixty hours a week to take care of the kids, the household, vacation plans, your husband’s schedule, and all the rest?”
She swallowed. “No, but that’s not work…”
“Of course it is,” he replied tersely, his knuckles whitening. He realized the whole thing was getting to him, that he probably should have dropped the case, but…he couldn’t. “You’ve worked just as hard for your family as your husband has, if not harder. You’ve earned at least fifty percent of your joint fortune. And I know you want the best for your children. I know that. But sometimes the best thing is to be honest and tell them exactly what might happen.”
“But then there’s no going back,” she whispered. “Then…we’llreallyget a divorce. He won’t forgive me for that. If I tell the kids he’s asking them to make a choice.”
But he was. She’d only be being honest.
Connor took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes with his middle finger and thumb. He hated this situation, hated that she was clinging to the small chance that she and her husband would stay together and everything would be okay. Hated that he was her lawyer and had to remain professional. He was supporting her in her divorce, not her decision whether or not to go through with it in the first place.
Mrs. Teager was a strong woman, but she still had a soft spot for her husband, no matter how difficult their marriage had been and no matter how many reasons had driven her to file for divorce. He was…her soul mate, the one she now had to give up.
The word had been mentioned at their first meeting, and Connor had known it would cause problems. He should have listened to Cian and refused to take the case. But he knew Mrs.Teager’s husband had too much money and would hire a shark of a lawyer — and that she wouldn’t be able to find anyone who would fight for her as well as he did. So what choice was there for him?
“Claudia.” He usually avoided using his clients’ first names; it damaged the detachment he needed to remain professional. But some people needed the personal touch, as difficult as it was for Connor to give it. “The question isn’t if he’s a bad father. The question is if he’s a good husband. If you want to be with him. It’s okay if it’s aboutyoutoo and not just the kids. You shouldn’t base your life entirely on them. Lance and Lacey are happier when you’re happier.”
Her eyes swam with tears, and as the first ones rolled down her cheeks, Connor reached for a tissue and handed it to her.
She nodded gratefully and wiped them away. “It’s just so hard. I know it’s over. That he’s lazy and always did the bare minimum to keep me halfway content. But…no one has ever understood me like he does. No one has ever made me feel so good.”
“And no one has ever made you feel so bad,” he said quietly.
“Yes. Yes, of course.” She waved it off, as if that was unimportant. But it wasn’t all bad! “There are just so many changes coming my way. And the whole divorce war…”
“Leave that to me,” he interrupted firmly. “Really. Just think about yourself. I’ll take care of the rest. I’m damn good at what I do. You’ll get what you deserve.”
She smiled shakily and squeezed his hand before standing. “Okay,” she whispered. “That’s it for today?”
He nodded.
“Good. Thank you.” She opened the door to the outside and took a shaky breath. “Oh, man. I’m sorry. Your job description probably doesn’t include drying tears.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised.” He lifted one corner of his mouth. “Cian O’Leary cries all the time, and I’m the only one he has.”
She laughed. “That’s not true.”
