And now he wants to talk about court?
He’s lucky if he doesn’t end up explaining himself to a prosecutor.
And that’s before we even get to Stormee.His new wife.
Turns out she wasn’t twenty-two when they “fell in love.”
She was seventeen.
Seventeen.
Which makes old Mike’s midlife crisis look a hell of a lot like statutory rape depending on how the timeline shakes out.
So yeah.He doesn’t want to see the inside of a courtroom nearly as much as he thinks he does.
Now, the lawyers met with me and Kelly already.She walked into that conference room, trying to be strong.Chin up.Shoulders back.Like she’s been doing this alone for years and she can keep doing it.
She tried to hold it together.
She really did.
But when they started laying it out—when they explained that Mike’s threats were mostly bluster, that the paper trail works in her favor, that the custody scare tactics are garbage and that his parents had no claim on Evan whatsoever—when they told her we had leverage?
She broke.
Not because she’s weak.Because she’s been bracing for impact for months.
She sobbed into my chest like she’d finally exhaled after holding her breath underwater.
And I held her.
Didn’t say I told you so.
Didn’t gloat about being right.
Didn’t mention how badly I want to put my fist through Mike’s face.
I just held her.Because that’s what she needed.
And because no matter how vicious this gets—she’s not fighting it alone anymore.
After that meeting, I wanted to take her home, but she had to go pick up Evan from school, and I had another meeting I couldn’t move.
That pissed me off more than I care to admit.
But that’s all been handled now, too.The first thing I did was call my assistant.She’s been rearranging my calendar all week.
From now on, if my wife and stepson need me, I’m there.
And tonight?Tonight, I’m hosting dinner.
It’s a normal weeknight.Nothing fancy.Just a low-key family meal.
But I’m so damn excited, I almost chopped my finger off slicing garlic.
This weekend we start moving Kelly and Evan into my house.
It won’t just be mine for long.
