My knees wobble.
J.T.is out of my experience.
Power clings to him like a second skin.Not loud power.Not flashy.
Controlled.
Unparalleled.
He is a force to be reckoned with.Some say the mountain itself caves to him.
“You said I would be safe,” I begin carefully.“Provided for.Under your protection.”
He nods once.“That’s right.”
“And you said all you want is me.”
Another nod.
His eyes never leave mine.
It’s truth time.
“I got word today,” I say, my throat tightening, “when I dropped Evan off at his grandparents’ house.”
The words taste like fear.
But I force them out.
“Mike is getting married.To Stormee.His parents mentioned that he wants to see Evan.That he’s thinking about joint custody.”My voice shakes.“He wants me to move to Arizona.That’s where he lives now.He’s saying I have no reason to stay here and he thinks a judge can make us.”
My chest feels like it’s caving in.
“He’s saying it would be better for Evan to have two parents in one place.That he can provide a more stable home then I can.”
The audacity of it makes my stomach turn.
The idea of my son being dragged across the country because my ex decided to reinvent himself with a woman half my age and with my money that he stole—I swallow hard.
J.T.’s breath catches.His arms tighten slightly around me.
Not crushing.
Steadying.
But he doesn’t interrupt.
He waits.
I take a breath that feels like it scrapes my lungs raw.
“I spoke to my lawyer before I came tonight,” I confess.“Judges favor stability.They favor married households.Two-parent homes.”
The implication hangs between us.
“I just need to be sure,” I whisper.“When you say this isa proposal… I need to know what you mean.”
Because maybe he just wants me in his bed.
