And not families.
Mike Stevens hurt them.
That was his first mistake.
Trying to scare that boy with court threats and bullshit?
That might be his last.
Because I don’t back down.
And I don’t let anyone fuck with what’s mine.
Chapter21
Kelly
“How is he?”J.T.asks when I slip out of Evan’s temporary bedroom in the tiny log cabin we’re renting for the season.
“He’s asleep.”
The words come out softer than I intend.
Relief washes through me first.
Then anxiety follows right behind it like a shadow I can’t shake.
Because now that the house is quiet—now that my son isn’t crying and clinging to me—I have space to think.
And thinking is dangerous.
I love Evan more than anything in the world.No question.No comparisons.
My son means everything to me.
And this fight with my ex and his family?Well, it’s getting complicated.
I look at J.T.standing there in this small, rented space that feels nothing like his sprawling mountain mansion, and I wonder if I’m doing the right thing.
If dragging him into my chaos is fair.
If he really understands what marrying me means.
A custody fight.
Courtrooms.
Accusations.
Mike’s bitterness.
His parents butting in.
And Evan’s fear.
“Made you some tea,” he says, pulling me out of my spiral.
That’s when I notice it.
