Shock - Marie Johnston Page 0,41
let around my kid, who he got attached to. I didn’t think twice about Lia being around him. She’s the farthest thing from a bad influence. But she also isn’t planning to stay in Sunnyville.
Last night and this morning start to look more like a mistake than anticipated.
No. This is the line I’m not crossing. To everyone else, we’re dating, but no matter how mind-blowing sex with her is, Lia has made it clear in the past that her sojourn in Sunnyville is just a stop on the way to something else. I will stay here and do what I need to do. And I need to stay on my side of the line to keep our situation from getting complicated.
So why is the first thing out of my lips an invitation for more?
“Join us. You won’t interfere with me and Mom. Besides, I think there’s a reason Cass is suddenly so willing to share parental duties, and it started when I told her we were dating. You’ll only help me get more time with Jayden.” Yes, Jayden. That’s why we’re doing this. I need to keep reminding myself of the reason we agreed to pretend to date in the first place.
She pauses with a chip halfway to her mouth, then rests it on her plate. “I’m happy for you, and of course I’d love to hang out with Jayden and Maggie. But Ford, we shouldn’t need to do this to get Cass to act like a decent human being.”
“If it’s what I gotta do, I don’t mind.”
“You still need a long-term plan.”
We’ve had this conversation before. The longer I wait to fight for custody, the harder it’s going to be. I’m finally getting on top of student loans and Mom’s finances are stable, but it’s still going to be a while before I can afford a lawyer. “A long-term plan will be easier if my son knows who I am and is comfortable around me.”
Sympathy lights her eyes. “I know. I’m sorry. Count this as the only moment I regret not going to law school. I wouldn’t have gone into family law, but I could’ve helped you out.”
She’s mentioned that before. “How would Samuel have handled you going to law school and not being at his beck and call?”
She wrinkles her nose. “He’s a big-picture guy. It’s why he divorced his first wife. She was a career woman through and through and he wanted to be the guy on stage, with a wife and two-point-two children by his side while he was sworn into office. She wasn’t willing to commit to that yet in her twenties.”
I couldn’t picture Lia ready to commit to it either. Samuel must’ve thought otherwise. Or he’d gotten to her early enough to groom her into the perfect package. “How would you wave while holding your two-point-two children as he got sworn into office?”
Without hesitating, she flashes a superficial grin straight out of a Hollywood magazine and waves her hand, a dainty move that’d make Miss America take notes. The move is experienced. She’s done it before, just without the husband and kids.
Her expression changes to a scowl. “He thought he was helping me subvert my parents with the whole law school thing. Expect he was just doing what they did and corralling me into what he wanted me to do.”
“So instead of being a high-powered lawyer with top political connections, a big house, and perfect children, you’re okay hanging out with me and Jayden.”
“Add in saving lives on the side, and I’m fine for now.”
The for now lingers between us as we finish our meal.
Lia
“Can you stay for supper?” Maggie sways on the edge of her first-story deck, Jayden on her hip. His fine, dusty hair’s all mussed from a nap. He’s cuddled against Maggie’s shoulder, all pink cheeks and glassy eyes.
It took all of five minutes for him to warm up to his grandma and they’ve been inseparable ever since. Maggie stayed inside to keep an ear out for Jayden while Ford and I did yardwork. When Ford moved his mom to this small, easily maintainable apartment, Maggie was given a deal on her rent in exchange for some light cleaning and maintenance around the building. Behind each side-by-side apartment, a small strip of grass separates the deck from the gate to the pool area that she’s charged with. The property managers hire yard workers to get everything going when the seasons change while Maggie takes care of weeds between visits. A pool