Friends with Benefits - Nicole Blanchard Page 0,65

the family lawyer. It would help secure their future, and that was all that mattered. If I needed to bear the brunt of my mother’s ire when she was served the papers, then so be it. I was done cowing to her demands. I had not only the twins but a baby to think about. None of us needed that toxicity in our lives.

The secretary led us back to a conference room after a short waiting period where my heart beat double-time, and Tripp had to hold my hand to keep me from flying out of the seat. I hadn’t yet started to experience morning sickness, but I was definitely feeling queasy from the nerves. The lawyer had a small practice that had a homey feeling, located in an historic-looking house, with the first floor serving as offices. After gesturing us into the conference room, the secretary left us to wait for another short period.

After a time, a woman in her mid-to-late forties appeared, her hands full of manila folders. “Good morning! My name is Tara Shultz,” she said brightly, shuffling the folders to shake our hands. “Thank you so much for your patience.”

She took a seat behind her desk, opened a file, and perched a pair of thin, wire-rimmed glasses on her nose. “Now, we’re here today to discuss custody of Matilda and Molly Stevens, aged six.” She glanced over her glasses to me. “You’d be their older sister, Ember?”

“Yes, I am,” I answered, my voice shaky. Tripp gripped my hand more tightly in his.

“Tell me about your parents. How long have they been gone?”

Then everything sort of seemed to spill forth—their negligence when I was growing up, how I’d supported the twins and my parents, and how they’d abandoned the girls.

“And have you spoken with your mother or father since they left?” she asked.

“I spoke to my mother the day she left. And she came back a few weeks ago and took the girls without warning. They were found abandoned at the mall the next day. The police took a report.”

Ms. Shultz took down the information and promised to get a copy of the police report. She explained that in order to receive custody, we’d have to prove both parents were unfit for custody in some way or have them waive their rights. It wouldn’t be hard to convince my father. He didn’t give a shit either way. It was my mother I was worried about. She was spiteful and vindictive and would fight ‘till the end simply because she could. The thought made my stomach ache.

After the visit to the lawyer, Tripp drove to pick up the girls, and we went home and watched cartoons until they passed out. The next morning was Tripp’s last game of the season—the one that would determine if they went to the championships or not.

He left before we woke up to head over to the field for warmups. I’d planned on getting the girls awake and dressed so we could go cheer him on, but all that changed in an instant.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Tripp

Sweat dripped down my brow, and I wiped it away with the back of my wrist. This was the last game of my senior year. My last chance to impress—shit, I didn’t even know who anymore. My last chance to wipe away the memory of my injury. We were playing a killer game and were in the lead 10-0, but I knew better than anyone that it could change in an instant. So I played hard, like my heart and life were on the line.

And maybe they were.

“Good fucking game, man,” Alex said, clapping me on the back as we entered the dugout.

“It’s not over yet.” I squirted water from my bottle over my head, but it didn’t do much to cool me down. The Florida heat was relentless. I could already feel a sunburn turning the skin at my neck tight and splotchy.

“The hell it isn’t. You haven’t given them a break all day. Your arm is on fire. I’ve never seen you pitch better.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you give so many compliments in a row.”

“Call me sentimental,” he answered, his eyes on our shortstop, who was at bat. “It’s our last game together. When I get signed next year, we could be playing on opposite sides of the country. We could even be playing against each other.”

“Scared? It’s okay. I’ll make sure I kick your ass quickly so it doesn’t sting so much to lose.”

He punched