35. Carter

35

CARTER

“Hey, man. It’s Corey. I know you’re in a meeting with Davis, but when you get this message, you should call Valerie. Some weird shit just went down with Sara.”

Sara?

I pull the phone away from my ear and look at the screen. The voicemail is from an hour ago.

The moment I left Davis’s office, I hopped in my car and started speeding down busy Dallas highways to try and catch the end of the twins’ science fair. I hadn’t bothered to check my phone for any messages until now.

I look both ways at the stop sign on the outskirts of Rose Hill before continuing down the winding, two-lane road and dialing Corey back.

The phone rings. I hit the button on the dashboard to make the call come through the car’s speakers.

Corey picks up on the fourth ring. “Hey, man.” Crowd noise travels through the speaker with his greeting.

“Hey, I just got your voicemail. What the hell happened?” I turn left onto the road that will take me to the twins’ school.

“Sara happened,” he grumbles.

“Give me specifics.”

Corey goes on to tell me that my former friend approached Abby and Andy and tried to talk to them about me. My blood boils when I hear how she tried to assert herself to remain even when Valerie asked her to leave my kids alone.

“Shit.” I shake my head, wondering if I should have been less cordial with Sara when she approached me at Jerry’s Smoke Pit. Maybe then she wouldn’t have felt like she could impose herself on my kids. “That’s crazy.”

“Yeah, and it gets worse. Valerie told Carlee she’s pretty sure Sara was the one who took the picture of you guys in Minnesota and then posted it online.”

“What. Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“Shit,” I repeat the expletive, not knowing what else to say. It’s weird enough that Sara showed up in Rose Hill, but it’s more concerning that she was in Minnesota. She doesn’t live there. And I’m pretty sure she’s not a Lonestars fan. She wouldn’t have gone to see the World Series.

No. There’s only one reason Sara would’ve traveled up north and stood outside my hotel room.

A chill washes over my anger, replacing it with a healthy dose of fear. “She’s stalking me.”

“Looks like it.”

“Fucking perfect,” I groan. I don’t know how hard they are to get, but I’m going to need to get a restraining order on her for me and my kids. Some of my teammates have dealt with this shit before. Surely, it can’t be that hard to do. Especially if Sara was aggressive at a crowded science fair. There should be plenty of witnesses for Davis to contact to get evidence of her inappropriate behavior.

“Carlee is keeping an eye on social media to see if Sara posts anything else,” Corey tells me, distracting me from my whirlwind plans on how to best handle this situation. “But she doesn’t think she will. Not today, anyway, when it’ll be pretty obvious it’s her.”

I don’t even know what Sara would share, other than private information about my kids and girlfriend. Both of which make me see red.

“I’ll have to call Davis after the science fair.” As urgent as this matter is, I don’t want to call now and risk catching the end of the science fair.

“That’s a good idea. How far away are you?”

“I’m pulling into the parking lot now.”

“Cool. See you in a few.” Corey ends the call.

I mumble another string of curses about this situation as I steer my SUV into the nearest parking spot. I tuck my phone and keys into my pockets after I lock the door, then jog toward the school cafeteria doors.

I walk in just as Principal Bradley is congratulating all of the student participants. I scan the sea of adults and children. Almost immediately, I see Corey standing half a head above the rest of the crowd. He lifts a hand in greeting. My eyes shift down and I spot the twins, then I see Valerie.

Seeing Corey’s wave, she turns in my direction. Relief floods her features before being brightened by her wide smile.

My heart squeezes in my chest.

I love it when she looks at me like that.

“She’s worked too hard to let herself give up dreams and stop chasing goals because she’s busy playing house with you.”

I stumble.

I mutter an apology to the man with the teacher’s lanyard around the neck for bumping into him before making my way across the space to join my family.

“If you care about Valerie, do you truly believe that you are what’s best for her?”

I growl under my breath, earning a double take from the mom and son I pass.

I don’t know why Coach Palmer’s words are choosing now to play in my head. Sure, they’ve been bothering me for days, but usually not until I’m winding down for the night.

In the dark, after I’ve said goodnight to Valerie, that’s when it’s hardest to rationalize my selfish desire for Valerie to stay in Dallas with the desire for her to do what’s best for her career.

I tell myself Coach is wrong to think I could influence Valerie’s decision. She’s driven and intelligent. She wouldn’t let being with me stop her from taking a job she really wants.

At least… I don’t think she would.

I try to hide my inner conflict from my expression when I reach the group. I nod a greeting to Corey and Carlee before reaching out and pulling each of the twins in for a quick hug.

“You made it!” Andy whisper shouts. His words are swiftly eclipsed by the sound of applause as Principal Bradley announces the third-grade winner. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch the boy bounce his way to the stage wearing the biggest smile. He shoots a thumbs up to his parents watching in the audience as he climbs the stage to receive his medal and certificate.

“I’m glad I did,” I say to him and Abby.

My daughter smiles shyly up at me. She’s trying to play it cool, but the tight grip on my hand tells me she’s really glad I made it, too.

“Hey, you.” Valerie greets me with a warm smile.

I’ll never get tired of that smile. “Hey.”

“Everything go okay with Davis?

“Better than okay.” From what my lawyer said, Laura seems to be backing off in regards to demanding full custody.

As it turns out, my PR agent, Avery Lawson and her team have connections in the media. Through those connections, they obtained proof that Laura’s been leaking the details of our custody battle to the press. When Davis presented that evidence to her attorneys, her legal council took swift action.

Apparently, that included advising their client to rethink her position in this case.

Now, after having our court appearance moved up, Laura’s lawyer says they will reach out to Davis soon to discuss the new arrangement that they’ll be presenting to the judge next week.

We will have to see what the document says, but no matter what it says, I still plan on fighting for full custody with visitation. It may seem harsh, but Laura is too flighty for me to believe she’s reliable enough to care for our twins.

Still, the fact she’s pulling back from her initial plans could mean she’s finally coming to her senses and doing what’s best for the kids.

That’s my hope, at least.

“That’s great news.” Valerie beams.

“Yeah, it is.” I nod. “Sorry again about calling you for help.”

“Don’t be. I’m happy I could help.” Her smile warms as she drops her gaze to the twins. They look back at her with equally happy smiles.

I’m glad their run-in with Sara didn’t hamper their moods. Still, I need to figure out what to do about that as soon as we’re out of here.

I look around the crowd as the principal announces the second-grade winner. A little brunette with pigtails races up on the stage for her award.

I keep my attention on the stage, hoping the distraction will hide how uneasy my next question makes me feel, “Have you heard anything about California?”

I don’t know what came over me, but suddenly, I’m itching to know whether or not she got the job.

I’m not proud to admit part of me hopes she doesn’t—if only to avoid facing the predicament of what her decision will be and whether or not I will influence it.

Valerie clears her throat. “Actually, yes. I did.”

“And now for the first-grade class,” Principal Bradley starts.

“Dad! This is it!” Abby’s grip tightens and she begins to chew on her bottom lip in anticipation. Andy rises on his toes but otherwise looks calm as a cucumber.

I force myself to focus on the man on the stage even though every fiber of my being wishes I could hit pause on the science fair and hear what Valerie has to say.

“Every one of our youngest participants did a fantastic job on their projects, and I hope they continue to explore their scientific interests and join us for years to come.”

Polite applause sounds.

The principal clears his throat. “Now, for first prize, the judges and I would like to congratulate the self-sustaining natural battery created by Abigail Jones.”

The principal hasn’t even finished saying my daughter’s name before our group starts to shout and cheer at the top of our lungs.

“Go, Abby!” Carlee yells.

“You did it!” Andy nudges his sister’s arm and jumps up and down. Abby teeters to the side. I hold onto her shoulder to stabilize her.

Corey and Valerie cheer and clap along with the rest of the crowd.

Abby straightens and stares at the stage with wide eyes.

I gently loosen her grip on my hand and bend down. “You won, Abby,” I say into her ear. “Go get your award.”

She blinks and looks at me in disbelief.

I jerk my head to the stage. “Go on.”

Still looking a little dazed, she nods and stiffly begins walking towards the stage.

I straighten and share happy grins with my sister and best friend. Andy tucks himself into my side, smiling happily for his sister’s success.

“I knew she’d win,” he says to no one in particular.

“Me, too,” Valerie agrees. She and Andy high-five.

My heart warms just like it always does when I see my kids happy, but especially when I see them happy with Valerie.

She hasn’t been in our lives long, but the impact she’s made is immeasurable. Abby and Andy are happier. Their lives are stable. My life is stable. Valerie Palmer was what our little family needed.

But when Andy moves away from me to wrap an arm around her instead, fear ripples through me when I think about what will happen if she moves away.

Will Andy revert to the little boy who feared his mom’s disapproval?

Will he stop talking about his love of superheroes to avoid being called annoying?

And what about Abby? She’s finally gained the confidence to pursue her interests. She never would’ve enrolled in a science fair when living with Laura. She’d been a shell of herself before Valerie subtly encouraged her to share her love of learning by asking her about it all the time.

What will happen to the twins if Valerie is no longer in their lives?

Did I make a mistake by allowing someone who isn’t family to have this much of an influence?

A knot forms in the pit of my stomach, but I ignore the distracting thoughts and sensations and focus on Abby as she climbs the stairs onto the stage.

She’s lost her earlier surprise. Now, she beams as she gracefully walks across the stage and takes her medal and certificate from her teacher and Principal Bradley, respectfully.

“Go, Abby!” Carlee hoots.

Corey puts his fingers to his mouth and follows her cheer with a loud whistle.

Abby’s smile widens. She looks our way and locks eyes with me. She waves excitedly. I return the gesture just as enthusiastically. She worked hard for this, and I’m proud of her not just for winning, but for having the guts to enter the competition in the first place. She’s brave and smart. I can’t wait to see what else she will accomplish in this life.

Well, maybe I can.

I’m not ready for the twins to grow up just yet.

Abby rushes back to our group and right into my arms. I pick her up with a laugh and squeeze her tight. “I’m proud of you, bug.”

“Thanks, Dad.” She squeezes my neck.

I put her down and she immediately turns to Valerie. I watch as she flings herself into her nanny’s arms and hear her say, “Thank you for helping me with my project.”

“Of course!” Valerie squeezes her tight.

Andy joins in their hug.

As I stare down at the three of them, the knot in my stomach twists.

There are no guarantees in life. Valerie may be part of our lives for now, but that could change in the blink of an eye.

And as a parent, I need to think about how that could affect my kids. I have to put their well-being first.

Even if that means I have to sacrifice my own happiness.