Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

ROSE

J oe had texted me that he was done with his meeting with his mother and would be home in about an hour. I was worried that he hadn’t told me how it had gone, but I didn’t press. It would be better to hear what happened face to face.

I got Ashley started on her homework and got a pot of chili going, then took Mikey out in the front yard to play catch with Muffy. I sat in a chair on the porch with Hope on my lap, while she babbled and chewed on her teething toy. Hopefully, her stubborn tooth would come in soon.

I’d been worried about Neely Kate for most of the day. She’d taken the day off, saying she needed a mental health day. I knew she was worried about Jed, and it had to be eating at her, but last I’d heard, she hadn’t told Jed, and she hadn’t contacted Mason. Avoidance wasn’t her usual way of handling things, so her behavior had me even more worried. But I did the only thing I could by telling her to do what she needed to do, and that I was there for her.

So, I was pretty shocked when she called me in the middle of the afternoon, telling me that the whole Jed situation had been a false alarm. That Carter said he’d been wrong about the FBI wanting to talk to Jed, and everything was fine.

It was a Christmas miracle.

I was relieved for both of them, but I wondered how Carter had gotten it so wrong. I didn’t know Carter Hale as well as Neely Kate did, but making a mistake like that seemed totally out of character for him.

Then, right before Joe got home, my cell phone rang, and I saw Fenton County Jail on the caller ID. The only calls we got from the jail were from Mike when he wanted to talk to the kids. I considered telling Mikey to come inside, but this call felt off. Mike never called them late in the afternoon. He always called them on Sunday evening.

I answered the call and accepted the charges as I stood and moved to the far end of the porch. I doubted Mikey would pay any attention to my call, but I wanted to be safe. Thankfully, Hope seemed content with me holding her while she watched Muffy run around, chasing Mikey’s ball.

“Hello?” I said once the call made the connection. “Mike?”

“Rose,” he said, his voice gruff. “Is Joe there?”

“No,” I said, fear racing through my blood. “He won’t be home for a bit. Why?”

“That’s okay,” he said, his voice sounding shaky. “You’re the one I needed to talk to. You can tell Joe when you get a chance.”

“Okay…” I was starting to feel sick. “Is everything okay?”

He was silent for a long moment. “I’m gonna take the plea deal, which means I’ll be in prison for a while.”

“Oh, Mike,” I said, my voice breaking. “The kids will be devastated.”

“Nah,” he said. “They’ll be okay, but I have a big ask of you. And Joe too.”

“Anything.”

“I want you and Joe to have full custody of the kids. No more splittin’ time with my parents. My parents can see them one weekend a month, but only if it works with the kids’ schedules and only if they want to. I trust you to be fair with that decision.” He released a ragged breath. “I hear the kids aren’t really enjoying their visits with my parents, and I heard Mikey was real sick this weekend, but they took him to church anyway.”

How had he known that? Had his parents told him?

“They used to pull that shit with me when I was a kid,” he continued, “and we both know Mikey needed to be tucked under the covers watching cartoons, not forced to sit in a boring church service. So, they need to be with you—and Joe.”

I couldn’t believe what he was saying. “Mike.”

“I know you’ll raise them as your own, and Joe will too. This is for the best for everyone. Especially my kids.” He let out a sob. “This is what Violet wanted anyway.”

“Mike, I swear to you I will love them with everything in me,” I said through my tears.

“I know you will,” he said, then sniffed. “Just don’t let them forget me, okay?”

“Never, I promise,” I insisted. “You’re their father, and I’ll make sure they not only remember it, but also know how much you love them. Plus, we’ll bring them to see you.”

“I doubt I’ll be here in the county jail much longer,” he said. “It’s bound to be a longer drive.”

“We’ll make it work.”

We were both silent for several long seconds before Mike said, “I’m really sorry I turned into such a dick. I tried to keep Violet and the kids away from you, and I deeply regret it.” He paused. “I regret a lot of things.”

“We all have regrets,” I said.

“Some of us more than others.”

Little did he know I had a mountain of them.

“I’ll have my attorney draw up a custody agreement,” he said, then released another soft sob. “I’ll leave it up to your discretion when they see my parents at Christmas.”

“I won’t keep them from their grandparents,” I assured him. “They need that connection to you.”

“See?” he said with a soft laugh. “I knew you’d be fair.” Then he hung up without saying goodbye.