34. Nolan

CHAPTER 34

Nolan

T o say things have been strained in the house would be an understatement.

Katie has been more high-strung than I’ve ever seen her. She’s been snapping at Cody so often that he’s started coming to me first if he needs anything. I’ve done my best to keep my mouth shut, but this past week hasn’t been good. I’m about ready to blow, so I can only imagine how Katie is starting to feel. We’re approaching our breaking point. If anything gets added to this mess, I’m not sure how we’ll survive the aftermath.

Katie still hasn’t found a lawyer. Most of the ones she can afford are slimy bastards. She’s been trying to balance doing everything on her own, along with working and being a mom. It’s too much.

I’m not able to sit back and watch this happen any longer. I can’t let her continue to suffer when the solution is staring at us right in the face. I know she’s not used to having a support system, but she has a big one. There’s no reason not to use it.

I park my car in the back of the Sidelines Sporting Goods parking lot. Every time I see this building, immense pride hits me. Adam and Matthew have worked their asses off to get here. Their company is the number one provider of sporting goods items for the entire country. They have contracts with multiple professional sports teams while simultaneously providing affordable equipment for the masses. It’s incredible.

I walk through the main building and head directly to the back, where the employee elevators are. The third floor houses all the offices while the first and second are for the store.

I’m hoping that Adam won’t have a lunch meeting scheduled. Usually, he eats with Matthew, but every now and then, he’ll have to meet with a client or something. It would be my luck to randomly pop in when he’s busy.

The doors ding open to a small lobby that leads into a cubicle farm. On the outer edges of the space are glass-enclosed offices. They’re all frosted over, so I can’t see who’s inside. I walk to the back where Adam’s and Matthew’s offices are. Tessa, Adam’s assistant, is in her office with the door open.

“Hey, T. Long time no see.”

Tessa’s head snaps up from behind her computer. “Nolan! It’s so good to see you.”

“You, too. How are the twins?” I give her a big hug when she comes around the corner of her desk.

“Tiny little terrors, but they’re freaking adorable, so we don’t mind too much.”

I laugh at her description. “They’re over a year old now, right?”

“Yes, and completely mobile. It’s wonderful and terrifying at the same time.”

“Sounds like a great time. Is Adam available? I was hoping to talk to him about something.”

“Yeah, he’s in there with Matthew. Go on ahead.” Tessa smiles at me and heads back to her desk.

I rap my knuckles on the door that leads from Tessa’s office into Adam’s and then open the door. “Any chance you’ve got room for an extra lunch buddy?”

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Adam stands from his seating area where he and Matthew have their food spread on the coffee table. He looks sharp in his black suit and charcoal grey tie. Matthew, on the other hand, is wearing a moss green suit. He looks as good as Adam, just in a different way.

“Thought I’d stop by and say hello.”

Adam furrows his brows. I’m sure he knows something is up. I don’t do this sort of thing very often. “Come sit. We were just talking about what Tilly and Matthew are doing for their wedding.”

“Nice. Have you picked a place yet?” I ask.

“Yeah, we’re going to have it in our backyard. After Cody’s birthday party, we realized we have the best setup back there. It fits our family perfectly, even with the extra people. Tilly is going to hire someone to decorate it and make it fancy.”

“That sounds perfect for you guys.”

“Tilly’s excited, which is all that matters to me.” Matthew shrugs.

“You ready to talk about what brought you here?” Adam asks without preamble.

The thing is, I know if I said I wasn’t ready, he wouldn’t push, and we’d talk about something else. The confidence I have in Adam and Matthew, as my older brothers, to provide me with the best advice, allows me to spill everything.

“Bryce served Katie with custody papers last week.”

“That fucker.” Matthew grunts.

“Why are we only just now finding out? Ellie would’ve told me if she knew about this.”

“That’s kind of why I’m here. Katie doesn’t want to tell anyone. She’s determined to do everything on her own. She won’t even talk to me about what’s going on. I’ve tried to keep her secret, but something has to give. ”

“She’s in survival mode,” Matthew muses. “Her whole world is being threatened right now. It makes sense.”

“I realize that it makes sense, but she’s floundering. If we don’t do something soon, she’s going to have a breakdown.”

“Who has she hired for a lawyer?” Adam asks.

“She hasn’t yet. She’s met with a few, but the ones in her price range are all sleazeballs.”

“Do they have a court date set?”

I shrug. “I don’t have a clue.”

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.” Adam starts in, lining out a plan to hire a family lawyer to get them on the case as soon as possible. Katie is going to be pissed at me, but if we don’t have someone get started on this, the chances of her losing Cody will be even higher. We need someone on our side who knows family law better than anyone.

“The right person could have this case dismissed in no time,” Matthew points out.

“Exactly my thoughts.” Adam looks at me with all the love only an older brother could give you. “We’ll get this taken care of. Katie and Cody are ours now. We won’t let some asshole hurt them.”

Relief like I haven’t felt in a week settles in my gut. I still have another hurdle to overcome, but I know that whatever happens, she and Cody will have this mess taken care of soon.

That is, if Katie agrees to let us help her.

I stare at the front door of Katie’s house. I haven’t found the gumption to go inside yet. I’m not sure what kind of welcome I’ll receive, even before she hears that I went behind her back.

After I met with Adam, I went to O’Malley’s to try and get some work done. In the end, I just sat at my desk and got lost in my thoughts. The work I didn’t get done will keep until tonight when I have to close. It’s probably a good thing that I have to work. If Katie’s extra pissed at me, I’ll head straight there. If she’s not… Well, I don’t see that happening, but I can hope.

The front window’s blinds lift. Cody’s little fingers wave through the crack, and I can’t fight the smile that takes over. I really love that kid. Knowing he’s waiting for me makes me get out of my truck.

I barely get through the door before Cody barrels into me. “Hey, Codes. How was school today?”

He pulls at my arm while I slip off my boots. “I’ve been waiting forever for you to get home. I got to pick a prize out of Mrs. Shultz’s prize box today.”

“You did? Way to go. What did you do to get that honor?” I sit on the couch and listen as he goes through his entire day. It’s like he’s been holding it in all day and is only now getting to share everything he did.

Hearing about his day has become one of my favorite things. I just wish Katie was in here with us to share about hers, as well. It makes me wonder where she is right now. She hasn’t made an appearance to even say hello.

Cody finally takes a breath, giving me the opportunity to ask where his mom is.

“She’s in her room making more calls. I don’t know how she knows enough people to call, but she’s been in there since we got home.” He shrugs.

“How about you watch a show until I can whip us up some dinner, yeah?”

“Okay.”

I run my hand over the top of his head and get off the couch to find Katie. I slowly open her bedroom door to keep from startling her. She’s sitting on her bed, her head bowed over her lap while her fingers rub at her forehead.

She’s not on the phone, so hopefully it’s a good time to talk. “Hey, little dove.” I sit next to her. There’s an inch of space between us that feels more like a mile.

Katie lifts her head, dark circles ringing her eyes. “Hey, when did you get home?”

“About twenty minutes ago. I’d have come to say hi earlier, but Cody wanted to tell me about his day. Did you see the prize he picked out of the box?” I chuckle.

Katie frowns. “He got to pick a prize from the treasure box? He didn’t tell me.”

“Oh, well, I’m sure he was just waiting for the right time.” Fuck. I thought he was spewing his guts because he was excited. I didn’t really believe he’d been waiting for me to get home.

“It seems like there are no good times anymore.” Katie slumps, her shoulder leaning against mine. I take the physical contact as a good sign. I reach over to squeeze her thigh in solidarity. What I’m about to say isn’t going to go over well, so I’m taking what I can before she blows.

“Well… I have something to talk to you about regarding that.”

She raises her eyebrows.

“I went to see Adam today and told him what’s going on with the case. He has a whole team of lawyers he works with at his company. He said he’d ask them for a family lawyer recommendation. When he gets a couple of names, he’ll connect them with you so you can vet them to be sure you like them. If you like them, Adam asked if he could pay their fees. He wants to get this sham of a case thrown out just as much as we do.” I want to keep talking in the hopes that if I say enough words, she’ll accept the help and be happy. Based on the anger flashing in her eyes, I can already tell it won’t work.

Katie doesn’t say anything for a long minute. She stopped looking at me after I told her Adam would ask for a recommendation .

She stands and walks away from the bed before whirling around. Her anger is palpable. This is going to be worse than I thought.

“How fucking dare you. You had no right.” Her voice shakes with emotion. “I told you I did not want to talk to them about it, yet you ran straight to control freak Adam the minute my back was turned. I don’t need help. I have a lead on a lawyer. If this doesn’t work out, then I’m just going to handle it myself. I’ve been researching what’s needed to go to court. I can do this with or without a lawyer.”

“Katie…” I shake my head, at an absolute loss. “You don’t have to do this on your own. There is a whole team of people who are willing to help you. Do you really believe doing this yourself is what’s best for Cody?”

Fuck. That was absolutely the wrong thing to say. I knew it the minute the words came out of my mouth. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.

“Everything I do is for him,” she practically growls. “You don’t get to sit there and act like you know best. You don’t know shit about anything.”

Ouch. Talk about a direct hit. I sigh. “Look, all we’re going to do is say shit we don’t mean. I love you. I love that boy out there. Let me know when you’re ready to listen to reason.”

I walk away without waiting for her to respond. Nothing about that conversation was productive. She’s not thinking clearly, and I’m too sensitive to take her barbs without internalizing them. I already struggle with feeling inadequate. I don’t need her to confirm those worries right now.

When I walk into the living room, Cody is engrossed in his history documentary. He gets free rein over the TV, and he chooses to watch something educational. I squat down in front of him, and he immediately pauses his show.

“So, I gotta go into the bar a little earlier than I planned. I figured I’d order you and your mom some tacos for dinner. Would that be okay? ”

He nods. “Did you and Mom get into a fight?”

“Kind of. She’s just dealing with too many things right now, and I said something dumb.”

“Are you going to leave?”

“Of course not. I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me. Things are just a little tough right now.”

“Okay. I love you, Nolan.”

Tears prick my eyes. “I love you, too, Code-man.”

He wraps his little arms around my neck, and I soak up the embrace. We’ll be okay. If I can stay strong for Katie, we’ll figure it out. She deserves to have someone stand by her side in every situation.

Even when it’s hard.