Chapter 43

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Tommy asked.

"I can't think of anything right now," I replied. "I took your advice when I called my CO Monday morning. He's going to expedite my separation paperwork because it's an emergency. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done already, especially since I've only worked for you for a week."

Tommy made a noise of dismissal. "I told you when you started working here, you're one of us now. That means even when it's inconvenient. I'll be closing the shop on Saturday for the funeral."

Tears pricked the backs of my eyes. Would I ever stop crying? My voice was thick with emotion when I spoke. "Thanks, Tommy."

"Anytime, Zach. I'll talk to you again soon."

I ended the call and checked the time. Almost eight in the morning. Miguel was getting Cody dressed because he was awesome like that. Marco's brother, Tino, had worked some kind of legal magic to get Cody and me a private meeting with Nico. He'd been intrigued by Nico's case because he'd spotted irregularities in the prosecution's case that Nico's court-appointed lawyer hadn't challenged. Tino was driving us to the prison so all three of us could meet with Nico.

I had to admit I was nervous. I'd liked Nico when Allie was dating him, especially when he seemed so excited about being a father. Then he'd gone and done something stupid that landed him a six-year prison sentence. Now I had to tell him my sister was dead, murdered by an ex-boyfriend who was now in the wind.

I'd decided I would write down how exactly she'd died rather than say it aloud because Cody hadn't asked yet. I had no idea how he'd react when he found out. I was worried he'd be afraid of cars or crossing the street or something like that. I'd gotten the names of some child therapists, but I was waiting for my health insurance to kick in. Tommy had waived the customary thirty-day waiting period when he found out I was now Cody's guardian. The insurance company wanted the legal paperwork, which the state was slow in getting to me. I could have gotten him a therapist using his Medicaid insurance, but the waiting list was two months long. My insurance would get him someone a lot faster if the state could pull its head out of its ass.

Everything was so complicated. I couldn't imagine what I would have done if I'd had to do it all on my own. But for the first time in my life, I didn't have to do it alone. I had this huge found family all standing at the ready to do whatever needed to be done. And I owed it all to Miguel. He'd taken my hand, literally and figuratively, and led me into a world where people cared about me and had my back.

The sound of little feet running drew my attention. Cody came bursting into the living room wearing a Batman T-shirt, Batman sneakers, and tiny blue jeans. "Uncle Zach! It's my birthday!"

I picked him up and swung him around. "It sure is. Happy Birthday, little man."

"Is Mommy going to make my cake?"

Another piece of my heart crumbled. "No, baby boy, she can't. But we have a special surprise cake for you later today, okay?"

"Okay," he said quietly.

"Listen," I began, "I have another surprise for you."

"What?"

"We're going to see your daddy today."

His eyes widened and then filled with tears. "We are?"

"Yep. Is that okay?"

He sniffled. "Yes."

Miguel came over and handed me a tissue. I kissed his cheek. "Thanks, baby." I wiped Cody's eyes and had him blow his nose.

Cody wriggled in my arms. "I want to get Daddy's picture."

I set him down, and he ran toward his bedroom. I took the opportunity to take Miguel in my arms and kiss my man more thoroughly. It was all we'd been able to do for the past five days because Cody inevitably ended up in our bed pretty early in the evening. Neither of us had the heart to send him back to his room when he was so upset. Another reason to find a therapist for him.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

"Good so far," I replied. "I'm not looking forward to telling Nico about Allie."

"I get it," he said.

My phone vibrated with a text. It was Tino.

Tino

OMW. Be there in ten.

Me

We're ready to go.

"Tino will be here in ten minutes. Are you planning to go to work?"

He nodded. "I have some paperwork that has to be done before Albert's show next week. And I'll be checking on the special cake for Cody while I'm there."

I kissed him again. "Thank you." I held him tight and sighed. "I just want to hold you for the rest of the day."

He hummed in contentment. "I like that idea."

"Uncle Zach, I got a picture of Mommy too!" He was carrying two framed pictures and waving them around.

I reluctantly let Miguel go. "That's great, Cody. Let's get your jacket and get ready."

"Okay!"

I gave Miguel one last kiss. "See you later."

I got Cody to put the pictures in his Batman backpack. I wasn't sure the prison would let him bring them in at all. Fingers crossed, we didn't have any meltdowns. I already had pictures printed to give Nico that were not in frames, so, hopefully, they would do.

Tino was waiting for us when we got downstairs. "I just have to get Cody's car seat out of my car," I told him.

Tino got out of his Cadillac Escalade and came around to keep an eye on Cody while I wrestled his seat out of my car and into the SUV. I was struck by his resemblance to Marco. He didn't have Marco's bulk, but he was the same height and build but with a liberal sprinkling of gray in his short dark hair.

Cody was delighted when he found out there was a small video screen in the vehicle, and he could watch his favorite movie on the hour-long drive to Trenton. I had mixed feelings about that. Tino smirked at me. "How many times has he watched Encanto?"

"I lost count after a million," I replied.

The other man chuckled. "That's kids for you." He handed me a cell phone. "My brother, Michael, fixed your sister's cell phone. He was able to rescue all the data and the pictures."

I took the device from him. "That's great. Please tell him I said thank you."

"You can tell him yourself. He'll be down here for the wake and the funeral."

"Really?"

"Don't look so surprised," he admonished. "You're family now."

"Thank you," I said. "It takes some getting used to, you know?"

"I get it." He pulled away from the curb and headed out of Ocean Grove. He blew out a short breath. "Now for the not-so-good news." He glanced into the rearview mirror and lowered his voice. "Nico's parents are suing for custody of Cody."

"What?" I saw Cody startle at my exclamation. I reached back and patted him on the knee. "Sorry, dude, I didn't mean to scare you."

I lowered my voice. "What gives them the right? They didn't want anything to do with Cody when Allie was alive. Why now?"

"I'm guessing it's about money. Kinship guardians get assistance from the state. They may have also heard about the life insurance policy. It's a good thing you're planning to put it in a trust for him. That way, no one can get their hands on it but him."

"Or his guardian," I muttered. I let my head fall back on the headrest. "He's never even met them. Allie contacted them after Nico went to prison, and they told her they wanted nothing to do with her or the baby."

"Do you have a record of that?" Tino asked.

I shook my head. "Allie said she texted them." I looked down at the phone in my hand. "And I have Allie's phone."

Tino grinned. "Yeah, you do."

The trip to the prison was otherwise uneventful. Tino talked about my options with the trust for Cody and what I could expect from a custody hearing. He said he was going to push for it to happen as soon as possible. "The one hiccup might be Nico. He's Cody's father, and he hasn't had his parental rights removed. Do you know anything about his relationship with his parents?"

I shrugged. "Not much. I got the impression he didn't get along with them. They refused to pay for him to get a lawyer when he was arrested."

"That could work in your favor," he said.

"I guess we'll find out."

Getting into the prison wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated. Tino had already warned me about what we could and couldn't take in. Cody had been surprisingly calm when the officer told him he couldn't bring in his backpack and that he would have to take the pictures out of the frames. I figured it was because the guy explained it in a way Cody could understand and told him how much he liked Batman too.

We were taken to a small room with one barred window high up on the wall, a long metal table, and four metal chairs. The officer let us in and closed the heavy metal door behind us. I immediately felt claustrophobic. "Christ, this is grim."

"It's not supposed to be the Ritz," Tino replied.

"Where's Daddy?" Cody asked.

"He'll be here soon," I answered.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and a guard walked in. He saw Cody and smiled, then said to Tino, "You got thirty minutes."

"Thank you," Tino replied.

He held the door open, and a much-changed Nico came through wearing orange prison clothes. His dark hair had been cut almost military short, he had way more tattoos, and he was ripped. He was on the short side, although not as short as Miguel, so the bulk made him look like a brick shithouse. His blue-gray eyes, which were bright with laughter in his picture, now looked hard and wary.

Cody stayed close to me, his earlier enthusiasm dimmed. "Daddy?"

Nico looked down at his son and smiled so brightly it transformed his whole face. That was more like the Nico from the picture Cody was carrying. He crouched and said, "Hi, Cody. I'm glad to finally meet you."

Cody held out the two pictures he had. "I brought a picture of Mommy."

"Oh shit," Tino murmured under his breath.

Before I could head him off, Cody said, "She died."

Nico shot a shocked look up at me for confirmation, and I gave him a slight nod. To his credit, Nico didn't freak out at Cody. His eyes got shiny, and he said hoarsely, "That's really sad, Cody."

Cody sniffled and nodded. "Uncle Zach said it's okay to cry as much as I want."

"Uncle Zach is right," Nico replied. "Is it okay if I give you a hug?"

Cody nodded and went right into his arms. That was when the waterworks started. Nico stood and rocked his son in his arms. It warmed something inside me to see my nephew finally get a chance to be with his father.

Tino and I each took a seat, allowing Nico to have his time with Cody. When the little boy calmed down, Nico sat across from us with Cody snuggled against his neck. He opened his mouth to speak, but I held up my hand and slid a folded piece of paper across to him. On the outer fold I'd written Before you ask how Allie died.

I watched Nico's expression darken as he read my description of the events that led to her death. He looked up at me and tilted his head. "Caught?"

I shook my head. "In the wind. Wealthy parents."

His jaw clenched and he drew in a deep breath. "I need to get out of here."

Tino leaned forward. "Well, you're in luck. I think I can get you out. I have a feeling you know you were set up, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I know. I didn't have any money for a lawyer. The public defender was useless."

"It might take a little while," Tino said. "I'm going to file an appeal citing new evidence."

"What new evidence?"

Tino grinned like a shark. "Security cameras from a building across the street had a perfect angle to record everything."

"No fucking way," Nico breathed.

"That's a bad word, Daddy," Cody said solemnly from the cradle of Nico's arms.

We all chuckled. Before Tino and Nico could get further into the legal issues, I interjected. "Nico, Allie made me Cody's guardian in her will. Your parents are suing for custody. Is that something you would want for him?"

He reared back. Covering Cody's ears, he growled, "Fuck no. They can go to hell for all I care. I don't want them anywhere near my son."

Cody wriggled out of Nico's hold on his ears. "Daddy!" he said in exasperation. "That's two bad words."

I snickered. Nico kissed his son's dark curls. "Sorry, little man."

"We might ask you to tell the court your preference," Tino said.

"I'd be happy to." He looked at me. "Are you doing this on your own? Aren't you in the National Guard? How will that work?"

I blinked at his rapid-fire questions. "Okay, one at a time. I'm not doing it on my own. My boyfriend is just as involved as I am."

"Boyfriend?" Nico looked confused. "You're gay?"

"Bisexual," I corrected.

"Huh," he said with a smirk. "Same. But I never would have guessed it about you."

"It's a recent discovery," I replied, feeling my cheeks heat. "As far as the National Guard goes, I requested an emergency separation, and they granted it because of my circumstances. To answer your last question, so far, it's been working well. We have a lot of people around us willing to step in when we need them. Like Tino here."

"That's right," Tino agreed. "Zach's family. And now, so are you."