Dara nodded. “That’s not why I’m here.”
Blaze nearly lost his shit again. “Not why you’re here? What the fuck, Dara? You’ve always let Brian get away with this shit. This is why Brian has zero rights to Ben and a restraining order. My lawyers will eat him alive. In fact, I have the connections to make that motherfucker disappear.”
“Stop.” Dara sounded tired as hell. That was the only reason Blaze pressed his lips together and forced himself to stay silent. When Dara seemed confident he would let her speak, Dara started again. “I need the world’s biggest favor, but you guys are the only people I trust. You know I love Mom, but she also has the very old-school, strict mentality. She thinks if she pushes Ben hard enough every day that she can force him into being her version of normal. It’s long past…” Dara visibly swallowed. “I have to get my life together. Ben deserves better than me.” Tears fell over her lashes. The longer he stared at her, the more Blaze realized she looked as if she had been crying for hours. “I know it’s a lot, but I wondered if maybe Ben could stay with you for a little while.”
Blaze deflated. He reclaimed his seat. “You know there’s nothing I would love to do more, but I still have three weeks left on this tour. I can’t leave. There are real legal implications. Not just for me, but for the entire band. Plus, the damage of canceling concerts would be a huge blow to our reputation. I can’t do that.”
Dara licked her lips, looking even more nervous than before. Her gaze slid German’s way. “Actually, I hoped you would take him.” She rushed to keep speaking as if she expected an automaticno. “You’ve really connected with him, and you accept him for exactly who he is. With you, I’d know he—”
“I’ll do it,” German said, cutting her off. All Blaze could do was look between the two, like watching a tennis match. “I told my boss I would take a job in Washington next week, but I can easily back out.” That was news to Blaze. German just kept going. “Ben and I can head home to California tomorrow, and Blaze will be there after the tour ends. He needs you to get better.”
If Blaze hadn’t already been sitting, the tone of those last words would have had Blaze on his ass. No one in the family, as far as Blaze knew, had ever taken such a harsh tone with Dara.
German didn’t stop there. “I know you can do this. You have to, because you’re right: he deserves for you to be better.”
To Blaze’s surprise, Dara wiped her eyes and sat up straighter. She gave him a sharp nod. “The benefits of having a retired judge for a mom, I know people. I had some paperwork drawn up today, before I changed my mind. If you’re really willing, it gives you, and Justin, of course, guardianship until I’m well enough to be a responsible mother. I have his birth certificate, shot records, social security card, and basically everything you need to take custody tonight. All you have to do is sign.” Dara’s voice shook, but she didn’t falter. It was beyond obvious she felt like she was being a good mom by doing what was best for Ben, no matter how much it hurt.
German nodded. “Yeah.”
Blaze was blown away, but he had to help Dara get better. “Of course. Yeah. Whatever you need.” He heard himself saying all the words, and yet there was an odd disconnect. Blaze was too shocked to comprehend the full picture.
If German felt the same, he didn’t show an ounce of fear. “Just show me what to sign.”
Dara spent a moment swiping away the nonstop tears as she kissed Ben and woke him just enough to say goodbye. The way he kept falling back asleep had Blaze a little concerned. He didn’t think Dara would drug him or anything, but she had done a lot of things in the last few years he never would’ve thought she would.
Finally, she passed Ben to German. German got Ben settled beneath the covers in the center of the bed before he looked at the paperwork she had brought. Dara chewed the side of her nail and stared hard at German as German skimmed each page.
German paused. He looked up from reading. “This gives us permanent custody. It doesn’t say anything about temporary guardianship until you get better.”
Dara twisted her fingers in her lap. “I know. Mom is a former lawyer and judge. If I don’t state things firmly, she will try to take custody from you. The lawyer I used assured me this is the ironclad way to do things to ensure he doesn’t end up with Mom. She’s a good mom to us, but she isn’t the one who’s right for Ben. We can fix the paperwork when I’m clean.”
German stared at her for a moment before responding. “Do you have a pen?”
She glanced around, looking defeated. “Why didn’t I bring a pen? I swear I can be so stupid.” The venom behind the cruel words she spoke to herself pulled at Blaze’s heartstrings. He hated everything about this. If she hadn’t gone down this road—
“Don’t talk about yourself like that.”
Blaze snapped to attention at German’s sharp admonishment. He had never seen this side of German before. It was hot.
German didn’t stop showing the man who had protected no telling how many clients over the years. “You’re doing something most people would never do in your situation. You’re putting your son first. That’s pretty fucking brave, and stressful. Forgetting a pen is nothing under that kind of strain. I can’t even imagine how much this is tearing you up inside.”
Blaze grabbed a pen from a nearby table. “Here.”
German accepted, still looking as if he took this as seriously as it was. He used the closest flat surface, marked through something, and then signed. German passed the paperwork to Blaze. Blaze didn’t hesitate to sign right alongside German.
German handed the paperwork to Dara when Blaze was done. “Here, I marked through the part about you paying child support along with back pay when you get on your feet. You just worry about getting better. I’ve got this.”
Dara accepted the signed pages, but she huffed. “You obviously don’t know how expensive kids are, especially one with special needs. The least I can do is try to find a way to pay you back.”
German softened. He reclaimed his spot on the end of the bed and took Dara’s hand between his. “Look, sweetheart, I love Ben to pieces. You’re right about me not knowing shit about raising a kid, but trust I have this while you’re gone. The last thing you need to be worried about right now is money. Okay?”
“Okay.” Dara’s voice sounded small, but she still looked determined. Blaze couldn’t love German more than right then. “There’s a notebook in the bag with a ton of info on, like medical stuff and food textures Ben can’t handle. Stuff like that. Oh, and his tablet is in there, and I couldn’t pack and carry too many clothes, but he should be fine if you—”
German made a motion, cutting her off. “I’ve got this.”
She took a deep breath. “I know.” Dara stood. “I guess I should go before I lose my nerve.”
Blaze shot to his feet. “Would you like me to drive you? I can hold your hand and walk you in, or whatever.”
