Page 40 of Miss Trust

“I need someone good. And discreet.”

“He’s both. I’ll send his name to you in the next few minutes. Everything okay with you?”

Normally, I didn’t bother with personal chitchat, but Liam was an exception. “Yes. Everyone is good. How are Kendall and the baby?”

“Great. Have to say family life is the best.”

My natural reaction would’ve been to scoff internally while giving a sarcastic response to let the other party know I wasn’t in their camp. Yet I found myself thinking of how much Liam had changed since I’d first met him. This was a man whose sole focus used to be his career. But now he was more concerned about his wife and child, and the happiest I’d ever known him to be. “Glad to hear it,” I responded.

“Hey, we’d love to have you over for dinner.”

I envisioned my place at a family table with the happy couple. Definitely not my scene. “Perhaps drinks would be a better idea.”

“Drinks sound like a plan.”

“Appreciate the information on the attorney.”

“Anytime. I’ll text you the information as soon as we hang up. I’ll let him know you’ll be calling.”

“Thank you.”

Liam texted me the details for an attorney by the name of Caleb Morrison. Tory would be furious at what I was about to do, but since when had I ever let that stop me?

* * *

Caleb Morrison stoodup from the conference room table when I walked in the next afternoon. He was clean-cut and appeared to be in his thirties. I gave a smile to the older woman who’d escorted me in and took his extended hand. I appreciated the firm handshake.

“Mr. Maxwell, a pleasure to meet you.”

“You too, Mr. Morrison.” Although I had a number of corporate attorneys on the payroll, I preferred to keep my personal life separate. “Liam indicated you handle family law and specifically could advise about parental rights.”

“Correct. I mostly handle divorce and custody cases, but I also deal with cases of paternity and rights. Is this pertaining to you?”

“No. A friend.” I gave him the details of Tory’s ex, watching as he took some notes on a pad.

“May I ask if she’s aware you’re pursuing this on her behalf?”

“She is not. Not because I think she’ll be against the idea of terminating his parental rights, but rather because she’d take exception to the idea of me paying for it. But I wanted to explore the options before I tell her what I’m up to.”

“Are you pursuing adoption of the minor?”

“No. Not at all. Why would you ask?”

He shrugged. “Typically the pursuit of termination of parental rights is initiated because a stepparent would like to legally adopt a child. But from the sound of it in this case, we can pursue abandonment as the reason. Is the biological father’s location available?”

“I’m confident it could be.”

“Then it’s straightforward if he’s agreeable. All he would have to do is sign a request for termination and fill out a questionnaire form this office can provide. But just so we’re clear, he would have no financial obligation to the child after termination is approved by a court. If he owes back child support, however, he would still be on the hook if she wants to pursue it.”

“She doesn’t want it.”

His expression was serious. “Ensure that’s the case. Sometimes people say what they don’t mean out of anger. In any event, she’ll need to make her wishes known in a statement, and then it will go before a judge.”

I could bet when Victoria Larson made up her mind, it didn’t change. It was one of the many qualities I admired. I intended to make sure her daughter had everything she needed without the help of a deadbeat dad who wished she had never been born. Recalling his words to Tory made me incensed all over again. “She won’t need the money.”

“I see.” He probably assumed we were in a relationship, and I didn’t bother to correct him. “This office has some resources for tracking people down.”

I stood up. “I’ll have my people do it and pass along the information.”

“Is it your intent for my office to serve him with the papers?”

“No. I’ll take care of it personally once we have the documentation ready.”

He stood up too. “Very well. Anything else we can assist with?”

“Yes. Come to think of it. Do you prepare wills?”