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One day segued into the next, Adelaide’s little personality slowly developing. She was such a sweet baby as long as she was fed and kept warm and dry. When she didn’t have those needs met, she had an abrupt personality change where Adam referred to her as sprite baby.

On a Friday on her one-month birthday, a US Postal Service truck pulled into Adam’s driveway. The mail carrier got out, the same one who’d been delivering mail to him for six years, and met him halfway to the shack.

“Hey, Adam, got a certified letter here.”

He took his gardening gloves off to take the letter. “Do I need to sign?”

“Nope, I’ll just scan it. How’s the baby?”

“She’s good, thanks.”

“That’s great. Have a nice afternoon.”

It was a familiar law office in Saint John’s Parish. Ashlie’s lawyer. He watched the truck back out of the driveway. A ringtone scared him; it was his phone and it had been such a long time since he’d had an actual phone call. It was his lawyer.

“Did you get it yet?” the voice asked, out of breath. Randy Guillory had gone to school at Saint Anthony’s with Adam. As soon as he got the letter, he’d run to call Adam, hoping to catch him before he opened it.

“The letter? It just now came. The truck is still in my driveway. Why are you huffing and puffing? You sound like a freight train.”

“I ran to call you. Don’t bother opening it,” he said. “Ashlie wants her parental rights restored. She’s claiming she was under duress at the time she voluntarily ended them and is using those grounds to have them restored.”

Adam walked over to the stroller and looked down at Adelaide. She had found her thumb and was sucking on it contentedly. No sprite baby here. He realized he was out of breath, too but he hadn’t run.

“So what? She made it clear she didn’t want her. Her husband wanted her to abort. He wouldn’t even allow her to pump breast milk for her to drink after she was born.”

“If she blames the husband’s actions, that’s the duress. I just want you to understand that we may have to fight this, Adam. My understanding is that they are still married. It can’t be too bad if she didn’t file papers yet to dissolve the marriage.”

“She’s not getting Adelaide back. I’ll sell everything I have to keep her away from that moron.”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that. The worst-case scenario is that the judge rules in her favor, agreeing that she was pregnant at the time and under pressure by her husband because she’d gotten pregnant by another man.”

“Tough shit!” Adam cried. “Her piece of shit husband doesn’t want the baby around so how’s that going to work?”

“Look, you have every right to be upset. But right now, I need you to save your zeal for a fight. I’ve got everything I need—a timeline from you, all her correspondence. I’ll respond to the request and say that we want to keep things as they are. Visitation at your discretion and nothing more.”

Out of breath now, Adam wondered if he was having a heart attack.

“I can’t catch my breath.”

“Call your girlfriend and ask her to get over there,” Randy said.

“She’s back in San Diego.”

“Then call your folks. Sit down.”

He sat down on the front porch step, taking deep breaths. “I think I’m having a freaking panic attack.”

“Call your grandmother. Call someone to get over there so if you’re having a heart attack that baby isn’t alone. Do it now and I’ll check back in five minutes.”

They ended the call and Adam keyed in his mother’s cell phone number.

“Ma, you busy?”

“Not for you, punkin. What’s up?”

“Come over, please. I’m having a panic attack. I’ll tell you why when you get here.”

“I’m on my way.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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