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Harlow
She had underestimated Corinne and that was her mistake. Having Ryker offer to help her fix it felt wrong, but she wasn’t sure how else she’d be able to find her way clear of this mess.
Corinne wasn’t a hands-on grandmother, to begin with. Hell, she didn’t even meet her granddaughter until she was five months old. She said she really didn’t do the whole baby thing and that was fine with Harlow. She didn’t like her mother-in-law very much—at all, really. Corinne blamed her for getting pregnant on purpose to trap her son when that wasn’t the case at all. She didn’t know why any teenage girl would get pregnant on purpose when she had her whole life ahead of her to live. Harlow wanted to go to college and make something of herself. Heck, she wanted to go to prom without having to have extra material added to her dress for her baby bump. She and Craig were the talk of the school and waddling across the stage to graduate wasn’t her idea of a good time. Still, Corinne stuck to her guns saying that Harlow had trapped Craig into marrying her because of the baby.
At first, Craig would stand up to his mother, telling her that she was wrong, but after a while, he started backing down. Harlow hated that he had stopped standing up for her and the baby, but his mother was helping to pay their rent and they wouldn’t have had a place to bring Iris home to without her help. So, he did and said whatever he needed to in order to appease his opinionated mother.
Once they got on their feet, after Craig landed a somewhat solid job, Corinne stopped coming over or calling. And when the baby was born, she didn’t stop by at all. She wasn’t necessary to their existence, and she knew that she had lost some of her power over her son. That’s when she started to run around town telling anyone who’d listen that Harlow had gotten herself pregnant on purpose. She had heard the hurtful rumors and knew who was spreading them, and when she confronted Craig, he simply shrugged and told her that his mother was entitled to her opinion. Harlow tried to tell him that his mother wasn’t spreading her opinion, but false rumors about her and that they were hurtful, but he didn’t seem to care. She should have picked up on it then, but that was when Craig had started drinking and things went downhill. That’s when she should have run as far and fast as she could from him, but hindsight was a bitch.
When Corinne finally started to come around again, she’d make comments about how Harlow wasn’t holding the baby correctly or changing her diaper the right way. She even accused her of hitting her infant daughter when she burped her just the way the nurses taught her to do. All of Corinne’s little comments and digs only led to Harlow’s own self-doubt and she hated that she was now second-guessing her every move with her daughter. Everything that felt natural and right with her baby now felt forced and wrong. Corinne did that to her and now, she was back. The question was, would Harlow be able to stand up for herself and face down that horrible woman, or would Corinne win? She couldn’t let that happen. If her ex-mother-in-law got her hands on Iris now, she’d turn out just like Craig, and that couldn’t happen—Harlow wouldn’t let it.
She finished up making the pancakes and called Iris into the kitchen for breakfast. “Do you want some pancakes, honey?” she asked.
“Yes,” Iris said, nodding her little blond head at her.
“I like pancakes too,” Ryker said. He took the platter of pancakes and syrup from her. “Thank you for making breakfast,” he said.
“No problem. Did you find any answers?” she asked.
“I have,” he said. “I called Ace and he’s sending over one of his top lawyers from the casino to talk to us. I set it up for him to come over during Iris’ nap. I hope that works.”
“It does,” she agreed. “Thank you for thinking of that.” Honestly, her brain felt like mush. She couldn’t think past the next few minutes knowing that her daughter’s custody was up in the air. It had never really been an issue before today. When Craig went to prison, she got full custody of Iris, no questions asked. But now, with Corinne coming for them, everything felt so up in the air.
“You okay?” Ryker asked.
“I will be,” she lied. “I just can’t believe that this is happening now. Why now?” she asked.
“Not sure, but we’re going to find out,” he promised.
* * *
Iris went down for her nap at one in the afternoon and by half past the hour, the lawyer that Ace sent over was there. His name was Michael Kline and he seemed to know around the law, answering every one of her questions and even some of Ryker’s. She was thankful that he was there to help her figure out her next step, even if he didn’t have to be. Ryker didn’t owe her anything and yet, he was by her side for the whole meeting.
“Basically, it looks like your ex-mother-in-law is just trying to cause you some trouble, Harlow,” Michael said. “When was the last time she actually saw Iris?” he asked.
“When she was about eight months old. She’s only seen my daughter a handful of times, actually. She said that she really didn’t like babies and she didn’t even meet Iris until she was about five months old. After that, she came around here and there, but never really showed any interest in my daughter. Corinne said that I got pregnant on purpose and tricked her son into marrying me, of all things.”
“That’s awful,” Ryker said. “She sounds like a bitch.”
She smiled over at him and nodded, “She is,” Harlow agreed. “When Iris was about eight months old, we got on our feet financially. She was helping us with a few small things for the baby—formula and diapers. She even helped with our rent for a few months until Craig could find a better job to support us. He did and even convinced me to stay home with Iris. I was happy to do that, but I was also lonely. I remembered her trying to come over one day when Craig wasn’t at home. He had just started his new job and I was actually happy to see another adult. Taking care of a baby all day can really wear you down. Anyway, when I told her that Craig got a new job and that he wasn’t home, she seemed to get pissed off at me. That was when she accused me of trapping her darling son. She told me that he’d always need her and that I was replaceable. She even said something about me not being able to get rid of her so easily, as if I was trying to push her out of Craig’s life or something.”
“She sounds awful,” Ryker mumbled.
“I didn’t see it at the time, but you’re right, she is. I was a fool—begging her not to leave and to wait for Craig to get home. I wanted her to like me so badly, that I resorted to groveling and making a fool of myself. Nothing helped because she had already made up her mind that she didn’t like me. I believe now that it was the first nail in my marriage’s coffin.”
“Well, that and your ex was an abusive asshole,” Ryker reminded.
“I’m not going to sit here and defend him, but he wasn’t always that way. There were times when he was loving and sweet. But between his mother’s hatred of me and the drinking, he changed—they changed him. I wasn’t sure what I had done wrong, but at the time, I was sure that it was me. God, I was such an idiot, and now, she’s back to cause trouble for me again.”
Michael cleared his throat, “In the state of Tennessee, it’s incredibly hard for grandparents to sue for custody. Your ex-mother-in-law would have to prove that harm is being done to the minor or that you’re neglectful. I think that’s why she’s sited that you work in a biker bar.”
“It’s more of a restaurant than a bar—at least, that’s what we’re trying to make it into,” Ryker said. “That’s why we hired Harlow in the first place. We have a menu and a dining room now. I’ve even hired a few other waitresses.”
“That information will help. I’ll come by to take some pictures and video footage of the bar soon. But keep in mind that Corinne’s lawyer will do the same. You’ll have to make sure that no rowdy parties are going on and if your club does meet in the bar, not to do it during hours of operation. If you need to have a meeting, do it when the bar is closed, and the doors are locked. That way, no one will get incriminating pictures or videos to use against Harlow.”
“We can do that,” Ryker agreed. “What else?”
“Well, you will have to submit to visits from the state too—both at the bar and here in your home. They will want to make sure that Corinne’s claims of neglect and abuse are false, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Your home is lovely, and you seem to have everything in order.”
