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He started pacing in front of me. “Ryan’s going through a lot of shit right now. He’s needs us more than ever.”
“I want to be there for him. Why haven’t you ever been serious with anyone?”
He stopped pacing to face me. “You’re turning things around.”
“I’m just curious. You’ve always been there for me, and maybe I feel badly I haven’t done the same for you.”
“Same reason I suspect you’re running scared. I find it hard to believe that people will stick around.”
“It won’t be the same,” I said, even though I didn’t quite believe it.
“Ryan’s a good guy. Give him a chance.”
“Yeah, okay.” I hoped for clarity, but I didn’t get it. Instead, I was more confused than ever. A part of me wanted to run. The other longed to stay. One option felt safe, but the other filled me with hope.
I couldn’t quite shake the bad feeling that Ryan wouldn’t include me in his plans.
ChapterTwenty-Five
RYAN
Nothing could have prepared me for Tiffany’s emergency motion for custody. The things written in the motion itself were enough to send me into a downward spiral. It wasn’t in Corey’s best interest to reside with me. It outlined everything bad that happened since he’d come to live with me.
I replayed the assertions in my head while standing outside the courthouse. A judge would never choose me over Tiffany.
“If you give off this energy in court, you don’t stand a chance,” Avery said.
I shifted on my feet, watching others walk by. “How do you know what I’m thinking?”
Avery gestured at me. “Your shoulders are slumped, and your expression is bleak. Your negativity is radiating off you in waves. What do you need to do to knock out this mood?”
Hailey.I needed Hailey. I hadn’t seen her all week, and it was my fault. I’d pushed her away.
It wasn’t her fight, but I sure as hell wanted—no,neededher here.
“Ryan?” The voice wavered.
I looked down at Hailey. “What are you doing here?”
I looked around to see if she was with anyone else, but she was alone.
She offered me a small smile as she looked at me with uncertainty in her eyes. “I thought you could use the moral support.”
I nodded. “I need you.”
Something flashed in her eyes so quickly, it was gone before I could settle on the emotion. “I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”
“Thank God you’re here. I need you to pull him out of this funk. He needs to feel confident to convince the judge Tiffany’s assertions are off base,” Avery said.
Hailey pulled me to the side and took a deep breath before she said, “Hey, you’ve got this. Corey loves living with you. He loves you. You’re an amazing father. You have his best interests at heart.”
“He has that juvenile hearing next week.” Standing next to the courthouse where a judge would decide where my son lived was overwhelming. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea that I was placing my son’s future in a stranger’s hands. My parents didn’t believe in me; why would the judge?
“You’re going to convince that judge that it was a one-time thing—one bad decision—a knee-jerk reaction to moving from his mother’s home to yours. He’s where he needs to be.”
Hailey’s words seeped through the negative thoughts in my head, but there was still this lingering guilt. “I don’t want to take him from his mother.”
“Of course not. If she moved here—”
