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“I did.”
She tipped her head to the side. “So, you must have been worried.”
“I was.” But I couldn’t ignore the implications of what officially filing for custody would do to Melanie. It could bring her back, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to give up my time with Kendall. I wanted Kendall to have her mother, too, but wasn’t I owed some time to reconnect with her, to build the relationship I’d missed out on for so long?
I ran a hand through my hair. I hated this.
Avery tapped her pen on the pad of paper. “You have time to think about it.”
“Until she comes back.”
“And you don’t have any idea when that might be?”
“She said she wanted to travel. She didn’t give me any details.”
“Is she talking to Kendall? Maybe she has more information,” Avery pressed.
I didn’t like to get involved in their relationship. They’d been a unit for years. I was positive they talked on the phone, at least by text, but I hated the idea of pumping Kendall for information.
“The fact is that you have the same rights to pull Kendall out of school and to move her out of state. There’s nothing stopping either of you from doing that.”
“Even if it’s disruptive?” Kendall started school soon. I wanted her to have stability.
“Even then.”
Then a worse thought came to me, one that had me resting a palm over my racing heart. “Could she keep her from me?”
“She could disappear with Kendall. I’m not saying that would happen, but it’s a possibility. It’s why I’m suggesting you file for custody.”
I couldn’t breathe, much less respond. I couldn’t imagine Melanie taking her from me. Not being able to see her every day. It was the worst imaginable pain I’d ever felt in my chest.
“You could file an emergency motion for custody, but only if you could find them.”
There was a roaring in my ears, drowning everything out.
“I’m not trying to scare you.”
But she was, and it felt like I didn’t have a choice. When it came to Kendall, I had to do what was best for her, for us. She didn’t deserve her parents uprooting her at every turn. It was bad enough I’d moved her here from everything she knew. I wouldn’t allow Melanie to do it again.
I took a steadying breath. “I think we need to file for custody.”
“You don’t want to take some time to think about it?”
“I don’t want Melanie taking her.” That’s all I could think about. Me alone in that house and Kendall gone. The thought was crushing.
“I can get started on the paperwork, but these things take time. We’ll need to serve Melanie with the papers. The court will schedule mediation, a settlement conference, and then a trial.”
It sounded official. Dread filled my stomach because I never wanted it to come to this.
“Hey,” Avery said, her voice soothing. “There’s always the possibility that she’ll agree to put your current situation in writing. Not every custody situation is antagonistic.”
“But most are.”
“It seems to bring out the worst in people. For some, it’s avoiding paying child support, for others, the children become a pawn.”
I hated that it had come to this, but Kendall was fitting in here, and I was, too. It wasn’t just abandoning my hometown that was worrisome; I wasn’t ready to leave Sophie. This time, I wanted us to have the space to explore what was happening between us. But it almost seemed like life was determined to get in the way of our relationship.
Was it possible to have Sophie and the life I wanted with Kendall? Or were our paths destined to take us other places, far away from each other?
