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“I will set something up with her and we can go over it. Is her contact info on the documents?”
“It is yes, and I can text you her phone number as well.” After I dropped this bombshell on her.
“Perfect. I will send over one of the associates this morning to pick up all of the paperwork, and I’ll get in touch to set up meeting times.”
“Sounds great Alvin. I really appreciate it.”
We ended the call, and I had no choice but to get up and get dressed for the day. As badly as I wanted to spend the day nursing this headache, I actually had work to do. I made quick work of getting ready before I headed downstairs. I heard breakfast being made in the kitchen, assuming all of the noise was anything to go by.
Walking into the kitchen, I saw both boys sitting at the table already eating. Jasmine was standing up with a plate in her hand and her phone in the other as she leaned against the counter. I knew I needed to tell her about Alvin, and I had to do it before I handed over her papers to him. I grabbed a mug and started to get some coffee as she spoke.
“Morning Sunshine.”
I looked over at her and saw the smirk on her face. She knew exactly how I was feeling.
“Morning. Any plans for today?”
“I don’t know yet. I have to find a lawyer, but outside of that I figured I would see what the boys wanted to do.” She answered with a small one shoulder shrug.
And that would be the perfect segway into my news.
“I found you a lawyer. He’s my lawyer that I am currently using for the custody battle. I also used him for the divorce. Alvin McCormick, he’s a great lawyer and can take your case.”
“Oh, um … thank-you, I appreciate that. I’ll set a meeting with him and see what he charges.” I could tell she was worried about costs, and I was hoping this next part would go over well.
“You don’t need to worry about that. I already told him I would cover the costs.”
Despite it being good news, I found myself feeling nervous and anxious at how she would react. Typically, when someone offered to pay for something expensive for you, they say thank you and accept it. However, Jasmine was anything but typical. She was a strong woman, and I knew she was independent. She wasn’t going to be too comfortable with something like this.
“What?” she was shocked, and she turned to look at me. I could see the upset in her eyes. I really should have spoken to her about this before doing it, but the result would have been the same. I wasn’t going to let this one go.
“I’ve already told him that I would cover all costs. He’s going to take your case. He’s having someone coming by the office to pick up all of the paperwork. He’s the best family lawyer on the East Coast.”
“You are not paying for my legal fees,” she instantly said with an edge to her voice, and I knew I would need to handle this very carefully.
“I know what this looks like,” I began, but she cut me off.
“Do you? Because it really doesn’t seem like it.”
“Did I overstep? Yes. But it wasn’t because I thought you needed me to bail you out. Or that you weren’t capable of handling this. I don't know Adam, but I know his father, and I know what he is capable of doing. It’s not going to be a typical custody battle. He will blackmail the judge if he suspects that his son is losing. Based on what you’ve said about Adam, he’s not the type of man you want raising a child. Jeremy will bounce around from one nanny to the next, and he won’t see his father for weeks. No child deserves that.”
Clearly, I wasn’t against someone having a nanny. They were better than a string of babysitters coming and going. However, I was also a firm believer that you raise the children you created. Having a nanny allowed me to work and made it so Christian didn’t have to be stuck in daycare. He got to have the comfort of his own home with one-on-one attention. Or in our case two-on-one. It was better for him. But that didn’t mean I was going to disappear for days and not even speak to him.
“I don’t need anyone, especially a man, to pay my way,” she stressed every single word, and I knew she would have heard plenty of times from Francis, most likely, that she did need that.
“I know you don't. This isn’t me stepping in and being a stereotypical man. It’s a brother in arms type of deal. You need the best lawyer, one that won’t allow Adam or Henry to try any shady shit. Let me help you with this. Let me help Jeremy. It’s pocket change to me.”
She wasn’t happy. I could clearly see it all across her face. This wasn’t easy for her to accept. It was a lot of money to her, and that was always difficult to accept. But it was more than the financial aspect. This was her son’s life. She barely knew me, and I was asking her to trust me with helping her with it. She needed some time to get her mind to process it.
“Look, how about this. Let Alvin look at your paperwork, and if you decide to go with another lawyer, then there’s no harm done,” I offered.
“Fine,” she caved, but she wasn’t happy about it. For now, it was all that I could ask for, and hopefully she would agree to allow me to help her with this.
Jasmine
Iwasfinishingupthe dishes, but my mind couldn’t seem to focus on anything but Liam’s offer. I had washed the same plate three times now, and I knew I needed to get my head back down to reality. I was very uncomfortable with the idea of Liam paying for my legal fees. I was more than capable of paying for my own expenses. It might not allow me to have the best lawyer, but it would be a lawyer that I could pay for. There was an accomplishment within that.
More than anything though, I couldn’t allow Liam to pay for my custody battle when it was his son I was fighting for. The guilt was eating away at me, and the closer we got, the worse it got. One of my biggest concerns about having the same lawyer as Liam was what his lawyer might tell him. I knew there would be a confidentiality agreement in place; however, I also knew that there could be loopholes, and if Alvin was also Liam’s lawyer and he was paying the bill, he might feel inclined to inform him that Jeremy was his son.
