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“It’s not that easy,” he says, rubbing at the back of his neck.“Once things enter the legal system, they’re never that easy.”
“But Ben can’t keep Chase away from me.”Fear locks around my stomach again, making me feel like I swallowed a cannonball.“He has to bring him back to me Tuesday morning, the way we planned.”
“I don’t know,” he says with another heavy sigh.“We’ll have to see how Aaron’s interview with the police plays out.But I’m guessing, as long as Aaron is in your home, things are going to remain ugly with Ben and Radcliffe.”
“Fucking Radcliffe,” I mutter, rage burning through my blood again, banishing some of the fear.This is good.This is the plan.I’ll stay angry so that the terror won’t be able to drag me under and drown me.“This is all him, Wesley.He’s been scheming to take Chase away from me for weeks, way before Aaron showed up on the scene.”
I explain what Matty heard when he was eavesdropping on Radcliffe, and Wesley looks even more troubled than he did before.“That’s not good,” he says.“That likely means their lawyer has been preparing for something like this for weeks.That gives them the advantage.”
“But Ben wouldn’t do that to me,” I say, still desperately wanting it to be true.“He wouldn’t plot behind my back to take my son away.Not with Radcliffe or anyone else.He may not be in love with me anymore, but he loves me, Wes, and he knows I’m a good mother.Heknowsthat.”
Wesley puts his arm around me, drawing me against his side, but I pull away.
“Sorry.”I shake my head and swipe at the corners of my eyes.“I can’t hug right now, or I’ll cry, and I don’t have time to cry.I have to focus on clearing Aaron’s good name and getting Radcliffe and Ben to back the hell off.”I glance down at where my phone sits in my lap, my jaw clenching as I see Ben still hasn’t read my text messages.He didn’t answer any of my three phone calls, either.“If Ben would just pick up the phone, we could have this settled in five minutes.It’s all just a big misunderstanding.”
“I’m sure his lawyer is advising him not to make contact with you directly,” Wesley says.“Just as I’ll continue to advise you to refrain from messaging or calling him again.You don’t want to give them any evidence to use in their case to prove that you’re unstable or unfit to parent.”
My blood pressure shoots through the roof.“They blew something innocent completely out of proportion and had my friend arrested!I have every right to be a little unstable right now.”
“He wasn’t arrested, he agreed to come in for questioning.”Wes glances toward the front desk, where a cranky-looking woman sits behind the bulletproof glass separating the lobby from the bullpen of desks behind her.“Without a lawyer, which wasn’t his smartest move.He shouldn’t be talking to them without representation.”
“Then go, please,” I beg, clinging to his arm.“Please, please, please Wesley.Just go in there, say you’re his lawyer, and get him out of there without making this worse.Afterwards, if you decide you still don’t feel okay about it, we can find someone else to represent him.But it’s too late to get anyone else now, especially on a Saturday.You’re the only one here and you’re my brother and I need you.”
Wesley holds my gaze for a long beat.“Okay.”I start to thank him profusely, but he cuts me off, “But don’t call or text Ben while I’m in there.Promise me.”
I nibble my lip, but when he tucks his phone into his coat pocket and rises to leave, I jump up and grab his arm.“Yes, yes.I promise.I’ll call Tessa instead.Or Starling.I need to call her to ask her to run by and feed the squirrel anyway.If we’re here much longer, Nutty’s going to get hungry for dinner.”
“Don’t worry about the squirrel, I’ll have you home before dinner.”He rises.“Call Tessa.She’s a good friend.”He adjusts his tie, muttering beneath his breath, “Even if she does have horrible taste in men and shouldn’t go hiking without an emergency whistle.”
I nod.“Okay.Thank you, Wes.Really.Thank you so much.”
He flashes a tight smile.“Thank me when your boyfriend is out of trouble.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I whisper, the words feeling like a lie.I mean, we didn’t decide on official titles, but we did exchange “I love yous,” and what’s more boyfriend-y than that?
But who knows if Aaron will still be feeling the love by the time the police are done interrogating him.
“Right,” Wes says with a wry twist of his lips.“And I’m the King of Transylvania.”
“Transylvania isn’t a country anymore,” I say, to which he winks and points a finger at my face.I wrinkle my nose and wave him toward the door leading back into the bullpen area, not wanting to delay him any further.
Especially when he’s unintentionally given me hot gossip to keep my mind off my seething rage.
Whipping open my chat with Tessa, I shoot her a text—So when were you going to tell me that you had a one-night stand with my brother?
Chapter 26
From the texts of Tessa Martin
and Melissa McGuire
TESSA: What are you talking about?I would never!Barrett and Wren are the most darling couple ever.I would never try to come between them.
MELISSA: Good try, but I’m not talking about Barrett, and you know it.
TESSA: Barrett is the only brother of yours who is close to my age, Mel.I don’t know what you think you know, but you don’t know it.And sadly, I can’t chat right now.I’m in the middle of re-watching How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.I want to be prepared to charm a man with my refreshingly off-beat weirdness the next time I’m lucky enough to meet one who isn’t a walking red flag.
MELISSA: No, you have to text with me.I’m at the police station and need emotional support.
