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“It sounds like there’s a lot to unpack here.” Tish stepped forward. “First, we’re going to have to figure out what to do with Nick.”
Charlotte held onto him tighter. “What is there to figure out? Eli has the paperwork. I get to keep him.”
Grant strode forward another couple of steps. “Over my dead body.”
Tish and Bella both hurried forward.
Bella stepped in front of Grant, her voice low. “This isn’t the way to do this. If that document is what Charlotte says it is, you can’t just take him. We have to sort this out.”
Betrayal burned in his gaze. “You would take my son from me? That’s what this has been about all along, hasn’t it? You were there when Charlotte was told about her daughter, and now you’re on her side.”
His words cut deep. “I’m not on anyone’s side.”
“Well, you should have been on my side. On Nick’s side. He needs his father.” Grant’s voice broke. “He needs me, Bella.”
“I know,” she said. “Tish isn’t going to let Nick be influenced by either party. That would be detrimental to everyone. We’ll take him, keep him safe, and assess how he’s feeling.”
“She’s already turning him against me,” he said bitterly. “I can feel it.”
All Bella wanted to do was pull him in for a hug, to tell him that this would be sorted out as soon as possible and Nick would be in his care once more. But she couldn’t give him that. She couldn’t even touch him to offer comfort.
“Why didn’t you tell me that the custody wasn’t in place?”
His glare sharpened. “If you’d known that first day, do you think you would have let me leave with him? He was in my care. You thought he was in danger. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t have called Charlotte to confirm that Nick was allowed to be with me.”
She looked away.
“You’re no better than she is. No one here has cared one lick about me since I arrived. Not Eli, not the guys—” He cut himself off, but she knew where he was going. He was going to say she hadn’t cared, either. And maybe he was right. She would have put the law before him.
“Deputy Whitfield? Are you ready?”
Bella glanced over to Tish, who had removed Nick from Charlotte’s clutches. This all felt wrong. She’d joined the force to protect people, not to harm them. She should be standing next to Grant, bolstering him and providing proof that he was a good father. But instead, she’d had to side with a piece of paper.
She felt sick to her stomach. This wasn’t what she’d thought her life would be.
Bella gave Grant one more fleeting look, but he refused to meet her eyes. His focus remained on the ground as the muscles in his neck continued to bulge with fury. His hands hadn’t relaxed from the fists he’d put them in. What could she say that she hadn’t already? She couldn’t tell him that she cared about him and that she’d be there for him. She was literally taking his son from his care.
But she was also taking Nick from the manipulative woman who wanted to break up his family. Maybe she knew to a small degree what Nick felt like in this moment, being torn in two directions by warring ideals. Only Nick had to choose one family over another.
Bella placed a hand on Nick’s shoulder. “You ready to go?” she asked.
Nick glanced at his father over his shoulder. “Can I give my dad a hug?”
Bella and Tish exchanged looks. Tish shook her head just enough for Bella to notice, but she didn’t care. Grant wouldn’t do anything with everyone watching.
“Sure, kiddo. Make it quick.”
Nick darted away from them and flung himself into his father’s arms. Bella fought tears, watching the two of them cling to each other long enough for Charlotte to start complaining. Then Grant pulled away and said something to Nick before urging him to return to Bella’s side.
Her eyes locked with Grant’s one more time. Then he spun around and charged away toward his truck.
Nick took Bella’s hand, bringing her back to the present. She offered him a sad smile as the three of them headed back to Tish’s car.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
There was one good thing about living in such a small town—the courthouse had more availability than those in the city. Grant had expected to wait months for this issue to be resolved, but in the end, someone had pulled some strings to get it before a judge sooner.
It might have been due to both parties being ready for the hearing, or it might have simply been that a spot opened up, but Grant had only needed to wait until the end of the week.
