AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Misha knew Gareth was right, but she shared Janessa’s desire to know more about what was going on.
“Do Mom and Dad know what’s happened?” Janessa asked. “I haven’t mentioned anything to them.”
Gareth nodded. “I talked to them yesterday afternoon. They’re concerned, of course, and one or both of them will come home if we feel they should be here.”
“Well, there’s not much sense in them coming home when Jay isn’t even here,” Janessa said. “But maybe once he’s back… depending on his state of mind.”
Misha hoped that the next two weeks flew by, especially if Jay didn’t respond to any of her messages. She just needed to see him again and know that he was okay.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Jay stared across the shiny surface of the large boardroom table to where Amberlyn sat with her lawyer. This was it. The final meeting between them before Peyton was legally his.
The past two weeks had been… intense, and it had just been the beginning. Jay had no delusions that it would be smooth sailing from that point on.
“Jaylen has one more request to make,” his lawyer said.
“I’m not paying child support,” Amberlyn snapped.
“That’s not what I want.”
During their meetings, he’d watched Amberlyn closely. It gave him a sense of gratification to see the toll that the process was taking on her. He still couldn’t begin to understand how she could possibly give up her son, but he was glad to see it wasn’t easy for her. No matter how she projected the image that it was.
“Then what do you want?”
“I want you to stay in contact with Peyton.”
“What?”
“Once a week, I want you to video chat with him.”
“I don’t think that’s a wise idea,” she said. “If my fiancé ever found out, there’d be problems. He thinks it’s better to just cut off contact completely.”
“Explain it to me. I need to understand.” When Amberlyn looked at the lawyers seated at the table with them, Jay addressed the lawyers, “Do you mind giving us the room for a minute?”
The lawyers were slow to move, but eventually it was just him and Amberlyn in the fancy boardroom.
“Okay. Talk to me. I’m taking him regardless, but I need to know what’s going on. You’ve made me a part of wrecking a young boy’s life, and I don’t like that I don’t even understandwhy.”
She frowned as she stared down at her hands. “I’m pregnant.”
“You’re pregnant? But how does that make any difference?”
“My fiancé told me that he’ll support me and the baby, but not Peyton. I can’t support two kids on my own.”
“So go after him for child support,” Jay said. “And I’ll happily pay support for Peyton.”
“I can’t. He said if I do that, he’ll just file for custody and take the baby.”
“So, you’re choosing this baby over Peyton.”
“No. I’m doing my best to take care of both my babies. I can’t take a chance on him taking this baby.”
“So you’re willing to give up one child to keep the other,” Jay said. “Youarechoosing this baby over Peyton. Jim isn’t a good man for making you do that. And he’ll be a bad father if he raises that child to hate Peyton, all because he doesn’t fit into the whitewashed picture Jim wants of his life.”
“Jim isn’t a bad man. He just wants a family that reflects us both, and Peyton isn’t that. He wants this baby. He’ll be a good dad. Just not for Peyton.” Amberlyn’s expression fell for a moment, then it hardened as she lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. “By choosing this option, both of my children will have good lives.”
“I’m pretty sure that Peyton isn’t going to feel like his life with me is a good life for a very long time. Not if you’re completely out of the picture,” Jay said. “I think you should keepin contact with Peyton, even if you don’t see him in person. Your circumstances might change at some point.”
