He scowled. “It wasn’t like that. I’d have fought her then if she tried to take Maisie. I love my life. I love being Maisie’s father. I’d choose it over anything and anyone. So no, I wasn’t left with her. I didn’t get her by default.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to suggest that. I can see you take fatherhood very seriously.”
The social worker spoke to us a little longer and then asked to see Maisie, who’d gone next door to play beauty shop with Corrine and Allison. Maisie was her usual friendly, curious self with the social worker. She presented as a well-adjusted, happy child, which had to bode well for Dylan. I didn’t want her to be unhappy with Veronica, but I did hope that Maisie’s level of ease and comfort with Dylan was more obvious than with her.
Later, when Maisie was in bed, Dylan went to his home office. I’d have liked to discuss the day with him, but since he didn’t seem to want to talk, I read a little bit and then went to bed.
When he came to bed, he rolled to his side and set his hand on my hip. “Tessa?”
“Hmm?” I turned my head back to look at him.
“Are you not planning to go to school in the fall?”
I shook my head. “I think until this is resolved, I should stay home. It will give you bonus points, especially if Veronica plans to work some.” I didn’t know if that was true. I wasn’t sure if judges held work against mothers these days.
He watched me for a moment. “I hate for you to lose time.”
“It’s fine. I don’t mind.” The truth was, I couldn’t imagine getting my brain to work academically with all this going on. When I agreed to help, I figured things would go along as usual, and for the most part they had. I watched Maisie while Dylan worked, and hung out with them after dinner. But the custody battle had a level of tension hanging over the house that was starting to tire me out, mentally and physically.
“Well, I’ve just hired a private investigator and maybe he’ll find something that will resolve this sooner rather than later.”
“Investigator?” I rolled over to look at him. “For what?”
“I want dirt on Veronica.”
That didn’t sound like the Dylan I knew. “That seems a little underhanded.”
His eyes turned fierce. “I’ve never hid the fact that I’d do anything to keep Maisie. Besides, there’s something about this that doesn’t feel right. Why go for sole custody after being gone for years? Why not ask for joint?”
He was right about that, but still. “What if he finds something?”
“Then I’ll use it.”
“What if Veronica and Leo hire someone to check on you?”
“Let ‘em. I have nothing to hide,” he said with confidence. I wondered if that was true. Not that I thought Dylan had a skeleton in his closet, but it was amazingly easy to take some seemingly benign thing and turn it into something malignant. Or maybe they’d figure out our marriage was fake.
“How about, you married your babysitter to get custody?”
He shrugged. “We’ve explained that.”
I was sure that if anyone dug deep enough, they’d find holes in our story. Like how no one in our lives knew we were dating or how neither of us announced our engagement when it was supposed to have happened.
“What about Maisie?” I asked.
He let out an annoyed sigh. “What about her?”
“Do you want to risk her hearing about dirt on her mother? Whether you like it or not, Veronica is Maisie’s mother. Maisie could be hurt—”
“If Maisie is hurt, it’s on Veronica.”
I could see there was no talking to him.
There was no reason to try. He’d been clear about my role. About my place. I turned to go to sleep.
“Tessa.” He scooted closer, spooning me. Instinct had me settling against him even as my brain told me to keep my distance.
“Hmm?” I stayed where I was.