She swallowed hard. “What about them?”
“That’s a very good question. Have you considered that you might be a threat to Autumn and Andrea in your current state? Samantha and Lily were perfectly sane and then they weren’t. It could be happening to you.” Larry opened the folder and revealed the legal documents inside. “I had my attorney draw these up after our call when you told me about what you had been going through.”
She glanced down at the paperwork. “You want full custody of our girls?”
“You and I know it’s for the best for now until you get better. Your grandparents are great with the girls but they can’t be stand-in parents for you and me.”
She looked up at him. “Larry, this can’t be one of your fly-by-night promises.”
He smiled. “It won’t be, baby. I’ve grown up. I know what I want.”
“What do you want?”
“I want to be a dad to our daughters. And if I can’t be your husband again, I want to be your friend. Sign the papers. Let me take you to my buddy at the state hospital and get you checked out fully.”
“I don’t know, Larry. I’m not sure what the right thing to do is.”
“Look at the paragraph where I return custody to you. This is only temporary, Em. Once you’re well and over this speed bump in your life, you can come back to this town and start again. Please. For our girls. Sign the papers.”
She scanned the entire document. What choice do I have? She grabbed a pen.
* * * *
Adam looked at the time on his phone again. It had been only four minutes since Caleb had gotten in touch with the woman in Destiny, but every second felt like an eternity. Patience had never been his strong suit.
Caleb’s cell buzzed. “That’s her. Hi, Jena.”
He and Bane leaned forward, hanging on every word.
“Thanks. I owe you one.” Their boss clicked off the phone. “You were right. It came from North Dakota. The caller was a Mr. Larry Grant.”
* * * *
Emma brought the pen down to the signature line of the custody papers Larry had given her.
Her hand shook. She looked up at her ex.
He was leaning forward in the chair with a slight smile on his face.
Her grandmother’s warning about Larry came flashing back into her mind. “Mark my words, Emma. He’s up to something. I don’t trust him. The one thing I’m glad about you moving to Wilde is, Larry will likely never see Autumn and Andrea again.”
Her grandmother’s instincts had never been wrong before.
What am I doing? I don’t want to sign away custody of my girls.
Bane and Adam had helped quiet the voices. They’d helped her believe in a chance that things were going to be okay. It might not be easy, but she now knew it was possible. Her two amazing men had promised to help her. I will be fine.
She placed the pen back on the desk and pushed the unsigned paperwork away. “Larry, I can’t do this.”
“What do you mean you can’t do this? It’s for the best. It’s your only choice.”
“But you’re wrong, Larry. I do have choices. I’m not sixteen anymore. I’m a grown woman who can make decisions on her own.”
“This is ridiculous.” Larry’s tone turned harsh. “You’re making a big mistake, Emma.”
“You’ve only been coming back around the girls for a few short weeks. You even missed their duet when you knew exactly what time Autumn’s concert was. You can’t keep doing that. You can’t keep being late and making excuses. If you want to be in the girls’ lives, then you have a lot to prove. You are still a stranger to them. There is absolutely no way I could ever turn over custody of my girls to you. I’m their mother. It’s my job to protect them. You must understand that?”
“I understand more than you know.” Larry placed the paperwork neatly back into the folder and tucked it under his arm. “I didn’t want to do this the hard way, but you are leaving me no choice.”