Brooke’s mouth felt dry. “But they weren’t the wrong choices, because they led me here. They gave me Nick. And look.” She gestured at
the buildings behind her. “I’m still in school. I’m still achieving what you wanted me to.”
“But what about this boy? Ever since he came back you’ve changed. You won’t listen to us, you shout at us. It’s all his fault, isn’t it?”
“Aiden isn’t a boy.” And wasn’t that the truth.
“Whatever you want to call him, he’s a bad influence. He was then, and he is now. You’re throwing everything away, Brooke, and it’s his fault. He should never have come back here. You would never have talked to Daddy and me the way you did if it wasn’t for him.”
“This has got nothing to do with Aiden. It’s about me. My need to live my own life. And yes, he might have been a catalyst for this, but I would have gotten here on my own. You stifle me. You tell me I’m not able to make decisions without you, but you’re wrong. I’m an adult. Why can’t you let me be one?”
She couldn’t look at her mom. She couldn’t. Because if she did, she knew she’d see the hurt there, and she’d fold. She’d feel guilty and apologize, and she couldn’t bear to do that.
Couldn’t bear to let herself be dragged back to the life they wanted her to live. Couldn’t bear to give up this future she’d created for herself.
“I’m late to pick up Nick. I need to go. Goodbye, Mom.”
* * *
“I’ve had all of the paperwork you requested drawn up.” Mark Johnson, Aiden’s lawyer, pushed a buff envelope thick with paper over to him. “This is your copy. I want you to read through and let me know if you have any questions. You told me the father is absent, and the mother has primary custody, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“And have you talked this over with her? You say you want the child to benefit from the trust at the age of eighteen. Is she happy with that?”
Aiden glanced at the envelope in front of him. “I haven’t discussed it with her.”
Mark raised an eyebrow. “Is there a reason for that?”
“She doesn’t like the thought of me helping her. Said she wants to stand on her own two feet. But if something happens to me, I want to know they’re both taken care of.”
“And that’s where your will comes in. The draft of that is in the envelope as well.”
Aiden nodded. “Thank you. And what about the other matter?”
“Your brother?” Mark pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and pulled a green cardboard file folder toward him. The man preferred paper to virtual documents. “As requested, we engaged the services of a private investigator. From what he’s ascertained, your brother is still in Clapman Prison. They’re considering him for parole next month. Though we have no idea whether it will be granted or not, but all indicators show he’s kept his nose clean while he’s been incarcerated.”
“So there’ll be no reason to deny him?” Aiden’s chest felt tight. Apart from seeing him at their mom’s funeral, he hadn’t heard from Jamie in years. Hadn’t wanted to. There was nothing between them except DNA, and he preferred to keep it that way.
“Did you look into his rights as a father?” Aiden asked. Mark cleared his throat, looking through the piles of paper on his desk. “The first thing I did was check the birth certificate. There’s no father listed. But all he’ll need is a simple DNA test to assert his rights.”
Aiden felt his blood run cold. “And what exactly are those rights?”
“As a father, he has the right to petition the court for custody. Whether it’s every other weekend, joint, or full. He also has the right to make decisions on medical treatment, welfare, and educational matters.”
Aiden shook his head. “You can’t be serious. We’re talking about an eight year old kid who’s never laid eyes on this man. You’re saying my brother has rights even if he’s never bothered to meet him? Even if he’s been in jail for years?” He couldn’t believe that was true. There had to be a mistake.
“He could argue that the exact reason he hasn’t seen the child was because he was incarcerated,” Mark pointed out. “Courts in California look at what’s in the best interests of the child, and usually that best interest includes having both parents in their lives.”
“Even if one parent is a drug dealer and a felon?”
Mark shrugged. “They’ll take that into account, but they’ll also take into account the fact he’s paid for his crime and has been rehabilitated into society. Just because you’re a criminal doesn’t mean you’re a bad parent. I’m sorry, Aiden, but that’s the law.”
The thought of Nick having to spend time with Jamie made Aiden want to hit something. The last time he’d seen his brother before he was arrested, he’d come around begging for money. When Aiden had refused, Jamie had come back later, and begged their mother for help instead. When she’d told him she had nothing to give him, he’d ransacked the house like a madman, stealing her jewelry and phone. Everything he could find.
And the courts might give a man like that access to Nick? It made him want to vomit.
“So what can I do to stop him?” Aiden asked.