“What? What is it? You can ask me anything, and I’ll be straightforward with you,” I said honestly. “If you decide to help me with this, I think it’s important that we are always honest with each other about everything.”
“I heard a rumor that there were allegations of abuse in your relationship with Sarah,” she said, just blurting it out in a whisper. “Jake is very important to me, and if I decided to do this, it would be one hundred percent for him, not me. I would not do anything to put Jake in danger, and if there is a history of abuse, I want to know.”
I watched her as she spoke, looking at me and then back down at her coffee. She was definitely upfront and honest, and there was a good reason for her to ask that question. Sarah had put it in everyone’s minds that I mentally abused her, so it didn’t shock me that Quinn had that concern. In fact, it made me even more certain about the fact that she was the girl for the job since she was already thinking about Jake’s wellbeing.
“I appreciate the fact that you put Jake first,” I said, with a sigh. “It is something that even I have faltered on over the last couple of years, and it’s definitely not something that his mother does. I can assure you that those allegations were fabrications created by Sarah during our divorce proceedings. Before that, she never uttered a word about abuse, and I have to be honest, I didn’t fight them very hard because I just wanted to be divorced and I thought it was a ploy to extort even more money out of me with alimony. She was always thinking about the money, even before we decided to get divorced, and nothing surprised me about her when it came to fighting dirty. I sat back and let it play out, knowing I had already offered the judge a very hefty alimony and child support proposal, and knew that it wouldn’t be raised no matter what she said. Then it happened: she sprung full custody on me at the last second and hit me out of nowhere. By then, though it was too late, the damage had been done, and everyone thought I was an abuser, so I lost physical custody of my son.”
She looked at me pensively, trying to figure out if I was really telling the truth or not. I understood her apprehension completely, but the last thing I wanted to do was hurt anyone. I never mentally or physically abused Sarah, and actually, the opposite turned out to be true since she took Jake from me. She had been nasty, rude, and vicious, smearing my name all over town and at one point, trying to get me fired from my job. She stopped that as soon as she realized that if I didn’t have money coming in, neither did she. Instead, she just flaunted Jake in front of me, not letting me close enough to touch him, but reminding me I had a reason to keep paying her support every month. It was exhausting, and though I was a tough man, there were days that I completely broke down, wanting to be near Jake, to hear his little voice, and ruffle his wild hair. No one gave fathers enough credit; I missed my child so much that it tore me apart, but I learned to live with it, hoping one day I would get this chance to go back to court and take him back.
“I know it’s difficult for you to believe, just by my word,” I said, reaching out and touching her hands. “But if you will agree to this, you will see the whole truth when we go to court. You will see Sarah lie and bullshit, sputtering on the stand about things that never happened. You will see the judge sit uncomfortably, not wanting to make the choice to put Jake in the hands of an abuser, but not really believing Sarah’s terrible acting skills at all. Please, I need your help. Help me get Jake back so that at least half the time he can live a healthy life filled with love.”
She shifted in her seat, staring down at my hands on hers. I was shocked at how good it felt for my skin to touch hers. Her expression had softened, but I knew that she was taking her time, thinking about everything I had just said to her. I was glad she was doing that, it showed that she thought things through and didn’t just jump into something because it seemed exciting. She was fair, weighing all the information beforehand, trying to decide whose best interest she wanted to go with. I could tell she wanted to be selfish, to get up and walk out, but I also could tell there wasn’t a selfish bone in her body.
My entire court case hinged on whether or not she would agree to be my replacement wife, to go to court and help me fight for Jake. I knew she had a lot to lose if everything didn’t go right, but I had even more at stake, and so did Jake. The question sat on the tip of my tongue, waiting for a response. Would she help me get Jake back, and put Sarah in her place once and for all?
Chapter Twelve
Quinn
Wow, what a proposition to drop on someone at a diner in the middle of the night. I was trying to run things through my mind as best as I could. This man wanted me to pretend to be his fiancée and go into a court of law and lie to the judge, all to show that he was a competent enough man to father his son. Part of me felt like the lie proved the inability, but then I remembered that Jake had been torn from him, under the allegedly false assertion that he abused Sarah during their marriage. I guessed that at this point, he would do anything to get his son back. This was a difficult decision, and I was completely torn.
What he was asking of me was a lot. Much more than anyone had ever asked for. I did have major sympathy for Luke in this situation, and I loved little Jake with all my heart, but I wasn’t sure if I had the strength to go through that kind of ordeal. What he was describing would take determination and put me in a position to influence the parenting fate of a little boy. Hell, just asking me to do it already put me in that position, and I was having a hard time deciding what was best. It was all terribly confusing, though in my heart I believed Luke when he said he had never abused Sarah. Just hearing those words was enough to make your brain put up red flags. I was nervous, and the way he was looking at me was making it that much harder. I needed more time, though it was obvious I didn’t have that luxury.
My head was swimming with thoughts, wondering what it would be like to stand in front of a court of law and fight for a child’s right to see his father. It was all very romantic in thought, me being the hero of Luke and Jake’s story, but what if I was wrong? What if being in Luke’s life wasn’t the right decision for Jake and I just didn’t know the whole background on everything? Maybe it would be best to walk away from it all, leave him to fight his own battles. I wanted to say yes, but my sensibility was stopping me.
“I’m sorry, Luke,” I said, shaking my head. “Maybe you just need—”
“Please,” Luke said, clearly desperate now, with tears glistening in his eyes. “You are my last hope for this to work. You are my last hope, my only chance to have my son in my arms, and to assure he is safe and cared for, at least when he is with me. Please, Quinn. Do it for Jake, not for me.”
I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes, touched by his ability to let down his guard. I couldn’t imagine that a man like Luke did that very often. Jake was the most amazing little boy, and every minute I got to spend with him was a gift. In this circumstance, I would get to be with him and not have to worry about Sarah’s rules. I would be able to protect him through this whole ordeal that I knew was going to happen, whether I said yes or not. And then there was Luke, staring across the table at me with his tear-soaked eyes, desperate to do anything he could to get his little boy back. I was curious to know what it would be like to spend that much time with Luke, because so far, I actually enjoyed being around him.
I had always prided myself on being someone that stood up for what was right. I felt strongly about being a moral compass, someone who would do just about anything to see that what should be done was done. Could I really allow myself to be the person that stood between a father and his son? Could I go to sleep every night knowing that I didn’t do everything I could to make sure they were snug in their beds, right down the hall from each other? I had been married to a man who took that for granted and now, sitting in a booth in front of me, was a man who wanted to do anything he could to make sure that he was reunited with his son.
Jake was struggling every day, I could see it in his eyes. He was sad from the time he woke up in the morning until the time he went to bed. He didn’t understand why things had changed so drastically in his life, and he wanted to be around his father. Sarah wasn’t doing anything to help him, either, keeping her distance and letting me comfort him. He was still
a baby, and what he really needed were his parents, but Sarah was too concerned with payback, not realizing she was hurting her child in the process. It was an extremely sad situation, and I knew without a doubt—especially after seeing Luke with Jake on the swings—that he could help Jake come out of his shell.
Maybe seeing his father regularly would help him not be so sad. Maybe it would increase his self-esteem and put a smile on his face every day instead of a frown. If I did this, and things went the way that Luke said, I really didn’t think it would be that hard. Then, once everything was straightened out, and Jake was back with his father, I could rest easy knowing I did a really good thing for two people who were being hurt by the actions of one. I may not have a child to lead and guide, but I could take that energy and put it into Luke and Jake, almost as a tribute to my beautiful little boy.
“Here is the deal,” I said, taking a deep breath and pulling my hands back. “I’ll do it, on one condition.”
“What? Anything, you name it,” he said, excitedly.
“I’ll help you get your son back,” I replied. “But if for one second, I feel like you are considering abusing either one of us, the deal is off, and I will immediately call the authorities. This is for Jake, not for you, and if I’m going to help him get back to his father, I am also going to make sure that he is safe every second of every day that I can. Do you understand that?”
“Yes,” he said, taking in a deep breath. “Loud and clear, and I would expect nothing less from you. There has never been any abuse, and there never will be. I value people too much to ever hurt someone like that. I promise I will not disappoint you. You are going to see everything really soon, and you’ll know without a doubt that making this decision was the right thing to do.”
“I hope so,” I said, drinking my coffee. “I don’t want to regret this decision. If it goes down in a way that is unsafe for Jake, you know I’ll go straight to the judge and tell them everything. I won’t let that little boy get hurt any more than he already has been.”
“Understood,” he replied, grabbing the check. “This is all for Jake; you have my word on that. You won’t have anything to worry about.”
I watched as he paid the bill and tipped the waitress really well. He stood up and grabbed his jacket, reaching down and helping me up from my chair. I put on my coat and followed him out of the diner. He was like a different man than the one who had knocked on Sarah’s door just a few hours before. He was alive and excited, and that excitement was spreading over to me. I could feel pleasure in my chest, knowing I was doing the best thing I could do. It didn’t hurt that I found him extremely handsome and very charming, and honestly, the idea of spending days upon days near him was a bit more exciting than it should have been.
As we approached my car, Luke stopped and turned to me, smiling big. He grabbed my wrists and pulled me into him, wrapping his arms around me and hugging me tightly. I could feel his whole body envelope me, and I didn’t fight it.
“Thank you so much,” he laughed. “I will probably not be able to stop thanking you for a really long time.”
“Well, let’s make sure this makes a difference before you start thanking me.” I smiled.