But when he righted himself and shook out his limbs, he still felt like he was facing a firing squad. And that only made him feel like a bigger loser, because what kind of person wouldn’t want Belle in their life? She was adorable and lovable and well-behaved. She sure as shit didn’t deserve to have both her parents abandon her.
He forced his feet forward. Forced his hand to turn the knob and push the door open. He cleared his throat and paused at the receptionist’s desk. “Hi, I’m—”
“Wyatt Jackson,” she said with a wide smile. “My entire family loves your music.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Have a seat. Mr. Larkin will be right with you.”
Wyatt turned and paced instead of taking a seat. “Get your shit together, Jackson,” he murmured to himself. “Positive thoughts. It’s all going to work out.”
The inner office door opened, and a middle-aged man stood in the doorway, smiling. He was slight, maybe five-foot-eight and one hundred thirty pounds, with a three-piece suit and a bow tie. His hair was salt-and-pepper gray, but his face was smooth.
“Mr. Jackson, I’m Larry Larkin. Please, come in.”
Wyatt followed Mr. Larkin down a hall and into an office where one wall of windows invited a sunny view of downtown.
Mr. Larkin rounded his desk and sat.
Wyatt pulled the document from his back pocket and unfolded it. “I’m at a complete loss here.” He laid the document on Larkin’s desk. “I have no idea what’s going on or how it even happened. I’m sure as hell hoping you’re going to tell me that Francie just needed a break and that she has plans to come back soon. Because, honestly, my parents are two elderly to care for Belle, and I’m on the road three hundred days a year. We aren’t equipped to raise a five-year-old.”
Mr. Larkin leaned forward and rested his forearms on his desk. “I understand. I knew this would be a hardship on your family, and I discussed it at length with Francie. But she had her heart set on this. Nothing I could say or do changed that.”
A storm raged inside Wyatt. A combination of fury toward Francie and heartbreak for Belle. And, yeah, terror. The terror of being responsible for this tiny human he didn’t begin to understand. This situation was utterly unthinkable.
“I don’t…” he started, unable to find the words he needed without swearing. “What happened? My parents didn’t know anything about this. If they did, they sure as hell wouldn’t have depended on me to take care of a five-year-old. And Francie certainly didn’t indicate there was anything so wrong in her life that she was considering abandoning her daughter. Belle lost her father not that long ago. To have her mother just leave…”
Wyatt rubbed sweat off his forehead. “Look, I’ve been up all night worried sick about her. I didn’t find the note until this morning. And now you’re telling me Francie ran away because, what? Being the mother to an utterly enchanting, well-behaved, adorable little angel was just too hard?” He took a breath and tempered his tone. “There’s got to be some kind of support or arrangement we can come to so that Belle can stay with her mother.”
Mr. Larkin was patient and attentive, his smooth forehead wrinkled with distress. “I’m sorry to tell you that’s not the case here. Francie’s returned to Colombia to live with her family.”
“What?”
Colombia? Had Wyatt even known she was from Colombia? He only remembered references to South America. This just kept getting worse. He pushed from the chair and paced to the window, then turned to face the attorney again.
“I don’t understand. Is she… I mean, she’s coming back, right? I understand wanting to be with your family, but why didn’t she take Belle? Not that I’d want her to take Belle, it would kill my parents, and I’d miss her, but a little girl needs her mom, doesn’t she?”
He was rambling. He was frantic. This was too much. Way too much. Unfathomable.
“Francie was adamant that she didn’t want Belle raised in Colombia. The area where her family lives isn’t safe, especially not for children. She wants the best for Belle, and she knows exactly how perfect Belle’s life is in the States with your family. She also knows how important it was to Brody that you were in Belle’s life. She said Belle adores you and that you have the money to give Belle everything she deserves. I can see both sides of this. There really is no perfect situation for either party.”
No perfect situation? That was the understatement of the century.
“I’m not sure if you’re aware,” Larkin said, “but Francie has struggled with depression for a long time. It started after she had Belle with postpartum depression. She said that even after being treated by a number of physicians, it never really got better. Raising Belle on her own was extremely d
ifficult for her, and Brody’s suicide was really the straw that made her snap. She knew she wasn’t being a good mom, and she wanted better for Belle.”
Wyatt’s mind spun backward, to the call from his father telling him Brody had killed himself. He’d just finished a concert and was riding high. The news had tipped Wyatt’s world on its axis and dropped him to his knees.
Wyatt had always thought of himself as a good guy. A guy who did right by the people who meant the most to him. But this was the second time he’d missed major warning signs with the people he loved. What the fuck was wrong with him?
He rubbed his face with both hands, pressed one palm to the back of the chair in front of Larkin’s desk, and met the attorney’s gaze, feeling the weight of a boulder on his shoulders again. “What if she comes back? She could change her mind, right?”
“That’s always a possibility.” Larkin didn’t sound like he believed his own words. “But I’m quite confident she won’t.”
“Based on what?”
“Based on twenty-six years practicing family law.”