Page 17 of Foster

“Sounds good,” he replies, and then disconnects from the Zoom meeting.

Jared does the same and turns to me, holding his hand up for a high five. I slap it hard, grinning at him. “I cannot thank you enough.”

“I didn’t do anything but present the facts. The judge made the right call.”

I start to stand from my chair. “I’ve got to book a flight and get packed.”

Jared puts a hand on my forearm. “Let’s just hold on that until I can talk to her attorney. Also, you need to be prepared that she might appeal as she threatened.”

“She could change her mind and not go to Singapore,” I muse, the thought not settling well. I’d already committed to becoming the full-time custodian for Bowie Jane and my heart is set on her coming to live with me now.

“Even if she does, that doesn’t change the judge’s order. He’s transferred custody so she’s yours now. But things could change if Sandra wants to fight it. Just be aware it could get ugly and costly.”

“I’m not worried about the cost,” I assure him, but a darker thought tightens my gut. “I just don’t want this to be a roller coaster for Bowie Jane. I want her settled. So once she’s with me, I’ll fight to keep her at all costs.”

“What about visitation? We didn’t address that but I’m glad to negotiate something with her attorney.”

“She can visit her anytime she wants, with notice, of course. But not out of the country.”

The attorney scribbles a note. “Got it. Anything else?”

“That’s all I can think of,” I reply, rising as Jared does. We shake hands. “Call me once everything’s settled so I can book a flight.”

He walks me out and once I’m in my car and the Bluetooth connects, I prioritize the two calls I have to make.

First, I call Callum and he answers with, “Please tell me you got custody.”

“I got custody,” I yell with glee.

“That’s fucking awesome, man. I’m really happy for you.”

“My plan is to fly out tonight but I’m not sure about the return trip. I don’t know if Sandra is going to make it difficult, but I’ll let you know when I get there. Regardless, I’m not going to make the two home games this week.”

“I talked to Coach already and it’s good. You weren’t going to get much playing time anyway.”

That’s a good thing to hear, because if they were worried about how I stacked up against some of the others invited to camp, they’d want me out on the ice during those games. I think Callum is telling me on the down low my position is good, but I take nothing for granted. “I’ll be ready to kick ass Friday night in Columbus.”

“If you need to miss that game too, it’s fine,” Callum says. “We have two more preseason games next week. I know you probably have a lot to do to get Bowie Jane settled in.”

“I should be good but I’ll keep that in mind,” I say, leaving myself the out in case things go wrong in any way. I don’t trust Sandra not to try to fuck this up, especially seeing how mad she was over the judge’s ruling. “I’ll call you tomorrow after I have a better idea of my return timing.”

“Sounds good. Congrats again, Foster. I know you’ll be an exponentially happier man having your daughter here.”

“Got that right,” I murmur. “Talk later.”

As soon as the line disconnects, I scroll my very short Favorites list to the bottom where I added Mazzy Archer’s name after she called to accept my offer last night. I figured we’d be talking and texting a lot over the coming months—assuming the custody hearing worked out in my favor—and her number would need to be at the forefront. Hell, I probably should move her to the top, seeing as she’ll be the second-most important person in my life starting tomorrow.

As Bowie Jane’s nanny, she’s far more than a babysitter. She’s going to be protector, nurturer, disciplinarian, chief hugger and teller of bedtime stories, cook, playmate and to some extent, a surrogate mother. Mazzy will be caring for the most precious thing in my life, so she too will be precious to me.

I tap her number and bop along to some pop song I vaguely know on the radio. “Hello,” Mazzy answers almost hesitantly, as if she’s fearing the worst news.

“Looks like you’re officially employed,” I say.

She whoops a cheer. “Oh my God! Congratulations, Foster. That’s wonderful news. I mean, yes, I have a job, but I’m really happy for you.”

“Thanks.” I’m beaming from ear to ear. “I’ll fly to San Francisco hopefully tonight. I’m going to wait a day though before bringing her back. Give Bowie Jane some time with her mom.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Mazzy says.

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