Page 50 of Finding You

It was cute, and he probably would have been all over it if it wasn’t for his knee-trembling panic at being told he had no chance of winning against his ex.

“Alright,” Adele said after twenty minutes of weird silence. “Spill.”

Dallas rubbed his hands over his face. “I meet with the lawyer tomorrow. I feel like I’m going to fuck it up somehow.” He picked at his thumbnail. “Anyone else free to go with me just to make sure I cover all my bases?”

The looks of regret on all their faces had his heart sinking to his feet.

“I’m so sorry, babes. I have work,” Frey said.

“Massive wedding job,” Lane added.

Adele shrugged. “Tomorrow starts my twenty-four, and Gage is watching Briar because Bowen has reshoots all week.”

Dallas understood. He really did. If they ever needed him during the day, they’d be shit out of luck because he couldn’t just call out. But that didn’t stop him from feeling very, very alone.

“You’re going to be fine,” Lane told him. “I know it’s a lot, but you’ll relax once you realize they’re on your side.”

Dallas wanted to believe him. Really, he did. But he didn’t have the best luck, and he was afraid to get his hopes up. All he wanted was more time with his daughter. He wanted his fair share of time with her. He wanted to be her dad—to be present and to love her enough that she never doubted it for a second.

“And if things go badly,” Frey said, “fire the lawyer and get another one. We’ve got your back, my darling. We are not going to let this fail.”

Now, that made him feel better. “Thank you. I think I’m gonna take off so I can make sure I have everything ready to go.” His appointment was directly after school, which meant he’d have no time to prepare after work.

The guys all said their goodbyes, and then Adele walked him to his car like he always did. “Do you want me to see if I can get someone to cover for me?” Adele asked as Dallas unlocked his car.

Yes, yes he did. But no, he also didn’t. He wasn’t going to let his personal life disrupt Adele’s. “I’ll be fine. I think I’m just scared, you know? Like, I know there’s no chance my custody arrangement will get worse, but I’m not sure I can handle it not getting better.”

Adele pulled him into a hug, squeezing tightly. “Call me when it’s over. If I’m at the station, I’ll be able to answer.”

Dallas gave him a nod, then climbed into his car and watched as Adele made his way back inside. Just before he put his car in reverse, his phone lit up with a text. His heart thundered when he saw the person’s name.

Kylen: you busy?

Dallas: In the car about to drive. Want me to call?

Kylen: I wouldn’t mind a chat.

He hit the Call button, then pulled out onto the street as it rang. It went on three times before Kylen finally answered, and he sounded like he’d been crying. “Sorry to bother you.”

Dallas almost had to pull over. “What happened?”

“My gran went to the care facility today. I feel like the world’s biggest asshole.”

“But…” Dallas frowned as he turned onto the main road. “Isn’t that a good place for her? I mean, her disease is pretty advanced, isn’t it?”

“I think she’s got a while left in her, but yeah. She has no idea who I am anymore. She keeps saying she doesn’t have grandkids, and when I picked her up from the hospital, she thought I was a doctor.”

Dallas grimaced. He couldn’t imagine how hard that was. “What can I do?”

Kylen sniffed, then laughed. “Nothing, really. I think I just needed to hear a friendly voice. My sister and I aren’t talking, and I had to block my mom because she kept blowing up my phone after she found out what I did.”

Dallas didn’t know the details, but he didn’t need to. He knew the sort of person Kylen’s mom was. “I can come over if you want company.”

“That…actually, that might be nice,” Kylen said. “Flora’s with her mom for the next few nights before she has to fly back to London. My house is really quiet right now.”

Dallas quickly changed directions. “I’m on my way. I’ll be there in ten.”

“Thanks,” Kylen said really softly.

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