Page 21 of Assigned

I disconnect the call before Lisa can say another word.

Bear grunts. “Shit’s going to get ugly, brotha. I’m here for you. But one thing. She’s right. Mason needs you to be there when you can. Don’t force Riley on him. Won’t turn out good for anyone.”

I nod because I have no words. I’d just gotten blindsided like a hapless quarterback who’d been taken down hard by Lawrence Taylor. Bear pats my shoulder and exits my truck. I take a few minutes after he leaves to collect myself. My heart races, the pressure in my neck and temples grows. Great. All I need now is to let the stress get so out of control that I have a heart attack.

Burning rage hisses through my body like deathly poison, screeching a demanded release. Like a volcano erupting, the wrath sweeps off me in ferocious waves. But I’m in my truck and the only outlet I have is slamming my steering wheel over and over.

Never in a million years did I think marrying my high school sweetheart would lead my ex-wife to try to take my son away from me. After everything we went through. After the gunshot wounds, our friend dying, other funerals. After all of it, Lisa never once mentioned Mason was better off without me.

“How things fucking change.” The words have the maximum amount of vitriol I can expend.

By the time I get home, my anger hasn’t abated. Instead, anxiety joins the damn party because now I have to find a lawyer and I have no idea where to even begin. What if I hire someone inept? This fucking day needs to be over.

I walk into the house through the garage entrance and find Riley all curled up on the couch in pajama pants and cozy socks, watching TV. My hand tightens around the door handle and my anger becomes impossible to keep at bay. “Is this what you did all day? Did you just ignore my son to watch TV?”

Riley sits up, eyes blinking. She even looks a bit pale, like she had the day we moved her out of the apartment she’d been living in. Her eyes narrow, but then she just leans back into the couch as if she doesn’t have the energy to say what is really on her mind. “We had lunch. We talked. Mason and Parker even attempted to show me how to play their video game.”

I shove the door closed. Hard. Then kick off my boots and stalk into the room. “Then why is Lisa pushing for full custody?”

“I’m so sorry, Luc.” She frowns. “It might have helped if she’d known I was here and we got married. Can’t imagine what it was like for her to show up and find me.”

She’s right. No way around that. I pace back and forth. I rake my hands through my hair, nails digging into my scalp. “Fuck my life.”

“We’ll get through this. Mason adores you. You should see how his face lights up when he talks about you.”

I close my eyes and when I open them, I turn to Riley. Hell. Pale didn’t describe her color. It’s worse than that. She doesn’t look well at all. And here I am unloading on her for a situation I created. I take a few steps toward the couch and sit. “Are you okay?”

Riley’s gaze shifts from me back to the TV show.

“Riley, are you okay?”

She looks at the pillow and lies back down, curling into a ball. “Yeah, just something I ate. Anyway, don’t you have a custody agreement with Lisa?”

I hesitate for a moment. Riley’s trying to divert. Or at least minimizing how she feels for my sake. I study her for another moment, the way she hugs her stomach slightly, the tightening of her jaw. Well, she’s definitely having some stomach issues. Maybe I’ll make her some soup later.

“Lucas?”

I clear my throat. “No. We never had anything official. After she moved out, she didn’t live far. Only five minutes away. Mason remained in the same school, had the same friends. But then she started dating and when she got engaged, she moved, and moved Mason with her.”

“So, she hired a lawyer today? Because of me?”

I shake my head. “Appears she had one.”

Riley blows out a loud breath. “Maybe she’s been looking to get full custody for a while. Could be because of her soon-to-be husband.”

“Full custody isn’t an option for me. Not with my job.” I drop by head back onto the couch and stare at the ceiling. I joined the program hoping it would work, hoping marrying Riley would somehow help my son. Instead, it might wreck it all. “Maybe I should talk to the committee about annulling the marriage and dropping out of the program.”

Riley goes very still. “I don’t think you getting married is the issue.”

I groan. “You’re probably right. Lisa was always complaining about my job constantly getting in the way when it came to Mason, so maybe I’m just screwed either way. Today just being another example.”

Riley shifts and leans the throw pillow against my leg, then rests her head on it. “It’ll work out. Maybe she’s just upset you didn’t give her the heads-up. With Mason having a hard time, she might be concerned another change might not be good for him. Talk to her.”

She could be right. Riley hasn’t had the opportunity to show Lisa that she can be a positive in Mason’s life. And if my wife is this under the weather and still managed to take care of both Mason and Parker, there is nothing for Lisa to fear. They all need time to get used to one another.

Riley looks up at me. “Lucas, look, we are exes. We had a relationship years ago and there’s no reason we couldn’t work on rebuilding that bond, which, in turn, will help Mason feel more secure. We just have to convince Lisa the program works, and we offer a great home for your son.”

“I’ll hold off on talking to the committee. Let me get a lawyer first and see what they say.” I brush her hair back. Her skin feels warm to the touch, and I bend over to place a soft kiss on her cheek. “Thank you.”

Maybe she’s right about everything. Rekindling love isn’t unheard of. It’s been done before. And it would be nice for everything to work out in the end. The way it should have the first time.

Maybe fate really is giving us a second chance.

---