Page 170 of Rule Breakers Fall Hardest

Spring has flown by,and we’re only a week from graduation when the call comes from Nina.

“Everything is settled,” she says over speakerphone. “I called in a favor, and we have a court date two weeks from now. This will make it official.”

“I’ll have full parental rights?” he asks, his leg jostling beneath the table.

I reach over, putting a hand on his knee, hoping to imbue him with at least a little comfort.

“Yes. You have nothing to worry about.”

“I know you keep saying that, but I can’t help it. I don’t want anything to go wrong.”

“Everything is set, Mr. Hendricks. The law is on your side. I’ll email over some more details and what to expect the day of. Take a breath. This is almost over.”

“Okay.” Daire scrubs a hand over his jaw. “Okay,” he says again. “Thank you.”

“If I have any more information for you, I will call,” she assures him. “But everything should be set. Congratulations.”

He clears his throat and says, “Thank you,” his voice thick with emotion.

In the grand scheme of things, Daire’s journey to getting custody of Sammy has been relatively short, but it feels like it’s taken forever to get to this point. Soon, Sammy will officially be ours. No more questioning the possibility of him being taken away. For as much as it eases my fears, I can only imagine how relieved Daire is at the news.

He hangs up the phone and turns to me, his eyes filling with tears.

Angling closer, I take his cheeks in my hands. “It’s almost over.”

He sniffs back his tears. “Almost,” he agrees, his voice cracking.

“You’re going to be all mine soon,” Daire says to his son. It means the world to him that Sammy will be officially his.

Have you heard from your dad lately?” he asks me, roughing a hand down his face.

“Every day.”

His eyes widen at my response, but he presses his lips together, quietly waiting for an explanation.

I lean my back against the couch. “I know. I’m surprised too. It’s usually nothing important, just asking how my day is.” With a shrug, I swallow past the lump in my throat. “I appreciate him coming to apologize, and I want to forgive him and move on from this, but I’m more hurt than I thought I would be. I’ve always been a daddy’s girl, and I’ve always done everything in my power to make him proud. I understand why he was upset with us. With me. But his words cut me like a knife.” I play with a loose thread on my shorts in a poor effort to distract myself from the emotion rising up inside me. “The worst part of it all is how that one moment forever changed our relationship. Words have power, you know?”

“I know,” he says carefully, squeezing my thigh. “My words hurt you once too. But you forgave me. So maybe, one day, you can forgive him too.”

It’s a valid point. I bite my lip, thinking over what he said.

“Maybe. It’s just going to take time.” I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “I think it’s hard because he’s my dad. I never expected him to hurt me like this.”

With an arm around me, Daire pulls me in close and kisses the top of my head.“I know, baby.”

37

DAIRE

Graduation is a blur.My dad takes Sammy to the stands while Rosie and I find our spot. Since she changed her last name, we get to walk across the stage one after the other. Our degree programs held separate graduations—mine yesterday evening and hers this morning—but now it’s time for the biggie. Rosie wanted to skip this one, but I wouldn’t hear of it.

Getting to this point means something to me. It feels like I’m putting the past behind me and stepping into the next stage of my life. Technically I’ve already done that, but the ceremony makes it feel final.

With the large class size, it’s going to take forever to get through all of us.

While we sit and listen to the keynote speaker, I reach for Rosie’s hand, twisting her wedding band around and around on her finger.

It’s wild that our time at college is coming to a close. I came to Aldridge absolutely despising Rosie, yet here I am, married to her and happier than I’ve ever been. Not only have I repaired the most important relationship I’ll ever have, but I’ve grown as a person. I’ve let go of my immaturity. I feel like an adult now—well, maybe not a full-blown adult, but at least a few steps closer to it.

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