Page 14 of For the Love of the Lawyer

They made a quick detour back to the kitchen and grabbed themselves two cartons of chocolate milk and two brownies. Mickey swung the boy up on his back and carried him downstairs to the family game room. He put Ryan down on the sectional before he placed their snacks on the coffee table, then walked to the racks of cartoon DVDs next to the large television. They had satellite out at the ranch, but Ryan had his go-to movies that Tim and Matt bought him as gifts. The kid loved watching movies.

“Now then, how ’bout we watch Cars? You like Mater, right?"

Ryan nodded, so Mickey slid the movie into the DVD player and returned to sit down next to the boy, hoping he had reassured Ryan that there was no reason to worry about his dads.

"Thanks, Mick," Ryan told him as the two of them snuggled up on the couch to watch the movie Mickey was sure he'd seen at least a dozen times since he'd moved into the ranch house. He prayed the boy became interested in some other movie because he was pretty sure if he ever met someone, the guy wouldn't be impressed with Mickey’s ability to recite all the lines in the character voices.

Living at the Circle C was great in every way—except for his love life, which wasn’t looking up anytime soon.

Chapter Six

Among those who practiced law in Richmond, Jon Wells’ opponents would admit, under oath, that the man wasn’t bested in a courtroom. He went in with his facts secure and his offensive and defensive strategies firmly mapped. He was always completely prepared to represent his clients to the best of his abilities with success as the only outcome he’d permit.

Fortunately for Jon, most of his clientsweren'tlike Matthew Collins who’d kept enough shit from him to fill a manure spreader.

Case in point…"What do you mean you gave Roberta Collinsfive-hundred-thousand dollars? Based on the information I was able to find, it was fifty-thousand dollars, and I didn't even want that money to change hands. She'll only come back for more.” Jon’s ire was truly up for the first time in a long time, and unfortunately, the octave of his voice as well.

He was used to keeping a cool head, but he was also used to his clients valuing and following his advice. He didn’t like this new territory in which he found himself, butting heads with Tim Moran and his lawyer. His lack of control over the situation was unnerving.

Ronni Turnberry, who was plucking Jon’s very last nerve with her superior attitude, smirked. "We thought it was best if you and Matthew didn't know the terms of the agreement until Roberta’s cooperation was inveterate. We secured the affidavits and documentation necessary to ensure she never tried to come to Matt or Tim for more money, and we have an ironclad arrangement with her going forward.

“I recently confirmed she's content in Toronto with a new husband and building a new life. She’s even pregnant. She won't come knocking on your door again.” Ronni glanced between Matt and Jon.

"Wait, she'spregnant? Dear God, Ryan can't find out.” Matt took Tim’s hand, and Tim nodded in return. Jon wasn’t sure why they were so intent on keeping the news from the boy, but it wasn’t his call.

"And he won't. She has no desire to be in touch with her family in the States, and she's applied for citizenship in Canada. She and her new husband own a hunting and fishing business ofsome sort, thanks to your generous endowment, Tim. It's all in the past," Ronni assured.

Jon cleared his throat as he took in Matt’s countenance. "You've left me in the dark on a lot of things, Matt. Care to enlighten me now, after the fact? How can I represent you effectively if I don't know what’s going on in your life and the details associated therewith?”

Jon knew he was on a slippery slope to keep Matt as a client, and he was extremely grateful Mickey had given him the heads-up before he walked into a hornet's nest.

Luckily, Jon had remembered the client file Karen had copied before he left the office, so he had everything at his fingertips he needed for the ensuing confrontation. He was ready for the battle, and he was planning to win the war.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Jon, but until—well, Timmy and I are gonna get married, and we want to combine our assets. That's why we called both y'all to come out. Ronni's got Tim's trust and properties, not that I want him to include me on that shit, but I want him included on the ranch and everything here. We haven't started plannin' a weddin', but it's gonna be small. We wanted to get the paperwork started and underway before we let everybody know about our plans.” Matt wrapped his arm around Tim’s shoulders and hugged him.

Jon was about ready to jump out of his skin at hearing the man’s proclamation. What the fuck was the sudden rush with every gay person he knew to run down the aisle? It was fucking ridiculous and premature, in his opinion. He took a cleansing breath and turned to Matt, prepared to gently offer an alternative to the M-word.

"Married? Are you sure you're ready for that step? Maybe the first thing to do is to just register as domestic partners and have a commitment ceremony. Marriage is a big step—a really big step. In Virginia, its equitable distribution, not equal property. Ifyou put all your holdings into the marriage, the state will allocate property as they see fit in the event things fall apart. Since Tim doesn't really have a job and his assets are limited, Matt, you might end up paying him spousal support, even though you have a minor son.

“I'd suggest you should keep things static for a while longer and give your relationship more time to see if it’s going to be permanent. We can create cross powers of attorney so you each have say in any medical decisions and you can even name Tim as Ryan's legal guardian for the purposes of dealing with school and medical emergencies, but I ask you to really consider the ramifications of marriage, especially since you have already suffered the effects of a problematic divorce.” Jon tried to put it in as simple of terms as he could.

Matt chuckled. "Jon, Tim's got a job, and he's worth a helluva lot more money than me. Ronni, how much was it at last count since you moved some things around and made additional investments?"

Ronni handed out bound booklets to the three of them and smiled like the cat who got the cream. Jon knew she was sizing him up for the takedown, and he was immediately nervous.

"Gentlemen, if you turn to page ten where the latest accounting shows the balances as of the end of the year. It's been a good year for Tim’s investments.” Ronni stared at Jon with a cocked eyebrow.

As Jon was about to open the cover of the spiral-bound booklet, Tim placed his hand on top of the clear plastic cover and when Jon glanced up, he saw the blond man with a remorseful smile. "Look, Jon, we didn't set out not to tell you everything, but it's taken Matty a while to wrap his head around things, and well, my business has started picking up more than I thought it ever would. Dean Campbell should be on my payroll, but he says it's as much for him as me that he sings praises about myservices. Don't be upset with Matt, okay? You did such a great job with the Ryan situation, we really owe you, and we want you to stay on with us."

The comments made Jon less skeptical about Timothy Moran, but he'd met an actor or two along the way. Barron had been a good one, and Eric Slade, his old fuckbuddy from El Paso before Barron, was another example. He'd had Jon traveling to Texas at least once a month to meet him at a hotel for a weekend of fucking. That was when Jon found out he was a cheating bastard.

The premise of Jon’s last trip to El Paso had been to meet Colonel Stanford and his family, but it had also given him the opportunity to meet up with his lover, Eric, for a romantic weekend. Unfortunately, Eric’s wife—who Jon knew nothing about—had him followed. The private investigator had busted into their hotel room and had taken some very incriminating photos of the two of them in flagrante delicto.

Sammy Williams, the head of security at Langley & Wells, had tracked the guy down and paid the PI not to turn over the pictures to anyone except Jon to avoid a scandal. Jon had dumped Eric when the truth came out, and he prayed that was the end of it, and of his blind stupidity.

Of course, there was no guarantee the copies the PI had turned over to Sammy, which Jon had subsequently destroyed, were the only copies out there. If they ever got out, Jon was sure there'd be a hell of an ass chewing from his father.

Jon nodded and turned to page ten as instructed by Ronni Turnberry, trying very hard to reserve his judgment of her. When he looked at the long list of addresses and the list of newly acquired stocks, he was genuinely surprised.

---