Page 17 of Fourth Wall

“I cannot believe you'll have a baby in a couple of months!” I looked at Gianna as she caressed her swollen belly. “We have to plan your shower in a few weeks.”

“Oh yes!” Chels exclaimed. “Are we doing it in your garden?”

Gianna was married to Julian and Alex’s dad. She was an old soul trapped in a young body. She loved everything gardening and being outside.

“Yeah, if that’s okay with you guys?” We all nodded in agreement. We had gotten together and agreed to mutually throw Gianna and then Tatum’s shower a bit later on.

“Wait, so tell us what the fuck happened in court?” Chels asked.

“Wait.” Tatum interrupted. “Is it okay if I invite Alex, Julian, and Elio to join? If you feel comfortable enough, they may offer us a different perspective we haven't thought of.”

I nodded quickly in agreement. I would take anyone’s opinion if they could help me figure out my fake boyfriend situation so I could get the revenge I wanted on Tyler and put this ridiculous court case behind me.

When the guys came in, Tatum and Chelsea hopped up and went to the other seat. They all gave me a quick hug and grabbed a drink before sitting around the living room with us.

“So, tell us, what happened?” Gianna asked, and Elio placed a gentle hand along her belly. I wish I had that. Even when I was pregnant with the girls, Tyler was never around. He was a first-year lawyer and always working at the office or having his affair with Stephen, so who knows?

“It was a fucking mess.” I recounted everything that happened earlier in the day. I thanked Alex for the beast of a lawyer. I told them how smug and brash Tyler was the entire time, sliding up to the judge.

“Shit, dude. So, what was the result with custody?” Chels asked.

“Well, for the next six months until we reconvene, I’ll keep the same custody schedule,” I told them.

“Maeve, that’s amazing news.” Julian gave me a supportive pat on the back.

“Thank God!”

“Phew.”

“So, is it all done?” Elio asked.

“Well…” I took a deep breath as I tried to approach how I would tell them about the little snafu that happened. “Not particularly.”

“What do you mean?” Alex asked.

“They kept harping about how stable Tyler was. He dropped this big bomb that he had married Stephen—”

“SHUT UP!” Tatum screamed.

“Baby, calm down.” Julian smirked and looked at his wife, who was getting all riled up.

“Yeah, I had no idea until today, either. Anyway, I knew they were upset that I wasn’t stable. I was living with my parents and was late to work. They were pissed that I had asked Stephen to pick up the girls when I ran over at the restaurant. They want me to contribute more financially, but Tyler has them in a school that costs over thirty grand a year, so I cannot do that.”

“We can help out, Maeve.” Tatum looked among our friends. All of them had money in some way, but I didn’t want to take from them. Call me fiercely independent.

“I know. Thank you all for even offering, but I have to do this on my own. Partially because I’m a good mom, and where I live shouldn’t matter.”

“So, what did you tell the judge?” Gianna asked.

“In the midst of this chaos, I was having a small panic attack, thinking I would lose the girls. I may or may not haveaccidentally blurted out that I had a boyfriend who I was moving in with?”

Dead silence.

After a few beats, Gianna started laughing hysterically from where she sat on the couch.

“I am going to pee myself!” She burst out through giggles. “You did not tell an entire courtroom that you have a boyfriend you are moving in with.”

“No, I definitely did,” I responded, and then everyone else broke out in laughter.

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