Page 87 of Claimed By the Cowboys
There was no avoiding it then—we would see Caroline and Pack Adamar in court.
Chapter 40
Clayton
Not long after I got home with the guys, we all put Maisie down for her nap. Once she was snug and cozy in her bed, we went downstairs to the kitchen, where sunlight was streaming through the windows. If it weren't for the fact that mediation this morning had been an absolute shit-show, it would be a beautiful day.
My shoulders dragged heavily, and I noticed Piper having the same issue, hardly meeting my eyes. It was clear we were all nervous about what the future might hold.
“Are you okay?” I asked her. “I know that was a hell of a thing to see.”
Piper looked up into my eyes. And as if she couldn't stand being apart from me, she walked around the counter and practically threw herself into my arms, burying her face against my chest.
“I don't want to go to court. That's the last thing I ever wanted foranyof us. I don't understand why all of the sudden, and after all this time, she wants something to do with Maisie. She left her when she was barely old enough to lift her head, and now she wants to be a part of Maisie's life?”
“I know.” I stroked the side of Piper's face, giving her a sympathetic smile. This entire situation was overwhelming, and Piper was pregnant. It was enough for her to deal with making a human, let alone having to deal with all the drama between me and my ex that refused to die.
Piper peered up at me, her eyes so full of worry and dread that it cracked my heart into a million pieces. My grip around her tightened, and I stroked her face even more.
“Do you think that she has any chance of winning if we go to court? I know that she has that lawyer. Are they going to take Maisie away?”
I did my best to keep my voice level and not think about the potential of that happening. I shook my head and smiled as genuinely as I could. “No, they're not going to take Maisie away from us. I'm not going to let that happen. And you need some rest. You're already dealing with a lot. I know that this stress isn't good for you or the baby.”
Dakota circled up behind us, wrapping his arms around Piper, which created a little sandwich between the three of us. He smiled at her, his level of confidence a little bit better in this moment.
“We've got a secret weapon, don't you know? Zeke is damn good at this stuff. And we'll be able to get through the entire thing without any issues.Youare our family now, and we're going to do everything necessary to keep us all together. Don't worry.”
After that, Montana and Zeke joined our little huddle, and we became this circle of people all clutching on to each other in the face of the unknown. I wanted to believe everything I was saying, everything that Dakota was saying. But I couldn't deny that I was incredibly nervous.
Going to court was a messy process, and it involved appealing to a judge. While I certainly believed that we hadevery bit of evidence and lifestyle choices to our advantage, who knew if the judge would fall for Caroline's act? Those crocodile tears in the mediation room had been pretty darn convincing. It had only been when Zeke detailed the truth of how Caroline had left, presenting the actual paperwork that proved it, that the mediator’s expression of sympathy had changed.
Montana rubbed a hand down Piper's arm, and I watched as he gave her that classic shit-eating grin, my spirits lifting a little at the sight of it.
“We're going to be just fine; don't you worry about a thing. We all need to just take a moment to breathe and relax. There's a baby cooking in there, and I don't want it popping out any earlier than it should. So, how about we get settled on the couch and snuggle now that Maisie is taking a nap?”
Piper's face lit up with a grin, and my heartbeat quickened, as it usually did. Regardless of how chaotic, unpredictable and surprising this situation had been, having Piper in our lives was quite possibly one of the best tricks of fate to ever be pulled on us.
There was no way any of us could have expected Piper joining our little pack would fill in the gap that Caroline had left so brutally. But her very presence was like a balm to all of our hearts, mending the tears and the places where all the goodness seemed to seep out. She stitched us back together. And Montana and Dakota were right. Even Zeke.
We were going to get through this, all of us, together. No matter what our ex said in that courtroom, anyone with a pair of eyes could see how much we actually cared for Maisie and each other, and how much that woman was just trying to garner sympathy.
And a quick buck.
I led the way to the living room so that we could all get comfortable, making sure there were plenty of soft, comfortableitems on the couch for Piper to burrow herself into. We snuggled in, and I draped my hand idly over the top of her belly. There was movement there, which was usual, but I was still amazed every single time I felt the baby move.
Piper’s scent warmed the air, comforted and far less frantic and uneasy than it had been when we'd gotten home. I was glad all of us could help make her feel better, even if I was still a little on edge myself. She nestled in, getting comfortable, and Dakota flicked on the TV so that we could find something to watch.
We chose a comedy we'd seen a million times so that none of us really needed to pay attention. And I knew that, at any moment, all of us would fall asleep on the couch, napping away until the sounds of the monitor told us that Maisie was awake.
She was a good girl. She didn't leave her room when she woke up after a nap most times, although occasionally, she would come down the stairs and surprise the hell out of us.
There was no way I was going to let any of this get taken away from me. This was my family now, and I cared about them all so much. Piper fit in with all of us. She was one of us now, carrying our child, and it was wild to think that Maisie was going to have a sibling to play with. Caroline had been searching for many things while she was with us, and I knew that she never really fit in perfectly. However, to say that I wasn't shocked when she left would be a lie.
Part of me was glad to see her with a group of people she could be happy with, but another part still felt betrayed. Why hadn't she been able to find that with us? Why hadn't she been able to love Maisie when she saw her right away?
It still seemed impossible that a mother could leave their child. I glanced down at Piper, her eyelids already heavy as she watched the TV flicker away with its bright colors and hilarious one-liners. I couldn't imagine her doing that to the child who was growing within her.
As if sensing my thoughts, she placed her hand over the top of mine and craned her head back to look up at me. “Are you alright? I know that I'm stressed about all of this, but I can't imagine how you're feeling.”
