Page 54 of Falling for You
I call again. This time it picks up after the first ring, but I get no answer from him.
“Listen, Wy, I know you’re there. I need you. Emma needs you. Please don’t be a dick. You can be a dick as soon as we hang up again, but please not now.”
“What the fuck did you do to Ems?” His gruff voice comes across the line.
“I didn’t do shit to Ems. Olivia’s grandparents won’t give her back. It’s… hitting Ems really hard.” As if on cue, her sobs fill the truck again. I rub my hand up and down her back to comfort her.
“What do you mean they won’t give her back? Call the cops. I don’t understand what you want from me.”
Shit. Wyatt has never been this mad before, not sincethe incident.
“We called them. They said there’s nothing we can do because we haven’t gone to court yet. The Ryans have every legal right to keep her. I just need to get my daughter back.”
He scoffs in response. My face falls, and the tears threaten to fall.
“You need to go to court. There is nothing we can do, especially me. I’m not there. I’m not a cop in that town, and those guys are known to avoid custody cases that aren’t doing anything criminal.”
Ems grabs the phone and puts it on speaker.
“Please Wy. Stop being a jerk and just help. I know you can.” Emma chokes out her plea on a new sob. “Please help me get her back. I can’t lose another.”
“Another? Another what? Another baby? When did you lose the first?” A round of questions comes from him.
She collapses against the seat with her head in her hands. Fuck, this is so hard to watch her and not be able to fix anything.
“She’ll tell you later, she can’t right now.” I answer for her. “They took my fucking daughter Wy. So whatever petty shit you want to hold against me, can you do it later?”
Wyatt sucks in a breath, and I can see him pacing in his house, or the station, wherever he is, wondering if he wants to help his sister or continue being an ass to me. Pacing is his go to when he’s torn.
“I’ll text you a number. He’s a shark in court. I don’t know if he does custody but tell him I sent you and he’ll either take it or know someone who does.” With that he hangs up.
Immediately my phone pings with a text.
Wyatt:Thomas Bardeau, Bardeau & Associates out of Portland. I don’t have his number with me but you can look it up.
That is better than nothing.
Wyatt:P.S. You’re still a douchebag for messing with my sister.
I deserve that.
“Wyatt sent me the number for a lawyer in Portland. I can call him first thing tomorrow morning. Do you want me to go in and get you a Coke?” I offer a simple gesture.
Ems always loves to go get a fountain Coke, especially from the fast food restaurants, not the gas stations. Apparently they’re spicier, just how she likes them.
She shakes her headno. I lean in to kiss her on top of her head, and buckle her seatbelt.
Silently slipping back into my seat I reach over and place my hand on her thigh for the drive. I need to touch her, to feel close to her. It kills me to know the grief she’s going through. It kills me that I’ve now been the cause of this twice.
Maybe her brothers are right.
I pull into the inn’s driveway, Emma needs Anna. She hasn’t spoken to me since she yelled at Wyatt. I’m running a major riskrunning into one of the brothers here, but I text Anna on the way and she’s here helping Violet in the kitchen.
I place the truck in park and scrub my hand over my face. I steel myself for what I may be walking into, ready for whatever comes my way and to stay strong for Ems.
“Sunshine, I’m going to come around and get you, I brought you to Mom.”
There is no response, just quiet sobs.
