Page 41 of Come With Me

“He proclaimed I wasn’t fit to be a mother or to give a child what they needed without a father. I was too young, and since I was raised by a single mother who then got knocked up at eighteen, there was no way he’d let his only grandchild be raised by a single mom, too.”

“That bastard,” I mutter, shaking my head. “Shoulda told him to go fuck himself.”

“I wanted to. Mama was so mad when I told her, but a family lawyer friend said he’d have no grounds for gettin’ custody and not to worry.”

“But my father isn’t just anyone...” I say, knowing where this is leading.

“Exactly. A couple months later, I received a letter from a judge sayin’ if I couldn’t prove sufficient stable income or a spouse with insurance, Mr. Carson would become the legal guardian on behalf of his son...you.”

“There’s no goddamn way.” I shake my head in disbelief. “In what world is that possible?”

“Accordin’ to the lawyer, if a judge signs it, then it is.”

My father has so many connections and dirt on everyone from being a lawyer, it shouldn’t surprise me that he’d find a way to use that to get what he wants. He’s a dirty authority leader and always has been.

“How’d the conversation of you and Howie gettin’ hitched happen?”

“Mama told me she’d spend every penny she had payin’ a lawyer to fight this, but I didn’t want her to lose the store. I knew your father would win if it came down to goin’ to court, so when I asked the lawyer what my best option was, she suggested findin’ a husband. Someone who had a job and health insurance so Mr. Carson had no claims to his case.”

“Christ.” I shake my head at the thought of how I’m the one who put her in that position in the first place. It’s my fault. I’m the one who left. Of course my father would shove his nose where it didn’t belong. He always inserted himself into places he had no business being in.

“I told Howie, and he suggestedweget married. We were already friends, but I couldn’t see how it would benefit him. Then he told me his grandmother and aunts were pressurin’ him to get married and settle down with some kids. I had a gut feelin’ why he didn’t want that, but when he emphasized that his religious Southern family would never accept him, a former football player, for who he was, I knew.”

“Wow, I can’t believe he’d rather hide than just tell them.”

“You know how it is down here, Ayden. Similar to the stigma of being a young, single mom out of wedlock. People judgin’ all the time.”

“Yeah, I do know.” I was expected to follow in my dad’s footsteps, play college football, graduate from his alma mater, settle down with a family, and then start a political career. Doing anything outside of that would be frowned upon.

“Howie was workin’ full time at his daddy’s garage and makin’ good money, so we knew it’d be enough to get the mayor off my back and his family’s off his. So we got hitched, and he moved in with me at Mama’s house until we bought a house a year later.”

“Did you have plans for how long y’all would stay married?”

“Not really. We were good friends and happy being roommates since neither of us had any interest in datin’, so it wasn’t a pressin’ issue. I figured once I was on my feet financially, there’d be no reason for your dad to come after me. It wasn’t until he met Reagan that things shifted.”

I blink, processing everything. “I can’t believe Howie did all that.”

“He loved you, Ayden. You were his childhood best friend, and he would’ve done anything for you. Anything to make sure Serena and I were protected. Includin’ marryin’ your baby mama in a courthouse when she was eight months pregnant and then helpin’ with the baby.” She releases a small, humorless laugh.

“I should’ve been here.”

She shrugs. “Or I should’ve gone with you.”

“How’d Howie’s family take the news about Reagan and the divorce?”

“Not well at first. Especially his father and grandmother. Eventually, they came around and decided they loved Howie enough to understand he was with a man, whether or not they accepted it. They ended up lovin’ him once they put their judgments to the side. His father even walked with him down the aisle at the vows ceremony. It was very sweet.”

“Thank you for tellin’ me, Laney. I want to know everythin’, okay? No more hidin’. I’m not goin’ anywhere.” I lean my forehead against hers and fight the intense urge to taste her lips again.

“Ayden, there’s one more thing...”

“Mommy! There’s an old man at the door.” Serena’s voice has us breaking away before Laney can continue.

“Who could that be?” I ask Laney.

“I’m not sure. Probably a salesperson. They get a little ridiculous ’round here.”

The weight of what Howie and Laney had to go through weighs heavily on my shoulders as we walk down the hallway. I wish I could’ve paid him back for what he’d done to protect my girls.

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