Page 133 of Third and Ten

He sniffs indignantly, then looks down at a file on his desk. “Your court date has been set for six weeks from now. As I said before, you still have temporary custody rights. If you want to exercise that right, you can call the sheriff’s department and have them demand that Ryan return Ethan to you. However, I’d advise you to consider what Ethan wants at the moment, since he’s old enough to give his opinion at the trial.”

“Ethan wants to come home, but he’d also like a relationship with his father and his siblings.”

“And he’s told you that?”

“He has.”

Blake nods solemnly and scribbles some notes. “Then I think your best option is to counter with a joint-custody offer. We can still request that you be named Ethan’s domicile custodian but concede visitation privileges for Ryan. I’ll warn you, though, he’s probably going to fight it, because he wants to have the upper hand. And technically, he still has the advantage.”

“Because he’s married and established,” I mumble.

“Yes, and because he’s Ethan’s biological father.” He drops his pen and exhales, sounding frustrated. “Tenley, I have a confession to make.”

“Okay.”

He scratches his head, ruffling his perfectly coiffed hair. “In hindsight, I believe I made a mistake at the first hearing.”

“What kind of mistake?” I ask hesitantly.

“Do you remember when the judge assumed you and JD were going to be living together? And I corrected him?”

I nod silently, and he continues.

“I don’t think he was questioning your morality or going to keep Ethan from you if you were shacking up. He wanted to hear that Ethan would have a male authority figure in his life. That’s why he ruled the way he did and encouraged Ethan to seek out his dad. If I’d let the judge believe you and JD were planning to raise Ethan together, as a family…” He trails off. “Things might have turned out differently for all of you. I’m sorry.”

I blink a few times, his transparency taking me by surprise. “Why are you bothering to apologize now?”

“Because, as your attorney, I made a mistake, and I rarely make mistakes. I allowed my personal feelings about what I thought was best for JD to cloud my judgment, and I failed to pick up on something important, something that could have changed the trajectory of your case. I should’ve just let the judge make his assumptions, but I was worried about my brother getting more deeply involved in the situation.”

“Oh.”

“I also think it would be for the best if I stepped down and handed your case over to Mr. Mark. With everything that’s happened, I don’t know that I can be completely impartial. And I’d rather not risk another oversight due to a conflict of interest.”

I recoil from his declaration. “So, you’re just going to abandon us now?”

“I’ll make sure all the prep work is done, and I’ll brief Mark on everything before your court date.”

“Blake, I don’t want someone else to represent us. I want someone who cares about Ethan, who understands that he’s a great kid who made a naïve choice, who’s actually invested in what happens to him.”

He stands and clears his throat, signaling my dismissal. “I’m sorry, Ms. Robin, but this is the most ethical course of action, given the circumstances.”

I cringe, willing myself not to cry. “So, it’s ethical to leave us hanging just because you’re butthurt over your brother ignoring your advice to be with me?” He looks away, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Is it also professional to sabotage my case so you can get what you want?”

“Excuse me?” He whips his head around to scowl at me.

“You just admitted you didn’t want JD to get more involved in this situation, i.e., with me.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“It’s what you meant, though. I assume you’ve spoken to him today.”

“I don’t want to talk about this with you.”

I ignore him. “Then you know about his offer to marry me, to help me get Ethan back. I tried to talk him out of it, because I don’t want him to keep making all these sacrifices for me,” I say, standing and raising my voice. “But he wouldn’t take no for an answer, of course.”

He purses his lips and looks down, shaking his head slowly. “Please stop, Tenley.”

“We’re guilty of the same thing, though, aren’t we? Neither of us can refuse him.” He glares at me. “I’m not using him, Blake. I love JD, and I actually want to marry him, regardless of whether it makes a difference in the outcome of the hearing.”

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