“I know.” She pressed her hands to his face. “Are you happy, Daddy?”
“Ecstatic.” He kissed her cheek and put her down.
“Why don’t you set the table, Maisie?” I said.
She rushed off.
“Was she okay?” he asked, as he watched her in the kitchen.
“Yes. She said she heard you and Veronica fighting.”
“Fuck,” he said under his breath.
“Did the lawyer give you any tips?”
“He thinks it will be outrageous if she goes for sole custody given her track record.”
“Well, that’s good.”
He gave a short nod. “But she’s married and settled.” He used air quotes around the word settled. “Apparently, he feels judges still have biases towards moms, especially ones that are doing the right thing and need a second chance.”
That didn’t sound hopeful. “What’s with the settled bit? Is she not settled?”
“Sure she is. Today. But Veronica gets bored easily and likes the limelight. I give her six months tops before she’s off on her next adventure.”
“That would be good for you.”
“If she has custody, she could take Maisie with her. I wouldn’t see her.” Emotion swept over his face and I wanted to hug him.
“Is there something I can do to help?”
He shook his head. “Just be there for her.”
I wanted to be there for him too, but since that had been such a disaster on Friday, I simply smiled. He didn’t ask me to stay for dinner, which hurt but wasn’t surprising.
“Take the lasagna out in ten minutes,” I said as I got my purse.
“Thank you, Tessa, really. I know this … well …”
I held my hand up, because I felt tiny stabs in my heart every time he tried to apologize or make things between us less weird. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
12
Dylan
The first two days after Maisie returned from her mother’s, I felt like she was going to be ripped from me any minute. In fact, on Tuesday, I suggested that Tessa bring Maisie to the gym, where we had a children’s area to provide childcare to members who were working out. I also arranged for our rock-climbing instructor to give Maisie a lesson on the rock wall.
Like usual, Tessa was amazing. She kept Maisie’s life normal, filled with adventure and fun. She was sweet to me even though I didn’t deserve it. And while Maisie consumed my days and even a few nightmares, Tessa showed up in my dreams as well. I felt like a fool and a douche, and yet at the same time, those few minutes of stroking my dick to images of her in the shower and then coming were the only times I wasn’t living in fear.
By mid-week, I began to relax for two reasons; one was that Veronica hadn’t once called Maisie to talk with her. She wanted for Maisie to come live with her, but wouldn’t call to chat with her? She hadn’t even asked about arranging a visit. The second reason was that I hadn’t been served with papers. I wondered if maybe she’d changed her mind.
On Friday, that hope vanished as I received an envelope with a petition for sole custody of Maisie. I immediately called my lawyer, who expressed shock that she’d ask for so much in light of her history. Me? I wasn’t shocked. Veronica was a do-or-die, all-in, type of woman. It had been one of the things that had attracted me to her back when we met in college.
“What can I do?” I asked.
“Fight, of course. It’s a process, and you’ll need to prove you’re the best parent to raise Maisie. There’ll be a home visit and interview, maybe even more than one,” he explained.
“What about Veronica?”
“Her too, with her new husband. That will be in her favor. As I said, judges still lean towards thinking two parents and the biological mom are best, but I do think we have a good case.”
“She hasn’t called Maisie or asked for a visit,” I said.
“Good. Keep track of all that. Fathers do win custody sometimes, so it’s not unheard of.”
But I knew Veronica wasn’t a normal mom. She was a celebrity. A celebrity that people liked. I could out her as not having seen her child in nearly a year, but that seemed harsh. Then again, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to protect Maisie. If this went to court, chances were it would come out, and she had to know that. Did she want Maisie so bad she was willing to risk hurting her reputation?
Then there was the fact that Leo had money. Lots of it, based on my research of him. I had a lot of money too, but he was one-percenter wealthy. Not only could he outdo me financially, but he was old-New York money, which meant he had connections. Odds were good that he knew someone in New York who would know the local judge overseeing this case.
As I drove home, my anger festered until I couldn’t take it. Not wanting to explode in front of Maisie, I pulled over and called Veronica.
“I never, ever, kept her from you and now you do this. You stab me in the back and try to rip us apart.”
“Oh, come on, Dylan,” she said in that way that made me feel like I was an emotional pussy. “I’m not out to get you. And ripping you apart is a little melodramatic, don’t you think? Maisie had a lovely time with us. I doubt she’ll feel ripped apart.”
“Then you don’t know the first thing about kids.” How could I make her see? I worked to tamp down my anger. “Listen, I’m all for you being in her life, but it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You’re her mother and I’m her father. We have to share. For Maisie’s sake.”
There was a pause on the line. “I don’t want to take her from you Dylan, but this is what was recommended.”
“By who?” She didn’t want this?
“I want to see her more,
