“Does Vicky have anything that would back up her claim? If not, this is going to be a case of he said she said.”
Miriam Rutherford chimed in, “Well, if it’s a case of he said / she said then why on earth would the courts side with him?”
“Because he is Ryan Carter, possibly the next governor of Minnesota. Folks look…you are not fighting just a traditional custody case. You are about to jump into the arena of politics. Now, luckily for you Jason your family has some pretty strong connections but so does Ryan’s. Make no mistake this is going to be a long and tough battle.”
Aunt Shirley rubbed her forehead in frustration, “All I know is that little girl means the world to my niece and it would kill her to lose Angel.”
Jason’s dad chimed in, “Shirley, we will fight this in the courts but make no mistake, that for damn sure will not happen even if we have to take matters into our own hands.”
“What do your people have in mind for the ground game for my wife?”
“Our PR team has put together some preliminaries. First, we need to leak Vicky’s side of the story to the press so we’ll need a full accounting of that. Secondly, we’ll need to get Vicky and Angel out of the house and get candid shots with her being a loving and doting mother. Is Vicky a member of any charities or boards? If so, get her out there ASAP. We need to show that she is not only a loving mother but an upstanding and contributing member of this community.”
They spent the next hour or so strategizing and going over what Vicky had told Jason about her relationship with Ryan.
“Okay…this is a good start. Of course, I’ll still need to speak with Vicky but by morning, the Carter’s will know that we’re in this fight.”
Franklin cleared his throat, “Well then Mr. Lucas, it looks like you’re going to have your hands full handling things from the positions of PR and the courts. We’ll handle plan B. Therefore, you might not want to be here for the conversation we’re going to have next.”
Jason’s father agreed. “He’s absolutely right John. We’ll touch base first thing in the morning.”
Mr. Lucas packed away his notes and paperwork. He shook hands with everyone and even though it was late, his night was just beginning.
Jason’s dad, Jason and Franklin spent a couple more hours going over plan B after John Lucas and his staff left. John was the first to call it a night.
Jason was exhausted. It was well past midnight and time for him to call it a night too.
Sandy peeked her head into the study. She said jokingly, “Is it safe to come inside?”
Jason waved her in, “Of course. We were just getting ready to call it anyway. How’s Vicky?”
“Probably feeling like anyone else would right about now. She’s frustrated, angry, and tired but she’s tougher than she looks.”
“I know. I just don’t want her to have to worry. She’s done enough of that. Anyway, you guys can stay here tonight if you want. There’s plenty of room.”
The temperature had dropped and Franklin wrapped his suit-coat around Sandy’s arms.
“Thanks but you have enough people here already. We’ll drive out to my condo but we’ll be back in the morning.”
Jason’s parents were staying over in the guest bedroom and Aunt Shirley had gone to her own room.
“No problem…whatever you want to do. Right now, I just want to kiss my daughter good night and curl up next to my wife. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
Jason walked out of his office in search of his family. He needed to check in on Angel before he went to bed. He loved that little girl as if she were his own daughter and damn if he’d let Ryan Carter destroy his family.
When Jason opened the door to Angel’s bedroom he found Vicky curled up and sleeping next to her. He shouldn’t be surprised but he needed her warmth tonight. He gently pressed a kiss on Angel’s cheek before picking Vicky up and carrying her to their bedroom.
As he gently put her down onto their bed, a sleeping Vicky automatically reached out to him before whispering, “I love you Jason.”
As he undressed Jason couldn’t resist bending over to kiss Vicky softly on her lips before whispering into the darkness, “I love you too.”
He climbed into bed and wrapped his wife into his arms before he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Chapter 11
It was after midnight by the time Sandy and Franklin got on the road to Franklin’s Atlanta condo. The drive was going to be at least a forty-five minutes.
Sandy was warm and snuggly with his jacket wrapped around her. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply because it smelled just like him. She couldn’t remember the last time when she’d felt more content.
Franklin caught a glimpse of Sandy while her eyes were closed; not only was she beautiful but she was an amazing woman.
His gas light came on. He hadn’t realized it was that low and would need to stop for gas. In his rush to get to Jason’s house he hadn’t filled up the car. Franklin pulled up to the nearest gas station.
“I’m going to go inside and grab a water do you want anything?”
Sandy was so relaxed, “No thank you. I’m good.”
Franklin got out of the car and went inside.
She leaned her head back on the head rest. Not a moment later, she heard Franklin’s phone beep. He’d left his cell phone in the pocket of his jacket.
She knew that Franklin and Josh were two different people but old habits die hard. Sandy pulled Franklin’s phone out his coat pocket and
