My Happy Ending Part 1, page 20
“I’m not immune to the gossip mill, though.”
“Great,” I muttered.
“Seriously, though... what do you need? Do you... hell, tell you what. If you need a break, say the word, I’ll gladly take the kids off your hands while you get some r and r.”
“It’s not... r and r I need. Not... exactly.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
Did he have to be so friendly?
“I... um, I’ve been told I have a decent shoulder, too, if that’s what you need. I’ve been there, Talia. I know.”
No... no, don’t cry. Because if I start crying, I’ll never stop and there’s so much for me to do.
“Talia...”
“He’s trying to take them.” I nearly choked on the words, my emotions boiling over. “He... I just... I forgot to eat, and I was stressed, and I’m on this diet anyhow, and it was hot, and...”
“Did you get checked out?” he asked, the tone of his voice mixed with a bit of concern.
“No, I’m fine, but...”
“But he’s using it against you.”
“Yes,” I replied, my voice trembling.
“Did he file for emergency custody?”
“Yes, but I... I haven’t been served yet, and they’re still with me.”
“You moved into the building my sister’s in right? The one I told you about?”
“Yes... yes, it’s great here, thank you so much for the tip.”
“You’re welcome. I’m about five minutes from there, is that enough time?”
“Enough...”
“I’m coming over. I’ll take the kids down to my sister’s apartment on the sixth floor, you come get them when the coast is clear.”
I hadn’t even asked.
“Talia...”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t say a word.”
“I... I don’t want to put you in the middle of this, I just... I don’t know what else to do.”
“I wouldn’t wish what I went through on anyone... Bren!” he yelled out, probably to one of his kids. “Get your shoes on, and help your sister, okay? We’re gonna see Aunt Mary.”
Mary. Ah, Mary Coffman, now that made perfect sense why she was so nice to me. Damn, was I that absentminded that I couldn’t even get that straight?
“I’ll be there soon,” he continued talking to me. “You do what you have to, get to that hearing...”
“Hearing?” I asked, my eyes wide. “There’s a hearing?”
“Unless your lawyer gets you out of it, but you may need to go in front of the judge, show the judge that you’re capable of taking care of your kids.”
“Wow, I guess it’s a good thing I forgot I didn’t work today,” I mumbled, looking down at my suit. Maybe... maybe the black one would be better, though. The one with the thin skirt, and the jacket, and...
“Take a deep breath, okay?”
“Taking a deep breath,” I mumbled.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Emily can be a bit... difficult,” I said suddenly. “Just... you know, for a warning.”
“Thank you for that warning. Five minutes, okay?”
“Okay. Okay... I... I need to change, and get stuff together, and...”
“Five minutes, Talia.”
“Five minutes.”
Five minutes and my reinforcements would be there.
JASE
MY PHONE WAS RINGING repeatedly, over and over, beginning again almost immediately after it stopped. I groaned, rolling over and glancing at the receiver, its battery running low. Damn... stupid crick in my neck. This sofa isn’t always the most comfortable. I held my neck with one hand and reached for the receiver with the other.
Chris Webber must be a morning person.
“Dude, this better be good,” I grumbled into the phone.
“Make sure you’re at the courthouse by one and it just might be,” he said.
“What?”
“Wear a suit and tie.”
“Chris, what the hell is going on?” I sat up, rubbing my eyes, waiting for his answer.
“Get your house ready.”
“My... house? For what?”
“Your children.”
I swear my heart stopped altogether for a fraction of a second before taking off at an alarming rate. My... children? Were... they coming home?
“The hearing for emergency custody is set for one thirty,” he continued. “A half hour is plenty of time to get you up to speed; all you need to do is sit back and let your legal team do its job.”
“Emergency... Jeeezus, Chris, what happened? Are they okay? Where’s Talli? What...”
“Slow down, slow down. They’re fine. Nothing’s happened, not since Saturday at the party. And this very well could go your way, so...”
“You said we’d make her get checked out... did they find something?”
“She hasn’t been served her papers yet, but her lawyer has been made aware of the situation. Your legal team decided it was best,”
“No.”
“...to go full force...”
“No.”
“...show her you mean business, and...”
“NO!”
“Jase, she has got to take care of herself, she has to be physically capable of taking care of those children, and...”
“I know that, Chris, but bullying her isn’t going to accomplish anything other than making her more pissed off.”
“So it’s okay for her to keep the kids from you?”
Ouch.
“No, it’s... I just...”
“Don’t play the martyr here, Jase. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
“So adding a third wrong to the mix will make it all better?” I asked, my bitterness showing in my tone.
“Jase, even if you don’t retain physical custody of the children, you have the chance today to demand that the original visitation plan be implemented again.”
I could see them more, just like Talli and I had agreed on...
That would be better, so much better than the bullshit agreement her lawyer had come up with. The only problem was... yes, I wanted them with me. All the time. This... this is their home.
But I didn’t want it like this.
Not like I was using them to get to Talia.
This...this is something Nan had discussed with me, when I was finally in a place where I could talk without breaking down like a fucking sissy boy. She’d explained in detail the great pains that she had gone through to ensure I was unaffected as possible and how I was never used as leverage. And I had turned out okay...
Right?
But I don’t want to be a part-time father. It’s bad enough that I already feel like one when I’m on the road, but damn it they were still in my life, still in my home then. I shouldn’t have to feel like I’m intruding when I want to call and see how they’re doing. I know I was in the wrong, I know I screwed up, but losing Talia was hell enough. Losing the kids... I just...
It just hurts.
And I know what it’s like to have them taken away. I wouldn’t wish that feeling on my worst enemy.
Why the hell would I do that to someone I love more than life itself?
“JEEZ, JASE, WHAT IS going on?” Kate asked when she called me later in the morning.
“What do you mean?” I asked, cradling the receiver as I maneuvered the razor across my jaw line.
“Well... okay, so I occasionally glance at Celebrity Gossip, and...”
“Occasionally?” I interrupted. “It’s as if you live on that website lately.”
“Only when they’re practically crucifying my best friend,” she replied.
“Well, that’s been going on since... well, since before Talia left.” I sighed as I rinsed the razor blade before continuing. “So what are the sharks saying now?”
“That you’re expected at the court house this afternoon.”
“Damn, that was quick. They actually got something right?”
“What’s going on, Jase?” she repeated. I was silent as I patted my face dry, feeling as if I was looking at a stranger in the mirror. “Jase?”
“It’s an emergency hearing,” I finally said. “For custody.”
“God, Jase, what happened?”
“No, it’s... about Saturday,” I replied, grabbing my bottle of water and walking into the bedroom, eyeing my suit that I’d laid out on the bed. “Chris and the legal team seem to think it may force her to take better care of herself or some shit like that.”
“I... well, I see the point, but you’re just asking for more trouble, more drama, you know? I mean, her lawyer would chop your balls off if Talli would let her.”
“I have to do something, Kate.”
“Hey, here’s an idea...”
“If you’re going to suggest that I talk to her, I need to remind you of what happened the last time I tried that.”
“You weren’t exactly lily white in that one, either.”
“Thanks.”
“What about... a... mediator?” she suggested. “Or... or counseling?”
Counseling.
Talia had brought up counseling once, in passing, when she’d talked about Lisa and Jack. I remember scoffing at her about how that had done so much good for them.
Fuck, had she been... suggesting it? For us?
“It really would be a good idea, you know?” Kate was saying.
“I think it’s a little late for that,” I mumbled.
“Listen... do you want some company? Some moral support?”
“I’d like that,” I replied.
“Okay, I’ll be over as soon as I can, okay? Oh, and Jase?”
“Yeah?”
“Wear the Armani. Knock her socks off.”
I glanced down at the Armani suit, grinning softly. “One step ahead of you.”
“Good. Give me a few minutes, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And Jase... you’re doing the right thing. I mean, you could do more, but...”
“Bye, Kate,” I cut her off with a laugh.
I WAS FULLY DRESSED, minus the jacket and tie, as I made my way down the stairs. Kate hadn’t arrived yet, but I heard Linda as she made her way around the kitchen. “Hey,” I said to her with a smile as I walked in.
“Hello,” she said, doing her best to return the smile. Our relationship had become strained at best since she’d found out about Bree, not that I can blame her for that. Still, she stayed, her stoic presence reminding me every day that she was there how much I had done wrong.
Like now, with the look she was giving me.
“Lunch date?” she asked as she wiped down the counter.
“Court house date,” I replied softly, looking down at my shoes.
“Ah.”
That was it. Just ‘ah’. I looked up as she walked over to the door that led to the basement.
Oh... the basement. I’d been unable to bring myself to go down there, and I didn’t want to burden Linda with the task of cleaning up the mess.
“Hey, Linda?” I called out to her, and she looked over her shoulder at me. “Don’t... don’t worry about the basement, okay? I’ll take care of it.” I was beside her then, my hand on the doorknob, a tight smile on my face as I shrugged. “I’d meant to earlier, I just didn’t get around to it.”
“There’s a lot you haven’t gotten around to,” she remarked, stepping away from the door.
“I... I deserve that, I know.” I opened up the door to go down, survey the damage, see what I could pick up while the minutes ticked away.
“Their birth certificates are down there,” she said as she went back to wiping non-existent stains off the counter. “In a box, along with a frame that I’m sure she was looking for.”
Of course... I knew Talia had to have been down there for a reason. She needed their birth certificates, probably other important papers as well. I nodded, thanking Linda, and made my way down the stairs. Was it crazy of me to want to find the papers and bring them to her? I mean, it wasn’t like it was going to win any brownie points in the least, not on a day when she’d consider me the lowest of the low.
No, wait.
I’d already achieved that in her eyes.
Fuck it.
She needed them.
I groaned as I glanced around at the damage we’d inflicted upon that room. Books were thrown about, a stored lamp toppled over, the contents of a folder scattered across the floor.
“Oh, Talli,” I sighed as I stepped around as much as I could, “you’re lucky I love you.”
I stopped abruptly, hearing the crunching of glass under my feet. I looked down, moving a few of the papers out of the way with my feet, my heart constricting as I saw what was underneath.
Our Angel.
She’d been looking for... our Angel?
I knelt down, picking up the shattered frame and its damaged contents in my hand, wincing as a tiny shard of glass punctured my finger. Reluctantly, I set the frame back down before pulling the piece of glass from my finger, sucking on it when it began to bleed.
“Holy shit, Warner.”
I jumped at the sound of Kate’s voice, glancing over my shoulder as she walked down the steps. “Hey,” I said softly. “Yeah... we... um, we made quite a mess down here.”
“Are you okay?” she asked, pointing at my hand.
“Yeah, it’s just a little cut. Nothing big. Careful down here, though.”
“Oh... Jase,” she said as she looked down at the frame. She gingerly lifted it, sadness etched in her features. “I know someone who could take care of this, fix this.”
“It’s just a frame,” I muttered.
“Can you get another certificate?” she asked and I shrugged in response.
“It’s no big deal,” I lied.
“Yes it is; I know better.” She shook some of the excess glass from the frame, holding it out away from her. “You need to fix this. Not just for Talli, but for you, too.”
“And there’s no double meaning behind those words, I’m sure,” I said, grinning at her when she raised her eyebrow at me. “I know, Kate. I know.”
“Just cleaning up?” she asked, and I shook my head.
“I’m also looking for a few things... birth certificates, shot records, the title to her vehicle...”
“Like all of this?” she asked, gesturing towards the papers on the floor.
“Oh... great.”
“Here, let me get this upstairs and I’ll help you shake the glass out of those.”
“Nah, I can do it,” I said. “Thanks, though. Hey... can you get me a folder from my office for these? Linda will have a key.”
“Sure,” she replied, smiling softly. “Be careful, okay?”
“Always,” I mumbled, sifting through the documents, most of which were completely unscathed.
But the memories...
Oh, there was Elizabeth’s birth certificate, her name bringing back some of the hardest memories of all. Elizabeth Christine, my baby girl who almost didn’t make it. To look at her today, no one would ever know. I still have a problem with her birthday, and it was something I’d believed that Talli had understood. This year, though... this past one, she carried on as if it was like all of the other kids birthdays, leaving me with my anxiety, a bottle of Jack, and...
I shook my head, moving on as I picked up the next one.
Michael James Warner, my little man, born on the hottest day in August, no problems, no drama, so easy that Talli and I had both asked if that was it. He let out one short cry before opening his eyes, and he seemed so mesmerized by his surroundings that he couldn’t be bothered complaining. The first time I held him, he stared up at my face, watching my mouth as I talked to him. I’d told Talia that he was going to talk early, and she’d laughed at me until he was nine months old and asking questions.
Ah, the title to Talia’s minivan. I remember the wide-eyed expression she’d had when I told her we were trading her old car in for that brand new fully loaded minivan. “Oh... God... I’m... an old lady!” she’d said, not wanting to listen to reason when I told her we needed the room. We’d just been surprised to learn that our third child was on the way, and we needed a vehicle that would fit all of us. To this day, it was still just referred to as her ‘car’, the word ‘minivan’ stricken from our vocabulary. Hell, when Elizabeth had graduated up to a booster seat from her car seat, Talli had just put all three of them together on that bench seat, leaving the back unoccupied. Sometimes—no, a lot of time—I didn’t understand this woman.
And the shot records... there they were... yep, for all three of them.
Talia’s transcripts from college were underneath the shot records. Wow, she had graduated with a 4.0. I mean, she’d told me she had, but sometimes I just had to wonder.
Fuck, stop it, Warner. She has a brilliant mind, it’s one of the million things you fell in love with.
Just one more...
Ah, Emily. Emily Danielle Warner. Elizabeth had come up with her first name, and Talli gave her Jaden’s middle name. Em was the first baby I had no say so when it came to her name, actually, but that was fine. I remember how my heart had just melted at the sight of her, the tiny copy of her mother. I just couldn’t get over her face...
I still can’t.
There was an envelope over to the side, and as I picked it up, a few pictures fell to the floor. The first one was an older picture of Pete and Jaden, taken in Paris when they’d flown out that June, so very long ago. This was on Talli’s birthday... I could see the two of us in the background of the picture, where she’d slid on my lap and was whispering in my ear.
Oh, I remembered that.
And there was one... oh, wow, I should get rid of this one. Kate and Brooks at one of our... Christmas parties, I think? I kept flipping through them, shaking my head. What was with all of the couples pictures? Timmy and Cheryl, Chris and Nancy, Tish and Mark, me and...
Bree?
What the...
This was ... it was in this house, during one of our ‘meetings’ we’d all had that became more drinking sessions than anything. Oh, God... we... we had our arms around each other, making goofy faces at the camera, and... and way off, in the background was Talli, her face sad, her eyes downcast. What had Talli said to me that night? Oh... oh, she’d said that I was blind if I thought Bree saw me as just a friend. And I’d argued with her, it had actually turned into a huge shouting match as I’d told her it was in her head.
