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"Justice?" Bash prompted, concern creeping into his voice. "What is it?"
"Sebastian..." My voice broke as I held up the custody papers, shock rippling through me. "Someone's trying to take him away from us."
Sebastian had gone into my custody after his grandparents had returned him. Giving him back to Bash would have been difficult, considering he was a convicted felon, but as far as the law was concerned, I was squeaky clean.
We just had to reassure the judge that we were going to get married.
But Alicia’s grandparents were still next of kin and Bash and I hadn’t even gotten married yet.
I stared at the custody papers in disbelief, my heart pounding in my chest. Bash reached over and took the documents from my trembling hands. "Don't worry. We knew this was coming. I have my lawyer on speed dial."
"So do they, Bash," I replied. "And from what you said, they're scary people."
"We're scary people."
I bunched up the papers in my hand. Without another word, I bolted from the table, my heart pounding in my chest. Panic clawed at my insides, threatening to consume me. How could this happen? Sebastian was like my own flesh and blood—even though he wasn't biologically mine, the love I felt for him was fierce and unwavering. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before. The idea that he could be torn away from us and raised by the parents of that monster...
I couldn't even think about it.
"Justice, wait!" Bash called out, catching up to me as I stumbled into the restaurant's foyer. His strong arms wrapped around me, offering support and comfort. "We'll figure this out, okay? We won't let anyone take Sebastian from us. I promise you. I will not let that happen."
I took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure. I knew Bash was right, and I believed him. But the thought of losing Sebastian was too much to bear. I buried my face in his chest, inhaling his comforting scent.
"I need to talk to him," I said.
"Okay," Bash said. "That's a good idea. Let's call."
We stepped away from the foyer and turned a corner into a small alleyway. Bash's hand was still on my shoulder. I took my phone out of my little clutch purse and took my phone out, dialing Skylar's number. He and Hassan were in charge of looking after Sebastian that night while Zane had to do some sort of work thing.
He answered straight away.
"Hi, pet," Skylar answered the phone. "Did you call to see if I'm beating Hassan at checkers?"
"He's beating you, right?" Bash asked.
Skylar rolled his eyes. "Hey, guys," Hassan said from behind him. "Everything okay?"
I didn't answer him. "How's the baby?"
"We took him to the pool and wore him out," Hassan replied. "He's sleeping soundly now."
I sighed, nodding. "Okay, that's good. Thanks for taking care of him."
"Of course, you know we love him as if he was our own," Skylar added.
My heart swelled with gratitude. I knew our relationship might seem unconventional to other people, but Sebastian had gotten lucky that so many incredible men cared for him.
"So, what's going on?" Hassan asked.
I took a deep breath. "We just got some...uh...custody papers." I hesitated, struggling to find the words. "And it's...it's a situation."
"The De Lucas?" Hassan asked. "Fucking assholes."
"Yeah," I confirmed. "What are we going to do?"
"Don't worry," Skylar said, sounding as calm as ever. "We'll get through this. Just focus on preparing for the wedding and we'll handle the custody issue. Trust us."
"He means kill them, right?" I asked Bash.