Page 47 of Catching Our Moment
Kelcie
“This is ridiculous. You can’t go back. You have practice and play-offs to prepare for,” I said as Shaw packed his car for the airport.
He slammed the trunk and motioned me to the passenger door. “Of course I’m going. I’m not letting you deal with this alone.”
I really didn’t need to be fighting with him. I had enough on my mind dealing with James, especially now that I’d likely have to go to his place to pick up Aaron.
“His visitation ends this evening at 9:00 pm. He is supposed to have Aaron back at my house by then,” I said, downplaying the situation as I climbed in the car.
He grunted like a bull. “That’s fine. I will be there with you when they return. I need him to know you aren’t alone, that you won’t be bullied any longer. If he wants a relationship with Aaron, he’ll need to co-parent with you.” Once I was seatbelted in, he slammed my door.
“Having you there will be like pouring gasoline on a fire,” I said as he settled into the driver’s seat and started the car.
“Yeah, well, I’ll bring the matches, and we can get this shit over with,” Shaw said as he pulled out into traffic.
His phone rang, and he answered it with his earbuds, “Yeah.” He listened for a moment while I pulled out my phone and tried to text Aaron. “I want someone at Kelcie’s house when we get there for back-up. Can you manage that? Also, can you check into the financials for James Byron?”
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Checking on a hunch,” he said before returning to the caller. “I’ll get you a copy of Smitty’s contract as soon as I can get my hands on it. Because Aaron is a minor, the office was required to send it to both parents. We haven’t been home to see it yet.”
He listened to the other line for a moment. “Okay, hold on.”
Then he turned to me. “Tell me what Grace told you.”
“According to Grace, James showed up with Amber and her kids in the car, packed up Aaron’s suitcase, told Grace that Aaron wasn’t any of her damn business and if she tried to stop him, he was calling the police.”
“Did you catch that? Yeah, Grace is fine. She was just pissed she couldn’t stop him. Please stay by the phone, and I will get back to you,” Shaw said. “Thanks, Wyatt, I appreciate it.”
“Why is Wyatt involved?” I asked.
“Because Grace called him, and I asked for his help. Trust me, Kelce, please.”
“I do, but the more people in my life who get involved, the messier James is going to make this.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass. He isn’t going to touch you, Kelcie, and he isn’t going to take Aaron. We need a copy of your custody agreement so our lawyer can familiarize himself with it.”
I stared at him, open-mouthed. “What the hell. I have a lawyer,” I said.
“Has he called you back?” he said. “This can’t wait until business hours tomorrow. We need to be ready to handle James and get Aaron back immediately.”
I stared out the window, Shaw unable to see my face as we drove in silence to the airport.