Page 31

CHAPTER THIRTY

ROWAN

“ H ello, Hadley,” my lawyer says with a smile as he approaches Hadley who is standing in front of the room. “How are you today?”

It’s just the two of us here today, because at the end of the day, we’re the only two who really matter in this case. My lawyer interviewed friends and family and was able to provide their statements to show my character and ability to provide stability.

He went and met with Selena two weeks ago and she signed over her parental rights without a second thought. She didn’t want to face me herself and figured the hospital was the best place to leave Lucy. Selena never intended on fighting against me for custody and for that, I was so fucking grateful.

Now, there’s only one last piece to set in place to seal the deal of gaining full custody of Lucy.

Hadley and I have to sell our engagement to the judge.

I’ve never had to deal with an experience like this before so I wasn’t sure what to expect before we walked into this courtroom. The thought of losing Lucy, of Lucy being given to someone else or put into the system, makes my heart feel like it’s going to shatter.

Hadley smiles back at the lawyer and the judge. “I’m doing well, thank you.”

“As I’m sure you know, we’ve asked you to come today to provide a little insight on you and Mr. Taylor’s relationship.”

My heart stalls in my chest as her eyes find me. The softest smile lifts her lips and her head bobs before looking back at him. “Yes, of course.”

“You and Mr. Taylor are engaged, correct?”

“Yes.” She tips her chin, still smiling at him.

“How long have the two of you known each other?”

“Oh my,” she says with a gentle laugh. “Well, we grew up in the same town and went to the same school, so it’s been many years.”

“So, you would say you know him very well then?”

Her eyes flash to me. “Sometimes I think I know him better than I know myself.”

My breath catches in my throat and my heart skips a beat. I have to maintain my composure. This is all just for show. She doesn’t mean a single word of it.

“Very well,” the lawyer says with approval. “When Rowan is away for work, is Lucy with you?”

“Yes,” she tells him, which is the truth. “I’ve taken some time off from my own job for us to get everything figured out.”

“And what will the two of you do when you go back to work? ”

“We have a babysitter lined up for that.”

My lawyer looks pleased as he looks back at the judge. “As you can see, Your Honor, Miss Reed has known Mr. Taylor for many years and is someone who can speak to his character. With their engagement, I believe it’s pretty clear that Lucy will have all her needs met and the two of them can provide the stable environment she needs to grow up in.”

The judge mulls things over, looking over his notes before looking at Hadley. “Is Rowan Taylor someone you could see spending the rest of your life with, even if things were to get tough?”

Hadley doesn’t falter. “Yes.”

“Is he someone you would want to have future children with, presuming that was something you wanted to do?”

Again, she doesn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

Emotion washes over me, but I shove it back into the box inside my chest, knowing it’s something I cannot entertain. Hadley is playing her part. She’s doing everything I asked her to do.

And for some reason, that fucking kills me.

How badly I wish it were all true . . .

Her eyes slide back to mine. “Rowan Taylor is the best person I’ve ever met. He’s kind and caring. He’s the type of person to give you the shirt off his back. But above all of that, he’s thoughtful and attentive. He loves with his entire chest and he’ll do whatever he has to, to keep the ones he loves safe.”

My heart is a mess inside its cage, hearing her talk about me like this. She speaks it like it’s written in stone. The truth and nothing less.

“Well, I think this is a fairly easy decision to make then,” the judge says, breaking through the silence that settled in the courtroom. “Rowan Taylor, I grant you full custody of Lucille Taylor.”

The next few minutes are a fucking whirlwind, like an out-of-body experience. If it weren’t for Hadley, I’m not sure how any of this would have panned out. There’s a chance they may have looked at me and my career and said no.

Hadley walks over in my direction and practically throws herself at me. Her arms wrap around the back of my neck as her chest melts into me. My arms instinctively go around her lower back, sweeping her off her feet. “Oh my god, Rowan,” she breathes against my ear as I hold her tightly. “I’m so happy for you. You did it. You got her.”

I lower her feet back down onto the floor, watching her for a moment, my eyes bouncing back and forth between hers. My hand reaches for hers, our fingers lacing together. “We did it.”

A smile spawns across her face, reaching for her eyes. “I think this calls for a celebration.”

“I just want to spend the night with you and Lucy,” I tell her, my voice low and hoarse as emotion builds inside my chest. The only thing I want right now is to have Lucy in my lap and Hadley tucked up against my side on the couch.

Her expression softens, her hazel eyes infiltrating mine. “That sounds even better.” She turns her body away from me so she’s standing beside me, our linked hands between us. She looks up at me, the sun shining in her expression. “Let’s go get her.”

This morning we left Lucy at Nova’s while everyone was at practice. I didn’t tell anyone else about the court date today, except for the coaches and the general manager, and my close circle of friends. I needed to ask to skip practice this morning and they were very accommodating. The guys were going to be expecting an answer, but I would get to them later.

Right now, the only thing that matters is Lucy and Hadley.

After all the paperwork is taken care of and my copies are handed to me, Hadley and I head out of the courthouse together, one hand in Hadley’s and the other holding on to all the legal documentation I need to prove that I have full custody of Lucy. In a way, I’m shocked, but most of all, I’m just relieved.

There’s going to be a new wave of challenges with Hadley leaving, but I have no choice except to try and figure it out. Mia already agreed to watch Lucy for me during playoffs and then I have the off-season to figure out what will happen in the fall.

The thought of her leaving feels like a knife twisting in my chest, but I can’t focus on that, not while I still have her here with me. I don’t want her to leave and I know I can’t ask her to stay. She loves her job and she wants to see the world. The last thing I’m going to do is try to sway her to stay with me because of my own selfish wants .

If only things could be different...if only she didn’t have plans to leave.

“How long would it take for you to get ready?” I ask Hadley, feeling her warmth against my side as the movie comes to an end, the credits beginning to roll on the screen.

She moves away, my arm falling onto the couch as she turns to look at me. “I thought you just wanted to spend the night here?”

A sheepish grin pulls on my lips. “I didn’t specifically say I wanted to spend it here.” I glance down with a slow grin at Lucy who ended up falling asleep in Hadley’s arms while we were all snuggled on the couch tonight. I glance at my phone, seeing there’s a message from Mia saying she could come over for a few hours.

“I thought you didn’t want to go out and celebrate, though?”

“I want to take you out, Hadley,” I admit, my voice gruff as I cross my arms over my chest in defiance. “This is your last night here...”

She purses her lips. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to do something with me because I’m leaving tomorrow,” she tells me, her expression unreadable as she rises to her feet and stares. “We don’t have to go out.” She lets out a breath, her shoulders deflating. “Let me go put her down and we can talk about it then.”

Frustration washes over me, but I don’t say anything as she leaves me in the living room alone. It’s her last night here and I know the quiet moments of getting Lucy settled into her crib is a top favorite of Hadley’s. The thought of her not being here after tonight feels like a vise grip tightening around my chest. I can’t let my mind go there.

I can’t think about what it will be like without her presence here. Dread swells in my stomach and I know I’m going to miss her. She hasn’t even left yet and I already feel a hollowness in my chest. There’s going to be a Hadley-shaped hole inside my heart and nothing but her will ever fill that void.

And even still...I know I can’t ask her to stay. I can never and will never ask her to give up her life or her career for Lucy and me.

As I sit on the couch, I type out a message to Mia to tell her I’ll let her know what’s going on and if I need her. It’s Hadley’s last night here, so it only seemed right to take her out...but now I’m not so sure. If she doesn’t want to go out, then we won’t.

At this point, I don’t care what we do, as long as I get to do it with her.

Hadley appears back in the living room, walking over to me on the couch as she lowers herself down beside me. “I don’t want to go out tonight, Rowan. I don’t want to go out and be distracted by the outside world.” She tilts her head to the side, her bottom lip drawing between her teeth before she lifts herself from the couch and straddles my lap. I watch her carefully, my hands finding her hips as she settles down onto me. Her hands lift, cupping my cheeks. “I just want to be distracted by you.”