Page 31

Marty

Firing my lawyer less than twenty-four hours before a hearing in family court probably wasn’t the smartest move I could have made, but he pissed me off. It’s like he has something personal against Stevie, and the way he spoke to her is unacceptable. She hasn’t done anything wrong and has been nothing but wonderful with the kids. They adore her.

That momentarily gives me pause.

Is that what this is about?

Is Brenna pissed off that the kids like and potentially talk about Stevie too much?

Well, I can’t worry about that now.

I need to find another attorney.

Right away.

Stevie has to be at the gallery this afternoon, so I drop her off, and then head to the arena because Gabe told me Harper is working in her office today. I hate asking for favors, but there’s nothing I won’t do for my kids and for Stevie.

“Hey, Marty.” Harper looks up in surprise when I rap my knuckles against her open door. “Come on in.”

“Hey.” I walk in and sink into a chair across from her. “How are you feeling?”

“Huge,” she says with a grin. “But you didn’t come here to talk about my pregnancy. What’s going on?”

“I need a favor, and I don’t know who else to ask.”

“I’ll help if I can.”

“I need an attorney. I fired my divorce lawyer and there’s a hearing tomorrow…” I tell her what’s going on. “I didn’t like how he went after Stevie. I understand that’s how a judge or lawyer might treat her, but we aren’t prepping for a trial. It’s an unfounded request from my jealous ex-wife. I looked up the law and there have to be actual incidents to get a restraining order. And there isn’t anything, but Luke behaved like Stevie is some kind of criminal.”

“I know some lawyers but no one that specializes in family law.”

“Can you get me an appointment with Madeline Aronson?”

Her eyes widen. “By tomorrow?”

“I know,” I say. “I was pissed and did something impulsive, but now I’m in a bind and you’re the one person who might be able to help me.”

She’s thoughtful for a few seconds and then nods. “Hang tight.” She picks up her phone and starts scrolling. She finds what she’s looking for and then makes a call. “Hey, Madeline…how are you?”

I nearly choke.

I didn’t expect her to make the call personally.

Or for Madeline Aronson to just answer the phone.

“…yes, it’s been too long… oh, you wouldn’t believe all the changes…” She laughs at something Madeline says. “Sadly, this is not a social call. I need a favor. For one of the guys on my team.” She’s quiet again for a bit. “No, I don’t think money is an issue.” She meets my gaze and I shake my head. “Uh, well, tomorrow might be too late… yes, I know how busy you are. At least you’re not a hundred months pregnant… I am. Official due date is October first… I’m not sure about that but I’ll be at every game until he or she makes their grand entrance.” She laughs, they talk about something else, and then all of a sudden, she turns to me, proffering her phone. “Here you go—you have two minutes to make your case.”

Jesus fuck.

I’m totally not prepared, but it doesn’t matter.

I grab the phone and give it my best shot.

And to my astonishment, Madeline tells me to meet her at her office at seven thirty this evening and disconnects.

I stare at Harper. “How did you do that?”

“Madeline’s a friend.”

“I didn’t know that. I just hoped you had the connections to get me in to see her.”

“Obviously, I do.” She smiles. “And I truly hope she can help you.”

“Thank you,” I say. “I’ll owe you one.”

“You don’t owe me anything. I just need you to show up and play your best every night. Without worrying about what your ex is doing to fuck up your life.”

“Yeah, that’s my goal too.” I lean back in my chair. “To be honest, I’m more worried about Stevie right now. This has had a negative impact on her mental health…and she’s already been through too much.”

“I know. I’m sorry this is happening—to both of you.”

“I’m doing everything in my power to protect her from this, but fucking Brenna…” My voice trails because I try so hard not to talk shit about the mother of my children. I don’t want to be that guy, but she makes it so fucking hard.

“What do you think she wants?” Harper asks, though I think it’s mostly rhetorical. “Is this a money grab?”

“I wish I knew. She knows our financial situation and I don’t have that kind of cash on hand to give her. The kind it would take to make her go away.”

“How much do you think she wants?” Harper meets my eyes.

“I don’t know, but probably more than I can get my hands on without cashing out investments or my 401K. Which is bullshit.”

“Don’t do that, Marty,” she says softly. “I know you love your children, but you have to protect yourself too. You’re already in your thirties, and as someone who’s married to a pro hockey player in his thirties, I know his time—and probably yours—is limited. There are exceptions but we both know one injury can end your career. Don’t put yourself in a position where you’re out of work and broke. Your kids need that money more than she does.”

“I won’t,” I say. “At least, not unless it’s an absolute last resort.”

“Please come to me before you do anything like that.”

“Thanks, Harper. I appreciate it.”

“Have you asked her?” she asks abruptly.

“Asked her what?” I ask in confusion.

“What she wants? Like, a flat-out ‘how much will it take’ conversation?”

I frown. “Not directly like that, no.”

“Maybe you should. Get a feel for what kind of payout would make her go away, give up custody, whatever it is you want. See if you can pull it out of her without lawyers, because Madeline is going to cost you a fortune. And no matter how good she is, there are no guarantees with custody.”

“I know.” I sigh. “But you’re right. It’s something to think about.”

“Have a number in mind. And if it’s in the ballpark of what you can do, we can work out an interest-free loan for the rest. I’m not interested in making a profit off you.”

“Thank you,” I say. “I mean that—and don’t think I won’t take you up on it if we get to that point.”

She smiles, resting her hand on her belly. “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want you to take me up on it.”

“Well, I’ll let you get back to your day.”

“No problem. Tell Stevie I said hi.”

She goes back to whatever she was doing before I arrived, and I pull out my phone to call Stevie as I walk out to the parking lot.

“Hi.” She picks up right away. “How’d it go?”

“I have a meeting with Madeline tonight at seven thirty.”

“Harper for the win,” she says quietly.

“Yup. Do you want to come with me?”

She hesitates. “Actually, I need to pack tonight. I’m flying to New York in the morning.”

“New York?” I ask in surprise. “Why? When did this come up?”

“Saylor is going on a buying trip for the gallery, and I decided to go with her, plus we’re meeting with Alexa Humboldt about an upcoming fashion show. In Milan. You know I haven’t been back to Milan since before the incident, so it’s an exciting opportunity.”

“Oh. Well, that’s great, babe.” I’m frustrated she won’t be with me tomorrow, but I also sense a need for her to distance herself from the drama in my life. She doesn’t need the publicity or the negativity, and someone is bound to say something if they see her at the courthouse. Besides, she’s having nightmares again, and I hate that it’s my fault.

“I’m sorry I won’t be there tomorrow,” she whispers. “I just think it’s better if I put a little distance between us.”

“Stevie, I don’t want there to be distance between us. Not emotionally, anyway.”

“I know.” She sounds funny, and I’m not sure what’s going on. This is about more than just her wanting to focus on work. “I don’t want that either, but we need to think about the kids. It’s obvious Brenna is going to make trouble for you because of me, which is the last thing I want.”

“I don’t care what Brenna thinks or wants or does,” I say firmly. “She doesn’t get to dictate my life going forward.”

“Of course not, but she does have quite a bit of power when it comes to the kids.”

“Babe, I have an appointment with one of the best lawyers in the entire country tonight—we’re going to get through this. I don’t want you to worry.”

“But I have to worry,” she says softly. “And you should too. This could get ugly.”

“I have confidence that Madeline is going to nip it in the bud.”

“I want what’s best for you,” she says slowly. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot. That’s why I think we need to… take a break.”

“A break?” I’m standing in front of my SUV, frozen in place. “What are you talking about, Stevie?”

“I just told you. A break. So you can focus on your children without me causing trouble for you.”

“Madeline is going to get us through this.”

“I’m not worried about the temporary restraining order. I’m worried about the custody hearing. And honestly, I’m worried about the kids. Having me in their lives is just going to be problematic. We both know my reputation precedes me.”

“What are you talking about? There’s nothing in your past that scares me. I’ve told you that.”

“You may not be worried about it, but what about the kids? When they go to school and some little shit asks Martin about his psycho stepmom? Or when I take Emma to some school function and the other moms talk about me behind my back, how I’m the one who’s been engaged five times or whatever… it’s going to happen. And Emma will hear it.”

“Where is this coming from?” I ask in frustration. “We’ve talked about this and?—”

“But we haven’t. We’ve talked about taking things slow, figuring out what we want, and trying out living together. We never talked about how my past could impact your kids’ futures.”

“I don’t think it will.”

“But you don’t know. And also, let’s be honest—you’ve always said you wanted four or five kids. I can’t give them to you.”

“I never said that!” I protest.

“You did. When we first met. Four or five was always your plan. I don’t want you to deviate from that because you got involved with a woman who can’t have kids.”

“Stevie, can we please slow down and talk about this in person? How about I come over before I go to Madeline’s?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “That would just make this harder.”

“Are you breaking things off?” I demand.

“I am. I’m sorry, Marty. Please, trust me that this is better for both of us. My mental health can’t take anymore drama, and you can’t risk the custody hearing going wrong. Please—do this for me.”

Before I can say another word, she disconnects.

When I try to call back, it goes right to voicemail.

I wait a few minutes and call again.

And a message comes up saying the number is unavailable.

She blocked me.

And I have no fucking idea what to do about any of it.