Page 27 of Falling for the Unexpected

“It’s fine,” I told her, squeezing her hand. She squeezed back. “And thank you, for your words…”

“Simone?” I heard Kyle call from next to the reception desk.

I stood up, Addie taking her leave as I stared at my lawyer. Kyle had been in nice slacks and a plain white button-down shirt when we’d met at the diner yesterday; but today, he was in a suit, with a tie, the shirt underneath was light blue with thin, white pinstripes. He looked like a powerful and well-to-do businessman—or something out of a fashion magazine. His bright green eyes, his captivating smile, and focused gaze had me a little flustered. I hated that I couldn’t get my mouth to work and say something as basic as ‘hello’ but I couldn’t. I about died when Linda smiled, eyeing her boss then me.

Linda covered for me and cleared her throat, drawing Kyle’s intense gaze away from me so I could actually breathe. “I’ll be sure to hold all calls until further notice,” she said, smiling at me, “or direct them to Trent.”

Kyle nodded, then looked back at me. “Why don’t you come on back so we can get started.”

I nodded, gave him a brief smile, and silently followed him into his office. Those dreaded butterflies fluttered in my stomach and I tried to ease my anxieties by smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles from my blouse.

For the next hour he explained the whole divorce process for California residents in detail. Brad and I didn’t have much in the way of assets so division of property wasn’t going to be difficult. He told me that based on the length of our marriage and our income, I probably wouldn’t receive spousal support.

“We need to figure out what you want to ask for in relation to custody of Stella. Is there any reason you and Brad might not have joint custody?” Kyle asked. He had his glasses on, and was writing things down on his legal pad. His professional demeanor helped set the tone of the meeting and aided in me focusing on the discussion and not the man sitting in front of me.

I had to think of what I wanted to say before I could answer him. Honestly, Brad was not a very hands-on father. He didn’t spend much time with our daughter unless I nagged him about it. Sure, he was with her while I was at work on occasion, but that’s all he did. He didn’t interact with her. If those had been my only complaints I may have been open to the idea of joint custody. However, the events from two nights ago kept playing through my mind. There had been cocaine on my nightstand. If Brad was using drugs there was no way I was okay with sharing custody with him. And since he never seemed to have money, despite learning that Marla and Jim assisted him with the rent, God only knew how much he spent on drugs or other vices I didn’t know about. I didn’t even want to think about the possibility of him wasting money on his girlfriends.

“Um…” I started, biting my lip. “The other night when I caught Brad with Tiffany, there was something I didn’t tell you.” I was hesitant to voice these details out loud, even though I knew it was the right thing to do. I hadn’t shared this with anyone yet. “They had been using cocaine together. He said it was a one-time thing, but I’m not sure he was telling the truth. Stella was there in the apartment with him.”

The fact that Brad and I had experimented together one night a couple years ago made me feel hypocritical using this against him. At the same time, Stella had not been in the picture and I couldn’t get past the fact that he had been using while he was responsible for our daughter.

“What?” Kyle asked, exasperated and his face getting red with anger. I was a bit surprised to see his intense reaction.

“I’m not sure how long he’s being doing drugs, or if it’s a recent thing…” I trailed off, trying to be as fair as I could. Brad didn’t deserve my consideration but I was, however, trying to avoid any prolonged battle and I knew Brad well enough that not upsetting him was key to getting his cooperation. I knew I’d have to concede some things, even if my lawyer said otherwise. I had never been this decisive in my life, but for once, I knew what I wanted and how to do it. I only thought of Stella and that gave me a lot of strength.

I heard Kyle mutter something under his breath that sounded a lot like “motherfucker.” He leaned back and ran a hand through his hair, musing it up. “We can ask that he submit to a drug test before determining custody. He could also agree to supervised visits, which could mean Jim or Marla being with him when he has Stella. Do you think he will fight you on full custody?” he asked.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” I said, shifting in my seat. “He isn’t an active father, but I could see him doing something just to be vindictive. He isn’t the nicest person to deal with when he feels attacked.”

Kyle placed his glasses on the desk and rubbed his temples with his fingers. “Simone, has he ever been abusive towards you, or Stella?” he asked again, bluntly. “I know I asked you yesterday if he’s ever hurt you, but that isn’t the only way someone can be abusive. I heard the way he was talking to you at Jim’s birthday party. Does he do that a lot?”

Not able to answer him with words, I looked down and just nodded my head. I was embarrassed that a man who seemed to have his shit together saw me in such a vulnerable position. That he might think I was weak, that he might really believe I was to blame for this whole mess but was too kind to say otherwise. If I entertained thoughts like that, I knew others had too.

“I don’t want to overstep, but talking with someone, a professional, might be beneficial. You’ve been through a lot. I could give you a recommendation.”

Kyle was right. Talking to someone probably wasn’t a bad idea. “I think I’d like that,” I responded, grateful for his continued concern.

He reached over and handed me a business card. “Well, I believe we have enough to get started,” Kyle said, smiling encouragingly at me. “Based on what we’ve discussed, I don’t think the judge is going to have a problem with requesting a drug test and he’ll probably require some parenting classes for Brad.”

“Thank you again for all your help,” I said, knowing I sounded like a broken record at this point. It was all so overwhelming and I was still waiting for something to go screwy. I got up and gathered my purse. Kyle got up as well and walked around his desk. Before he opened the door for me, I looked up at him, placing a hand on his chest. “There is no way I could’ve figured this all out on my own, Kyle. You have no idea just how grateful I am that you’re on my side.”

He smiled, placing his hand over mine and pressing it into his chest. “It’s no trouble at all.” He paused, his eyes searching my face. “I’m going to be with you every step of the way,” Kyle promised. “You can count on me, I swear it.”

I nodded, slowly removing my hand. His fingers flexed around mine before he dropped his hand and opened the door. When I walked to my car my step was a little lighter, less burdened. I knew Kyle would keep his promises, and that, too, gave me strength.