Page 105 of Reckless Love

“She didn’t just lie to me,” Ava says, gasping for breath. “She actively worked against me. She stole my happiness.”

And mine.

I pick Ava up, and I carry her through the apartment into my own. Maybe we could sort all of this confusion out on the floor, but I need to hold her properly, run my hand along her back. Fucking think about what we’ll have to do.

Laying her on the bed, I crawl into it behind her, gathering her into my embrace.

“What do I tell Landon?” Ava asks, clutching my shirt.

“Nothing,” I say, my voice gruff. “Until we know where we stand legally, we tell him nothing.”

“If Raul dies—”

“We can’t count on that, Ava. We shouldn’t. We have to plan as though he’s going to pull through, and he’s going to be pissed. We have to be ready.”

“My cousin, Caitlin.”

“We should go see her.”

Ava rolls away from me as though she’s steeling herself for a fight. She drags her hands down her face, taking the last of her tears with them. “Then we’ll go see her now.”

“Ava…”

“I’m not letting anyone else direct my life anymore. I’m not. I’m done. Fuck my mother. Fuck Raul. I know what I want, and now I just need Caitlin to tell me how we get it.” She gets off the bed and takes a deep, shuddering breath. “Are you coming?”

“Wherever you go, I go.”

Caitlin is with a client when we arrive, so Ava and I are in the waiting room. While I’m still trying to process my feelings, Ava’s gone into attack mode. She’s on her phone, looking up paternity cases. Unfortunately, from the mumbling I’ve heard, our case is unprecedented in Bellerive. There’s no clear decision to guide what we’re up against.

A young woman comes out of the office, and Caitlin follows her.

“Do you have time—” her secretary starts.

“I’ll make time. Ava, Stephen, come in.”

Ava reaches for my hand, but she leads us into the room. Out of her purse, she takes the paternity test result and slides it across the desk to her cousin.

“What’s this?” Caitlin asks, scanning it.

“Raul is not Landon’s father, and I have proof. I want to know how we remove him from the birth certificate and every other aspect of my son’s life.” Then she glances at me, grabs my hand again, and says, “Our son’s.”

Caitlin releases a deep breath and presses the paper flat on her desk, clearly thinking through her response. “Raul is still in a coma?”

“Yes.”

“Any signs he’ll wake up?”

Ava hesitates, and she avoids looking at me. “I’m told the doctors are hopeful.”

A tidbit she did not share with me. Of course, I’ve avoided asking. I wanted our little bubble in that apartment to last. Who knew that finding out I’m Landon’s father would burst it?

“This will have to go to court unless Raul willingly signs away his parental rights. That’s the main Bellerive law that’ll lead the case, I’m sure. If he fights it, there’s a good chance the court will grant him access to Landon. He’s been one of his primary caregivers since he was born.” Caitlin meets Ava’s gaze and then mine. “Landon calls Raul Dad, and on paper, he’s a good provider, a good enough man. You are unlikely to get rid of him completely if he doesn’t want to leave Landon’s life. The court may also take Landon’s opinion into account, but at six, I can’t tell you how much weight that would have—in either direction.”

“That’s not good enough,” Ava says, her tone angry. “I want him cut out.”

“Then, if he wakes up, you’ll have to convince him to cut himself out. Maybe Raul will let it go peacefully. Even if he wakes up, traumatic brain injuries can have a variety of impacts on behavior. Maybe you’ll get lucky.”

I don’t want to consider how bad unlucky could be. The guy was a vindictive prick before. Seems impossible to believe or even consider that he might come out of a coma as a docile teddy bear instead of a roaring grizzly.