Page 64 of Not Mine to Rescue

“Take Jacob.”

Her eyes bugged out as he held the baby out.

I helped her out and grabbed the glass and chugged the contents in one gulp.

Jim noticed.

I ignored him. “That’s really good wine, Denise. Thank you.”

She awkwardly smiled while straightening the child in her arms before taking the empty glass from me.

Jim continued his rant. “It’s an ethical violation. You can’t be serious about this.”

The phone in my hand had gone dark. Either Wombat was on his way or he’d gotten pissed off enough at both Jim and me to hang up. But the reminder of his involvement in this fiasco was enough to check my bitter reply to Jim and simply focus on the facts. “Not true. The affair started after his court settlement.” Barely.

“He’s younger than you.”

Behind him, Denise jiggled Jacob in her arms to stop his fussing. I stared at her, then directly back at Jim. “Really? Dating someone younger than you is crime?”

“It is if they’re a criminal. Honestly, don’t you have any sense?”

Jim was so wrong. “Point one, Denise is whole year younger than Random. Point two⁠—”

“Random?” Denise asked.

Jim threw his hands in the air. “How can you do this? He doesn’t even have a proper name. He’s a waste of humanity.”

To spare everyone from the nuclear destruction brewing inside me, I answered Denise instead of listening to Jim. “His parents were a bit alternative. They named him Random to mess with her father because he didn’t like their choices in names. Their other children are Sonnet, Summer, and Hallelujah.”

“You can pick any name you want?” Denise looked down at her son.

Jim butted into our conversation. “Do not listen to her. She’s obviously gone crazy.”

It was odd how not-crazy I felt. It was as if I’d released a weight on my spirit. I certainly didn’t hold any animosity against Denise. She’d been caught in our drama for almost two years. And through all that she stayed kind and cordial.

“He rescues animals.” I told her. It felt like the sun had risen and I was finally able to let go of the secrets I had been clinging to. “He’s great with Molly.”

“You can’t be serious. He’s a murderer.”

My attention snapped to Jim. “He is not.” I didn’t know how I knew that, but I felt it in my bones. There were a few of the Destroyers who I should have doubts about, but not Wombat. “And you, of all people, their lawyer might I remind you, shouldn’t say something like that.”

He blinked.

Denise chimed in as she stared at Jim. “You represent murderers?”

I kept my gaze steady on them both. “On occasion, yes. Both of us do. It’s the job.”

“Honey, please don’t⁠—”

“Don’t what? Tell your wife the truth? How about this one, when you and Denise got together we hadn’t filed for divorce yet. Or this one, the only reason you did finally agreed to divorce was because she got pregnant.”

I softened my tone and quickly told Denise, “I don’t hold that against you. He’s always wanted a child. And you’re an answer to his prayers.”

Jim’s nostrils flared. “You need to leave.”

“Fine. I’ll take Molly and⁠—”

“Leave Molly here.”