Over the Fence: Lyssa Layne's Baseball Romances (68 page)

CHAPTER 28

Jace

“Night, bud. Thanks for catching for me tonight.” I tousle Sam’s hair as he lies back on the pillow. Ever since Sam moved in with me a few weeks ago, we play pitch and catch at least an hour every night before bed. His therapist that he’s finally agreed to see says it’s another avenue for him to take out his aggression and it’s a way for me to give him my undivided attention which he’s desperately seeking. The doctor also speculates that Sam was pushing Laurel away out of fear of losing another motherlike figure so that’s why he’s been clinging to me.

Sam sits up, wrapping his smaller arms around my neck, and squeezing me at tight as he can. “Thanks for being my dad.”

Dazed by his words, it takes me a few seconds before I return the embrace, but I still don’t know how to respond to his statement. It doesn’t matter because Sam lies back down and turns to his side, ready for lights out. Leaning over, I kiss his forehead and turn off the lamp beside his bed. The silence in his room weighs heavily on my shoulders as I make my way to the hallway.

In the bathroom, I turn on the shower and wait for the water to warm up. Sam’s words have me shook up for more than one reason. I’m not freaked out because he called me his dad. Poor kid’s never had a father-figure in his life and while I’m definitely not the best role model for him, I’m doing everything I can to be the best fuckin’ dad he’s ever known. The reason his words are so heavy tonight is because of what his caseworker told me yesterday. Sam’s been in the foster system for almost three months and they’re ready to finalize his adoption. They’ve been pushing to get it done sooner than later because there’s other kids in the system that don’t have a guaranteed home like Sam does.

The only issue is that Grey’s custody case is taking much longer than anyone realized it would. Adam’s bringing up every piece of Laurel’s “dirty” past from a speeding ticket in a work zone to even claiming that she had an affair with Ashley’s husband. Let’s not forget the entire day’s testimony discussing my past and my character. Every day, I sit in the back of the courtroom beside Laurel’s parents and every fuckin’ day, I want to rip Adam Darbis’ head off when the judge says they’re done until tomorrow. It kills me to see the way he’s trying to drag her down and then I can’t even hold her or make sure she’s alright.

To be honest, Sam has been my saving grace and the only thing getting me through this trial without fuckin’ losing it. I don’t want to add more to Laurel’s stress, but Sam’s case worker told me that if Laurel doesn’t file for his adoption by the end of the month then he’ll be moved to a family that is interested in adopting him permanently. I haven’t slept since I found out and it was eating me up in court today as I watched her take even more of Adam’s abuse, but I couldn’t tell her. It’s almost like making her choose between her sons.

I step into the stream of the shower, letting the hot water pelt my skin and wash away my stress temporarily. There has to be something I can do to end this mind game that Adam’s playing with Laurel. Now that baseball season is over and I quit my job, I have no reason to be in Florida other than Laurel and the boys. Camila hasn’t called with good news that the commissioner wants to talk to me so if Sam goes to another family and I don’t have any income coming in, I might not have any choice but to leave town because at the rate Adam’s going to screw over Laurel, no one in this fuckin’ town is going to hire me and all the money from Bill Walker will be gone.

Spinning the handle to off, I pull back the curtain and grab a towel. I rub it over my hair then dry off and wrap it around my waist. If I lose Sam and I’m forced out of town, Laurel will never forgive me and I’d never be able to forgive myself either.
Fuck this prick that’s ruining both of our lives, not to mention the boys’, too.

I pull on a pair of shorts and go to the kitchen to grab a beer. Stepping onto the front porch, I take a seat on the old porch swing I fixed up. This place looks nothing like it did when I drove up the driveway the first time. At least the Purser brothers will be able to sell this house when I leave and they should make a decent profit so I guess one good thing came out of my time here. Of course, Evan Purser is a big enough asshole, he’ll probably kick my ass for messing with his mother’s place, but it was in no condition to live in, especially not with a kid.

The ice cold beer rolls down my throat and I stare at my phone. There’s one person that can tell me what to do but I’m not sure I’ll receive a warm welcome if I dial the number.
Fuck, I really don’t have any other choice.
Scrolling through my contacts, I pause when I see what I’m looking for. It takes me a full minute to work up the courage before I hit call. I take a long pull from my bottle while I wait for the other line to pick up.

“Richards.” A chuckle cuts across the phone. “You’re the last person I expected to be calling.”

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t so sure about placing it either.” At least I haven’t been hung up on yet so that’s a good sign.

The laughter gone, the voice on the other end gets serious. “You doing alright?”

I swallow the lump forming in my throat, trying my best to sound like the cocky, arrogant asshole he knows me to be, but even as I try to channel the old Jace, it’s just not in me to be that way anymore. “I’m okay, just got my ki—” I stop myself before I call Sam my kid, unsure what I’m even trying to ask. “I need some advice on how to deal with an asshole who is trying to screw over my girlfriend.”

Grant Adamson laughs again and I relax as he says, “Well, I definitely think I’m the man for that. Tell me what’s going on.”

“That’s what I figured.” Grant Adamson is a good, stand-up man and I’m glad that Colie has him to take care of her. As much as I loved her, still do to a degree, he’s the right man for her like Laurel is the woman for me…if I can figure this shit out. I quickly tell Grant all the details of Laurel’s custody battle, fostering Sam, and against my better judgment, I even tell him about Earl Floyd.

“Damn, Jace, that’s a lot you’ve got going on,” Grant says, letting out a low whistle.

I lean back on the swing, looking at the stars twinkling in the sky. “Tell me about it.”

“I can call my guy that found the information on you, see if he can find anything on this Darbis guy. If he’s as bad as you make him sound, he’s probably hiding something. As for the adoption thing, I think you know what to do, I don’t have to tell you that.”

He doesn’t mention the Earl Floyd situation and I don’t bring it up again. “Thanks, Adamson. I appreciate you taking the time to listen and calling your guy for me. Can I ask you one more thing?”

A baby cries in the background on his end of the phone, but he tells me to go ahead.

“Why didn’t you hang up when you answered? Why are you helping me out?”

The crying baby gets closer and there’s muffled sounds so I’m assuming Grant is picking the kid up. His voice gets soft and he speaks more evenly when he answers. “I’ve seen other players get consumed by the money, let it control them like it did you. You’re not a bad guy, Jace and I did what I had to do because you were hurting Colie and neither of us wanted that.”

I close my eyes and lean my elbows on my knees, digging my thumb and forefinger into my eyes as memories overwhelm me. “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt her, you know that, right?” My voice is barely a whisper as I try to keep the tears from falling.

The crying stops on his end of the line. “I know and Colie knows too. We both forgive you so you need to forgive yourself now.”

Of all the obstacles I’m challenged with at the moment, forgiving myself for my actions is by far the most difficult of them all.

Laurel

I don’t even know why I’m sitting here in this courtroom any more. Day after day I’ve sat in this same spot listening to Adam’s lawyer tell the judge how horrible of a mother I am and I’m beginning to believe him myself. How the hell Grey survived this long is beyond me! Adam’s not messing around, he wants full custody and all of my parental rights terminated. If I honestly lose Grey, I have no clue how I’ll go on without him, my heart aches just thinking about it.

Aside from the time that I get to spend with Grey in the evening, the highlight of my day is riding back to the house with my parents. I see Jace sitting with them every day, it’s my only saving grace while I’m in that courtroom, knowing that I have his support. Of course, after the horrible things that Adam’s lied and said about me, I always wonder if Jace will show up again the next day but so far he has. As my father drives us back to my house, my mom chatters about how Jace and Sam are doing. It’s a relief to know that Jace finally got Sam to therapy and that he’s settling into a routine with him. The two of them are doing great so at least that’s one less worry of mine. 

“Your honor, after spending the last few weeks listening to Mr. Darbis and his counsel slander my client’s reputation, I’d like to call a few character witnesses to attest to the type of mother Laurel Darbis actually is.”

I glance up at Trevor, surprised at what he’s saying. When we started this case, I didn’t expect things to get so dirty. We had a clear game plan that didn’t include building me up or tearing Adam down. Trevor never mentioned character witnesses so this is all new to me and I don’t have a clue who he’s calling to the stand.

Ashley walks down the aisle and takes the stand as Trevor reads her full name to the court and she’s sworn in. She gives a brief history of our relationship and of all people who know me, she’s the one that could tell even worse stories than Adam, but I know she wouldn’t dare breathe a word of any of the stupid, juvenile things we’ve done over the years.

“Ms. Darbis has been accused of having an affair with your husband while she was still married. Can you tell us what you know about that?” Trevor asks, taking a drink of water.

Ashley leans forward, her lips turning down into a frown. “The situation that Adam is referring to is a blatant lie. My husband and I have no secrets, especially if it involves Laurel. If you want to talk about affairs though, maybe you should ask Mr. Darbis about the time his
wife
caught his secretary giving him fellatio under his desk.”

I clasp my hand over my mouth, trying to hide my giggle. On the opposite side of the room, Adam’s counsel is screaming “Objection!” like a broke record and I can feel his gaze burning into the side of my face.
God, I love Ashley!

Of course she is quickly dismissed and for the next three hours, one parent after another from the baseball team takes the stand, not only testifying for my character but for Jace’s as well. It’s not news to me how well Jace works with the kids, but I had no idea the individualized attention he gave to each and every player. Every single parent admitted that they would be ecstatic to have Jace come back and coach next season and be a part of their child’s life again. The real shocker, which makes me feel like a horrible mother for not noticing this myself, is when three of the parents testify that they have overheard Adam condescend Grey, try to talk him into quitting baseball, and one even mentioned they saw Adam bop Grey on the back of the head. If it weren’t for the court officer in the room, I would have returned the action to Adam right this second.

The last witness steps off the stand and I’m feeling slightly better about the trial. The judge lifts her gavel and looks at both benches. “Do both sides rest? If so, we’ll adjourn for the day and in the morning, I’ll announce my decision.”

Adam smirks at me from across the aisle while his lawyer rambles to the judge rather than just answering yes or no. While he’s busy putting on a show, a lanky man dressed in black from head to toe taps Trevor’s shoulder and hands him a slip of paper. The two whisper back and forth for a few seconds and when Trevor reads the document, the man slips out of the back of the room.

The judge clears her throat. “Mr. O’Reilly? Do you rest your case?”

He continues skimming the words on the paper then looks up with a grin on his face. “Your honor, we were just notified of something that might drastically change the course of this case.” He glances down at me and my heart races. Trevor turns to the table across from us and looks directly at Adam. “Mr. Darbis, do you know someone by the name of Elliott Ash?”

All the color drains from Adam’s face and Trevor looks back at the judge. “We have one more witness to call tomorrow morning…unless Mr. Darbis would like to drop his case?”

I don’t know what the hell is going on, but judging from the glare that Adam is sending my way, I already want to thank this Elliott Ash fellow because I think he might have just saved my son for me.

CHAPTER 29