“My lawyer is working on the name change now,” I admitted. “She’s working on a lot of things. Since we’re not sure that this has ever been done before, we’re running on a lot of what-ifs. As of right now, we’re just working on the custody issue. We’re speed tracking it through the system now.”
“Let me know if I can volunteer Rowen,” Dax, another member of our SWAT team, offered. “She’s at home, bored to tears, with the baby. She has the time to help if you need her.”
I looked over at my friend.
But before I could tell him thanks, but no thanks, Reggie was already inputting her own suggestion.
“You know what,” Reggie said, sounding determined. “That actually would be quite perfect. We’re using this lawyer that specializes in criminal defense. I’m not saying that she isn’t good. She’s the best. But we really could use all the help we could get. If we can get help where Eerie is concerned, we’ll take it.”
When Reggie put it that way, she made a whole lot of fucking sense.
I nodded my head in agreement. “I can ask my lawyer to share with her.”
Dax nodded his head as he pulled out his phone and started texting away.
“I’ll text her and see what she has to say,” he said. “She’s family law now, as you know. If anything else, she can help with the custody aspect side of it. Help get you what you need there. The rest, Eerie paying for what she did? That can come later. I think charges of some kind need to be filed.”
I agreed.
I just wasn’t sure what kind of charges needed to happen, or where to even bring something like this. My father was thankfully looking into it, but since he had an obvious conflict of interest in this case, it wasn’t like he could pursue it all the way.
“I called my dad.”
I turned to see Amelia, Adam’s woman, standing in the doorway.
Her dad, Silas Mackenzie, was ex-CIA. Or so everyone told me. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what he was. Though, an intimidating bastard was definitely one of the key words that I’d use if I had to explain anything when it came to the older man. Even at his age, I still got a chill that raced down my spine when he was in the same room with me.
And poor fucking Adam was marrying his daughter.
Talk about intimidation.
Amelia moved, and that was when I saw all the women at her back, all of them ready to rally around and help in any way they could.
When I looked back, I had all of the men’s attention, too. They were all staring at me with various shades of anger, all of it aimed at the woman that had fucked me over.
This.
This right here was what I’d wanted when I’d joined the SWAT team. Though I had a camaraderie of sorts with my baseball team, it wasn’t this. The feeling that I knew that I’d be okay. That Reggie and my child would be okay. No matter if I was there or not.
They would always have my back.
I swallowed hard, overcome by the emotions that were rolling through me at the sight of all these men and women coming together to help me with my son.
My son.
Holy shit.
I hadn’t said that before.
I hadn’t allowed myself to think about it, honestly.
I hadn’t wanted to.
But now that the thought had entered my mind, it was definitely there for me to never forget.
My eyes went to Reggie. When my gaze found hers, I realized that she was staring so hard at me that I must’ve missed something important.
“What?” I asked.
“They asked you something.” She gestured to Luke and Bennett.
I turned to find both older men staring at me.
“I asked if your parents knew,” he repeated.
I paused. “My dad knows. I’m sure that my mother knows by now, too. Honestly, I’m surprised they haven’t tried to show up here and figure out more information. I haven’t exactly been forthcoming with it.”
“That would be because of me,” Reggie said. “I asked them to give you a couple of days to process the news. But they know. They’re also calling and texting me for hourly updates.”
I turned to her sharply. “They are?”
She nodded.
“I feel like I’m missing something,” one of the men said.
I didn’t know who because I’d never looked away from Reggie’s serious face.
She looked like she wanted to say something more but wouldn’t in the roomful of people.
“You are,” I agreed, finally turning my head to see who’d been the one to speak earlier. Bourne. “But you’re not going to find out what.”
Bourne rolled his eyes.
“Does Saint... I mean, Michael know?” Bennett continued.
This time his question was aimed at Reggie.
Michael, Reggie’s uncle, was the whole reason that I’d wanted to come here to Kilgore. He’d loved the SWAT team. Honestly, he would still be on it had the hours not started to catch up to him like it did to all the guys eventually.