Page 18 of Pumped

“That’s enough. Both of you.” Mom’s voice cuts through the tension filling the room.

Everest is perched on the edge of his seat, ready to lunge at me the second Nell takes her hand off his shoulder. I lean back in my chair, fold my arms across my chest, and smirk at him. Maybe I am an arrogant prick. But at least I’m a responsible arrogant prick.

“I think it’s fair to say that we’re all skeptical about this arrangement.” Mom scans the table, daring anyone to disagree with her. “And who knows why Jeremy and Eden thought this was a good idea.But, it is what they wanted. So we owe it to them to give it an honest try.”

My stomach sinks and all the smugness I felt from getting Everest riled up turns sour.

Me and Everest? Raising Ivy together? It’ll never work. Not in a million years. We’ll kill each other before Ivy reaches her seventh birthday.

It’s not only that. It’s everything. I have my own life. A career. An apartment. I have milestones I’m supposed to hit, goals I’m supposed to achieve. Raising a child is not a part of my five-year plan. Hell, I’m not sure it’s even in my ten-year plan. I’ll have to turn my entire life upside down to make this happen.

“I won’t pretend to know the history between you,” Ms. Dawson says. She’s been watching our heated exchange with more boredom than curiosity. “But I do know that this wasn’t a decision that Eden and Jeremy took lightly. There was a lot of discussion and weighing of considerations before they agreed that it would be the best course forward.”

She flips through some pages and comes up with an envelope. I recognize Jeremy’s handwriting across the front. It’s addressed to both me and Everest.

“I’m supposed to give you this after the documents have been signed. But perhaps it will be more helpful now.”

I take the envelope from Ms. Dawson and stare at it for a moment. Jeremy held this, wrote on this. This is his last message to us. Goddamn it, I wish I had my letter opener.

Carefully, I tear the envelope as neatly as I can across the top and pull out the letter. It’s handwritten by Jeremy, but signed by both of them. As I scan the letter, a heavy cloak of responsibilitysettles around my shoulders. I have no choice. There’s no other option.

I push the letter across the table to Everest as lines from the letter float through my mind.

We hope you will never see this letter, but we felt it prudent to plan for the worst.

We never understood why you guys didn’t like each other. You are so similar in so many ways, perhaps not on the surface, but deep down where it matters the most.

We choose both of you to be Ivy’s godparents for a reason. We want her to grow up learning from you. We want her to have Owen’s sense of responsibility and Everest’s enjoyment of life.

We know you can be the parents we won’t be able to be.

Across from me, tears are pouring down Everest’s cheeks. Nell pulls a few tissues from the box in the middle of the table and hands them to him.

I wait until he sets down the letter before I speak. “We’ll do it.” I sound like a death knell, but I can’t help it. I love Ivy. I love Jeremy and Eden. But this is going to change everything.

Everest nods as he cries into the tissues. Around the table, more tears have sprung as our parents each read the letter.

“Excellent.” Ms. Dawson shuffles through the papers and passes out stapled copies to both me and Everest. “If I can get your respective signatures in the places indicated.” She hands over fancy pens branded with the law firm’s logo.

The will is only a couple pages, single-sided. Everest scrawls his name on the last page and pushes it back to Ms. Dawson. I take a moment to scan it quickly, to make sure I know what the hell I’m signing.

Right there, in the middle of the first page, are black words on white paper.

Custody of Ivy Amelia Lambert will go jointly to Owen Lambert and Everest Wheeler.

If there was any doubt that this is what Jeremy and Eden wanted, the will makes it undeniable.

A spike of panic seizes me as I grip the pen in my hand. What the hell were they thinking? What the hell am I thinking? I can’t possibly be agreeing to this, can I?

I sneak one last glance around the table. All eyes are on me. I don’t have a choice. This is on me. Jeremy and Eden are counting on me to raise their little girl.

Taking a deep breath, I uncap the pen and place the tip on the paper. This is it. This will forever change the course of my life.

I sign my name.

CHAPTER

SEVEN

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