Page 15 of Everywhere You Look

“Oh, the papers you were served say Levi Connelly?”

“I know. That was my birth name. My name is Luke Cannon.”

“Got it. Well, Luke. It looks like we’ve got a bit of a custody conundrum on our hands.”

“Right. My sister, Gigi. She, uh…she died. A few months ago. And she left her three girls, Lemmie, Mellie, and Ollie, to me.”

“Lemmie, Mellie, and Ollie,” Lori repeats, an amused smile curling at her lips.

“I know. I thought Gigi was insane for the names, too. But they’ve grown on me.” My lips tip up at the corners as I remember the day the twins were born.

“I think they’re fantastic names. They’re cute, they rhyme, and they won’t ever be easily forgotten. Your sister sounds like she was a real card.”

I huff out the smallest of laughs. Because yeah, Gigi certainly was a card. After everything we went through, the way she took it upon herself to finish raising me on her own when she was still a kid, she managed to have the best sense of humor.

“She was really something. Gigi was the kind of person who could put a smile on your face even when you were determined to be miserable,” Dean says, squeezing my thigh again.

“I’m sorry for your loss. Both of you.” Lori sighs, then swipes to unlock the screen on the iPad. “I’ve looked at your case and the petition for custody?—”

“It’s bullshit, right?” I ask. “Tell me it’s bullshit, Lori. I mean, it’s not even my real name on those papers. How can I be sued if technically, Levi Connelly no longer exists?”

“Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. A person canbe sued under their former name even if it’s been legally changed, because usually the person doing the suing can easily prove to the court that you are the person they are suing. In your parent’s case, they would likely use your birth certificate or social security card with your birth name.”

“But it’s still bullshit, right?” Dean asks, his grip on my thigh getting tighter and tighter with each passing second. “I mean, come on, Lori. These people didn’t even know they had grandchildren?—”

“My kids arenotJoseph and Rebecca’s grandchildren,” I interrupt. The insinuation that my girls are anything to those fuckers stokes the fire burning in my chest.

“I know babe, I know. I just meant that they didn’t know that the girls existed until a few weeks ago, blood relation or not,” Dean soothes, stroking his thumb over my leg. Even through my slacks, I can feel the heat of his touch on my skin, and I’m tempted to melt into it.

“And, again, it’s not as simple as your insistence that Joseph and Rebecca have no relation to the children. I understand where you’re coming from, but the court might not. Grandparent’s rights are a thing, Luke,” Lori says, and I have to fight back the snarl I want to throw at her.

“Aren’t I paying you to represent me? Because sofar, it seems like you are more than happy to let those people snatch my girls away from me. Gigi wouldn’t have wanted that. Gigi didn’t want that. She took me the fuck away from our parents as soon as she could, and she—fuck. She trusted me to take care of her daughters. I’m the parent she wants for her kids since she can’t be here,” I say, my voice trembling with bottled up anger and resentment.

“Luke, Dean, I am on your side. But I’m not a sugarcoating bullshitter. I’m not going to hold your hand and tell you that this process is going to be smooth like peanut butter. Custody battles are ugly in the healthiest family units. Like I told you, I’ve looked into your case. Gigi left the girls in your care. Her will is clear cut, no court is going to deny that. What gets more complicated is when they start to look into the welfare of the children.”

The…the welfare of the children?

“And what does that mean, exactly?” Dean asks.

“It means that a lot of different factors are going to come into play. Personal history, work schedules, ability to provide for the children, whether there is a stable home environment, the character of the caretaker. And unfortunately, Luke, you have a bit of a reputation as a hothead. It’s not a secret that you weren’t the nicest guy to be around during your lastseason in the league, and the article that ran this week doesn’t help negate that.”

A shudder runs through me when I remember the way I acted in my last months as the Redwoods quarterback. I was scared, hurt, pissed off. I’m not proud of it, but I was lashing out. I knew from the moment I went down in that NFC Championship game that my career was over. The last thing I saw before I blacked out from the pain was a field of players on their knees in a show of respect. They knew it too. But still, I had to do physical therapy. I had to attend the practices, had to suit up for the games just to sit on the sidelines because the franchise told me to.

At this point, I understand why the Redwoods did what they did when it came to me. Not every injury is a career-ender. There was always a chance—albeit a small one—that I would bounce back. My coaches, team management, James, they all just wanted to give me and the team the best shot we had.

At the time, though? I felt like a prize pig taking one last trot around the farm before being sent to the slaughterhouse, and I decided if I was going down, I was going down in a blaze of disrespect. I mouthed off. I talked shit to the press. I fucking spit on the turf at my coach’s feet like an asshole. The only thing I did rightlast year were the private practices and workouts I did with the rookie quarterback, Breaker Lawson. And even those were selfish. I wasn’t thinking about the kid’s success. I was thinking I didn’t want to watch the team crash and burn with a last round draft pick at the helm.

I was a fucking asshole, and now I’m paying for my actions.

“Lori, Luke is the nicest guy around. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. Sure, there were some arguments and less-than-stellar moments last year, but he was on edge. He has never—would never—take his anger over losing football out on his family. Ask anyone on the team,” Dean says.

“Again, I believe that. And I’d like to reach out to some of your former teammates, coaches, maybe even the Redwoods owner for statements of character to that effect. But gentlemen, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t point out every soft spot the Connelly’s legal team can and will try to expose during all of this. Luke’s history of anger issues is working against us, and we need to get out ahead of it.”

With my head in my hands, I start to laugh. The humorless chuckle works its way up my throat and out of my mouth before I have time to stop it, just as tears spill from my eyes.

“My anger issues. My anger issues? What aboutJoseph’s anger issues? What about the way he tried to beat the sin out of me my whole life? What about the time he caught Gigi getting close with another girl at church and made her watch as he kicked the shit out ofmeas her punishment? What about Rebecca and the way she sat back and watched it all, or the way she “comforted” us afterward by telling us she’d pray for Gigi’s soul so she didn’t end up burning in hell? You want those girls to wind up living with people who will beat them and tell them their mother is in hell? How is that in the best interest of the children? Fuck!” I push up from my seat and run my hands through my hair, pulling at the strands.

This can’t be happening. This cannot be happening.

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