Page 92 of Broken Play
A couple of days later, I'm sitting on Greyson's porch wondering when the string that's holding me together will break. Paulina needs me now more than ever. Her only link to her family, gone because of a drunk driver. I can only imagine how lost she must feel right now, so my problems will have to take a backseat.
Greyson finds me gazing at the tree line. I feel his presence, smell the fresh wintergreen scent of his soap, before he ever touches me. He wraps his arms around me, dipping his chin to my shoulder. For a few minutes, neither of us speaks. Then, as steadily as ever, he says, "We should get custody of her. Paulina loves the farm and loves you."
I rotate my body to face him, still locked in his arms, and stare, surprised by the certainty in his voice. Beneath all his athletic bravado, Greyson is a total cinnamon roll, caring about a preteen girl and wanting her to have a happy life. He understands what it's like to lose someone as much as Paulina and I do.
"You know you act all tough, but you're basically a teddybear in football pads," I say, as a thin smile graces his lips. "But how canweget custody? We're not even a publicly official couple."
"All I know is that last night, when you brought her here, watching her cry, feeling her pain and seeing how loved she felt, I knew you both should be here with me."
She needs stability right now, but I'm not sure the court will grant custody to a couple that isn't married or that has a scandal looming. "She needs stability right now. I need to wake her up and get her home. The academy gave her a week off, but is that the best thing for her? When it was me, I couldn't swing the racquet hard enough."
"Agreed. How long can she stay at the tennis academy?"
"She has sponsorships, so as long as she keeps playing, she can stay there."
He shakes his head. "She needs to be with people who really care about her. Not just about what her future means to others financially."
"I'll talk to her."
"Okay, babe. I'm here for both of you... whatever you need. You know that, right?" He places his palms over my cheeks, kissing me so tenderly that I almost faint. "Wait, I forgot to tell you that I bought two metal detectors so you could share your hobby with me. Why don't you take Paulina out on the property this morning before you take her back?"
"You bought metal detectors?"
"Two, because I don't like to share. They're in the equipment barn."
"Thank you." I slide my arms around his waist and kiss him. "I hope you're tipping the delivery man well."
After he's gone to practice, I take Paulina out on the farm and show her how to use the metal detector. She finds lotsof coins, a bullet casing, and a cracked belt buckle. "I can't wait to show Greyson." She perks up. "Maybe I can fix it and give it to him as a present for Christmas."
"He would cherish it. Now, let's get back to the academy. We won't practice today, just hit some balls. No coaching. Sound good?"
She nods but continues to admire her newfound treasure.
On the way back to the academy, Paulina just looks out the window. She sniffles, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, every few seconds wiping her tears on her too-big sweatshirt. "Why me?" She's trying so hard to keep it together, shouldering a monumental amount of grief.
I take her to her dorm and ask her, "Do you know how much I love you?" She nods, soaking my shirt. "Do you want me to get guardianship of you?"
"You would want me?" she asks, looking up at me with her red-streaked, swollen eyes.
"Family isn't defined by blood but by how much you love them. And I do love you, Paulina. But I'll only seek custody if that's what you want."
"Can we live with Greyson?"
I don't know about that. "Honey, we're not at that point. We're just starting to tell people that we're dating. Is that the only way you would want me to get custody of you if we lived with Greyson?" If she says yes, that will be a shot to the body in tennis terms. It jams you up so you can't return the serve.
Her little shoulders tremble as she says, "No, but... it would be a bonus."
It would, and Greyson wants her, but I don't know if we'll be able to get custody unless we live together.
After we hit some balls, I go home to check a few emails, then I contact a family and immigration attorney to find out what steps need to be taken to gain custody or guardianship of Paulina. He says it's a complicated situation since Paulina's not an American citizen but is here on a visa.
Next on my to-do list are flight and hotel reservations for a tournament in Poland next week. We'll need to leave in a couple of days. Is it a coincidence that she has a tournament in Poland the week after her grandparents died? I don't think so; it's more like divine intervention.
Greyson calls. "Hey. How is she?"
"Not good, but the attorney said if we go to Poland for a tennis tournament, she'll be able to come back. Governments don't work that quickly."
"I'll go with you."
