Page 68 of Falling for Red
I’m better off alone.
Tucking the blanket around Gabby, my phone buzzes on her dresser.Please be my lawyer.
I place a goodnight kiss on Gabby’s cheek as she nestles into her pillow. “Te amo. Buenas noches.”I love you. Good night.
“Te amo,” she softly says back.
I grab for my phone, seeing a missed call from my lawyer.Samuel is not getting more custody of her.I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn’t happen. Shutting Gabby’s bedroom door softly, I tap the missed call and lift the phone to my ear.
“What’s going on?” Andrea asks immediately.
“I’m freaking out. Samuel said some loaded things when he dropped off Gabby today.”
“What happened?”
Pacing in my bedroom, I give her a play-by-play of every second of the exchange and wait for her to respond.
“You’re dating.” Her tone is factual, not unkind, just straightforward.
I was dating.I nearly correct her—past tense. But instead, I bite my cuticle and stay quiet.
“Samuel hasn’t experienced that yet.” She pauses. “Of course, his narcissistic ass is upset by that.”
I let out a small, bitter laugh. Then ask what’s really weighing on me. “What are the chances of him being able to modify the agreement?”
“Low.”
My shoulders drop, feeling immediately relieved.
“He’d have to prove that there’s something unsafe or harmful about Gabby being with you. Simply having a boyfriend—even if he spends the night—doesn’t meet that threshold … unless this guy has something in his past.”
Jake?No. But also I don’t fucking know. I barely know him. My stress rises again as I consider what to say.
“You’re entitled to live your life, Claire,” Andrea says into the silence.
“But …” I start pacing again, considering how Samuel is. “What if he tries to weaponize it? He can afford to drag me into court whenever he wants to.”
“Money doesn’t equal custody.”
She’s right, but spending money I don’t have to fight him … I loudly sigh, trying to relieve the stress.
“Does he actually want more time with Gabby?” she asks, her tone more of a statement than question. “No.”
I press my lips together, nodding.He only cares about winning.
“He has no case, Claire,” Andrea continues. “But I need you to stay diligent about keeping records.”
“Okay.”
“Any aggressive texts. Any time he makes a comment that feels like a manipulation tactic. Log when he’s late for pickups or misses a weekend with her. If we need to use it, then we will be able to prove he’s inconsistent as a parent.”
“I’m so tired of fighting him,” I barely say, thinking back to how we got here, to our current custody agreement.
“I know. If he escalates, we’re ready.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, nodding even though she can’t see me. “Thank you.”
“Of course. You know I love fucking entitled men in court, but let’s hope it doesn’t get there. You need to stay mature, grounded, level headed. We are here to win the war, not each battle.” She softens. “And you’re not doing this alone. You have me on your side.”
