Page 23 of Soaring Free
“Who does? Blake told me that if I didn’t agree to her terms, she would fight me on custody and already had an attorney retained. She was smart; she picked an exceptional attorney and got them to agree to a percentage of her potential settlement, but it was the threat of her taking my child away that really was the final straw for me.”
“What did you do?”
“I agreed to her terms but required that if she wanted the payout and freedom, she wasn’t going to play games with our child. She could be a mother, or she could leave, and she chose to leave. She suggested if I were to increase the payout by two million, she would sign away her rights.”
“And did you?”
“Of course I did. If she was willing to put a price on her parental rights, she wasn’t a mother in the first place. It didn’t matter if she wanted twenty dollars or twenty million, she was willing to bargain her daughter—my daughter. You cannot put a price on love, and anyone that says otherwise has no idea what loving someone really means. I said she could be in contact with Gigi but on my terms, and in the eight years of her life, Blake has seen her in person maybe three or four times, and maybe called twice? Blake’s integrity and my faith in her as a mother both had a price tag. I didn’t care about the cost, I would pay it to protectmy daughter because if not?” Theo huffs. “What else would she be willing to sell if it benefited her personally? What would my daughter’s life look like? Who would she be exposed to in her mother’s pursuit of what she thought she was owed from this world? The thought terrified me.” Theo looks down at his hands as he shakes his head. “Gigi hasn’t really ever questioned her absence. Thankfully, her Aunt Pippa has stepped into that role as best she can, as well as my own mother, and my family has ensured that Gigi is surrounded with love.”
“What about Blake’s family?” I can’t imagine a grandparent or maternal aunt not wanting to know a sweet girl like Gigi.
“It was just her mother, and last I heard, she’s usually traveling with her and whoever her boyfriend of the month is. Blake likes to frequent the French Riveria and Paris. Bon débarras … good riddance. I don’t keep that close of tabs on her, I just have it set up to be notified if she’s stateside in case she grows a conscious and gets a wild hair about popping by.”
Gross. Blake is gross and so is her mother, who chooses the French Riveria over their child or grandchild? I can understand wanting to keep something like that private, and I feel slightly bad for asking about it, but also kind of special that he shared that information with me. “What does Gigi stand for? Or is that her full name? Or maybe Georgette?”
Theo’s face lights up at the subject change. “Gigi is a nickname; her full name is Georgiana Elizabeth. My beloved grandmother’s middle name was Georgiana and Pippa thought Elizabeth sounded nice, like a name fit for a queen. And no, Blake didn’t have an input in her name, she probably would have named her whatever the latest trendy celebrity name was at the time or something she thought was cool.”
“I think her name is beautiful, both the full version and the nickname. I don’t know her that well other than what my girls have said, but she has a good reputation at school and is known as a kind little girl. I know our girls have played together at recess occasionally throughout the years, but I think being in separate grades makes a difference at that age.”
“Do you keep close tabs on the other kids at school?” Theo teases.
“Of course. I always want to know who is in my girls’ lives, whether it’s who they’re friends with or who made them cry at recess. Girls are vicious, Theo. You have to stay on top of that, and when your daughter finds good girlfriends, you do everything you can to support that friendship. A good girlfriend is a priceless treasure and should be nurtured as such.”
“Hmm. You’re a good mama, Savannah.” The left side of his mouth slightly raises in the smallest smile I think I’ve seen on his face.
“Does that surprise you?” I tilt my head. “I did marry your nemesis, after all.” Theo’s bark of laughter makes me grin in response.
“No, not surprising. I think when you see one extreme of a situation, it makes you more aware to what the opposite of that looks like, or maybe what it could look like if there hadn’t been a void in the situation you dealt with.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, the girls told me that Gigi’s daddy does better French braids than any other daddy at school, so you aren’t so bad yourself, sir.” If I wasn’t mistaken, I would have sworn that Theo’s eyes seem to darken at that comment, but movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention and I turn to see one of my brothers walking toward our table. “Hey, Jack!” I call out and slide out of the booth to hug him. I wasn’t expecting to see him in town today, but it’s hard to keep track of his insane traveling schedule.
“Hey, Sav. How are you? I’m sorry I couldn’t be here earlier for the hearing, my flight got delayed.” He wraps me up in a big hug and I release a deep exhale I didn’t realize I was holding from the day’s events. I know he was trying his best to support me at court today, but as powerful as my brother is, he can’t always control everything.
“Hello, I’m Jack Callahan.” My brother extends his hand to Theo, who also stood to greet my brother.
“Hey, Jack. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Theodore Smith-Harrington, but please call me Theo. I believe you helped connect your sister with our law firm.” Recognition dawns on Jack’s face.
“Is Ms. Lawrence here? Daphne spoke so highly of her.” Jack looks around and acutely takes in the table that clearly shows it was just the two of us having lunch together.
Theo laughs and shakes his head. “You must realize how rare it is for Daphne to speak highly of anyone, right? Did she break out in hives?”
“No hives, but when she suggested Ms. Lawrence as council for my sister’s divorce, I didn’t hesitate to heed her advice.” Jack checks his phone in his hand and silences a call before looking back up. “Daphne is on my company’s legal team in New York and is a hell of an attorney in her own right.”
“Absolutely, she’s a force. She and Pippa have been friends for years and she knows our family well. I would bet on Daphne every time in the courtroom.” Pippa had previously mentioned that Daphne is more than a former college friend, they are still best friends today.
Jack surprises me when he responds, “Well, I’m not a big gambler, beyond my weekly poker night.” He doesn’t usually offer up personal information to anyone outside the family.
“I love a good game, if it’s local and you ever need an extra, let me know, and if my schedule allows, I’d love to stop by.” Jack looks between Theo and me, and I can see the wheels turning in his head. The weekly poker game he’s referencing is usually just our brothers, and now of course Walker when he’s in town. I’m about to give him an excuse when Jack speaks up.
“You know, I think that sounds great. We’re playing tomorrow night, get my number from Savannah and send me a text. I’ll send you the info. It’s friendly, but there is a buy in.”
Knock me over with a feather—what is happening right now?
“Fine by me.” Theo grins.
“Oh, I know your last name and I saw the retainer,” Jack jokes.
“Sorry about that, we did get the bank issue resolved today,” I tell my brother, still slightly embarrassed that I had to call and ask for financial help.
