Page 105 of Perfectly Complicated
“Wait…you’re threatening me?” She sounds shaken.
I freeze, thinking about how devastated Janie would be if this went to court.
“I’m telling you how this looks. I’ve got lawyers, Janie…”
“Leave now,” Janie says quietly.
“Think about it. Every time he travels for a game or there are any problems in your relationship, that’ll just build my case. We’re talking months of legal fees. Can you really afford that?”
“I’m not discussing this anymore.”
There’s the sound of a chair scraping against the floor, then footsteps.
“I’ll be in touch about Christmas,” Nick says. “And if you’re smart, you’ll make the right choice for Aria’s sake.” He opens the door a crack and I quickly duck around the corner. “Oh, and, Janie? This thing you have with Rourke? It’s a liability. I hope you know that.”
His footsteps fade down the hall, and I’m left standing there with a horrible realization.
Nick’s not going to stop until he gets what he wants. He’s going to drag her through an expensive and lengthy legal battle, disrupting her life and creating months of stress.
As much as I want to go in there after she defended me, the truth is settling into me like a slow poison: I’m the tool Nick will use against her.
Every time something happens between us, he’ll twist it tomake her look bad. And eventually, some judge might decide that a stable father is better than a mother whose boyfriend travels constantly and grew up in a home with an alcoholic father.
I can’t let that happen. I won’t letmebe the reason she ends up in court.
Before I leave, I send her a text message. “I have to go. Team meeting.”
My finger hovers over the screen, wanting to add more, but I don’t. Instead, I set the second coffee cup on the bench outside her classroom.
Because the best way I can protect her is to remove myself from the situation.
TWENTY-NINE
Rourke
I text a few of my teammates to meet me at Rose & Thorn and head out before I can change my mind.
When I arrive at Brax’s house, my phone buzzes with a notification from our building superintendent announcing that all units are cleared for move-in.
I stare at the message, frowning. Technically, it solves a problem. If I return to my condo, at least Nick can’t make claims about me living at Janie’s. Going back has always been the plan.
But as I turn the front door handle, I realize something else. I’m not going home to Janie anymore. I’m just going back to an empty condo. One with no toys on the floor, no Christmas tree, and no one waiting up for me.
And right before Christmas? That’s the part that really guts me.
I step inside the foyer and notice Jaz has gone into full holiday mode: garland draped on the staircase, a huge tree twinkling in the corner, and the scent of cinnamon and gingerbread in the air. It’s the type of holiday scene that usually makes me bristle. But tonight, it reminds me of Janie. And that makes everything harder.
In the dining room, Brax is setting out some of those fancycheese and crackers Jaz always buys for us. Leo sits at the table, nursing a beer while Tate checks his phone.
When I walk in, they all stop what they’re doing and glance up at the same time.
“All right,” Brax says, gesturing for me to take a seat at their dining room table. “Jaz took Rosie upstairs so we could talk. What’s going on? You never call a meeting unless it’s urgent.”
I drop into a chair. “Janie’s ex is threatening a legal battle over Aria. He wants Janie to stop seeing me or he’ll drag it out in court.”
Leo sets down his drink, narrowing his eyes. “Can he do that?”
“He’s Aria’s biological father. He’s got rights, even if he hasn’t been involved.” I run my hands through my hair. “And I’m sure he’s got more money for lawyers than Janie does.”
