"Why don't you ask your attorney? You did send him to make a few threats to get Sloane to back off, right? Or is that something he told you to play dumb about if anyone asked?" Liyah jerked the door open and stormed out.

Slowly sinking down into his chair, Gates thought about Liyah's last comment. What did she mean by fighting fair; and what threats did Jax make? He definitely hadn't authorized anything of the sort. That wasn't his style. He didn't threaten anyone. It was one of the reasons he was as successful as he was. He did things fairly and even if it wasn't something someone liked, they still respected him for the way he conducted himself.

"You okay in here?" Evan peeked around the door. "I just saw Liyah blaze out." Gates looked up as Evan walked further into the room.

"Am I being unreasonable?" Gates sat forward with his elbows propped on the mahogany desk, clasping his hands together. He knew if anyone would be honest with him it would be Evan. No matter if he was right or wrong, Evan never had a problem letting him know if he was making a mistake or not.

"What?" Evan watched Gates as he sat in the chair across from him.

"This whole thing. The custody battle with Sloane. Am I being unreasonable?"

"Gates, I, I don't know if I'm the best person to answer that," Evan stammered, shaking his head and staring wide-eyed at Gates.

"Evan, you're my best friend. You know me better than anyone. Who better to answer the question? Be honest with me. Am I being unreasonable?" Gates waited for Evan's response. Brutal or not, he needed an answer. Liyah's last comments had him questioning his decision to fight Sloane and he needed rea.s.surance.

Shrugging, Evan took a moment before answering. "I wouldn't say unreasonable. You have every right to want to be in your son's life. I do think it's a little extreme to push for full custody of him and take him out of an environment he's used to."

"So, I should back off?" Gates asked quietly.

"I didn't say that. You need to be in Brayden's life. He needs to know you and he needs you to be there for him, but he also needs his mom."

"Do you think I'm doing anything unfair?"

"Gates, where's this coming from?"

Before Gates could answer, Angelica and Jax appeared in the doorway. "Gates, Jax is here." Angelica stepped back to let Jax enter and got ready to reach for the door to close it behind her. Evan stood and started to walk out with Angelica.

"Gel, could you come in here for a minute? Evan, if you don't mind, I'd like you to stay, too." Evan watched Gates' eyes grow intense as Jax and Angelica walked across the room to take their seats in front of his desk. Evan sat in one of the chairs to the side of Gates' desk.

"What's going on?" Angelica sat back and crossed her legs, getting comfortable in her seat and waited to find out what Gates wanted.

"Angelica tells me you had a visitor today, Gates. I'm sure I'll be able to use that when we head back to court on Tuesday. It's clearly some tactic by Sloane to try and soften you up." Jax sat back with that same sardonic smirk he always wore.

"Just like her attorney can use the visit you made to Sloane, right?" Gates sat back, gripping the arms of his chair and watching Jax. He could see from the corner of his eye Evan was surprised at the news of Jax's visit.

Chuckling, Jax shook his head. "It was merely a gesture to give Sloane the opportunity to save face. I mean, really, she can't win against us."

"You mean you thought you'd threaten her to get her to back down against 'us'. That's what you thought, right Jax?" Gates clenched his teeth in agitation watching his attorney sit with a smug look on his face. He'd always been respectful of Jax's abilities when it came to his cases, but now he was starting to see him from another point of view.

"Gates, what does it matter as long as you get what you want? I mean you hired me to do a job. You want custody of your son. That's my goal. That's what I'm here for. What does it matter how I go about getting it?" He stood and nonchalantly moved to the back of the room to get a gla.s.s of water.

Narrowing his eyes, Gates could feel his anger increasing at the thought of Jax 'threatening' Sloane. "Jax, I don't operate like that."

"Gates, you aren't doing anything but letting me do my job. That's what you asked me to do, right?" Jax looked at his friend and took a sip of water before tipping his head at Angelica and glancing at Evan.

"Sounds to me like it's a clear cut case, Gates," responded Angelica, "Jax was just giving Sloane a much easier way out and insuring you get custody of Brayden."

"So you knew about this?" Gates turned to stare at Angelica, one of the people he'd always considered a good friend; and now he was starting to question it.

"Um, well, yeah, he told me he might visit. Gates, Jax was only doing what he deemed necessary to make sure you win." Sitting forward Angelica looked from Gates to Jax. "Right, Jax?"

"You will be paid for the time you've spent on this, but you're no longer my attorney." Gates steadily eyed Jax then he stood and turned to look out of the plate gla.s.s window. Clouds were hanging low and the stormy weather outside matched the way he was feeling inside.

"Oh come on, Gates. Are you for real? I could conduct this with my eyes closed. She's practically ready to hand the child over to you. She's not going to put her friends on trial and you know it."

"First of all, that child is my son. And yes, I'm serious. I don't want you handling this for me anymore."

"You've got to be kidding me. I'm only doing what you asked me to do."

Gates turned, clenching his fists as he glared at Jax. "No, you're feeding your own ego and I won't stand here and let you railroad Sloane. I want to be in my son's life, but not like that."

"You're letting your emotions get in the way of what you want, Gates." Jax's smirk had finally disappeared and the two stood in a standoff on opposite sides of the room. The air grew thick with tension and neither seemed to be backing down from the other.

"Maybe, but I'm not going to let you ruin innocent people's lives in the process." Signaling the end of his explanation, Gates turned his back to Jax, looking at the gloomy horizon.

Jax grew visibly incensed with Gates' quick dismissal of him and he turned to see a smirk on Evan's face. Jax slammed the gla.s.s he'd been drinking from on the desk and shards of gla.s.s sprayed across the floor. Angelica stood with her mouth agape as the attorney stalked across the room, flung the door open and walked out.

"Gates, are you crazy? You just fired your best shot at getting custody of Brayden. What're you doing?" Angelica probed.

Gates rubbed his temples, he was tired of everyone trying to give their two cents about the way he should be conducting his fight for his child. As Evan had so adeptly pointed out, he was thinking about what he wanted and not about what was best for the little boy. It was time Gates made some hard decisions about what he truly wanted.

"Gel, I appreciate you being supportive of me getting custody of Brayden, but I won't allow anyone to bully Sloane or her friends when this is about me getting to spend time with my son. It has nothing to do with anyone else and I won't let Jax drag innocent people through the mud for it." Gates slowly pivoted to focus on Angelica.

"Gates-"

"Gel, let it go." Evan chirped up. "Gates has enough to think about right now. Let's give him some s.p.a.ce."

"Evan, the objective was for Gates to get custody of Brayden. What now? She's kept him from Gates his entire life. Who knows what kind of c.r.a.p they're feeding him? How's he ever going to get to know his 'real' father if Gates gives up?"

"Both of you stop." He felt like a referee in his own life and he was tired of all of the fighting and disagreements. He was ready for this whole battle to be over and he didn't feel like listening to Evan and Gelly go back and forth about what was best for him or Brayden. "I won't tolerate anyone going after Sloane and browbeating her into giving up her son."

"He's your son too."

"I know that, Gel." Cutting her off, Gates stood looking at Angelica with fire in his eyes. "You don't have to tell me that. I know it. But I will not go along with threatening her or her friends; that's not the way I do things. If you don't like it, you can follow Jax."

"You know, you've always had a soft spot for Sloane. I knew it from the moment you met her. She has some crazy hold over you. I truly hope this time when she breaks your heart you don't suffer as bad as you did the last time." Before he could respond, Angelica turned and stormed out of the office slamming the door.

The office was now eerily quiet and Evan stood waiting for Gates to say something to break the deafening silence.

"So, I guess this means I need to find you another attorney."

Shaking his head Gates reached for his cell phone on the desk. "No, that's not going to be necessary, Evan. I've got a couple of calls to make. If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone for this."

"Uh, sure, no problem. You sure you're okay? I mean, I'm sure I can find someone..."

"Thanks, but I need to handle this on my own." Evan nodded as he walked out of the office and closed the door behind him. Gates knew from the moment Liyah stormed in his office what he had to do. She'd been the reinforcement he needed to make his decision.

Chapter 13.

It had been about a week since the dinner at Sloane's house and she and Liyah sat in the swing on her front porch as the light of day gave over to darkness. They finished the takeout Liyah brought earlier and played with Brayden until Sloane put him down for the night. It was peaceful just listening to the creak of the wood rubbing against the chain links as the swing glided back and forth and the cool crispness of the night air wafted across them.

"So, how're you doing?" Liyah watched Sloane sitting on the other end of the swing twisting and twiddling her fingers and she placed her own hand on top of Sloane's to stop the nervous twitching.

"I'm fine," Sloane answered, looking up at the fireflies shedding intermittent light against the navy-colored canvas of her backyard.

"You're such a liar." Liyah laughed, leaning back against the swing and pushing her sock-clad feet against the floor, continuing the swing's back and forth movement.

"I guess I thought if I said it, then maybe it would come true."

"Sloane, this whole thing is going to be fine. You'll see. Brayden's not going anywhere." Liyah tried to comfort Sloane. "I'm glad you came to your senses and continued to fight for him."

"How can you be so sure?" She'd honestly never felt so helpless and scared in her entire life. In a matter of days, a judge was going to make a decision that would change her life forever. "Gates hates me, and honestly, I can't blame him. I was in this search for the perfect life. Wanting to be able to give my child the close knit adoring family I always wanted. I never stopped to realize it's not always going to be perfect."

"Honey, you had an ideal. It doesn't mean you were wrong for wanting it. You made a mistake. We all do."

"Liyah, I kept Gates' son from him. That wasn't fair to him or Brayden. He's missed out on so many things and it's my fault." She looked back at her, hands in her lap as warm salty tears coursed down her face.

"Aw, don't cry." Liyah slid over to pull Sloane into her arms. "You did what you thought was best. You had no clue if Gates was going to be a good father or not."

"I know at the time that's what I thought was best, but looking back, I probably made the biggest mistake of my life. I'm a horrible person." Sloane leaned her head over on Liyah's shoulder and shivered as her tears mixed with the cool night air.

"Sloane, that's not true. You're a great person and Brayden absolutely adores you. He's a happy baby. What you and Gates had was something special and it's the reason for that wonderful little boy in there."

"Yeah and I deprived him of a relationship with his father. How great of a person could I really be?" Sloane sat up trying to wipe away some of the tears with the back of her hand.

"Don't worry; everything's going to work out for the best."

Sloane pushed her dark hair behind her ear, her shoulders slumped in defeat. She knew Gates would never forgive her for keeping him and Brayden apart for so long. He had every right to hate her and now a judge may agree with Gates that the little boy would be better off with him. "How do you know that?"

"I have faith. Even though it doesn't seem like Gates is the same guy you knew before, I'd like to think he hasn't changed that much. Maybe he's still a compa.s.sionate and understanding person and it's somewhere buried in his heart." Liyah wiped a wayward tear from Sloane's face trying to comfort her friend the best she could.

"I'm glad you have that kind of faith. I think I've run out of it."

"Then, I'll have to generate enough for the both of us." Liyah pulled Sloane closer to her as her best friend lay her head on her shoulder and continued to cry.

"So, how are you feeling about today?" Liyah and Chase sat at the barstools finishing up the breakfast Avery cooked earlier. They were gathered at Sloane's house before court and the decision that was going to change her entire life. It was just what Sloane needed and she was so thankful her aunt made the trip from Charlotte to be with her. She was going to need all of the support she could get when the judge made the decision.

"I'm nervous. I'm not sure how it's going to go, you know?"

"Sweetheart, it's going to be fine; you'll see." Avery reached over to squeeze Sloane's hand.

"Yeah, Sloane, it'll be fine. And we're all here to help you celebrate when the judge grants you custody of Brayden."

"Thanks, Liyah. I really appreciate it. I'm very blessed to have family and friends like you." Her nervous energy was getting the best of her and she started clearing the dishes and cleaning up.

"Sweetie, why don't you spend time with Brayden and I'll clean up."

"Auntie, no. I need to do something to keep my mind off things."

"Well, the least we can do is help." Liyah chirped as she took the dishes from Sloane's hands, winked and walked to the sink.

"If you insist." She watched Chase, Liyah and her aunt form a line to wash, rinse, dry and put away the dishes.

Just then the phone rang and Liyah added, "You can answer the phone."

"Oh, thanks so much." Sloane stuck her tongue out at Liyah's amused face as she walked over and grabbed the phone. "h.e.l.lo."

"Sloane it's me, Kim."

"Kim, is everything okay? We were just getting ready to leave." Looking over at Sloane, Liyah's laugh faded and she nudged Chase when she noticed Sloane's facial expression change. The three of them moved to Sloane's side as they waited to hear what the attorney was telling her. With each pa.s.sing minute it was beginning to be unbearable and Liyah mouthed to Sloane 'what is she saying.'

"Are you sure?" Sloane motioned to Liyah to hold on. She couldn't believe her ears and it was like she was in a daze listening to Kim on the other end of the phone.

"What is it?" Chase prodded to get her to tell them.

"Okay. Thank you." Pressing end on the phone, she stared at three eager faces staring back at her.

"Sloane, what's going on?" Avery placed her arm around Sloane. "Baby, what is it?"

"It's over." She still couldn't believe all of the things Kim said.

"What do you mean it's over?" Avery urged, waiting for Sloane's reply.

"Gates dropped the case. I get Brayden. Gates is willing to share custody as long as he gets to see him whenever he wants to and on holidays and birthdays." Tears of utter joy rolled down her cheeks and she was hardly able to breathe.

"Oh honey, that is wonderful news." Avery pulled Sloane into a hug as Liyah and Chase wrapped their arms around the two of them in a group hug.

Backing out of the huddle, Sloane walked over and picked up Brayden from his bouncer. She hugged him to her as she kissed the top of his head. "I can't believe this."

"Wait a minute, so he gave up? What made him change his mind?" Chase glanced at Liyah before turning back to Sloane.

"I don't know. Kim said he dropped the case and I didn't need to show for the hearing today. Gates already signed his part of the agreement. When I sign my part, everything is final."

Once they calmed down from crying and hugging, they decided to celebrate. Chase left to pick up Hannah and buy all the things they needed for a barbecue as Avery started on side dishes with Liyah. Sloane strolled out to the deck with Brayden wrapped tightly in her arms. She was elated her little boy was not going anywhere and she was going to be able to watch him grow up. "I guess I owe your daddy a huge thank you, don't I? Maybe Liyah was right."

She contemplated what Gates must be going through and she felt somewhat guilty. She wondered what made him change his mind and why he would give up after he had been so intent on getting Brayden. No matter what happened between them, she still wanted him to be a part of Brayden's life; and she couldn't help the feelings she still harbored for him. Before all of this began, she and Gates had started to reconnect and it felt wonderful to have him in her life again. He filled a void no man could ever fill and she missed him more than she wanted to admit. Brayden must have sensed her nostalgia because he reached up to place his chubby hand on her cheek and she giggled at his silly grin. "Well, I guess there is no reason for me to cry now, huh? You and I are in this for the long haul."