A Touch of Christmas Magic (Peppermint Hollow #2)

16. Colby

CHAPTER 16

COLBY

No matter how many times I read the letter, it never got better. My insides churned; terror infected my every heartbeat, seeping into each breath as I attempted to navigate the fear.

Kai and I hadn’t slept a wink, so the morning found us running on copious amounts of caffeine. Jitters and dread meshed with exhaustion were the worst combination.

We’d called in the troops as soon as the sun was up enough to be considered an appropriate time to text. No one was dying—despite my entire existence being awash in soul-clenching trepidation—and there was no reason to wake others up before dawn just because we hadn’t slept.

The entire crew—our parents and the guys—arrived with coffee, breakfast, and fearful curiosity. Having them there didn’t solve anything—at least not yet—but my heart at least slowed to under Mach 10 with the reinforcements.

Kai and I had spent our sleepless night huddled together between taking care of Elsie’s bottles and diapers. We imagined the worst, voiced fear and anger, pondered potential solutions, and held each other in brain-and-heart-weary stupors.

Upon walking through the door, Lacy immediately picked Elsie up, sitting down on the couch next to Kai with our daughter in her arms. Allison took a seat on the floor, leaning up next to the arm of the couch right next to me.

My dad, Ivy, Trevor, and Blake stood with arms crossed as if ready to defend us until the end.

Emory and Kai’s dad took one look at us and then the letter on the coffee table. Eric grabbed the piece of paper and glanced over it. “Copier?” he asked.

Emory pulled on Eric’s elbow, and they disappeared to where we kept our little office copier. Five minutes later, they were back, distributing copies of the letter to everyone.

Horror and anger simmered as our friends and family read the words we’d read a million times.

“Is this even legal?”

“Can they do this?”

“No, I thought you said she signed those papers.”

“I have a good attorney.”

“Oh my god, no, they can’t do this.”

“We’ll fight it. No way they’re getting away with this.”

My dad gritted his teeth, grip tight on the letter. “What do you know? I assume you’ve looked into this guy?”

I rubbed my eyes. “Frederick Earnst has a flashy webpage with a bunch of testimonials. He specializes in custodial cases but has also done a lot with accident and injury cases. He has a Contact Me Now button where website visitors can give him all the details and he’ll reach out to them to let them know if he thinks he can win the case. Everything on his site makes him look successful, hard-nosed, and he promises he doesn’t get paid unless he wins your case.”

“But?” Trevor asked.

“Looking into him away from his website, he’s got tons of complaints. He’s been reported to the Better Business Bureau multiple times.”

“So, basically a slimy ambulance chaser, but with custody cases.” Blake grimaced.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“We already contacted our attorney,” Kai said, his hand squeezing mine. He’d been my rock since the letter had been delivered, even though I knew he was just as terrified as me. “He put us in touch with the family law attorney who looked over Sasha’s termination of parental rights paperwork. Name’s Jaxon Wright. We have a call with him this morning.”

Jaxon had told us not to reply to the letter from Frederick Earnst. Said he’d never had dealings with the man, but he’d known other scumbags just like him. We were to discuss things with Mr. Wright only and let him do the work for us. He stated again that Sasha’s parental rights termination papers had been valid and would hold up in court.

Hopefully, what Frederick Earnst was coming at us with would turn out to be bullshit. But the threat was very real, eating away at my soul. The words of the letter mocked me from the page, making me doubt everything I thought I knew.

Mr. Colby Burke,

RE: NOTICE OF POTENTIAL CUSTODY ACTION

We hope this letter finds you well. My name is Frederick Earnst of Earnst & Co. Attorney at Law, and I am the attorney representing the noncustodial grandparents, Carl and Lea Klein, in their pursuit of custody of Elsie Mae Burke.

After recently discovering the existence of their only grandchild, the grandparents have decided to seek custody. First and foremost, please understand that our intention is not to disrupt the familial relationships or cause any undue stress. Our primary concern is the well-being and best interests of Elsie. It is in this spirit that we have taken on this responsibility.

We understand that this may be a difficult and sensitive situation for you, and we are open to exploring amicable solutions that prioritize the child’s well-being. Our goal is to reach a resolution that serves the best interests of [insert child’s name here] while also maintaining a harmonious family dynamic.

We encourage you to reach out to us at your earliest convenience to discuss this matter further. We are available to address any concerns or questions you may have and to explore potential avenues for resolution.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to a constructive dialogue and a resolution that prioritizes the best interests of the child.

It was a damn form letter. Whoever wrote it hadn’t even properly filled in all the blanks. This man sent this letter out enough times to need a fucking template. Nothing about it was in the best interest of my child. How many lives had he ruined with this letter?

And Sasha’s parents.

Fuck. Them.

The crew settled into circle-the-wagons mode. Ivy came and went between appointments at the shop. Allison left for a bit to meet with two clients at the salon. Dad and Eric checked in on us but spent most of the time in the garage.

Trevor and Blake left for a bit to get some work done but promised to return later with dinner for everyone.

Emory and Lacy took over with Elsie and hovered over Kai and me like mother hens.

The call with Jaxon Wright went well.

He answered our questions and shared his thoughts as well as next steps.

“Mainly, the letter is a scare tactic. It’s full of reassurances to get you thinking it can be handled amicably, but if you were to reach out to Earnst I guarantee he’d strike like a pit viper,” Wright explained. “You’ve got a solid foundation to stand on with the mother’s termination of custodial rights—if she hadn’t provided that, we may be looking at a messier situation—and the noncustodial grandparents have very little to stand on as long as the child isn’t deemed to be in an unsafe situation.”

“Could they say she’s in harm’s way due to us being a same-sex partnership?” Kai asked.

I knew immediately where his head was. He’d leave us. Kai would let go of what we had if it meant making it easier for me to keep Elsie.

I gripped his hand, swallowing down the urge to vomit, and shook my head at him.

He gave me a sad smile and shrugged.

“They might try, but it would only stand up if they could prove Elsie’s physical, emotional, and psychological development were being threatened.” Wright sighed. “I guess we could get really unlucky and get a homophobic judge, but that’s a bridge we’ll cross if and when we get to it.”

Wright wrapped up the call with his next steps and that he’d be in touch.

“Maybe you and Elsie should go live with your parents?” Kai asked, his words barely a whisper, his skin tinged with green.

I gripped his chin. “I will do anything for my daughter, but we will fight this together. You hear me?”

“CoJack forever,” Kai murmured, tears sparkling in his eyes.

“Damn straight.” I pressed a firm kiss to his forehead.

“Then we fight with everything we have.”

Emory bustled into the room with drinks and snacks for us before getting down on the floor with Magic and Elsie to play.

Lacy joined them and soon Elsie’s infectious laughter filled the room, easing the pain and panic in my heart just a bit.

Emory was telling Lacy about the mistletoe that mysteriously appeared in their home during the holiday season.

“Like the stockings that showed up here?” Kai’s mom asked.

Kai sighed as every eye ventured toward the perfect-match stockings on the mantle. “I’m not sure we’ve got the Christmas magic here, Mom. If we did, we sure could use it right about now.”

Emory shoved his glasses up his nose and glanced toward the three round ornaments on the tree. Two teal and one silver. Kai, me, and Elsie. “I don’t know, but if ever there’s a time for that special, sometimes unexplained vibe of the holidays to kick in and help things work out, now is definitely the time.”

Maybe it was my exhausted mind playing tricks, or maybe just a reflection, but I swore the three ornaments gleamed brighter in the glow of the twinkling lights.

Our life stopped in the days leading up to Christmas.

Kai and I somehow got the essentials with work done each day.

Our parents and friends stayed close by.

And we sat on pins and needles for updates from Jaxon.

He’d reached out to Frederick Earnst but was only able to leave a message. The answering service indicated he was out of the office for the holidays.

The day before Christmas Eve—Kai and I were in no mood to celebrate, but we kept it together for Elsie’s sake—Jaxon called us.

“Well, I finally got in touch with Earnst. He called today.”

“And?” I was going to barf.

“He stated he was no longer representing the Kleins and hung up on me.”

Silence while his words registered.

“That’s good, right?” Kai asked.

Wright sighed. “I’d like to think so, but it could just mean the Kleins figured out he was a sleazeball and took their business to someone more reputable.”

“So, it’s not over.” The tiny crystal of hope I’d allowed to form in my gut shattered into a million shards.

“Can’t really say,” Jaxon said. “I don’t think much will happen over the holidays. I’ll keep in touch, but I think your best bet is to try to put this behind you and enjoy your time with family. We can face it head-on, if needed, in the new year.”

Like a person with only days left to live being told there had been a mistake and they’d live a long, happy life, Kai and I moved through the rest of the day in a stupor. Confusion, doubt, hope, and relief melted together and kept us from taking deep breaths.

Our families and friends went home, buoyed by what they were taking as good news, leaving us to weather the storm of what now , waiting for the other shoe to drop.

We ate an early dinner.

Gave Elsie her bath.

And attempted to get ourselves into the holiday spirit.

Then, while Elsie played, bouncing and squealing in her activity center, a knock sounded at the door.

Kai and I stood.

He took my hand. “CoJack forever.”

I gave a nod and moved toward the door as Kai picked up Elsie and held her close.

On the other side of the door stood two strangers I’d never seen before.

But the man had his daughter’s eyes.

The woman had her smile.

Sasha’s parents.