Full Court Press Read online

  “Ms. Fran, are you certain that Kyle is the father of your child?” he asks, stopping directly in front of me when he asks.

  “Yes, sir,” I say as calmly as I can, trying to mask the shake in my voice.

  “Is it true that you have kept Kyle from seeing his son and did not even tell him that you were pregnant with his child?”

  My jaw drops at his question. The nerve this bastard has. I probably could have tried harder, but what was the point? He abandoned us and never once attempted to call.

  “No, sir. That isn’t true.” I reply, gritting my teeth. I can feel my face flood with anger.

  “That is all, your honor,” Mr. Payne says before walking away.

  “Mr. Spence, would you like to question?” the judge asks.

  “Yes, your honor.” My attorney stands and approaches me.

  “Ms. Fran, how often has Kyle had contact with your son since he was born?” Mr. Spence asks. I shoot a glance to Kyle and he’s on edge now.

  “None.” I keep my answer short and simple like he asked.

  “He has never reached out to you or Carson?” he asks, clarifying his question.

  “No, sir,” I say.

  “I see. And when was the last time you saw Mr. James?”

  “I saw him a couple months ago in the city after a basketball game. That was the first time I had seen him since I left his apartment when I went into labor,” I say truthfully. My answer probably wasn’t as short as he wanted but I needed to get my side heard.

  Mr. Spence nods at my answer, he glances in Kyle’s direction. He squirms as my attorney continues to stare at him.

  “And who drove you to the hospital when your water broke?” He turns his attention back to me.

  “I did.” I say, honestly.

  “Can you elaborate?” He asks.

  “Kyle was watching basketball game when my water broke, he refused to drive me.” I say. I look to where Kyle and his attorney are. Their heads are bent together in a hushed whisper.

  “No further questions, your honor,” Mr. Spence says. I’m released from the stand and I take my seat next to him at the table.

  Kyle is called to the stand next. His attorney questions him with bogus questions and answers that are as fake as he is. Mr. Spence stands to question him, and I’m enjoying watching Kyle squirm in his chair.

  “Mr. James,” he begins. “When was the last time you saw your child?”

  The color from Kyle’s face drains.

  “Just a bit ago, outside.”

  Mr. Spence nods. “Was that the first time?”

  “No, I’ve seen him once before, but didn’t speak to him.” he says.

  “And, when was that?” Mr. Spence asks.

  “Not long ago.” His eyes dart to his attorneys. I sneak a glance and he is shaking his at Kyle.

  “Now, tell me, Mr. James. Are you fully prepared to care for a child? A child that up until you filed for custody, you had nothing to do with?” he asks and Kyle just stares at him. “Are you prepared for the long nights of sickness? The school events that never end, the constant homework?”

  “I –” Kyle starts but Mr. Spence cuts him off.

  “What about the medical expenses? Are you capable of taking care of all expenses that will come with raising a child?”

  “I think.” His voice is shaky when he answers.

  “What about the twenty grand you asked my client for just before we entered this courtroom?” Kyle’s eyes grow big. “Because she is dating someone wealthy you assume you saw a ticket for money?”

  Kyle just stares at him. His attorney shouts, “Objection!” and stands from his seat.

  “I think I’ve heard enough today,” the judge cuts in. “I spoke with young Carson before we began the hearing today and he has confirmed that he doesn’t know his father and has never had contact with him. The court finds that Ms. Fran have full custody of her child. Mr. James, in the state of Georgia, child abandonment is a misdemeanor resulting in a penalty of $1,000 or up to twelve months in jail. In order for your rights to remain as they are, you will be ordered to pay back child support for the five years that you missed.” His gavel hits his desk and he stands.

  “Court is adjourned.” Kyle’s attorney starts shouting; Kyle just stares at me as I stand. I can’t believe what I'm hearing.

  I stand, not able to contain myself, and run out the doors of the courtroom. Landon, my parents, and Carson are waiting. I rush to Carson’s side and scoop him in my arms and squeeze. Tears are falling down my face and into his hair. He squeezes back and I feel Landon wrap his arms around the two of us, and then my parents join in.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I’ve been promising I’d take Carson to see Landon play and he finally has a home game tonight. It’s time I pushed myself out of this house. It’s been a few weeks and all the tabloids are beginning to report about other celebrity gossip, and the excitement from the court hearing has given us a reason to celebrate.

  I’m about to stand to get ready for the game when there is a knock at the door. Normally Carson comes running, but he’s too busy watching Jurassic World in his room. That boy. I smile to myself and make my way to the front door. It’s probably Chrissy, but she usually never knocks and just lets herself right in. When I open the door, my breath is nearly taken from me when I see who is standing on the other side.

  Kyle.

  “What do you want?” I ask. He crosses his arms like he has a reason to actually be standing on my doorstep. How the hell did he find my address anyways? I look out behind him and see an older model Chevy Tahoe parked along the street.

  “I need the money, Kelsi.” Is he serious?

  “I’m terminating my rights.” He says, I look deep into his eyes but can’t figure out if he is telling me the truth or not. He was always good at lying.

  “Why would you do that?” I ask, not that I don’t want him to, but why take me to court?

  “I need the money.” He says, the way he grits his teeth causes me to really look at him. He has a slight sway to him that I didn’t notice before, and it’s clear he has been drinking. He was always a mean ass drunk, obviously not much has changed.

  “I’m not giving you twenty thousand dollars, Kyle.”

  “Then I won’t sign over rights.” He takes a step towards me, standing right in my face. Typically, i’d cower to him, but I'm done with this man, once and for all.

  “Leave.” I say. My voice has taken an octave I didn’t even know existed.

  “Not without Carson.”

  “Over my dead body will you be taking him. Get the fuck off my porch and don’t come back.” He starts to speak but I cut him off. “Go.”

  Kyle stares at me, and I grow tired of his game. I turn to shut the door and he grabs my elbow, yanking me towards him. Without thinking, I raise my knee and connect right to his balls.

  “Don’t ever touch me again.” He drops to his knees and I look around, making sure my neighbors aren’t seeing this shit. That’s the last thing I need is for one of them to put me on the front page of another tabloid. “Stay the hell away from us.” I slam the door behind me. Locking the deadbolt in place. I peek out one of the side windows and watch as Kyle walks slowly back to his vehicle. Eventually, he starts it and drives away.

  Landon left hours ago to prepare for the game, and I haven’t heard from him since. Carson comes barreling down the hallway as my sister steps through the front door with Jennifer right behind her. Chrissy is dressed in a T-shirt with the Hawks logo pressed against the front. Jennifer is in a tight pair of white skinny jeans paired with a CalKing jersey.

  “Nice jersey.” I wink and she blushes. I’m honestly not sure if I have ever seen my friend turn this shade of pink before.

  “Oh shut up,” she says as I laugh. “We’ve only seen each other a few times, strictly a friends-with-benefits relationship.”

  “Sure, sure.”

  “Let’s talk about the shirt you’re wearing.” She crosses he
r arm and smirks at me, seeming to have regained her regular sass. I throw my head back and laugh.

  “Carson, get your shoes on. The game starts in thirty minutes.” Carson is already flopped on the floor by the door, fishing his shoes out of the bin I keep nearby. I have tripped over this child’s shoes on more than one occasion.

  “You okay?” Chrissy asks me.

  I glance to Carson, making sure he isn’t paying attention to our conversation. He has wandering ears these days.

  “Kyle stopped by earlier.” Jen nearly drops her phone.

  “WHAT?” My sister whisper shouts at me. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “I wish I were.”

  “What did he say?” She stares at me, so much concern is present in her eyes.

  “He wanted the money.” I grab my purse from the end table and make sure my phone and wallet are inside. “Grabbed my elbow-” I subconsciously rub the spot he touched me. “and I kneed him in the balls.” My sister's eyes go as wide as saucers, Jennifer jerks back, I'm not usually a violent person but he caught me off guard and well, he was pissing me off.

  “Wow.” She glances to Carson. “He really is psychotic.” I nod just as Carson walks up to the two of us.

  “Agreed.” Jen says as we move towards the door.

  I shoot Landon a quick text letting him know we are on our way. Jennifer and Chrissy climb in Chrissy’s car, and I slowly back out of my driveway. They have plans after the game tonight, so we decided to drive ourselves. Carson is going on and on about what he expects to happen tonight and how the Hawks are going to wipe the court floor with the Jazz. I’m not sure where my kid learned this but he has perfected the art of trash talking.

  My phone rings and I answer it through the Bluetooth on my car.

  “Hello?”

  “Ms. Fran. It’s Gerry Spence, Landon’s attorney. Is this a good time?”

  “Yes, I’m just driving to the game.”

  “Great, so I just got off the phone with Mr. James’ attorney. It seems that Kyle has decided to terminate his parental rights in order to keep from paying child support, his attorney was able to cut some type of deal to keep him from doing any jail time.” He pauses. “I wanted to pass along the good news.”

  I’m stunned. It’s finally over. I wish I would have gotten the call before he showed up at my house. I don’t like him knowing where the two of us live.

  “Thank you for everything that you have done for us. I truly appreciate it,” I say.

  “Anytime at all. If you need anything, Kelsi, just call.”

  I hang up the phone call. I’m so anxious to get to the game, I just need to see Landon. The light in front of me turns red so I slow to a stop. I grab my phone to shoot Landon a text about the phone call, hoping it will help ease some of the worry he’s been shouldering lately.

  Me: Hey babe. The attorney just called, and Kyle terminated his own rights.. I’ll see you soon. We are about 15 minutes away.

  As soon as I press send, I look up to see a speeding dark colored SUV flying toward me at an alarming speed. I press my horn over and over, hoping to gain the person’s attention, but they never move. They connect with the front end of my car, sending my car flying backward. The seatbelt jerks my body against the seat but my head hits against the driver side window and I can feel my car roll. Glass shatters all around me and all I hear are Carson’s constant screams in the backseat before everything turns black.

  I wake up in a hospital bed. My eyes are heavy and I’m unable to open them. There is a constant beeping noise beside me, and it causes my headache to pulse even harder. There are voices surrounding me but it’s hard to focus enough to figure out who they are.

  Carson.

  I try to regain consciousness; I need to know if he’s okay. I groan, which causes all the talking in the room to halt. The room grows brighter as my eyes slowly open. I blink continuously, my eyes watering from the fierce light.

  Someone grabs my hand and squeezes. It’s soft, while the other hand rubs up and down my arm.

  My mom.

  I can hear her quiet sniffles as she tries to contain her sobs. She fails miserably when I move my eyes to hers.

  “I am so glad you’re okay. My sweet girl.” She leans over me and presses a kiss to my forehead. I wince, my skin tender, and I’m suddenly aware of the gauze wrapped around my head. I move my eyes around my body and notice the scrapes and bruising covering my arms.

  “What happened?” I rasp out. My throat is dry and it hurts like a bitch to speak. I know what happened, the memory comes back and I can see the silver SUV approaching my car. I can still hear the sound of metal crushing metal and shattering glass.

  “You were in a car accident, honey.” She glances to my dad.

  “Carson?” I whimper, unsure how this all could have happened.

  “He’s fine, peanut. He’s doing good. They just finished up testing with him and everything came back great. He will be released later today. Landon has been with him.” My heart shatters with relief. My baby is healthy and didn’t get hurt during the accident.

  “Landon is here?”

  “Oh, heavens yes. That boy wouldn’t leave either of you. He asked us to sit with you so he could go with Carson and get checked out. He left his game early when he realized you weren’t in the stands and you weren’t answering your phone call. The paramedics called us on their way to the hospital with the two of you.” She begins to shake. “Honey, I was so scared. I thought I had lost you both.”

  I squeeze my mom’s hand but I’m unable to speak. I completely understand her fear because I was terrified at that moment, with my baby in the backseat. Landon walks through the door then; our eyes collide, and I can’t pull my gaze away from his. He’s dressed in his warm-up gear from the game and he looks exhausted. My parents stand on either side of the bed.

  “We’re going to go see Carson.” Mom leans down and kisses my forehead before exiting the room with my dad in hand.

  “Hi,” I speak softly. So many emotions are flying around right now and I can’t seem to get them all straight, but I know without a doubt after everything that has happened that I am falling in love with this man.

  “Hi.” He slowly approaches me. He bends down, pressing a kiss to my lips as gently as he can. My body is sore from the accident but all I’d really like right now are this man’s arms wrapped around me.

  “I can’t believe I wrecked my car,” I say. I had just paid it off before I met Landon, and while it wasn’t new, it was still a nice, decent vehicle that did its job. The first thing I’ve ever paid off on my own.

  “I’m just glad the two of you are okay. I was so scared, Kels.” Landon leans his forehead against mine. “I could kill that fucker.”

  “Who?” I ask, confused.

  “Kyle.” He leans back, looking me in the eyes.

  “What does he have to do with this?”

  “He was driving the other car. He intentionally hit both of you,” he says. I’m frozen in place at his words. How did Kyle know where we were? “He was three times over the legal limit, Kelsi. He could have killed you both.”

  “What? I can’t believe this. Where is he now?” I ask, not sure if I truly want the answer.

  “He’s in lockup. The prick walked away from the scene unharmed, while the two of you were wheeled away on stretchers.” I’m relieved that he is in jail, but my poor son could have been severely harmed. Placing my hands over my eyes, I start to cry. Landon wraps both arms around me, gently rocking me.

  “I love you,” he speaks and I’m stunned by his admission.

  “What?” I ask, thinking I’ve surely misunderstood what he’s just said.

  “I don’t care if you aren’t ready to say it back, but I love you. I was so scared when I found out the two of you were in an accident. I couldn’t get to you quick enough.” He pauses as he sits on the edge of my bed. His hands engulf mine and he rubs his thumb across the back of my hand. “I should have told you sooner, but I was
so scared of running you off. I know it’s soon, but I want to be with you forever, and with Carson too.” Tears pour down my cheeks but Landon doesn’t wipe them away like normal. He just stares at me, his eyes focused only on mine.

  “I love you, too,” I finally say. My voice is rough and deep, but the words fly past and I don’t regret saying them. I’ve known, deep down I’ve known for a while that I had fallen in love with Landon. He’s proven time and time again that he is serious about Carson and me.

  He seems taken aback when he hears my words. My hands drop against the bed softly and Landon leans across my body, careful to support his weight, and presses his lips to mine.

  “I love you,” he whispers against my lips and I smile before pressing mine back against his.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  It’s been four months since the car accident. After we left the hospital, Landon brought us by my house and told both of us to pack a bag because we would be staying at his house indefinitely. Carson was so excited for a new room and a house with a pool, it took him only five minutes before he was waiting at the front door. All his dinosaurs were sticking out the side of his little backpack.

  I couldn’t help but laugh at his excitement. Landon had grabbed his bag and tossed it in the back of his jeep. I packed most of my clothes and grabbed everything I needed from the bathroom. Landon was having a moving company come and pack up the rest for us.

  I’ve been homeschooling Carson since the tabloid scandal. It’s easier that way; he’s not in the public eye as much but I know he will need to be around other children soon, so I think after the summer we are going to enroll him in a private school.

  When we get settled in at Landon’s, Carson is snuggled between us on the couch. He fell asleep after watching Cars on repeat for nearly three hours.

  “I’ll put him to bed.” Landon smiles and scoops Carson up like he has a million times before. I watch his retreating figure and think about how differently my life has ended up since meeting him.