DONOVAN (Gray Wolf Security, #1)(88)

Could I have done things differently?

Yes.

Would the results have been different if I had handled the situation better?

I don’t know. Maybe not.

If I had met Penelope under any other circumstances, would things be the same? Would she be the same person she is now? Would I?

I hated this. I prided myself on being a man who knows what’s going on around him. I walk into a business meeting, I know exactly who’s going to argue for the sake of arguing, who’s going to agree with everything I have to say, and who’s going to have some valid points I’d damn well better be prepared to counter. I always had control, always knew what the outcome was going to be before we even got to that point.

I didn’t know how this was going to end and that scared the crap out of me.

“Have you spoken to Julia Rowell?”

I glanced at Finn. “Who?”

“Julia Rowell. The biological mother.”

“Oh.” I’d not heard anyone ever refer to Julia as more than just Julia. “She’s flying in this afternoon.”

“Good. It’ll only help our case to have her in the courtroom.”

“A little worried about JT. This will be the first time he’s met his biological mother. I’m afraid it’ll be too much for him.”

“Then we’ll keep them apart until after he’s given his testimony. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

I nodded, but that wasn’t really my point. I didn’t care about JT’s testimony. I cared that JT had had to deal with a lot this past week. Meeting Julia might just be that proverbial straw. Especially if the judge ruled quickly and ruled in my favor.

I needed to talk to Penelope about it, but I was afraid that any overture I made would be rebuffed. I hadn’t seen her since that night in the bakery, but I hadn’t really expected to. Still, it felt like the right thing to do. She was his sister. She would know how much he could handle.

“And your mother?”

I shook my head. “Not coming.”

“That’s not good,” Finn said, putting down the papers he’d been studying to regard me full on. “Why not?”

“I didn’t ask her.”

“Harrison—“

“That’s not negotiable.”

“But you identified her handwriting in court. You told the judge that she was the one who forged your signature. Her testimony to that effect would solidify our case.”

“You already said our case was pretty strong. Why do we need to solidify it any further?”

Finn stood and took off his glasses, stretching a little as he came toward me. “Because it never hurts to have an overwhelming amount of evidence in a case like this. You know that.”

I shook my head. “She’s not coming.”

Finn studied my face for a long minute and then nodded, backing off of the subject.

“Libby?”

“She flies in this afternoon too.”

“Good. At least we’ll have someone to offer a character reference.”

“Do I really need people to testify to what a great guy I am?”

“It doesn’t hurt.”

Finn came over and patted my arm lightly. “Nothing in family court is ever set in stone. This could, realistically, go either way. But, like I said, it’s basically a contract case and all the evidence is in your favor. However, every little bit helps, like putting a shine on the diamond.”

I had to admit that I saw the logic in his words. But I still felt uneasy about this whole thing. I wished we didn’t have to go in front of the judge. I wished…but wishes never did anybody any good, did they?

*****

Libby threw her arms around me the moment she stepped onto the tarmac, a huge smile on her pretty face.

“Hello, Harry,” she said softly against my ear.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Where else would I be?”

She stepped back and studied my face, running soft fingertips along my unshaven jaw.

“Having trouble sleeping?”

I shrugged. “Night time is a good time for a long run.”

She shook her head. “You should take better care of yourself.”

“I’m fine.”

I turned, sliding a hand over her shoulder to lead her to the car. She climbed in, graceful in her business suit, offering me a wink as she pulled the seatbelt into place. I got in and started the car, driving a little too fast out of the private airport’s gates.

“How’s it going with Finn and the case?”

“We’re jumping right into it, huh?”

“I figure it’s better to acknowledge the elephant in the room sooner rather than later.”

I carefully pulled the car into traffic and turned onto the country highway that would take us to the small town that was JT’s home. I was buying time, pretending that this route I’d taken hundreds of times over the last six weeks or so was more complicated than it really was.

“Finn wants Mom to testify.”

“I have to admit, I was a little surprised you didn’t talk to her about it.”

“I don’t think I want to know what she did. Then I would have to acknowledge to myself that it was her who created this mess.”

“Mom was never an angel, Harry. Dad just outdid her because he was louder and more aggressive.”