Wild Man (Dream Man #2)(115)
He continued, “I have a prenuptial agreement with Olivia. If we were to dissolve the marriage for anything other than infidelity, she would have walked away a very wealthy woman. Unfortunately, we will be dissolving the marriage due to a variety of reasons and one of those is infidelity. The clause in the prenuptial is that, if she were to be unfaithful to me, she would walk away with nothing and this, my attorneys assure me, is ironclad so this, my attorneys assure me, she will do.”
Well, good.
Kind of.
“Okay,” I said when Dade said no more.
He looked at me then he looked out the window then he looked at the manila folder and envelope under his hand then he sighed.
Then he looked back at me and said quietly, “I’ve known Joey and Rex now for nearly four years.”
My heart started beating harder.
“Yes?” I prompted.
“They’re good boys.”
“Yes,” I whispered, “they are.”
“After what happened here a few weeks ago and, I’ll say now, I’m sorry that happened to you and the boys. Although I heard it from her perspective I know what most likely happened and I’m certain it was unpleasant.”
“Unpleasant is one word you could use,” I told him, he gave me his solemn smile again and went on.
“Well, after that, she has been doing nothing but ranting about you, about Lucas, and she does not hide this from the boys.”
“I know,” I said, “they tell their Dad.”
And they did, or at least Joel did. That cell Olivia bought him was in overdrive. Brock had been fielding calls from an alternately anxious and fed up Joey since it happened.
Surprisingly, Brock was keeping cool about this but he really had no choice. Joel needed patience, understanding and a listening ear, not more intense emotion.
It was me who dealt with the sandpaper atmosphere after Brock hung up with his son. And my tactics were sometimes beer, sometimes bourbon and sometimes blowjobs.
All, luckily, worked a charm.
So far.
Dade nodded before he remarked, “I do not see good things for their immediate future.”
“You and me both,” I agreed.
“I do not want that for them.”
I held my breath and nodded.
He leaned forward and as he did, he slid the manila envelope and folder toward me. Then he leaned back, leaving it in front of me.
“My private investigator’s reports and photos,” he stated, I blinked and let out a heavy breath then sucked in a heavier one. “Copies, of course.”
“Dade,” I whispered.
“Also, I’ve made a sworn affidavit as to her behavior subsequent to our marriage, specifically her behavior around the boys and also the escalation of it once your relationship with Lucas became known to her. That’s what’s in the envelope.”
Oh my God.
“Dade,” I repeated on a whisper.
“She is not a fit mother for a variety of reasons and those documents explain them all. I’ll have my attorneys call Lucas’s attorneys to let them know, if the affidavit is not enough, I will stand as a witness should this go to trial.”
I said not a word, just stared at him.
“I believe, with what I’ve given you, there will be enough that this doesn’t see a courtroom. However, I will also be doing my utmost for Joey and Rex to try, if it does, to make this happen quickly. Joel, I can see, is learning to stand up for himself and his brother.
This is difficult to witness no matter how proud I am of him for doing it and I am proud and have found quiet moments to tell him so. But it’s difficult because Olivia is not taking kindly to it. That will likely continue and also escalate. Something must be done and I have…” he hesitated then said, “contacts. ”
When he said no more, I asked, “Contacts?”
“Friends,” he replied.
“Friends?” I was still not getting it.
“Friends, Tess, friends who wear robes and command gavels.”
Oh.
My.
God.
Dade kept speaking. “Once I leave here, I’ll be making calls.”
I felt tears fill my eyes and, yet again, I whispered, “Dade.”
“If Lucas provides this information to his attorneys and her attorneys do not see the wisdom of moving forward quickly to grant your boyfriend sole physical custody then I will see what I can do to get the ball rolling so this can be done quickly for Joey and Rex.”
I blinked away the tears in my eyes, momentarily speechless. Then that moment passed but, although no longer speechless, I still couldn’t find the right words.
“I don’t…” I shook my head and started again, “I don’t know what to say.”
“There is nothing to say, Tess. This business is distasteful for all concerned and there is no reason to drag it out for the innocents caught up in it and, as I’m sure you know, Olivia will do her best to drag it out. The others of us who genuinely care for those boys need to do what we can.” He leaned forward and said softly, “And I genuinely care for them so I’m doing what I can.”
Then he leaned back and held my eyes so I said the only thing I could say, “Free cake for life.”
Instantly, his face split into a smile that was not solemn and took ten years off his age. He was not difficult to look at normally but he was extremely handsome when he smiled.