Chapter 31

***

"Cheers to Mia for breaking up with her mom!"

"Cheers to a new, healthy beginning!"

"Thanks guys." I smile at Anna and Zhoe as we clink our wine glasses. It's a Thursday evening at a hookah lounge, and we're in the middle of devouring a beef kebab while smoking spiced chai tobacco. An adorable, elderly guitarist is playing in the corner.

"Can I just say how proud I am of you." Anna stares intensely, like she wants the words to stick. "I know it's been so difficult for you to finally do this, and now that you have, you're going to see how much better you feel."

"I already do," I admit. "When I was driving home, I was crying and laughing at the same time. It felt like a younger part of me was jumping up and down for finally being liberated."

"Do you think Jake has had an influence?" Zhoe asks, eyes glossed with intoxication. "Like, do you think being with him helped you realize how you deserve to be treated?"

"I suppose...yeah..." I mumble and look away.

Anna waves her finger around my face. "What is that? What's going on in your head right now?"

I shrug. "I just don't like the idea of passing my dependence down from my mom to him."

Zhoe's sleek eyebrows scrunch. "You're not, though. What you have with him is healthy. What you had with your mom, wasn't."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just... it's difficult to not be afraid of it."

"But you're making progress, right?" Anna gently smiles. "And if you have any doubts, you just need to talk to us. Don't get lost inside your own head, ok?"

My phone vibrates on the table with Jake's name, skyrocketing my heart with sudden energy. Anna and Zhoe smirk at my reaction as I answer.

"Yes?"

"Hey, beautiful." His silky, masculine voice caresses me.

A stupid grin invades my face. "Hi..."

"I know you're out with the girls," he says, "but I wanted to ask if you have plans tomorrow night."

"Um...I have three therapy sessions, then a video call with Kayden and his lawyer. Why?"

"Alright, how about I make us dinner at my place while you work?"

"What are you making?"

I hear the smile in his voice. "Don't worry about it. Just be ready at six, I'll come pick you up."

"Why? I'll just drive there myself."

"I'll come get you, don't worry."

"But, why?"

"Because," he chastises with amusement, "you're my woman, and I want to pick you up."

I roll my eyes with a smile. "You're so annoying..."

Anna and Zhoe raise their eyebrows and lean closer.

"Yes, but I'm your annoying."

"Alright..." I chuckle. "I've got to go."

"Tell them I said hi."

"I will."

"And hey..."

"Yeah?"

"Behave."

I bite my lip and hang up, then look up to two pairs of intrusive eyes.

"You are so whipped," Anna sings.

"You are delusional," I sing back.

"Uh-uh." She shakes her head. "You can bullshit yourself all you want, but it's not going to work on us. Are you going to go to Naomi's birthday?"

"Of course not. She hates me."

Zhoe tilts her head at me. "So?"

"So... I'm not a masochist?"

"Since when do you care what people think?" Anna laughs. "You're Mia. You're sassy and unapologetic. If Jake likes you, it doesn't matter what she thinks. He's the one going home with you."

"Yeah, I get that, but I don't want to put myself through the stress," I say, tossing a fork around my half eaten fattoush. "Besides, you know I get panic attacks at family events."

"Why though?" Zhoe's forehead creases. "They're so fun and celebratory."

"Not in my experience... I'll probably end up in the bathroom, crying." I shiver at the brief flashback of my mom's drunken smile morphing into a sneer as she mocked my lack of enthusiasm to party like her.

"Then talk to Jake about it." Anna reaches out her hand to hold mine. "Maybe you guys can come up with some signals, so he knows when to leave."

I grimace at the idea of being treated like a special, unstable case.

Anna's eyes harden. "Don't do that, I know you're beating yourself up in your head. You gotta be uncomfortable if you want to get better. You want to get better, don't you?"

I take the hookah hose from her and drag a long puff. She just shrugs and pops a french fry in her mouth. Zhoe sips on wine.

I lean forward with a new topic. "Speaking of comfort zones, how rough would you describe your sex life to be on a scale of one to ten?"

Zhoe looks at the ceiling. "Um... maybe a nine... or a ten."

"Really?" I gasp, eyes wide. "What's nine or a ten for you?"

I'm envisioning bondage and whips, and a red room of pain like Fifty Shades.

"Like marks on a body, a little bit of biting and scratching." She shrugs.

"That's it?"

"What's a nine or a ten for you?" Anna asks.

"I don't know, like... nipples pinched so raw it hurts to wear a bra the next day."

Their jaws drop open as they attack at the same time.

"What? Doesn't that hurt?"

"Why though?"

I laugh sheepishly. "I'm not sure! That's why I wanted to ask you guys. I need the pain, and I go insane if we try to make love or something."

"If you can't make love, what are you going to do when he says he loves you?" Anna wonders.

I frown. "He won't."

"Huh? What do you mean he won't?" She scowls. "Is he incapable of love?"

"No, it's just, it's too soon. Way too soon."

"But what if he does?" She leans closer. "What will you do?"

My frown deepens as I look away. "I'd rather not think about that."

~

"I'm trying to focus."

"Then focus."

"Then stop kissing me!"

His deep chuckle tickles my neck. "I don't want to stop kissing you."

Needy heat runs through my veins from the way his hands press into my hips. The way his chest envelops my back. The way his lips torment my throat.

"I swear to God, Jake... I h-have so much work to do!"

He sighs, propping his chin on my shoulder to peek at my laptop. "What are you typing so much?"

"Just notes on the CAMFT ethical standards, Californian rules of court, and every child custody video that exists on YouTube."

"If you need help, you should talk to Naomi. She works with our company lawyers and has a lot of connections." He walks around the kitchen island to grate lemons for his shrimp pasta. The sight of him in nothing but grey sweatpants, cooking in a sleek black kitchen is a work of art.

"Thanks, but workers comp and child custody are two different things. Besides I highly doubt she'll want to help me," I say, checking my phone again for Kayden's video call.

He stirs the angel hair pasta as the steam rises above the pot. "Don't be intimidated by her, she's a softie behind her walls." He looks up to wink at me. "Sort of like you."

I want to ask if there's another reason she's so involved in his life, but my mind is too occupied with work. Molly's more important than my insecurities.

Right on cue, Kayden calls. I click on the 'accept' sign and the Zoom screen splits in two, showing him in a fluorescently lit home office.

"Sorry, I got wrapped up in another lovely argument with my ex-wife. My lawyer is running a bit behind, she'll join in a minute." He explains, running his hand through his silver hair.

"Did you tell her I said hi?" I cheekily smile.

"Ha. You'll tell her yourself when you advise the judge to revoke her custody."

"Uh...no. I won't be doing that."

"What? But my lawyer said—"

"I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure your lawyer slept through law school. I did my research and it turns out only a court appointed expert can advise on custody. All I can do is describe behavior. And even that's going to be a bitch."

"I... I think you're mistaken, Mia. She's a very credible source."

"I hope so, but either way you're going to drive this thing."

"I can't tell the judge what I think about Nat, she'll demolish me."

"Then you're in luck, because what you think about Nat doesn't count as evidence."

"I don't understand."

"Which proves my point that this lawyer of yours is a fraud..." I sigh. Jake turns over his shoulder and gestures for me to ease up. I pry my eyes away and notice the little bubble of Laura waiting to be accepted in the call. "Oh, there she is, I'm letting her in."

The third box pops up as a bleached blonde woman with the whitest teeth to grace the Earth smiles at us. She's in a rich red blazer with a white button- down. Perfect makeup without a detail out of place.

When she stays frozen, I groan. "Ah, crap. I think her connection's broken—"

"Hi, there!" She chirps like there's caffeine running through her veins. "I'm Laura Bennett, a child custody attorney of over fifteen years, and the best-selling author of 'Win Your Child Back, Today!'"

"Uh..." I drawl, whiplashed from her marketing pitch. "Nice to... meet you, Laura. I'm Mia, the therapist."

"Mia, it's a pleasure to speak with you, I'm excited to have you on board in Kayden's pursuit of gaining sole custody of Molly!" She laughs while I search for the joke.

"Hi Laura, listen, Mia informed me that she can't advise anything on custody, is that right?" Kayden cuts straight to the chase.

"Ah, yes." She laughs. "Not to worry though, you can be confident that Mia's testimony will be more than enough. When she's the first one to give her statement—"

"I'm sorry," I interrupt, "but did you just say I'm going to be the first one to give a statement?"

"Correct!"

"Why...?"

"It's simple. The judge always favors the mother when it comes to custody. So we will use your expert leadership to change his mind before Kayden can speak."

I tilt my head, scrunching my eyebrows. "No... that's... not right."

"I'm sorry?" She literally has not stopped smiling since she's joined the call and it's creeping me out.

I avert my gaze to save my soul. "Not to step on your toes, but...first of all, I'm not assigned by the court, so my testimony is inherently biased to favor Kayden. Second, psychology is regarded as a soft science in the legal system, so any diagnosis I provide is going to be viewed as subjective. And third, I can only give behavioral details based on self-reported measures whereas Kayden can show actual documentation to prove Nat is unfit."

There's a moment of awkward silence, Laura's smile falters, Kayden looks like he's going to pass out, and Jake is smirking with an eyebrow wiggle, apparently turned on.

"Uh, I suppose...yes, those are valid points." Laura recovers, a sliver of annoyance now clipping her voice. I question her integrity, and why she's in this field if she can't prioritize her clients' interests over her inflated ego.

"So, how do I start?" Kayden clears his throat.

"Well," Laura beams, flipping her hair over her shoulder, "since you're a man, you naturally come across as the aggressive parent. So I suggest we start humble, start with you taking accountability for things you could've done better—"

"I'm sorry, what?" I scowl. "You're kidding me, right?"

"It's Mia, right?" Laura rolls her shoulders back. "Look, I'm sure you're invested to help, but I've done this for many years and have successfully—"

"But it's common knowledge that the first and last statements are the most memorable." I'm shocked at her continuous incompetence. "And why do we have to play games, anyway? Do you not believe that gender is irrelevant when it comes to proper parenting?"

She chuckles. "Well, frankly it doesn't matter what I believe—"

"But it does." I frown. "You have to believe in the people you're fighting for."

"I'm with Mia," Kayden says. "Laura, I'm capable of taking care of Molly, and I can provide all the details necessary to show why Nat isn't."

"Fine, then we'll focus on strong details. Now, I need you to be assertive and loud, Kayden. None of your timid energy, it won't help you in court."

I mute my microphone and groan. "Oh my God. I want to punch this bitch."

"Excuse me?" Laura gasps.

I freeze. Kayden's mouth drops. Jake's too.

And I... drop Laura from the call.

Her video bubble disappears and Kayden exclaims. "Oh my God, did she just leave?"

"Nope, it was me." I smile sheepishly. "Kayden, she's going to screw this all up."

"Mia, you've never done this before! Seriously, how can you be so sure—"

"Because it's so obvious it's painful. You can't be assertive and loud! Natalie is a narcissist, she will gaslight and drag you into her infantile behavior. You have to be calm, collected, and civil. Because if you're vicious, she will victimize herself in a blink of an eye."

He takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes. "Great, now I need to find a new lawyer. Laura was the only one I could afford."

"I can help." Jake pops beside me with the pan in his hand, stirring the pasta with a rubber spatula. Shirtless.

Kayden quickly puts his glasses back on. "J-Jake...I didn't realize you're here."

"Sorry..." I chuckle. "I hope this isn't weird."

"It is."

"Thank you for not reporting us," Jake says with a crooked smile. "I was telling Mia that my sister has a lot of connections, I'm sure she can refer you to a good attorney."

My body tenses. "Jake... I told you Naomi doesn't—"

"You just need to give her another chance." He nudges my shoulder with his. "I promise everything will be fine. Right, Kayden?" He turns to my flustered colleague, who's watching us with bewilderment.

"Doesn't seem like I have any other choice."

"Great." Jake grins. "We should hang out sometime, man. I've heard a lot about you."

"Good things, I hope," Kayden says softly.

"Just that you think I'm trouble." He winks.

"Jake!" I chide, smacking his bicep.

~~ A/N ~~

There's so much drama coming their way, do you guys have any predictions? How should Mia win Naomi over? Is Jake going to confess his love soon? Will Kayden get custody?

Also, I should mention that I'm learning this child custody stuff online, so it might be completely incorrect.

Please don't forget to vote <3 and thank you so much for reading!