Chapter 33: Chapter 33

ODETTE

Mr. Rhine’s office was becoming a familiar place. Reece and I were sitting in front of him, waiting for him to tell us if Tyler had accepted the terms of the plea we offered.

“Mr. Johnson did not agree to our terms,” he said. “His lawyer said they are willing to plead down to an assault charge with one year of supervised probation. In return, he will sign the papers to terminate his rights to Caroline.”

“He was already getting off easy. I don’t want to make it easier for him,” I snapped.

“Your only choice then is to go to court,” Mr. Rhine explained. “You’ll have to get him convicted and then go to family court to have his rights terminated, but it’s your choice.”

I looked at Reece. “I don’t know what to do. I want him to cut ties with Caroline, but I want him to be punished for what he did to me and for causing complications for Caroline.”

“I’ll support you in whatever you want to do,” Reece assured me.

“Even if I say I want to go to trial?”

“Yes.”

“It’ll mean putting off Caroline’s adoption,” I added.

“She’s already mine. I don’t need paperwork saying that.”

“I want to go to trial.” Part of me felt guilty for doing this, but I knew part of me needed this to heal.

“All right, but keep in mind your past and your relationship with Reece will be questioned.”

“Are you okay with that?” I asked Reece.

“We have nothing to hide.”

I hoped all this was worth it. I didn’t want Tyler in Caroline’s life; she deserved better.

***

Wren was nice enough to watch Caroline for us while Reece and I dealt with Mr. Rhine. When we got back, we found Wren lying on the floor playing with Caroline. It was the sweetest thing to look at. I loved seeing my brother fawn over her. She had only been with us for a short amount of time, but she had everyone wrapped around her finger.

“You do know she can’t really play with these, right? She can’t even lift her head.” There were toys everywhere in the living room. It looked like Wren did some shopping while we were gone for the afternoon.

“I didn’t want her to be bored. I have a lot of competition for favorite uncle,” Wren replied.

“You have plenty of time to claim that title. I appreciate you watching her today.”

“No problem. How did it go?” Wren asked.

“Not good. I decided to take it through a trial. He basically wanted off the hook for everything he did.”

“Do you think you’ll win?”

I shrugged my shoulders. I thought I was going to lose. I didn’t have any proof besides the night he almost killed me, but I had to try.

“I’ll be here supporting you,” Wren stated.

“Thanks.”

Wren stayed for a bit longer, talking to Reece and making plans to go golfing. I felt a little guilty because they didn’t hang out as much, and I thought it was because of me and the drama that followed me.

“I’m glad you’re making plans with Wren; you should get out more,” I stated.

“But I like being home with my girls.”

“I feel like you gave up a lot for us,” I admitted.

“But I gained a lot,” he replied.

I rolled my eyes at him.

“Did you take a romance course that taught you all the right things to say?” I asked.

“No, I’m just this awesome.”

“Yes, you are. Since Caroline is taking a nap, can we take some time to talk about my job?” I asked.

“We can, but just know that I’m okay with you not going back to work. If you want to stay home until Caroline gets a little older, I’ll support that, or if you’re going to continue working, I’ll support that too.”

“I think I want to stay home,” I replied.

Reece bent down and kissed me.

“Sounds good to me.”

***

“Did you use the journal?” Dr. Lawrence asked.

“I did.”

“Did you find it helpful?” he asked.

“At first, I thought it was stupid, but I felt better the more I wrote.”

“What did you write about?” he asked while staring at me.

“Deciding to go to trial. I wrote that I was feeling upset and angry,” I answered.

“What makes you angry about it?”

“I feel like he has the upper hand in this whole thing. I feel like it’s not fair that a bad person can have things go their way.”

“And what makes you upset?” Dr. Lawrence asked.

“Him having the audacity to try and get out of being punished for what he did. His smugness about the situation—he acts like he’s already won the case.”

“How does Reece feel about this?”

“He says he supported my decision to go through a trial. I think he was afraid of overstepping when it came to giving an opinion.”

“Do you believe him?” he asked.

“He hasn’t given me a reason not to believe him.”

Switching topics, Dr. Lawrence asked, “How did you meet Reece?”

I explained that Reece was a family friend I had grown up with. We started dating not too long after I found out I was pregnant. Reece wouldn’t give up on me and was there for me when I needed someone.

“Do you love Reece, or is he just convenient for you?”

I was taken aback by the question. Without a doubt, I knew that I loved Reece.

“I want you to really think about it,” he said. “You haven’t been on your own before, and you found yourself running from an abusive relationship while pregnant.”

“I love him. I’ve always had feelings for him; I always wanted to be with him. My situation has nothing to do with why I’m with him,” I retorted.

“Do you believe that?”

“I do. My heart beats faster when I see him; I feel happy when I’m with him, and I can’t imagine anyone else being a father to my children.”

“I wanted to make sure you understood what you got from him. He’s important to you, and I didn’t want you second-guessing your feelings for him. Next week, I want us to talk about your brothers and your relationship with them,” Dr. Lawrence stated.

“I don’t understand how this is supposed to help me.”

“It’s supposed to give you a chance to talk, to discuss things that are close to you that you may not know how to discuss. It’ll give you a chance to digest things that have happened.”

I let out a sigh and nodded at Dr. Lawrence. I guessed it was better to talk to him than to bottle up my emotions.