Chapter Twenty-Five

Ford paced the length of the kitchen, jerking at his tie and staring out into the darkness. This was taking too long. What if something had gone wrong? His lawyer had sounded optimistic, but he couldn’t push away the dread that had been twisting his stomach in knots all day.

The whole ‘court hearing’ hadn’t gone at all like he’d expected. He hadn’t even met the judge, his lawyer and a representative from child services spoke with him alone after all the paperwork was filed. Ford spent most of the day in his lawyer’s office, tensing every time she came in with an update or brought him more papers to sign.

Andrea had joined him for a bit, shooting him a strained smile before she was taken into another room to give her statement.

In the end, the abuse wasn’t what got the emergency custody order granted. The judge determined there was a credible risk to Kyle leaving the country with Jaxon. Along with the abuse, he agreed there was enough danger ‘to the child’ to warrant an ‘ex parte’ something or another and the order was given to remove Jaxon from his uncle’s care. Ford had been granted temporary custody while he pursued his parental rights.

Which was perfect. Ford almost hugged his lawyer when she told him, but decided to just shake her hand, thank her, and save his hugs for his son. And the man and woman he loved, who’d gotten them both through this while he’d been fucking everything up.

The problem came when Ford asked about the documents he’d need to go get Jaxon. He wasn’t sure how that all worked. Did he take them to Anthony’s house and shove them in Kyle’s face?

That would’ve been damn satisfying.

His lawyer had asked him to take a seat while she explained the procedure.

“Jaxon’s aunt gave enough details for the representative from child services to be concerned about the danger Kyle poses to your son.” Mrs. Monsch brought Ford a glass of water, then took a seat behind her desk. Her tone was crisp as always, but there was understanding in her eyes. “I know this isn’t how you imagined things would play out, but it was always unlikely that you’d be allowed to retrieve Jaxon yourself. The woman you met, Ms. Joseph, will go to your father’s house and remove Jaxon for his safety. An officer will accompany her to facilitate the removal.”

Ford stared at her. “So my son is getting dragged out of there by a cop?”

“No. The officer will only get involved if Kyle or your father try to prevent Jaxon from leaving.” Mrs. Monsch folded her hands on the desk. “The priority of both the officer and the caseworker is to make sure Jaxon feels safe.”

With how much time Jaxon had spent in the system, Ford wasn’t sure how ‘safe’ he’d feel. Fuck, he wished he could’ve talked to his son before this all went down. Warned him at least. Instead, he’d had to miss his scheduled visitation and let the court decide what would happen next.

At least it was finally over though, right? “Will the cop be bringing Jaxon to my house?”

“I don’t believe so. The caseworker will likely bring Jaxon to her office and speak to him. Find out if there are any injuries that need to be tended to and documented. Assess if he needs to speak to a therapist or if he’s in a good place to be handed into your care.”

“He’s gonna fucking hate that.”

“He might, but this has to be done, Ford. If it’s not handled properly, Kyle could use that if he decides to challenge your parental rights. You hired me to make sure this is done right.” She stacked copies of all the papers he’d signed, placed them in a file, then slipped it into her briefcase. “Without the rush we might have been able to avoid involving child services and the police, but both are needed now. You’ve done the right thing for your son and he’ll see that once he finally has the love and stability he deserves. In the meantime, please be patient and trust that those in authority are making his wellbeing a priority.”

Ford didn’t have a choice but to trust the cops and the caseworker, but that would be a lot easier if Jaxon was home. If he could see his son and promise him he’d never go through anything like this again.

Akira stepped into the kitchen, watching him for a moment before coming to him and taking his hand, giving it a little squeeze. “He’ll be here soon, Ford. I know you said you wanted to be alone, but come sit with me and Cort. Try to relax a little. Jaxon’s going to need to see everything’s good here and you look way too stressed out.”

Nodding, Ford let her lead him to the living room, where Cort was standing in front of the window, arms folded over his chest. The big man had been quiet ever since he’d heard everything the lawyer had told Ford. He’d seemed more confident in how everything would turn out earlier today, but now…?

Now it was real. They might spend weeks, or months with their lives under a microscope. There was still so much that could go wrong, and Ford knew Cort was afraid to be the reason Jaxon lost his chance at a real home. A family.

But Ford hadn’t wasted the entire day being pissed off that a system which had already made his son’s life difficult was dragging out the trauma even more. He’d looked into why he’d never been contacted the first time Jaxon was removed from his mother’s care. Read over the file his lawyer had put together to help him claim his parental rights. Trista had told a social worker he was dangerous. That the people he was involved with scared her. So many lies to keep his son away from him.

To counteract them, Mrs. Monsch had laid out Ford’s life in a way that made him wonder if she’d ever met him. She laughed when he asked and told him to read the file she had on him. A timeline that showed him doing well in business school, working for his ‘father’s’ company, then exposing it for corruption and cooperating with the authorities to bring the man to justice. Then his work with the Cobras, his charitable efforts, statements from both his sisters and several friends and coworkers saying how good he was with kids, how much he cared about his family, how hard he worked.

His throat got all tight reading that. He really looked like a decent guy on paper. But would that be enough? Would this convince a judge to give him his son?

Then Mrs. Monsch showed him the files she’d put together on Cort and Akira. He smiled as he read the letters from some of Cort’s employees. And even one from Cort’s old parole officer. Whatever Cort thought of his past, it was what he’d done since that stood out.

“Hey.” Ford stepped up to Cort’s side, still holding Akira’s hand as he leaned his head against Cort’s shoulder. “You know, last time I talked to Jaxon, he said you were buying some old junker for him. Isn’t he a little young for that?”

Cort let out a short laugh. “Just a bit, but he was really interested when I was working on that old Aston Martin restoration—the one I took on as a side project?” He smiled at Ford’s nod. “I told him since I don’t have much spare time to work on it, it could take years before it’s finished, but I’ve always wanted one of them. And he said he wants a car just like Bumblebee. So I told him I’d shop around for an old Camaro and he was so fucking excited…” Cort sighed and shook his head. “Not sure what I was thinking. He doesn’t know how much I’ve fucked up. The car won’t do him a ton of good in a group home and if I’m still here—”

“There’s been a lot of shit going on, Cort. But as soon as you have some time, I want you to come with me to talk to my lawyer. She’ll let you know exactly how good it is that you’re here.” Ford bumped Cort’s side with his elbow at his doubtful look. “Both you and Akira have the stable jobs. Mine will be gone soon and the bar doesn’t look great on paper, it’s not bringing in much. But the three of us together can provide well for Jaxon and we’ve been together long enough that she’s decided to present us as a united front. Which means we’ll all be talking to the caseworker, but she doesn’t seem worried, so don’t you be.”

With a sideways glance, Cort seemed ready to remind Ford of how little faith he’d had in lawyers, but instead, he simply shrugged. “I don’t mind talking to whoever I have to. So long as she’s sure I won’t hurt your custody case.”

“She’s sure. And she’s damn good at her job.” Ford knew he must have annoyed the lawyer with all his questions, constantly saying shit she insisted wasn’t relevant, but in the end he’d finally understood why Oriana had chosen her. She didn’t blink when it came to his alternative lifestyle, the issues with his ‘fathers’, or his hypothetical ideas for getting shit done faster.

She stuck to what they could do legally, found a way to convince him his rights were all they needed, and put together an ironclad case.

One hour with her and Cort would get back to building his son a Transformer—or whatever it was he had planned.

“They’re here.” Akira tugged on Ford’s hand, nodding toward the driveway.

It took every ounce of strength Ford had to calmly walk to the door and open it. He wanted to run out there and grab his son. Get him far away from the strangers he’d been stuck with for hours. But no matter how good Mrs. Monsch said his case was, he was all too aware the caseworker would be judging his every move.

As soon as Jaxon spotted him, a huge smile broke out across his face. He bolted from behind the tall man who’d opened the car door for him and leapt into Ford’s arms.

“You should have seen it. Uncle Kyle was so fucking mad. He shouted at the cop and the chick told him to calm down and get out of her way before she arrested his ass.” Jaxon’s eyes glowed with excitement as he wrapped his arms around Ford’s neck. He was trembling, likely overwhelmed by everything, but otherwise, seemed damn happy. “He told the cop he never fucking touched me, so I took my shirt off right there and told them he was a liar. The child service dude was shook!”

Ford’s stomach twisted. He forced his tone to stay level. “Did they bring you to a doctor?”

“Yeah. And they took some pictures.” Jaxon buried his face between his arm and Ford’s neck. “Was fucking weird. And I didn’t think the bruises were a big deal—like, that anyone would care. He just grabbed my arm a lot. Shook me sometimes. He only scares me when he starts talking real low, telling me I’ll end up back in the system and be just as pathetic as my dad. Only…he can’t say that anymore. I’ve met you and he’s the pathetic one.”

Before Ford could respond, the caseworker approached. Not the one he’d met, which was unsettling. They must have put someone new on his son’s case.

“Mr. Delgado, if you have a moment, I’d like to see Jaxon’s room. It won’t take long. Then we can schedule our next meeting.”

“Sure thing.” Ford held Jaxon tight as he backed into the house. His son hadn’t loosened his grip, and didn’t seem to want to be put down anytime soon. Which he didn’t mind at all. The kid had been through enough, and he needed to be held as much as Ford needed to hold him. “Do you need me to come upstairs with you or can Akira show you around?”

“Oh, it doesn’t matter who shows me. I just need to make sure you’ve made suitable arrangements for him.” The caseworker smiled. “Jaxon wasn’t very hungry today, but he promised he’d eat when he got home.”

Cort approached, hesitant at first, then reached out and ruffled Jaxon’s hair. “I was about to go make some burgers and fries. You want one or two, kid?”

“Two. I’m fucking starving.”

“Jaxon…” Ford didn’t want to start on Jaxon’s language, but the caseworker would think he was a shitty father if he kept letting his ten-year-old talk like that. “You really shouldn’t use that word.”

Jaxon leaned back a little in Ford’s arms, wrinkling his nose. At Ford’s level gaze, Jaxon rolled his eyes toward the caseworker, then sighed. “Fine. But I don’t think the dude minds. Not after the shi—the stuff he heard Uncle Kyle say.”

The caseworker gave Ford a stiff smile. “I will say I’m not the least bit surprised at some of the…language Jaxon emulates. It may take some time to break him of the habit, but I believe with some patience and good examples, he’ll improve in no time.”

Yeah…we’ll have to work on being those ‘good examples’. Ford inclined his head, bringing Jaxon to the kitchen as Akira led the caseworker upstairs.

At the stove, Cort had already started the burgers, setting them in the pan to fry them up and putting on the deep fryer for the fries. As Ford walked into the room with Jaxon, Cort met his eyes, mouthing “He gonna be all right?”

Ford nodded. Whatever else happened from here, he truly believed Jaxon would be just fine.

Even more so when Jaxon slipped out of his arms, gaze locked on a magazine that had been left open on the table. He pointed frantically at a picture, then glanced over his shoulder at Cort. “For real? You’re already looking into it?”

Cort laughed and nodded. “Yeah, but don’t get too excited. With that price tag, it’s gonna take me a bit. And we still need the car.”

The picture that had excited Jaxon was of an engine that would be compatible with the 1977 Camaro. Ford grinned as his son began to read the specs, sounding like he knew more about what he was talking about than Ford did. The kid couldn’t wait to get his hands dirty, and it would be tough to get him out of the garage if he was this amped up just looking at car parts.

When Ford was a teen, he’d let Cort teach him the basics—enough that he’d never get stuck in the middle of nowhere if his hotwired car died on him—but he’d never had the passion for mechanics that Cort did. If Jaxon was interested, he’d get back into it. From the sounds of it, the kid could teach him a thing or two.

While the food was cooking, they passed the time discussing cars, avoiding Ford’s past illegal involvement with them—though he couldn’t help mentioning how smooth a ride some of the more exotic ones had been, since that was all he really had to offer. Akira finished showing the caseworker around and came to the kitchen with him, taking a seat across the table while Jaxon sat between her and Ford, facing the man who’d likely be a regular in their lives for the next few months.

“The hearing will be scheduled within the next two weeks, once Jaxon’s uncle is served with a request to appear in court. As Jaxon’s father, your rights will be considered, but he will be given the opportunity to contest them, since he was given guardianship by Jaxon’s mother. Certain conditions must be met if he demands visitation, which we will go over at our next meeting, later this week.” The man handed him a card, which finally put a name to the face, since Ford had missed the introductions. Lester Boyle. Lester took out his phone and tapped open an appointment app. “The Dartmouth Cobras have two away games this week. Will you be going with them or can we schedule the meeting for this coming Friday?”

“Friday’s fine. I don’t go on the road with the team. I’ll be here.” Ford spoke quickly, hoping the man didn’t think he’d be taking off and leaving Jaxon alone. “I’ll adjust my hours at the forum so I can be here for Jaxon after school. You can come anytime. Or we can meet during the day. Whatever works.”

“Very good. So he’ll be returning to the same school? Maintaining his routine will be important.”

“Yes, sir.” Ford’s neck heated as Cort shot him an amused look from behind Lester. Did ‘sir’ sound weird? Calling the man Lester didn’t feel right. The man had the power to decide if he was good enough to be a father. “Mr. Boyle, I’ll be bringing Jaxon to school every morning and picking him up after school. He’s also shown interest in taking skating lessons from Akira, so he’ll likely be at her rink a few times a week. He’ll have a perfect routine.”

“I don’t expect perfect, Mr. Delgado.” Lester stood and held out his hand, shaking Ford’s before stepping back and grabbing his briefcase. “Stable, well cared for, and happy. That’s all Jaxon needs. I’ll call to confirm our appointment sometime this week. Enjoy your weekend.”

Leaving Jaxon with Akira and Cort, Ford followed Lester to the front door, stepping outside with him because he had one more question, but didn’t want to ask it in front of his son. “Jaxon mentioned seeing a doctor, but…what about a therapist? Is that something he’ll need?”

Lester hesitated, then inclined his head. “Officially, there hasn’t been any behavior that leads me to put it as a requirement in your gaining custody, but after looking at his file, I suspect you won’t see any troubling behavior until he’s comfortable with his situation. If you don’t have a family therapist, I can recommend several who’ve worked with cases like Jaxon’s before.”

“I’d appreciate that. Thank you.” Ford took a deep breath as Lester jotted another note on his phone. “What about the court case? Does he have to be there?”

“It will depend on the judge, but I don’t believe so. Jaxon made a statement that will be admissible. Another can be made if further details are requested. We will all do our best to make sure this situation is as easy on him as possible.”

“Good. That’s all I needed to know.”

“I understand your concern, but I believe Jaxon is at a good age to handle whatever steps are necessary from this point on. He may want to be there. May even want to see his uncle again.” Lester held Ford’s gaze for a moment. “You need to consider the possibility that the judge will allow his uncle visitations under certain terms.”

We’ll see about that. Ford forced himself to nod, then watched Lester head back to his car, standing there long after his taillights had disappeared at the end of the road. He’d known today wouldn’t be the end of his fight for custody of Jaxon, but letting him see Kyle? After all the man had done to him?

He couldn’t think about that. Not yet. This was still a huge step in the right direction.

After supper, Ford noticed Jaxon was close to falling asleep in his bowl of ice cream and picked him up, carrying him to his room, and sitting him on the edge of his bed. He expected Jaxon to start saying he was too old to be carried any day now, but until then, he was going to enjoy one of the many things he’d missed while his son was growing up.

Grabbing a pair of the pajamas Akira had bought for Jaxon, Ford brought them to the bed, laughing when Jaxon sleepily lifted his arms. “You look beat, buddy.”

As he pulled off his son’s shirt, the offhand comment wasn’t so funny anymore. He’d known there were marks, Jaxon had told him about them, but…seeing them was different. The way they were placed made it clear Kyle had been careful they couldn’t be seen even if Jaxon was wearing a T-shirt. High on his shoulders, dark bruises marked his pale skin. There were lighter bruises over Jaxon’s ribs. Nothing a kid would get playing normally.

“Dad?” Jaxon seemed to wake up a little as Ford stood in front of him, gripping his pajama shirt tight. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, of course!” Ford swallowed hard, holding the bottom of the shirt and helping Jaxon pull it on. “I’m just damn happy you’re here. I thought it would take longer, but you were very brave, speaking up for yourself like you did. I’m proud of you.”

Ducking his head, Jaxon shrugged. “Never had a reason to before. It was either being in a group home, or with Uncle Kyle. At least with him it was just one asshole I had to deal with, you know?” He drew his knees up to his chest and hugged them. “Then…well, when I came here I was kinda worried you’d think I was bad and not want me. I pissed him off, so I might piss you off too. Then the cop showed up and I knew you’d sent them to get me out of there. He was mad again. He’d just left my room—told me I was going to ruin everything because I…I was upset when grandad said you weren’t coming and I broke a plate.”

“Did your grandfather ever…ever see Kyle hurt you?”

Jaxon shook his head. “Grandad only saw me at suppertime really. Sometimes around the house, but he’d just look at me all sad-like. Say I looked like some guy named Antoine.”

“Yeah…he’s said the same thing about me.” Ford wondered if he’d have liked his older brother, the only one of Anthony Delgado’s children he seemed to have really cared about. “Antoine was the oldest kid, but I never met him. Your Aunt Oriana could probably tell you a bit about him if you want.”

Shrugging, Jaxon finished putting on his pajamas, then climbed into bed. “Maybe one day. Is it bad that I don’t want anything to do with uncles for a while?”

Ford laughed and shook his head as he pulled the blankets up to Jaxon’s chin and kissed his forehead. “Nope. I get it. Believe me.”

Jaxon brought his thumb to his mouth, chewing on the skin by his nail, his brow furrowed. “Are they gonna make me go back? Like…there’s still all kinds of legal shit, right?”

“There is, but you let me worry about that. I’m your father and I have a damn good lawyer. We’re going to make sure you don’t ever have to see him again.”

“Promise?”

Fuck, Ford wasn’t sure he should make that promise. Not after what the caseworker had said. But how could he look at his son, after all the boy had been through, and let him believe he wasn’t able to protect him? If the court didn’t come through, there were still other…options.

So he cupped his son’s cheek and met his eyes. “I swear to you, Jaxon. He’s out of your life for good.”