Addicted (A Billionaire Romance Novel) (12 page)

“Petition the courts? For what?” the attorney was trying to recall Chad’s case.
 

“My ex is filing for child support. I’d like to petition the courts for joint custody,” he explained.
 

“Mmhmm, and how much time do you usually spend with her?” he asked, sketching notes as they continued with their phone conversation.
 

“Well, I only just learned about her last week. Since I’ve known her, I’ve spent several days with her,” he said proudly.
 

“That may be a problem, Mr. Wetzel. Is there a chance that you might be able to stop in around 2 this afternoon? I think there are some things that we need to discuss before I handle your case.”
 

“Two o’clock?” Chad asked as he looked over his schedule. “Yes, I can make it in then,” he said.
 

“Good. And bring any papers you’ve already been served so I can take a look at them. This case might be harder than you think.”
 

As their phone call ended, Chad felt as if he’d been sucker-punched. He wondered what the attorney meant by things may be harder than he initially thought. This was causing a lot of stress and tension; and right now, he needed to focus on so many other things. It was difficult for him to concentrate all morning. As much as he tried, he couldn’t concentrate on the developing software changes and cancelled a video conference he had with some of his team. He was developing a dull, throbbing headache in the back of his neck. The only time he got those were when he was under a lot of stress. He popped a couple of ibuprofen and tried to focus on his work until his lunch period. He’d decided that he’d use that time to call Christina.
 

 During his lunch break, he slipped out and headed to his usual hiding spot at the sandwich shop. He had to set things straight with her. Dialing Christina’s number, he held his breath waiting for her to answer.
 

“Hello?” she said picking up the phone.
 

He blew out a long, deliberate breath. “Christina?”
 

“Chad? Are you okay? Are you out of breath?” she asked as she heard his breathing through the phone.
 

“Yes, I'm all right. I was just wondering if I could come by this evening and talk to you. One-on-one, without Kayla.”
 

Hearing the seriousness in his voice, she grew concerned. “Yes, are you sure everything’s all right? What’s this about?”
 

“I’ll explain everything when I get there. It might not be until 5 or so, is that okay?”
 

“Sure, I’ll be here. Is there something I should be worried about?” Christina asked concerned.
 

“No. I’ll see you then.”
 

As he scarfed down his sandwich, he sent Audrey a text. He thought it was important for her to hear from him, even if it was just a short message.
 

Hey baby doll, I just wanted to let you know that I’m thinking about you.
 

She responded within a few minutes.
 

Where are you? I just tried calling your office, but you’re not there.
 

Thinking fast, he responded to her right away.
 

Yeah, the caterer that was supposed to come today had problems with their van. I’m downtown, grabbing a bite to eat. I’ll be back soon.
 

That’s odd, she thought. Why didn’t Tina go get his lunch? That’s what she normally does. Trying not to read too much into it, she shrugged it off. Chad had been acting bizarre lately, so his sudden errand running didn’t surprise her.
 

Once back in his office, Chad tried to speed up his work by skimming over as much information as he could. Why did they have to improve their
software now? He wished it could’ve waited until after everything had blown over. When it was time for him to leave, he walked over to Tina’s desk before heading to the lobby.
 

“Hey, Tina?” he said, getting her attention.
 

“Yes, Mr. Wetzel?” she answered him.
 

“I have a meeting today at 2 PM that I’m about to go to. Could you hold my calls and take messages for me, please?”
 

She looked over his schedule. “Mr. Wetzel, you don’t have any two o’clock meetings planned for today,” she said puzzled.
 

“Oh, no. It’s not business related. This one’s personal. Anyway, take messages for me and if it’s urgent, send me a text.”
 

“Okay, Mr. Wetzel. Is everything all right?”
 

He was quickly growing tired of everyone asking him if everything was all right. Sighing, he responded to her. “Yes, Tina, everything’s fine. Have a good day.”
 

Eager to get to his meeting with the family law attorney, he jumped in his truck and headed to the law office. Before going in, he reached under his driver seat and removed the manila envelope, which contained the court papers Christina had served him with. Waiting in the lobby for his appointment with the attorney, he began rifling through the paperwork. Annoyed that Christina hadn’t told him about their daughter earlier, he slammed the folder shut. Right now he didn’t care about the child support, he wanted equal rights to the little girl that he was growing so fond of.
 

“Mr. Wetzel? Mr. Miller will see you now,” the legal secretary said as she used her hand to show him to the private office.
 

As he sat down in the chair, across from the attorney, his phone sounded off with a text message alert.
 

“Sorry about that,” he apologized. “I’ll silence it,” he said, unlocking his phone screen. As he did, he took a quick peek to see who’d messaged him. It was Audrey. Oh no, he thought, she’s going to believe I'm ignoring her again. He put his phone away and cleared his throat as he straightened his tie.
 

“Now Mr. Wetzel, from the notes I’ve gathered, let me make sure I have things correct. You have a daughter, whose eight-years-old, which
you only learned about a week or so ago. Is that right?”
 

“Yes, Mr. Miller, that is correct.”
 

“Okay. The mother of this child is seeking child support,” he paused, taking off his glasses for a moment. “Why has she waited until now to file, Mr. Wetzel?”
 

“I asked her the same thing. She said that she didn’t tell me that I had a daughter because, well,” he rubbed the back of his neck as he felt the temperature rising in the room. “She called me a skirt chaser. She didn’t think I was dad material when she was pregnant. Christina told me that she’s just now filing for support because she learned that I own Wetzel Software Design and knows how much I earn.”
 

“Hm. It sounds like she’s only after your pocketbook, and doesn’t clearly have the child’s best interest in mind.”
 

“Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Miller. She’s a great mom; I’ve spent some time with both her and Kayla. What I’d like to propose is joint custody. I don’t have a problem with paying back child support, current or future support.”
 

“I see,” he put his glasses back on. “It sounds like you have the child’s best interest in mind. The judge will like that. What I’d recommend is taking this to court a bit sooner than what Christina has in mind.”
 

“Is there already a court date?” he asked.
 

“Yes, I looked it up in the tribunal’s registry. There is a hearing set for July eighth. I’d like to move that up to May unless you object?”
 

“No, that’s perfectly fine with me, Mr. Miller.”
 

“Good. Now I probably should’ve mentioned this before, but I do require a two thousand dollar retainer fee and charge three hundred per hour.”
 

“Of course,” Chad said, taking out his checkbook.
 

After writing the attorney a check for the retainer fee, he began to leave his office.
 

“Mr. Wetzel?” the lawyer stopped him.
 

“Yes?”
 

“You should hear back from me within a week. If my legal secretary doesn’t mail anything out to you, give me a call.”
 

“Yes, sir,” Chad smiled at him as he left the office.
 

The meeting went smoother than he’d expected. He was worried he would look like a father who abandoned his responsibilities, but the lawyer could tell that wasn’t the case. Out in his truck, he called Christina to let her know that he was on his way. Half way to her house, he realized that he’d forgotten to read Audrey’s text.
 

“I’ll have to call her later,” he mumbled to himself as he continued on his way to talk to Christina.
 

Pulling up in front of her house, he realized that he’d left the court papers lying in his passenger seat. He neatly tucked them away under his seat before getting out of his truck. As he walked to her front door, he nervously began trembling in fear of how she might respond once she knew what he was about to say. He debated telling her about the joint custody issue; for now, he needed to talk to her about Audrey.
 

Before he could knock on the door, it swung open on its own.
 

“Hi Kayla!” he cheerfully said. “Where’s your mom?”
 

“She’s inside. She told me that you were coming over,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist.
 

“She did, huh? Well, let’s go inside to see her.”
 

Grinning, Kayla grabbed his hand and led him into the house. Christina was in the kitchen, rolling out dough for homemade biscuits. She heard the two of them coming in as Kayla chattered away, telling Chad about her day at school.
 

“Kayla, why don’t you go to your room and finish your homework?”
 

“But mom!” she protested, “I want to see my dad.”
 

“Go ahead, I’ll see you in a bit. Your mom and I need to discuss some grown-up things. Okay?”
 

She pouted with her bottom lip sticking out.
 

“You know, if you keep making that face, it’ll stay like that,” Chad teased her.
 

Quickly, she drew her lip back in as her eyes widened. “Really?” she asked in surprise.
 

“No, I’m teasing. Go on, now. Go do your homework. I’ll come get you when we’re finished talking.”
 

As Kayla made her way into her room, Chad craned his neck to ensure that she was out of sight. When she closed her bedroom door, he turned and looked at Christina. He could see the anticipation on her face.
 

“What’s this about?” she asked, still rolling out the dough.
 

“There’s some things that I need to tell you. I haven’t been completely honest, with your or with Kayla. Do you mind if we sit down for a moment?”
 

Reluctantly, Christina nodded and wiped her hands on her apron. As they sat down, she stared at him, waiting to hear what he had to say.
 

Rubbing the back of his neck, Chad could feel the sweat beading up on the palms of his hands. This isn’t going to be easy, he thought.
 

“Christina, when we met, you asked me if I was seeing anyone,” he began.
 

“And you said no,” she interrupted.
 

“Right, but I wasn’t entirely truthful with you. I am seeing someone; actually, I’ve been seeing her for quite a while.”
 

“Chad!” Christina’s face and ears became flushed. “Why would you lie to me? Why would you let me get my hopes up in that we could be a family together? You bastard!” she said, slamming her hand down onto the kitchen table.
 

“Christina, I’m so sorry. You expressed your concerns about me being a ladies man as soon as we met. I don’t know what I was thinking. Please, forgive me.”
 

“Who is she? Are you married, engaged, what?” she demanded tearfully.
 

“Her name is Audrey Morris, and we’re only dating,” he explained.
 

“Audrey Morris?” Christina said, repeating the name as if it sounded familiar. “Wait a minute! I
know her! We all went to college together! Have you been dating her all these years?”
 

“No, it’s nothing like that. She actually dropped out while we were in college when she became pregnant and had a son. The father was Rob Lawrence, and they were together for a while. He ended up leaving her, and almost two years ago her son died in a tragic car accident. We started dating a little over six months ago.”
 

Christina left the table, walking back to the counter to finish making the biscuits.
 

“Why did you lie to me? It doesn’t make any sense,” she said with hatred in her voice.
 

“I don’t know. I didn’t know what to say. I’d just learned that Kayla existed and I wanted a
chance to meet her, and I guess, see what your lives were like.”