Noah’s Journey(27)

“Noah,” Bernie said in a happy voice. “Good morning, son. I have great news.”

“Oh yeah, and what would that be?” I tried to remain calm.

“I’m not sure what took place between you and Stacey, but she came to my office first thing this morning. We spent over an hour talking and drawing up papers, which she signed, and I wanted to call you right away to tell you.” He paused, and I heard papers being shuffled around on his end of the line.

“What happened, Bernie?” My heart was racing.

“She gave you shared custody,” he said in excitement.

“What?” I asked as I sat back in the chair on the opposite side of the bar. I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right. I mean, it couldn’t be that easy, could it?

“No more fighting over seeing him. You have shared custody. Now the two of you just need to work out the days and weekends and we can finalize the paperwork and get it filed,” Bernie replied, as if it was a simple task.

I honestly couldn’t believe it. Had our conversation yesterday honestly made a difference? “Thank you, Bern,” I said, still feeling as if this couldn’t be real. I’d figured I would have one hell of a fight on my hands when it came to Austin. I had envisioned days and hours inside a courtroom and thousands of dollars in lawyers’ fees. But I was wrong.

I hung up with Bernie and immediately dialed Stacey’s number. After two rings, she answered. “Hi.”

“Hey.” I took a deep breath before continuing. “So Bernie called.”

“I assumed he would. I never should have pulled that stunt yesterday, and I’m sorry.” I immediately picked up the pain in her voice. “I want him to know you, Noah. I want him to have his father in his life. This may not be the situation I was hoping for, but keeping him from you is only taking away something he needs. I won’t be that kind of mother, not anymore. I’ve made too many mistakes. It’s time I start making some right choices.”

“Thank you,” I replied. “You don’t understand how much this mean to me.”

“I think I do, because I couldn’t imagine my life without him in it. You did nothing wrong, Noah. I made those choices on my own, and like I said, it’s time to change my ways.”

“I’ll have him back to you by noon. We stayed up a little late watching movies. He’s still crashed out in my bed,” I explained, and she laughed softly.

“Okay, sounds good. I should be home. If not, my mother will be.”

We said our good-byes, and for the first time since Stacey and Austin arrived back in Livingston, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.



***



After I dropped Austin off to his grandma, I drove straight for Sassy Ladies. I was still riding high with the news Bernie had given me and feeling like a little bit of a celebration was in order.

When I approached the front doors and saw Alena through the windows, my heart raced even more. Taking no time to talk myself down, I pushed through the doors and walked straight for her.

Her eyes grew wide as I stepped behind the counter and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her body flush against mine. A small squeal of surprise escaped her just before I covered her mouth with my own. She wrapped her arms around my neck tightly, and I traced her lips with my tongue as she prodded my mouth with her own.

I’d begun backing her toward the countertop behind her just as a loud hoot broke through my lustful state.

When I pulled back and looked down at her, she appeared just as turned on as I was. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were red and swollen from our kiss.

“Damn, brother, you know how to make an entrance.” I turned to find Jackson and Bailey staring at us with huge smiles covering their lips. “Makes me wanna take my woman home and get a little bit of my own,” he added as he stepped up behind Bailey and made some obscene gesture with his hips.

She swatted at him and tried to pull away, but you could see she loved his attention. The two of them spent more time naked than doing anything else. Most of us refused to go by their place without calling first, because you never knew what you would be witnessing if you arrived unannounced.

I turned back to Alena, deciding to just tune out my perverted brother and his eager girl. She lifted her head, and our eyes met once more. “Not that I didn’t truly enjoy this little display of excitement, but is there a reason behind your happiness?”

“One, I honestly have wanted to do that since the moment you left the ranch last night.” I winked when she bit her lower lip. “And two, I have just been given shared custody of my son.”

Her eyes widened as she placed her palm against my chest. “Really?”