Holding out her hands she caught her daughter by the shoulders. “Whoa, girlie, where’s the fire?”
For a second Ashley appeared perplexed. Then suddenly a smile bloomed across her lips, lighting up her pretty features. “No fire, Mommy.” Holding the cordless phone up in the air, she said, “There’s a Mr. Goldstein on the phone. He says it’s important.”
Frowning, Karen took the phone from Ashley’s small hand. Why in the world would her lawyer be calling her on her wedding day? Putting the phone up to her ear while covering the mouth piece with her hand, she told Ashley, “Go get your grandmother, and hurry.” If she was going to get some bad news she needed some support.
Taking a seat on the bed, Karen waved bye to Jackie as she exited the room. She blew out a shaking breath to calm nerves that were beginning to fray. Cutting to the chase she said, “Hi Mr. Goldstein. What’s going on?”
The knuckles on her fingers lost their color as she clutched the cordless phone, listening to her lawyer talk. She was nodding her head as her mother swiftly walked into the room with Starr, Ava, Summer, Janet and Nita hot on her heels. When her mother sat next to her on the bed, she reached for her to take her free hand.
They all stared at Karen when she said to whomever she was talking to, “Are you sure?”
“Sure what?” Starr asked, hunching down near the phone, trying to hear the person on the other end.
“Please call Dom and let him know what’s happened.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “I just can’t do it.” If she spoke with him right now about this new revelation she was going to be a babbling mess.
At the mention of her son’s name, Janet immediately clutched the pearls at her neck. “Oh God, what is it?” she frantically asked.
“Mom calm down. She’ll tell us when she’s off the phone,” Ava soothed her mother, because she was two seconds away from tearing up Karen’s house in search of a cigarette to calm her nerves over whatever the call was about.
Summer stood beside Donna and rubbed her shoulder as they all waited for Karen to end the call.
Anxious eyes were on her as she disconnected the call. Karen pinched herself to make sure she was awake and not dreaming. Wiping another tear from her eye, she took another deep breath and let it out. The invisible boulder she’d been carrying on her shoulders for weeks finally fell to the ground, crashing into a billion pieces of dust.
“That was my lawyer, Mr. Goldstein.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Starr prodded, waving her hand in the air like a cop directing traffic.
Karen chuckled, shaking her head at her sister. The poor child is so nosy. “He said somehow the family judge assigned to the case got a hold of the report from Bass’s investigation on the Johnstons.” She winked at Summer because they all knew how the judge got a hold of the report. After she exchanged vows with her man, Judge Henry Stiles was getting a big fat kiss on the cheek and a tight hug. “Apparently he contacted their attorney and advised him to counsel his clients to drop the case.”
“Well I’ll be,” Donna whispered, hugging her daughter close to her. These folks really are connected.
“And what else did he say,” Janet excitedly queried as she eased onto the bed on the opposite side of Karen.
“According to Mr. Goldstein the judge said that with the financial mess Gregory’s parents are in, they aren’t fit to raise a litter of puppies, let alone two children who are already being well cared for. He did say that if they were so interested in seeing the kids they could have supervised visitations once a month for two hours.” Karen didn’t share with them that the judge felt the Johnstons wouldn’t go through with seeking visitation since she would become the legal guardian of the trust fund that now belonged to the kids.
Summer threw her hands up over her head and yelled, “Woo-hoo! Yes! That’ll teach those greedy bastards to mess with you and your babies again!”
Everyone erupted in laughter as they all gathered around Karen, hugging and congratulating her.
“Come on, Miss Thing.” Benji called out to Karen from the doorway, his hands on his hips. “You better get your butt in here if you don’t want to look a hot mess on your wedding day.”
Karen giggled, “Here I come, Benji!”
Pivoting on his heels, he called over his shoulder, “Well, come on then.” His eyes scanned the faces he’d just perfected with the stroke of his brushes. “You heifers better not start that crying and mess up all my hard work.”