Chapter 31: Chapter 31

ODETTE

A few weeks had passed, and I was on the mend. My stitches from my face and the staples from my c-section were removed. My arm was still in a cast, and I still had a few weeks to go before that could get removed, and last night marked Caroline’s first night at home. To ensure she didn’t encounter any breathing issues while asleep, we hooked her up to an oxygen machine.

Reece had to return to work, leaving Caroline and me alone during the day. Today, I had a meeting at Reece’s office with Mr. Rhine. It was my first outing alone with Caroline.

Upon my arrival, the receptionist greeted me and directed me to Reece’s office.

“My two beautiful girls,” Reece said, rising to greet me.

“I don’t want to interrupt.”

“You’re not interrupting. I was just leaving. Is this little Miss Caroline?” Patrick asked, peeking into the carrier.

“Yes, it is. She’s asleep right now. She doesn’t stay awake for long.”

“I know you guys didn’t have a baby shower, but I have a few things for you. I’ll stop by sometime this week to drop them off,” Patrick offered.

“You didn’t have to, but we appreciate it,” I said. I didn’t know Patrick well, but he had always been kind and considerate.

“I can take her,” Reece said, taking the carrier from me and guiding me out of his office and down the hallway.

I was slightly nervous about what Mr. Rhine was going to tell us.

“Has she been good today?” Reece asked.

“She has. She hasn’t really fussed. She’s still getting used to breastfeeding. She got attached to the bottle, but she is doing well today.”

I looked up at Reece to see him smiling down at Caroline.

“Wren wants to come over tonight. Is that okay?” Reece asked.

“Of course. I’m not going to ban my brother from our house. I want family and friends to visit often so Caroline can have them around. Since you’re an only child and your parents have passed, it’s really all she has, plus they’ll come in handy when we need a babysitter.”

“Except for Theo. If we leave Caroline with him, we may find that he’s taken her to her first amusement park across the country,” Reece added.

I laughed because that was exactly what I would expect Theo to do. He would try to instill the nomad life into her.

“Reece, Ms. Hart, please have a seat,” Mr. Rhine instructed.

Sometimes, I got the feeling that my lawyer didn’t like me.

“There has been an unexpected twist in the case. The defense is asking for a plea deal. Mr. Johnson is willing to plead guilty to avoid a trial and jail time. They want probation.”

“I’m not sure I want to agree to that,” I said.

“To be honest, if he goes to trial, he may get three years in jail and probation.”

“I want him out of Caroline’s life, and if he isn’t in jail, how can I do that?”

“I have a suggestion, and Etta, if you don’t like it, you can say no, and I’ll be right with you throughout the trial,” Mr. Rhine said.

I squeezed Reece’s hand to let him know I was willing to listen.

“How about we negotiate? Will we agree to probation if he agrees to terminate his parental rights?”

“I don’t know. What if he tries to come around? Just because he signed something doesn’t mean he’s going to stay away,” I added.

“We can put legal measures in place—no contact with you, your family, or people associated with you here,” Mr. Rhine added, trying to convince me.

“Reece?”

“I can’t make this decision for you, Etta. I can tell you what I would do, but it’s your life; he attacked you and not me. I want him out of our lives, and I don’t want him having any legal rights to Caroline.”

I nodded my head. “Okay, I’ll agree to the deal if he terminates his parental rights and agrees to a no-contact order.”

“I’ll draft something up and let you look over it before submitting it to his lawyer,” Mr. Rhine stated.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Go home and enjoy time with your family, including you, Reece; we have everything covered. Take some time off.” It appeared that Mr. Rhine did have a heart.

***

“She is finally asleep, and now that Wren is gone, maybe she’ll sleep for a few hours.”

“Seeing Wren with Caroline is kind of heartwarming,” Reece said as I took a seat next to him on the couch.

“He’s really good with her.”

“I think that girl at his job is changing his ways. I think he’s ready to settle down,” Reece stated.

“I seriously need to meet this girl.”

Reece took my hand and turned to face me. “After Tyler’s parental rights are terminated, whether it’s through the plea deal or trial, I want to adopt Caroline. I want her to have my last name. I also want you to have my last name.”

He slipped a ring onto my left ring finger. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed. I didn’t need to think about it. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.

“It might be awkward with your cast, so I don’t expect you to wear the ring, but I wanted you to have one.”

“I love you, Reece, and this is perfect.”

The ring was a single solitary peridot in the middle, surrounded by smaller diamonds in the band. Honestly, it could have been a Cracker Jack ring—and it would have been beautiful because it came from him.

“I love you too.”