“I don’t understand why they did this.” Cole’s mouth twisted. “Putting Charlie in the middle of a tug-of-war between the two of us couldn’t be what they wanted for him.”
Margaret was glad he’d brought it up. She’d been thinking the same thing. It was as if Janae and Ty had handed custody of their precious son to a divorced couple.
“They knew you both well enough to know you wouldn’t let that happen,” Ryan said, his expression suddenly serious. “They believed you would always put Charlie’s welfare and happiness first.”
Margaret stared down at her hands, praying she’d prove worthy of her friend’s faith in her.
“That said,” Ryan continued, “if either of you leaves Jackson Hole for more than a week at a time during this initial period, the other will be granted sole custody of Charlie.”
Seven days wasn’t a lot of time to quit her job, pack up her apartment and find a place to live in Jackson Hole. It was the last part that would be the hardest. In the ten years she’d been looking to come back, rent in the area had soared. And most landlords were demanding two months of rent as a deposit.
Margaret had money in savings but it wouldn’t last long, especially if she had to pay an attorney. Once her money ran out, there would be no one to help. The only sibling with any disposable income was her older brother, Travis. Still, with five young children and a new house in the mountains, he had his own responsibilities.
“If you’re not going to be able to do it,” Cole said in a low tone, “it’d be best to back out now.”
“That little boy needs a mother.” Margaret met his gaze, her voice strong and sincere. “I’m not going to let him down.”
Shortly after the copies had been made and another appointment scheduled for later in the week, the three made their way to the outer office.
Ryan was showing Cole his saddle when the door opened.
“Uncle Cole.” Charlie’s eyes lit up and before anyone could stop him, the little boy barreled across the room and slammed into him.
Cole felt the knee give way at the same moment Meg’s arm slipped around him, giving him much-needed stability and a good strong jolt of déjà vu.
The light floral scent of her perfume, the feel of her body next to his…took him back to a time when she was his whole world. His body prickled with awareness.
Meg smiled down at the boy, seemingly unaffected. “Whoa, partner. Your uncle Cole just had knee surgery. Go gentle on him.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt him.” Charlie turned to Cole. “Did I hurt you?”
Cole’s heart melted and he shook his head.
A tiny frown worried Meg’s brow. He could tell she found Charlie’s exuberant greeting disturbing. Obviously she hadn’t realized how close Charlie was to him. His smile widened.
“Honey,” Lexi prompted, stepping forward and resting a hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Didn’t you have pictures you wanted to share?”
“I have one for you and one for you.” Charlie pointed to Cole then to Meg.
“Hey, what about me?” Ryan asked in a teasing tone.
“Nope.” Charlie’s head shook back and forth. “None for you.”
Ryan chuckled. “The story of my life.”
Everyone laughed and Charlie looked up at Lexi. “Where are my pictures?”
“Right here, buckaroo.” Lexi opened a large drawing pad and pulled out about ten different sheets of paper, with an assortment of pictures done in crayon.
Charlie slowly perused each one, his brows pulled together in thought.
“Thanks for catching me,” Cole said in a low tone meant for Meg’s ears only. Just because he wanted nothing to do with her didn’t mean he couldn’t be civil.
“If you’d gone down, you’d have taken Charlie with you,” she responded in a matter-of-fact tone. “Couldn’t have that.”
Cole searched her cool green eyes. Though her expression gave nothing away, he had the distinct feeling she was angry with him. Which made absolutely no sense. If either of them had a reason to be bitter over their breakup all those years ago, it was him.
“This one is for you.” Charlie shoved a picture into Cole’s hand.
He glanced at the paper. Two stick figures, one big, one little, were standing by a bright blue lake under a huge yellow sun, fishing.
“I know this place.” Cole smiled. “It’s the lake where we spent the day together last summer.”
“Yep.” The little boy rocked back on his boot heels in a gesture reminiscent of Ty. “That’s you and me.”
Cole tightened his grip on the picture; the first Charlie had ever given him. It meant a lot to know the excursion had been a special memory, not only for him, but for Charlie, as well.
“Thanks, buddy.” Cole tousled the child’s dark hair. “I’ll put this up in my hotel room.”
“If you have a ’frigerator, you could put it there,” the boy said with an eagerness that touched Cole’s heart. “That’s where my mommy puts all my pictures.”
Cole exchanged a glance with Meg. Or maybe it was a wordless plea. It was getting close to the time Charlie had to leave and he wanted the encounter to end on as upbeat a note as possible. In a second he could see Charlie realizing that his mommy would no longer be putting up his pictures.
Meg seemed to understand, because she stepped forward.
“And what do you have for me?” She crouched down so she was at eye level with the boy.
“This one.” Charlie brandished another picture with a flourish. “I ’membered you like flowers.”
That much hadn’t changed, Cole thought. When they’d been together, Meg had loved all kinds of flowers. He wondered if daisies were still her favorite.
“You’ve got a great memory. And you’re right. I do love flowers.” Meg opened her arms to the boy. “Let me give you a ‘thank you’ hug.”
Charlie went easily into Meg’s arms, nestling his head against her shoulder.
Cole’s heart gave a ping. He’d been feeling pretty good about the boy’s greeting. And the picture, well, fishing was just the kind of thing a boy did with a dad.
But what he was witnessing now brought back memories of how his mother had been before his dad died and she’d turned man-crazy. She used to brush his hair back from his face and kiss his forehead, like Meg was doing to Charlie now. Would Charlie miss having a mother?
Cole shoved the thought aside. Certainly it would be ideal if he were married so Charlie could have both a mother and a father, but being single didn’t mean he couldn’t be a good parent to the boy.
“Do I get to go home with you and Uncle Cole?” Charlie slipped from Meg’s arms and his gaze shifted from her to Cole. “My pajamas and Toy Story toothbrush are in the car.”
Ryan shot the social worker a questioning look.
Lexi smiled apologetically. “I wasn’t sure how things would work today, so I packed his bag.”
“It’ll be a few days before we have all the arrangements made,” Ryan said, his gaze darting to the boy.
“No worries. Ever since—” The social worker paused and appeared to be carefully considering her words. “For the past week Charlie has been staying with Derek and Rachel Rossi under emergency foster care.”