She smiles. “I know. Because I feel the same, even if you are an insufferable caveman at times.”
I grab her ass as I’m pulling her into me. “You bet this sweet ass I am. Don’t expect that to change where you’re concerned.”
Jazz laughs. “No worries, there, big guy. I’m under no delusions that will ever happen.”
“As long as we’re clear.” I wink, before adopting a more serious expression. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I will be.” Jazz nods then tugs on my hand. “C’mon, you Neanderthal. Let’s get this over with so we can move on with the rest of our lives.”
Sounds pretty fucking perfect to me.
Chapter 27
JAZZ
“Jasmine, it’s so nice to meet you finally.”
I shake Sandra, my new attorney’s hand. “You, too. Thanks for meeting with us. I’m sorry we had to keep rescheduling the appointment. It’s been a crazy month.”
She gives me a sympathetic smile. “No worries, whatsoever. Please, both of you have a seat.”
Kingston pulls out a chair for me before taking a seat. It’s been two weeks since our fathers’ deaths, and those two weeks have been a nonstop whirlwind. When the news broke of the FBI bust, Kingston and I were bombarded with media attempts to book interviews. Once my boyfriend not-so-kindly told them all to fuck off and threatened to sue their asses if they didn’t leave him, me, and Ainsley alone, they backed off.
The three of us just moved into the Malibu house, and I finally feel like I can breathe. Ainsley took the whole thing pretty hard, but as Kingston and I had predicted, Reed has been incredibly supportive. I think being in the new place will help all of us because we no longer have to face reminders of our demons on a daily basis.
Sandra opens a file and retrieves a few documents. She sets them in front of me with a pen. “As we discussed over the phone, Mr. Davenport was quite clear on what you were looking to achieve, but I wanted to hear it from you as well.”
I bite back a smile as I see Kingston frowning out of the corner of my eye. The boy doesn’t like it when someone questions him. When I take his hand and begin rubbing my thumb over his knuckles, his expression softens.
“Of course.”
“So, the paperwork you have in front of you is for the legal name change. I just need your signature by each marker, and I’ll file those with the court first thing in the morning. Since you’re a legal adult, there should be no reason it isn’t approved and processed in an expedited manner. Rivera will once again be your legal surname in no time.”
“Thank you.” I grab the pen and start signing my name by each tab. “And the other matter we discussed?”
“Yes, of course.” Sandra removes some more paperwork. “As I was telling Mr. Davenport, we will file a petition for partial custody, but I can’t make any promises, since there hasn’t been any proven abuse or neglect. The first thing the court will do is appoint a minor’s counsel. They serve as a neutral voice for the child, without compromising their rights, emotional well-being, or forcing the child to side with one parent or another. Or, in this case, parent over a sibling. Their mission is to find facts and keep the emotional component out of it. Whoever the court appoints to your sister’s case will make sure Belle’s health, safety, and welfare are a top priority when making their recommendations to the courts.”
“Good,” I tell her. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“That’s good to hear,” she says. “Now, I like to be upfront with my clients and forewarn you that custody battles can get messy, take a lot of time, and the costs will undoubtedly add up. There are no promises that you’ll be granted legal custody or visitation. You’ll be fighting an uphill battle from the start considering you’re still in high school and don’t make enough money from your part-time job to support yourself financially. With that said, would you still like to proceed?”
“Absolutely.” I nod. “I need to try.”
Sandra smiles. “Okay, then. If—”
“I have a question,” Kingston interrupts.
“Go ahead, Mr. Davenport.”
“Would it help her case if we got married? California is a community property state, right? So, if we were married, she’d automatically be entitled to half my estate.”
My jaw drops. “Kingston! I can’t exp—”
Kingston raises his eyebrows expectantly at my attorney. “Well?”
She clears her throat. “Well, yes, that would certainly help. The courts like to see stability—both financial and within the family dynamic—when deciding whether to award custody. Although, community property only applies to assets you acquire during the marriage. Anything beforehand would be exempt.”
“But if we open a joint bank account, those are considered Jazz’s assets, correct?”
Sandra nods. “Correct.”
“And if I put her name on the deed to the house, that counts too, right?”
“I’m sorry, what? ” I interject. “Why would you put my name on the deed to the house?”
My boyfriend smiles. “Why wouldn’t I? It’s as much your house as it is mine. It doesn’t matter who paid for it.”
“Kingston!”
“Baby, let’s not waste this nice lady’s time by talking about it right now, okay?” He winks. “We can fight about it—and make-up—later.”
I cover my face with my hands. “Oh, my God. You’re so embarrassing sometimes.”
My attorney laughs. “You two remind me of my husband and me at your age.”
“How long have you been married?” I ask.
“Thirty years next month.” She covers the side of her mouth and stage whispers, “And the make-up sex is still as hot as it was in the beginning.”
Kingston laughs while I can feel my face flushing.
I give him the stink eye. “I’ll deal with you later.”
“Anyway...” I jerk my thumb in Kingston’s direction. “Before we were so rudely interrupted by this jackass... you were saying?”
“In a nutshell, it isn’t going to be easy.” She inclines her head in Kingston’s direction. “But Mr. Davenport’s suggestions would certainly help.”
I sigh. “Okay. Well, I guess we will discuss this at home and get back to you.”
She nods. “Sounds good. In the meantime, I’ll file the petition to change your name.”
“Thank you.”
Kingston and I both stand and shake the attorney’s hand before leaving her office.
I punch his arm as soon as we get in the car. “I can’t believe you brought that up in there!”
He holds his hands up in surrender. “Whoa, there, Rocky. I was just trying to help.”
“Kingston! You can’t just suggest we get married to better the odds of winning a custody case.”
“I didn’t suggest we get married just to obtain custody. I did it because we’re going to do it regardless, so if it’ll help the case, why not get hitched earlier rather than later?”
I rub the bridge of my nose. “I’m sorry, did I miss the part where you asked me to marry your ass?”
He smirks. “Oh, baby, like I’d give you a choice.”
My stink eye is back. “Bossy ass.”
Kingston grabs the back of my head and pulls me into a kiss. “Don’t pretend you don’t love it.”
I pull back and flip him off because he’s right; I can’t say I don’t love it.
“Whatever,” I mutter. “You’re lucky I love you so much.”
He laughs. “Not gonna argue with you on that one, babe.”
*
“Have you guys heard?” Ainsley asks.
She bombarded us as soon as Kingston and I got out of the car.
“Heard what?” Bentley asks, getting out of his Porsche from the spot next to ours.
“Headmaster Douche got fired over the weekend,” Reed explains.
“What?” Kingston asks. “Why?”
Ainsley smiles. “He got caught banging Elinor Jackson in the auditorium.”
“Whoa.” Bentley whistles. “Wait. Who’s Elinor Jackson?”
“A booster’s wife.” Ainsley’s eyes widen. “One of the biggest booster's wives! Rumor has it he demanded Headmaster Davis' termination, or he would no longer write checks to the school, and he’d use his considerable influence with the other boosters to do the same.”
“Damn. Can’t say I’ll miss that asshat one bit.” I shrug.