Serendipity Strikes

19

Shawn

"You're sure we can't slap her with a slander lawsuit?" I asked Andrew, who'd flown to Toronto so he could deal with the paternity scandal in person.

Since the E!News story broke two days ago, every other trashy online site and media outlet had run with it. According to my manager, the fact that a music industry celebrity like me (who had always had this nice Canadian guy image) was mixed up in baby-drama involving a recently deceased sports hero and adorable children's book author, made the whole thing so much more juicy and newsworthy.

"The problem is, Mrs. Radley said that she thinks you are the baby's father. She never said that you definitely are. It's not slander if she's presenting it as a theory and not a fact. I'm sure her lawyer coached her to phrase everything that way, and she did a good job of it," Andrew said from his seat at my kitchen island.

My mother was seated next to him, and I was standing on the other side because I had too much energy from my anger to sit. Andrew was here to negotiate our way through the professional end of this, and my mum was present for emotional support.

"So we release the statement and then just let her get away with this?" I protested, throwing my hands up.

"There's not a lot you can do. Once the tests come back, you'll release a joint statement with Emmaline that tells the truth. Most people will believe you about your relationship starting after the baby was born, but some won't. In time it should blow over."

What he wasn't saying was that my image had been tainted by all this. Maybe in the long run it wouldn't matter, but right now, I was viewed as an asshole who knocked up a beloved dead guy's girlfriend. When the test results came out, I'd get downgraded to being an asshole who was the third party in a cheating scandal instead.

"Em said the results are being delivered to the lawyer today, so at least that part of it will be done," I said.

Emmaline, Jax, and I had met up with Mrs. Radley at the doctor's office the lawyers had selected. Instead of a cheek swab, they'd drawn blood because apparently those results were more definitive for court use. It was only a tiny needle prick, but Jax had cried, which made Em cry, which made me want to punch the wall because this whole thing was such bullshit. We refused to speak to Mike's mother and only communicated with the doctor. I wanted to tell her what a raging bitch she was, just so it would wipe the smug look off her face, but Andrew had warned me that anything I did or said could end up on E! that night. I stayed cool for that reason alone. She'd had the nerve to ask that I submit blood, too, so that if Jax wasn't Mike's, she could prove he was mine. Her lawyer, Ted Bishop, told her there were no legal grounds for that, which had royally pissed her off. Watching her storm off in a huff had been the only upside to the paternity test ordeal.

Emmaline was currently at her place with Jordyn and Jax, packing up the condo, while waiting for the call from Mr. Bishop. We all knew what the results would be, but it still caused me anxiety. I was a little worried that Mrs. Radley could have paid the doctor off to switch samples with someone unrelated, but I knew that was unlikely. She could go to jail over that, and I doubted she'd risk it. That bitch wasn't a criminal, but she was conniving and evil, which she'd proven with another recent action.

As executor, she had control of the condo until the estate was settled, and the day after the scandal broke, Bishop's office had delivered an eviction notice to Emmaline. Technically, Em had a month to vacate but she wanted to get out as soon as possible, which was why she was currently packing.

The logical solution to her housing problem was that she move in with me temporarily, since the court would probably award the condo to Jax later. In theory, they could be back in their place within six months if the probate proceedings went smoothly. I'd be gone on tour for a substantial chunk of the year, so it would be good to have someone living in my condo and keeping the place up. We spent every night together, so this wasn't a significant change for her or the baby.