Ready for You
Beta-Kitchmill
13
The older girls ride ahead of us as we briskly walk. I share a bit of my saga with Alice, nothing that Ellie could pick up on that is negative towards Jacob, however I do end up whisper-spelling out a few tidbits instead of saying them. That has got to be one of the hardest things about this whole situation, not bad-mouthing Jacob, especially in front of Ellie.
By the end of our walk Alice has a pretty good understanding of most of what has gone down with Jacob and she's seething as calmly as she can. When Alice leaves she gives me a big hug and tells me that she is here for me and that I'm now an honorary member of the fireman wives, whatever that is.
Our second appearance to discuss custody and visitation is with a court appointed mediator, and is scheduled for the following week. Although I'm settling into a routine with the girls and work, I can't help but feel anxious about how this could all change. Having the girls by myself basically six and a half days a week is daunting and exhausting at times and I rarely have any time completely to myself, but I don't want that to change.
(*)*(*)*(*)
Before the proceeding begins, Jacob and I awkwardly acknowledge each other with a dip of our chins, nothing more. In attendance are Jacob and his attorney, me and mine, the mediator and a court reporter.
"My name is Mike Newton. I will be your court appointed mediator. We are here to discuss and amend custody arrangements for the children, Ellie and Sophie Black," he states matter-of-factly. "Mrs. Black, how is the arrangement going now?"
"Um, good. Jacob has been good with the girls, arriving on time, keeping them happy. He seems to be slowly forming a relationship with the baby."
"How do you mean?"
"Jacob hasn't bonded with her yet. She is unfamiliar with him. That and I'm still breastfeeding her so she can get a little cranky when I'm not around."
"So what do you do with this happens?" he addresses Jacob.
"Um, I've called Bella a few times to come and get her, but I'm trying. I mean, we are getting to know each other. And she takes the sippy cup a little bit now." He shrugs.
"Okay," Mr. Newton says, taking notes. "I see here that you are asking for more time with them, Mr. Black."
Our attorneys, although they are present, sit quietly taking notes.
"What I'm really asking for is to take the girls overnight to see my dad, maybe once a month. He lives about two hours away and just going for the day would be very difficult to do.
"Mrs. Black, how do you feel about this?"
"I'm okay with him having the girls overnight if he's at his dad's. I know his father well, and I know he would be helpful with the girls. My only concern is that I want Jacob to take them...alone," I say hesitantly, but with conviction.
"Do you have any objections to this, Mr. Black?"
Jacob shakes his head and mumbles, "No," but his body language shows defeat. I give myself an inner fist pump, because I honestly have the feeling I foiled his plans to take his girlfriend with my girls to visit his dad. I wonder what would have happened if Jacob had not agreed to it? I make a mental note to ask Mr. Jenks about this later.
We go over some other details about the girls, but nothing really changes except for him being able to take the girls overnight once a month to visit his dad.
"Okay, that completes this session. Do either of you have any questions?"
We both shake our heads.
"So to reiterate, the only detail we are changing from the preliminary custody agreement is that Jacob is allowed to drive the girls, alone, to visit his father for an overnight visit once a month. Otherwise, Mr. Black visits his girls, alone, one weekend day per week, agreed upon in advance by your attorneys. Is that correct?" Everyone nods in agreement.
"I will file the papers and they will be ready for you to sign in a day or two," he says, gathering his papers. "Thank you for your cooperation." He shakes hands with everyone and exits the room.
Jacob and I once again nod in each other's directions as we go separate ways with our attorneys.
"J, I need to ask you something. I'm asking for Jacob to spend time with his girls, alone, without his girlfriend being around my children. How much longer can I insist on that? And if Jacob doesn't agree, what recourse do we have?"
"To be honest, Bella, this is highly unusual. Once Jacob gets the girls outside of your house, unless he agrees to it like he has been, we can't control who he spends time with unless we can prove he is putting your children in jeopardy. The fact that he agreed to this is probably just temporary, but we have three months before we have our next custody mediation and we need to address this, so try not to worry."
But I do. The thought of that woman being near my girls makes my skin crawl and the mama bear in me want to come out and play...not so nicely.
A/N
What do you think about Jacob's cooperation so far? Many of you have shown concern about the custody arrangements, so this was an update. Also, don't worry, Jacob has a tough time ahead of him.
Thanks so much for reading and reviewing :)
One more this weekend because you guys are so fantastic!
PS...I'm writing Edward right now ;)