Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

Arizona

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Chapter Eighteen – Lawyer Up, Buddy

Shane sat at the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee in front of him. He rubbed his tired eyes before bringing the cup up to his lips. He hadn't slept a wink. Seeing Ken, knowing he was coming back for 'unfinished business' made him extremely uneasy.

He felt a presence behind him and turned to see an equally uneasy looking Mitchie walking into the kitchen.

"Did you sleep?" He asked. She shook her head. "Neither did I. I'm just waiting for that bastard to come back."

"Do you think he will? I mean he could just be messing with us." She said taking the seat in front of him.

He shook his head. "I don't want to risk anything. You and Hayley should spend the day out somewhere. Take her to Chuck E. Cheese or bowling or whatever. I don't care. I just don't want you two here in case he shows up again."

Mitchie took a deep breath not really knowing what to say. She honestly thought she'd never see Ken again. She was sure he wouldn't show his face after what he did to her and, in turn, what Shane did to him but here he was trying to ruin her seemingly happy life.

"I agree, Hayley should be out of the house," She rested her hand atop of his. "But I don't want to leave you, Shane. You don't know Ken like I do. I wouldn't want you around him by yourself."

"Mitchie, I can't put you in harms way like that. This is the same guy who had the balls to put his hands on you. I mean if something happened to you I wouldn't be able to forgive myself." Shane saw the look on her face. She wasn't going to take no for an answer. Just as he was about to give in to her request, there was a knock at the door. He looked down at his watch. The digital numbers on the watch read 9:45.

Shane took one last look at Mitchie, sipped his coffee and walked to the door. He placed his hand on the knob, taking a deep breath before turning it and opening the door.

"Before you tell me to leave, I want you to know I'm not here to start trouble."

Shane stepped out on to the doorstep and closed the door behind him. Here he was face to face with Ken, who was dressed in a nice looking suit while Shane was in his PJs. He didn't want to make a scene but it was taking a lot out of him to not punch this guy in the face.

"If you don't want to start trouble, why are you here?" Shane asked as calmly as he could.

Ken fixed the lapel of his blazer and raised his eyebrow. "A year ago I was a high powered lawyer with a fiancée and an adorable little girl. Presently I'm still a high powered lawyer but I no longer have my fiancée nor my little girl."

"First off she was never your little girl, okay? I'm her real father." Shane didn't want to raise his voice and risk Mitchie hearing him. He didn't want her knowing Ken was here. "And you never deserved Mitchie."

"Right, this coming from the guy who knocked her up and left her high and dry." He said cockily. "I like to think of myself as a regal kind of guy so I just wanted to tell you that you should make sure whatever lawyers you have are up to par with me."

"Lawyers? Why would I need lawyers?" Shane asked confusedly.

"Listen, I'm not perfect. I make mistakes. Not spending enough time with Hayley and Mitchie when I had the chance, that was a mistake. Hitting Mitchie, that was a mistake, too. All I want is a second chance."

"And what makes you think you deserve one?" Shane was having a hard time believing what he was hearing.

"I can't do anything about Mitchie. She's a grown woman and she's going to stay where she pleases but Hayley, I can do something about her. The way I see it, this just isn't a stable environment for Hayley to live in so I think I should have custody of her."

Shane's eyes widen. A custody battle? Never in a million years did he think he'd have to be involved in one of those.

"So you're saying an environment where there are two loving parents, a steady income and more than enough protection for that little girl isn't a safe environment?" Shane asked sarcastically. "Do you really think a judge is going to buy that?"

"They will when I bring up the fact that for two whole years you had no idea she even existed. I mean you left before, who's to say you won't leave again?"

"Are you kidding me? You hit her mother. Do you really believe the judge is going to chose you over me?"

Ken smirked and reached into his pocket to pull out a folded piece of paper. He held it up for Shane to see.

"After you busted into my home and punched me in the face, which by the way I will be bringing up in court, I did some reflecting on my life. I signed up for anger management classes. Old Ken wouldn't be talking to you right now. Old Ken would be punching you. Now, I am the new and improved Ken. Thanks to those classes I can stand here and talk to you civilly."

Shane ran a hand over his face. This was a lot for him to take in. In less than 24 hours, Ken's came back and informed that he'd be taking him to court over custody of Hayley. He was not exactly loving his life at the moment. He figured there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. He'd have to take Ken's advice and gather some lawyers so he was prepared to fight for Hayley.

"Well, I guess we're done here." Ken said stuffing the paper back into his pocket. He slapped Shane on the shoulder with a smile. "See you in court buddy."

Shane seethed watching Ken walk to his car. He waited for him to drive away before walking back inside.

"Who was that?" Mitchie asked standing from the kitchen table and walking over to him.

"That was," Shane took a pause. "That was Ken."

"What did he want?" She asked anxiously.

"He's taking us to court. He wants custody of Hayley." Shane braced himself for her reaction. He was ready for anger, sobbing but not laughter, which was what she did. "Why are you laughing?"

"No judge in their right mind is going to grant custody of a three year old child to someone who has a past of being violent. To think that he actually thinks he can win is quite hilarious to me." She said in between giggles.

"After I confronted him about what he did to you that night, he went and took anger management classes. That kind of stuff works in his favor."

"Wait," Mitchie's amused demeanor changed upon hearing Shane's words. "You actually think he has a chance, don't you?"

"Well he has those classes working for him and he's a lawyer, which I'm sure is more appealing to a judge than being a freaking musician, and he's just…" Shane ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at it as he did. "I feel powerless right now."

Mitchie reached up and placed his hand on his cheek. "You're not powerless, okay? Excuse my language but Ken is nothing but a really good bullshitter. You can't believe anything he says. In custody cases, the judge is more likely to put the kid where she's happy. I can't think of anywhere besides in your arms where Hayley's happier. And, okay, so he took some classes on how to manage his anger, that doesn't mean they worked."

Shane's lips curled up in a slight smile. "So you think we stand a chance?"

"I know we stand a chance. All we have to do is show the judge how suitable we are as parents and how unsuitable Ken is…and neither one of those should be too hard to do."

For the first time in their relationship, Shane was the one freaking out and Mitchie was the one who had to talk him down. He was never the one to lose his cool but he was being threatened with the possibility of having his family broken apart. But even with all that, just knowing Mitchie had faith in them, in the fact that can prevail in this whole situation, made him feel a whole lot better about things.

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Well, I hope you guys liked this chapter! Sorry the latest chapters have been so short! I promise I'll make the next one longer! :] Thanks for all the reviews on the previous chapter anddd like always…

Thanks for reading! :]