Chapter 19
"Oh my god he proposed!" Raven squealed after he summarized Erik's wonderful speech for her.
"It wasn't a proposal!" he hissed, glancing around the small boutique where they were dress shopping.
"No one cares what we're talking about, Charles," she rolled her eyes at his aversion to attention. "He said he wants to spend the rest of his life with you, didn't he? And he said he'd ask you to elope if he didn't have a kid in the mix! What's that if not a proposal?" she gave a dreamy sigh. No doubt imagining her own engagement.
"He called it a declaration of intent," he mumbled beneath his breath as he searched through racks of designer gowns and pulling out a shimmering green silk sheath that would look amazing on Raven.
"Ooh!" she squealed,"making grabby hands at it.
"Besides, are you sure you're not projecting?" he teased.
"What's to project? Az bought a spa package for us and told me to get pampered and prepare for the night of my life! This is definitely it," she blushed a rosy pink as she finished talking, looking happier than Charles had ever seen her.
He had to agree with her assessment of the situation; "God, I'm so excited for you!" he took her hand and gave it a loving squeeze.
"Thanks Charles," she grinned and put another dress in the ever growing pile she planned to try on. "Hey, how do you think Nina would feel about being a flower girl?"
Charles laughed outright at the concern in her voice over the simple question, "I think you'd replace me as her new favorite person. Of course you guys have to meet Erik and get his approval first, but I don't see that being a problem," he answered truthfully.
If everything went well with the trial, their lives could be exactly what they wanted them to be this time next year. Fingers crossed, he went to help Raven choose a dress before their spa time arrived.
~~
Erik was livid. In the weeks since his love confession to Charles or ~The most romantic night of my life~ as his boyfriend insisted on calling it, everything had finally been going well. Now this.
"Are you sure?" he demanded again. He was on the phone with his lawyer who was giving him some of the worst news he could imagine. They'd attended their first hearing just days prior, and the fine details were only just coming out now.
"Yes, I'm sorry but since the restraining order was issued in another state and was only allowed to carry over because of your daughter's young age and trauma resulting from her kidnapping..."
"All of that still applies!" he yelled, incredulous.
She sighed, "I know, but the judge is willing to overlook it since they have abided by the restraining order by not approaching or attempting to contact either of you since it was issued. He's willing to work with them if they begin regular family therapy and a parenting class." She paused and heaved a deep sigh, "he also wants you all to meet in mediation."
Erik saw red, "I want another judge," he ground out.
"You know how that will look, Erik. If you refuse mediation you look unreasonable and they may get more than the paltry court supervised visitation they're looking at now."
"What?"
"That's what they likely would have been awarded back in their home state-well, except it would have been unsupervised. So, if they complete their therapy and abide by the R.O. until it expires, we're looking at the second Saturday every month for six hours at a visitation center. I've modified it so that any birthdays or holidays are to be spent with you-visitation time to be taken the following week. We're waiting to hear back on them accepting the qualifiers."
"Twelve visits a year is twelve too many," he snarled. "I don't care what you have to do or who we need to speak to. I will not have these people anywhere near my child! If I have to move every year until she's old enough to tell the court she doesn't want to visit them then that's what I'll do!"
Ororo sighed, "I understand, Erik. And of course I'll do my best, but you may need to consider compromising on this. You said you've set up a nice life here with family and friends nearby. Moving so much won't be good for Nina either," she said softly.
He clenched his teeth so hard it felt like his head was going to explode, he swallowed thickly. "Yes, I know. But I refuse to try and decide which would be worse for my child. Just...find something, anything for me to work with."
"I'm already on it," she said firmly. They rang off shortly after and Erik slumped down in his chair tiredly. Sometimes he wished he'd majored in family law so he'd know the ins and outs as well as Ororo. He was relieved to have secured her services, she was the best in the tri state area and he had no doubt that she was worth every penny.
He turned back to his own cases with a weary eye, at least he could bring a few people the justice they so desperately needed, even if it seemed to be denied to him.
~~
"Erik, that's terrible! How can a judge just overlook the past?" Charles demanded, eyes wide with horror.
"It's his prerogative," he said, sounding more defeated than Charles had ever heard him. "The R.O. will not be taken into consideration if they follow his requirements."
Charles was baffled, "But the P.I.? You said you still have-"
"We do, we have the whole rest of our case including your testimony and we will fight this, but the R.O. was the basis of proving they're not to be trusted around Nina."
"Oh, my darling,"Charles pulled Erik into a warm hug and just held him tight. "I'm so sorry this happened. I promise we'll never give up," he whispered softly.
"I know."
"Do you really? Because I mean it, Erik we'll figure this out, okay?" he pulled back to look up into anxious winter gray eyes.
And for the life of him, Erik couldn't doubt his resolve, together they were unstoppable. He had to believe that or he'd collapse. He pulled Charles close again and mumbled into his hair, "Stay the night."
"Of course, darling," he soothed his anxious lover; he was ready to move up their living together time table from midsummer to immediately if it would help Erik in any way.
"I'm installing cameras this weekend," he said so softly Charles barely heard him. it took a moment for his to piece the sentence together and even then it caught him off guard.
"Wait, what?"
~~
True to his word, Erik installed security cameras on his house and set Charles up with a small camera in the peep hole of his door that activated an app on his phone anytime the doorbell rang.
"It's for your own safety. When we move in together, we should look into a gated community," he said absently.
The back of Charles' neck prickled at that, "I'd like to think this will be over by then," he said softly, though maybe he was being naïve.
Erik gave him a confused look over his shoulder, "what? Oh! I meant because you're becoming such a big star. We lucked out that the man at the store wasn't an actual stalker. I'm not taking any more risks with your safety."
Charles blushed deep red at his sweet words. He was touched that Erik took the time to think of him at all with the legal debacle they were tangled in "Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Thank you."
"Anything for my darling," he grinned and turned to press a quick kiss to Charles' lips. "Let's go check on the little one and see what she's up to. She's been quiet for too long."
"Oh, I gave her a stack of recipe books-with pictures- and asked which ones looked fun to her. Raven made me realize how silly it was that I was trying to think of what kids would like when I have the perfect focus group right next door!"
"One kid isn't a focus group," Erik quirked a smile at Charles' enthusiasm for his new video series.
"Well, I was hoping her very handsome father might be willing to participate as well," he said coyly.
"Oh? I don't know, he's not much of a cook," Erik slung his arm over his shoulders and tucked him close.
"Exactly, he has the cooking skills of a kindergartener so it makes perfect sense!" his playful words ended in a yelp when Erik poked a ticklish spot in retaliation.
Yes, Charles decided in that moment, he would do anything to keep this. No matter where life took Erik, he'd be at his side.