The Other Man in My Wife's Tent novel · Chapter 23 of 24
Chapter 23: Custody
"Of course I'm still your dad," I said.
Eli frowned at the sky, thinking it over.
"Even though I have two?"
"You don't have two. You have one dad, and one man who made a mistake."
"Dean made a mistake."
"A very big one."
"Can I still say hi to him?"
My throat tightened.
"When you're older," I said. "If you want to. I'll go with you."
He nodded against my collar, satisfied, and went to sleep before we reached the truck.
Six weeks later, on a gray Tuesday, I sat in the same courtroom with the same judge in her reading glasses.
This time Dean sat at the defense table.
He had lost weight, and his suit hung off his shoulders.
The man with the expensive haircut had gone, and in his place sat a young public defender with a tired face.
Freja sat behind me, and my mother sat beside her, with Eli on her lap and a coloring book.
Lindsay sat alone, three rows back.
The judge read Dean's plea to the room.
"The defendant has pleaded guilty to unlawful removal of a child and to misuse of public funds," she said. "He has made full restitution to the school district."
Freja shifted beside me.
"He sold his boat," she whispered.
"He sold the boat?"
"He had a boat. I didn't know either."
The judge looked over her glasses at Dean.
"Mr. Tolland, I'm required to ask whether you have a statement."
Dean stood.
For a long moment he looked at the table.
"I have no excuse," he said.
"I'd like to say it to my son one day, when he's old enough to hear it."
He hesitated.
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