Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 174 -

James.

I woke to my phone ringing urgently. Only Tony and the PI could break through the silent mode on my phone, so I knew, either way, it was urgent.

It turned out, I'd fallen asleep INSIDE Becca, so I had to delicately extricate myself from her. I tried not to wake her as I pulled out and rolled to get my phone. It was the PI. "Just a second," I whispered into the phone as I stood and grabbed a robe.

My attempts to let Becca sleep were in vain, however, because she rolled on her back and looked up at me. "James?"

"I'll be back, luscious," I assured her. "I just have to take this call."

Becca frowned a little, but nodded. "Okay."

I smiled at the love of my life, then stepped out onto the balcony and closed the door behind me. "Yes?" I said.

"Sir, I think I may have a witness," the PI replied quickly in a no-nonsense tone on the other end. "It's touch and go-I don't know if I can get her to testify-but I'm working on her." "Witness? Witness to what?" I asked eagerly.

But the PI became tightlipped on me. "No details yet. I don't want you scaring her off."

"I wouldn't scare her off," I scoffed.

The PI snorted. "You surely would. Bye for now."

After the line went dead, I sighed in frustration. What I really wanted to do was throw the phone at something, but it just wasn't feasible. I needed it for Tony's and the PI's calls.

The door opened behind me. Becca, in another robe, came padding out onto the balcony. "James?"

"It's sort of good news," I smiled, and pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine."

"You can't give me any more details than that?" Becca asked.

"No. I don't have any more details than that to give," I confessed. "I got a kind of maybe on help with the case. That's all."

"Oh." Becca sounded a bit dejected..

I tilted her face up and kissed her thoroughly. "Why don't we go back to bed? There's still another hour or so before the little ones start thinking about waking up."

Becca bit her lip, but then took my hand and led me back to the bed. She took off her robe, then spread her legs and opened her arms to me.

It was all I needed for my d*ck to become rock hard. I slid into her ready body and it felt like coming home.

"Mm, yeah, baby," I groaned as I started thrusting into her tight, wet warmth. I played with her breasts, then her cl*t. Then I felt her tighten around me as an orgasm rocked through her, and I shot my c*m into her with a shout.

I rolled to the side and gathered her to me, her breasts rubbing against my chest, my d*ck still buried deep inside her body.

Becca stroked my hair, and I felt so content I could have purred. "I love you," she whispered.

I kissed her soundly on the lips. "I love you, too."

***

"It doesn't look good," the lawyer said as we sat in her office.

Becca gripped my hand as I frowned. "How is that possible?"

Janet Loveless sighed. "They have at least twelve character witnesses who are going to be speaking against Becca's fitness to be a mother."

"Speaking against-Becca is a wonderful mother!" I protested.

"I know that. You know that. But the judge doesn't know that, and as things stand, we're going to be absolutely slaughtered," Ms. Loveless said, steepling her fingers on her desk. "Slaughtered? How so?" I asked, my stomach tight.

Becca looked positively green and was close to breaking bones in my hand.

"Well, there's the witnesses who will testify to the fact that you threatened and coerced Chad into giving up his fatherly rights. Then there's the character witnesses... and your connection to the Mafia, Mr. Valentino. I'm just saying we've got it all falling around us like a house of cards. Every defense we had, they have something better."

"Speaking hypothetically, since you would never involve yourself in anything so illegal," I responded slowly. "Would it be a good idea to take Alessandro back to Italy now and let them TRY to take him?" "Speaking hypothetically," Ms. Loveless intoned, "Italy has an extradition treaty with the United States, meaning they can kick down your door and take the boy for not showing up in court." "I'd like to see them try," I grunted, scowling at the very idea of my fortress being penetrated.

"Also, speaking hypothetically, they have your passport, Miss Woods's, and Alessandro's. You wouldn't be able to get back into Italy," Ms. Loveless pointed out.

"So... speaking hypothetically... even if I could somehow... get ahold of some passports, hypothetically getting back to Italy would not be the best of ideas anyway," I sighed.

"Not so hypothetically, if you don't show up in court, the judge will make a ruling in favor of the Cartwrights and send out a bench warrant for your arrest. Kidnapping," Ms. Loveless said. "For which we could be extradited from Italy as well," Becca added softly.

"Most assuredly," Ms. Loveless replied.

"And they could take Dahlia?" Becca asked.

I hadn't even thought of them taking Dahlia. I felt the color draining from my cheeks. Maybe bringing her here hadn't been such a good idea after all.

"If you are declared unfit parents, it wouldn't be a stretch for them to remove Dahlia to Social Services," Ms. Loveless said, trying to soften the blow with a kind tone.

I wanted to throw up. "We must have something in our favor. I could call any number of witnesses from Italy..."

"All connected to the mob," Ms. Loveless reminded us. "Not so great."

"Neal and Allegra?" Becca asked in a small voice.

"Assassin and assassin?" I said bitterly.

"What do you mean, assassin and assassin?" Ms. Loveless inquired.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "We have some friends who lived with Becca who turned out to be Russian assassins..."

"You thought you'd bring them on as character witnesses?" Ms. Loveless said, incredulous.

"No. I mean, except for the assassin part, they'd be excellent character witnesses..." I explained.

Ms. Loveless shook her head vigorously. "No, no, and no."

"My father?" Becca suggested.

"He'd be accused of being biased," Ms. Loveless said.

"He is biased. He's my father," Becca groaned. "How about Layla?"

Ms. Loveless looked down at the paperwork in front of her. "The nanny?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Her testimony would also be riddled with holes for being biased," Ms. Loveless said sadly.

"What about school friends?" I asked, looking at Becca. "And I could call on some business associates..."

"I don't have school friends. All my friends were Tally's friends, and it seems they're the ones bearing witness against me," Becca said softly.

"And your business associates would be a terrible idea. First, they don't know anything about you as a parent, just as a businessman. Second, you've been tied to several unsavory types in your business dealings and that would taint anything they have to say..." Ms. Loveless argued.

I scrubbed my hand over my face. "There must be something in our favor."

"Well, we have the legal documents. Tally making it her wish, legally, for Becca to take custody of Alessandro should anything happen to her. And Chad did give up his rights. It's on paper."

"But now they're saying I coerced his signature out of him," I grumbled.

Ms. Loveless raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you?"

"They didn't want him! They wanted Tally to abort him! They thought Alessandro was trash!" I shouted. "Chad WANTED to sign that document. I may have tuned him up a bit for what he did to my daughter, but it was his true wish to sign away any parental rights."

"Yeah... that's not going to fly in court, unless we had a witness to that fact," Ms. Loveless said. "And your friend Tony doesn't count."

Frustration bubbled up in me. I wanted to hit something. Throw something.

Ms. Loveless handed me a squeeze ball. "Calm down. If you can't stand to hear the hard truths in this office, you're going to be terrible on the stand."

"Becca is an excellent mother. And the Cartwrights are old-money assholes," I seethed, squeezing the stress ball so hard I could touch my palm with my fingers through the latex.

"Be that as it may, we are in a very bad spot here," Ms. Loveless said. "We need a miracle right now, and that's the truth."

"Would it hurt for my father and Layla to testify on my behalf? Maybe even my stepmother?" Becca asked. "I mean, could we at least try?"

Ms. Loveless shrugged. "It's not a terrible idea, but I doubt it will help. Send for them anyway, if they're not already here. Also... I would consider making out a will right now."

"A will?" I echoed.

"Yes. Becca will need to state who she wants Dahlia to go with if you two are declared unfit parents. Your wishes will still be honored if you hand her over to good people," Ms. Loveless said. Becca looked up at me. I looked down at her.

"How about... jointly... your father and Layla?" I asked.

Becca's eyes filled with tears that began rolling down her cheeks. "I can't believe I'm having to do something like this..."

"You, too, Mr. Valentino. You will need to say who you want to take Dahlia in the event that you are declared an unfit parent," Ms. Loveless explained.

"This isn't happening," Becca said, covering her face and beginning to hyperventilate. "This isn't happening..."

I rubbed Becca's back. "Shh. Shh. It's just a worst case scenario situation. We should have laid our wishes down before anyway. This is as good a time as any."

Becca began to sob. "I can't believe we're in this situation. I can't believe there is so much stacked against us. We're good parents, James. We're good people..."

"I know." My heart hurt for her, for Alessandro, and for Dahlia. I looked at Ms. Loveless. "I suppose you have the necessary papers drawn up and we just need to fill in the blanks?" Ms. Loveless nodded. "I didn't want to just spring it on you, but..."

"There wouldn't have been any good time or way to say it, Ms. Loveless," I said. "Like you said, we need to face reality."

Ms. Loveless slid the necessary paperwork across the desk to us, and I read it aloud, slowly, to Becca while she wept.

In our own separate documents, we put down who we wanted Dahlia, and Alessandro for that matter, to be given to in the event we were no longer able to take care of them. Becca's hand shook the whole time.

I got her to lean her head on my shoulder. "There may be a witness," I said cautiously.

Both women perked up. "A witness?" Ms. Loveless asked.

"It's touch and go at the moment, but my PI found someone who might testify on our behalf," I responded.

Questions were fired at me rapidly, but I held up my hands. "I don't know any more than that."

"So, you mean to tell me, some nebulous witness who may or may not help us..." Ms. Loveless sighed in consternation. "Never mind. Get the witness to talk. Then we'll see." I swallowed. Getting the witness to talk was, apparently, the problem.