Because a good lawyer could argue with himself. Two attorneys going head to head is like a verbal MMA cage match with no rules.
âIâm finishinâ it, Sofia. Maternity leave starts now.â Stanton folds his armsânever a good sign.
âNo, it doesnât, Stanton. Iâm not going to feed into your âbarefoot and pregnant in the kitchenâ fantasy!â
Stanton leans forward. âYouâre more than welcome to wear shoes. Iâm partial to heels.â
Yeah, thatâs gonna go over real well.
Then Stantonâdisplaying none of his trademark charmâloses it. âYouâre my wife, this is our son! Iâm not gonna stand by and let either of you get hurtâso youâre done with the violent assholes and drug addicts. You want to sit behind your desk, put your feet up with a nice tax evader or money launderer, be my fucking guest!â
âThatâs not a decision you get to make!â
âI just did!â
Under my breath, I tell Jake, âI hate it when Mom and Dad fight.â
He cracks a smile.
Sofia glares smugly at her husband. âThen itâs a good thing this is an equal partnership, and we make those kinds of firm decisions together .â
Stanton nods, unconcerned. âGood point. We should vote on itâsince it is a firm decision.â
Sofiaâs smug smile falters.
âJake?â Stanton asks, gaze focused on his wife.
Thereâs a pause for just one beat, and Jake says, âI agree with Stanton.â
Sofiaâs face tightens, but before she can argue, he goes on. âSoldiers, firefighters, policewomen all go on restricted duty when theyâre pregnant.â
âBut Iâm not any of those things!â She throws up her hands. âI donât have to carry people out of burning buildings or avoid mortar fire, goddamn it!â
Jakeâs voice is firm as steel. âStill not worth the risk of some asshole lashing out at you. And itâs got nothing to do with you being a chickâif Stanton was the incubator, Iâd say the exact same fucking thing to him. Thank God thatâs not the case.â
Stantonâs self-satisfaction fills the air and echoes in his voice. âBrent? Whatâs your vote?â
Sofiaâs hazel eyes turn to me pleadingly.
I look her right in the face. âYouâre one of my best friends, so I can tell you that I think youâre being an idiot.â
âButââ
I hold up my hand. âItâs a few weeks of limited clientsânot the end of the world. And itâll give all of us peace of mind.â
Then I channel my inner-Waldo.
âYou donât have to prove anything to us, Sofiaâthough maybe you feel like you have to prove something to yourself. But itâs not worth your health. Or the health of little Becker Mason Santos Shaw.â
Stanton chuckles. âThank you.â
âNot so fastâIâm not finished.â I take a breath. âAlthough I see your point, Sofiaâs a grown woman, not a child. Iâm not going to take the decision away from her. So my vote is to do whatever Sofia wants to do.â
Stanton grinds his teeth. âAre you shittinâ me?â
âNope.â
Sofia folds her arms victoriously. âThank you, Brent.â
But Stantonâs not done. Because even though weâre the same age, the three of them have always looked at me like a kid brother or something. Like I need to be taught or lectured. I donât know where the fuck that comes fromâI mean, there must be a ton of grown men who have a whole shelf in their office just for comic books.
Right?
Stanton gets that Big Daddy look on his face and tells me, âOne of these days youâre gonna care about someone more than you care about yourself. And then youâll know what this feels likeâand why you just voted wrong.â
âIâll keep that in mind, but my vote still