Part 7

The review lasted weeks. Compliance requested contracts, deliverables, invoices, and approvals. They interviewed employees and gave Garrett and Kendra a chance to respond. Meanwhile, he was temporarily removed from sensitive duties.

I moved into a rented house in Houston Heights. Dad offered to pay for everything, but I used my savings and asked him to help me get back to work. We learned to be close without him deciding things for me.

At the county clerk’s office, I registered the twins as Harper Hale Prescott and Owen Hale Prescott. Dana explained that their rights didn’t depend on their father’s preferences and wouldn’t vanish with a check. My family name was there too. Protecting them didn’t require erasing their history, only making sure one never counted for more than the other.

In the third week, Garrett asked to keep Owen for a full night. The pediatrician recommended keeping the twins together and respecting their feeding schedules. I submitted those recommendations along with a proposed visitation plan. I didn’t want to win an argument by separating the babies. Dana explained that the court would weigh the needs of both infants, along with the parents’ rights and responsibilities.

Kendra called, anxious about the investigation and about her baby. I assured her that her son wasn’t to blame and that I had no intention of exposing him. As for Beacon, she would have to clarify her role with the company. Then she murmured:

“Garrett promised me he’d make sure we never wanted for anything.”

That promise justified nothing. It didn’t prove, on its own, that every invoice was false. I decided to wait for the report.

The review found that Beacon had performed some services, but it had billed for deliverables nobody could verify and received approvals without disclosing conflicts of interest. The $11,000 deposit wasn’t a travel reimbursement and had no authorized backing. After hearing their responses, the company ended their employment under its own procedures and weighed claims separately. Nobody was led out of an office in handcuffs.

Garrett told people I’d had him fired out of spite. But his signature appeared on documents dated before the birth. My complaint hadn’t invented those acts; it had caused them to be investigated.

In family court, we argued over child support, medical expenses, and visitation. Garrett asked to see Owen before Harper, insisting the boy needed his father. I insisted that both deserved equal treatment. The court issued temporary orders for care and gradual visitation, adjusted to their age.