Her Swedish Billionaire’s Baby

Chapter 6

“Wow, I turn my back for six years and you manage to land yourself in a mountain of sh*t huh?” Alison said once Samara had caught her up on her life as is. She shrugged in response, feeling much better about things now that her big sister was here. Alison always knew what to do, even if she did give Samara sh*t about it.

“So, this Bjorn guy hasn’t responded to your email?”

Samara nodded.

“And you don’t have his phone number or nothing?” it wasn’t really a question but Samara nodded in response anyway.

“And abortion is off the table?”

Samara just gave her a look.

“Right. Okay. So…first things first. Doctor’s visit. Have you done that?”

“Yeah. I went to the campus medical center. They did a test. It was positive.”

“Have you seen an obstetrician?”

“Not yet.”

“Why not?”

Samara shrugged again. Saying she hadn’t known what to do and she was scared and didn’t know who to ask, would sound just so absolutely lame.

“Don’t worry. The brains of the operation is here. We’ll get you sorted out in no time,” Alison said with a clap of her hands, seeming to understand, as always, what Samara left unsaid. Samara sighed with happiness. She had really missed her sister.

*****

“What is this Inga?” Bjorn asked walking out of his office holding the printout that Inga had finally placed in his inbox together with Watson’s findings. Inga wanted to shrug and say, “You tell me,” but she liked her job and wanted to keep it so she just stood up and looked at him with an impassive expression.

“It arrived in your inbox a few weeks ago. I didn’t know what to do about it so I had Watson gather some background information on the girl and here are the findings.”

Bjorn stared down at the paper and then up at Inga as if he didn’t understand anything.

“How long is a few weeks?” he asked.

“Three weeks to be exact sir.”

“Oh. Okay. And have we communicated with her at all at this time?”

“No. We have not.”

“Alright. I have a dinner tonight; after, I’ll go through this information and then decide how to proceed.”

“Yes sir,” Inga said and Bjorn nodded and returned to his office.

*****

The dinner was interminable and the speakers were boring and long winded. Bjorn wanted to just stand up and leave but he couldn’t do that anymore. He was a ‘representative of the family’ now, not just Bjorn. He was itching to go through the intelligence sent by Watson though and find out whether this woman who claimed to be having his baby was on the up and up or not.

If this was his baby then…it was a game changer for sure. If it wasn’t…well this Samara was playing a very dangerous game if so. He remembered how nervous she had seemed around him. So innocent looking; was this her endgame? To get herself pregnant with his child? Earn a meal ticket for life? From what Watson had gathered in her file, her family made a living conning people out of money. She had left them to attend college six years ago on a full scholarship but then had immediately latched onto Gordon Whitaker’s daughter, Amy, who was very well off and certainly facilitated Samara a great deal.

Was Bjorn her next target? If so, she was in for the surprise of her life.

The next day he asked Inga to book him a flight to California and find him an excellent family lawyer.

*****

Alison insisted that Samara move in with her in an off campus apartment that was nevertheless a short walk from UCLA. It was pretty dingy, and the only thing it had going for it was the location. However, that detail meant that they were paying a much higher rate than a studio apartment of that size would normally attract.

Samara didn’t mind; with two of them working and Alison earning quite a bit extra in tips from the bar she was working at, they would manage. Alison even got a rescue dog from the shelter and they named him Bear. The campus medical cover was good for maternity care as well so she was covered there. Life was good.

*****

“A father’s rights in California on child custody cases and every other aspect of divorce and family law are identical to that of the mother,” Kenneth Demerle, the family law attorney Inga had acquired for him said. Bjorn looked up in surprise. He had heard different.

“Are you surprised? Did you think your paternal rights as a father were less important?

“You might have thought that because I am sure you have spoken to at least one person who has told you fathers get screwed in California family court. While the person may not have been that blunt, I hear this all the time from prospective clients who call me. Fathers tell me that they have heard dads do not get the same treatment in family court as mothers or that father’s rights in California is often trampled upon,” Demerle said.

“And they are not?” Bjorn asked.

“Paternity actions are not a doom and gloom scenario for dads like you. Just because you are a father in California, and especially if you are the breadwinner, does not mean you get the short end of the stick when it comes to seeing your children, and paying or receiving support. There are things you can do to protect yourself and it’s important that you know what your rights are as a father in California with all of these issues is,” Kennedy said as he leaned forward in his seat, following Bjorn’s progress as he paced around his office.

“And what about establishing paternity? Can we do that when she’s still pregnant? If it’s mine, I want it born into my custody.”

Kennedy sighed and shook his head, “California law favors joint legal custody for parents. It explicitly prefers parents to share in the decision-making process related to the child. Joint legal custody in California is all about share and share alike. It is about sharing information related to the child and making decisions mutually as opposed to one parent making important decisions in a child’s life. Joint legal custody includes decisions and sharing of information about a child’s health, safety, education and general welfare.”

“And there is no changing that? No loopholes?” Bjorn asked.

“An unborn child obviously cannot be anywhere other than the mother’s womb so child custody and parenting time don’t apply until the child is born. However, an unborn child can be the subject of a child support order. California law states that child support obligations can start even before the child is born.

“For a father like you, the most important thing is to stay involved in the process and if the mother excludes you from it then that is what I’m here for. If she does go ahead and exclude you, then it’s a point in your favor. However, the judge is likely to rule for mediation in this case and that is the best case scenario for us because then we can negotiate with the mother’s attorney to obtain custody of the child. You say she’s likely after money?”

“Yes.”