American Outlaw - Jesse James [121]
To this point, my attempts to win custody of my daughter Sunny, now a toddler, had been ineffectual. The courts were for the most part still really traditional. They tried their hardest to keep a child with her mother, no matter how obvious it seemed, at least to me, that I was the more stable party by a long shot.
But no judge in the world could refuse me now. Janine pled guilty to the charges of tax evasion, and she received her sentencing. In late October, we learned that she was going to be spending half of the next year in a Victorville prison.
“They’re going to grant me custody. It’s really happening,” I told Sandy. “I’m going to pick Sunny up next week in Oregon.”
“Can I come with you?”
“Of course,” I said. “I want you to.”
We drove up to Oregon quietly. I was nervous: I hadn’t seen my daughter much throughout her life. Now I wondered if I hadn’t fought quite hard enough to be with her. Janine had been allowed to parent her for a long time, because I hadn’t figured out a way to prevent her. I just hoped that in the long run, her better instincts would have taken hold, that her influence hadn’t been too damaging.
“Sunny’s going to be fine,” Sandy said, reading my mind.
“Yeah,” I said. “I know.”
She reached over and put her hand softly on my thigh. “This is the first step. We’ll go on from here.”
We reached the house and got out of our car. I caught sight of Sunny on the porch of her house, with the court-appointed guardian. She looked small and short and pale. My heart rose into my throat when I stooped down to hug her.
“You remember Sandy, don’t you, sweetie?” I asked her.
Sunny nodded.
“We’re both real excited, because you’re going to come live with us,” I explained. “You’re going to have a big brother and sister. They can’t wait to meet you.”
Sunny looked down, not saying anything.
“We live right on the beach, Sunny,” Sandy said gently. “Have you ever been in the ocean before?”
Sunny looked up, interested. “Yes,” she said, after a second. “It was cold.”
Sandy laughed. “Well, the water will be warmer in California. I think you’ll like it.”
I looked uncertainly at my two girls.
“Well?” I said. “It’s a long drive back. Should we get on it?”
“Yes,” Sandy said, extending her hand down to Sunny. After a moment’s hesitation, Sunny clasped on, and they began to move forward. “Let’s do it.”
I felt hopeful.
——
And so, our family expanded once more. It was an exciting time for all of us: for Sandy, to be a mother for the first time; for Chandler and Jesse Jr., to be siblings to someone who really needed it; for Sunny, to slowly unfold into an environment filled with warmth and support; and for me, to feel like a dad who finally got his game right.
I’d become a parent so young. It had taken me a long time to grow fully into the role. But I felt like I’d finally arrived at my destination. I’d identified the people about whom I cared most deeply. I’d committed the rest of my life to making sure they were happy and safe.
“I’m turning into a regular family man,” I remarked to Sandy, as we prepared to spend Friday and Saturday nights at home with the clan, fitting together puzzles with Sunny, watching movies with the older kids.
“Would you ever have predicted it?”
“What, me being this boring?” I laughed. “I guess not. But weirdly enough, I kind of like it.”
It was a good thing that I did, too, because recently, I had started to feel like my family was the only thing that I was running right.
West Coast Choppers, according to the plan that I’d set up in my mind, was supposed to have focused me during what I saw as a transitional time. It was supposed to take my mind off the fact that my main project for more than half a decade, Monster Garage, was over and done with. But instead, the shop was just getting on my nerves. Without intending to, I had let it grow into a kind of unruly monster over the years. I had more than 145 employees on my payroll, and even keeping their names straight was a challenge at times.
“Who’s that?” I frowned.
“Her name’s Susan. She’s been here six months, man. She’s one