Jesse James' Move to Austin: For Him or Kids?
Move puts him closer to Sandra Bullock, but not if ex Lindemulder stops it
July 13, 2010— -- With her divorce from Jesse James final, Sandra Bullock may have been hoping to put the whole messy business with her ex behind her and focus on raising her son Louis as a single mom.
Not, it seems, if James can help it.
The custom bike builder just bought a $1.9 million-dollar estate in Austin, Texas, the same town where Bullock, 45, owns a home and the couple once lived together.
"He's like that boyfriend you can never get rid of," Popeater gossip columnist Rob Shuter told ABCNews.com. "Part of me admires his determinism. But when does it become a stalker? This is just a little bit creepy now. Following her around isn't going to win her back."
James, 41, has made no secret of his desire to win his ex-wife back after she split from him in April amid reports that he had multiple affairs.
Just over a month ago he told Vicki Mabrey of ABC News' "Nightline," "I still really love her and care about her."
Complicating James' move to Austin is his custody battle with ex-wife Janine Lindemulder, the mother of his youngest daughter Sunny.
The two sides were in Orange County Superior Family Court Monday, where Lindemulder is asking a judge to rule that James not be allowed to move to Texas with Sunny. The hearing is expected to continue through today.
In court documents filed earlier and obtained by TMZ, Janine claimed that Jesse's reasons for wanting to move to Texas with Sunny -- "so his children could continue their relationship with Sandra Bullock" -- were "wholly unjustified."
Pointing to Bullock's move to Austin, Lindemulder said, "Certainly if that relationship were that important to Sandra, she would have stayed in California."
Since completing a month-long stint in rehab, James has been trying to rebuild his life and win back his wife.
A friend of his told People magazine in May that James does not believe his relationship with Bullock has "reached the final chapter."
"He is not giving up hope that Sandra will come back to her family," the friend said.
